Monthly Archives: November 2012

Christmas is a big deal in Bethlehem

This year, Bethlehem marks the 75th anniversary of its designation as “Christmas City.” This designation was introduced in 1938 as a marketing effort by the Chamber of Commerce.

On behalf of the Citizens of the City of Bethlehem, it gives me much pleasure to welcome you to our historical City, of which we are justly proud. It is our sincere wish that you will enjoy the many places of interest as designated by this guide pamphlet and that your visit will be one which you will recall with many pleasant memories.
~ROBERT PFEIFLE, Mayor.1938

The above quote comes from a website created by the current Downtown Bethlehem Association. On this link, one can find a digital copy of the guide pamphlet mentioned in Mayor Pfeifle’s quote. In this 8-page pamphlet, readers can quickly learn a bit more about the Christmas City history, Bethlehem history, Cultural Centers [of 1938], Points of Interest [many of which remain today], facts & figures of 1938 City data, and regional information. The last bit of interest is the interpretation of the City of Bethlehem Seal; no doubt the makings for a fine trivia question. Check out this page for other fun facts.

In the next two weeks, if our readers have a moment to steal away from the last week of classes or the business of life, there’s plenty of holiday atmosphere to soak in.

The local shopping district is all decked out with a holiday theme. Shoppers can vote on their favorite door for a chance to win a $1,000 gift certificate to all of the Doors of Bethlehem participants (north and south side merchants!)

Starting this Saturday, the Live Advent Calendar returns after a fabulous series last year.

Now that the inlaid star is complete on Main street, take a quick trip over the river and through the woods… (oops, sorry – that holiday is over).

If you have any questions about Bethlehem Christmas traditions, please let us know. We’ll be happy to dig up (or make up!) the answers.

What the heck… we’ll start with one question for our readers.

Why are the lights on the north side white, and the south side multi-colored? Submit your answers in the comments below. (Be nice. Santa reads our blog, too!)

Lehigh / Lafayette Spirit Week Traditions

What’s so big about Lehigh / Lafayette Rivalry? Read this if you’re new to campus.

New Tradition [possibly?] starting this year – the Lehigh / Lafayette Photo Scavenger Hunt! Created by students for a course assignment, anyone can participate. “Like” their FB page for details, updates, and a great space to share spirit week activities: Click here for the Scavenger Hunt List

Battle of the Bands – Wednesday 7-10pm – Lamberton

56th Annual Turkey Trot – Thursday start time 4:20pm

Lehigh Laf-a-Palooza – Thursday 8pm begins with a Pep Rally in Grace Hall

The Marching 97

Friday 8am-noon; locations throughout campus.

The Marching 97 will march through classrooms playing fight songs Friday, November 16 the day before the Lehigh Lafayette football game.

Bed Races – Friday 5-7 pm – Memorial Walkway

Game Day –

If you think this is only something you experience as a student – take a look at how many viewing parties are happening with alumni clubs around the country. Yeah, Lehigh- Lafayette will stay with you forever:

The ChaLLenge:

Remember, it’s not the amount donated, it’s the number of times people donate. Lots of ways to participate: http://www.llchallenge.com/

Mary Ann Unger – The Temple

Hurricane Sandy leveled an iconic sculptural work of art that many of us passed by on our daily routine. As tribute to the art, the artist, and all who engaged with the work, we offer some information about “The Temple”

Created in 1987, The Temple came to Lehigh University’s Art Collection by a gift of Philip and Muriel Berman. The Berman family name appears on many gifts of sculptural art on our campus.

The Temple was a great piece for peaking curiosity. Frequently seen on campus tours, or played in, on, around – the Temple was a piece that invited engagement. One wonders how many students and campus visitors climbed inside to look at the perspective of the overhanging leaves; seeing the interplay of natural settings and a strict rhythmic symmetry of concentric circles webbed like a ripple effecting wheel. (Truth be told, I climbed this sculptural piece to drape it with white cloth for an AIDS awareness campaign)

At the time of this post, we are not certain of the fate of the piece. However, we feel it important to share some information about the artist that created it.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mary Ann Unger was a celebrated sculptor best known for her large-scale works evoking the body, bandaging, flesh, and bone. She died of breast cancer in 1998. Roberta Smith wrote in her News York Times obituary, “(Mary Ann Unger’s) works occupied a territory defined by Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois. But the pieces combined a sense of mythic power with a sensitivity to shape that was all their own, achieving a subtlety of expression that belied their monumental scale.”

Born in 1945, Ms. Unger was raised in New Jersey and received an undergraduate degree from Mt. Holyoke College in 1967 and an M.F.A. from Columbia University in 1975.

