The Penn Stater Magazine

It’s Been a Busy Morning for Civil War Buffs

July 15, 2011 at 2:19 pm Mary Murphy Leave a comment

Growing up, my brother was the ultimate war buff. Though his interests have since fluctuated (guitar, outdoor sports, astronomy, back to guitar), he once collected trivia as if World War II and Vietnam were favorite bands or NFL teams, rattling off the number of casualties in the Battle of Gettysburg—51,112—like a football score. Despite his enthusiasm, I was never quite able to understand the allure. It seems, however, plenty of Penn Staters do understand.

At 8 a.m. this morning, tickets for the Alumni Association’s 19th Annual Battlefield Study Tour in Gettysburg on Sept. 22-25 went on sale. Less than ten minutes later, the event had sold out.

Granted, tickets were first made available to those who’ve attended previous tours (the Association led groups through Manassas and Vicksburg in 2009 and 2010, respectively, among other Civil War destinations), but the almost-immediate sellout was a surprise, even to staff members. Among the 108 registrants are visitors from 23 states as well as Canada and South Africa.

Perhaps the intense interest in the Civil War, especially the Battle of Gettysburg, is related to timing: July 1-3, 2013 marks the 150thanniversary of the battle, the bloodiest and most significant of the Civil War, a fact tour guide Carol Reardon will surely explain in detail. Reardon, a Penn State American history professor and Civil War scholar, will provide a guided history of each location on the battlefield and in a classroom.

Some good news for those interested: You can still add your name to the wait list for the tour, and there’s talk of the Alumni Association adding another Gettysburg event to the travel program in the future. Call 800–548-LION (5466), option 0, for more information.

Mary Murphy, associate editor

Entry filed under: Alumni Association, Penn State faculty. Tags: Battle of Gettysburg, Carol Reardon, Civil War, Penn State Alumni Association.