April Town&Gown 2015

Home at Work

James Franklin celebrates Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day every day with his daughters, Shola (left) and Addison

What happened to Ray Gricar? • Central PA Tasting Trail

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features 28 / 50 Years of Town&Gown: Research and Technology

Silicon Valley East: University labs drive local tech companies • by Tracey M. Dooms

36 / Vietnam Memories

On the 40th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam, local veterans remember their service and coming home to a country angry about America’s involvement • by Jenna Spinelle

44 / Bringing a Hero Home

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In 1968, Lewis Smith II of Bellefonte was shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War. After more than four decades, his family continues to fight to have his remains recovered and brought back to America • by David Pencek

50 / Bringing Home to Work

While Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is celebrated just once a year, many local professionals have made sure their families are part of their workday on a daily basis • by David Pencek

50

70 / What Happened to Ray Gricar?

Ten years after Centre County’s district attorney disappeared, questions and theories remain about one of the area’s biggest unsolved mysteries • by Mike Dawson

Special Advertising Section

59 / Men in the Community Town&Gown’s 12th annual edition of profiling some of the outstanding men who serve this region

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Cover photo by Darren Weimert

Town&Gown is published monthly by Barash Publications, 403 South Allen Street, State College, PA 16801. Advertising is subject to approval of the publisher. COPYRIGHT 2015 by Barash Media. All rights reserved.

Send address changes to Town&Gown, 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any process except with written authorization from Town&Gown or its publisher. Phone: 800-326-9584, 814-238-5051. FAX: 814-238-3415. Printed by Gazette Printers, Indiana, PA. 20,000 copies published this month, available FREE in retail stores, restaurants, hotels and motels & travel depots. SUBSCRIPTIONS and SINGLE COPIES: $45/1yr; current issue by 1st‑class mail, $10; back copy, $15 mailed, $12 picked up at the T&G office. townandgown.com

2015 April T&G - 5

Town&Gown April

A State College & Penn State tradition since 1966.

Publisher Rob Schmidt

90 Departments 8 Letter From The Editor 10 Starting Off: The List, People in the Community, Q&A 18 Living Well: Feel the power of forgiveness 20 About Town: From how to pronounce “Schlow” to childproof caps, little things that remain vexing 24 On Center: The Nile Project conjures music and promotes cooperation along an iconic river 26 Penn State Diary: While in trouble of being forgotten, Curtin Furnace remains a vital part of local history 76 This Month on WPSU 79 What’s Happening: Roseanne Cash, Todd Rundgren, Julius Caesar, Blue-White Game, and more highlight April’s events 86 On Tap: Craft-beer makers and lovers are coming around to having their beverages come from cans 90 Taste of the Month/Dining Out:

Tasting Trail event puts Happy Valley’s beverage business in the spotlight 100 Lunch with Mimi: Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour leads the university’s broad-based athletics program 106 State College Photo Club’s Winning Photos 108 Snapshot: Steve and Nancy Sheetz are helping the next generation of entrepreneurs 6 - T&G April 2015

Founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith Editorial Director David Pencek Creative Director Tiara Snare Operations Manager/Assistant Editor Vilma Shu Danz Art Director/Photographer Darren Weimert Graphic Designer Cody Peachey Account Executives Kathy George, Debbie Markel Business Manager Aimee Aiello Administrative Assistant Kristin Blades Interns Chris Dornblaser, Caroline Kingscott (editorial) Distribution Handy Delivery, Tom Neff To contact us: Mail: 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801 Phone: (814) 238-5051, (800) 326-9584 Fax: (814) 238-3415 dpenc@barashmedia.com (Editorial) rschmidt@barashmedia.com (Advertising) We welcome letters to the editor that include a phone number for verification.

Back issues of Town&Gown are available on microfilm at Penn State’s Pattee Library.

townandgown.com Facebook.com/townandgownsc Twitter: @TownGownSC

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letter from the editor

Haters Are Going to Hate Pitiful is what some media personalities have become Many of you have likely known this for sometime, but it bears repeating given what happened in February with a certain ESPN personality. The fact is that no matter what good things Penn State does — like helping kids with cancer, for example — no matter that the consent decree between the university and the NCAA is no more, and no matter that the Freeh Report could be considered to be basically like a box of doughnuts — a fried-up concoction with some big holes in it — there is a part of this country’s population that will always think of Penn State and this community in the worst of terms.

The prevailing thought among that group is that this community put football ahead of everything else, including the safety of children, and for that, anyone associated with Penn State and Happy Valley is and forever will be pathetic scum, or something along those lines.

This was made clear in February when a Penn State alum sent a tweet to the aforementioned ESPN personality reading, “We Are …” with a link to a story about the more than $13 million that was raised for the Four Diamonds Fund at this year’s THON. The ESPN personality’s response to this was pitiful. No, really, he tweeted back, “Pitiful.”

It became obvious that the class act didn’t bother clicking on the story. He simply saw the words “We Are” and that those words were associated with Penn State. That’s all he needed to know to tweet, “Pitiful.” In a later tweet, he clarified his statement by tweeting that he wasn’t saying the fundraising was pitiful, only that Penn State students were

8 - T&G April 2015

pitiful. Yes, the same students who did the fundraising, so if you can figure out that explanation, let me know.

At first, I, along with many others, was upset over the exchange and even took to social media myself to express my displeasure over it. Now, I’m of the mindset that there is little to be gained by paying attention to the opinions of this ESPN person and others of his ilk. Penn State aside, their careers have become more defined by hate and negativity than anything else. I don’t agree with this person politically, so they’re a “Worst Person in the World.”

I genuinely feel bad for people like that — well, sort of. To not be inspired by students helping kids with cancer and, instead, feel a desire to tear them down — it’s kind of a sad way to go through life, if you ask me.

Instead of venting our anger at Mr. ESPN and others, we can maybe take pity on them and offer them our hopes and prayers that someday they can open their hearts and minds and see that a guilty conviction of one shouldn’t necessarily mean guilty convictions of others.

David Pencek Editorial Director dpenc@barashmedia.com

2015 April T&G - 9

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starting off

The List Highlights from Town&Gown’s first 49 years of publication

1976-1980 July 1976 — “Art for People’s Sake” previews the 10th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. One of the new additions to the festival is a Children’s Day that presents art and craft demonstrations, music, and dance by young people.

January 1977 — Penn State lacrosse coach Dick Pencek is profiled in “Penn State’s Lacrosse Boss.”

Author Gary Tuma writes that Pencek has been called “Penn State’s answer to Don Rickles,” and that his house, except for the refrigerator, sink, and faucet in the kitchen, is furnished with antiques.

September 1977 — Publisher Mimi Barash writes “A Very Special Kudos to Jo Hays.” In describing the State College mayor, who is that year’s Renaissance Fund honoree, Barash writes, “Jo Hays is what ‘town and gown’ is all about! He leads with a gentle persuasion; he organizes with a sense of perspective; he inspires with a sense of humor; and he achieves with a sense of humility. He has, in our judgment, earned true ownership of the title, Mr. State College.”

September 1978 — Town&Gown recognizes State College mayor Arnold Addison in “Kudos to Arnold Addison.” He is presented with the Barash Award for Human Service. The award is named for the late Sy Barash, who was a Penn State graduate and cofounder of Town&Gown. It recognizes those who have devoted energy and leadership to the betterment of their community. Addison, who retired in 1978 from Penn State as professor emeritus of industrial relations, is described as someone who “has worked constructively for the university and for State College. His is truly concerned with the ideals of human service.”

November 1978 — WPSX-TV’s Weather/World is one of Pennsylvania’s most popular public television shows, attracting an 10 - T&G April 2015

estimated 107,000 viewers per night to its 15-minute spot. It actually expands to a 30-minute show on November 6. In “Weather/World,” the show is described as one that “has offered an opportunity to explore science and technology issues in more depth than news headlines.”

October 1979 — Volunteer handyman J. Marvin Lee and others begin to restore Centre Furnace Mansion, which is home to the Centre County Historical Society. On the importance of keeping history alive, Lee says in “Respect for the Past” that history “is of no value until we know about it.

We must be aware of where we’ve been before we know where we’re going.”

August 1980 — “Down in the Valley” looks at Stone Valley and its importance for recreation and education in the region. “Occasionally, during the day, you’ll see a carefree bunch of kids out on sailboats. They are having fun, but they’re learning, too.”

September 1980 — Penn State’s football team opens the 1980 season in the newly expanded Beaver Stadium.

The stadium added more than 6,000 seats and has a capacity of 83,017.

“Once a horseshoe of seats up around the gridiron, Beaver Stadium has grown to try to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for football tickets.” In 1979, Penn State averaged 77,414 fans for its home games.

The stadium sold out for the sixth consecutive year.

November 1980 — In an interview with Town&Gown, “the voice of Penn State,” Fran Fisher, talks about what make Penn State sports special. He says, “… this is a family-oriented community. … I see the relationship between Coach [Joe] Paterno and his barber and his priest. … There is a tremendously close relationship with everybody who lives in Happy Valley, whether he’s a merchant or a dentist, a lawyer, associate professor, football coach, or captain. And to me, that’s a very unique thing.” T&G

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People in the Community Matt Brown/ Andrew Mackiewicz

Penn State senior wrestler Matt Brown and Andrew Mackiewicz, a freshman on the fencing team, each one individual national titles in March.

Brown capped his Penn State career with a 5-4 win over Pittsburgh’s Tyler Wilps in the 174-pound finals in St. Louis. A three-time All-American, Brown won his first NCAA title.

After going 5-0 at nationals, he finished his year with a 29-3 record. He was the national runner-up in 2013 and the fifth-place finisher in 2014. He ends his career with a 118-16 record.

Mackiewicz won the men’s saber national title.

Being a freshman, he was considered somewhat of an underdog in the competition.

“Coming in as a freshman, I was nervous, but super excited,” Mackiewicz said in a press release. “I was ready to give it everything I’ve got. At the end of the day, it came down to who wanted the title most, and I believe at heart that I wanted it the most.”

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Bernie Keisling

Central PA 4th Fest executive director Bernie Keisling has announced that he is retiring and the 2015 4th Fest will be his last in the position.

Keisling has been the executive director of the 4th Fest since it began 12 years ago. He has helped grow the event from a fireworks show to one that is now an all-day celebration, including a 4K race, parade, and entertainment. The fireworks show is considered one of the best in the country.

Keisling told the Centre County Gazette that family is the main reason he is retiring.

He added that while new elements have been added to 4th Fest, “one thing has remained constant — that is the support of the university and the hundreds of sponsors and volunteers who make the 4th Fest possible.”

Jennifer Shuey

ClearWater Conservancy announced that executive director Jennifer Shuey will be stepping down from her position at the end of April.

