Author Archive
Going Green for Flight 93
Photo by Marissa Carney
On April 20, about 150 volunteers—including five faculty members and 15 students from the environmental studies and honors programs at Penn State Altoona—planted 3450 trees over five acres. These trees will help lessen the impact of strong winds for visitors at the Flight 93 National Memorial, parts of which are still under construction. Organizers plan to reforest the 120 surrounding acres with more than 150,000 donated saplings over the next six years.
The effort also had an educational component: Joe Pizarchik ’79, director of the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSMRE), spoke to the students about the challenges of minewater-drainage–-including the drainage problem Pizarchik helped resolve in 2003 to make way for the Memorial’s construction.
Check out this cool video of Pizarchik and the students in action.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Photographic Memories
We love when readers tell us that one of the archival photos featured in the magazine has sparked a memory for them. And because some of these photos are perplexing (remember this one?), it’s even cooler when a reader can explain just what’s going on in the shot.
In our latest issue, we printed this photo (above) and invited readers to tell us what the shoeless gentlemen were up to. Milton Critchfield ’63, ’65g did exactly that. And he should know — he’s the one sitting on the table, removing his socks. Over the weekend, he sent us this letter (below):
Thanks for publishing the photo from 1964. I instantly recognized myself sitting on the table taking off my socks and Richard Twark ['67 PhD] sitting to my right on the sofa. Rich and I believe most or all of the others had just completed walking in the so-called “Atlantic Walk” of 50-mile duration. Penn State had been challenged by the University of St. Andrews in Scotland to compete with them on the walk. We began at 8 pm on Saturday night and had until 8 pm Sunday night to complete the 50 miles. The route started at the HUB and took us through Bellefonte, Pleasant Gap, Pine Grove Mills, and back to the HUB.
The photo is one of nine that was published in the Centre Daily Times on April 15, 1964. The spread is entitled “It was a Long, Long, Long, Hike.” I still have the original page from the Times. According to that article, there were 772 starters in the walk. I had the honor of being at the end of the entire column with a walkie talkie. My job was to help anyone who required assistance and to keep an eye out for stragglers. By 2 am, we were spread out over 20 miles and our communications system finally broke down. At that point, they gave me permission to compete at my own pace, so I began walking rapidly trying to make up for lost time. That was a mistake, as I developed a full set of blisters at 34 miles and finally dropped out at 42 miles. I had a lot of encouragement from friends to keep going, but the pain was too unbearable. The Atlantic Walk also occurred the following year in 1965. I entered the walk again and successfully completed it.
Rich Twark called me yesterday to see if I had seen the photo, and we had a great time catching up after nearly 50 years. Thanks again for publishing the photo and making our day.
Do you remember the Atlantic Walk? Has one of our Nostalgia Photos ever jogged your memory? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at pennstater@psu.edu or comment below.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
More Underwater Photos from Jeremy Cohen
Cohen snapped this photo of a porcupinefish off the Kona Coast in Hawaii.
Early last year, we featured some of Jeremy Cohen’s underwater photography in our Jan./Feb. 2011 issue. (Remember that funky-looking reef squid on the cover?)
We got lots of feedback on the photos, and readers loved Cohen’s up-close-and-personal look at creatures we don’t often see.
Now there’s another opportunity to check out Cohen’s work. A photo exhibit, called “Eyes to Sea: Underwater Photography by Jeremy Cohen,” opened this week in the EMS Museum and Art Gallery in the Deike building.
Cohen, associate vice president and senior associate dean for undergraduate education at Penn State, is an avid scuba diver who’s photographed marine life all over the world, including Fiji, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Cohen’s goal with the exhibit: to make people more aware of the human impact on aquatic ecosystems.
Cohen’s photos will be on display through fall 2012.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
On Its Way: Our May/June Issue
President Rodney Erickson on the cover of our latest issue.
Describing something as “normal” isn’t always a good thing.
But on the heels of two special, emotional issues — the Jan./Feb. coverage of the Sandusky scandal and the March/April tribute to Joe Paterno — our staff will tell you that the latest Penn Stater is a welcome return to business as usual.
Though that’s not to say the May/June 2012 issue, which is already hitting mailboxes, is boring: There’s an in-depth Q&A with new Penn State president Rodney Erickson, who talks candidly about the challenges he’s faced since November; a feature about a breakthrough in leukemia research, discovered by two Penn State scientists; and a fun collection of concert memories submitted by our readers.
Plus, you’ll find all the regular stories you may have missed these past few months.
Let us know when you receive your copy. And as always, let us know what you think.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Remembering ‘the Heart’ of the Scandal
When news of the Sandusky scandal broke in November, student Matt Bodenschatz felt an immediate connection with the alleged victims. A survivor of sexual abuse himself, Bodenschatz knows the courage it takes to come forward — and wanted to thank the young men for their bravery.
“Even though they’re anonymous, they’re real people,” he says. “They need our compassion and support.”
This spring, with 12 fellow students, Bodenschatz conceived Voices for Victims, a project that allows supporters to send messages of thanks and comfort to Sandusky’s alleged victims. The letters will be delivered directly to the individuals through their lawyers to maintain anonymity.
“It’s a tangible sign that we’re thankful they came forward,” says Bodenschatz. “And despite all the other issues, we remember that they’re at the heart of this thing.”
Starting Monday, April 23, through Friday, April 27, messages for the alleged victims can be placed in designated dropboxes on campus and throughout downtown State College at the following locations:
—Student Bookstore, 330 E. College Avenue
—Campus Candy, 346 E. College Avenue
—McLanahan’s Downtown Market, 116 Allen Street
—Hintz Family Alumni Center
—Health Services building lobby
—Penn State Learning Lab, Room 7, Sparks building
Letters can also be mailed to:
Voices for Victims
1637-B N. Atherton Street
PO Box 181
State College, PA 16803
Or emailed to:
Voices4VictimsProject@gmail.com
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Inspiring Future Entrepreneurs at IST Start-up Week
Am I the only one with a pen and paper?
