May 16, 2005
Reunion
These are the official Dakota prize winners for Best Reunion Costume, as seen on the Locust Walk, riding in the back of one of the golf carts provided for those moderately infirm alum who wished to join in the festivities. I could be seen running along behind, elbowing throngs out of the way, in order to get my shot, which isn't great, but quite illustrative.
The weather, though thunderstorms were predicted, was simply lovely, as was the second woman president of the university Dr. Amy Gutman who dropped in on our picnic for a chat.
Classes gathered under white tents for southern fried chicken, caesar salad and rice crispie treats (you read it right) and then marched behind Phildelphia Mummers and the university jazz band (which seemed to have some missing members who would have carried the tune, had they been there), behind signs that read anachronistically "Drink a highball and be jolly, here's a toast to dear old Penn", quoting from a popular college imbibing song. Those celebratiing their fiftieth were probably the last of the crowd to have become jolly on highballs.
Following are photos of a fence full of styrofoam boaters, free for the plucking, a mummers band with alum and tents, the locust walk and a lone saxophonist mummer on break.
