Those who knew Tiffany Anderson-Purvy closely said she made them laugh like no one else, and that they are lucky to have known her.
Anderson-Purvy, the office coordinator at the Greenfield Intercultural Center, passed away Thursday night after complications during surgery. She was 29 years old.
"She in many ways embodied what the GIC is all about," GIC Director Valerie De Cruz said. She was "welcoming no matter who walked in the door. ... Her generosity of spirit really embodied [our] mission."
It was not only her unparalleled ability to make others laugh that made Anderson-Purvy stand out -- it was her personable approach to anyone who wanted to be a part of GIC.
"She connected so well with students," GIC Associate Director Sean Vereen said. "She wasn't interested in the Penn persona of students that [they often] put on, but in their real self. She was interested in the real you, and [in return] tried to be herself."
Anderson-Purvy worked at the GIC for seven years as the office coordinator.
"She was the heart and soul of what we did," Vereen said "She really played an integral part of how we did our work. ... A lot of people considered the center their home because of what Tiff did."
De Cruz remembers that Anderson-Purvy was not a person who treated her job as a chore; instead, she always took the time to understand and get to know the people around her from a truly personal perspective. "She had a little personal relationship with so many different people," De Cruz said, adding that the flood of e-mails, calls and messages are a testament to the enduring nature of her relationships.
Among her responsibilities was to work closely with work-study students, who remember her affectionately.
"She was really a beautiful person. There was nobody that could ever dislike Tiffany," United Minorities Council Chairman and College senior Carlos Rivera-Anaya said.
College senior and GIC work-study student Julija Zubac remembered the comical stories that Anderson-Purvy always told. "She showed us the way you should aspire to live life, because she didn't waste time on things that did not matter or things that did not enrich her life or the life of people around her," Zubac said. "She was so full of life. That's why it's such a shock to so many people."
Anderson-Purvy was also a long-standing member of the Women of Color Committee and the Technology Committee for the Vice Provost of University Life. She leaves behind a 7-year-old son, Caelen.
