March 9, 2017 · 1:49 pm

A Plethora of Performing Arts at Penn (68 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93, and  Steve Jung, C’93

The weekend of January 20-21st marked 68 weeks until our 25th reunion in our #93tothe25th countdown. This week we thank Steve Jung, C’93, for sharing memories of performing arts at Penn (Steve also shared his memories of the Palestra in this post).

Steve saved many of the programs from performing arts shows he saw while a student. Steve writes:

Here are a couple photos of artistic performances.The first one, with, “Into the Woods,” is of programs from shows I worked on as set and running crew. The second is from show I saw. Most of those were because I knew someone in the show.
Penn Performing Arts programs - saved by classmate Steve Jung, C'93

Penn Performing Arts programs – saved by classmate Steve Jung, C’93

I was the assistant technical director for, “Rhinoceros.” Our stage was a rotating platform on the floor of the black-box theater. The main thing I remember was rotating the stage in the dark with the rest of the crew. We stood up to signal we had locked down our section. The first time we did it, the audience applauded, probably thinking it was part of the show.
I was tech director for, “Lear.” We were in the Houston Hall Auditorium. Our design put the seating section in front of the stage and our stage in main part of the room. During construction, I made the observation that the half-completed stage looked like the Millennium Falcon.
Penn Performing Arts programs saved by classmate Steve Jung, C'93

Penn Performing Arts programs saved by classmate Steve Jung, C’93

 Steve saw a lot of shows! I remember seeing many of these performances too. It was always a treat to see a live show on campus and applaud the artistic talent of fellow Penn students.
Steve’s programs include performances from Penn Players, the Curtis Organ Restoration Society, Intuitons, Theatre Arts, Arts House Dance, Quadramics, Penn Jazz Ensemble, Without a Net, Penn 6-5000, Pennchants, Penn Pipers, Arts House Theater, Penn Singers, University Wind Ensemble, and Penn Gospel Choir. (Interesting note – in searching for these groups on the web, almost all of them still exist at Penn. The Curtis Organ Society seems to have ceased to exist in 1997 – 1998 when funds were donated to restore the orgran. Arts House Theater I didn’t find save for a YouTube clip of a 1992 production, and Penn Gospel Choir is now New Spirit of Penn Gospel Choir).
Do you remember attending performing arts shows on campus? Were you in a performing arts group? We would love to hear your memories!

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

January 20 – 21, 2017, marked 68 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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March 5, 2017 · 6:51 pm

A “Billion for Ben Bag” Survives (69 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93, and  Ruth McIlhenny Gormé, C’93

The weekend of January 13-14 marked 69 weeks until our 25th reunion in our #93tothe25th countdown. This week we thank Ruth McIlhenny Gormé, C’93, for taking us on a trip down memory lane, seeing how far Penn has come since our Freshman year.

As you may remember, Penn celebrated its 250th Anniversary in the Spring of our Freshman year, and the celebrations continued into the Fall of our Sophomore year with the final celebration taking place on College Green in December, 1990 (see our 74 Weeks post on that celebration here).

In conjunction with the celebrations was a capital campaign for Penn dubbed, “A Billion for Ben.”

Ruth still has the tote bag from those celebrations and uses it regularly – see it here in the back of her car. I had one of these bags too, but it is in no shape to be photographed.

A Billion for Ben 250th Celebration bag - still in use 25+ years later! Credit: Ruth McIlhenny Gorme, C'93

A Billion for Ben 250th Celebration bag – still in use 25+ years later! Credit: Ruth McIlhenny Gorme, C’93

Ruth writes, “I’m sending a picture of the tote bag I got working on the “Billion for Ben” campaign our freshman year.  It’s still in use! Remember when a billion dollar endowment was something to strive for? What’s Penn’s endowment now? According to a June 2016 report, it’s now over $10 billion!”

Ruth is correct, according to Penn’s annual report last year, as of June 30, 2016, Penn’s endowment stands at $10.7 billion. We’ve come a long way since 1990!

