Leading off the P-Rade are the head marshals, followed by Class of 2009 president Grant Bermann, carrying the University flag.
Next came President Tilghman, with Alumni Association president David Siegfried '64 to her right.
The oldest returning alumnus this year was Malcolm Warnock '25. As recently as 2001, he impressed crowds by walking the end of the P-Rade route.
An alumnus from the Class of 1934 takes in the P-Rade from his golf cart as onlookers from younger classes cheer.
Gordon Wu '58, who has donated more than $100 million to the University, marched in the P-Rade in celebration of his 50th reunion.
The 45th Reunion Class of 1963 went with an Elvis theme and carried record-shaped signs.
University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee '69 marched with his class for his 39th reunion.
Beer can be found almost anywhere during Reunions, including in the hands of those driving along the P-Rade route.
University trustee Kim Ritrievi '80 heads down Elm Drive with her husband during the P-Rade.
A calliope plays traditional Princeton songs and other favorites as it makes its way past Dillon Gym.
Alumni really do have an unusual propensity for marrying each other, but they also love Princeton. Two newlyweds from the Class of 2003 delayed their honeymoon to attend Reunions.
Members of the graduating Class of 2008 waited several hours for their chance to march in the P-Rade ...
... but judging from the empty beer cans strewn along the P-Rade route, they found plenty of ways to pass the time.
Photos by Tatiana Lau '09
More photos can be viewed at dailyprincetonian.printroom.com
Sunday, June 1, 2008
P-Rade Photos
Behind the Scenes: Crew
No look behind the scenes of Reunions would be complete without the student crews.
Tony Comunale '11, who worked the 5th Reunion, estimated that he worked more than 14 hours a day during Reunions. "We set up tables, make sure the kegs are in order, hand out P-Rade costumes, make sure beverages and food are set up," he said.
"We take care of everything you can possibly imagine for a reunion to run," added Pinto Adhola '10, who worked the 25th Reunion last year. Adhola, for example, would walk the children of 25th alumni over to McCarter Theatre for the Triangle Show and get movies for them.Every reunion is different. Each alumni class hires a crew, usually consisting of 15-20 students, for Tuesday through Sunday. The crew sets up, cleans up and does anything in between, from serving at the bar to taking meal tickets.
Typical hours might be 8 a.m.-2:30 a.m. during Reunions weekend. "The first two days weren't very hard, but once Thursday hit it was pretty tough," Comunale said.
The salaries of student crews have been the subject of wild rumors among Princeton students. When interviewed, several crew members estimated that they would make a total of about $1,200. Base salaries were reported to be about $10 an hour, but with a bonus determined by the student crew manager and alumni organizers of up to 100 percent of the salary.
Today marked the last day of work for crews, and most of them are probably sleeping in their rooms as I write this.
As a Dining Services worker, it's easy for me to covet the bonuses given to crews. But I don't covet their job. Most of them barely slept this week, never got to go out and are walking around like zombies in orange T-shirts.
For my last Reunions post, I want to say thank you to all the students and professionals who gave Princeton one big party.
Behind the Scenes: Dining Services II
Today I worked my last shift for Reunions - breakfast at the 5th. Not surprisingly, only a few alumni from the 5th with trains and planes to catch woke up for the 9-11 a.m. breakfast.
Carrying their luggage, they wandered in for bagels, pastries, milk, coffee and juice, freshly dressed but bleary-eyed.
I was a little bleary-eyed myself, having gone straight from partying to work at 7 a.m. I wasn't even wearing a clean outfit - I wore my only white blouse and black bottom to my shift yesterday.
Two men by the coffee lamented their "drunk sleep," which they described as totally not restful and unsatisfying.
The decaf dispenser was full when we packed up breakfast - everyone was going for the caffeine.
Princeton is gorgeous in the morning. A cool breeze blew through the tent, and I felt peaceful looking at stray cans in the soft morning light. It's almost a shame that I'm not awake at 7 a.m. more often.
Behind the Scenes: Trees
They cool our campus, reduce run-off, provide shady study spaces and make our daily environment beautiful, but few Princetonians ever think about the astonishing work that goes into maintaining Princeton's trees.
On Friday, alumni and current students gathered for the annual Tree Tour of Princeton, led by Grounds Manager Jim Consolloy and Philo Elmer '69.
"I grew up in Princeton ... This campus is like the back of my hand. I've seen the trees go up and down," said Elmer, who has a masters in environmental studies and taught ecology.
