Posts tagged ‘Hintz Family Alumni Center’
Free Shakespeare Outside Our Office
I’ll say this straight up: I am a huge fan of William Shakespeare.
My senior year of high school, all I wanted for Christmas was a leather-bound edition of his complete works, and Santa came through in fine fashion. My love of Shakespeare even survived an uncomfortable experience in ENGL 444, when I was inexplicably chosen by the professor to come to the podium and explain Twelfth Night to the class. That would have been bad enough even without the extenuating circumstances: I had woken up late and arrived in class unshowered. And wearing glasses left over from fourth grade.
All of this to say how thrilled I am that the School of Theatre is putting on a free performance of Romeo and Juliet – right outside my window! The performance will be on the lawn of the Hintz Family Alumni Center during the week of Homecoming, Oct. 13, 14, and 15. (That’s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.) Curtain is at 6:30 p.m., so I’ll be able to grab a primo viewing seat immediately upon leaving the office. (And I will, I promise, be clean and wearing my contact lenses.)
If you aren’t as well situated as I am, you can still enjoy the show. The College of Information Sciences and Technology is helping to facilitate a live webcast. And the University Resident Theatre Company will perform a slightly shorter version of the play that can be used in classes, along with a working script and other background information. You can also follow along on their rehearsal website, which has cool practice notes, including this staff favorite from Sept. 8: “Travis asked if we could further discuss the securing of our weapons.”
Here’s hoping that follow-up discussion went well.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
Living History at the University House
Working in the “old” part of the Hintz Family Alumni Center — University House, home to Penn State presidents until 1970 — it’s not not unusual for those of us on The Penn Stater staff to see curious alumni wandering through our halls. We assumed that was the case today when a couple came up the stairs near our offices on the second floor. I happened to be standing at the printer when they came up and, since they seemed unsure of where they were going, I asked if they were looking for anyone in particular.
“Not really,” the gentleman said. “I used to live here.”
We just got an unexpected visit from the grandson of former University President Ralph Dorn Hetzel
The man was Roger Williams — it’s only a coincidence that he has the same name as our boss, Alumni Association Executive Director Roger L. Williams ’73, ’75g, ’88g — who with his wife, Kathy, had come to see the house he lived in as a young child. Roger’s grandfather was Ralph Dorn Hetzel, the University president from 1927-47 and namesake of the Hetzel Union Building. As a child, Roger lived for a few years in the University House with his mother, Harriet Hetzel Williams ’38, while his grandfather ran the University during the Great Depression and World War II.
The Williamses now live in upstate New York but returned to town for a memorial service for Roger’s mother, who died a few months ago. Among the family they’ll see this weekend is Roger’s cousin, Ralph Dorn Hetzel III ’66, an associate professor in the College of Communications. Roger said it’s been years since he visited the building (his family moved out when he was six), but a trip up to the third floor rekindled his memory. That’s where the kids’ rooms were, he said. He still remembers sliding down the banister to the second-floor landing.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Just Ducky
So it turns out that we here at The Penn Stater aren’t the only ones who enjoy the ducks that hang out around the pond outside the Hintz Family Alumni Center. The bloggers at Onward State like “our” ducks, too.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
A Picture of a Sun-Bathing Turtle
I just looked out my office window to see flurries blowing nearly horizontal over the duck pond outside the Hintz Center. This reminded me of what I was doing exactly 48 hours ago: Sitting on the grass next to that very same duck pond, in shorts and a t-shirt, enjoying the light sunburn on the back of my neck.
I do love springtime in Happy Valley.
Anyway, I brought the office camera along over the weekend and, among pictures of my 4-year-old digging for dinosaur bones at the pond’s edge (he found several, thank you), I snapped one of the pond’s resident turtle, legs splayed behind him, sunbathing.
(click to enlarge)
I would assume he’s spending the better part of today with his extremities tucked under his shell.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
(Approximately) 75 Years of Driver’s Ed.
Just noticed this story marking the 75th anniversary of the first driver’s education courses in the United States — taught right here in State College by the late Amos Neyhart ’21 Eng, ’34 MS Edu. At least, we think it’s been 75 years; there seems to be some question as to when, exactly, the late Prof. Neyhart first began teaching State High students how to drive. From the AP story:
Varying accounts offer different dates of that first wheel-gripping class taught by Amos Neyhart, who was also an industrial engineering professor at nearby Penn State University. One university historical guide lists 1933 as the first year, while AAA goes with 1934. A State High reference book has 1935.
Regardless, Happy Valley — as locals call this rural area — is the birthplace of driver’s ed.
Pretty cool. There’s actually a blue signpost on campus, not far from our office in the Hintz Family Alumni Center, marking Neyhart’s historic first. And here’s a bit more of Neyhart, from an obituary the New York Times ran on his passing in 1990.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Alumni Center in Snow
I had to stop into the office briefly this afternoon, and the alumni center looked especially sweet, covered in snow in the late-afternoon light. So I took a shot with my iPhone. (It would look better without the car in the driveway, but oh well. And no, that’s not my car.) Click on the photo to see it bigger.
We got about five inches of snow yesterday. You can see an album of Public Information photos from the snowstorm here.
Tina Hay, editor
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