THE PENNSYLVANIA MAR|APR19 GAZETTE Mariette Pathy Allen GFA’65: Pioneering Photographer of Transgender Life What We Get Wrong about Virality Final Four Frenzy Remembered Ill-Fated “Filibuster” William Walker M1843 Dormie Network is a national network of renowned clubs combining the experience of destination golf with the premier hospitality of private membership. ARBORLINKS · NEBRASKA CITY, NE BALLYHACK · ROANOKE, VA BRIGGS RANCH · SAN ANTONIO, TX DORMIE CLUB · PINEHURST, NC HIDDEN CREEK · EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ VICTORIA NATIONAL · NEWBURGH, IN WWW.DORMIENETWORK.COM | [email protected] | ASHLEY OWEN 812.758.7439 THE PENNSYLVANIA Features GAZETTE MAR|APR19 Beyond the Binary The Virality Paradox Since the 1980s, Mariette The Annenberg School’s 32 Pathy Allen GFA’65 has focused 42 Damon Centola thinks the her camera on gender identity contemporary wisdom about and expressions of gender. Some how behavior spreads is missing consider her the unofficial photographer something fundamental—and that may of transgender life. But finding her be why mindless trivialities crowd out place in the fine art world has been civic engagement. Can anything be another story. done? He has an idea or two. By Molly Petrilla By Trey Popp The Outsiders Celebrating the University’s 50 most storied sports team on its 40-year anniversary. By Dave Zeitlin William Walker’s Dark Destiny Newly settled in Costa Rica, 60 a recent alumnus investigates the legacy of “filibuster” William COVER Mariette Pathy Allen GFA’65 Walker M1843—largely forgotten in the “Bob becoming Malinda.” 1982. US but still perhaps the most hated From Transformations. man in Central America. By Myles Karp Vol.117, No.4 ©2019 The Pennsylvania Gazette Published by Benjamin Franklin from 1729 to 1748. THEPENNGAZETTE.COM More Sports More Arts & Culture More Letters Latest News THE PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE Departments VOL. 117, NO. 4 ––––––––––– EDITOR John Prendergast C’80 3 From the Editor | Pioneer, viral contrarian, heroes, villain. SENIOR EDITOR Trey Popp ASSOCIATE EDITOR Dave Zeitlin C’03 6 Letters | Thank-you notes, and other kinds. ASSISTANT EDITOR Nicole Perry ART DIRECTOR Catherine Gontarek Views PUBLISHER F. Hoopes Wampler GrEd’13 215-898-7811 [email protected] 12 Notes from the Undergrad | Hungry for contentment. ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Linda Caiazzo ” 215-898-6811 [email protected] 14 Alumni Voices | “The death is off for now. ––––––––––– 16 Elsewhere | Living through California’s worst wildfire season. EDITORIAL OFFICES 18 | Gained in translation. The Pennsylvania Gazette Expert Opinion 3910 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111 Gazetteer PHONE 215-898-5555 FAX 215-573-4812 EMAIL [email protected] 21 Performing Arts | After 36 years, tech advisor Peter Whinnery is bowing out. WEB thepenngazette.com 23 Psychology | Hoarding unpacked at Wolf Humanities Center. ––––––––––– ALUMNI RELATIONS 24 Social Science | Taking bets on research replicability pays off. 215-898-7811 25 Engineering | Digital Media Design program turns 20. EMAIL [email protected] WEB www.alumni.upenn.edu 26 Biomedicine | Penn team implants engineered spinal discs in goats. ––––––––––– 27 Symposium | New PennDesign program launches with roundtable on resilience. UNIVERSITY SWITCHBOARD 215-898-5000 28 Student Awards | Rhodes scholars Anea Moore and Adamseged Abebe. ––––––––––– 28 Sports Medicine | Kickoff rule change cut concussions. NATIONAL ADVERTISING 29 Sports | Basketball journeys beginning and ending. IVY LEAGUE MAGAZINE NETWORK Heather Wedlake EMAIL [email protected] PHONE 617-319-0995 Arts WEB www.ivymags.com 65 Calendar CHANGE OF ADDRESS? Go to QuakerNet, Penn’s Online 66 Exhibition | Wisdom of the crowd at ARG’s Citizen Salon. Community at myquakernet.com to access and update your own information. Or contact Alumni Records, 67 Briefly Noted University of Pennsylvania, Suite 300, 2929 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5099; [email protected]. 68 Interview | Alan Sepinwall C’96 on his book, The Sopranos Sessions. upenn.edu; Phone: 215-898-8136; Fax: 215-573-5118. THE PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE (ISSN 1520-4650) is published bimonthly in September, November, January, March, Alumni May, and July by Penn Alumni, E. Craig Sweeten Alumni House, 3533 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6226. 71 Andrea Kremer C’80 was honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Periodicals postage paid at Philadelphia, PA, and addi- tional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes 73 Mark Palatucci EAS’00 is designing robots with “character.” to The Pennsylvania Gazette, Alumni Records, Suite 300, 2929 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5099. 