Organ transplants and animal rights, postcard journeys, car talk, “infantile machismo,” and more.
Transplant Teamwork
I read with great interest the feature article by Mary Ann Meyers on the “New World of Organ Transplantation” [Mar|Apr 2025]—partly because it was informative and partly because I was a clinical director at HUP for Medical Nursing, Emergency Services, and Dialysis from 1985 to 1991 and lived through part of this period.
The article’s stated premise is: “Penn’s latest advances and future hopes for saving and improving lives through transplant technologies build on a foundation laid down by pioneering surgeons and scientists going back to the 1960s.” This is true—and yet totally inadequate to explain the success of the program if the contributions of the dozens of members of the clinical team aren’t also included in this calculus.
I’m referring to senior nursing leaders and the dozens of nursing staff who were with these patients 24/7, for weeks or months, checking vital signs, preventing complications, making sure that those kidneys were passing urine, and dealing with family issues and crises; the many pharmacists who guided the pharmacology protocols and ensured that the right drugs in the right dosages were dispensed; the social workers who coordinated transitions of care, financial planning, and social support; and the list goes on. These people are every bit as much a causative factor in the success of the program.
I would suggest that a companion piece be developed, highlighting that more than a village, it takes an entire team of professionals with diverse yet complementary areas of expertise, pulling together in the same direction to achieve such landmark success.
Joanne Disch, former staff, Minneapolis
Animal Rights Will Be the “Next New Frontier”
In “The New World of Organ Transplantation,” James Markmann, Penn’s vice president for transplantation services, suggests that “organs from animals, or xenografts, represent the ‘next new frontier’ in organ transplantation’s future.”
I believe the next new frontier is animal rights, with animals having self-determination and the right not to be bred by humans, and the right to hold onto their own organs.
David Sauder SW’81, Blackwood, NJ
The writer is president of Animal Rights Activists of New Jersey, Inc.—Ed.
NOTAble Connection
Permit me to add another University of Pennsylvania connection to your article “The New World of Organ Transplantation.” In 1982–83 while on sabbatical as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, National Academy of Medicine, I served on the staff of the House of Representatives Science Oversight Subcommittee, headed by then Democratic Representative Albert Gore of Tennessee, and organized the congressional hearings on organ transplants that led to the passage of the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) in 1984. The hearings attracted national attention, including a two-part Health Policy Report in the New England Journal of Medicine by John Iglehart in which I was explicitly noted: “The broader issues concerning transplantation were raised by Dr. Myron Genel, a professor of pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine.”
Once the congressional hearings were completed, I assisted in drafting NOTA—the basis for the organ procurement system that continues to serve the US organ transplant system—and for a few years participated in a number of national meetings devoted to the issue.
Myron Genel M’61, Woodbridge, CT
Kennedy Captured the Crowd
The photo of Robert Kennedy speaking at the Palestra that was included in the article “On Highway 67 (and Beyond)” [Mar|Apr 2025] brought back memories. I was in the audience when Kennedy spoke. Most of the students supported Eugene McCarthy at the time and were chanting, “We want Gene.” Kennedy leaned into the microphone and said, “Well, you’re stuck with me.” By the end of the speech he had the audience eating out of his hand.
Elliot B. Werner C’67 M’71, Wayne, PA
Postcards’ Power
Reading Lisa Greene’s wonderful piece “Postcard Time Machine” [“Alumni Voices,” Mar|Apr 2025] on the joys of postcards connected me with a kindred spirit. My family also used postcards heavily to keep in touch from the road and briefly bring someone up to speed. They were long enough to convey a brief message, communicate that you cared, and brighten someone’s day, but short enough to not be a burden or require delving into simmering issues. Even in this age of rapid communication with texting and email, people still like a picturesque, tangible expression of real mail in the form of a postcard.
When my mother began facing her courageous but inevitable spiral into dementia, I developed the habit of sending her a daily postcard, giving her a reason to visit her mailbox to pick up a stimulating image and an update on her grandchildren. As we cleaned out her apartment after her passing, the postcards were everywhere. The daily ritual worked so well that it became a habit for my son after he left for boarding school. Cards of the Grand Canyon, Northern New England, and European capitals were reminders of exciting adventures. A few of the more risqué art postcards initially raised an eyebrow or two, but a drawn in school uniform or swimsuit eliminated any potential source of embarrassment. Over time, he became good friends with the team in the mailroom.
But now, the tradition is set to take a new turn as he starts his freshman year at Wharton this fall. I will memorize a new address and use it to remind him that, though physically he may be a few states away, he still is ever present in our thoughts.
Andrew T. Jay D’86, Charlestown, MA
Worth the Wait
I read with interest Lisa Greene’s “Postcard Time Machine.”