Shuey has held the position with the nonprofit for nearly 15 years.

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to lead such a vital organization that is fundamentally connected to our community’s health and sense of place,” says Shuey, who will be the director of development for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. “I am proud of the significant conservation and restoration successes that we have achieved over the years, but I am even more touched by ClearWater’s many members, volunteers, partnering groups and agencies, and supporters who give so much of themselves to focus attention on environmental issues and get that good work done.”

ClearWater Conservancy president Steve Miller will serve as interim executive director.

In an e-mail, he wrote that the organization has already begun the process of searching for the next executive director. T&G

Q&A with Travis DeCastro, head of production for Penn State Centre Stage’s production of Julius Caesar

By Caroline Kingscott Penn State Centre Stage is giving a modern spin to William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The production will be staged April 15-17 on Old Main lawn, and, instead of ancient Rome, the setting is a contemporary African nation. The idea is to “draw parallels between modern African dictatorships and the Roman Republic under the dictatorship of Julius Caesar.” Prior to the April 17 performance, the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait.

Head of production Travis DeCastro, who also is an associate director for production for the School of Theatre at Penn State and the head of the bachelor of fine arts program in stage management, talks about this unique take on a classic play.

T&G: How did you come up with the idea to parallel the original Julius Caesar to modern-day Africa?

DeCastro: That is actually an idea that the director, Dr. Bill Kelly, came up with. However, it was originally an idea to produce an outdoor play in an effort to bring the arts to the community in a new and different way. We thought Old Main was the perfect place to preform Julius Caesar, and we wanted to make the play a little more current and not take audience back to 44 BC. Dr. Kelly came up with the idea of changing the setting to modern-day Africa, as there are many parallels between the two.

T&G: Will this production follow the original play closely?

DeCastro: We will try to follow the original Julius Caesar as closely as possible. However, there will not be an intermission and we are trying to cut the play down to 90 minutes. We hope to start the play right at sunset and finish it under the starry night.

T&G: How will the Philharmonic Orchestra be incorporated?

DeCastro: One of the missions of the college is to get the department to work together in a more collaborative environment — this includes collaborating with the School of Music and other colleges on campus. As I was down on the Old Main lawn, I called the director of the School of Music and said, “Old Man has a big patio, a stage, and sound. Why can’t the Philharmonic Orchestra do a production here?” It just made sense. If Julius Caesar is about the falling apart of a 14 - T&G April 2015

great nation and Lincoln’s words on Old Main are about the healing of a great nation, somehow we had to incorporate President Lincoln into our performance. Then we came up with the idea of the Philharmonic Orchestra preforming Lincoln Portrait

by Aaron Copland. It just seemed appropriate. Julius Caesar was killed on the Ides of March, and we are preforming one of the shows on April 15, the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Everything just seemed to fit.

T&G: With the play being performed on Old Main Lawn, how will the set be designed?

DeCastro: We are fortunate enough that the building is the set.

The architecture at Penn State is so wonderful, and the columns on Old Main are perfect for Julius Caesar.

Why would we spend a lot of money on a set if the perfect set is already built?

T&G: What is the biggest challenge of putting together this play?

DeCastro: Logistics, hands down. Right now we are coordinating between the College of Communications, the College of Arts and Architecture, the College of IST, World Campus, the Alumni Association, and commonwealth campuses. I hope to provide the leadership to organize all of these intracollege events. There is just so much that goes into this production — we have at least 400 people involved. It is just exciting to meld all of all our efforts and pull it off. T&G Penn State Centre Stage’s production of Julius Caesar will be performed April 15-17 at Old Main lawn. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. April 15-16 and 7:45 p.m. April 17. Prior to the April 17 performance, at 6:30 p.m., the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait.

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This Monthtownandgown.com On

• In 5 Questions, Shawn Colvin prepares for her April 16 concert at the State Theatre by looking back on her career so far.

• Looking back at the 2005 Blue-White Game, and what people were saying at the time about a Nittany Lion team that would go on to win the Big Ten title.

• Sangria and cocktail recipes from Good Intent Cider and Big Spring Spirits.

Shawn Colvin performs April 16 at the State Theatre.

• Blogs on sports, entertainment, and more.

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living well

Let It Go Feel the power of forgiveness

By Meghan Fritz, LCSW

Many people become very uncomfortable with the concept of forgiveness. It can often trigger feelings of anxiety or anger in the person that has been wronged by another. It’s the idea that you are letting the person that hurt you off the hook and allowing them to be free from making things right.

This could not be further from the truth. Forgiveness is not about letting things go and continuing a relationship with someone who has hurt you. Rather, true forgiveness is about not allowing anyone to have such power over you.

When we carry an offense around deep in our hearts, we allow our spirits to be weighed down with the burden of anger and bitterness. We can see the person or think of the incident that caused us pain and trigger all of the feelings as if it were happening all over again. Our brains do not categorize pain in the past or future — it processes feelings in the now moment, making our bodies and minds respond to the situation as if it were in the present moment.

This is why when you see a person who wronged you, or visit a place where trauma occurred, or even smell a familiar smell that reminds you of the pain, your body will respond as if it is happening in the present moment.

This gives pain tremendous power over your life. The idea behind forgiveness is to take your power back and release 18 - T&G April 2015

the person or situation from taking all of the power and energy away from you.

Think back to a time in your life when you hurt someone or made a poor decision. When you look at the circumstances surrounding the situation, chances are you will see that you were operating from a place of fear, anger, depression, or hopelessness. When we are hurting or in a really dark place, we hurt other people. Hurt people hurt people. Realizing this can free you of all the emotional junk you carry around being angry at other people.

True forgiveness is about looking at the situation and realizing that the person who hurt you was in a confusing place of their own and was not coming from a place of health and wellness. Someone hurting you really isn’t even about you, it’s about all of the other person’s emotional junk that is unresolved.

If a parent could not give what you needed to feel emotionally safe and protected as a child, it’s because they didn’t have that for themselves. If a spouse failed to be the partner you wanted, it’s about their inability to consciously be healthy and communicate directly.

If you made some really poor decisions that cripple you with regret, recognize that you were not in a place that you were clear or conscious enough to make healthy choices. Remember, hurt people hurt people.

Don’t spend your precious emotional and spiritual energy harboring anger and resentment toward others. This only clogs up your ability to have a healthy relationship with yourself or others. Recognize that giving that much power to someone else makes you just as dysfunctional

and unhealthy.

Taking back your power and forgiving another person doesn’t mean you have to continue a relationship with them or even confront them and let them know that you forgive them for their wrong doing. It simply means that you recognize their actions were about where they were in life at the time and that their mistreatment of you is about them not you.

If the situation calls for you to see this person regularly and you need to confront them to move on, have the conversation you need to have and keep going.

As we move into a season of light and new growth, think about the people that represent the weeds and darkness in your life. Pull the weeds up at the root and begin to focus on new growth. Plant and water new seeds of empowerment and emotional health and wellness.

Think about the people whom you allow to have power over your emotions and release them from your spirit. Recognize that this process will free you from pain and help you to move forward to make room for more of what you want and deserve in your life.

If you are not happy with where you are in your life and you are consistently hurting others, take inventory and recognize that you have the power to change the dynamic and pattern you keep repeating. Be accountable for actions and take the steps you need to take to create abundance and peace in your life.

Don’t spend another minute giving someone else power in your life. Let this season of light and coming warmth illuminate dark areas that you need to release in your spirit. You are worth it! T&G Meghan Fritz is a psychotherapist practicing at Sunpointe Health in State College.

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about town

Pet Peeves From how to pronounce “Schlow” to childproof caps, little things that remain vexing

By Nadine Kofman The State College area isn’t known for shy vi-o-lets. Residents tend to speak their minds — in person and/or on paper. Earth-shaking issues touch us all, but there also are small ones — gripes that don’t make headlines. Allow me to share a few unrelated ones of mine.

Local pronunciation As everyone knows, in another geographical Many out-of-towners, and some area, a place name or a locals, mispronounce Schlow person’s name is often Centre Region Library. pronounced differently. Newcomers and visitors to the State College area often mispronounce two family names attached to important places — Schlow and Koch. A third — Hiester — has been a mystery to most everyone.

The community library — Schlow Centre Region Library — is named for Charles Schlow, the gentleman who donated a needed building resulting in the founding of the library around 1957. “Schlow” rhymes with “go.“ Its “ch” is pronounced like a “k.”

A “k” sound for “ch” also applies to Koch, as in Koch Funeral Home, opened by Harry N. Koch in 1913. “Koch” and “Coke” sound alike. Former New York Mayor Ed Koch might have had a good laugh had he been a condo owner here.

For years, many of us pronounced Hiester Street as “Hister,” which, it seems, is wrong. Confusion was fed by reference reports containing both diphthong possibilities — “ie” and “ei” — of the name involved; sound sources used only the former.

And true to German speaking rules, a Hiester family member was heard to say “Hee-ster.”

This short street from East Beaver Avenue to East College Avenue dates to 1957 and honors Gabriel Hiester, a Penn State trustee from 1879 until his death in 1912. Hiester, a trustee’s 20 - T&G April 2015

son and a Penn State graduate, was a prominent fruit grower in the Harrisburg area, a major supplier for Central PA, and president of the State Horticulture Association.

(Thank you, Centre County Historical Society.)

Reflecting the environment Clothing colors usually reflect the landscape where the people who choose them live.

Northeasterners are rocks and trees that move. Is it any wonder folks crossing the street at twilight and later aren’t always seen by motorists?

My preferred drab colors are shades of brown. Referring to an outfit as “a riot of beige” hasn’t made the clothing peppier. But the occasional color surprise has. My old coat for (excuse the term) winter used to raise my husband’s eyebrows: “You look like a pumpkin.” Whatever — it isn’t invisible.

Another time change?

We would be better off if we were to adopt military/ police time. Midnight, that is 12 a.m., would become 2400 hours. We depend too much on two little letters, “a” and “p.” Suppose a report of your hypothetical 2 p.m. auto accident were in the newspaper. It would take only one tiny typo to give neighbors a different picture of what happened.

Voice-mail panic Has this happened to you?

Your voice mail repeats a new-to-you callback telephone number, but you’re empty-handed. To prevent panic, callers could change

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the message to something like: “Since no one is there to answer, I’ll leave a callback number for you. Go get a piece of paper and a writing implement. I’ll wait.” Callers could then count slowly to maybe 10.

Subtitles are golden Reinforced on sick days is the fact that operas on the radio sound wonderful, but the meaning is open to speculation — as compared to subtitled broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera, presented in State College at the State Theatre. Similarly, on the small screen, subtitles on foreign films and foreign news clips are a necessity for those unfamiliar with the language, but these aren’t always readable.

