Sy Katz '31 parade stops Fifth Avenue traffic in NYC
By Claire Lambrecht
With the hum of kazoos filling the chilly air outside Rockefeller Center, hundreds of Cornellians joined the Big Red Marching Band in kicking off the 21st biennial Seymour “Sy” Katz ’31 parade Nov. 15.
“It feels like a little bit of Ithaca in New York City. There is a lot of red, enthusiasm and spirit for Cornell, our alma mater,” said Julia Levy ’05.
The .3-mile parade, known as the “shortest parade with the longest history,” celebrates Cornell in New York City and the Big Red Marching Band, explained Bob Katz ’69, son of the parade’s namesake. Though historic, the event was far from subdued, stopping traffic on Fifth Avenue before snaking to 44th Street for a concert in front of the Cornell Club.
“It’s just an amazing experience. It brings Cornell into New York. It really shows the spirit of Cornell,” said Scott Pesner ’87, who played clarinet in the Big Red Band as an undergraduate.
To recent alumnae Leah Colmenares ’14 and Kat Balram ’13, the event offered a chance to reconnect. “We haven’t seen each other since I moved to the city,” Colmenares said. “This was a way for us to get to meet up and hang out and catch up. I definitely feel the spirit. It’s fun because there are different people of all different ages. It’s not just people in my grade, my year.”
“I actually came to the parade when I was an undergrad a couple of times,” Balram said. “It’s nice to see it on the other side of things, and it kind of helps cure the nostalgia I feel for the Hill sometimes.”
To alumnus Lowell Frank ’99, M.D. ’03, the event brought back memories of his experiences first as a trumpet player and then as a drum major, leading the parade. “It’s so funny to think back that I did this for the first time as a sophomore in 1996 at 19 years of age and here I am 18 years later with my 5-year-old son. My 2-year-old son and my wife are on their way. It’s great.”
For many, the event capped off a day of family festivities. “We did the football game earlier today,” said Scott Drassinower ’02 of the Cornell-Columbia football game. “It was a lot of fun for them to see that. To see football live, to see all of the excitement from the band and the cheerleaders, and then coming down to the parade. It’s a special treat that is very unique for Cornell to have.”
“My father always said, ‘If you just stand up, your feet will likely take you where you really want to be,’” said Alice Katz Berglas ’66, daughter of Seymour “Sy” Katz. “Today, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Cornellians found that their feet took them to Cornell – taking New York’s Big Apple as their own, turning the city Big Red.”
Claire Lambrecht ’06, MBA ’15, is a freelance writer based in New York.
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