As an inveterate postcard writer, I would like to relate my own postcard adventure. I was in Antarctica in February and March of 2020, oblivious to the surging COVID-19 health crisis (we had no internet or phone). En route, I took up pen and card and wrote missives to friends and to myself about penguin encounters. I dutifully posted the cards from the onboard “Penguin Post.” Returning in mid-March to Ushuaia, Argentina, I made my way back to Buenos Aires, to board one of the last flights back to the States, before everything shut down in the face of the pandemic.
Two years later, to the day, my self-addressed postcard arrived! I have no idea of the details of its voyage, and assume it traveled to South Georgia, to Ushuaia, to the UK, and on to my New Jersey home. The next day, I received emails from several friends whose cards were in the same batch, asking if I had returned to the White Continent—they had failed to notice the year on the cancellation stamp!
I will certainly continue to scribble those mini journals, never knowing if they reach their destinations, and how long the journey.
Perhaps Lisa and I share a snippet of postcard DNA.
Art Gertel C’75, White House Station, NJ
Quite a Car!
I read the essay “Sweet Chariots” with great interest [“Rabbit Hole,” Mar|Apr 2025]. I remember when I needed to move from one side of Zurich to the other, someone from my group brought a 2CV to help me. I looked askance at the car and suggested we would need to make several trips, as I had a single bed to move and other furniture. No, no, he replied, and proceeded to move all my boxes and furniture into the back of the car. Amazingly, we still had space up front for both of us to sit. Quite a car!
Catherine Schein CW’74, Friendswood, TX
Offensive Caricatures and Stereotypes
As a longtime affectionate reader of the Gazette, I am writing to you wondering how Noah Isenberg’s essay “The Milan Affair” [“Elsewhere,” Mar|Apr 2025] could receive space for publication in this esteemed magazine.
The article is full of offensive caricatures and stereotypes mostly about Italians. It portrays them as thieves, racists, non-proficient in English, “pranksters,” habitually engaging in “little love [affairs]” during lunch shifts, and encouraging “promiscuous night life.” The article does not spare a stereotype of “very tall models from Sweden” [women].
The pervasive infantile machismo of the article is perhaps highlighted in mentioning that the pensione where he was staying only had one rule: no guests. Did the rule of not urinating out of the window need to be stated?
Indeed, as Isenberg states: “my underdeveloped brain clearly hadn’t evolved any in Milan,” so one should not give him space for his puny exhibitions.
Carla Locatelli, faculty, Philadelphia
Warning: Dangerous Cuts Ahead
The same day I received the Mar|Apr 2025 Gazette, the US president signed an executive order eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services as “unnecessary.”
“Museums and Acquisitions” [“Gazetteer”], about the Penn Cultural Heritage Center’s latest initiative funded by IMLS, seemed to have been written on another planet.
What will happen to the Penn Cultural Heritage Center under the Trump regime? The Gazette should include a warning with every article about university programs funded directly or indirectly by the federal government: “This program (or initiative or department or study) is in danger of termination because of federal cutbacks.”
Readers should be made aware of the real damage the Trump administration is doing to our University.
Linda Rabben CGS’74, Baltimore
For more on the impact of federal cuts to research funding, see “Gazetteer.” —Ed.
Penn Solved the Humanities-STEM Debate in the 1960s
Jonathan Zimmerman’s letter, “Humanities Have (More Than) Market Value,” in the Mar|Apr 2025 issue resurfaces the timeless STEM-Humanities discussion, although I did not see it explicitly addressed in Peter Struck’s comments in the article the letter was commenting on [“Course Corrections,” Jan|Feb 2025].
Penn had a solution for this dilemma in the 1960s that was called the “3/2 Program.” I took advantage, upped the ante, and eventually earned Penn MS degrees in both engineering and anthropology (archaeology concentration). Zimmerman is correct about educating the humanistic spirit and promoting a “good life.” It certainly does. The engineering component of my education followed my dad’s advice, and he was right too. Thanks to Penn for their solution 60 years ago. Together the degrees made for a rich and productive life.
Both were relevant throughout my career. As CEO of the Greek company Attiko Metro I needed both skills in almost equal measure to construct two metro subway lines, to oversee major archaeological works, and to create museums in many of the stations. In retirement the humanities education and how that passion evolved is priceless.
William G. Stead CE’69 GCE’70 G’81, Chambersburg, PA
Liberal Arts for a Rewarding Life
In the past, I have commented on the connectivity between articles in the Gazette—not likely intended, but nevertheless noteworthy to me. In the Mar|Apr 2025 edition, I saw a similar synchronicity between two letters to the editor. The first, “Preparation for Life,” made the point that the Penn educational experience provides a solid basis for making decisions and solving problems. In the second letter, “Puzzled by PIK,” an editorial note clarified that the acronym stands for Penn Integrates Knowledge and relates to faculty with appointments from two or more schools within the University.