I wrote this sentence at the top of my notebook page this morning as I glanced around the lecture hall and noted the sea of iPads, MacBooks, and smartphones surrounding me. Although I shouldn’t have been surprised: I was at a talk for the College of Information Sciences and Technology’s Start-up Week — in a classroom called the “Cybertorium,” no less.
During the week, which started Monday and ends Saturday, IST alumni and young entrepreneurs returned to campus to talk to current students about turning their own ideas into successful start-ups. Lucky for me, the two talks I attended were less about the latest tech gadgets and more about entrepreneurship.
Neilye Garrity ’04 is the co-founder of Candid Career, a video-based website for job seekers, and Matt Miller ’01 is co-founder and CTO of CyberCoders and CareerBliss, two job-hunting websites that streamline the recruiting and hiring process. Both alums offered some advice and answered tons of questions, which audience members could text or Tweet during the talk.
Here are some of their best tips for aspiring entrepreneurs:
—Don’t let others’ reactions discourage you. When Garrity told her family she wanted to quit her cushy job at IBM to work on her website full time, “they thought I was nuts,” she says. “But I believed in what I was doing, so that didn’t stop me.”
—Do your research. “Learn everything you can about companies with similar products, even if those companies failed,” Miller says. “Learn from their mistakes.” (more…)
A Comedy Connection
Keegan-Michael Key '96g and Jordan Peele (as Barack Obama) in a sketch for their Comedy Central show.
It’s not often that scripted television makes me laugh out loud. As a full-fledged reality TV junkie, I’m far more likely to crack up watching the latest Real Housewives blowout or a melodramatic rose ceremony on The Bachelor.
So you can imagine my shock when I found myself in hysterics during Key and Peele, a new sketch comedy show on Comedy Central. The sketches are smart — politically incorrect, but not mean-spirited. And both title stars are very, very funny.
Some of our readers might remember that the “Key” in the title is a Penn Stater: Keegan-Michael Key ’96g earned his MFA at Penn State, and doubly cool, he’s buddies with Ty Burrell ’97g, from ABC’s Modern Family. Both actors have roots in Utah. In this interview from The Salt Lake Tribune, Key mentions their connection, and Burrell made a cameo in a recent Key and Peele sketch.
Key and Peele premiered in January, and it’s been earning rave reviews, like this one from the Los Angeles Times. It airs Tuesdays at 10:30 on Comedy Central.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Our Latest Issue: A Tribute to Joe Paterno
Usually, when it’s time to let readers know that the next issue of The Penn Stater is on its way to mailboxes, we try to walk a fine line — to give you a taste of the magazine’s content without giving too much away.
But in the case of our March/April issue, the face on the cover won’t surprise you one bit.
On Jan. 22, when Joe Paterno passed away, we knew immediately what direction this issue had to take. Putting together the magazine was about honoring a man who touched the lives of every Penn Stater. For one story, alumni and students recall the day they met the man himself. In one of three essays, Jay Paterno ’91 reflects on his father’s legacy. And throughout the issue, you’ll find plenty of photos — some of which you’ve probably never seen before.
Your magazine should arrive within the next few days. Let us know when you receive your copy and, as always, let us know what you think.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Signs of Change on State Patty’s Day
Since its inception in 2007, State Patty’s Day has become synonymous with excessive drinking, alcohol-related hospital visits, and public displays of bad behavior.
But there are plenty of Penn State alumni and students hoping to change that.
The Alumni Association’s Committee on Excessive Drinking Issues, formed in 2010 and made up of students, alumni, and Alumni Association staff, has been working to learn more about the issue of dangerous drinking. Along with several year-round initiatives, the group has teamed with the State College Police Department to discourage local bar and restaurant owners from advertising the “holiday” with drink specials and merchandise.
More students are taking the anti-State Patty’s stance, too — and encouraging their peers to do the same. Senior Tyler Changaris is asking students to sign a pledge, posted online here, promising to abstain from all State Patty’s Day festivities. And more than 100 students are planning to spend the day participating in an alternative holiday, “State Day of Service,” by doing volunteer work throughout campus and Centre County.
In a Feb. 10 column in The Daily Collegian, popular sociology professors Sam Richards and Laurie Mulvey ’94g ask students to boycott State Patty’s Day in light of the Sandusky scandal — “in honor of lives and communities that are forever changed by what has happened.”
Though we’ll have to wait until this weekend to determine the full impact of these efforts, there’s already been one very encouraging development: More than 20 downtown bars and restaurants — twice as many as in 2011 — are modifying their hours or alcohol service, some closing entirely, on what would be one of the most profitable days of the year. StateCollege.com offers a list of the establishments and their plans for Saturday here.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
THON Tops $10 million
Photo by Annemarie Mountz '84
Another year, another record.
This year’s THON raised $10,686,924.83 for the Four Diamonds Fund, topping last year’s record and breaking the $10 million mark for the first time.
Encouraging dancers in the final hours: Jay Paterno ’91, who took to the podium on Sunday afternoon.
“If you live to be 100 years old, what you’ve done here for the last two days, weeks, months…what you’ve done here will echo in eternity,” Paterno told the crowd. “When you want to know what Penn State is, and when you want to know what ‘We Are’ means, come to THON.”
For Penn State Live’s photos of THON weekend, click here. Or check out Onward State’s minute-by-minute coverage, with lots of videos and photos from THON, here. And in case you haven’t seen it already, here is the front page of today’s Daily Collegian.
Mary Murphy, associate editor
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