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<\/p>\nRevealing cover, Golden Gate perspectives, Dave and Dan, advising advice, and more.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Obvious Virtue Signaling<\/p>\n
My husband and I used to be proud that we went to Penn, and over the years, we have despaired over the obviously liberal route the University has been taking.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t believe it. You have finally topped the \u201cdiversity\u201d cover of years ago [Nov|Dec 2002<\/a>, concluding a series of issues marking the Gazette\u2019s Centennial]. Words cannot describe my disgust at your obviously virtue-signaling choice of subjects. The style? 1960s? 1970s? Really? You couldn\u2019t think of anything more original? And a woman who is clearly a PoC but not Asian or Hispanic?<\/p>\n And to your obviously color-impaired \u201cgraphics\u201d staff: Penn\u2019s colors are Red and Blue.<\/p>\n Sophia Kelly Shultz C\u201984, Pottsville, PA<\/p>\n More Racial Diversity<\/p>\n This makes it seem like there are no white people in the history of the United States in the last 250 years. Please include more racial diversity in the next issues, so as to accurately portray the entire Penn community.<\/p>\n BJ Courville L\u201920, Princeton, NJ<\/p>\n Yes, That Orrery<\/p>\n The article \u201cWhen Penn Was a State School\u201d in your \u201cSemiquincentennial Sampler<\/a>\u201d [May|Jun 2026] noted that the school seal was at one point changed to \u201can image of an orrery.\u201d Was this likely an image of the Rittenhouse Orrery, which was displayed in the Van Pelt Library in my days as a student? Thank you.<\/p>\n Sarah Rose Torok C\u201992, Philadelphia<\/p>\n The orrery is still on display in the Kislak Center on Van Pelt\u2019s sixth floor. The library\u2019s website doesn\u2019t mention the seal, but an article in Almanac (October 19, 2004) states: \u201cThe Orrery Seal, in use as Penn\u2019s corporate seal from the time it was drawn in 1782 until 1797 and then again in the years 1823 to 1847, displays the mechanical planetarium\u2014the orrery\u2014made by David Rittenhouse.\u201d \u2014Ed.<\/p>\n Our Colonial Architecture<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Penn Was a State School<\/a>\u201d is certainly a fascinating article. But sadly, the illustrator should have done more research before producing the three-story building on the right page. Windows were often reduced in size as the floors rose. But the size of the panes was not reduced; rather, the quantity of panes was reduced. In this case, as the first floor was 12 over 12 panes, the second floor might be 12 over eight and the third floor eight over eight. I bring this to your attention because, even as a retired contemporary architect, I still admire our colonial architecture.<\/p>\n The thought of our great early architecture compels me to tell about the fact that at age six I was so enthralled with our colonial architecture, which surrounded me in Philadelphia and its environs, I found a triangle in my father\u2019s studio and began drawing these marvelous buildings. My father, the artist Leon Karp, was so impressed he gave me large sheets of paper for my drawings. And when I was nine and at summer camp, he was visited by his close friend, Penn\u2019s own Louis Kahn, and showed the famous architect my drawings. Kahn was so impressed he took one with him when he left. Of course this led to Penn\u2019s architecture program, Kahn\u2019s undergraduate course, and six years in his office.<\/p>\n I also feel compelled to talk about a fascinating component of colonial architecture. Following some tenures at architectural offices and a relatively short period of my own practice, my last office was the office of Barton Myers Associates in Los Angeles [\u201cLooking In, Looking Out,\u201d Mar|Apr 2000]. Barton too was a Kahn alum, at the same time I was. We both loved colonial architecture, and we both discovered that their builders made the most comfortable stairs we had ever climbed. Their secret was the six-inch riser and 12-inch tread, producing a slightly less incline than usual. Thus, we produced these wonderful stairs in his extraordinary performing arts centers.<\/p>\n David H. Karp Ar\u201959, San Mateo, CA<\/p>\n Fresh Look, Fond Memory<\/p>\n The article and photographs depicting unusual views of the Golden Gate Bridge by Arthur Drooker C\u201976 is intriguing [\u201cFresh Angle,<\/a>\u201d May|Jun 2026]. My father, John Guss, while serving in the navy aboard the USS Mississippi in the 1930s, was based in San Francisco during the construction of the bridge. He included snapshots of same in his lively photo album, which I donated to the Pennsylvania Military Museum in 2025.<\/p>\n Thanks for the fresh look; wish he could see them.<\/p>\n Carolyn R. Guss, Bryn Mawr, PA<\/p>\n The writer is a former editor, writer, and illustrator for the Gazette. \u2014Ed.