It’s too bad subtitles aren’t set against black backgrounds, as is one of my favorite classic films, the 1946 La Belle et la Bette. Newer, it seems, isn’t necessarily better.

A teaching tool Do TV spokespersons know that they are really teachers? If, once in a while, he or she

trots out iffy grammar — like using “less” when it should be “fewer” — they are passing that usage along. Teaching, as it were.

Not that the occasional grammatical slip isn’t possible during many a conversation, but most people don’t have such a big, captive audience.

Age appropriate Being old enough to look back on retirement doesn’t make you capable of unscrewing a childproof cap on a pill bottle. Maybe, if you could produce ID documenting an absence of tots in your household, you’d be handed a pill bottle with an adult cap.

A taxing task When oppressed by tax time, I remember an observation I heard 50 years ago from sage Penn State professor emeritus of agriculture journalism Franklin P. Ferguson: “If the government thinks I owe them something, let them send me a bill.” T&G Nadine Kofman is a native Centre Countian and historian.

Town&Gown March 2015

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Fashionable

in the Real World

WPSU celebrates 50th anniversary • Home and Garden Show preview

2nd Annual Penn State Town&Gown’s

2014 Football Annual

Town&Gown’s

Official Program Guide

2014

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts

The Franklin Factor Even though he hasn’t yet coached a game for the Nittany Lions, James Franklin is already making a huge impact on the future of the program

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Children & Youth Day, Wednesday, July 9 • Sidewalk Sale & Exhibition, July 10-13

Particle

March/April 2015

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on center

Water Music The Nile Project conjures music and promotes cooperation along an iconic river

By John Mark Rafacz

The Nile Project visits Eisenhower Auditorium April 23.

The Nile Project uses music to raise awareness of the cultural and environmental challenges along Africa’s mighty river. The project unites artists from each country in the Nile basin to learn from one another and compose music together.

The Nile forms a complex system wrought with political, environmental, economic, and social challenges. The project seeks to educate and empower Nile citizens to work cooperatively to boost the sustainability of their ecosystem.

The project’s April 23 performance at Eisenhower Auditorium culminates a weeklong residency by the musicians.

The Center for the Performing Arts and its Penn State partners have planned an array of engagement activities.

“To a traditionalist, the Nile Project might look like an ungainly mélange: a gathering of musicians from 11 countries of the Nile basin, playing instruments that weren’t made to share a stage or a song,” writes Jon Pareles of the New York Times. “They included an Egyptian wooden flute, an oud, African harps, a thumb piano, a saxophone. But at Globalfest, the annual world-music showcase … , the Nile Project was a committed, euphoric international coalition. The musicians had worked out the nuances of modes and rhythms to join one another’s songs, no longer separated by geography or politics.

Some of the music showed roots in Arabic culture, some in East African polyrhythms; the words were in various languages, the voices gentle or declamatory or cutting.”

The orchestra features percussion from Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt plus other instruments such as the masenko (single-stringed bowed lute), ney (end-blown flute), 24 - T&G April 2015

simsimiyya (plucked lyre), tanbura (long-necked stringed instrument), and adungu (arched harp).

Mina Girgis, who cofounded the project in 2011, was born in Paris and raised in Egypt. At 22, he enrolled at Florida State University, where he studied hospitality and ethnomusicology before going on to graduate school in California.

“We were interested in bringing musicians together from the 11 Nile countries to collaborate on creating music that would both help expand people’s cultural curiosity and musical curiosity in the Nile basin — about their river neighbors — and also facilitate conversation beyond music to get people to start talking more about the water conflict that we face and the water issues that we have to overcome together,” he says.

The project unites instruments and musical traditions that weren’t historically connected.

“We’re certainly creating music that hasn’t been created before.

This is a first in terms of bringing musicians from those 11 countries together,” Girgis says.

Each year, the project musicians get together for a two-week residency.

They also compose music when they’re on tour. In between, they meet online.

NPR named Aswan, the project’s first recording, one of the “five musthear international albums” of 2013.

A second album, Jinga, is slated for release this year. T&G Days Inn Penn State sponsors the concert. The Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment also provides support. For tickets or information, visit cpa.psu.edu or phone (814) 863-0255.

John Mark Rafacz is the editorial manager of the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State.

Emotionally surviving or thriving? A closer look at a man’s response to emotional distress.

Bethanne Woodhouse

MEd, LPC Owner/Executive and Clinical Director A Journey to You Counseling Services When it comes to expressing emotions, what are men being taught by their families, their fathers, and even by society? When life throws curve balls that might result in emotional distress, what does the response look like for a man? How does he react?

Ok men, here is your chance to reflect on yourself for a moment. Do you “stuff your emotions” and act as if everything is okay? Do you say things like “Don’t worry, I’m fine” and get right back to your usual routine, when on the inside, what you are actually thinking is “I’m scared” or “I’m upset”? For decades, men have received messages from our society to “man up” or that “real men don’t cry.” Unfortunately, the underlying message has been that men should not express vulnerable emotions, particularly fear or hurt because these feelings are sometimes viewed as weakness.

In times of stress, do you resort to feeling anger because it seems safer than feeling fear or hurt? “Anger” is only one letter away from “danger.” We all get angry. The issue is the way in which we deal with the anger. Keep in mind that anger is a secondary emotion. It is usually covering one of two emotions: fear or hurt. Many would say it’s easier to ignore the vulnerable feelings and focus on the anger.

The next time you get angry, ask yourself, “What am I afraid of ” or “What has hurt me?”

Then express it from a place of calmness and clarity in terms of what you need. Nothing good can come from feeling stuck in your anger. Furthermore, if anger is left unresolved or “stuffed away”, we will either implode or explode. Take care of yourself by getting to the root of the anger. Doing anything else will only cut the weed off at the top, allowing it to continue to grow.

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T& G

penn state diary

Lost Treasure While in trouble of being forgotten, Curtin Furnace remains a vital part of local history Penn State University Archinves

By Lee Stout

The furnace at Curtin ironworks circa 1900. It was the last water-powered, cold-blast charcoal iron furnace in the country. It closed in 1921.

Last October, I wrote about the coming 25th anniversary of my “Penn State Diary” column and that I would occasionally write about places and people who have had a profound influence on me. That column focused on Centre Furnace Mansion, home of the Centre County Historical Society. This month, I’m going to turn to another iron furnace, the Curtin ironworks in Boggs Township.

In the fall of 1971, I was still a graduate student in history and found myself between assistantships. I had no formal classroom responsibilities that term, and the income side of the ledger was a little pinched. I discovered there was a two-to-three-month job available on an archaeological dig at a place called Curtin Furnace. I had always been interested in archaeology, so I applied and was hired.

This was “industrial archaeology.” We were trying to find the remains of the iron-furnace buildings, along with whatever tools or other artifacts might come to light.

The dig was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, which was restoring the ironmaster’s house and planned to reconstruct the furnace site. Along with workers’ houses and other structures, this would create a state historic site interpreting a Juniata region 26 - T&G April 2015

ironworks as it operated in the early nineteenth century.

The furnace was established around 1819 by Roland Curtin, whose son, Andrew Gregg Curtin, would serve as governor of Pennsylvania. Curtin also built a large iron forge, a rolling mill, nail mill, and other metalworking operations nearby, all powered by water diverted from Bald Eagle Creek. The stone furnace stack is about four miles from Milesburg, just off State Route 150. Curtin Furnace, later known as Eagle Furnace, was the last waterpowered, cold-blast charcoal iron furnace operating in the country.

It finally closed in 1921 after the casting shed and other connected buildings burned to the ground.

Curtin’s furnace took advantage of the high-quality “Juniata” iron ore and limestone of the region.

This kind of operation is often referred to today as an “iron plantation.” Centre Furnace, established in 1792, was the first of these plantations in what is today Centre County. The workforce mined the iron ore and limestone, made the charcoal fuel for the furnace, and performed specialized tasks in the iron operations. At other times, they pitched in to help plant and harvest the food that fed the village that grew around the furnace. Situated in what was then a frontier area, it was largely a selfsufficient business.

Making Iron on the Bald Eagle: Roland Curtin’s ironworks and workers’ community, by Penn State history professor Gerald G. Eggert and published by the Penn State Press in 2000, is probably the best source to learn more about Curtin’s fascinating history.

As we were concluding our excavations of both the furnace buildings and the iron forge, I could not imagine I would ever have

any further connection to Curtin. My graduate work focused on China, but my academic career was about to change dramatically. What seemed like a short sojourn working in Pattee Library’s archives turned into a career.

Starting my archival work in 1972, I began to reconnect when I found we had microfilm copies of the Curtin Iron Works records, as well as other original Centre County iron-related records. Later, as a member of the Centre County Historical Society board, I coordinated “History Day” for Leadership Centre County, starting in 1995. This was an entire day of learning about Centre County’s past by touring historic sites across the county. This included a visit to Curtin Village, with Professor Eggert as our first guide.

Earlier, in the 1980s, I had served as a consultant on historical records for the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. In several extended conversations with administrators, I learned that the future of many historic sites like Curtin was dire.

The commission’s founder, S.K. Stevens, had acquired many of these places in the 1960s when funding was ample. Unfortunately, much of the commission’s work relating to archives, museums, and historic sites has been almost continuously pruned back to minimal funding over the last three decades.

The Roland Curtin Foundation worked with the commission to establish and operate Curtin Village as a state historic site, but almost all of the original board members are now long gone.

While the house, furnace, and a worker’s house were open to visitors in the past, there is now no regular staffing to lead tours and provide access.

This historical gem is in danger of being ignored by both the state and local communities. Such a loss would be a tragedy for both county history and heritage tourism.

No historic iron-furnace site in Pennsylvania can match it for presenting a better view of the isolated iron plantation of a century ago.

It also is a sad prospect for me — it was where I was introduced to Centre County history and Pennsylvania’s historical preservation operations in a truly hands-on way. T&G Lee Stout is librarian emeritus, Special Collections for Penn State.

Get to know...

Matt Bugaj: Hooked on Preschool Matt Bugaj calls the preschoolers he teaches at The Bennett Family Center “the funniest people in the world.” There’s the 3-year-old who loves pirates and has to be jokingly threatened with walking the plank before he will clean up after himself, and the boy who is fascinated with both animals and superheroes and proclaims that he has “skunk powers.” And all the kids who yell, “Mr. Matt, your mom’s here!” when his wife picks him up after work.

Mr. Matt loves them all. A State College native, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State, taught third grade for a while, and then started at The Bennett Center in 2003 while working on his master’s in early childhood education. Before long, he was hooked on helping 3- to 5-year-olds learn and grow.

