Over the years, he’s traveled, managed teams globally, and “learned the world through hard work and reflection.”

Yiadom’s focus has deep roots. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ghana in the 1970s. “I’m a product of generations of sacrifice,” he says, and he’s relied on a strong will, grace from a higher power, and the support of all who have been part of his journey.

Jon Ehrenfeld ’04 is leading a new kind of emergency service team in Seattle. As manager of the Mobile Integrated Health Program at the Seattle Fire Department, he sees his role as an opportunity to help people in crisis.

“911 is a safety net for people who fall through every other gap in our system,” says Ehrenfeld, explaining that about 40% of 911 calls turn out to be “low-acuity,” meaning a lights-and-siren response isn’t necessary.

That’s where the Mobile Integrated Health Program comes in. With an aging population and a huge need for nonemergency medical care and social services among, for example, those with mental health and substance-use disorders, the service can be particularly helpful, Ehrenfeld says.

Ellen, an art lover and a dedicated volunteer, died Nov. 20, 2020.

The daughter of the president of Lehigh University, Ellen attended the Moravian Seminary and Swarthmore before receiving a bachelor’s in interior design from the University of Wisconsin. She enjoyed camping with her family and participating in book groups, and was a longtime volunteer at the local library, among other organizations, in Gainesville, Fla.

Margaret, an anthropologist, hospice volunteer, and published writer, died Nov. 3, 2020.

Margaret attended Swarthmore and Syracuse University, receiving a Ph.D. in anthropology. She held part-time teaching appointments in New York at Syracuse and Utica College, as well as at the University of Maine at Augusta and at Colby College, where she was secretary of the art museum for 18 years and served as representative to the American Association of University Women.

It’s not uncommon for famous figures to pop up at Swarthmore’s Commencement ceremonies, including Nobel Peace Prize winners (Jane Addams in 1932), renowned artists (Andrew Wyeth in 1958), and sitting U.S. presidents (Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964).

Just last year, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, made a surprise appearance in the virtual celebration, encouraging the Class of 2020 to unite in helping society overcome its challenges, including COVID-19.

We don’t often think about the campus mechanical system, but you need to know everything about it. What might surprise people about the steam system?

Though it is simple and reliable technology, it’s very inefficient. We combust either natural gas or heating oil (almost exclusively gas) to create high-pressure steam. That happens inside the boiler plant that is next to the smokestack. The steam pressure forces the steam throughout the campus through an underground distribution system. Buildings receive the steam, which, in most cases, is used to heat water through a heat exchanger that circulates throughout the buildings to heat them or to create hot water for domestic uses. As the steam gives its energy to create the hot water, it condenses back to water itself, and that condensate flows back to the central plant through underground piping and is heated again to create more steam. A lot of energy is required simply to keep the distribution network pressurized year-round. A full third of the energy used to produce the steam is not used by our buildings, but is consumed to either keep the system pressurized or is lost in leaky distribution piping.

Have you ever found tools in the current system that you were not familiar with or that are no longer used in the industry?

Honestly, no. What surprised me is some of our infrastructure is more than a century old and still in operation. That’s a testament to generations of maintenance staff members who’ve been good stewards of the infrastructure. Because of its age, a lot of investment would be required to renew the steam infrastructure. When we performed a life-cycle cost analysis, it’s no more expensive to replace the steam system with combustion-free, low-temperature hot water than it is to keep it going.