Not to sound pompous, but stellar scholarship, astonishing athletics and pleasant performances pervade a place like Princeton. All too often, the accomplishments of the amazing few overshadow the special talents that each of us offers. A sampling of undergraduate conversations nonetheless reveals that it is frequently the stupid little traits and the silly auxiliary characteristics that entertain or interest us. Celebrity status, in a colloquial sense, is bestowed upon many members of this community who likely have no idea that they are icons, so this column is an attempt to inform the unassuming few that they occupy a substantial portion of our sometimes harebrained campus dialogue.
There are some pretty standard student icons: Joe Kochan '02, and now Nina Langsam '03, de facto; athletes like baseball star Chris Young '02 or squash king David Yik '03; and of course the general all-stars like Lillian Pierce '02. In addition to these accomplishment-laden celebs, there are also those who, as identical twins, have been biologically predestined to be facebook and campus icons; this is particularly prevalent among those who dress alike, take the same classes or are on the same teams. More notable than these default celebs, though, are the collections of campus stars that each group of friends undoubtedly has. These range from hallway icons like the Pyne Hall "bed head" to simple nicknamed individuals.
The giant pictures of our professorial stars line the stairs up to the third level of the U-Store. This pantheon includes professors Billington, McPhee, McPherson, Morrison, Oates, Wilmerding, et al. Let's not forget People Magazine's "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive" in 2000, professor Neil Tyson. Despite the public personas of these amazing minds, the everyday interactions we have with professors are just as worthy of passing the celebrity bar. Professor Uwe Reinhardt's soliloquies on Donald Trump or the 'Street' often surface during dinnertime discussion, while it is rare for a few months to go by without mention of the sterling, seasonal poem that professor Harvey Rosen wrote for his final words in his fall 1998 ECO 102 lecture. English professor John Fleming has that oh-so-distinct academic wardrobe that is discernible from 50 yards across campus, while politics guru Oliver Avens is rarely seen without his signature bottle of Orangina. All of the littlest details — even down to the incorporation of professorial speech patterns — are huge parts of student life on campus. We appreciate our professors for much more than their brilliant minds, for we celebrate daily the uniqueness of their characters. The frequency with which their names come up outside the classroom is a quirky testament to how much respect and honor students have for them.
Recurrent and unnecessary e-mailing is a sure-fire way for many members of the administration to join the elite ranks of presidents Tilghman and Shapiro and the Deanery. Due to the regularity of her messages, I know not only that Claire Cabelus works in West College, but also that her title is "Assistant to Dean Marcia Cantarella." Beverly Hamilton-Chandler of career services is no stranger to conversational spotlight, nor is Adam Rockman or Lisa DePaul. Residential college administrators have a propensity to oversend, but once junior year hits, so too does the barrage of minute-to-minute e-mails from departmental managers of the likes of Dorothy Dey and Linda Taylor. Some people find it funny to spam by simply forwarding every e-mail that they receive from these inbox-cluttering celebs.
I would be horribly remiss if I didn't mention those individuals with whom we more frequently interact and whose 'charisma,' not e-mail frequency, accounts for their celeb standing. For better or worse, the women in the registrar's office are automatically included in discussions during course-selection time. Until the relocation of the ID office, a lost prox card was a treat because I could amuse myself with the seemingly infinite collection of "Brandon's" art that was plastered on the walls of the office. This remarkable selection of grade-school crafts would transform the woman who works in that office — and her innocent son/artist Brandon — into campus celebs for every person who visited the office/art gallery.
Devastation plagued me when Rocelyn, formerly of the Wawa sandwich bar/cash register, departed for employment elsewhere. My disappointment has recently been quelled, for now we have several new faces that relentlessly cope with obnoxious, drunken behavior; the new color of Brian's hair frosting is among the latest gossip on the Wawa circuit. Those who prefer the gourmet palette of Olive's can appreciate the amusing banter of the older gentleman who works there or the friendly face of Meena at U2. On the quieter, more sober nights, Frist convenience store cashier/Bev Lab scientist Michael always has a continuous supply of short conversation for every shopper.
Princeton may not be Hollywood, but we have our own legion of superstar students, scholars and staff. It's a constant source of amusement to me that in addition to spotting and talking about the Physics Nobel Laureate or the professor who testified for President Clinton, we incorporate their personalities and traits, and those of myriad others, into our conversations and our lives. By no means could I capture all of the campus icons in this short column, but hopefully some people have read this and realized that they are indeed celebrities in their own unique ways. Ryan Salvatore is a Wilson School major from Stamford, Conn. He can be reached at salvatre@princeton.edu.
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