Denali Barron '09 represented Outdoor Action, which sponsored the tour.
"It's nice to learn about campus history amid the alumni who have shared so many experiences here," Greg Snyder '09 said.
Princeton's campus has a total of 5,280 trees. Each is inventoried and mapped. Among campus' 150 species of tree are Tulip Poplars, Maples, Ash, Red Oaks, White Oaks and Magnolias. An endowment from 1880 provides for campus plantings.
"We like to think of campus as a park," Consolloy said.
The work behind the scenes to maintain Princeton's trees became strikingly clear as the tour wound its way from Canon Green to Prospect Garden. The 50-foot trees implanted in Whitman College cost $18,000 each.
Aside from money, a great deal of labor is invested in the stately giants along the pathways and in the greens and courtyards. For example, staff removed 50 feet from the crown of the tree at the corner of Canon Green closest to the East Pyne arch. The trunk suffered a compression fracture from the sheer weight of its leafy crown.
"Some [trees] are better patients than others," Consolloy said.
A 10-acre nursery on the south side of Lake Carnegie produces trees for the campus, including Golden Larch for the new Butler Courtyard.
Soil compaction is the biggest challenge facing these trees. In addition, new campus construction that disturbs underground root systems can cause trees such as the one in front of Scheide Caldwell House to die back.
Reunions presents a special challenge. "Beer is not good tree food," Elmer said, laughing.
Reunions Nightlife
At the tail-end of reunions, the campus is still one big party. Well, really, a group of small parties, each providing its own challenges for gaining entry without a wristband. A dash through the Little basement takes me to the Fifth Reunion, where the bands are playing songs from the '60s and '70s like "Sweet Caroline" and "Sweet Home Alabama," with interludes of more recent songs like "Crank Dat" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" played from recordings in between. I thought it was ironic that the Class of 2003 reunion featured songs from the '70s while the University hired a tamer, Caribbean-style band for the Class of 1983. I guess they figure that by their 25th reunion, people are too old for the music of their youth? Anyway, in 2036, I'm going to set up a stereo and blast the Soulja Boy song whether the University likes it or not, and learn the dance, too. (So far, as far as I've gotten toward that goal is learning the "Kosher Boy" dance from YouTube.) The Fifth Reunion tent was most well-attended of the parties I went to, with a big contingent from the Class of 2006. Alumni were friendly (one guy complimented me on my orange socks), and there was pretty much beer everywhere, including cans lying on the ground. Most people looked like they were having fun, except for one or two people who looked like they might have gotten stood up by their friends and didn't know anyone. Or returned to college only to remember they never liked dance parties after all. I dart through Laughlin to try to get to the 10th reunion, but a police officer is waiting for me on the other side. I don't notice him as I walk out the door, so he nabs me and tells me to get lost. I try disappearing back into Laughlin, but that doesn't work since he follows me and grabs me again. Ejected into the back of Blair, I run into Christian Harris '09, who tells me the party at Quad will be going on 'till 5:30 a.m. Something to check out. The guard for the 40th Reunion lets me in without a wristband. The daughter of one of the alumni tells me that her dad's class is drunker than the '03s, which seems credible given the wine bottles on the table and the dancing styles of some of the class members. A few of the children are dancing with their parents, and there is an elementary school girl who is spinning in some pretty crazy circles with her dad. She's way cooler than I was at that age. By the time I get to the Class of 1983 and its Caribbean band, most of the members of the 25th Reunion class have left the party. I chalk this up to middle-aged people's desire to get to bed, and do everything else, on time. This is a good thing, since it keeps the trains running, but it also makes for a sparse dance floor at 2 a.m. Fortunately, members of the Class of 2008 and other undergraduates on campus came to Whitman to fill the void. With the University-sponsored parties over, a wave of alumni hit the Street, returning to their old clubs. Judging by what Harris told me, the party probably didn't end until 5:30, which was ... 10 minutes ago. Luckily, the sun officially didn't rise this morning until 5:31.
Fire in the Sky
Despite the soggy ground, a large crowd made its way down to Finney Field this evening to observe the Princeton University Orchestra concert and fireworks display. Listeners trickled in during the hour-long concert featuring medleys from "Les Miserables," "My Fair Lady" and "Star Wars." They also gave a reprise of selections from "The Marriage of Figaro," which the Department of Music staged earlier this year.
The audience differed greatly from those who typically attend orchestral concerts. There were many younger children running around, and after someone began distributing glowsticks, parts of the field began to resemble a rave than a orchestra when little hands frantically shook the plastic sticks.