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

January 13 – 14, 2017, marked 69 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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March 1, 2017 · 9:45 am

Grades in the Mail (70 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93, and Jennifer Jarett, C’93

Our countdown to our 25th reunion continues with January 6 – 7, 2017, marking the the 70th week until our 25th reunion. Follow all of our posts via  #93tothe25th.

Do you remember after each semester at Penn, our grades would be sent in the mail? Jennifer Jarett’s parents still have copies of her grades from Penn. They were sent to her parents’ home!

Jennifer writes:

“It’s hard to believe that 25 years ago our parents were receiving carbon copies of our grades through the mail! If memory serves correctly, these would have been semesters my parents would have been happy to see. Strangely, my first semester carbon copy is nowhere to be found…”
Penn grade reports sent to Jennifer Jarett in 1990 and 1991

Grade reports sent to Jennifer Jarett’s parents for the Fall terms in 1990 and 1991

Does anyone else remember their grades being sent home?

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

January 6 – 7, 2017, marked 70 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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February 23, 2017 · 6:48 pm

Gov. Mario Cuomo Speaks at Penn (71 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

The weekend of December 30-31, 2016, marked 71 weeks to our 25th reunion in our #93tothe25th countdown. At that time in December, 1989, it was a break between our first and second semesters of our Freshman year at Penn. I remember returning home to Texas, and catching up with my friends from high school. All of us shared stories of our experiences at our respective colleges and universities.

One memory I remember sharing from the fall semester is going to Irvine Auditorium to hear New York Governor Mario Cuomo speak. The student groups Connaissance and the Penn Political Union brought him to campus – later in my time at Penn I became involved with both the PPU and Connaissance and was fortunate to work on bringing many high profile speakers to campus. This event was one of the first times I realized why Penn was so special. So many different academics and dignitaries came to speak on campus and we were able to hear them, meet them, and question them. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to learn and explore so much.

Looking at the two pictures I took from the event, I am reminded how different capturing images is today compared to 1989!

Governor of New York Mario Cuomo on stage at Irvine Auditorium at Penn photo by Kiera Reilly

My photo of Gov. Mario Cuomo on state at Irvine Auditorium at Penn

New York Governor Mario Cuomo speaks at the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 Irvine Auditorium

My second photo of Gov. Cuomo on stage at Irvine auditorium

NY Governor Mario Cuomo speaks at Penn in 1989. Photo by Mike Johnson, The Daily Pennsylvanian

The DP Photo editor took a much better picture of Gov. Cuomo. Credit: Mike Johnson, DP

I saved the article from The Daily Pennsylvanian in the next day’s paper and pasted it in my scrap book. You can access the article and the text of his speech (plus the entire issue from October 25, 1989) via the DP’s archives online here. I also saved my ticket from the event.

ticket to see New York Governor Mario Cuomo speak at Penn in 1989. Photo by Kiera Reilly

My ticket to see Gov. Cuomo at Irvine Auditorium on October 24, 1989

The photo caption on the front page (which is cropped in this scan below), said that Cuomo spoke to an audience of 1,400. The article said that after his 90 minute speech and 20 minute Q&A session with the audience, Cuomo received a standing ovation.

Front page of The Daily Pennsylvanian on October 25, 1989 highlights Gov. Mario Cuomo

Front page of The DP on October 25, 1989, highlighted Gov. Cuomo’s visit the night before.

Speech delivered by Gov. Mario Cuomo at Penn on October 24, 1989, credit to The DP

The lengthy front page story on Gov. Cuomo continued inside the paper with a copy of his speech.

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

December 30-31, 2016 marked 71 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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February 11, 2017 · 7:53 am

Day Trippin’ to NYC (72 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

The weekend of December 23 – 24, 2016, marked 72 weeks to our 25th reunion, so I thought some pictures of a December day trip to New York City would be appropriate for that week’s #93tothe25th countdown.

