December 15, 2020
A House Divided
The COVID-19 pandemic has had more people spending more time at home. And for some Lafayette alums, that means more time with Lehigh rivals.
There may be fewer household tensions this year, as the fall athletics season and the Rivalry Game have been upended. But in the spirit of tradition, Lafayette Alumni Relations asked fans from divided houses to share photos that showcase their school/family spirit.
Submit your photos of your household rivalry to alumni@lafayette.edu or share on Lafayette Alumni Facebook and Lafayette Alumni Instagram.
Katie Stevens ’16: “I went to Lafayette, but my twin sister went to Lehigh, as did both my parents and some aunts, uncles, and cousins. At Laf-Lehigh, people always do double takes when we walk by together, each dressed up for our own school. And my mom likes to confuse everyone by alternating schools in each layer of her gear: a Lehigh hoodie with a leopard print vest, with a brown and white scarf, Lafayette Crew hat facing forward and Lehigh hat facing backward. We joke about the Rivalry, but we all know Lafayette is best because we won in Yankee Stadium (when it really mattered) and have the winning record overall!”
Lisa Kelsey Pisano ’97: “Together since high school, my husband and I happily found ourselves at Lehigh and Lafayette, both class of ‘97. Fast forward and you can see that our youngest son has always been the most torn by the Rivalry. Also, it’s clear which of us buys the most swag.”
Jen Murno Black ’02: “I graduated from Lafayette in 2002, and my husband graduated from Lehigh the same year. We thought it would be fun to have a Lafayette/Lehigh battle at our wedding in August 2014. The Lafayette alumni are on the left of the picture: Kelly Strickler Cray ’99, Crystalann Harbold Deardorff ’02, Michelle Angelo Barbely ’02, Sandy Vereskink ’02, Courtney DeThomas-Shapiro ’02, Jason Barbely ’02, Kathy Vasos Stamidis ’03.”
Lynn Levy: “My son, Alexander Miller, is a current student at Lafayette, majoring in computer science with a math minor. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Lehigh with degrees in economics and psychology. I can’t really say we are a house completely divided because although I am loyal to Lehigh and loved my time there, I see that my son has found his collegiate home at Lafayette. Knowing he is happy makes me happy. Long before Alex was thinking about what college to attend, he went to the 150th game at Yankee Stadium with his dad, his sister, and me—we all wore brown and white and rooted for Lehigh. However, out of respect for my son now being a loyal Pard, I keep those pictures hidden. At the Land of Laf Family Weekend in 2019, the Leopard came over to my family at the picnic on the Quad. My husband mentioned that I went to Lehigh, and the Leopard did not hesitate to express his displeasure at that news, much to everyone’s amusement. However, he still took a picture with Alex and me.”
Lara Pennington ’89: “I am a proud member of the Class of 1989, and my middle daughter, Paige, just broke my heart a little and started at Lehigh this fall. I think her choice tells you all you need to know about our relationship though—we are way more similar than we are different! Like both Lafayette and Lehigh students and alums, we love a beautiful campus, we love a work hard/play hard mentality, and we love a good college rivalry! From here on out, Rivalry Week will be a lot more interesting—and fun—at our house. Go Pards!”
Adriana Pero ’19: “My partner, Ryan Malloy, attended Lehigh and also graduated in 2019. We started dating our senior year in high school after we had both committed for athletics (he played baseball, and I played field hockey). We dated all through college, and we are currently living together in Manhattan, where I am in medical school and he works in finance.”
Olivia Resnick ’20: “Here is a Resnick sister Rivalry picture that we sent to our parents at the Laf-Lehigh game. My sister Emma graduated in 2018 from Lehigh.”
Melissa Heller Klein ’11: “I graduated from Laf in 2011, and my husband, Andrew Klein, graduated from Lehigh in 2012. We were married in October 2018. #TeamLafayette
Jeff Levin ’75 and son Jonathan Levin, Lehigh Class of 2020.
