"In a way, they're setting the tone for how they would like things to be," she said.
Corse said that in amicable splits such as the Rendells', especially ones with a 40-year history and two public, productive people, the goals of normalcy and connectedness that can be so elusive in other separations or divorces become possible.
And as they did in so many public settings and events - ribbon-cuttings, election nights, galas, cultural fund-raisers - the Rendells dominated the discussion, even with their brief e-mail being their only comment.
Marjorie Rendell, 64, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, was reported to be en route to a wedding in Australia with her daughter-in-law. Former Gov. Edward G. Rendell, 67, was presumably on deadline for his new Wednesday sports column with the Philadelphia Daily News. The pair attended a University of Pennsylvania basketball game together with their son and his wife over the weekend.
"They're educating people around them," Corse said. " 'You don't have to tiptoe around us, or warn one when the other is coming.' When people are able to come to an amicable divorce, that's one of the characteristics. There isn't a lot of tension. It actually works. I've seen it."
Most of their close friends and colleagues have been publicly mum since the disclosure Monday night, in accordance with the request in the e-mail for privacy.
"They are great folks," said architect Jorge Lovera, who serves on the board of Avenue of the Arts Inc., which Midge Rendell chaired for many years. Not wishing to comment on their personal issues, he said, "They've given a lot to the city and the state. I'm in full support of their decisions."