The connection I saw between these two items was the broad-based, rather than narrowly focused, educational framework within which Penn students are educated. And I believe this liberal arts framework (interdisciplinary learning across various fields of humanities, social and natural sciences, and the arts) best prepares a university’s students for a rewarding life in all of its dimensions after their graduation.
I had a liberal arts education as an undergraduate and am thankful for my graduate school experience at Penn as valuable complement to it.
Jim Waters WG’71, Pearl River, NY
Remembering a Special Lover of Penn Basketball
Your Mar|Apr 2025 issue carries an obituary for Edward Bergman C’63. As sad it is to say goodbye to a dear friend, it would be even more sorrowful not to add a few lines about this special lover of Penn and particularly of Penn basketball.
Before I met Ed, I had been warned by his brother to watch out for this Penn basketball fanatic. He understated Ed’s devotion, as it turned out.
Ed and his wife Jennifer rarely missed a home game and Ed alone traveled long distances to be with the team. Coach Fran Dunphy recognized Ed’s devotion by allowing him into the locker room before, after, and at half-times of games, perhaps the only person in history not formally affiliated with a team to be so indulged.
Basketball coaches and former players attended Ed’s wedding. So unusual for one who never played the game.
In the early 1990s, Penn played Michigan at Ann Arbor. The day before the game, we were scheduled to practice on the Michigan court. Ed arranged to be at the arena when the team emerged from their bus in practice uniforms, just so that he could toss basketballs to them from the rack as they ran onto the court. And the next day, we Quakers defeated mighty Michigan!
At Ed’s 50th birthday party—held at the Palestra, of course—his friends surprised him by arranging a game between party attendees and members of the Penn basketball team.
It is not surprising that several members of the team wound up in the negotiation course that Ed taught at Wharton. Ed wanted all of us skeptics to be assured that these guys were good students and got no breaks from him.
Finally, it is perhaps a bit unreal, that the obituary of the magnificent Ernie Beck W’53 was in the same Gazette issue as Ed’s. Beck’s incredible basketball career at Penn and beyond is reported in his Gazette obituary. Ed would want the Penn community to know that Beck’s basketball scoring record achieved in three years of varsity play, recently broken by a great player whom Ed admired, A. J. Brodeur W’20—all reported in the Beck obituary [and in “Sports,” May|Jun 2020]—stands apart; it took A. J. four varsity years to surpass Beck.
So, I just hope that those who have read this far will note that we lost an irreplaceable and uniquely loyal Penn Quaker.
Barrett W. Freedlander C’62, Baltimore
Course (Title) Corrections?
Thanks, Trey Popp, for informing us of changes in undergraduate course choices and requirements starting in 1959 [“Course Corrections,” Jan|Feb 2025]. I graduated one year earlier, having majored in American Civilization, an interdisciplinary approach to American culture (not mentioned in the article). Included in the broad umbrella of that major were courses in American literature, history, art, architecture, politics, and the essential Am Civ 1 and Am Civ 2. Some years later, Penn dropped American Civilization as a major. But I am forever grateful to Professors Anthony Garvan and Murray Murphey for challenging me to think in new terms of an American sociological perspective.
I had no idea that a year after I graduated, Fidel Castro would question my major.
In April 1959, having just taken over Cuba, Castro came to the United States. Even though President Eisenhower had not yet determined how our country would accept the revolutionary leader, the Harvard Law Review invited him to speak. I was then a student in Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and was invited by a Law Review member to the Castro cocktail party and speech. At the party, I considered myself an observer, just a guest of one of the hosts. So I was stunned when Castro turned to me and asked bluntly, “What are you studying?” Wanting to make clear I was not a law school student, I stammered, “Oh, I’m in the Graduate School of Education.”
Despite Castro’s very limited English (a khaki-uniformed translator stood at his side the entire evening), he calmly but quickly followed with, “And what will you teach?” Truthfully, at that time I really didn’t know what, or even if, I’d eventually teach. But I was on the spot. I had to say something.
“American history,” I blurted. At least it was an answer. I hoped he wasn’t going to follow through more specifically.
His quick retort surprised me: “Do you mean American history or United States history?” In the following seconds of startled silence, I realized that through all my American Civilization studies I had not considered, or been presented with, that question.
“You’re right,” I admitted, sensing a bit of either guilt or embarrassment. “I guess I should say ‘United States history.’”
I don’t remember that Castro actually smiled, but it was clear he had made his point. “Ah,” he responded, “why don’t you teach American history—including Central America and South America too?” It was a rhetorical question that has stuck in my mind all these years.
Judith G. Zalesne CW’58, West Palm Beach, FL
Another Traveler to Knock
I may have inadvertently played a walk-on role in Martha Cooney’s delightful and engaging account of her brief visit to Knock Airport, “Lying to the Irish” [“Elsewhere,” Jan|Feb 2025].