Freshman year, during what I assume must have been reading days, four of us took a Penn Student Agencies sponsored bus – or did we take NJ Transit – to visit New York City for the day.

I found these bus tickets and the NJ Transit ticket in my Freshman year scrapbook, so I’m not sure which mode of transit we took.  Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C’93, says she remembers us taking the train, so maybe I made another trip to NYC with PSA?

Penn Student Agencies bus tickets to New York City by Kiera Reilly

Penn Student Agencies’ sponsored bus to and from New York.

NJ Transit train ticket from NY Penn Station to Trenton by Kiera Reilly

NJ Transit ticket stub from December 12th (also the date on the back of my photos).

We spent a full day in the city, and Lisa says she remembers our friend Deanna Huffman being wide-eyed at everything since she had never visited New York before.

Kiera Reilly, C'93, and Deanna Hoffman, C'93, at FAO Schwartz in NYC Freshman year at Penn

Kiera Reilly, C’93, and Deanna Huffman, C’93, at FAO Schwartz in NYC Freshman year.

We stopped at FAO Schwartz and had fun looking at all of the toys on display. It’s hard to believe that the store went out of business last year.

Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C'93, and Regan Allan, C'93, at the Lego display in FAO Schwartz.

Lisa Bardfeld Shapiro, C’93, and Regan Allan, C’93, at the Lego display in FAO Schwartz.

A trip to New York in December is not complete unless you visit the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center!

Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center New York City December 1989 by Kiera Reilly

Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center.

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

December 23-24, 2016 marked 72 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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February 7, 2017 · 5:56 pm

Happy 90th Birthday to The Palestra! (66 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93, and Steve Jung, C’93

We continue our #93tothe25th countdown by jumping ahead to this past weekend which marked 66 weeks until our 25th reunion. Why the jump ahead? Because it’s a special night at The Palestra.

Tonight, Penn Basketball faces off against Princeton at the Palestra. The Palestra, “The Cathedral of College Basketball,” Penn’s home court and also home of the Big Five, has been home to more college basketball games than any other venue in the country. This year, the Palestra turned 90, and tonight, Penn Athletics is celebrating the 90th year of the Palestra before the game.

We have very fond memories of attending basketball games at the Palestra. Our senior year, the Men’s Basketball team won the Ivy League title, and our Ivy Stone is located on the building’s exterior.

Classmate Steve Jung, C’93, saved some Palestra programs (the Palestra Illustrated – do you remember that?) and ticket stubs from the games he attended during our time at Penn.

Programs from The Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania for Penn Basketball programs.

The Palestra Illustrated programs courtesy of Steve Jung, C’93

Steve writes:

I think I had season tickets for just the Ivy League games. There was always a fun energy at the Palestra. Since it wasn’t a shallow bowl, even the upper level felt close to the action. One of my best memories was the Penn-Princeton game our freshmen year. Penn’s down 49-50 with 2 seconds on the clock. Paul Chambers is on the line for a one-and-one (I though it was Vince Curran until I saw video online). Chambers misses the free throw, but Hassan Duncombe swoops in for the offensive rebound and put-back. Penn 51-Princeton 50. The place went nuts. I remember throwing streamers from the stands after the first Penn basket of the game. Then there was Ivy Day, when we planted ours in the courtyard. I worked at a Med School lab for 2 years after graduation, so I caught some games then. I even saw a Penn-Princeton game at Jadwin. It wasn’t the Palestra.

Penn basketball tickets from the Palestra at the University of Pennsylvania

Tickets from Penn basketball games at the Palestra, courtesy of Steve Jung, C’93. Some are general admission, while others have assigned seats.

 

The programs for each game, The Palestra Illustrated, featured Penn Basketball team members on the cover. These two programs feature guard Jerome Allen.

The Palestra Illustrated for Penn vs Holy Cross, December, 1992 with Jerome Allen on the cover, University of Pennsylvania

The Palestra Illustrated: Penn vs Holy Cross, December 11, 1992, with sophomore Jerome Allen on the cover. Courtesy of Steve Jung, C’93.

