I have very strong memories of being in Commons on the day after the '87 market collapse, as well; groups of people huddled around those whose families had taken huge hits the day before. I can recall with certainty the numbers that one family had allegedly lost, and how much they were supposedly still worth: as this individual was fairly diminutive, I proposed we back-of-the-napkin calculate how much this individual was worth per inch. They were still going to be fine, despite the tears of the day.
I'm glad you remember that too, Mark! It's such a strong memory for me. Also, I want to make sure Naples Pizzeria is not lost to history. "Slices are ready…"
Naples was everything a college pizza joint should be. The campus (and town) is so much nicer now, but there is a class of restaurant—Naples, the old Rudy’s, Yankee Doodle, Park Street sub—that real estate pressure just doesn’t exist. I’m afraid the whole experience is quite a bit more corporate.
I deeply miss all those places. My sense is that the campus - including the area around it, the blocks that embrace it most closely - is a lot less weird and idiosyncratic. I hope that isn't reflected in the student body (but it likely is).
Mark you will laugh at this but one of the reasons I stay so active with The Record is precisely this; current students really like idiosyncrasies and “underground”-ness, but the structures that support that kind of thing were mostly burned off between 1985-2015. But the moment you give them a structure to be weird within, they blossom. It’s like, “yes you’re right to feel constricted and bored; come over here where there is freedom.” Staffs are 100+ these days.
I went to Penn back in the 80s and lived in a dorm next to ZBT (Zillions, Billions, and Trillions). Nice enough people, and one day I saw a friend whose BF was in the frat sitting depressed. She told me that her father had made some bad investments and she was not going to be able to afford tuition. The University helped her out, but suddenly she had a financial aid package like the rest of us. Hardly F Scott Fitzgerald material, but the change was noticeable.
Princeton for grad school was very different. One time an undergrad told me that his family had to let the "colored" man go.
Yes, this is exactly what I was getting at in the piece. Tom’s actually a composite, because I didn’t want to embarrass anyone. When you’ve always been the richest person you know, then…
I have very strong memories of being in Commons on the day after the '87 market collapse, as well; groups of people huddled around those whose families had taken huge hits the day before. I can recall with certainty the numbers that one family had allegedly lost, and how much they were supposedly still worth: as this individual was fairly diminutive, I proposed we back-of-the-napkin calculate how much this individual was worth per inch. They were still going to be fine, despite the tears of the day.
I'm glad you remember that too, Mark! It's such a strong memory for me. Also, I want to make sure Naples Pizzeria is not lost to history. "Slices are ready…"
Lynette once let me make the "slices are ready" announcement over the Naples PA; one of my few apex moments during those 4 years.
Naples was everything a college pizza joint should be. The campus (and town) is so much nicer now, but there is a class of restaurant—Naples, the old Rudy’s, Yankee Doodle, Park Street sub—that real estate pressure just doesn’t exist. I’m afraid the whole experience is quite a bit more corporate.
I deeply miss all those places. My sense is that the campus - including the area around it, the blocks that embrace it most closely - is a lot less weird and idiosyncratic. I hope that isn't reflected in the student body (but it likely is).
Mark you will laugh at this but one of the reasons I stay so active with The Record is precisely this; current students really like idiosyncrasies and “underground”-ness, but the structures that support that kind of thing were mostly burned off between 1985-2015. But the moment you give them a structure to be weird within, they blossom. It’s like, “yes you’re right to feel constricted and bored; come over here where there is freedom.” Staffs are 100+ these days.
Love to hear it!
I went to Penn back in the 80s and lived in a dorm next to ZBT (Zillions, Billions, and Trillions). Nice enough people, and one day I saw a friend whose BF was in the frat sitting depressed. She told me that her father had made some bad investments and she was not going to be able to afford tuition. The University helped her out, but suddenly she had a financial aid package like the rest of us. Hardly F Scott Fitzgerald material, but the change was noticeable.
Princeton for grad school was very different. One time an undergrad told me that his family had to let the "colored" man go.
Yes, this is exactly what I was getting at in the piece. Tom’s actually a composite, because I didn’t want to embarrass anyone. When you’ve always been the richest person you know, then…