Why Philadelphia? It's more than the cheesesteaks.

CACO moves Mid-Winter Meeting south

New York City had been the site of the Cornell Association of Class Officers' annual Mid-Winter Meeting for the past 100 years. So why did CACO move its 101st gathering to Philadelphia in 2006? Cost and logistics were the main factors (although rumor has it that Philadelphia's famous cheesesteaks were also a lure).

In an April 2005 letter, CACO president Kevin McManus '90 and vice president Jane Hardy '53 described the reasoning to their constituents. The Mid-Winter Meeting, one of the largest alumni training programs for Cornell volunteers, requires significant conference space. But class officers, with their connections and resourcefulness, book few guest rooms. That's an unappealing combination for hotels, which profit by booking a proportionate number of guests to meeting rooms. "We pay a heavy penalty in price and planning time that has historically been reflected in your registration fees," McManus and Hardy wrote. Philadelphia offered not only cheaper hotel rooms and conference venues but also easy access for class officers traveling from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York City.

And so the Mid-Winter Meeting unfurled on February 17 and 18 in the City of Brotherly Love. It drew 400 class officers, other alumni volunteers, students, and university administrators—about the same number as have attended in previous years, McManus says. "As you can imagine, I was nervous, after 100 years in New York City. But we had a great turnout, a great program. People were engaged and energized. It exceeded my expectations."

Although the venue changed, the programming continued to focus on leadership training. Workshops covered such topics as Reunion 2006 and Reunion 2007, officer orientation, the Cornell Annual Fund, the University's website, and how to create a class council. After McManus led CACO's annual meeting, Susan Murphy '73, PhD '94, vice president for student and academic services, spoke about cultivating leaders at Cornell. She was followed by Glenn Altschuler, MA '73, PhD '76, dean of continuing education and summer sessions, and Isaac Kramnick, government professor, who gave an insider's look at their book The 100 Most Notable Cornellians.

After the official events concluded on Saturday afternoon, the crowd moved to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, where the Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia sponsored a lively celebration. "They put on an outstanding event," Mc- Manus says. Joe Giles '84, the Phillies' director of business development, hosted the activities, which included a tour of the stadium and a "Taste of Philly" dinner at the stadium's Diamond Club, where alumni were seated with their classmates. The Cornell Bandstand Dance was especially popular after strong winds knocked out the connection to a big-screen viewing of the Cornell men's hockey and basketball games taking place on campus. A silent auction of donated items, including a Delaware beach house vacation and a hockey stick signed by Philadelphia Phantom Charlie Cook '05, former assistant captain of Cornell's hockey team, raised $7,000 for the Cornell Club of Greater Philadelphia Scholarship Fund.

CACO co-chairs Marcia Epstein '64, Jeff Estabrook '80, JD '83, and Mary Wilensky Kahn '79 were the driving forces behind the meeting, with support from Mid-Atlantic Regional Office staff Janet Heinis, Carolyn DeWilde Casswell '90, and Mary Ann Nelson. The meeting was funded through a grant from the Cornell Alumni Federation. Credit for the event's success goes to them, and to the class officers and others who attended, McManus says. "Folks could have said, 'No thanks, I'm not going.' But the alumni embraced it."

Given that support, CACO plans to hold its Mid-Winter Meeting in Philadelphia for at least the next two years, McManus says. "It certainly showed that Cornell is more than just Metro New York."

Helping Hands

On March 28, representatives of the Cornell Alumni Association of Atlanta visited Big Red basketball player Khaliq Gant '08 (center bottom) at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Gant received care there for two months after having injured his spine during a January practice. His recovery is going well, reports Robert Mandelbaum '81 (second from right). "Prior to our arrival, Khaliq had just finished walking exercises," Mandelbaum wrote in an email message. "His room was filled with letters and good wishes from people all over the country." Gant, who grew up in Atlanta, plans to return to Ithaca in the fall to study communications. He is pictured here with (left to right) Frank Goldman '87, JD '94, Rick Woroniecki '78, Mandelbaum, and Dean Gant, his father.