The Palestra Illustrated, February 1993 for Ivy Weekend at the University of Pennsylvania with Jermoe Allen.

The Palestra Illustrated: Ivy Weekend with Penn vs Columbia and then Cornell. Courtesy of Steve Jung, C’93.

 

The game tickets below show, on the right, a Big 5 game against St. Joe’s on  January 25, 1993, and Penn vs. Princeton on January 30, 1993. Penn won that game 64 – 46.

Penn Basketball tickets for games at the Palestra in 1993 at the University of Pennsylvania

Penn basketball tickets from 1993. Note the one on the far right – Penn vs. Princeton on January 30, 1993. Courtesy of Steve Jung, C’93.

Tonight will be a tough match-up for the Quakers, because Princeton is always a tough opponent. Penn Athletics said that the Quakers have played the Tigers more than any other opponent in the Palestra. For more information on tonight’s match-up (and information on how to watch the game in the Philadelphia area or online click here).

I remember walking to games at the Palestra our senior year with my friend Chris Lehmann, and he would say, “It’s going to be pandemonium at the Palestra!” Attending games at the Palestra made for some of my fondest memories of my time at Penn.

Happy 90th Birthday Palestra!

We feel blessed that you serve as our home court.

Let’s Go Quakers! Beat Princeton!

 

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

February 3-4, 2017, marked 66 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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January 25, 2017 · 10:17 am

Snow at Penn (73 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

We continue our #93tothe25th countdown by marking 73 weeks until our 25th reunion.

When I started my freshman year at Penn, I hoped that there would be snow while I was on campus. I was born in New Jersey, but while I was in middle school, my dad was transferred to Houston, Texas. I was missing snow, and I looked forward to seeing some at Penn.

Luckily, in early December of 1989, it snowed! The snow was not very deep, but there was enough to cover campus and make everything look pretty.

The date on the back of my photos is December 9, 1989. Do you have a favorite snow-day memory from Penn?

Upper Quad at the University of Pennsylvania in the snow, December, 1989

Upper Quad in the snow and sun

Lower Quad at the University of Pennsylvania in the snow, December, 1989

From Upper Quad looking down into Lower Quad

Furness Building at Penn in the snow, December, 1989

The Furness Building (now known as Fisher Fine Arts Library)

College Green at Penn in the snow, December, 1989

College Green in the snow

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

December 16-17, 2016 marked 73 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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January 17, 2017 · 9:41 pm

Last 250th Anniversary Event – Winter Holiday Festival on the Green (74 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

Today, January 17, 2017, marks the 311th Birthday of Penn’s founder, Benjamin Franklin. To celebrate Ben, and note the 74th week until our 25th reunion, we look back to December 1990, when Penn concluded a year of celebrating the 250th Anniversary of its founding.

As noted in this issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian from December 6, 1990, the final event of the year-long celebration of Penn’s 250th anniversary would be a, “Winter Holiday Festival on the Green.”

The Daily Pennsylvanian notes Penn's 250th Anniversary Celebration to end in December 1990

Clip from front page of the DP on December 6, 1990 noting the end of Penn’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The Daily Pennsylvanian news clip from December 6, 1990 on Penn's 250th annniversary celebration

Continuation of DP article from December 6, 1990, on the final celebration for Penn’s 250th

The party was the day before finals started on campus for the fall semester.

Thank you go Joanna Kwa, C’93, for sharing this photo of Krista Prescop, C’93, and Johanna Pasternak Maleh, W’93, at the event.

Photo by Joanna Kwa of Penn's 250th Anniversary Final Celebration on College Green in December 1990

Krista Prescop and Johanna Pasternak Maleh pose with a toy soldier in front of Ben Franklin. Photo from Joanna Kwa

I have two not very good photos from the party – one is of Ben Franklin decked out in a red scarf for the celebration.

Photo by Kiera Reilly of Ben Franklin statue on Penn's College Green during December 250th Anniversary celebration

Ben Franklin statue on College Green decorated for the final celebration of Penn’s 250th Anniversary in December, 1990.

