Summoning the Moon

Lavishly costumed dancers from the Tandy Beal Company welcomed guests to the 50th Anniversary celebration of the founding of UC Santa Cruz. Close to 800 people convened in a huge tent at the top of the campus overlooking the town for a gala evening to honor the "trailblazers, radicals and legends" who helped form the university in its early years. Former astronaut and UC alum Kathryn Sullivan emceed the event, and Chez Panisse chef Alice Waters spoke and also designed the menu, which featured organic produce from the UC Farm and Garden. The circus-inspired dancers entertained throughout the meal, juggling, singing, balancing and leaping their way across the stage. There were the requisite speeches and a charming video of the early days when students lived in trailers, the Field House served as a dining commons, and spirits were high with the exhilaration of making a new campus. We were lucky enough to attend the event because I was an early staffer, way back in 1968, and was included on the guest list. I'm pretty sure I've never been to an intimate dinner with 799 other people before. It was an amazing and impressive undertaking.