Bugaj enjoys leading circle time, passing on classic games like tag, walking with his class to the library or arboretum, and using the school’s garden to teach kids who say “yuck” to vegetables that cucumbers are delicious, especially when you pick them yourself.

The pre-kindergarten teacher, who also serves on Penn State’s Childcare Advisory Committee, helps shape each student’s development for a few “magical” years and often gets to teach their siblings as well.

“I enjoy working with the families and developing relationships that can last for years.”

The Penn State Bookstore thanks Matt Bugaj and all faculty and staff who carry out the university’s mission every day.

www.psu.bncollege.com 814-863-0205 2015 April T&G - 27

Years of Town&Gown: Research & Technology

A graduate student prepares a sample for examination in the X-Ray Scattering Lab in Penn State’s Millennium Science Complex.

Silicon Valley East University labs drive local tech companies

By Tracey M. Dooms 28 - T&G April 2015

• Erie Technological Products Inc. — ceramic capacitors; later became Murata Erie.

• State of the Art Inc. — resistors and capacitors; founder Don Hamer left Erie Tech to start the company as a consulting firm, but quickly followed customer demand for manufacturing.

• Nease Chemical — organic chemicals; eventually became Ruetgers Organics.

• AccuWeather Inc. — technology-based weather forecasting.

• Chemcut Circuits — chemical etching equipment for electronics and metal finishing.

• Nuclide Corp. — mass spectroscopes, electron-beam evaporators, and related components.

• Cannon Instruments Company — instruments that measure viscosity, or resistance to flow.

Thanks to Penn State research transfer to the private sector, the State College area is home to a wealth of high-tech companies that are transforming the local economy. Stateof-the-art local businesses are profiting from recent developments in cloud computing, nanotechnology, genetic analysis, and other concepts that were unheard of 50 years ago.

Still, Penn State research has been impacting local life and business since 1857, when President Evan Pugh proved that plants take nitrogen from the soil, not the air — his work led to the modern nitrogen-fertilizer industry. By 1966, university research was producing advancements like that of John Aston’s cryogenic lab — one of the first in the country to make both liquid hydrogen and liquid helium — which produced temperatures below 0.001 Kelvin. Over the next five decades, university researchers made countless discoveries, including: • Developing the Penn State Heart, an artificial human heart.

• Advancing the huge potential in the use of lasers for optical displays and communications.

• Learning that a healthy cell’s coping mechanism can lead to uncontrolled cancer growth.

• Designing materials to improve acoustical and electronic devices.

• Producing new methods of analyzing gene function and structure.

In the mid-1960s, HRB-Singer conducted top-secret defense-industry work at the height of the Cold War.

Into the marketplace Haller Raymond & Brown was the first major local company that originated from Penn State research. Two university professors and a grad student launched the company after World War II based on their research in imaging and signal analysis. By the mid-1960s, the company was known as HRBSinger and had grown to 1,000 local employees conducting top-secret defense-industry work at the height of the Cold War. Some of the other technology companies started by local entrepreneurs that were operating in the mid- to late 1960s were: • Community Engineering Corp. — cabletelevision pioneer and producer of solid-state and tube amplifiers; founded by three HRB employees, it later became known as C-Cor Electronics Inc.

Nurturing start-ups Half a century ago, government officials had already begun to support the development of technology in the private sector. The Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program was founded in 1965 as a federal-state-university partnership for economic development dedicated to technologically assisting Pennsylvania companies using Penn State’s wealth of resources.

One of the country’s first technical-assistance programs, PennTAP continues today to act as a liaison to connect businesses with other information outlets while also serving in an advising capacity. The program concentrates its work on small or start-up businesses that lack the proper tools to support themselves technologically.

Eventually, nongovernmental organizations became involved in helping local tech companies grow. In 1983, the vacant Matternville 2015 April T&G - 29

30 - T&G April 2015

Patrick Mansell

Elementary School in Patton Township was converted into a business incubator and technologydevelopment center by the Centre County Industrial Development Corporation. One of the biggest success stories to emerge from those former classrooms was Restek Corp., a manufacturer of chromatography laboratory supplies launched by Paul Silvis in 1985. Today, Restek employs more than 250 people at Penn Eagle Industrial Park.

Another graduate of the Ascent Bio-Nano CEO Lin Wang (left) and PhD candidate Ahmad Ahsan Matternville incubator is Nawaz confer in a lab at the Millennium Science Complex. site development and support to integrate Sound Technology, founded in 1987 to produce nearly 800 school districts’ audiences and transducer and probe products for the medical educational missions through the Internet. ultrasound industry.

• Sinoceramics (USA) LLC expanded to State In 1993, the Chamber of Business & Industry College to grow its research, development, of Centre County and Penn State partnered in and manufacturing of advanced crystal the Technology Center at the newly constructed piezoceramics, engineering ceramics, and Innovation Park; incubator space there was optical components. doubled just 10 years later. Meanwhile, in 1998, • Soft Genetics LLC provides easy-to-use the chamber and the university again teamed up software analysis tools for genetic researchers to offer incubation space at the Zetachron Center and diagnosticians. for Business Development near Science Park • QuantumBio Inc. is a software designer and Road in State College. developer of genetic-analysis software.

Among the companies that have graduated • Geospatial Data Analysis Corporation from local incubators to become successful specializes in the processing, analysis, and companies are: modeling of GIS and remote sensing data • HigherEdJobs.com was founded in 1996 with and software development. a vision to revolutionize the way faculty and • Flashpoint Informatics Inc. provides Webstaff search and apply for positions in higher based customer software solutions and education. reliable cloud hosting for mission-critical • Mitotyping Technologies uses scientific software systems and applications. knowledge, training, and experience to help families and individuals resolve questions Changes on campus of identity and support the criminalPenn State research and education has justice system through the use of forensic constantly advanced to remain at the forefront mitochondrial DNA typing methods. of scientific and business needs. For example, in • Salimetrics LLC develops saliva testing September 1998, Penn State trustees approved products and provides testing services to aid the creation of the School of Information researchers in measuring stress biomarkers Sciences & Technology, with fast-track such as cortisol, protein, and melatonin. implementation that included admission of the • Schoolwires Inc. provides strategic Web-

first students in fall 1999. The goal was to fill a growing demand in government and industry for employees knowledgeable in the emerging field of information technology. Extending beyond classic computer science, the school was charged with producing graduates having knowledge of information technologies and the capability to work in teams to understand how IT can be utilized in real applications involving individuals, organizations, and national or global enterprises — basically, the interplay among information, technology, and humans.

In 2003, the first full class of 300 seniors graduated as the striking Information Sciences and Technology Building was rising above North Atherton Street. In 2006, the school achieved college status. Today, IST offers top-ranked programs at 19 campuses and online and is supported by 153 faculty members, with an undergraduate enrollment of 2,100 students.

In fall 2011, Penn State made another major move to advance scientific research with the opening of the Millennium Science Complex.

The 297,000-square-foot facility brought together, under one roof, materials science, engineering, nanoscience, and the life sciences, for easier collaboration. The building’s state-of-

the-art technical design also improved research capabilities and results. For example, each instrument lab was built on individual slabs of concrete that are isolated from the rest of the building to virtually eliminate vibration.

In December 2011, Penn State made significant changes to its intellectual-property policies that helped move new ideas from campus labs into the local economy. The university would no longer insist on owning intellectual property resulting from industry-sponsored research. Hank Foley, who was vice president for research, noted that, in contrast to earlier times, research universities now are expected to be engines of innovation.

“Our goal, then, is to flatten any and all barriers or impediments to innovation, and that includes our own past stance on intellectual policy,” he said at the time.

Earlier that year, the university had prefaced its policy change by combining its Industrial Research Office and its Intellectual Property Office into an Office of Technology Management, which was co-located at Innovation Park with the Small Business Development Center, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania, and Centre County Industrial Development Corp. These organizations

An actual strut brace manufactured in Penn State’s CIMP-3D Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.

2015 April T&G - 31

The Millennium Science Complex opened in 2011 and houses materials science, engineering, nanoscience, and the life sciences.

partnered in March 2012 to form TechCelerator @ State College, a one-stop shop designed to assist inventors, Penn State faculty, and very early-stage entrepreneurs in converting their business ideas and concepts into operating ventures.

The possibilities for technology transfer from the university are huge. In fiscal 2014, Penn State’s research expenditures totaled $813.1 million, from more than 400 sponsoring companies. Federal agencies, including the

Department of Defense, led the way with more than half a billion dollars. That same year, Penn State earned $3 million in revenue from technology transfer, with 159 invention disclosures received, 10 start-up companies formed, 41 US patents issued, and 36 licenses and options executed.

Another advance came in April 2014 when the nonprofit Penn State Research Foundation created the Fund for Innovation to promote commercialization of new discoveries.

“The fund is another indication of Penn State’s renewed commitment to translating and implementing our most innovative findings,” says Peter Linder, managing director of the fund.

“Commercializing promising ideas and creating new companies and new jobs increases the already sizeable positive impact that Penn State has on the economy of Pennsylvania.”

The Fund for Innovation provides three stages of award dollars to help move projects from ideas to marketable products.

“Driving economic development across the state and beyond is a key component of Penn State’s mission,” says Neil Sharkey, current vice president

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for research. “Our hope is that the fund will serve as another important catalyst in this effort.”

Already, the fund has made two rounds of awards totaling $1 million. According to Linder, the first start-up companies might emerge from fund activities as early as late autumn — perhaps eight to 10 companies from the initial 18 awards.

Students use Schoolwires, which began in a local incubator and provides strategic Web-site development and support to school districts.

Fields of the future Centre County’s economy has benefited from technology transfer in a variety of fields.

Chromatography has long been a stronghold for the county. In addition to Restek, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Chromatography Associates Inc. manufacture columns and accessories for use in liquid chromatography. In 2009, SilcoTek spun off from Restek to market chemical vapor-coating processes.

In recent years, nanotechnology has moved to the forefront in Centre County. Penn State was an early leader in nanotechnology, the science and engineering of matter at the atomic and molecular scale. The university opened its Nanofabrication Facility at Innovation Park in 1993 and moved it to the newly opened Millennium Science Complex in 2011. Among the most well-known local nano companies is NanoHorizons, founded by Penn State scientists in 2002 to develop and manufacture nanosilverbased antimicrobial additives. Marketed globally under the SmartSilver brand, these additives permanently inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungus, and mold in products such as sports

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Outstanding Technology Company Of The Year This award is presented to a Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County member that develops or implements exciting new technologies and makes them work for the betterment of business, industry, and society. In the past five years, the CBICC honored these companies as Outstanding Technology Company of the Year: 2014 SilcoTek Corp.