My other picture is of the lighted, wrapped “presents” that decorated College Green.

Photo by Kiera Reilly of December 1990 celebration of Penn's 250th Anniversary

Wrapped presents with the Penn seal

Does anyone else remember this party? I vaguely remember attending and thinking it was a fun break from studying for finals.

The Daily Pennsylvanian Full Pages

I include below the two full pages from The DP on December 6th – it is interesting to see the other campus news items, especially the one on the hopeful re-opening of Troy’s by our classmate Matthew Klein!

Cover page of the December 6, 1990 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian

Cover page of the December 6, 1990 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian

Page 9 from the December 6, 1990 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian continues articles from the front page on the final 250th event

Page 9 from the December 6, 1990 issue of The Daily Pennsylvanian continues articles from the front page on the final 250th event

 

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

The weekend of December 9-10, 2016 marked 74 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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January 14, 2017 · 5:41 pm

Penn Planners (75 Weeks To Go)

By Kiera Reilly, C’93

We are playing catch-up in our #93tothe25th count-down…the weekend of December 2-3, 2016, was the, “75 Weeks To Go,” mark.

How do we keep track of all these dates and weeks – look ahead to our reunion that is in 2018 and also look back on the things we did last month? With calendars! These days, more often than not our calendars are accessible through our phones or on our computers. There are electronic and online resources galore to note days, weeks and months, appointments, schedules, and meetings, etc. How did we manage when we were students at Penn? Before the internet was really a thing?

I kept track of my day-to-day schedule in the spiral-bound Penn Planner, designed and produced by Penn Student Agencies. And, because I save everything, I went through my box of Penn things and found one of my planners from the 1991-1992 school year!

The Penn Planner

Penn Planner produced by Penn Student Agencies

The 1991-1992 Penn Planner, produced by Penn Student Agencies.

When I opened it up, I flipped through to see what I noted. None of my classes were listed on my daily schedule, which was odd. I marked going to the movies, out to dinner with friends, or  a student performing art group.

You can see my activities for a week in March here.

Penn Student Agencies' Penn Planner 1992

The week of March 16, 1992 as noted in the Penn Planner

When I flipped through the planner, I found a page at the back for noting my classes. I guess since I went to the same  classes every week, I didn’t need to note them on the weekly schedule.

Penn Student Agencies' weekly Penn Planner

Fall Semester classes noted at the back of the Penn Planner

Penn Students Produced the Penn Planner

In the front of the planner, I was surprised to see the students responsible for its production – Belinda Bentzin, C’92, (now Belinda Buscher) and our classmate John Hawkins, C’93!

Penn Student Agencies' weekly Penn Planner inside cover page

The inside cover of the 1991-1992 Penn Planner

I asked Belinda and John what they remembered about putting the planner together. Here are Belinda’s thoughts (and John said he agreed with what she said):

I totally remember that! I stayed on campus the summer of ’91 and worked with a team of people to put together the wall calendar and weekly planner, as well as the printed Penn directory. Both were sold in the bookstore, as well as directly to people all over campus. For the planner that year, we decided to select old photographs from the Penn archives and then we laid everything out, with the help of Vince Cipollone, who had graduated in May ’91 but wanted to stay working on campus that summer until he started his “real” job. We probably printed several thousand of the weekly planners. I remember it was a really fun summer job and I rented a room in the Alpha Chi Rho house for the summer. I’m sure I still have a copy of two of the planner lying around and probably the directory and wall calendar, too! 

Lea Salonga at Penn

Looking at my schedule from this particular week in March, I saw that I noted the Lea Salonga event with Connaissance. Connaissance invited Ms. Salonga to speak at Penn as she was the then-star of the Tony Award-winning musical, “Miss Saigon,” on Broadway. I found a few pictures from that event.

Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga speaking at University of Pennsylvania in March 1992

Tony Award-winner Lea Salonga speaking at the Harold Prince Theater at Penn, March 1992.

