top of page
Philly skyline 6.jpg

PHI BETA KAPPA DELAWARE VALLEY ASSOCIATION

Upcoming Events

Book Club - "Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions" - Thu. June 8,  7:00 pm; virtual; no charge.

Meet-Up:  New Jersey Renaissance Faire, Columbus, NJ  - NEW DATE/LOCATION - Sat. June 10, 11:00 am; in-person; fee.  

Dinner with PBK Friends - White Dog Cafe, Haverford, PA - Tue. June 13, 6:30 pm; in-person; deposit requested.

Movie Club - "Captain Phillips" - Thu. July 13,  7:00 pm; virtual; no charge.

Independence Seaport Museum + Guided Tours of Spanish American War Cruiser "Olympia" and WWII Sub "Becuna", Philadelphia, PA - Sat. July 22, 10:00 am; in-person; fee. Optional group lunch afterward. 

Preservation Alliance Private Guided Walking Tour:  "Bankers' Row - Architecture and Early American Finance in Philadelphia" - Rescheduled from 4/29/23 - Sat. August 5, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm; in-person; fee.  Optional Sat. brunch/lunch afterward. **Sold Out.**

Book Club - "Oh William!" - Thu. August 10,  7:00 pm; virtual; no charge.

News Briefs

PBK's Attended Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia Concert

 

On May 15, 2023, PBK's and family attended a matinee concert by the acclaimed Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia performed in the Perelman Theater within the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia. The concert began with "Fate Now Conquers", by Carlos Simon, current composer-in-residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, inspired by the harmonic structure of the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. Next was Samuel Barber’s quintessentially American, virtuosic Violin Concerto performed by exciting soloist Sandy Cameron on her Guarnerius violin (c.1735), The concert concluded with Beethoven’s upbeat F major 8th Symphony.  A subset of the group enjoyed a pre-concert group lunch at nearby "Jasmine Rice Rittenhouse" Thai restaurant. Many thanks to Event sponsor, PBK DV member Lawrence G. McMichael.

Kimmel lobby 1.jpg
Perelman photo_edited.jpg
L.G. McMichael photo.jpg
Jasmine Rice restaurant.jpg

PBK's Enjoyed 2023 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival

 

On April 15, 2023, Sara Ramasastry led a Meet-Up of PBK's & friends to enjoy the 2023 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival in West Fairmount Park, the annual spring celebration of Japanese arts and culture organized by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. The group met at 11 AM at the Horticulture Center and Centennial Arboretum in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, and had the opportunity to take in music and dance performances, cultural activities, a vendor market and more. Everyone enjoyed good conversation while experiencing the festival together and over a buy-your-own lunch in the festival food area.

Cherry Blossom Festival participants.png
Cherry Blossom Festival lunch.jpeg

PBK's Spent a Day at the Penn Museum Focused on Eastern Mediterranean Archeology

 

On March 18, 2023, PBK's and family/friends enjoyed a private guided tour of of Penn Museum's Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, highlighting the Museum’s excavated collections in their historical context and how the area’s rich, complex history is providing new evidence that transforms what we think we know about an area comprising Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, and Cyprus - a hub of creativity and a great crossroads in history, where diverse people and cultures connected through trade, migration, religion, and empire, with both co-existence and conflict.  

     After a light lunch at the Museum cafe, Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section, spoke to the group about the archeological ancient city of Petra, “a rose-red city half as old as Time,” nestled in a mountainous basin in a remote, rugged corner of Jordan. As one of the “new seven wonders of the ancient world,” Petra is famous for its more than 800 rock-cut tombs and monuments, including a Roman theater capable of seating as many as 8,500 people. Archaeological investigations at Petra continue to the present day including continuing at the dig site that Dr. Phillips worked on at the Temple of the Winged Lions, as the group learned about excavation techniques, life on an archaeological dig, and whether real-life archaeology is anything like the movies. Many thanks to Event Sponsor, PBK DV Member James T. Fox, IV.  

Penn Museum PBK group.jpg
Penn Museum PBK gallery tour.jpg
Penn Museum PBK Petra talk.jpg

PBK's Enjoyed Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Special Exhibition "Making American Artists: Stories from PAFA, 1776-1976"

On February 11, 2023, PBK's and family/friends enjoyed a private guided tour of PAFA's special exhibition "Making American Artists: Stories from PAFA, 1776-1976", which included over 100 of the most acclaimed and iconic pieces of American art, from artists who were shaped by PAFA, either through education or exhibition of their work. Organized by theme instead of chronology, the exhibition was curated to critically re-examine PAFA's legacy while shedding light on its continuing role in shaping American Art of the 21st century. After closing in the spring fo 2023,  the exhibition will to go on a 2-year national tour from June 2023 - May 2025. The group then enjoyed good conversations over coffee/tea & snacks at the museum's Tableau Cafe.

PAFA Tour group.jpg
PAFA Tour gallery shot.jpg
PAFA Tour YPAC.jpg
PAFA Tour lunch.jpg

PBK's Toured Philadelphia's Yards Brewery

On January 21, 2023, PBK's enjoyed a tour of Philadelphia's Yards Brewery with a most enthusiastic guide, followed by lunch and good conversation with PBK colleagues and family/friends in the large, open and industrial-space high-ceilinged Yards Taproom Restaurant.  On the tour the group got a behind-the-scenes look at how Philly's award-winning ales are made, learned about the brewing process, saw the bottling line, and those who chose sipped one of Yards' beers along the way, while each of the group was gifted at the end of the tour with a souvenir Yards pint glass

Yards photo 1.jpg
Yards photo 2.jpg

PBK's Viewed Winterthur Kennedy Exhibit & Yuletide-Decorated Mansion

On Dec. 3, 2022, PBK's and friends enjoyed a private 30 min. gallery tour of the acclaimed Jacqueline Kennedy special exhibit , an approx. one-hour tour of the seasonal unique Yuletide-decorated DuPont mansion containing historical American decorative arts, and an optional "buy-your-own" lunch in the Winterthur Cafe to enjoy good conversation with other PBK's and friends. The Kennedy exhibition displayed how Winterthur experts assisted Mrs. Kennedy to famously & authentically refurbish the White House historical rooms during the Kennedy administration.

Winterthur formal group.jpg
Winterthur - group in gallery 2.jpg
Winterthur - group in gallery 1.jpg
Winterthur - house entry.jpg
bottom of page