It’s a charming, romantic coincidence that these two couples met in the same way. The younger couple, though, took it all a big step farther.
How They Met: Martha Townsend and Tia Newhall
We both were born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. Growing up, we had friends and acquaintances in common, but we didn’t meet until the spring of 1988. And after 25 years together, we started our honeymoon phase, and we get to celebrate two anniversaries each year, in April and October.
How They Met: Pat and Donna Francher
We met during rehearsals for the high school play. I was a senior, she a sophomore. First date was on Valentine’s Day at the High School Winter Weekend. It didn’t go well.
My dear wife and I met online, of all places. I invited her to come hear me at an open mic I was playing. I held her hand for three hours. On our second date, I said, “We should get married.” She said,” Well, I wouldn’t say no.”
Swarthmore Men’s Basketball Rolls to 21 - 0
The nation’s number one team in Division 3 basketball put on a shooting clinic Saturday, February 8, as they trounced Franklin & Marshall 85 - 68. It was a tough game, though. For 35 minutes of the 40-minute contest, it wasn’t as lopsided as the final score suggests.
Souls Shot Exhibition Gives Gun Violence a Human Face
Helen Mangelsdorf is one of 28 artists participating in the third iteration of the Souls Shot project, which connects artists to the families and loved ones of victims of gun violence for the purpose of painting their portraits. The project memorializes the victims, while also calling attention to the breadth of the United States’ gun problem. Individual by individual, the portraits present the vibrant faces of the lost.
Unscientific Survey: The Singer Building
My most admired person of the week is the lone soul who, in responding to our unscientific survey on Swarthmore College’s new Maxine Frank Singer ‘52 Hall (to be the home of the psychology, biology, and engineering departments), chose the option “Too soon to tell.” Everybody else had an opinion — despite the fact that the building isn’t even fully operational yet! And the opinions were on the whole — almost 66 percent — negative; the biggest single vote-getter was “I hate it.”
Hedgerow Theatre to Auction Wharton Esherick Furniture
Nearly 100 years ago, Wharton Esherick bartered furniture he designed and built as payment for his daughters’ acting lessons at Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley. The pieces have increased in value. Hedgerow has decided to sell Esherick’s three tables, eight hammer-handle chairs, and spiral staircase, using the proceeds to create an endowment and support building improvements. The items will be auctioned March 31 at Freeman’s in Philadelphia, with the most valuable table expected to sell for six figures.
Council Focuses on Streets and Trees
The intersection of Yale and Cornell avenues dominated the Swarthmore Borough Council meeting on Monday night. During the public comment section of the meeting, four residents relayed their concerns about safety at the intersection. Two of these had previously spoken at the Public Safety Committee meeting on January 27. The other two principal issues discussed at the meeting had to do with trees.
Wildlife Observations: February 7, 2020
Peg Christiansen submitted two photographs, taken by Lisa D’Antonio, of foxes visiting the now closed Strath Haven Condo pool. Peg wrote: “Guess they did not know: (1) it is closed for the winter, (2) you need to be a resident to use it, and (3) you need a pool pass.”
The Physics of Everyday Things: Two Swarthmore College Scientists Awarded NSF Grant
Granular materials — like sand, rice, or powdered pharmaceuticals — are everywhere, yet their behavior is poorly understood. In some ways behaving like liquids, in other ways behaving like solids, such materials have unique properties and pose unique questions to answer. Swarthmore College physics professors Cacey Bester and Amy Graves received an NSF grant to study granular materials.
50 Second Hero
The other week, I was in Texas when I received a push notification from the Nest Cam we have keeping an eye on our yard. The notification arrived just after the school bus would have dropped the kids off, so I tuned in to say hi. It took me a second or two to realize what was going on. My son was throwing the football with the UPS guy.
Scrutiny for Yale Avenue
At the meeting of the Swarthmore Borough Council Public Safety Committee on Monday, January 27, the conversation revolved around two intersections on Yale Avenue: the intersection of Yale and Cornell, and the intersection of Yale and Chester Road. Several borough residents came to the meeting to voice their concerns.
Hidden Treasures, Dynamic Collaborations
September through May, the List Gallery’s 1,200-foot space presents about a dozen exhibitions, featuring the college’s alumni (such as MacArthur Fellowship recipient Njideka Akunyili Crosby ‘04), emerging talents, and some of the leading artists of our time.
An Unexpected Progression: Blind Melon Guitarist Still Rocks, but Thrives on Small-Town Life
The very next day after I met Rogers Stevens, I was in the CVS south of Swarthmore on Route 320 when “No Rain” started playing on the overhead sound system. Stevens, an attorney and a guitarist, lives in town — it was probably just as likely that he’d have been in the CVS as that I was. “No Rain,” which topped the charts in the early nineties, is a song with an immediately recognizable jangly electric guitar intro, and it was Stevens who played it.
Summit School Redevelopment Begins
The Summit School, on Plush Mill Road in Wallingford, was the subject of the Nether Providence commissioners meeting on January 23. The site has been slated for redevelopment as green space including, possibly, a small amphitheater and recreational facilities, according to the township.
Mark your calendars! Tell your neighbors! On Saturday, March 28, the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association and the Borough of Swarthmore will present the Third Annual Senior Wellness Fair — same time as last year, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., and same place, the Inn at Swarthmore. This year’s theme: Benefits and Challenges. Swarthmore citizens of every age will have the opportunity to hear from distinguished experts in the field of elder health and well-being.
College’s Newest Building Phases Into Use
The new building, a 158,000-square-foot home for Swarthmore’s biology, engineering, and psychology departments, was first conceived in 2011 as part of an institutional strategic plan. In December 2012, the college announced a $50 million gift to be used toward the project. This, the largest gift in the school’s history, came from alumnus and philanthropist Eugene Lang ‘38, who died in 2017.
Sky Over Swarthmore: January 24, 2020
New Occasional Feature
I’ve been noticing that Venus is very bright in the western sky after sunset. For the next few weeks, you can look for it between dusk and about 8 p.m., above and to the left of the place the sun has just set. Venus always appears near the sun in the sky. This is because Venus’s orbit is smaller than Earth’s, so when we’re looking toward the sun, we see them close to each other.
Cookie Season
The next time you are in Swarthmore, stop by Executive Cleaners on S. Chester Road or GSM Advisory Group’s office on Park Avenue to find your favorite flavors and support our Cadette troop!