Author Archive
Capturing the Days with Will Yurman
One of the highlights of our May/June issue is a photo essay featuring the work of Will Yurman, a photojournalism instructor in the College of Communications. The inspiration for our feature was Will’s online project, “A Day A Photo,” which he started about a decade ago and continues by posting one photo, every single day. It’s a wonderful collection of captured moments—often funny, sometimes sad, but always authentic.
Before coming to Penn State a couple of years ago (note the photo above, a colorful moment viewed through the Allen Street gate), Will was a staff photographer with the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle. He’ll be back in upstate New York this weekend for the launch of a show based on his online project, which opens Sunday at ARTISANworks Gallery in Rochester. If you’re in the area, you should check it out.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A Stop at MetLife Stadium Reminds Us That Football Season is Only 115 Days Away
The Penn State Coaches Caravan wraps up Thursday with stops in DuBois and Pittsburgh, but I’m back in State College today—both to get caught up on my magazine duties, and because my daughter’s fifth birthday is something I’m not about to miss. So Wednesday was my last day, and a great one, starting out in New York City and wrapping up in Scranton. In between, we made time for a brief stop in East Rutherford, N.J.
East Rutherford, of course, is home to MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets since 2010. On Aug. 31, MetLife will host Penn State’s season opener against Syracuse, and on Wednesday, those of us on the bus got a quick tour. It’s an impressive place, and it looked especially cool with those Nittany Lion logos on the massive HD screens in each corner of the field (click the photo to enlarge and get a sense of the scale). It’s gonna look even better filled with blue and white in a few months—and yes, game tickets are on sale now.
Penn State fans with relatively long memories should be especially excited about the game, which harkens back to some successful season openers in the old Kickoff Classic games held at Giants Stadium, which stood right next to where MetLife stands now. I have great memories of tailgating in the parking lot before the ’96 win over Southern Cal, and of course, there was that famous demolition of defending national champion Georgia Tech back in 1991.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Alumni Volunteers Keep the Coaches Caravan Rolling
I’m writing this from Dickson City, where we’ve arrived for the Wednesday night stop on the Penn State Coaches Caravan. It’s a huge turnout—close to 1,000 people, I’m told—coinciding with the annual scholarship dinner held by the Alumni Association’s Greater Scranton Chapter. Watching folks file in, I can tell you the volunteers manning the door tonight will have their hands full. I can also tell you that’s been the case at every stop along the way.
In addition to the Alumni Association and Nittany Lion Club staff—whose efficiency at setting up and breaking down every one of these events I’m in awe of—the volunteer members from local chapters have played a huge role in the success of the Coaches Caravan. At the Allentown stop on Tuesday, Charles Adomshick ’59, Tom Newell ’85, and Richard Garber ’59 (above) were among the Lehigh Valley chapter members who handed out name tags, directed guests, and answered questions. Mostly, though, they just seemed to be having fun connecting with other Penn Staters.
From Reading to Baltimore, Williamsport to NYC, fun in familiar company seems to be the theme. Last week, I met Naomi Williams ’06, who serves on the executive committee for the African American Alumni Organization of Philadelphia, and who was in her second year volunteering at the local Caravan stop. For Williams, it was a chance to network, trade stories, and catch up on Penn State news—but mostly, she said, “just a great time.”
Ryan Jones, senior editor
So Long to My Favorite Chess Teacher
I’m writing this en route to Williamsport for the first stop on the second leg of the Penn State Coaches Caravan, with field hockey coach Char Morett ’79 and men’s volleyball coach Mark Pavlik joining Bill O’Brien on the bus. I’ll have more from the Caravan—on our blog, and on my Twitter feed—over the next couple of days.
Being on the first leg of the Caravan last week, I was mostly out of the loop for graduation weekend, and I’m already missing the energy that a town full of students brings. Like many of us in the Alumni Association, I’m lucky to occasionally get to know some current undergrads: interns, student leaders, Lion Ambassadors for whom the Hintz Family Alumni Center is a second home. Over the past year, my family and I have added “chess teacher” to that list.
