 Celebration!
Benjamin Franklin, Founder
Benjamin Franklin's 295th Birthday;
225th Anniversary of French-American Alliance;
250th Anniversary of Founding of Pennsylvania Hospital
If Benjamin Franklin were to step into the 21st century, he would no
doubt be the CEO of a "Philacon Valley" enterprise. This is because
Franklin was an innovator, an inventor and a scientist. Also, like most
CEO's, he was a man who wasn't afraid to sign documents, in this instance,
the four most important American documents--the Declaration of Independence,
the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Constitution of the United States,
and the Treaty of Peace with England.
Philadelphians will learn more about Franklin at the third annual Celebration!
Benjamin Franklin, Founder, to be held January 17--the date of his birth--and
January 18, at The Franklin Institute. These events were established in
1999 to bring national and international attention to Franklin.
Each annual Celebration! is directed in-depth to a facet of his
life or philosophy. World statesmen, scientists, scholars and thinkers are
invited to address themes inspired by Franklin's ideas and life. Themes
for the two-day 2001 birthday celebration are: 1) Medicine: Care and
Research and 2) Diplomacy: The Essential Alliance.
On January 17, at 11 a.m., Mayor John F. Street will lead a group of
dignitaries in a wreath-laying ceremony at Benjamin Franklin's Grave, Christ
Church Graveyard, at 5th and Arch Streets. The Procession--organized by
Arthur Saxon (W '60, G '63) vice chair of the Celebration! --will
begin from The American Philosophical Society--Library Hall, 105 S. 5th
St., to 5th and Arch Streets. The First City Troop and Philadelphia Police
and Fire Pipe and Drum Band will accompany the Procession.
A luncheon will follow in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the founding
of Pennsylvania Hospital and the 295th birthday of its co-founder, Benjamin
Franklin, at the Hospital. Following will be four seminars to present the
latest progress in the treatment of cardiac conditions and cancer and on
the topics of orthopedics and the neurosciences, at the Zubrow Auditorium,
8th and Spruce Streets., from 2 to 4 p.m. The moderator will be Dr. Colin
C. Bird, dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.
| On January 17, the Hospital will host the third annual Dinner in Celebration!
Benjamin Franklin, Founder, at The Franklin Institute. Mayor Street's
proclamation designating Celebration! Benjamin Franklin Day, will
be read at the Dinner. Welcoming the attendees in the Franklin Gallery will
be B. Franklin Reinauer, II (Wh '38) Celebration! chair. Following at the
Benjamin Franklin Memorial will be the dinner keynote address by Dr. Beverly
S. Emanuel, an eminent molecular geneticist. Dr. Emanuel's topic is: From
Maps to Medicine: The Impact of the Genome Project. |
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Charles E. Ludwig (C '53, Law '56) Celebration! vice chair, will present
the Franklin Founder Bowl to Dr. Emanuel, director of Human Genetics Center,
Penn/CHOP. Dr. Emanuel has actively directed the mapping of the human genome
and is a co-discoverer of its organization. She holds the Charles E. H.
Upham Chair in Pediatrics at Penn's School of Medicine. A renowned geneticist,
Dr. Emanuel has written 20 landmark publications.
On Thursday, January 18, a Celebration of the 225th Anniversary of
the French-American Alliance will begin with a reception at the Visitor's
Center at 5:45 p.m. French Ambassador to the U.S., François Bujon
de l'Estang, will participate in the Toasts to France and America. Mayor
Street's proclamation designating The French-American Alliance Day,
will be presented. At 6:45 p.m., there will be a world premiere of Tête
á Tête at the Visitors Center, 3rd and Chestnut Streets.
This film depicts a secret meeting between Benjamin Franklin and Chevalier
Julien Achard de Bonvouloir, an emissary representing the Court of France.
It tells the story of Bonvouloir's courageous mission that ultimately led
to victory at Yorktown, and to America's independence.
In addition to the University of Pennsylvania, the other participating
organizations are: The City of Philadelphia, The Mayor's Office, Philadelphia
City Council, American Philosophical Society, The Carpenters' Company, The
Contributionship Companies, Franklin Inn Club, The Franklin Institute, Fireman's
Hall Museum, The Friends of Franklin, Inc., Friends of Franklin House, U.S.,
Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, Independence National
Historical Park, John Bartram Association, The Library Company of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania Hospital, and Princeton Club of Philadelphia.
For more information, contact Celebration! Benjamin Franklin, Founder
chair, B. Franklin Reinauer, II, at (973) 697-7697 or Charles Ludwig, vice
chair, at (215) 981-3525. |
Kaplan's Gift: Joshi Chair
Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Penn alumnus Jerry Kaplan has made
a $500,000 gift to the School of Engineering and Applied Science in honor
or faculty member Dr. Aravind K. Joshi.
Dr. Kaplan, a resident of Hillsborough, CA, received his Ph.D. in computer
and information science from Penn in 1979. His doctoral advisor was Dr.
Joshi, the Henry Salvatori Professor of Computer and Cognitive Science and
co-director of Penn's Institute for Research and Cognitive Science. |
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Dr. Kaplan is widely known in the computer industry as an entrepreneur
and technical innovator. He is currently co-chairman of Egghead.com. In
1994, Dr. Kaplan co-founded Onsale, the first Internet auction house. Previously,
he was chairman and co-founder of GO Corporation, a pen-based computer company,
which was the subject of his best-selling book, Startup--A Silicon Valley
Adventure. He has also served as principal technologist at Lotus Development
Corporation, where he co-authored Lotus Agenda (1986), and co-founded
Teknowledge, an artificial intelligence company in 1981. He was a research
associate in computer science at Stanford University after graduating from
Penn.
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The Aravind K. Joshi Endowed Term Assistant Professorship in Computer
and Information Science will be awarded to a junior faculty member who is
among the best in his or her field and who possesses the intellectual and
entrepreneurial drive to become a leader in teaching and research. "It
is with pride and gratitude that we accept this gift," said SEAS Dean
Eduardo Glandt. It not only honors the extraordinary work of Dr. Joshi,
but supports the School's commitment to technology and computer science
through recruitment and retention of faculty of the highest caliber." |
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