The email that started it all.

In Steve's own words:

"It took some persuading to get many faculty to approve of such a radical move, to have a ping-pong table in the commons room 300 (where it was originally placed).

But then someone remarked that one of the conditions that Jean-Pierre Serre required was that Harvard buy a pong table before he accepted an offer from them! True story.

Forwarded below is the original email requesting donations from all to pay for the table.

The graduate students contributed en mass! I still have the list of the original contributors:-)

From: Steven Hurder
Subject: Ping Pong Table
Date: October 29, 1998 at 10:47:32 PM CST
To: uicmath@uicvm.uic.edu, mathgrad@math.uic.edu

We have been given the OK to buy a Ping Pong Table for the commons room!

I have bought the table today - a tournament style table (i.e. very sturdy!) and it will be delivered next wednesday.

The Deaprtment has agreed to share the cost of the table and delivery, which means that we (I) need to collect half the amount - or $225 - from faculty, undergraduate and graduate students in the department.

The system we have decided upon is informal - if you are interested in using the table, please consider donating $5 to its cost. I am assuming and hoping there are 45 people who will be willing to help out with the expense. If more than 45 people contribute, then the department's share will be reduced accordingly. If less than 45 people contribute, then I am stuck paying the difference:-(

You can give your contribution to either Amy Shell, Secretary of the MGSA, or to me. We will keep a list of donors, and post the list of "honored sponsors" in the commons room. That, and the pleasure of helping support something for all in the department to enjoy, is the reward!

Game, anyone? Steve Hurder

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NeXT/ascii/MIME Mail - all Welcome

Professor of Mathematics
Department of Math (m/c 249)
University of Illinois at Chicago
851 S. Morgan Street http://www.math.uic.edu/~hurder/
CHICAGO, IL 60607-7045 hurder@uic.edu