<\/p>\n A Darker View of the Golden Gate<\/p>\n Although the article and photographs in \u201cFresh Angle<\/a>\u201d provided an interesting perspective, it was heart-wrenching to read since a relative who was in her teens took her life there, as many others have. It is no secret that suicides are unfortunately a part of the bridge\u2019s history. Notably, her parents worked tirelessly with other suicide loss survivors for years to have netting installed to prevent further travesties, fighting against those who argued that the netting would \u201cruin the view\u201d! The fact that the article refers to the photographer\u2019s selection of the final photos as having to \u201ckill a darling or two\u201d was a gut punch, especially in this context. That old-fashioned word choice should have been nixed. Hopefully, future editions of the book can include a mention about the bridge\u2019s unfortunate history, and the daunting effort by grieving families to install netting there to save future lives.<\/p>\n Laurie Yulsman Kazenoff C\u201982, Lloyd Harbor, NY<\/p>\n Starring Role<\/p>\n I very much enjoyed the photo essay \u201cFresh Angle<\/a>.\u201d While the photographer, Arthur Drooker, provided some stimulating photographs of the bridge, and eschewed what he called \u201cpostcard views,\u201d I am sure he would agree that one of the finest inclusions of the bridge appears in Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s classic film Vertigo. The juxtaposition of the massive structure, beautifully lit, against the silhouetted figure of Kim Novak about to jump into the bay, reveals the skills of the cinematographer, Robert Burks, as well as the director. Many cinephiles consider this film one of the greatest ever made. I am one of them!<\/p>\n As a lifelong, dedicated amateur musician, who plays both the piano and the organ, I also read with interest \u201cPlayer Piano<\/a>,\u201d Robert Elias\u2019 essay about his grandfather, a skilled artisan specializing in piano building [\u201cSalvo,\u201d May|Jun 2026].<\/p>\n While Elias stated that the piano is the \u201cking of instruments,\u201d this term was actually coined by Mozart when he experienced and wrote music for the pipe organ. Given the rather rudimentary status of pianofortes at the time of this storied composer, it\u2019s no wonder Mozart was more impressed with the far more sonorous and powerful organ available to him.<\/p>\n Jonathan Kleefield M\u201970, Newton Center, MA<\/p>\n In the Seeing<\/p>\n One reader was moved to poetry by Arthur Drooker\u2019s photographs<\/a>.\u2014Ed<\/p>\n Golden Gate Joseph Strauss, a relentless driving force, Every photograph evokes a memorable feeling Peter Clark C\u201960, Lawrence Township, NJ<\/p>\n I Could Not Write Anything Better<\/p>\n I just read Dave Zeitlin\u2019s piece \u201cTreasured Texts<\/a>\u201d [\u201cAlumni Voices,\u201d May|Jun 2026], about the death of his Daily Pennsylvanian colleague and friend Dan McQuade. I am still in tears\u2014not just over Zeitlin\u2019s loss and the loss experienced by McQuade\u2019s family and friends, but also over what is to come for me, a Penn alum from the Class of 1981. My closest friends are still the friends I made at Penn\u2014Dave had the DP, and I had my fraternity SAM (Sigma Alpha Mu). Of the 30 of us who are so close, we have not lost one yet. I know it is a matter of time. We\u2019ve been to each other\u2019s weddings (some more than one), some bar\/bat mitzvahs and confirmations of our kids, even weddings of our kids, and to the funerals of many of our parents.<\/p>\n We have yet to gather for one of our funerals, and I am not looking forward to any of them\u2014and if God is kind, I will go first, so I will be spared going to any others. (My wife hates when I talk that way.) The thing is, there are at least two of my fraternity brothers who are my Dan. They made me laugh or smile from the day we first met, and they still do. They have that kind of Oscar Wilde wit that one can aspire to yet never have. Their name on a text or email is always eagerly opened.<\/p>\n And that is why I write now. Not just to compliment Dave Zeitlin for this piece, but to get his permission to plagiarize some of his essay when one of these brothers dies. I could not write anything better to describe or to honor them. (OK, only kidding. I think.)<\/p>\n Thank you again for this piece. Wonderful.