2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News
25 years of pride at Penn
Jody Pollock
Ruby Howe was not alone in her eagerness to celebrate the leadership that Penn has taken in LGBT advocacy and the progress that the Center has made since the days of open hate crimes on campus, like the violent beating of a gay student in the early 1980s.
"I was grateful to be present at the beginning, and I'm thrilled to be here tonight," said 1985 College alumnus David Goodhand, a student at Penn when the Center opened.
The program also included letters of recognition from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, all congratulating the Center on its success.
The event was met by an overwhelming response when tickets sold out far more quickly than the Planning Committee had expected. Not only did the event reach full capacity, but it also had a waiting list maintained up until the banquet itself of about a dozen hopefuls.
Gutmann joked in her opening remarks that it was the "only party on campus for which there is a waiting list."
Much of the banquet was underwritten by substantial private donations and by the sponsorship of the Campbell's Soup Company, cutting student ticket prices to $20 so that the Planning Committee could ensure a diverse attendance.
"We wanted there to be discourse across the generations," Schoenberg said.
The deliberate mixture of alumni and current students provided an exciting opportunity to "spark more change," Ruby Howe said.
"I hope the alumni and the students in the room will pay it forward," she said. "Their responsibility to change is not done and will never be done."
"I was grateful to be present at the beginning, and I'm thrilled to be here tonight," said 1985 College alumnus David Goodhand, a student at Penn when the Center opened.
The program also included letters of recognition from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, all congratulating the Center on its success.
The event was met by an overwhelming response when tickets sold out far more quickly than the Planning Committee had expected. Not only did the event reach full capacity, but it also had a waiting list maintained up until the banquet itself of about a dozen hopefuls.
Gutmann joked in her opening remarks that it was the "only party on campus for which there is a waiting list."
Much of the banquet was underwritten by substantial private donations and by the sponsorship of the Campbell's Soup Company, cutting student ticket prices to $20 so that the Planning Committee could ensure a diverse attendance.
"We wanted there to be discourse across the generations," Schoenberg said.
The deliberate mixture of alumni and current students provided an exciting opportunity to "spark more change," Ruby Howe said.
"I hope the alumni and the students in the room will pay it forward," she said. "Their responsibility to change is not done and will never be done."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
R Perry Monastero
posted 6/04/08 @ 8:27 PM EST
What an amazing event, a terrific crowd, and an outstanding tribute to the ever growing accomplishments of the staff, volunteers, and administration at Penn. (Continued…)
R. Huber
posted 6/05/08 @ 1:59 AM EST
"We're one of the only LGBT centers in the country that can say we've been here for 25 years," said College senior and planning committee member Cynthia Wright. (Continued…)
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