News Archives

“The Last Landscape”

“For years we wasted land with impunity,” William H. Whyte writes in this classic work now returned to print. “Now we no longer can.” Called “the best study available on the problems of open space” by The New York Times when it first appeared in 1968, “The Last Landscape” introduced many cornerstone ideas for land conservation, urging all of us to make better use of the land that has survived amid suburban sprawl.

Ambrose case keeps spotlight on Childers

When the news of historian Stephen Ambrose’s plagiarizing of History Professor Thomas Childers’ “Wings of Morning” broke on Jan. 4, Childers figured the brouhaha would die down in about a week. When we spoke with Childers in his College Hall office Jan. 25, he was still fielding calls from reporters and wading through oceans of e-mail.

Religions' wings clipped by polygamy

Mark Twain made the trip. So did P. T. Barnum. They, along with a slew of 19th century European travelers, could not resist the draw of Salt Lake City, Utah. The attraction? The Mormons and their many wives. But as Penn Professor of Law Sarah Gordon shows in her book, “The Mormon Question” (North Carolina, 2002), the Mormons’ practice of polygamy did more than just spark curiosity, jokes and gossip; it left a legacy in constitutional law and political theory that still governs religious life in America.

Plenty new to chew

A tour of some neighborhood eateries inaugurates our first “Out and About,” which is dedicated to reporting on the sights, sounds and tastes around campus and the neighborhood. Forever drinking bubbles Tired of the perpetual coffee buzz, we thought we’d take tea and see at The Bubble House, a soothing, Asian-inspired tea house at 3404 Sansom that opened in late November.

Environmentalist gets military recognition

Christian J. Lambertsen has been awarded the U.S. Special Operations Command Medal, the organization’s most prestigious civilian honor. As professor of environmental medicine and founder of the Institute for Environmental Medicine, Lambertsen invented the first self-contained underwater circuit-breathing apparatus and was the first U.S. self-contained diver. The naval special warfare community calls him “Father of U.S. Combat Swimming.”

People's Choice: Hearts and flowers at the library

Valentine’s Day is one week away, so naturally, our thoughts turned to love. Love and books (we’re eager readers around here). So we went wandering through Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, asking any staffers we found how they plan to show their love on Valentine’s Day. Not surprisingly, we got lots of flowers, dinners and candy in response. But there were a few people who had more adventurous ideas. Dan Applegate Evening Circulation Desk“Flowers and chocolate. If anyone will take it.”

At Work With...PennCard center staff

Pulitzer Prize winners to visit Penn

Three Pulitzer Prize-winning writers will be at Kelly Writers House this spring as part of its annual Fellows Program. This year’s Writers House Fellows are fiction writer Michael Cunningham, poet John Ashbery and playwright Charles Fuller. Cunningham, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel “The Hours,” will be on campus Feb. 11 to 12 (see “What’s On”). “The Hours” imagines Virginia Woolf’s last days before her suicide and a group of contemporary characters grappling with love and despair.

The master performer as a 19-year-old grad student

Mimi Stillman is all of 19 years old—the same age a Penn sophomore would be. But she’s pursuing an M.A. in history. And while she pursues her degree, she is continuing with her impressive career as a concert flutist.

Chief nursing officer named

The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has appointed Victoria L. Rich chief nursing officer. Rich comes from University Community Hospital in Tampa, Fla., where she oversaw the pharmacy, laboratory, neurodiagnostics, emergency services and nursing unit. As a noted expert on patient safety, Rich will help HUP develop procedures to further clinical accuracy, professional responsiveness and compassion in all aspects of hospital service.