Sept. 3, 2019: Cookie Monster & Co. Turn 50; Coberly ’89 Helps ERA Coalition

To mark the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street, The New York Times shared highlights of the show’s history, including this bit of trivia: “Rubber Duckie,” written by founding head writer Jeff Moss ’63, was a top-20 hit on the Billboard charts. Moss, shown at bottom center in the 1961-62 Triangle show and at the piano in his later career, also is credited with creating Cookie Monster and writing Oscar the Grouch’s ode to trash. He died of cancer in 1998, but his creations live on. Read more in the PAW archives and The New York Times.

In the last two years, two more states have ratified the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment, and Virginia could soon become the 38th, according to Linda Coberly ’89, a lawyer and chair of the ERA Coalition Legal Task Force. — Time

Former school-board chair Indya Kincannon *99 finished second in the Knoxville, Tenn., mayoral primary and will face off against businessman Eddie Mannis in the November general election. — Knoxville News Sentinel

Princeton computer science professor Jonathan Mayer ’09 says it’s “completely disingenuous” for Google to argue that blocking cookies on its Chrome browser is bad for user privacy. — The Wall Street Journal

In a valedictory speech, Martin Parkinson *90, the outgoing secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in Australia, said that he expects competition between the U.S. and China to continue to shape policy in the region. — The Canberra Times

Charles Zukoski *85 will become provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Southern California in October. Zukoski, a chemical engineer, had a similar administrative role at the University of Buffalo. — USC News

“Even if the home team is actually trying to find some respectful way [to use the name], that still doesn’t indemnify the experience or protect it from being filled with racism because whoever’s playing the Indians are going to say, ‘scalp the Indians.’ ” 

— Anton Treuer ’91, a professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, explaining why Native American nicknames continue to be problematic for school sports and professional teams. Read more in the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald.

Angel Abbud-Madrid *90, director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, recalled in an interview that his path to space research began in Princeton’s mechanical and aerospace engineering department. — Physics Today

The Society of Professional Journalists selected Maria Ressa ’86, chief executive officer and executive editor of the news site Rappler in the Philippines, as one of three new Fellows of the Society. — Society of Professional Journalists

President Donald Trump nominated Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha ’83 to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. — Law.com

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly selected DeAngela Burns-Wallace *98 as the state’s chief information technology officer. Burns-Wallace was a vice provost at the University of Kansas before joining Kelly’s administration earlier this year. — Kansas.gov

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed radiation oncologist David Diamond ’90 to the state’s 15-member board of medicine, a disciplinary and regulatory panel. — WJCT (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Julia A. Haller ’76, the ophthalmologist-in-chief at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, received the city’s Physician of the Year award from The Philadelphia Inquirer. — EurekAlert

Benson Hsu ’98, a vice president at Sanford Health, and Greg Yap ’95, a partner at Menlo Ventures, are among 21 recipients of the Aspen Institute’s 2019 Health Innovators Fellowships. — Aspen Institute

Mike Ford ’15 continued his impressive stretch with the New York Yankees, becoming the first rookie in team history to win a game with a pinch-hit, walk-off home run. — CBS Sports