James Bischoff ’13 graduated last week, and my 8-year-old son is still getting over it. James is outgoing president of the Penn State Chess Club, one of a handful of students who restarted the dormant club a few years ago. My son had developed an interest in the game playing with his grandfather, and since my wife and I aren’t players, we thought we’d try to get him lessons. Last fall, I emailed the chess club asking if anyone there gave lessons to kids; James replied, and nearly every Friday afternoon during the ’12-13 school year, he and my son sat at our kitchen table for an hour or more, working out the basics of the game.
I can’t say enough about this guy. James was a finance major, and I know he’ll do well in his chosen field, but I think he’d make a terrific teacher as well. He’s personable and patient, and he kept my son motivated with rewards for figuring out strategic puzzles, letting him “win” their matches just often enough, and rewarding him every couple of months with a new comic book. After their last session, James gave my son a trophy engraved with his name and the title “Chess Master;” my son gave him a copy of The Hobbit, which I trust he’ll read this summer…
We also started Spanish lessons this spring, and I’m excited that Suzy Peevey, our patient and trilingual tutor, will be back for her senior year next fall. It’s been a pleasure getting to know these impressive, conscientious Penn State students. I only wish we could keep them around for a few more years.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Mutual Admiration on the Back of the Bus
So I’m sitting on the back of this bus, rolling through suburban Maryland, listening to a couple of guys talk sports.
In general, I don’t really enjoy listening to other people talk about sports—I abhor the shouting and cliches of sports talk radio, and unless the subject is a team I really care about, I’m probably not interested anyway —but this is a little different. These guys have great stories. These guys know what they’re talking about.
Put it in writing: Cael Sanderson is Bill O’Brien’s biggest fan.
Cael Sanderson and Bill O’Brien spent Thursday morning trading stories as the Penn State Coaches Caravan rolled from Washington, D.C. to Lancaster, and I was lucky enough to be sitting a few feet away. We’ve had a different coaching combination on each leg of the trip—Tuesday it was O’Brien and Pat Chambers, who are famously close, swapping tales about recruiting and rival coaches. Wednesday brought Sanderson to the mix, and with Chambers back home in State College on Thursday, Penn State’s football and wrestling coaches were talking shop.
As a lifelong sports fan, and as a sportswriter for most of my career, I find this all to be very, very cool.
The details are all very much off the record, of course, but what I can tell you is how much fun it’s been to watch these guys interact. There’s such an obvious mutual respect between them, and it comes across most clearly in how they listen to each other. With Sanderson and O’Brien in particular—despite having very different personalities and working in arguably polar opposite sports—you could sense a genuine interest in learning from each other. Since arriving at Penn State, O’Brien has spoken repeatedly of how much he enjoys interacting with his fellow coaches. He pretty clearly means it.
I was bummed to learn that Coquese Washington (who joined the Caravan on Wednesday) and Russ Rose (who arrived in time for the Lancaster stop Thursday morning) wouldn’t actually be on the bus; in both their senses of humor and their coaching acumen, both would have added much to the conversation. As it is, I consider myself lucky to be able to listen in; Penn State fans should consider themselves lucky to have such capable men and women in charge.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
A Reunion at the Coaches Caravan
One of the unexpected highlights of tagging along on the Penn State Coaches Caravan has been the chance to run into old friends. Last year in Baltimore, it was Katy Whalen ’09, who was a student a few years ago when I taught a section of Comm 462, and who was nice enough to tell me that, honestly, she had no idea it was my first teaching experience. (She might well have been trying not to hurt my feelings, but I’ll take it.) Tuesday night in Philadelphia, it was Stephen Bogush ’91, ’94g, my old Penn State football teammate.
Well, sort of.
Stephen Bogush and his wife Mary with men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers
Back in 2006, Bogush—a Philly-area anesthesiologist—and I were fellow campers at the very first Penn State Fantasy Football Camp, which I covered for The Penn Stater. I got to meet his wife, Mary Tillman ’94g, and Bogush and I reminisced about the terrific experience at the inaugural Fantasy Camp—the laughs, the array of “old-man” injuries, the rush of getting to play on the Beaver Stadium turf on a glorious summer day. John Lagana ’62, who if memory serves was the senior member of that first fantasy camp, was there as well.
