Staff members party, picnic under sunny skies
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Strutting his Bruin-blue stuff on the dance floor.
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Along with other senior leaders, Chancellor Gene Block greets picnickers with a handshake and a box lunch.
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A trio of picnickers catch some rays as well as some shade.
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Staff Assembly President Tanya Williams takes over the podium. The picnic is sponsored annually by the Office of the Chancellor and UCLA Staff Assembly.
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Finding a shady spot and a good place to people-watch are the order of the day.
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Opera singer Michelle Drever's amazing performance of a famous aria from "Turandot" brings cheers and shouts for an encore.
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Agile staff members from the UCLA Alumni Association show off their human pyramid.
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Even in the heat, Joe and Josephine Bruin look cool and composed for the camera as they pose with staff members.
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You could work off lunch on the dance floor or with hula hoops.
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Long Nguyen of the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies entertains the crowd with Neil Young's "Heart of Gold."
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Time to unwind and relax at the Shapiro Fountain.
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Facilities Management workers make up a phalanx of blue.
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A staff member keeps up with the prompts of a deejay as he keeps them moving to the wobble and cha-cha slide.
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Dancers move like zombies during Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
With temperatures hovering in the low 80s, thousands of staff members abandoned their offices, labs and jobs for two hours Thursday to share good times at the annual All-Staff Picnic with their colleagues and dive into box lunches, topped off with a refreshing slice of watermelon, bag of warm kettlecorn and lip-smacking ice cream.
It was the ideal time to chat with friends, dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" on a crowded, impromptu dance floor and applaud the amazing talents of staff members Michelle Drever from the Anderson School and singer/guitarist Long Nguyen from the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.
While Drever wowed the crowd with a well-known aria from Puccini's "Turandot," Nguyen soothed them with a cool version of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold." Both were winners of the inaugural staff talent show, together with pianist Mary Bower or Housing and Hospitality Services.
At the entrance to the quad, Chancellor Gene Block and other senior leaders greeted new arrivals with a smile and a box lunch. Later, as part of the staff picnic tradition, Block joined the president of UCLA Staff Assembly, Tanya Williams, on stage to thank all the UCLA units, along with Staff Assembly, that made the occasion possible.
But, most of all, he had a message for staff. Praising staff's "heroic efforts," Block said, "I want to thank you for all you do for UCLA. It really does make a difference."