2013 Mount Nittany Health System 2012 Schoolwires Inc. 2011 Automated Records Centre 2010 NanoHorizons Inc. apparel, paints, rugs, and hospital beds.

Another local company, Keystone Nano, develops customized nanoparticle solutions for imaging and drug delivery. Developed by Penn State materials scientist Jim Adair, the company’s

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Molecular Dots are nontoxic nano-sized particles that deliver anticancer drugs or fluorescent markers to specific sites within the body.

Working just above the nanoscale, Micromechatronics was founded in 2004 by Penn State scientist Kenji Uchino to market micro ultrasonic motors used in minimally invasive surgery as well as in control mechanisms to allow manipulation of objects at the microscopic scale.

Looking to the future, additive manufacturing holds promise for Penn State and Centre County.

Also known as 3D printing, this technology lays down layer after layer of materials to “print” a three-dimensional object, allowing on-demand manufacturing and highly flexible design processes. Penn State’s Center for Innovative Materials Processing Through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D) is among the top such R&D facilities in the country. Its Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Facility is at Innovation Park. This process could bring a manufacturing renaissance to Centre County — with a high-tech bent. T&G Tracey M. Dooms is a freelance writer in State College and a special-projects editor for Town&Gown.

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Tom Prop (left) served November 1967-February 1968

Tom Hoy served July 1969-February 1971

Vietnam Memories 36 - T&G April 2015

Leland “Larry” Hess served February 1968-February 1969

Gary Way served October 1968-October 1969

By Jenna Spinelle 2015 April T&G - 37

Darren Weimert (4)

It’s been 40 years since the city of Saigon fell, ending the Vietnam War. To many Americans who served in the war, it doesn’t seem that long ago.

to go with the draft and take my chances,” he says. “Of course, my chances didn’t turn out very good because I ended up in the infantry.”

He says he was “scared to death” upon arriving in Vietnam to serve in the US Army’s 5th Infantry Division, but quickly became hardened to the life of a soldier. Just when he was starting to get a handle on things, he took a piece of shrapnel to the legs on December 21, 1968, and was sent to Japan to recover.

Centre County residents played a variety of He says he thought the injury was his ticket roles in the war, and many of them found their out of Vietnam, but he was called back to duty at way back to the area to earn degrees at Penn the end of February 1969.

State, thanks to the GI Bill. Some had been “I had no broken bones … the shrapnel went drafted, others enlisted so they would have through flesh of both legs, so I healed and went more control over where they were placed and back,” he says. “Going back the second time what their job would be. was harder than the first because I knew what to Regardless of how they wound up in Vietnam, expect.” these men proudly served their country and held He finished his service in October 1969 and their heads high upon returning home to antiwar returned to State College to the height of antiwar protesters. Four local Vietnam veterans recently protests in the US. With Penn State in his reflected on their service time and the lessons they backyard, it was impossible to escape protestors. have learned since the war ended.

Soon after he returned, his feelings reached a breaking point one night on College Avenue.

Gary Way “Someone called me a ‘baby killer’ and it Spring Mills set me off pretty good. It was terrible.” he says.

Gary Way says he was drafted “kicking and “I couldn’t quite understand where they were screaming” into the war in 1968. He was 19 coming from.” years old and “hanging out” in State College Though he was not exactly excited about heading when he was drafted. to Vietnam, he says he felt compelled to serve “Enlistment was a three- or four-year term because of his father’s service in World War II. He and the draft was only two years, so I preferred knew of people going to Canada to escape the draft, but couldn’t bear to face his family if he had done something Two months into his tour, like that.

Way took a piece of shrapnel in his legs. After two months His biggest regret of recovery in Japan, he was is not keeping in called back to duty. touch with any of the people he served with once they all returned home.

“When we were there, we said we’re going to meet at the Indianapolis 500 — but we never had that reunion,” he says. “We all had families and it just never happened.”

38 - T&G April 2015

During the Tet Offensive, Prop was shot through both legs, which ended his tour in Vietnam.

Tom Prop

State College Tom Prop’s service in the Army infantry was short-lived but memorable. The Pittsburgh native was drafted in 1967 and arrived in Vietnam on November 20 that year. He recalls being overwhelmed by the oppressive heat and humidity and the smell coming from burning garbage and human waste.

“One of the first things I saw was one plane loading body bags and another plane discharging people to be the next body bags,” he says.

He vividly remembers dates and details from his service. He describes a typical day in combat as follows: “I would get up in the morning, chow, get on the helicopter, take a ride, and then get dropped off in a clearing somewhere. Then I’d take a long walk in the jungle and try not to get ambushed, get on the helicopter, and try to go home and forget about what just happened.”

Prior to his enlisting, he had spent two years at Penn State’s campus in McKeesport.

When he returned, he finished his degree at University Park. He graduated in 1975 and went to work for the post office on Fraser Street in State College. He was there for 30 years before retiring.

His Army unit was among the 200,000 troops who fought in the Tet Offensive, one of the largest campaigns in the war. He was stationed about 45 miles north of Saigon and remembers the day the offensive launched on January 30, 1968.

“It seemed like the entire world was exploding,” he says. “It was virtually light for the first three days because of all the explosions, even way out in the country.”

Shortly after the start of the Tet Offensive, he was shot through both legs, putting an abrupt end to his service after only four months. The day he was injured started with three of nine helicopters from his unit being shot out of the sky, and he says he had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

He spent 10 weeks recovering in Japan before being transferred to Valley Forge Army Hospital, where he would complete the duration of his service.

Like Way, he returned home to protesters — and he was not very happy about it.

“I was pissed,” he says “The thing was, since I came back through the hospital system, I never saw demonstrations, but it was enough to just know that they were going on.”

2015 April T&G - 39

Tom Hoy

Hoy’s military experience led to a career in the FBI.

State College Tom Hoy withdrew from Penn State in 1967, and saw the writing on the wall.

“I would have been 1A, which was draft quality. I always wanted to go into the Marines — they’re the best,” he says.

He was a loadmaster and radio operator in the Marine Corps air division. His unit was primarily responsible for transporting people and supplies along the DMZ. “Every day we would be hauling sea rations, ammunition, and people, and at nighttime we dropped flares,” he says. “Places would get overrun and we’d go out and fly around 2,000 feet in the air all night long. We were busy.”

Those trips went smoothly for the most part.

While he does recall being shot at a few times, he says he never really felt in danger because the Vietnamese troops “were really bad shots.”

While he spent most of his service flying above the action happening on the ground, he values the time he spent dropping flares that helped light the way for his comrades on the front lines.

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Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 8 am to 2 pm.

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CENTRE COUNTY RECYCLING & REFUSE AUTHORITY (814) 238.7005 CCRRA@CENTRECOUNTYRECYCLES.ORG WWW.CENTRECOUNTYRECYCLES.ORG 40 - T&G April 2015

“I was 20 years old and a totally dedicated Marine,” he says. “I had a job to do, and I knew it was dangerous, but I didn’t even think about the consequences” He re-enrolled at Penn State upon completion of his service, and, like many Vietnam veterans, earned his degree through the GI Bill. His military experience led to a job as an FBI agent in 1975. He retired in 2004 and moved back to State College in 2006. He now assists the agency with doing background checks on Penn State students applying for jobs in the FBI. “I always preach to kids about going into the military,” he says, “because that’s such a good jumping board for getting into other types of government service.”

Leland “Larry” Hess

Port Matilda If you meet Larry Hess, ask him about the Sniffer. The tool used to detect the enemy based on ammonia from smoke was the highlight of his service in Vietnam.

He was an equipment repairman who worked mostly on projectors, generators, and

telescopes, until one day a civilian showed up looking for volunteers to work on a new piece of equipment. Hess, looking for a new challenge, quickly stepped up.

“This civilian sat down for a month and taught us how to repair Sniffers,” he says.

“That was what I did for my last six months.

My job was just paperwork, and this was so much more interesting to do.”

He enlisted in the US Army in 1966 and signed up for equipment-repair courses. He did so well that he was selected to become an instructor, which he did until he was deployed to Vietnam in February 1968. Following his service, he landed a job at Jostens Printing and Publishing, eventually transferring to the company’s location in State College. He retired in 2009.

After being trained to work on the Sniffer, he had the chance to fly along on one mission to see it in action. He describes that experience as a memorable part of his service.

“I kept pestering the captain, who could never calibrate the machine. I went fully dressed — helmet, flak jacket, fully loaded

2015 April T&G - 41

During his service, Hess worked on the Sniffer, which was used to detect the enemy based on ammonia.

— to fly the mission with him,” he says. “We found two positive sites for ammonia and we also had very strong smoke from campfires.

There were gunships behind me and I felt quite exhilarated when we landed.”

While movies about war often focus on troops in the infantry, support troops compose the majority of active-duty soldiers. As such, Hess did not see much active combat during his time in Vietnam.

He does recall one scary moment not long after he arrived. The base he was staying in for the night was attacked, but he found solace in his bunkmate.

“It was a sudden shock when you’re not even in country for a week yet. It really puts you on your toes,” he says. “The guy in bunk across from me was on his way out of country. I could see scars on his body. He said, ‘You’ll be all right.’ That calms you down a little bit.” T&G Jenna Spinelle is a freelance writer and journalism instructor in State College.

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2015 April T&G - 43

Bringing a

HERO Home In 1968, Lewis Smith II of Bellefonte was shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War. After more than four decades, his family continues to fight to have his remains recovered and brought back to America

By David Pencek

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2015 April T&G - 45

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Darren Weimert

Every day, for 10 Ten years later, in 1978, he was declared KIA years, Elizabeth (killed in action), and that was when Elizabeth Smith sat down could no longer send letters to the Red Cross for in her Bellefonte him. She dedicated much of the rest of her life to home and wrote having her son’s remains returned home. When on a piece of she died in 1998 and, a year later, Earl passed paper — front and away, it was up to their children — daughters, back — a letter to her Patti Long, Georgia Chambers, Georgette Nuss, oldest son, Lewis, whom and Burger, and son, Denny — to continue the Smith’s class ring from Penn State. she called “Skip.” She wrote fight to have Lewis brought home. to him about everything that was happening in As of February, Lewis Smith remains one of her life and about his father, Earl, and about his 1,636 personnel listed by the US Department of five siblings.

Defense as “missing and unaccounted-for” from After 10 days, she collected the previous 10 the Vietnam War. His name is on the Vietnam letters she had written and put the 10 pieces of Veterans Memorial Wall. The fight to have his paper in an envelope. (She also had a carbon remains brought home is approaching 47 years copy of each letter that she kept for herself.) She and has had its share of emotional ups and downs. mailed the envelope to the Red Cross with the In 2001, representatives from the US hope that somehow they would reach her son. government went to the crash site in Laos and Every 10 days, she did the same thing — three found a part of Smith’s revolver and his flak jacket. The officials determined that he had died batches of letters a month for a son who would on impact and was buried at the site. In 2009, it never read them.

