Alumnae Association of the Philadelphia High School for Girls

Alumnae remember Merill Hakim, Past President of the Board

In Loving Memory of Merrill Hakim

As members of the Board of the Alumnae Association of the Philadelphia High School for Girls, we have more precious memories of Merrill than we can list here. Merrill was an active, contributing member of our Board for multiple terms, eventually serving as President and remaining active as First Vice President. Our leadership skills were sharpened by her mentorship and friendship as Merrill contributed to our most important initiatives. She remained active through health challenges in an heroic battle with cancer. Richly inspired by her courage, we mourn her loss. On Tuesday, November 6, 2018, Merrill Hakim passed away at the age of 73, after a courageous 6 year battle with lung cancer. She was a loving wife of 39 years to Nial McInerney; mother to Liora Hakim Kirby (Steve Katona), and doting grandmother to Dylan, Ashlyn, Joshua and Samantha. She also leaves sister Susan Sommovilla (John Fisher) and a […]

Howardena Pindell, Distinguished Daughter, Jan. 1961

Howardena Pindell, GHS Jan. 1961: What Remains To Be Seen

Howardena Pindell (January 1961), Groundbreaking, Multidisciplinary Artist and Distinguished Daughter Her work will be on exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago IL for just a few more days, May 20th. However, her art works are in the permanent collections of major museums such as the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Modern Art,and the Brooklyn Museum in NY; the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in PA; the National Gallery of Art in Washington; and many others. Trained as a painter, Pindell has challenged the staid traditions of the art world and asserted her place in its history as a woman and one of African descent. She is an internationally recognized painter, university level educator, and museum official. Since the 1960s, she has used materials such as glitter, talcum powder, and perfume to stretch the boundaries of the rigid tradition of rectangular, canvas painting. She has also […]

Remembering Evelyn Denenberg Richman

Evelyn Denenberg Richman passed away peacefully from complications of a stroke on January 17, 2018, at the age of 87. She was predeceased by her parents, Jack and Rose Denenberg; her brother, Simon Denenberg; and her beloved husband, Sandy Richman. She is survived by her son, Barry (Deborah) and daughter, Jeanne (Carol-Ann). She was Bubbie Bubbles to Sarah and Jacob. Evelyn’s passions were her family, the Phillies (she threw out a first pitch on Susan Komen Day), The Walk for the Cure (to which she gave countless volunteer hours), and her Philadelphia High School for Girls June 1948 class (she was one of the stars in the1998 GHS Sesquicentennial video). She asked that her remains be donated to medical science, which was done through the Humanity Gifts Registry of Philadelphia. In memory of Evelyn’s life, please consider a donation to the Alumnae Association of the Philadelphia High School for Girls, […]

Alumnae Association appreciates Lorraine Rena Perloff Brill

Lorraine Rena (Perloff) Brill, Thank You!

On Oct. 21, 2017, beloved wife of the late Martin Brill; loving mother of Joni (Todd) Brill Dashoff, Ilene (Martin Klinger) Brill and David Brill; adored grandmother of Jared and Alan Dashoff passed. Services were held on Wednesday, October 25th at Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks, where we united to share appreciation of an unforgettable presence on our Alumnae Association Board. A Life Well Lived Lorraine worked as a children’s librarian for the Free Library of Philadelphia and was thus a lifelong proponent of libraries and their importance in the lives of children. She had a keen understanding of the importance of civic activism in a democratic society and could be counted on as a regular presence and speaker at community meetings in her neighborhood and at City Council meetings at City Hall. As a loyal Girls’ High alumna and parent of two alumnae, Lorraine provided many eloquent tributes and hours of work on […]

Annual Luncheon and Meeting with the Honorable Shirley Clarke Franklin

Reflections: 2017 Annual Meeting Luncheon: Educate a Girl, Change the World

Alumnae and invited guests attended the 128th Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon held April 22nd at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel. The theme, “Educate a Girl: Change the World,” promoted and celebrated the investment in girls’ education. We gathered and the fellowship was rich This year, attendees were greeted by a new addition, a spectacular new backdrop giving the luncheon a red-carpet ambiance. Opening the luncheon were words of praise for our Alma Mater from the Honorable Jim Kenny, Mayor of Philadelphia; Dr. William Hite, Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia and Joyce Wilkerson, Chair of the School Reform Commission. After our special guests’ greetings, the business portion of the annual meeting was officially opened. The top order of business was a vote to update our articles of incorporation to comport with current IRS codes. Our sisters overwhelmingly approved the amendment to the articles of incorporation. Honorable Shirley Clarke […]

The Future Is Now

To accomplish the goals of our strategic plan, we’ve updated our membership infrastructure to take advantage of new technology. In a phased implementation, the Alumnae Association is updating our website and membership portal. The new platform gives us a centralized dashboard for 90% of our activities, improving communication, transparency, and engagement. Here are a few of the benefits you’ll see: Manage your own member profile and contact information Manage dues payments and donations with just a few clicks from your phone Search for members and send secure emails through the membership directory Manage your privacy levels individually and independently Organize every aspect of your class reunions from a single dashboard Communicate through email and text blasts without third party advertising or cost Share photos and event announcements with greater ease With our new platform, we’ll modernize fundraising drives and share accurate progress transparently. In later phases, we’ll enable a mobile app, […]

Recap of the 2016 Executive Board Retreat

As you can see from the above invitation to ‘Classic Cars Under the Stars,’ we’ve already begun activating plans solidified at the most productive Executive Retreat we’ve ever convened. Yes, I know that I say that every year. It’s simply because they keep getting better. Our theme in August was “A Vision Forward,” and we raised the bar. Challenged with an aggressive retreat agenda, we completed a two-year plan for the association aligned with our key objectives in a single session – all of us, together. We had strong turnout, excellent engagement and we accomplished that and more. It’s important you know the substance of that plan, because we are calling upon you urgently to convert words to action, demonstrating the support you express so vocally with school spirit. The urgency of our mandate cannot be overstated. We need all of us to step up, putting the heartfelt to the […]

Annual Luncheon Meeting 2016 : Preparing Today for GHS Girls of Tomorrow

At this year’s Annual Luncheon, we wasted no time getting down to business. There was palpable energy and camaraderie among alumnae in the beautiful Sheraton Philadelphia convention center that demonstrated our readiness to meet the challenges ahead. Here’s the video that kicked off our meeting. I opened with… “The class of 2028 has just entered the first grade. Are we preparing for their arrival?” With an eye toward the future, the prevailing themes were threefold: (1) fresh perspective on the challenges faced by young women entering Girls High today, (2) renewed purpose for fulfilling our mission to Girls High students of tomorrow and (3) a sense of urgency about the programs and initiatives we must undertake to meet the needs of the class of 2028 and generations to come. Discussions and forums shifted our orientation from passive to activist engagement in pursuit of preserving and improving the status of Girls […]