A 25-minute firework display followed the concert, though the accompanying music made it feel more like a continuation of the program. The show used more than 3,000 aerial and ground shells to create the pyrotechnic designs. The music was selected to reference particular Princeton traditions and class reunions. "Jail House Rock" as performed by Elvis Presley was intended as a tribute to the classes of 1963 and 2003, who chose Elvis and Vegas themes, respectively. A ukulele version of "Over the Rainbow" similarly represented the Class of 1993's Hawaiian theme.
The program showcased the spectacular skill and wit of the organizers. When Presley sang "The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square," a square firework punctuated the sky. While fireworks excel at bombast, as was demonstrated during both the opening as well as the finale, which was set to the William Tell Overture, the display also showed deft handling of the softer songs. The Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version of "Over the Rainbow" is a quiet song, and the accompanying fireworks, many of which appeared similar to waterfalls, accented the song instead of drowning it out.
The display was beautiful. From the oohs of the crowd, it seemed it agreed.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Class of 2008 has marched in its first P-Rade and celebrated in style.
More photos can be viewed at dailyprincetonian.printroom.com
Photos by Dan Hayes-Patterson
P-Rade Party
Alumni from the classes of 1925 to 2007 joined the Class of 2008 in the P-Rade this afternoon as they marched down campus. The Class of 1983 led off the parade accompanied by drummers. A Class of 1938 Volvo and convertible processed along with a striped VW bug.
The old guard, especially Class of 1938, which celebrated its 70th Reunion showed up in force. One of the marchers for the Class of 1948 was marching in his 61st-consecutive P-Rade celebration.
Perhaps one of the most active years was the 45th Reunion Class of 1963, which used an Elvis theme to liven up its traditional jackets. With gold capes and sunglasses, class members paraded along with gold carts that blasted some of the King's hits.
The P-Rade also featured two unicyclists and 16 dogs who joined the procession, two of whom wore their own reunions costume, tiger leotards. An orange-and-black 1915 Model T processed with the Class of 1928.
While the classes between 1988 and 1998 were more sedate, perhaps accounting for the many young future Princetonians who joined their parents, as years approached 2008, the alumni become more and more excited.
The P-Rade wrapped up at 5:45, and despite the earlier concerns, the weather held.
P-rade: the first half
Even the rain can't stop the P-Rade from happening, and undergraduates as well as alumni have turned out in force to watch as the graduating classes from 1925 through 2008 march through FitzRandolph Gate, down Elm Street to the grandstands on Poe Field. First through were President Tilghman and her entourage, the Princeton University Marching Band and the 25th Reunion Class of 1983.
The band leads the way, from the beginning to the very end, with the banner for the Class of 1983 close behind.
The Class of 1983 sports the orange-and-black striped blazers in honor of its parent Class of 1958 and grandparent Class of 1933. As they passed the reviewing booth on Poe Field, members of the class saluted President Tilghman and gave her a traditional locomotive cheer.
Leading the Old Guard, Princeton's oldest living graduate from the Class of 1925.
Members of the Old Guard greet President Tilghman.
Members of the Class of 1958, sporting their orange and black blazers.
The 45th Reunion Class of 1963 turned out in full Elvis gear, including capes, sunglasses, sideburns, guitars and golf carts blaring some of the King's biggest hits.
Geoff Peterson '69 rocks out as he reaches Poe Field.
With the 35th Reunion class of 1973, the first female Princetonians reached Poe Field.
More photos can be viewed at dailyprincetonian.printroom.com
Photos by Zach Ruchman, Dan Hayes-Patterson and Diego Vargas.
Reunions Performances
Princetonians are on stage all over campus this weekend. From Triangle's encore performance of its fall show to diSiac, PUP, the Nassoons and many more, Princeton's undergrads and alums are doing what they do best. Here's a brief look at just some of what's been going on in the last 12 hours.
Last night, the Wildcats all-female a cappella group had an alumni arch sing at 1879 Arch. Evie Nagy '98 appeared in a comeback performance with her old friends and current members.
Over at Blair Arch, meanwhile, the Tigerlillies were holding their own alumni arch sing. Both current undergraduates and returning alumni performed solos with the entire group.
Every morning this weekend, the Princeton Shakespeare Company has put on a show in the East Pyne courtyard. Here, Dave Holtz '10 performs in the Bard's comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
More photos can be viewed at dailyprincetonian.printroom.com
Photos by Zach Ruchman.
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