<\/p>\n Alan Thomas C\u201981, Nutley, NJ<\/p>\n Of Course Dan Was There<\/p>\n Dave Zeitlin\u2019s touching remembrance<\/a> of Dan McQuade left me misty eyed about our dearly departed friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n I won\u2019t pretend that I was particularly close with Dan; I came to know him through Philadelphia\u2019s closeknit journalism community. As Zeitlin so admirably captured, Dan held a loving obsession for all of Philly\u2019s quirks and madcap characters, which I shared and admired. So it\u2019s fitting that I last saw Dan at the estate sale for Frank Rizzo, the city\u2019s famously pugnacious mayor from the 1970s. I was covering it for WHYY, but Dan was there\u00a0just for fun\u2014there were hundreds of diehard fans of Philadelphia\u2019s worst mayor combing through boxes of Christmas decorations and old vinyl records in a wood-paneled basement; of course Dan was there. And that\u2019s how I\u2019ll remember him: Simultaneously joining in and laughing at such an absurd\u2014and absurdly Philly\u2014scene.<\/p>\n Jim Saksa C\u201908, Washington, DC<\/p>\n Lost Opportunity<\/p>\n The headline \u201cToo Many Students, Not Enough Knowledge<\/a>\u201d [\u201cGazetteer,\u201d May|Jun 2026]\u00a0caught my eye. What I read is not what I expected, especially in the \u201clightly condensed and edited\u201d remarks of Atlantic writer Tom Nichols at the 2026 Levin Family Dean\u2019s Forum.<\/p>\n Nichols lost a wonderful opportunity when advising the student who didn\u2019t understand why she might have to study German. This was chance to actually teach (what any good academic adviser would do) and to explain why German might be necessary to meet her academic and career goals and also not to potentially misinterpret any facial \u201clook\u201d the student may have exhibited.<\/p>\n As someone who spent the bulk of his professional career in higher education academic advising, I know that an academic adviser does not and should not be a clerk but must take the time to find all the teachable moments and act accordingly. Dismissing a student as dimwitted, uneducated, or overindulged helps no one.<\/p>\n And just what are the \u201cvery expensive boutique schools\u201d he refers to? Are these the institutions that cater to students making them happy with climbing walls? I am not sure how asking if a student is happy is all that bad, but there are very few colleges and universities that do not provide mental health programs and services for their students.\u00a0<\/p>\n While it isn\u2019t surprising to acknowledge that all universities are different, does that mean that the differences are in quality? Is Nichols talking about well-endowed private universities versus small, struggling liberal arts colleges, or flagship state universities versus regional schools, or PhD-granting research schools versus community colleges? I would hope that all have a place in the American higher education system and that all take seriously their role in educating students.\u00a0<\/p>\n And then he jumps to telling us that he isn\u2019t against the liberal arts, singling out art history as a convenient (and I would say overused) target. And then he ends with the notion that all people don\u2019t need to go to college and might be better off in trade school. Nothing especially new, revolutionary, or controversial here.\u00a0<\/p>\n I would have hoped for a more nuanced discussion of the current state of higher education from Nichols. Alas, at least, in this condensed and edited piece, it was not there for me.<\/p>\n By the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the other articles in the Gazette, especially those focused on the 250th anniversary of the US.<\/p>\n Eric R. White GEd\u201967 GrEd\u201975, State College, PA<\/p>\n Thouron Winners Mini-Reunion<\/p>\n As the former administrator of the Thouron Award for many years, I was delighted to read \u201cImaginary Kinship<\/a>\u201d [\u201cArts,\u201d May|Jun 2026] about former Thouron Scholar John Wind. Immediately following that very interesting article was \u201cHistory in Motion<\/a>\u201d [\u201cAlumni Profiles\u201d], about Justin Marozzi, who was also a Thouron Scholar. John went from Penn to England and Justin from England to Penn, exemplifying the design of the Award, which supports Penn graduates at British universities and British graduates at Penn. I am never surprised\u2014but always thrilled\u2014to see what Thouron Scholars have accomplished. Sixty-six years after its founding the Thouron Award continues to flourish.<\/p>\n Carole Clarke, staff, Malvern, PA<\/p>\n College and Career Advice<\/p>\n Over the years, I\u2019ve often noted connectivity among the Gazette articles in a given edition. This happened again with the May|Jun 2026 issue, and this time it reflects a couple of personal views I\u2019ve held and shared with others for many years.<\/p>\n First, in the article \u201cToo Many Students, Not Enough Knowledge<\/a>,\u201d Tom Nichols quoted one graduate\u2019s view of his college experience as \u201cthose magical seven years between high school and your first warehouse job.