My own visit to Knock Airport was even more brief than Martha’s, though thankfully less eventful.
After leaving Penn I had followed the obvious career path for anyone with a graduate degree in 16th-century music and literature—I became an airline pilot, flying out of airports in the United Kingdom. One of my first flights was to Knock Airport with a planeload of exactly the same white-haired pilgrims with rosaries as described by Cooney.
Knock is possibly the smallest airport I have flown into. The long approach path carried us over miles of green fields with little sign of an airport, until finally it appeared as a speck in the distance. Sadly I didn’t even leave the plane as I had to prepare the return flight and 30 minutes later, we were away again. So I wonder if the rosary-carrying pilgrims in Cooney’s account had alighted from my airplane. Small world!
(Footnote: that 30 minutes remains the only time I have spent on Irish soil, despite my apparently having 90 percent Irish DNA).
Mike Chalmers G’77, Bath, UK
Too Bad
The woke/DEI/Marxist policies of Penn, punctuated by antisemitism, have caused another embarrassment. This time it also cost the University $175 million in federal funding, maybe more. Too bad all the fine work and accomplishments of Penn and alumni throughout the years are being completely overshadowed by misguided policy and weak leadership. Sadly, I’m ashamed to be associated with Penn.
Michael Mainelli GEng’89, Estero, FL
Window Dressing
Over the years I have read countless articles talking up Penn’s various initiatives to increase diversity and fairness on campus. True, there has been much discussion about the proper way to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals in a way that is truly just and fair. But, overall, there seemed consensus that DEI is good for all—that equity is a noble goal, and that the Penn community should value and include all its members.
But I guess all those goals were window dressing. I read in the Inquirer today that Penn is removing references to DEI from its website. The Inquirer article states that Penn did this to comply with Trump’s executive orders on DEI.
I am disgusted by Penn’s eagerness to embrace this administration’s thinly veiled attempt to divide us so that the masses fight with each other instead of watching what the administration is doing. While I understand Penn’s need to keep research money flowing, I think Penn should have at least tried to fight this questionably legal EO.
Sharon Strauss C’85, Philadelphia
Soured Attitude
As hard as it may be for some of the Penn community to stomach, there are conservative voters and Trump supporters within our ranks, and it has become increasingly challenging to brand all Trump voters as knuckle dragging white supremacist deplorables.
President Trump won by a clear majority with increased numbers in many minority groups but he gets no public recognition from his alma mater! The direction that Penn has taken in recent years with DEI focus on admissions and programs; a bizarre tolerance for antisemitism; and a bizarre intolerance for conservative leaning students, faculty, and graduates has soured my attitude towards the college I loved so much. I received a life altering education at Penn, and even though I was there during the tumultuous 1960s I was unaware of the political affiliation of the faculty or the administration. I would be looking elsewhere if I were a young person applying to college today. It’s academics that interest me, not social issues.
Gretchen Bachrach CW’68, Arlington, MA
Not One Affirming Article
My wife and I are both Penn graduates, as are both our twin children. Additionally, my two sisters are Penn grads, as is one of their husbands. We’re all still living. My mother, who went to be with your Creator in 2005, worked as a secretary to the coaches in Weightman Hall for many years. Continuing with athletics, I was Penn’s leading pole vaulter for a time.
It is sad that I have not seen one affirming article concerning Penn grads President Donald Trump W’68 or Elon Musk W’95. The founders of Penn were not deists but Christian theists, but Penn seems to be 95 percent atheistic. Do you really believe all the order in the universe (birds, flowers, oranges, etc.) came from an unguided Big Bang? Bowing to rocks is a step above that.
Paul G. Humber C’64 GEd’65, Philadelphia
Forever Penn
I suspect that I am not the only alumnus who is annoyed by the insidious campaign of the media, both right- and left-facing, to change the name of our school from Penn to “UPenn.” For decades, our students and teams have been known as the Penn (not UPenn) Quakers. I haven’t seen such a school identity crisis since the we’re-not-Penn-State era of the 1970s. Like tens of thousands of students who came before and after me, I consider myself a graduate of Penn, not “UPenn”.
Please don’t change the name of this magazine to UPenn Gazette even though your email address contains “upenn.”
John H. Brand C’79, Gardnerville, NV
An essay in the Sep|Oct 2017 issue, “Penn v. UPenn,” touched on the origin of the upenn.edu domain name. (Basically, no one thought it would matter, and by the time it did—as UPenn began to creep into circulation—it was considered too expensive and troublesome to make the change to penn.edu) We have no plans to change our name—which pays tribute to Ben Franklin’s colonial newspaper—unless perhaps to revert to the publication’s original title, used from our founding in 1902 until 1919, which was Old Penn. So tradition would be upheld in any case.—Ed.
