The Alumni Council, led by Philadelphia Connection chair Jenny Rickard '86, will conduct a "virtual book club" experiment in August. This new project was inspired by the success of Connection book clubs in the Metro DC/Baltimore and Boston areas.
Swarthmore alumni, students, and parents from all over the world, as well as faculty and staff, are invited to participate in an online discussion of Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee.
The Swarthmore Web site will provide a forum for electronic bulletin boards, on which participants may post questions and comments during the first two weeks of August. Frank K. Saragosa of the Department of English Literature will help to prompt discussion by posting background notes and questions about the Asian diaspora. A "live" interactive chat with Professor Saragosa is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. Eastern time.
All that is needed to participate is access to the Internet. Those who don't have access at home or work can try their local public library. Participants should use version 3.01 or newer of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. To register or get more information, go to the Web site at: http://bookclub.swarthmore.edu.
This year, the Metro DC/Baltimore Connection book club will read Greek literature in translation with Gil Rose, professor of classics. A lecture on Sunday, Sept. 12, will prepare readers for Homer's Iliad. For information, e-mail Sue Willis Ruff '60 at sueruff@aol.com, or phone her at (202) 966-3521.
The College welcomes nominations for recipients of honorary degrees at Commencement in June 2000. Criteria include the following:
• A person with distinction, leadership, or originality in a significant field, on the ascent in his or her career or at the peak of achievement
• Ability to serve as a role model for graduates and to speak to them at a major occasion in their lives
• Preference, but not requirement, that there is an existing affiliation with the College
The Honorary Degree Committee prefers to recognize less honored candidates over those who already have many honorary degrees.
Alumni who wish to make a nomination are asked not to inform the individual that they are doing so. All nominations will be kept confidential. Biographical information, and a persuasive letter addressing the criteria above, should be sent by Friday, Oct. 1, to the Honorary Degree Committee, c/o Vice President Maurice Eldridge '61, by U.S. mail or e-mail to meldrid1-@swarthmore.edu.
Swim team alumni got back in the Swarthmore pool in April during an informal meet against the current men's and women's teams. The result was a tie between youth and age in the number of events won.
The star of Team Alumni was Jill Morrel Coleman '52, who entered all but one event. Jill swims on a masters swim team in Baltimore and competes at national and world championships.
Kendrew Witt '96 headed the alumni cheering squad. After the meet, everyone gathered in Bond to celebrate the Swarthmore swimmers' successful season and Sue Davis' 25th year as head coach. Nancy Crickman '81 and John McKinstry '81 joined the others for dinner and a ceremony in which current swimmers received traditional awards and "bequests" from seniors. And they agreed to make the alumni meet an annual tradition.
Chicago: In July, the Connection will attend a play by Carol Thompson Hemingway '52, based on stories by Ernest Hemingway.
Durham, N.C.: The Triangle-area Connection will gather for its annual picnic on Saturday, July 17, coordinated by chair George Telford '84.
Metro DC/Baltimore: The Alumni Gospel Choir will perform at the Heritage Fellowship United Church of Christ in Reston, Va., on Sunday, June 13, at 3 p.m.
Philadelphia: Larry Schall '75 and Sam Agger '75 invite all men's soccer alumni to campus for an alumni game on Saturday, Sept. 25, which will be Homecoming Weekend. This is the 25th anniversary of Swarthmore's participation in the NCAA soccer finals.
Boston: Becky Morris Joseph '81 and fellow Swarthmoreans sampled French wine and cuisine at Les Zygomates.
Chicago: Lois Polatnick '74 hosted an international wine tasting at her Evanston, Ill., home.
Durham, N.C.: Connection Chair George Telford '84 welcomed Provost Jennie Keith to a gathering at the Duke University Museum of Art, where she spoke about the College curriculum.
Metro DC/Baltimore: President Al Bloom and his wife, Peggi, greeted alumni, parents, and friends of Swarthmore at a reception at Baltimore's Peabody Library.
Metro NYC: Alumni Council member Ike Schambelan '61 invited the Connection to "critics' night" at Theater by the Blind, which he directs, for a performance of Maxim Gorky's Vassa.
Philadelphia: Martha Salzmann Gay '79 organized a Connection Indian dinner at the Palace of Asia, and Bob Barr '56 coordinated a walking architectural tour of Philadelphia.
Swarthmore athletes challenged alumni to men's and women's rugby and Ultimate Frisbee games on campus.
Seattle: Betsy Northup Presley '43 and Deborah Read '87 invited Swarthmoreans to a concert of 15th-century courtly love songs and dances by the ensemble Medieval Strings.
Garnet Sages: The Sages enjoyed a visit to the Gettysburg battlefields and the Pennsylvania capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. Vice President Dan West addressed the group on campus at the annual Garnet Sages dinner on Alumni Weekend.
Regional Swarthmore events are run by volunteers. If you would like to organize an event in your area, please contact the assistant director of alumni relations at (610) 328-8404.
Swarthmore has been invited to nominate three alumni for the Luce Scholars Program, which funds a nonacademic year in Asia that is spent in person-to-person communication between professionals. Candidates must be under age 30, with no previous career interest or academic concentration in Asian studies and little or no exposure to East or Southeast Asia. For more information, contact Joanna Nealon at (610) 328-7351, or e-mail jnealon1@swarthmore.edu.
Please write to Elenor Reid '67, president, Swarthmore College Alumni Association, in care of the Alumni Office, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore PA 19081-1397.
Let her know your suggestions for:
Candidates for Alumni Council:
Candidates for Alumni Manager on Board:
Alumni speakers for Alumni Weekend Collection and other campus events:
Your name and class year:
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