The Penn Stater Magazine

Amelia Earhart was a Penn Stater—Sort Of

November 5, 2009 at 2:00 pm Tina Hay 1 comment

In a story we called “Nittany’s Believe It or Not” in our Jan-Feb 2008 issue, Gigi Marino ’88, ’93g wrote of some little-known facts about Penn State—including the fact that Amelia Earhart once went to school here.

Well, OK, not exactly. But she did attend the Ogontz School for Young Ladies, which later morphed into Penn State Ogontz and today is known as Penn State Abington. And the campus still has a copy of one of her report cards, among other mementos. (No, that’s not the actual report card depicted in the illustration, but if you click on the image, you can read what we said about Earhart in our story.)

Now that there’s a new movie about the aviator, starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, there’s increased interest in Earhart’s roots. Apparently the movie doesn’t talk about her Ogontz days, but this coming Sunday, two people will: Lillian Hansberry, a librarian at Penn State Abington, and Moylan Mills, professor emeritus of integrative arts at the campus, will give a program called “Amelia Earhart: From the Ogontz School to Worldwide Fame,” at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, in room 112 Woodland Building.

A recent Philadelphia Inquirer story reviewing the new movie Amelia quotes Hansberry and Mills:

In a school dedicated to shaping the daughters of highest society into proper debutantes, “Amelia was the most illustrious of the alumnae,” said Lillian Hansberry, archive coordinator….

“I don’t think most people have any idea she had a Philadelphia connection and how formative it was in her life,” said Moylan C. Mills….

“Apparently, she really blossomed at Ogontz. She was a quiet, introspective young girl who came into her own at the school. In a sense she started becoming the Amelia we know through the biographies and films.

“Of course, we’re fascinated because she was a pioneer in so many ways. She took on challenges many men would not. And the way she vanished. It’s like a story with no concrete ending.”

Sunday’s presentation is free and open to the public. You can watch a trailer for the new movie Amelia here.

Tina Hay, editor

(Hat tip: Dan Cirucci)

Entry filed under: Penn State Abington, The Penn Stater magazine. Tags: Amelia Earhart, Gigi Marino, Hilary Swank, Lillian Hansberry, Moylan Mills, Ogontz School for Young Ladies, Penn State Ogontz, Richard Gere.