Marching Band, Torrent of Illuminated Cupcakes Invade the Hotel Lafayette to Celebrate UB Law School's 125th Anniversary

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The UB Marching Band will parade through the Hotel Lafayette lobby playing the UB fight song Friday night as the University at Buffalo Law School kicks off its 125th anniversary celebration with a 650-piece rolling blue-and-white cupcake display topped by giant sparklers.

The more than 700 people signed up for the unusual celebration will then mark the moment by singing "Happy Birthday" to honor the legacy of an institution that has educated generations of lawyers and changed the professional landscape of Western New York.

"We didn't want to have a formal black-tie dinner," says Ilene R. Fleischmann, vice dean for the Law School. "The party is all about having fun -- for alumni, students, faculty and friends of all ages."

Guests will start to arrive at 6 p.m., but the real action begins at 7:15 p.m. when the "Thunder of the East" UB Marching Band rocks the renovated hotel lobby at 391 Washington St. at Lafayette Square.

The rolling display of 750 school-color cupcakes arranged in a giant cake topped with sparklers will enter the main Marquis Ballroom shortly after 7:20 p.m.

There will then be a short ceremony at the stage of the main ballroom attended by UB President Satish K. Tripathi, Law School Dean Makau Mutua and UB Law Alumni Association President Brian Melber. UB Council Members Pamela D. Heilman and Christopher J. O'Brien, as well as the school's Dean's Advisory Council Chair Thomas E. Black Jr., are also expected to attend.

The group will sing the "Happy Birthday" song to the Law School about 7:40 p.m., according to the celebration schedule. The evening will also include live music by The Informers.

The party marks the start of a year-long celebration featuring social and scholarly events in Western New York and at the Law School's regional chapters throughout the nation. The anniversary weekend will include speed-dating-style career mentoring, the unveiling of the Law School's anniversary microsite at www.law.buffalo.edu/125.asp and several class reunions. Alumni are invited to audit classes on campus earlier in the day.

The Law School's initial class was held Oct. 3, 1887, during the first of former Buffalo Mayor Grover Cleveland's terms as U.S. President. Established by educators who saw the limitations of the apprenticeship model of legal training, the school has since educated more than 10,000 lawyers with a special focus on public interest work and innovative interdisciplinary scholarship. Law School officials estimate eight of 10 lawyers working in Western New York learned their craft at the UB Law School. Alumni can be found working throughout the U.S. and world.

For more information on the event, contact Amy Hayes Atkinson at aatkins@buffalo.edu or (716) 861-2222.