74 John Chimples C’80 won a Peabody, an Emmy, and an “Eddie.” PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE COMMITTEE: David S. Graff C'79 76 Events WG'84 (Chair); Miriam Arond C’77; Jean Chatzky C’86; Dr. Alan Filreis, Faculty; Eliot J. Kaplan C'78; Randall 77 Notes Lane C’90; Michael R. Levy W'68; James L. Miller W’97; Sameer Mithal WG’95; Steven L. Roth W'66; Robert E. 84 Obituaries Shepard C'83 G'83; Joel Siegel C’79; Ann Reese CW’74, President, Penn Alumni. 96 Old Penn | Parade to the pep rally. The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse back- grounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discrimi- nate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam Era Veteran or disabled veteran. Printed by The Lane Press, Burlington, Vermont FROM THE EDITOR with each other. Ever since the NCAA Final Four. He also Fateful Malcolm Gladwell’s 2000 caught up with head coach book The Tipping Point pop- Bob Weinhauer, star forward ularized the idea, it’s become Tony Price W’79, and other conventional wisdom that key players on the team, who the way behavior spreads— returned to campus for a trib- Moments everywhere, but the internet ute at the Palestra during the is a compelling case—is best Penn–Princeton game on compared to an epidemic January 12. (thus the term “going viral”). Finally, moving from he- her website, the pho- ground research. “For me, as But Penn sociologist Damon roes to villain, we have tographer Mariette a millennial trans person who Centola has a diff erent view, “William Walker’s Dark On Pathy Allen GFA’65 didn’t experience the ’70s and which senior editor Trey Popp Destiny.” Writer Myles Karp has described the ’80s,” Drucker told Molly, lays out in “The Virality C’12 stumbled on Walker’s photo that appears on page “Mariette is crucial to helping Paradox.” Key to his perspec- story shortly after moving to 34 this way: “The moment I me locate my own history.” tive is his childhood spent Costa Rica and catching sight started on my exploration.” Molly also talked with Allen tagging along with his activist of a T-shirt bearing the in- In this issue’s cover story, parents as they attended pro- scription “William Walker “Beyond the Binary,” frequent “I began at a tests and otherwise advocated was a punk ass bitch.” contributor Molly Petrilla C’06 for various not necessarily Intrigued, he learned that shares the details of that time when I really popular causes, along with Walker M1843 had gained fateful moment in 1978 (no his own experience of com- popular acclaim in the US— spoilers here) and traces the was needed, in munity service and research and ignominy throughout extraordinary artistic jour- many ways. on organizing eff orts such as Central America—as a “fi li- ney that proceeded from it. the civil rights movement. buster,” a term then associ- Allen’s groundbreaking fi rst Now I am not.” While the virus model may ated with a breed of “guerilla book—1989’s Transformations— explain actions—sharing a expansionists” who deployed illuminated the community about her childhood, when cat video, say—where the the logic of manifest destiny then known only as “cross- she felt out of place both at eff ort required is minimal to seize foreign territory. dressers,” from glamor shots home and at school; her happy and the stakes involved are At one point, exploiting a to casual gatherings to inti- years at Penn’s then-School of low, in many other cases civil war in Nicaragua, Walker mate family portraits, while Fine Arts fi nding her way as a spreading behavior is a lot took control of the country, her 2003 follow-up The Gender photographer; and her harder than sneezing. (Citing installing himself as president Frontier charted the growing charged relationship with the a local example, Trey contrasts and prompting Costa Rica to openness and pride of the New York art world. And Allen the hundreds of students who declare war. The tide turned trans community and push spoke frankly about the im- indicated on Facebook that when—legend has it—Costa for transgender rights. More pact changing attitudes sur- they were going to a protest Rican national hero Juan recently, she has continued rounding representation have against reduced hours at Santamaría (still celebrated her exploration on a global had on her work: “The focus Huntsman Hall to the handful annually on April 11) sacrifi ced stage, with books set in Cuba now is that transgender peo- that actually showed up.) his life to set fi re to Walker’s and in Burma and Thailand. ple should photograph trans- Forty years ago, a contagion stronghold. Walker escaped In reporting the article, gender people … I began at a stronger than any internet but was later captured at- Molly interviewed some of time when I really was needed, meme swept Penn’s campus. tempting another land grab in Allen’s portrait subjects, art in many ways. Now I am not.” In “The Outsiders,” Dave Honduras, where he was ex- scholars, and admirers of her Aside from that issue, the Zeitlin C’03—a longtime free- ecuted by fi ring squad in 1860.