The Penn Stater Magazine

Mr. Walker’s Opus

February 26, 2016 at 1:36 pm Bill DiFilippo 1 comment

The Alma Mater is a little more special than usual after @pennstatembb's win tonight, as the Blue Band was conducted by the school's oldest alumnus, 104-year-old Ray Walker.

A post shared by The Penn Stater (@pennstatermag) on Feb 25, 2016 at 6:01pm PST

Thursday night’s basketball game at the Bryce Jordan Center was great for bevy of reasons. One was that Penn State took down Nebraska in a thrilling game to move to 15-13 on the year, and with a 6-9 mark in conference play, the Nittany Lions have tied for the most Big Ten wins in a season during Pat Chambers’ tenure.

But the coolest moment actually came after the game when the Blue Band performed the Alma Mater with special guest conductor Ray Walker ’35. At 104 years old, Walker is believed to be Penn State’s oldest living alumnus.

Walker was introduced to the crowd while sitting in his seat during a time-out in the first half. Later, after the final buzzer of the game, he made his way down to the floor to conduct the band. Per usual, the band’s performance was great, but we have to think that Walker stole the show.

Bill DiFilippo, online editor

Entry filed under: Alumni Association, Athletics. Tags: Blue Band, Penn State Basketball, Ray Walker.