\u201d Joking aside, there is a kernel of wisdom there. This thought mirrored my own view, which I\u2019ve shared over the years with a number of prospective college students, that college is the one time in your life that you are generally free of the other major responsibilities that come after graduation. I\u2019ve encouraged these students to take full advantage of this time and the resources the college experience offers to learn about themselves and the communities around them\u2014knowledge that is well beyond academic and which will help them live a full life following their college years.<\/p>\n Second, in \u201cMimi\u2019s Magic Flute<\/a>,\u201d [\u201cAlumni Profiles,\u201d May|Jun 2026], Mimi Stillman, the subject of the article, says: \u201cI\u2019m very lucky that I\u2019m following my passion. Classical music is a difficult career. There are not that many career paths.\u201d While Stillman\u2019s musical career is quite different from that of most others\u2014whether or not involving a college education\u2014the key point to me is that any career should involve doing something that you really care about and enjoy doing. It may take a few tries at specific jobs to find this role, but over a multi-decade career, the sense of personal happiness and satisfaction and the economic value created for all parties involved is more than worth the effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jim Waters WG\u201971, Pearl River, NY<\/p>\n Super Signer<\/p>\n While attending my son\u2019s recent graduation at Franklin Field [\u201cGazetteer<\/a>,\u201d this issue], I was captivated by the performance of the official signer who translated the proceedings into American Sign Language for the benefit of the hearing-impaired. This remarkable woman stood in a black dress in the blazing sun of a 90-degree day for over two and a half hours, signing the entire pageant, from the first line of The Star-Spangled Banner to the last words of the Dismissal. Her skill and endurance would shame many professional athletes! Can you tell us anything more about this amazing woman?<\/p>\n Christopher Kocher C\u201971 GEE\u201976, Philadelphia<\/p>\n We checked in with the Office of the University Secretary, which oversees Commencement, and they sent the following from the events team: \u201cWe hire the signers through the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre (DHCC). There are two sign language interpreters assigned to the ceremony, since they take turns if needed. This year the interpreters were Joy Harris and Jennifer McGown. The person who is being referred to in this note is Joy Harris. Both she and Jennifer actually signed for both the College ceremony and the Commencement ceremony in Franklin Field, as well as six ceremonies in the Palestra throughout the weekend! Joy has been coming back for many years now to sign for the ceremony and does a wonderful job.\u201d \u2014Ed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Perfect Blend<\/p>\n I was both instructed and deeply moved by Joanne B. Mulcahy\u2019s creative nonfiction piece \u201cCommunion with the Dead<\/a>\u201d [\u201cElsewhere,\u201d Mar|Apr 2026].<\/p>\n I certainly knew about El D\u00eda de los Muertos, but I had no idea there was a folk saint of death (Santa Muerte), and the author\u2019s description of the cemetery threshold honoring the \u201canimas olvidadas\u201d (forgotten souls) is poignant.<\/p>\n But what makes the piece come alive is the author\u2019s perfect blend of her personal experience with larger human concerns, including the ways various cultures treat death. Now in my early 80s and regularly attending funerals for family and friends, I think a lot about these issues. Like the author, I fear the loss of my spouse far more than my own death.<\/p>\n Joanne Mulcahy is a wonderful writer, and I hope anyone who overlooked this piece returns to read it.<\/p>\n John Getz G\u201977, Cincinnati, OH<\/p>\n
The Golden Gate Bridge is in the seeing,
A centerpiece in black and white a fabled form!
Unusual context with environment alone.
Majestic fog-shrouded, mysterious form,
Looms views of various angles design awaken\u2014
Reflections in rain-puddles, a misty Alcatraz at Bay,
Between grave markers, a damp feeling at National Cemetery\u2014
Bridge-span shots, its underside\u2019s context,
Place the bridge in today\u2019s environment.<\/p>\n
Took almost a score of years and herculean effort
To design, raise money, and construct a world-first bridge!
His attentive views of minor landscape features,
Inspired San Francisco\u2019s center piece,
A sacred existence and tribute to humanity,
Crossing different seasons and the weather conditions,
An engaged perspective near and far away
Carries San Francisco forward.<\/p>\n
A propulsive visual flow of surprise
Its history champions Joseph Strauss
Selected the best there was to build the bridge
An impressive suspension\u2014a symbol of possibility!
An architectural masterpiece of engineering
\u201cOur world revolves around what can\u2019t be done
Beyond the limits of human endeavor\u2026
Don\u2019t be afraid to dream!\u201d<\/p>\n
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