Princeton Magazine | Celebrating the Heritage of Princeton, New Jersey

The “Bad Boy of Music”

George Antheil at the piano, c. mid 1920s. (Boston Globe Archives/Wikimedia Commons)

Trenton Native George Antheil

By Anne Levin

Emerging from the horrors of World War I, Paris in the early 1920s was a mecca for artists, writers, and musicians. Names like Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Igor Stravinsky, and Sylvia Beach figure prominently in accounts of those years of innovation and creativity.

Less frequently mentioned is avant-garde composer George Antheil. But Antheil, who was born and raised in Trenton, was right in the middle of it all. In fact, he lived with his wife above Beach’s famed bookstore Shakespeare and Company, where artists and intellectuals gathered to socialize and share ideas. more

Q&A with Sam Wang

Interview by Lynn Adams Smith

Princeton University Professor Sam Wang has published more than 100 articles spanning neuroscience, elections, and democracy reform. A central feature of his research is the use of statistical tools for complex data sets. In 2004, he pioneered methods for the aggregation of state polls to predict U.S. presidential elections. In 2012 he recognized new, systematic distortions in representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, leading to the creation of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. In 2020 he founded the Electoral Innovation Lab, whose mission is to create and apply a practical science of democracy repair.

Here, he answers a few questions as this year’s election draws near. more

A Well-Designed Life, Spring 2024

Philly Home & Garden Show 2024

The Philly Home & Garden Show will take place February 23 through 25 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks in Oaks, Pa. The event center will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 23; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 24; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, February 25. more

“Cloud Swing” Interactive Art Installation at Grounds For Sculpture

Image Source: Grounds for Sculpture

Now open at Grounds For Sculpture, Cloud Swing is designed to inspire a world in which public art and play invite and include people of all abilities. Three standard swings and two wheelchair accessible swings hang from a cloud-shaped metal canopy. The swings face each other, fostering community and a sense of belonging.

This sculpture was designed by Brooklyn based Isometric Studio, whose mission is to unite graphic design and architecture to create empowering visual identities and spatial experiences. Through their collaboration with leading cultural institutions and nonprofits, they create opportunities and partnerships characterized by intellectual rigor, aesthetic sophistication, and memorable storytelling. more

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live on Stage in Red Bank

Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank will welcome Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live on Stage on Saturday, February 17 at 1 and 4 p.m.

A show that is 65 million years in the making, Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live will guide families on a tour that begins in pre-historic Australia. Attendees will meet and interact with a collection of amazing life-like dinosaurs and other creatures in a theatrical performance that thrills and entertains kids while also being educational. Brought to life by a team of skilled puppeteers, visitors won’t believe the detail and realistic quality of these majestic and fearsome creatures. more

Eighth Graders at Stuart Country Day School Deliver TED Talk-Inspired Speeches

Have you ever felt compelled to action and change after listening to a TED Talk?

The intended purpose of these passionate presentations (that often go viral) is to inspire and enlighten the audience. Knowledge is power and can be paid forward in a multitude of ways, both big and small. This is Goal 3 in action at Stuart Country Day School. more

Oppenheimer Walking Tour Led by Historical Society of Princeton

Princeton’s local history experts are eager to present a new walking program highlighting all of J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life and work while living in Princeton.

On Sunday, February 4 at 2 p.m., the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP) will traverse the Princeton University campus, town, and filming locations for the award-winning Christopher Nolan production. more

Lunar New Year Celebration 2024 at NJPAC

The New Jersey Symphony will help to ring in the Lunar New Year on February 3 at 3 p.m. at Prudential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). The classical repertoire will be conducted by Yue Bao with Tony Siqi Fun on piano.

The concert is designed as a cultural exchange and is perfect for all ages. To mark the start of the Year of the Dragon, Music Director Xian Zhang has chosen some fiery and dramatic pieces of music. more

A Village of Chocolate in Honor of Valentine’s Day

February at Peddler’s Village promises an endless variety of chocolate tastes and treats at local restaurants, bars, and retailers. The event list also includes chocolate-making workshops for families, sweet-savory menus for adults, and a Village Chocolate Trail.

All of the tastings will be held at Peddler’s Village, located at Routes 202 and 263 in Lahaska, Pa. more

Library and Labyrinth Author Talk: Longevity and the Science of Aging

The Princeton Public Library and Labyrinth Books will welcome author Coleen T. Murphy and professor Sam Wang to the Library’s Community Room on Thursday, February 1 at 6 p.m. The item in discussion will be Murphy’s book, How We Age: The Science of Longevity.

Most people would like to look younger or to slow down the process of aging. As a professor of genomics and molecular biology at Princeton University, Murphy runs a research lab dedicated to the process of aging, which remains one of the least understood processes within the human body. The book suggests the development of new therapeutics to combat aging. She also proposes the potential for new aging model systems. more

From the Editor-In-Chief

Dear Readers,
Happy New Year and welcome to the Winter issue of Princeton Magazine. I am pleased to report that 2024 marks our 15th anniversary of publishing the magazine! You might think that after so many years we would run out of ideas, but that is far from the case.

Princeton is home to a plethora of accomplished people and there is always another interesting person to interview. We also enjoy exploring topics on architecture, nature, health, cooking, sports, history, culture, politics, and businesses that have a positive impact on the community. more

Looking Back

In New Memoirs, Two Former College Presidents Explore What Made Them Who They Are

Interviews by Wendy Greenberg

Two extraordinary women, both with leadership roles in higher education — and each with ties to Princeton — have written compelling memoirs that were published in 2023.

Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard University (2007-2018), whose father, uncle, and brothers were Princeton University graduates (she might have been, but Princeton didn’t admit women in 1968), has dug deep into her childhood and adolescence to understand the roots of her rebelliousness in Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury.

Ruth J. Simmons, president of Smith College (1995-2001), the first woman president of Brown University (2001-2012) and the first Black president of an Ivy League institution (and a former Princeton administrator), relives her journey from poverty in rural Texas, and circles back as she becomes president of Prairie View A & M University (2017-2023) near her hometown, in Up Home: One Girl’s Journey.

Each woman’s childhood made them who they are, setting them up to travel vastly different paths to the heights of higher education. Yet, they have some common ground. Each lost their mother as a teen. Each was motivated by the civil rights movement: one wrote to President Eisenhower when she was 9, pleading with him to end segregation; one lived segregation. Both experiences informed their responses to affirmative action as college presidents. more

Shopping Locally

Princeton University Store. (University Archives, Princeton University Library; Colorization by Steven Veach for Princeton Alumni Weekly)

Princeton’s Fondly Remembered Establishments

By Anne Levin | Photographs courtesy of the Historical Society of Princeton

This past fall, a query was posted on the Facebook page of the group “I Grew Up in Princeton”: Might anyone have special memories to share about local shops they patronized as children?

Within minutes, responses began flooding in. Twenty-four hours later, there were hundreds of reminiscences — of candy stores, toy stores, pharmacies, clothing shops, gift shops, and grocery stores, many run by friendly owners who knew these young customers by name. If they were short on cash, the proprietors would often let them leave with merchandise and send a bill to their parents. Until a few decades ago, this was retail in Princeton. Mom-and-pop stores were the norm, catering to local families and Princeton University students. more

We Train to Lead

ROTC Programs of Princeton, Rutgers, and Penn

By Donald H. Sanborn III

“If you want to apply the skills and talents you might have developed in high school, be a part of a community and do good in the world, and you wouldn’t mind a free education — then ROTC is definitely an option worth looking at,” says Midshipman Second Class Bryan Suh, public affairs officer for the University of Pennsylvania’s Naval ROTC unit.

The point about Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) preparing students to “do good in the world” echoes a comment on Tiger Battalion’s website: “Princeton Army ROTC embodies Princeton’s motto, ‘In the Nation’s Service, and the Service of Humanity.’” more

Special Olympics New Jersey

Empowering People with Different Abilities

By Ilene Dube | (Photo Courtesy of Special Olympics)

When Monica Koppstein helps customers at the checkout at Costco on Quakerbridge Road in Lawrence, most notice her pleasant demeanor and unwavering focus on her work. What they may not know is that she is a three-time Olympic gold medal winner.

The 36-year-old has been participating in Special Olympics since she was 12. Koppstein has trained and competed in aquatics, basketball, cross-country skiing, power lifting, soccer, and track. She was one of the original members of the Special Olympics New Jersey cycling team, created in 2012, as well as the snowshoeing team, founded in 2009. Bowling is the sport in which she won her gold medals. more

Well-Designed Life, Winter 2024

Exercising to Avoid Injury

How a balanced body can keep you active for the long-term

By Taylor Smith | Photos courtesy of shutterstock.com

When people begin to exercise, they may correlate high-intensity and discomfort with physical “gains” and progress. This misleading way of thinking has led to countless injuries. What many people do not realize is that pain is our body’s way of signaling an imbalance and the potential for serious injury.

Recovering from an injury can also be a sliding scale of pain in terms of the ability to maintain previous activity levels. Typically, a sliding scale of injury could equate to taking a week off from weightlifting due to some slight tenderness versus being unable to walk after tearing a hamstring in a skiing accident. Surgery is generally the last resort, as most people will choose rehabilitation and physical therapy as their preferred recovery route. more

Learning Ally

Providing Access to the “Amazing World of the Written Word” for 75 Years

By Donald Gilpin

“I remember back in elementary school, I was taken out of regular classes and put into remedial classes for English,” said Justin Purvis, who is now a 24-year-old graphic novelist with a college degree. “It was hard.”

When Justin was in ninth grade his mother attended a seminar on dyslexia where she found out about Learning Ally. a Princeton-based nonprofit seeking, through audiobooks and other programs, to improve literacy across the country.

“I remember I was in ninth grade, and my mother told me to download a book,” Purvis recalled in a conversation at Learning Ally’s 75th Anniversary Celebration in October, where he was a featured guest. Joining Learning Ally, formerly known as Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, was a turning point in his education and his life. “I was suddenly able to have access magically to all these books that I was using at school. I went back into the mainstream immediately. I was able to participate more and keep up with what was going on.” more

Soup’s On!

Comforting + Nourishing Soups for a Cozy Winter

By Mary Abitanto

Colder weather is upon us, which means cozy, woolly sweaters; warm puffy coats; tall leather boots; snuggling by the fire with hot cocoa loaded high with marshmallows; and making more soups, stews, and other delicious meals.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, we are expecting a chilly and snowy winter, so my soup recipes can help nourish you with healthy, nutrient-dense ingredients that will keep you warm all winter long. It’s like a big hug in a bowl. more