BLUE & WHITE BOWL BASH IN THE BRONX: Penn Staters packed the famous Billy’s Bar for the Alumni Association’s Roar Tour pep rally in December before heading across the street to Yankee Stadium to cheer the Nittany Lions on to victory in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Home of the Brave
Military Appreciation banners at University Park honor Penn Staters who served.
On a nonfootball weekend last fall, Cindy Benckini Skotnicki ’88 Sci drove seven hours round-trip from her home in southern New Jersey to State College just to get a picture taken of herself beneath the banner of her son, Matthew ’19 Eng. A lieutenant in the U.S. Navy stationed in San Diego, Matthew was one of 20 Penn State alumni military members honored with banners hung on the University Park campus for Military Appreciation Week last November.
“I’m just so proud of him, and there was nothing more special to me than to have my son proudly displayed on College Avenue, one of my most favorite places in the world,” says Skotnicki.
The banners are a collaboration between the Alumni Association and the university’s Military Appreciation Committee, headed up by Veterans Affairs and Services senior director Eugene McFeely. “What we’re trying to do is to honor Penn State alumni who are currently or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and to build awareness across Penn State faculty, staff, and students that there’s a lot of Penn Staters out there that are serving or have served in the Armed Forces,” says McFeely ’89 Eng, who sponsored a banner for his brother Daniel ’87 Eng. “It shows the university’s commitment to not only serve the military-connected student community but to honor their service and sacrifice.”
The partnership between the Military Appreciation Committee and the Alumni Association—which pays the $380 per-banner cost for them to be raised and lowered—is for 20 banners to be hung on the campus side of College Avenue and elsewhere on campus during November. Individuals, families, academic units, and university departments can sponsor a banner for $400, which includes a $100 donation to the Penn State Military Student Fund, a scholarship for active-duty military service members, veterans, and their dependents. Banners are sent to their sponsors after they’re taken down.
The committee is accepting nominations on a first-come, first-served basis through Sept. 1 for this year’s 20 banners. If an additional sponsor is found to cover the cost of raising and lowering more banners, McFeely would love to honor more Penn State alumni military members on campus.
“As an alum,” McFeely says, “it’s humbling to see the university take this step.”
Member Benefit
Access to Groups!
Your Alumni Association membership gives you instant and complimentary access to the local chapters near you, as well as to the affiliate program groups, interest groups, and alumni societies that encompass your college, major, campus and/or interests. Your membership gives you tons of ways to connect with past, present, and future Penn Staters.
Save the Date
June 26-27: We Are Weekend
Alumni and their families get VIP treatment at this annual reunion weekend. Highlights include an ice cream social at Hintz Family Alumni Center, a dinner honoring the Class of 1976, and guided tours of many of University Park’s most famous facilities. Register at alumni.psu.edu.
July 10–11: Hintzpiration
“Hintzpiration: Artistry at the Alumni Center” returns to the Hintz Family Alumni Center during Arts Fest, with an art exhibit open to the public and a Friday evening reception for Alumni Association members. Registration is required for the reception. alumni.psu.edu/
hintzpiration
From the Archives
Making Work Child’s Play
From Snoopy Sniffer to Little People, wooden blocks to plastic Rock-a-Stack rings, chances are you once played with a Fisher-Price toy, which means you connected with a Penn Stater’s life’s work long before you became a Nittany Lion. The November/December 1985 cover story about Herman Guy Fisher 1921 Lib outlines the history of one of America’s most famous toy manufacturers, who “believed that a toy was best when it ran on ‘child power.’” Read the full story.
Chapters & Groups
Phoenix
Members of the Phoenix Chapter (above) volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in December for a day of building homes for community members.
Greater Boston
The Greater Boston Chapter hosted its fourth annual Boston’s Night of Hope gala at City Winery Boston in October, raising $13,427.89 to support Four Diamonds children and families. The event included a silent auction, raffle prizes, entertainment, and food and drinks.
Northern New Jersey
The Northern New Jersey Chapter joined forces with two local Knights of Columbus councils to walk in Blood Cancer United’s Light the Night Walk in Morristown, N.J. The team, led by team captain Bill Gleason ’88 Bus, raised $826 for the fight against blood cancer.