I ran into a few other old friends and acquaintances Tuesday night—always great to see my fellow soccer fanatic and occasional tailgating partner Brad Youtz ’96—and made a few new ones as well. While the coaches understandably remain the draw—as well they should: Bill O’Brien and Patrick Chambers were at turns impassioned, thoughtful, and hilarious on Tuesday’s stops at Penn State Berks and in downtown Philly—it’s a blast to see so many Penn Staters come together on the road. I’ve already heard from a few folks on Twitter who I’m looking forward to meeting or catching up with on upcoming stops. Hope to see you there.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Getting Back on The Bus
I didn’t expect to be re-joining the Penn State Coaches Caravan this spring. That’s mostly because I didn’t expect there to be another Penn State Coaches Caravan.
Last spring, I rode the bus on the first week of the inaugural caravan, the multi-state bus trek designed primarily to introduce Bill O’Brien to Penn State fans. It was fun but tiring, much more so for O’Brien, who made the three-day trip over three consecutive weeks, speaking to 18 rooms full of eager Nittany Lion fans and shaking more hands than he could ever hope to count. When it was over, I got the impression that O’Brien viewed the trip as well worth the effort—but not something he was in a hurry to do again.
I’m glad I was wrong. Next Tuesday morning, we’ll board the customized Fullington Trailways bus for the first of two caravan legs. O’Brien will once again be the main attraction, and he’ll be joined at various stops by fellow coaches Cael Sanderson, Russ Rose, Coquese Washington, Patrick Chambers, Mark Pavlik, Char Morrett, and Guy Gadowsky, a group with a slew of Big Ten and national championship rings between them. Why is O’Brien once again hitting the road? I think he remembered the energy in those rooms, the loyalty and passion of all those Penn State fans, and signing up for the sequel was a no brainer.
If you’re within driving distance of one of these stops and haven’t signed up—what are you waiting for? You can find all the registration details here. The Penn State Alumni Association and Nittany Lion Club are once again sponsoring the caravan, and I can vouch for how seamlessly my colleagues from the Alumni Association events staff kept things moving last year.
Me? I’ll once again be blogging and tweeting from the road, bringing you exclusive insights from O’Brien and the other coaches on the bus, and sharing highlights from each stop. Hope to see you there.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Finding a New Home—Very, Very Far from Home
It’s not exactly close—1,000 light years or more—but scientists working with NASA have found a neighborhood that humans might conceivably be able to inhabit. Among the team that identified the two Earth-like planets orbiting the star Kepler 62 is Justin Crepp ’02.
Crepp, now an assistant professor of physics at Notre Dame, is one of the scientists whose work helped identify a pair of planets whose location appears suitable for liquid water—necessary for sustaining life as we know it. Crepp told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the hunt for such planets is “the holy grail” of his field; you can read more about it in this front-page story from today’s New York Times, as well.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Penn Staters Master the Links
The Masters is underway today, and Bloomberg News has a very cool feature on how Penn State grads have come to dominate the top golf courses in the country. We’re not talking about the players, of course, but rather the folks who maintain the flawlessly manicured playing surfaces that host Phil, Rory, Tiger and the rest.
The first fairway at Augusta — almost too perfect to be real.
Per Bloomberg, this year, for the first time, the courses hosting all three U.S.-based majors will be overseen by Penn State-educated superintendents. Marsh Benson ’96 is the man in charge of the immaculate turf at Augusta National, host of the Masters, while Matt Shaffer ’96 oversees the course at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., site of the this year’s U.S. Open, and Jeff Corcoran ’95 handles the same duties at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., host of this year’s PGA Championship. In all, 10 of the last 16 majors have been played on grass maintained by former Nittany Lions.
There’s also a great anecdote about how Penn State golf course management grads need to know almost as much about formal table settings as they do about keeping a perfect fairway. Like I said, it’s worth a quick read.
Penn State has the largest turfgrass program in the country. It’s nice to see confirmation that, in this case, quantity and quality appear to go hand in hand.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Alan Furst’s “Spies of Warsaw” Comes to TV
Alan Furst ’67g, the prolific author who specializes in World War II-era espionage thrillers, is bringing his suspenseful storytelling to your living room. “The Spies of Warsaw,” a miniseries based on his book of the same name, debuts tonight on BBC America.
The New York Times calls the series “true to the original in story and spirit: an enjoyable, straightforward espionage tale.” You can check out a trailer here.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Subscribe
