350th Celebration Offers Symposia, Glitz

Invitations for the several 350th events featuring Charles, Prince of Wales, during his September 2-4 visit to Harvard are becoming the most sought-after tickets in town.

In addition to several invitation-only galas, the Prince of Wales will pack into his full three-day schedule visits to the University-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts State House, the Wang Corporation laboratories, Burberry's and the Lowell town center, site of a major urban renewal project.

Prince Charles will deliver the keynote speech at the University's 350th anniversary convocation on September 4, in recognition of Harvard's ties to Cambridge University. The celebration will run September 3-7.

The Prince of Wales was briefed on his speech earlier this year by Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, Ann Kantner, a spokesperson at the British Consulate General in Boston, said yesterday.

Gomes discussed the event with the Prince at Buckingham Palace for approximately an hour, during the minister's April visit to the United Kingdom.

The meeting was arranged "through a mutual friend," although it was not planned at the urging of the Harvard 350th anniversary steering committee, said Thomas W. Stephenson '37, the coordinator of the celebration.

Play Polo

For all Harvard students who are expert horse riders or polo players, your chances of sipping tea with the Prince of Wales are vastly improved.

The British Consulate requested the University select 50 students who share one of Prince Charles' interests--polo playing, architecture, music, student government or third world issues--to attend a special tea with the Prince on September 4, said Melissa von Stade, an official in the University Development Office who is overseeing the student invitations.

The College and graduate school deans also recommended students that helped in the 350th anniversary preparations, according to von Stade. She said she will pare down the approximately 100 names given to her to 50, of which about 30 will beundergraduates.

The tea follows the Prince's attendance at aGraduate School of Design symposium entitled, "TheFuture of the City: the Next 50 Years." He is notexpected to make a speech at that seminar, saidKantner.

A representative from the British Consulatewill coach the selected students on the proper wayto behave around royalty, said von Stade, addingthat the same thing would have occurred for otherfamous people.

Students will also have two other opportunitiesto meet the Prince, or at least see him up close:a gala 350th anniversary dinner at Memorial Hall,September 3, and the following day, a 250-personluncheon at Widener Library.

The University marshall's office will invitestudents to attend both events honoring thePrince, which will mostly include a mixture offaculty, alumni and dignitaries, said Stephenson.

But students should not expect to meet thePrincess of Wales, for she will not beaccompanying her husband to the United States.

More Harvard Related Appearances

Another of Prince Charles' Harvard-relatedappearances will take place at the Dana-FarberCancer Institute, where he will meet with juvenilecancer patients and their families forapproximately 45 minutes on September 3, said LoriM. Krupnick, director of Media relations at theInstitute.

The Prince's visit will also honorDana-Farber's joint-venture research project withtwo British-based institutes for childhood blooddiseases. The Harvard-affiliated cancer researchcenter also uses the Imperial Cancer ResearchFoundation, located in Great Britain, to cleansebone marrow of tumor cells.

Also slated for the Prince of Wales's agenda isan approximately 30-minute meeting with WangCorporation founder An Wang, and tour of Wang'sLowell, Mass laboratories. The Shanghai-bornHarvard Overseer was one of 12 recipients of theMedal of Liberty from President Reagan during July4 weekend celebrations in New York.

The British Consulate initiated this visit,according to a Wang spokesman, because of both thehigh-technology company's financial involvement inthe United Kingdom and its role in revitalizingthe economic fortunes of the Merrimack Valley.

After the Prince leaves Boston on September 4,he will travel to Chicago for two days where hewill attend a benefit ball, visit a high school,and play in a polo match