On May 30, 1968 — Memorial Day — Lewis was discovered that a Laotian had Smith’s class ring from Penn State; Smith had graduated from Smith, 25, a major in the Air Force, was flying his the university in 1964. The Laotian says he took first reconnaissance mission in Laos. As a forward the ring off of Smith’s body and buried him where air controller, he was to find out how members of his plane had crashed. That September, prior the North Vietnamese military were able to come to the annual POW/MIA vigil at Penn State, through Laos into Vietnam, attack US forces, Smith’s siblings were given their brother’s ring in a and return to their home country. He discovered private ceremony. a bridge that the North Vietnamese were using A few months later, Burger, her sister, to cross a river gorge. He radioed the coordinates Georgette, and Georgette’s husband, Don, went to the US air base so bombers could come and to Durham, North Carolina, for an update on destroy the bridge — but, as part of his job, he had to fly around the spot until the bombers arrived. her brother’s remains. She discovered that his When they finally did, Smith’s plane was nowhere in sight.

Later that day, back in Bellefonte, Elizabeth Smith was walking from her dining room to the living room when she saw members of the Air Force coming up the steps to her house.

“I remember her screaming,” says Debra Burger, the youngest child of the Smith family who was 11 at the time.

“She knew right away.

“That’s one day that’s indelibly stamped in my mind. I don’t remember anything the year before that or the year Smith’s siblings and their spouses — (from left) Phil and after that, but that day you never forget.” Georgia Chambers, Denny and Sue Smith, Debra and Tom Burger, and Patti and Tom Long — are continuing the fight to Smith’s plane had been shot down. have his remains brought home. Not pictured are Georgette That’s all that was known at the time. and Don Nuss.

DECMAT (Decimal Matrix) score, which is used to determine which sites that may have remains of Americans should be given a higher priority to be checked out and excavated, had been raised.

While Burger and her siblings thought it was the tangible evidence of Smith’s class ring that had raised the score, it was the fact that a reservoir was about to be built near the crash site and government officials thought the site would be in jeopardy of being submerged.

Three years later, Burger traveled to Washington again for an update and found that Smith’s DECMAT score had been lowered because someone from the Laotian embassy e-mailed the US government and ensured them that the reservoir would not impact the site.

Last June, at another family update, Burger received the packet of information about her brother and discovered that the crash site where her brother is likely buried is now under water because of the reservoir construction. Officials expressed confidence to Burger that they could do an underwater recovery for Smith’s body.

“They apologized. What was I to say,” Burger says. “Nothing they could say was going to fix this. … When is enough going to be enough.

“A lot of people don’t understand why we still have an interest in this. And I’ve said that unless you’ve lived through something like this, it’s hard to explain.”

For Burger, she remembers that when her parents received notice that Lewis was missing, she didn’t quite understand what was happening.

“Yeah they got a letter and Lewis was missing, but he’s going to appear next week. Everything is going to be fine,” she remembers thinking. “I was more concerned because the next day I was supposed to go on a field trip to Lakemont Park with my class. I was more concerned about if I was going to go on this class trip than what my parents were going through.

“So, fast-forward to when I have my first child.

I’m at the mall and he went missing for maybe 10 seconds. I can’t find him for 10 seconds. Everything in the universe stops because of a missing child. I understood at that moment what my mother had been living with for about 20 or 30 years. … To describe why we are still searching to get answers on this, unless you have a missing child or a missing loved one, you don’t understand it.”

Lewis Smith was born January 2, 1943. He

Top, Smith at about 2 years old. Left, Smith at about 14 or 15.

graduated from Bellefonte Area High School in 1960 and from Penn State four years later. While at Penn State, he majored in music and played trumpet in the Blue Band. He also had enrolled in the Air Force ROTC and planned to be a music teacher after he completed his obligation to the Air Force.

Since he was at least six years older than any of siblings, his brother and sisters don’t have many memories of him.

“My most vivid memory of him was when I was in second or third grade when he was in the Air Force,” Burger says. “I remember him coming home in his uniform, and he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was taller than life. I thought he had to be 6-7, but when I got his medical records, he was 5-11.

“My parents had a long living room. I would be sitting close to the television. He would go in the kitchen and get one of the kitchen chairs. He would put that chair in the back, and he would say, ‘Now you sit back here and watch television because you’re going to have bad eyes.’ … That’s my memory of him — larger than life but taking care of you.”

During Smith’s time at Penn State, he became best friends with Frank Vicente, who also was majoring in music and part of the Air Force ROTC. Smith even introduced Vicente to the woman who 2015 April T&G - 47

Carbon copies of the letters Elizabeth Smith wrote every day to her son, Lewis, from when she first learned he had been shot down in Laos in May 1968 to when he was declared killed in action in 1978.

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would become his wife, Connie Mundy.

“He would do anything for you,” says Vicente, who now lives in Florida and Virginia. “He would give you his last dollar if you needed it more than he did. … He was a great guy. He would make you laugh during your darkest days.”

Vicente and Smith were eager to serve their country. Vicente recalls the two of them traveling to the Air Force base in Harrisburg to have their physicals. Each had flat feet, which would have prevented them from becoming pilots in the military.

They wore their socks to hide their feet, but when the doctor told them to remove their socks, he saw their feet and said they weren’t qualified to be pilots.

The two begged the chief flight surgeon to pass them so they could serve, and he eventually relented.

The night before Smith was to leave for Vietnam, he, Vicente, and Connie, who was now Vicente’s wife, hit the bars in downtown State College.

“It was 3 a.m. and we were walking down Beaver Avenue to our cars,” Vicente says. “The three of us were holding hands. That was the last time I saw him.”

While at first Smith had flown cargo planes, he had signed up and trained to become a forward air

Smith (far right) sits with his father, Earl, who was leaving for Korea circa 1950. Also in the photo are (from left) Smith’s mom, Elizabeth, and twin sisters, Georgette and Georgia.

controller, one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. The controllers did reconnaissance missions in small aircrafts that were unarmed. On May 30,

Protect what’s important now ...and for them.

1968, he took off for his first flight.

One week later, Vicente arrived in Vietnam for his first tour. A letter from his wife was waiting for him.

“She wrote to me that Lewis had been shot down on Memorial Day,” says Vicente, who did several tours between 1968 and 1971. “That was a devastating blow to me. … I didn’t anticipate anything like that happening to him.

“He was a hero for doing what he did.”

For Smith’s family and friends, it’s long past time for that hero to come home. Burger says she’s not going to stop what her mother started. She and the rest of her family are going to continue their efforts to have her brother returned to the United States.

While the fight is a personal one for her, she sees it as part of one that all Americans should join.

“As a US citizen, when you send these young men and women to fight for our freedom, I think they deserve the right to know that if something happens to them, we are going to do everything in our power to find out what happened. And whether they’re alive in some sort of prisoner of war camp, whether they’re somewhere injured, whether they’re deceased, they deserve to be back here,” she says. “I think they need to know we’re all willing to fight for them.” T&G 1 3 3 N . A l l e g h e n y S t r e e t , B e l l e f o n t e , PA

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www.bellefontemuseum.org 2015 April T&G - 49

Bringing

Home to Work

While Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is celebrated once a year, many local professionals have made sure their families are part of their workday on a daily basis

By David Pencek Photos by Darren Weimert

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Home inspector Ray Davis loves having his kids — 11-year-old Kayla (left) and 5-year-old D’Anna — take an active interest in his work.

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“I have the ability to teach my girls every day, thus providing them a knowledge of creating a pathway to success. It’s a helluva great feeling!” ­— Ray Davis Monteca worked with her parents every day in the summer and came into the store after school.

“My mom told me that I made my first sale when I was 3 years old,” she says. “I pulled up a stool to the counter and started ‘helping’ a man, and he bought what I pulled out of the case.”

She adds that many clients remember her working and playing at the store as a child. When she was 19, she started working full time.

Monteca Confer (right) of Confer’s Jewelers gives her Now, just as her parents did, she gives daughter, Mya, little chores to do when she visits the store. her daughter little jobs to do.

On April 23, moms, dads, children, and “It gives her a sense of accomplishment businesses around the country will participate and pride when she’s finished,” Monteca in the 22nd Take Our Daughters and Sons to says. “Hopefully, she’s the next generation in Work Day. The program started in 1993 as Take training.”

Our Daughters to Work Day, but expanded to include boys 10 years later. It occurs every year on the fourth Thursday in April.

Its goal is to encourage “girls and boys across the Ray Davis’s daughters, 11-year-old Kayla and country to dream without gender limitations and 5-year-old D’Anna, are already helping their to think imaginatively about their family, work, dad’s business a little. When you phone Davis and community lives. … Take Our Daughters and Home Inspection, a company Ray started in Sons to Work helps girls and boys across the na2012, and no one answers, you’ll hear Kayla’s tion discover the power and possibilities associated voice asking to leave a message — “Thank you with a balanced work and family life.” for calling Davis Home Inspection. My daddy Town&Gown found several professionals in is currently out inspecting the world, but if you various fields who love taking their child or want my daddy to inspect your world to make children to their places of work every day. our world better, I’ll make sure he calls you back right away.”

Many who have called, including some real estate agents, have told Ray that they love Mya Confer, age 6, looks to be the next Kayla’s message. generation who will be running Confer’s JewAt home, D’Anna gets into the act. She elers in Bellefonte. Her mother, Monteca, also likes to use her toy phone to pretend she’s grew up coming to work with her parents, who helping her father with his business. She started the business 38 years ago. answers her phone, “Davis Home Inspection 52 - T&G April 2015

— this is D’Anna Davis.” She also helps Ray with little chores such as picking up water samples, and she takes a flashlight around their home and does her own inspections.

“One of the most pleasurable experiences of running my business is seeing the smiles on my girls’ faces when I arrive home,” Ray says. “They are so involved! They love to engage me about my day and what cool or unique things that I saw. Their support is greatly appreciated. I have the ability to teach my girls every day, thus providing them a knowledge of creating a pathway to success. It’s a helluva great feeling!”

With both a mom and a dad working for the State College Police Department, 12-year-old John Aston III, is used to being around uniforms, cop cars, lights, and running around the station. It’s just part of growing up for him.

His dad, John Jr., is a detective and a certified crime-scene technician and his mom, Kelly, is the police department’s community relations and crime-prevention specialist.

John Aston III (left) and his dad, John Jr., dust for fingerprints using florescent powder and a blue light.

Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli (right) is excited to have his daughter, Alyssa, working in the health-care profession.

“We have pictures of [John III] in police gear and in police cars before he could even walk,” says Kelly. “What’s cool about growing up in this family is that he has all of us to watch out for him, not just his mom and dad, but every officer would treat him like their own child, and that includes the neighboring departments. We all work together. It’s a brother/sisterhood — and that means it’s family. As a kid growing up in law enforcement, it means there is always someone there for you.

“He has a good head on his shoulders. He also has a big heart, and the combination makes a good cop, so maybe he will want to follow in our footsteps someday. Time will tell.”

Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli says that having one of his children follow in his footsteps in the health-care profession is exciting but a little nerve-racking, considering how health care is more complicated these days.

His 23-year-old daughter, Alyssa, graduated last year from Penn State’s School of Nursing and is an RN. She’s currently working toward her master’s.

“I am very excited to have my daughter be part of the modern health-care system,” says Sebastianelli, who is associate dean for clinical affairs in Penn State’s College 2015 April T&G - 53

Penn State women’s basketball head coach Coquese Washington works out while daughter, Rhaiyna (left), and son, Quenton, coach her.

of Medicine and medical director for Penn State Sports Medicine. “She will always be my daughter, but as a professional, I will look to her specialty and training for guidance with any of my patients.”

He says Alyssa was always interested in the physical and mental well-being of those around her, and she always wanted to understand how things work.

“Whenever she had an athletic injury, she would try to figure out how things were put together,” he says.

Alyssa says she first became interested in a career in medicine early in her high school years.

She adds that her relationship with her dad has changed a little since she began her career.

“It’s more of a peer relationship now,” she says.

“I can’t call him Dad — it’s Dr. Sebastianelli. …

I think he is very proud of what I’m doing.”

She hopes to eventually work in a primary-

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care facility in State College and teach a collegelevel class for nursing.

“I have always told her that medicine is an exciting, challenging, and privileged calling that requires your full attention,” Dr. Sebastianelli says. “She clearly understands this and has accepted this passion very well.”

Just being a parent to young kids can be a workout. Penn State women’s basketball head coach Coquese Washington’s two children — 5-year-old Rhaiyna and Quenton, who turns 10 in April — make sure she stays in shape to keep up with them.

Rhaiyna and Quenton come to the Lady Lions’ practices nearly every day, and they can be seen dribbling balls around and running all over the gym.

“I know my numberone job is to be the best husband and father, and then represent Penn State.” ­— James Franklin State,” Franklin says. “When you combine all those things together, there’s no better place, in my opinion, to raise a family than Penn State and State College.”

The stereotypical story about many football head coaches in college and the NFL is that they live in their offices and rarely see their families. Franklin makes sure that isn’t the case with his Penn State football head coach James Franklin learns some family — and the families of new plays from daughters, Addison (left) and Shola. his assistant coaches. Every day, Franklin’s wife, Fumi, brings Addison and Shola When Quenton was little, he also would draw to Franklin’s office in the Lasch Building so they plays on the dry-erase board. can spend some time together. The children of “It’s an absolute joy having Quenton and the other assistant coaches also visit during the Rhaiyna at practice and games with me regularday, and on Mondays, all the families eat together ly,” Washington says. “Their presence helps me at the training table. perform at my best. It also means we’ll always “I’ve worked a lot of places that [having a famihave many funny, wonderful memories to share.” ly-friendly office] wasn’t the environment,” Franklin

says. “One of the advantages of being a head coach is I can create that culture and that environment. I think that’s why the staff has stayed together, because While he may be busy trying to figure out how to the wives and the coaches appreciate that. beat Ohio State or what recruits the Nittany Lions “The other thing is it’s important for our playshould go after, Penn State football head coach ers to see us as more than just coaches. They see James Franklin always has time for his two daughters us as fathers. They see us as husbands. They see — 7-year-old Addison and Shola, who turns 8 in April. how we interact with our wives and kids. That’s “I know my number-one job is to be the best part of the educational process, as well.” T&G husband and father, and then represent Penn

2015 April T&G - 57

BuyHereLiveHere.com 58 - T&G April 2015

s p e c i a l

Community

Town&Gown’s 12th annual edition of recognizing some of the outstanding men who continue to help this region grow and prosper

s e c t i o n

in the

a d v e r t i s i n g

Men

Partnering for Entrepreneurial Growth & a Strong Local Economy Penn State and CBICC leaders are collaborating through a shared mission of better utilizing the human capital, intellectual resources, and physical resources of the university and the economic development expertise/assets of the CBICC and its Centre County Economic Development Partnership investors to promote economic development in Centre County and Central Pennsylvania. The result will be stronger opportunities for young professionals and entrepreneurs of all ages.

Nicholas Jones, executive vice president and provost, Penn State; Eric Barron, president, Penn State; Vern Squier, president and CEO, Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County and Tom Fountaine, manager, State College Borough

200 Innovation Blvd., Suite 150 State College, PA 16803 (814) 234-1829

1857 N. Atherton St. State College, PA 16803 (800) 837-2265

Men in the Community Commercial

Bob Froehlich ext. 6101

Hans Huber ext. 6097

Bob Langton ext. 6102

Scot Chambers ext. 6079

Dean Lawrence ext. 6082

We believe in being actively involved in our communities because we appreciate the quality of life in the Centre Region. We understand why so many people choose to live and work around here. We feel it is important to give back to the community that has given us the quality of life we enjoy. Contact us when you need to find the right place for you in just the right location.

Jules Loesch ext. 6136

ext. 6141

Cabus Dewey ext. 6090

John Packard ext. 6083

740 S. Atherton Street

State College, PA 16801

RICHARD ALLATT, M.D.

814 . 272 .3333

EDWARD BALABAN, DO

Medical Director HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital

CANCER CARE PARTNERSHIP

Medical Director

550 West College Avenue Pleasant Gap, PA 16823

Dr. Allatt, HealthSouth’s Medical Director for 22 years, leads the hospital’s interdisciplinary patient care teams. As a physiatrist, he is dedicated to helping patients achieve their optimum level of functioning and return home and to the community. He earned his medical degree from McMaster University Medical School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Allatt completed residencies in both family medicine and in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Allatt offers special expertise in back pain treatment, sports medicine and musculoskeletal medicine.

JOE BEDDALL

Artist, Businessman, and Community Volunteer Joe is an artist who also works i n t h e re s ta u ra n t m a n a g e m e n t f i e l d , p re s e n t l y t h e S ta t e C o l l e g e H o n e y b a ke d H a m C o . a n d C a fe . H e h a s s e r v e d a s p re s i d e n t o f T h e S ta t e T h e a t re b o a rd , a n d i s t h e c u r re n t p re s i d e n t o f t h e Pa l m e r M u s e u m o f Ar t Fr i e n d s B o a rd o f D i re c t o rs . T h r o u g h m e m b e rs h i p d u e s a n d s u c h f u n d ra i s i n g e v e n t s a s t h e a n n u a l G a l a , t h e Pa l m e r s t r i v e s t o m a i n ta i n a h i g h p r o f i l e a s a v i ta l a n d e d u c a t i o n a l c e n t e r i n t h e re g i o n a n d a s a n a d m i s s i o n - f re e re s o u rc e a v a i l a b l e a n d a c c e s s i b l e to a l l .

Sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art

S p e c i a l

Erik McDonough

Dr. Edward Balaban serves as medical director of the CANCER CARE PARTNERSHIP, a partnership between Mount Nittany Health and Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. Located at Mount Nittany Medical Center in the Shaner Cancer Pavilion, Dr. Balaban and his team provide outpatient hematology services, chemotherapy, biotherapy, immunotherapy, infusion services, coagulation medicine and palliative medicine for adults and children. Meet the providers and learn more at cancercarepartnership.org.

DON BEDELL Market Manager

Seven Mountains Media – State College A 25-year media veteran, Don is proud to take on the challenge of leading local radio in new, vibrant directions. As Market Manager, Don is responsible for broadcast and online operations of B94.5, 95.3/3WZ, WOWY 97.1 and Eagle 98.7. Originally from Canton, Ohio and a graduate of Ohio University, he and his family have made State College home since 2003. Don is a current member and Past President of the State College Downtown Rotary Club, a Bellefonte Cruise committee member, and recently served as Board Member of the State Theatre. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music in local bands.

A d v e r t i s i n g

S e c t i o n 2015 April T&G - 61

Men in the Community CHRISTIAN BRADY

MARK BIGATEL

Broker Associated Realty Property Management

456 E. Beaver Ave. (814) 231-3333 www.arpm.com

Upon graduating from Penn State, Mark stayed in State College and became involved in all aspects of real estate and his community.

Associated Realty Property Management manages over 1700 properties and 12 Homeowners Associations. Mark is also the managing Broker of Kissinger Bigatel & Brower Realtors.

ANTHONY CARDELL, MD

TOM CALI ASSOCIATE BROKER

Mount Nittany Health

RE/MAX Centre Realty

1375 Martin Street, State College, PA 16803 (814) 231-8200 ext. 308

Tom has been an active member of the State College community for over 25 years. In addition to his career as an Associate Broker at RE/MAX, he is an adjunct faculty member in the Smeal College of Business and has served on the boards of Centre Volunteers in Medicine, the Centre County Women’s Resource Center, and Centre Soccer Association. An avid runner, Tom is about to embark on his 14th Boston Marathon as a member of the Marathoners for Medicine fund raising group.

Sponsored By: Ellen Kline, Tonya Briggs, Bethany Heitzenrater and Tracy Wagner.

Head Coach Nittany Lion Basketball 113 Jordan Center (814) 865-5494 In his fourth season leading the Penn State basketball program, Chambers led the Nittany Lions to an 18-16 record — its best record since he became head coach. The Lions set a team record for wins in the nonconference with 12, and they advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament with wins over Nebraska and Iowa. In March, Chambers was given a two-year contract extension that goes through the 2018-19 season.

General Manager Forever Media, Inc. Scott joined the Forever team in 2001. He now leads the area’s largest radio station company’s day-to-day operations. Scott and his programming team work hard to provide great entertainment.

He is dedicated to helping businesses harness the power of Radio to grow brands and increase sales. Active in the community, Scott is involved with the Centre County United Way and serves as a board member for Centre County Youth Service Bureau. He resides in State College with his wife, Tracy, and two children.

STEVE FALKE

LARRY R. DENNIS

Agent Farmers Insurance Agency

301 S. Allen St., Suite 103A ldennis@farmeragent.com www.farmersagent.com/ldennis (814) 954-4135 A 1978 State High and ’83 Penn State alumnus, Larry recently moved back to his hometown to start the area’s first Farmers Insurance agency with his best friend Cindy Zimmerman, whom he met at age 6 on the playground. With 30 years of insurance experience, Larry loves that Farmers encourages agents to team with individual clients to educate them and make sure they are properly insured for all stages of life, with products including auto, home, life, and business insurance.

