A: A university archives photo of a pig searching for food on East College Avenue near Allen Street, taken in 1894, inspired organizers of State College’s centennial celebration in 1996 to pay respect to Penn State’s agricultural heritage.

The result was a bronze statue of a sow, named Centennia, and two piglets, Hope and Education, or Ed for short, that sits in McAllister Alley, which connects East College Avenue to East Calder Way. The statue, which weighs 500 pounds, was created by artist Eric Berg, who also did the famed statue of Philbert the Pig at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, and was funded by private donations. In 2001, Ed came loose and was stolen by two Penn State students; he was temporarily replaced, then returned—and re-secured to the sidewalk—a few months later. Passersby often rub or kiss the pigs’ snouts for good luck. The walkway was renamed Pat Daugherty Walkway in 2021 to honor the late owner of the Tavern Restaurant, Pat Daugherty ’68, ’74 MS Eng.