Temple University and Episcopal Academy celebrate 2 Oscar winners with Philadelphia ties
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In the Temple University Theater Department, you don't have to go far to see where Da'Vine Joy Randolph has made her mark.
Her photo hangs just steps away from the stage which was a pivotal stop on her career. A stage where Peter Reynolds, head of the musical theater department, had a chance to direct the 2008 Temple alumna.
"Full of humor, full of talent, could make you laugh so easily," Reynolds said about Randolph.
Reynolds remembers working with Randolph in the Sondheim musical "Into the Woods," where he said she commanded the stage in her role as the Witch.
"You can tell when somebody's got 'it,'" Reynolds said.
Reynolds was watching the Academy Awards Sunday night when Da'Vine Joy Randolph accepted the award for her Best Supporting Actress win for her role as Mary Lamb in "The Holdovers." He said he became emotional.
"I was in my living room and I was crying with her," he said. "I'm certainly not surprised. She was unique and special from the first time I met her."
Over in Newtown Square, another school is celebrating a talented artist's Academy Award win. Jennifer Lame, a 2000 graduate of the Episcopal Academy, took home the award for Best Editing for her work on the movie "Oppenheimer."
"We are so excited," Angeliqué Israel, director of alumni engagement, said. "I feel like maybe everybody was watching the Oscars last night and probably let out the same cheer that I did at my house."
Israel said Lame was very involved during her time at the Episcopal Academy. She served as a volunteer tutor, a member of Key Club, the football manager and a member of the crew team. Israel said ironically, Lame didn't participate in the theater arts programs. Still, last year, her school gave her the award for Alumni Achievement in the Arts for everything she accomplished after graduation.
"She actually wasn't able to attend in person because she was still working on 'Oppenheimer,'" Israel said. "So I guess as far as excuses go for sorry I can't come, you know Christopher Nolan is kind of up there."