Tony Award winning actress Lea Salonga sings at University of Pennsylvania, March 1992

Brian Fan, W’92, accompanies Ms. Salonga on piano

Connaissance board members at Penn with Lea Salonga, Rich Smith, Meg O'Leary and Kiera Reilly

Connaissance board members Rich Smith, C’92, W’92, Meg O’Leary, C’93, and Kiera Reilly, C’93 with Lea Salonga

What did you use to keep track of your schedule at Penn? Did you have a Penn planner or a Penn calendar?

Penn Class of 1993 Reunion Countdown

The weekend of December 2-3, 2016 marked 75 weeks until the 25th Reunion of the Penn Class of 1993 (May 11 – 13, 2018)! Join us we count down the weeks to our reunion #93tothe25th:

  • Do you have old photos or mementos from our time at Penn? Photos of Spring Fling? Football at Franklin Field? Classes at DRL? We are taking a trip down memory lane and would love for you to share your memories with our class in a future post. Please email us upenn1993@gmail.com!
  • Follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram.
  • Classmates are invited to join our Facebook and LinkedIn groups.

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January 13, 2017 · 4:10 pm

Blankets of Love

By Denise Winner, W’83

Penn Serves launched the New Year intertwining crocheting, wine and cheese, and Quaker spirit to support Blankets of Love. Over 25 alumni and friends (women and a couple of men too) joined together for a late afternoon training session to learn to crochet in Manhattan Beach. We began with a crochet hook, learned a split knot, made a bunch of loops, practiced on the first row, ripped it out, crocheted a second row (or in some cases ripped it out again) and eventually crocheted the beginnings of a wool scarf.

Blankets of Love was founded less than a year ago from love and hope for every newborn. The organization is in memory of the founders’ beautiful son, Justin Strand, who died way too early due to drug abuse and bad luck. “Babies are on loan from God – love them, raise them and release them”, shares Cyndi Strand, one of the founders. Whether circumstances are bleak or bright, the Strands look forward to creating handmade Blankets of Love to bring some sense of security and joy to babies leaving MLK and other hospitals with mothers and families who have little or no means, or who are living on the street.

 

The January Penn Serves event was the first organized training and crocheting session for this non-profit. Hopefully those who participated will embrace this new hobby, finish their scarves and move on to a 36 by 36 inch Blanket of Love.

For those interested in donating, blankets must be knit from acrylic or other washable yarns. Learn more about Blankets of Love: http://blanketsoflovesouthbay.com/.

About Penn Serves LA

pennservesla_logo_final-1

Penn Serves LA impacts the Los Angeles community by engaging University of Pennsylvania alumni, parents and families in meaningful community service activities.

We have done everything from serving meals to the homeless to restoring the environment to fixing homes. Six times annually, we find another great opportunity to learn about interesting nonprofits, lend a hand and enjoy fun experience with fellow alumni.

Join Us

We invite the Penn community in Los Angeles (alumni, parents and kids) to join us at a future event, to help spread the word and to help us plan future activities. Join us, meet new Penn people, demonstrate what service means to your kids and friends, and help fellow Quakers make a little bit of difference in our complex city!

If you have an established nonprofit that you would like us to consider for future events or announcements, please let us know. We are looking for new nonprofits to serve in meaningful ways.

Upcoming Events

  • January 26, 2017 – Penn Serves Social
  • March, 2017 – Food Forward Harvesting
  • April, 29, 2017 – Habitat for Humanity

Contact Us

Questions? Want to join our email list? Reach us at pennserves@gmail.com.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter!

The Penn Serves LA Team

Christine Belgrad, W’85, PAR’15 | Michal Clements, W’84 | Justin Gordon, W’05 | Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16 | Leanne Huebner, W’90 | Jamie Kendall, W’04 | Irene Park, C’05 | Kiera Reilly, C’93 | Jeff Weston, C’05 | Denise Winner, W’83

Read about our previous events:

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