Have news to share from your chapter, AIG, or alumni society? Send it to rsr3@psu.edu.
Volunteer Spotlight
Carla Gonzales-Schwarz, Land of Enchantment Chapter president
During her 20-year career in the Marine Corps, Carla Gonzales-Schwarz ’07 LehVly started college multiple times, but repeated deployments hampered her success. After she retired and she and her family moved to Allentown, Pa., Gonzales-Schwarz used the G.I. Bill to earn a business degree from Penn State Lehigh Valley. In 2017, when the family relocated back to its home state of New Mexico, she and her daughter Bernadette ’17 Agr attended a summer picnic hosted by the Land of Enchantment Chapter. “The next thing I knew, I became the president,” she says.
Presiding over a chapter whose state is sparsely populated can be difficult, but Gonzales-Schwarz says at least a handful of hearty Nittany Lions always show up for game watch parties and service activities. Members have also traveled together to nearby states for the football team’s appearances in the Fiesta Bowl and the Rose Bowl.
Support PSAA
PENN STATE ELMS COLLECTION
A Penn State degree is an accomplishment worthy of recognition—and items from the Penn State Elms Collection make unique and meaningful gifts for any Penn Stater on your list. When you purchase an heirloom-quality item from the Elms Collection, a portion is donated toward planting trees at University Park. Visit pennstateelmscollection.com to purchase your piece of Penn State history!
LEAVE YOUR MARK ON CAMPUS
Since the fall of 2021, almost 1,700 Penn State alumni and loved ones have added their names and messages of pride to the Alumni Plaza outside the Hintz Family Alumni Center. Adding your personal paver to the Alumni Plaza is a great way to commemorate your time at Dear Old State, and pay it forward to the next generation of Lions. alumni.psu.edu/alumniplaza
Photos by Penn State Alumni Association.
The People of Penn State
The Alumni Association’s interview podcast hits its milestone 100th episode.
In 2021, as people emerged from the confines of strict COVID-19 pandemic protocols, the Alumni Association stretched to find new and better ways to engage its membership, which was more online than ever and eager to connect. Its Facebook Live Coffee Hours interviews had been well received, but the audience was limited to those on Facebook. To expand its reach and introduce more interesting alumni to multiple generations of Penn Staters, staff members across several departments collaborated to create The People of Penn State podcast.
The first episode aired on Oct. 19, 2021, and featured Team USA Paralympian Jake Schrom ’11 Agr. Four years later, the pod is in its fifth season and released its 100th episode on Dec. 17, 2025, featuring an interview with Mason Reber ’25 Eng, who had just finished a two-year stint as the Nittany Lion mascot.
“Hosting The People of Penn State podcast has been one of my favorite ways to connect with the alumni community,” says current host Katie Farnan ’19 Com, a marketing communications specialist for the Alumni Association. “I love hearing how Penn Staters from all walks of life carry their experiences beyond campus, and how a single moment as a student can shape everything that follows.”
Listeners can find the podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or their podcast app of choice, and those who want to see them can watch video versions on YouTube.
“With more than 800,000 alumni, every story is unique, but the shared Penn State connection remains constant,” Farnan says. “I’m grateful to be part of this work and excited to keep sharing Penn State stories.”
Check out these notable episodes from the podcast’s first 100:
■ Episode 36: Ala Stanford ’91 Sci, ’97 MD Medicine, founder of Black Doctors Consortium
■ Episode 44: Caroline Bowman ’10 A&A, performing in the Broadway version of Frozen
■ Episode 47: Char Morett-Curtiss ’79 H&HD, Penn State field hockey legend
■ Episode 51: Sam Coffey ’20 Com, U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team star and Portland Thorns player
■ Episode 55: Pat Little ’77 Lib, documenting life at Penn State in photos
■ Episode 65: Tom Morris ’03 H&HD, Assistant AD for High Performance
■ Episode 71: Gabrielle Chappel ’16 Com, Next Level Chef season 3 champion
■ Episode 82: Danielle Sepsy ’12 H&HD, chef and author of From Scones to Stardom
■ Episode 83: Dave Blazek ’79 Com, award-winning cartoonist
■ Episode 96: Lisa Salters ’88 Com, ESPN reporter
■ Episode 100: Mason Reber ’25 Eng, Nittany Lion mascot
