Volume 7, Number 1, 1997


Heard on the Mall

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...a hot air balloon?

The sky was blue and the winds were...well, sort of cooperative for the Hot Air Balloon and Family Fair held on campus.

The Oct. 4 fair, held on the David M. Nelson Athletic Complex, attracted ballooning enthusiasts and spectators of all ages anxious to get a glimpse of the colorful, gentle giants drifting through the air.

An early-morning balloon launch and a sunset flight, as well as an abbreviated evening balloon "glow," hampered by windy conditions, were highlights. In a glow, tethered balloons shine against a night sky like huge multi-colored globes.

Craft vendors displayed wares during the day inside the Delaware Field House, and entertainment ranged from pantomime performances by the Professional Theatre Training Program to tethered balloon rides and a petting zoo.

Proceeds were to help support the College of Health and Nursing Sciences, while raising awareness of health issues through the event's cosponsor, the American Lung Association.

Applause for Trabant center's neon hallway

The shining lights and contemporary style of the Trabant University Center are attracting worldwide attention and awards.

The center was featured in a recent issue of Japan's SD magazine, a monthly journal of art and architecture. The issue features the 1990s works of the architectural firm, Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates, which designed the building, and four pages are devoted to the UD center.

One double-page spread showcases color photographs of the interior of the gallery with its arching neon lights, banners and signs, as well as an exterior night shot. The other pages feature black-and-white photographs of the center, its adjoining buildings and the east elevation.

In other recognition, the Trabant University Center received awards for neon lighting/graphics from Signs of the Times magazine and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

Return of the platform shoe

It's like taking a trip back to the future when you look inside the display case in the second floor of Alison Hall Annex. Even a fashion expert would be hard pressed to tell which items of apparel are from UD's Historic Costume Collection's 1960s assemblage and which ones were purchased at the mall this past summer.

It's a little easier to identify the era of the portable phone and the age of the aqua Princess phone and it's pretty easy to guess when the Impala convertible coupe was the car of choice instead of the Lumina APV mini-van. But, it's hard to say which short A-line dress, which pair of Spandex pants and which pair of platform shoes are from then and which ones are from now.

Photos of Newark's Main Street in 1967 and ones from today complete the retro exhibit, as do little pieces of trivia, comparing current events, music and movies of the '60s with the '90s.

For example, in 1967, the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I. Thirty years later, the Green Bay Packers beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

Twenty years ago, college students listened to the the Beatles singing "All You Need Is Love" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and the Doors' "Light My Fire." Today's big hits include "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, "Secret Garden" by Springsteen and "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls.

The hit movies of 1967 included The Graduate and The Dirty Dozen, compared with this summer's hits, Men In Black and The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

The display, which will remain in place through December, was coordinated by faculty in the College of Human Resources, Education and Public Policy: Hye-Shin Kim and Fran Mayhew of the Department of Consumer Studies, with help from Paul Sestak of the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.

A gem of an idea

Having the popular Irénée du Pont Mineral Room of the UD Mineralogical Museum open more often seemed like a gem of an idea, so now the exhibit is available to the public from 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The museum is located in Penny Hall, Academy Street, Newark, and free parking is available in an adjacent lot. Metered spaces are nearby.

Stop by and take a look at the sparkling exhibits of more than 750 mineral specimens, gems and carvings. Additional information about the Mineralogical Museum can be found at its website http://www.udel.edu/geology/min/index.html

YoUDee springs up on water bottle

The beverage of choice on campus this year is YoUDee's very own Blue Hen Spring Water. The label features the Blue Hen mascot post-workout, relaxing, against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, enjoying a refreshing bottle of water.

The team that made it possible includes Keith W. Heckert, AS '86, University Media Services, who designed the label; Domenic Celenza, Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Co., which distributes Blue Hen Spring Water; and Joseph Panichelli and Jim Zaremski, Wissahickon Mountain Spring Water, which bottles the water.

Blue Hen Spring Water, which made its debut at the first home football game against Villanova, is available at all retail dining locations on the campus.

'Do your ears hang low?'

One of the most memorable things about summer camp, along with hiking and campfires, is singing camp songs. To help people learn or remember such songs,
a group of former 4-H camp counselors-including both UD students and alums-has produced a collection of songs and skits from their camping days.

Proceeds will help build a scholarship fund for kids who cannot afford to attend 4-H camp, held each summer on the Newark campus and at other locations throughout Delaware.

The collection, available on CD or tape, has more than 25 songs, including such old favorites as "Do Your Ears Hang Low," "Boom-Chicka," "Down By the Banks" and more.

The scholarship fund is named after a long-time New Castle County 4-H volunteer, the late Ernst Zippe, to whom the recording also is dedicated. To order a tape for $7 or a CD for $10 or to contribute to the Ernst Zippe Day-Camp Scholarship Fund, call the New Castle County Cooperative Extension Office at (302) 831-4977.

Fantasy finery

Fantasy outfits, vintage clothes and a wild assortment of shirts, shoes, coats and hats, all used in past productions by the Professional Theatre Training Program, went on sale just in time for Halloween. The sale, held in Hartshorn Hall, included items priced from as low as $1 to $20.

Hottest-selling items and the first to go were the masks and giant heads used in The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Agamemnon. Other quick-sellers included helmets, armor and crowns from Shakespeare's history plays and capes and headpieces from various other productions.

"What is it about capes? We had seven of them fly out of here in the first five minutes of the sale," PTTP spokeswoman Nadine Howatt mused.

Proceeds from the sale are being used for enhancements to dressing rooms in Hartshorn.