Senior Forward Nate Schafer helped the number-one Swarthmore College men’s basketball team build on its program-record winning streak on January 25. The Garnet trounced the visiting McDaniel College Green Terror in the most lopsided result of the season, 80-44, extending the streak to 17. Courtesy of Swarthmore College Athletics

Ms. Kennedy’s third-grade class performs a play about Martin Luther King Jr., and other civil rights leaders, at a special assembly at Swarthmore Rutledge School. Photo: Deirdre Abrahamsson

Ten years ago, Lucas Gelape came to Swarthmore from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, as an international exchange student sponsored by the Swarthmore Rotary Club. He lived with us in our home on Chester Road for six months, and for an additional several months he lived with Fred and Bea Dickinson on Princeton Avenue.

Last month, Lucas came to town for a five-day visit. He was taking a break between semesters at Harvard University, where he is on a doctoral fellowship in political science. We visited the Constitution Center, toured the Philadelphia Museum of Art with Ann and Larry Seidman (Ann, a museum docent, was Lucas’ Rotary sponsor), and spent time with the Dickinsons.

Lucas and I also took in a 76ers game (they walloped the Cavaliers by 50 points), and the rainy Monday night Eagles game against the Giants (which the Eagles tied with a late touchdown and won with a touchdown in overtime, keeping their playoff hopes alive). We’d sent some excited emails flying two years ago when they won the Superbowl.

Lucas keeps lobbying for us to visit him in Brazil, where he is pursuing his doctorate in political science at Sao Paulo University. Someday, perhaps, we will. For now, it is good to keep in touch, and to know that lasting cross-cultural connections can be made through exchange programs such as that sponsored by the Rotary Club.

David Page
Swarthmore

Lucas Elliott was honored at an award ceremony on Monday, January 20, for his essay about the voyage of the Mayflower. His parents, Brent and Shannon, and his sister, Kylie, attended the ceremony at the Roosevelt School in Media. Photo: Shannon Dietzmann Elliott

The Swarthmore Garden Club provides guidance in flower arranging at the Swarthmore Public Library.

Mayor Marty Spiegel (right) gave the annual State of the Borough address at Monday night’s Swarthmore Borough Council meeting.

Caroline Shaffer, a recent graduate of Lafayette College and a Swarthmore resident, moved out to Des Moines, Iowa, in early December to join Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. She currently works as operations coordinator and serves as executive assistant to Sanders’ Iowa state director, Misty Rebik.

On October 26, 2019, Kathryn Nagel and Matthew Kingsbury were married in a ceremony at the Knox estate in Valley Forge National Park. The Rev. Joyce Tompkins officiated. Kathryn is a 2008 graduate of Strath Haven High School. Her bridesmaids included four other SHHS graduates — Laura Nagel, who was maid of honor for her sister; Megan McGeehan; Alice Vienneau; and Maria Yagoda. Kathryn is the daughter of Barbara and Jack Nagel of Swarthmore. Matt’s parents are Brigitte and Hal Kingsbury of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The bride and groom met as classmates at Middlebury College. After a honeymoon in Spain, Kathryn and Matt returned home to New Haven, Connecticut, where Kathryn is a resident physician at Yale New Haven Hospital, while Matt commutes to New York City for his new position as Chief Operating Officer of Discover Seven Travel.

Swarthmore resident Dave Smuts started work as a sales consultant at Fred Beans Volkswagen in Devon on December 23. Dave is a former member of the Swarthmore Swim Club Board and the Swarthmore Lions Club. He lives on Haverford Place with his wife Jennifer (board member of the Swarthmore Co-op and Swarthmore Town Center) and children Rachel (Temple University) and Oliver (Strath Haven High School).

Jill Gaieski is sworn in as the newest Swarthmore Borough Council member by Mayor Marty Spiegel, while her husband David holds her childhood Torah and a copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Monica Taylor and Brian Zidek were sworn in as chair and vice-chair of the new Delaware County Council on January 6 at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media. Photo: Todd Strine

Bob and Jeanette Richardson write:

Christmas Eve, 2019, at our family homestead, 311 Lafayette Ave., Swarthmore. Built in 1898, and bought by Bob’s grandparents, Elliott and Dorothy Strode Richardson, in 1919, the house has been in the family for 100 years. Both Elliott and Dorothy were graduates of Swarthmore College, classes of 1902 and 1912. Elliott served as Swarthmore borough manager from 1934 to 1961. After Grandmother Richardson’s death in 1970, we moved in, newly married, and later purchased the property from her estate. Our four daughters were all raised at 311. Top row (l to r): Greg Gilbert, Rob Mazzoni, Justin Henzel. Middle row ( l to r): Bob Richardson, Jeanette Richardson, Ashley Richardson, Amy Henzel, Diana Gilbert, Bobby Mazzoni, Andrea Mazzoni. Bottom row (l to r): Ella Henzel, Dylan Henzel, Aubrey Gilbert, Christian Henzel, Kendal Gilbert, and Michael Henzel.

Tony DiTommaso of Wallingford and his grandchildren, Caroline and Declan Ford, created a holiday sled from a Target shopping cart this Christmas (with the blessing of the Target manager) and paid a surprise visit to Children and Adult Disability and Education Services (CADES) on Rutgers Avenue in Swarthmore. The sled delivered gifts to nearly 20 classrooms and was greeted by a festive band of CADES students and clients singing Christmas songs and beating drums. Pictured: Dave Ford and his children, Declan and Caroline Ford. Photo: Tony DiTommaso

Continuing a tradition that dates back to at least 2013, the 12 Plyometrics of Christmas were sung and exercised early in the morning of December 23. Although the event is traditionally poorly advertised, all are welcome! Top row (l to r): Steve DiBona, Steve Melly, Jed Carman, Shane Campbell, Dave Caputo, Andy Hooper, Brandon Smith, Billy Hodges. Middle row (l to r): Scott Pollins, Ed Shifflett, Terry Lynch. Arrayed across the front: Greg Milbourne. Photo: Ann Daciuk The 12 plyometrics are: 1 bent arm plank (10 seconds), 2 in and outs, 3 pushups, 4 mountain climbers, 5 burpees, 6 inches holding, 7 straight legs lifting, 8 crunchers crunching, 9 Russians twisting, 10 jacks a-jumping, 11 sumos squatting, 12 stars a-jumping

Each year on the Feast of the Epiphany, the St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, presents Gian Carlo Menotti’s family-friendly one-act opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” with professional singers and dancers in full costume. This year, Jeremy Peyton Jones of Swarthmore will play the role of Amahl, reprising his performance from last year. The opera will be presented on Sunday, January 5, at 4 p.m., and the performance is free and open to the public. (Donations welcome.) The church is at 1715 W. 9th St. in Wilmington, 30 minutes from Swarthmore.

Jonathan Hodgson writes, “While at the post office in Swarthmore today, we saw fellow Swarthmorean Ron Ricchezza putting final touches on Vincent van Snow.”

Coen Osborne, dad Doug, and dog Margot gear up for the Book It! fundraiser for the Swarthmore and Helen Kate Furness libraries.