University of Pennsylvania celebrates 25 years of pride

"We're one of the only LGBT centers in the country that can say we've been here for 25 years," said College senior and planning committee member Cynthia Wright. "That's a huge accomplishment."

In 1982 the Center officially opened when director Bob Schoenberg was asked to join the Penn staff as a resource for LGBT students. He was only the second person in the entire country to assume such a role on a college campus.

Now the full-time director of the Center, Schoenberg heads up one of the largest LGBT resource centers in the country - and the only one housed in a free-standing building.

The program also included letters of recognition from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, all congratulating the Center on its success.

The event was met by an overwhelming response when tickets sold out far more quickly than the Planning Committee had expected. Not only did the event reach full capacity, but it also had a waiting list maintained up until the banquet itself of about a dozen hopefuls.

Much of the banquet was underwritten by substantial private donations and by the sponsorship of the Campbell's Soup Company, cutting student ticket prices to $20 so that the Planning Committee could ensure a diverse attendance.

The deliberate mixture of alumni and current students provided an exciting opportunity to "spark more change," Ruby Howe said. "I hope the alumni and the students in the room will pay it forward," she said. "Their responsibility to change is not done and will never be done."

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