While Franklin Field was mostly quiet this spring due to the cancellations of Commencement, Penn Relays, and Penn sports, the stadium still hosted two memorable events. In early June, hundreds of Penn Health System and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctors, nurses, and staff gathered at Franklin Field to kneel silently in remembrance of George Floyd and countless others who have been victims of police violence. More than a month earlier, those same healthcare professionals were honored with an aerial drone display for being on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Franklin Field was the launching point for 140 illuminated drones that lit up the University City sky in a show put on by Verge Aero, a technology company based at Pennovation Works.