She had numerous solo exhibitions, at the Sculpture Center in New York City, the New Jersey State Museum, the Klarfeld Perry and Trans Hudson Galleries, both in New York City, and a posthumous, 15-year retrospective at the McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown, Ohio, in 2000. The first solo exhibition of Ms. Unger’s work in over ten years took place at the Maxwell Davidson Gallery in New York City in 2011.

She received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1992, was the recipient of Pollock- Krasner Foundation grants in 1989 and 1995, and was a resident fellow at Yaddo in 1980 and 1994.

Ms. Unger’s works have been reviewed in The New York Times, Sculpture Magazine, Art in America, and The Village Voice, among many other publications.

Ms. Unger’s works are included in numerous private and public collections, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, and the High Museum of Art.

Citation from Mary Ann Unger Estate website. http://www.maryannunger.com/bio/

Here is an image of the Temple in it’s original color:

Collection of the Philip and Muriel Berman Sculpture Gardens, Lehigh University Art Galleries

Painted Steel, 10' x 15' x 6'
Permanent Commission by the City of Tampa, Public Art Program

McClintic-Marshall House

The Beautiful M&M!

Some History on M&M

There are many buildings in Lehigh University, but one magnificent building that stands out greatly to many students is the beautiful McClintic-Marshall House, also known as M&M. This freshman dormitory was built in 1957 and is located on the university’s South Bethlehem campus. The location of M&M is extremely convenient for the first year students as the dining halls, the health center and even classes are not too far away. It is basically in the middle of all the madness!

McClintic-Marshall House was named after two civil engineers, Howard McClintic and Charles Marshall who both graduated from Lehigh University in 1888. These two men co-founded the Mclintic-Marshall Construction Company in 1900, and thirty years later their company became the world’s largest independent steel manufacturing firm. The accomplishments of these two men are memorialized by structures far greater than Lehigh M&M house: the Golden Gate Bridge, the locks of the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, the George Washington Bridge and the Waldorf Astoria.

Of course, we have to give you a little history on the people who brought the McClintic-Marshall House to life. Charles Marshall graduated from Lehigh in 1888 with a degree in civil engineering. While at Lehigh, he was not involved in extra-curricular activities. However, he did become one of the founding members of the Lehigh chapter of the fraternity, Sigma Nu. He was also involved in the engineering honors society, Tau Beta Pi. Unlike Marshall, McClintic was involved in athletics on campus such as baseball, tennis and track. He was at one time the vice president of his class. Like Marshall, he was also one of the nine founding members of the Lehigh chapter of the Sigma Nu fraternity. McClintic was a top scholar and was very interested in bridge construction. He maintained ties with Lehigh University, as he became the Secretary and Treasurer of the Pittsburgh branch of the Alumni Association, after graduation. It did not take long before these two collaborated and eventually created the McClintic-Marshall Company in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Social Aspects of M&M!

The McClintic-Marshall House, also known as M&M, is a freshman dormitory that houses 280 first year students. It consists of four floors, three of which are dorm rooms. It is an H-shaped building, coed by section and each floor has a study/television common lounge.

M&M is one of the largest first-year halls and is known each year for creating a friendly and close knit atmosphere. Every year, the students, Gryphons and directors create what is known on campus as the “M&M bond.” The floor lounges help provide a gathering area for all of the residents on the floors. Although there are friendly competitions between each floor, that is part of what makes M&M a great, fun environment to be a part of.

Here are some comments from first year students:

“It’s great, I have really enjoyed my time here so far” – Evan Ginza ‘16

“it is an amazing community and it provides freshmen a nice environment to learn and grow.” – Elyse Curtis ‘16

“I love it. It is simply so much fun!” – Maggie Battaglin ‘16

“I have made so many great friends here and I am really looking forward spending the rest of the year here.” – Sasha Papova ‘16

“M&M is the best freshman dorm!” – Nicole Gomez ‘16

“Our dorm is beautiful and in a very convenient location.” – Samantha Di Paolo ‘16

“I love M&M! We are all like one big family.” – Brishty Khossein ‘16

“Despite the smaller rooms, I would much rather live in M&M than Dravo.” – Mitchell Juarez ’16

“I have no complaints about M&M, all the girls on my floor have become my very close friends.” – Jane Mousseau ‘16

“Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else my freshman year!” – Alex Hiznay ‘16

“The fact that we have both guys and girls and a common lounge on every floor encourages people to come out and watch tv and I think that’s what makes us a really social community.” – Aex Donnelly ‘16

“We are the only freshman dorm with central air conditioning which really comes in handy in the summer time.”- Mike Spearing ‘16

“I hear so many great things about M&M and how it is a great community to live in; I tend to spend a large part of my time there after classes and on the weekends.” – Taylor Troy ‘16