S p e c i a l

Executive Director & Chief Medical Officer, Mount Nittany Physician Group Dr. Tony Cardell, a cardiologist in the community for more than 20 years, is the executive director and chief medical officer of Mount Nittany Physician Group, leading a team of more than 130 providers in 20 specialties, with a growing number of locations across the region. With a patientcentered approach, Dr. Cardell and his team strive to provide care that is compassionate, respectful and quality-driven.

SCOTT COHAGAN

PATRICK CHAMBERS

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Dean, Schreyer Honors College Penn State University (814) 865-2631 Schreyer Honors College dean and associate professor of Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Christian came here in 2006 from Tulane, where he was director of the Jewish Studies Program and the university’s honors program. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Oxford including a D.Phil. in Oriental Studies. Christian and his wife are active with their daughter Izzy, who attends State High, and the Mack Brady Penn State Soccer Fund, in memory of their young son who dreamed of being Penn State goalkeeper.

Sponsored by The Penn State Bookstore

Regional Director Penn State University Bookstores HUB-Robeson Center (814) 863-8534 Steve has been in the bookstore business for 42 years, including 29 with Barnes & Noble and 22 at Penn State.

In partnership with regional manager Nancy Thompson, he oversees all 27 Penn State Bookstore locations, seven of which are at University Park. Steve enjoys the challenges and satisfaction of meeting the diverse needs of faculty, staff, students, and families – especially now that the expanded main bookstore has opened in exciting new space at the HUB-Robeson Center.

Sponsored by Penn State Campus Retail Dining

A d v e r t i s i n g

S e c t i o n

Men in the Community JOLLEY T. HARRIS

JAMES FRANKLIN Head Football Coach

Penn State University

James Franklin is entering his second season as Penn State’s head football coach. Last year, he led the Lions to a 7-6 record, including a win in the Pinstripe Bowl — the team’s first bowl win since the 2009 season. He is the 16th head coach in the football program’s history. Before coming to Penn State, he spent the previous three seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt, where he went 24-15 and led the Commodores to three consecutive bowl games. His other coaching stops have included Maryland, Kansas State, and the Green Bay Packers. He has a wife and two daughters. He was born in Langhorne and graduated from East Stroudsburg University.

Sponsored by Faccia Luna & Luna 2

GREGORY T. HAYES

Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Banking and Client Solutions Kish Bank Greg Hayes is responsible for the superior delivery of client solutions across all technology platforms and the retail branch network at Kish Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College, and graduated with honors from both the Pennsylvania Bankers Association’s School of Commercial Lending and Advanced School of Banking.

Greg sits on the Board for the Bob Perks Fund and serves as the Chairperson of the College Township Parks and Recreation Committee. In 2011, he received the Centre County Community Foundation’s “Future of the Foundation Award” for his extraordinary commitment to the community, including leadership roles for Habitat for Humanity, the Palmer Museum of Art, and the YMCA.

BOB HICKS

Treasurer Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts™ 403 S. Allen St., Suite 205A (814) 237-3682 Bob currently is CFO of Videon Central and has worked at CIT, Deutsche Bank, and Allied Capital, managing $2.5 billion in assets. He has a Master’s of Divinity from Drew Theological and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and has served as director of counseling at the Centre County Women’s Resource Center. Bob serves on the boards of the Arts Festival and the Friends of the Palmer Museum. He and his wife, Irene, have two lovely daughters, Emilia and Claire, and a schnauzer named Steeler.

AARON KAUFMAN

Executive Director Penn State Hillel 114-117 Pasquerilla Spiritual Center (814) 863-3816 www.pennstatehillel.org Director of Penn State Hillel since 2007, Aaron is excited that the organization is fast becoming one of the country’s premier centers for Jewish life. He and his team work with thousands of Penn State students and the university to build Jewish identity on campus and are fundraising to build a new facility downtown. Aaron loves helping students to grow, discover their passions, and explore the values that are important in their lives.

S p e c i a l

Retired Board Member The Arc of Centre County

1840 N. Atherton St. (814) 238-1444

Born in Philadelphia, Jolley attended Howard University and worked in mental health counseling in the Washington, D.C., area for more than two decades before returning to Pennsylvania in 1990. He became a mental health caseworker for Centre County government and retired in 2003 as assistant administrator for mental retardation. Jolley then served on The Arc’s board for eight years, providing outstanding support of the organization’s mission of serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

WILLIAM P. HAYES

Chairman, President and CEO Kish Bancorp, Inc., and Kish Bank Bill Hayes applies his more than 35 years of industry experience to the executive-level management and strategic direction of the Kish Bancorp holding company, to Kish Bank as its principle subsidiary, and to its additional diversified business units in insurance, investment services, and travel services. Kish Bank currently has assets of $660 million and 13 community offices with 200 full-time employees. The Belleville native is also Past Chairman of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association (PBA) and is active in various leadership capacities with the American Bankers Association (ABA). An alumnus of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, Bill is also a graduate of the PBA Advanced School of Banking at Bucknell University, the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and the ABA-Kellogg CEO Graduate Management Program.

JIM ISOLA

Financial Advisor

Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC Member SIPC (814) 695-1558 Jim is a financial advisor who has been helping retirees and pre-retirees for over 14 years in Centre County. He is currently serves as the Chairman of the board for Centre County Young Life, a Christian based youth group for high school and middle school students. Jim is a board member of the Centre Region Estate Planning Council. He is also an active member in the State College Downtown Rotary club.

GARY KESLER

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Outreach

Penn State College of Arts and Architecture

Gary has been the associate dean for academic affairs and outreach in Arts and Architecture since November 2008.

A registered landscape architect, his teaching and research focus on topics of sustainable approaches to storm water management and the history of the profession. He has received national recognition as a Fellow in both the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, and awarded the ASLA President’s Medal for distinguished service to the Society in 2007.

A d v e r t i s i n g

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Men in the Community THOMAS R. KING

CHRISTOPHER LEITZELL

Chief of Police State College Police Department

Partner Diversified Asset Planners Inc.

243 S. Allen St. (814) 234-7150

Hired by the State College Police Department in 1981 as a patrol officer, Tom was appointed chief of police in 1993. He is a member of the University Park Campus Community Partnership, which deals with issues related to dangerous drinking; member and past president of the Central PA Chiefs of Police Association; member of the Centre County Criminal Justice Advisory Board; and chairman and immediate past president of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

Sponsored by Beta Sigma Beta Alumni Association

CARY LIBKIN

Director, Musical Theatre Program

Penn State College of Arts and Architecture

Cary Libkin with his wife, Gloria, have lived in State College for twenty-five years. For Cary, the creating and heading of the Bachelor in Fine Arts in Musical Theatre has not been a labor, but a labor of love. Cary has had the opportunity to share what he’s learned at Penn State with musical theatre training programs across the U.S. and in Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the U.K. One of his greatest joys is walking the Theatre District of Manhattan seeing the names of PSU alumni on the billboards of one Broadway theatre after another. Libkin feels that State College has been a wonderful town to live, work, and raise a daughter.

1524 W. College Ave. (814) 234-2500

Chris started with Diversified Asset Planners in 1994 and became a partner in 2009, specializing in retirement planning, life insurance, and wealth transfer. With FINRA Series 6 and 63 licenses, he is a registered representative offering securities through J.W. Cole Financial Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. A lifelong State College resident, Chris enjoys golfing, hunting, and fishing.

BENSON LICHTIG Board Member Housing Transitions Inc.

217 E. Nittany Ave. (814) 237-5508

Benson has lived in State College since the early 1970s, when he graduated from Penn State with a degree in community development. He has been in business for himself for almost 40 years and is a dedicated supporter of community organizations. As a board member for Housing Transitions, he helps local families and individuals to achieve a more independent lifestyle. He also serves on the boards of Congregation Brit Shalom and the Penn State Renaissance Fund.

TIM MADDEN

BRUCE A. LINGENFELTER

An investment and retirement plan consultant for more than 50 years, Bruce is co-founder of TLC Group Investment Advisors, LLC, a firm specializing in wealth accumulation and preservation strategies. We focus on the client through innovative strategies and team dynamics for the family office.

Sponsored by Vantage Investment Advisors, LLC

Regional Construction Manager S&A Homes 800 Science Park Road (814) 231-8560 Tim Madden has worked for S&A Homes more than 27 years. He has managed sales, customer service, construction, quality control, safety audits, and project managers. Tim is originally from Mt. Union and moved to State College 10 years ago from Huntingdon. He is married with 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren, including his newborn grandson. Tim loves working for S&A Homes and helping to build our community one house at a time with a keen eye on quality, value, and affordability.

KEN MOSCONE SR.

WILLIAM R. MUZZY

Partner, TLC Group Investment Advisors, LLC

270 Walker Dr. (814) 231-2265

President & CEO Drucker Diagnostics 168 Bradford Drive Port Matilda, PA 16870 In 2013 Drucker Diagnostics was formed by the merger of QBC Diagnostics and The Drucker Company; two central Pennsylvania companies owned by Ken Moscone Sr. As a leading supplier of clinical laboratory centrifuges, hematology analyzers, fluorescence microscopy product, malaria and TB diagnostics kits, the company continues to pioneer and manufacture innovative products at its Port Matilda and Philipsburg facilities.

In 2009, QBC ranked #50 in Inc Magazine’s fastest growing health companies.

Sponsored by Urish Popeck & Co., LLC

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President Sight-Loss Support Group of Central PA Inc. www.slsg.org (814) 238-0132 After serving in the Air Force, Bill attended Lawrence Institute of Technology and Oakland University, studying engineering science and computer architecture. He has had a highly successful career in engineering and R&D management and is semi-retired with activities such as quality auditing and laying out books and manuals. Bill is the new Sight-Loss Support Group board president and a member of the team taking the organization to a virtual online format with an all-volunteer governing body.

Sponsored by Lion’s Gate Apartments

A d v e r t i s i n g

S e c t i o n

Men in the Community BERNARD A. ORAVEC

THEODORE J. OYLER, CFP, PARTNER

Publisher Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Diversified Asset Planners Inc.

252 West Fourth St. Williamsport boravec@sungazette.com

1524 W. College Ave. (814) 234-2500

With over 25 years of media experience, Bernie is recognized as a leader in the PA newspaper industry. He has lobbied for open records and public right-to-know laws. A lifelong resident and drummer in central PA, Bernie is active in the local arts community. A Penn State alumnus, Bernie serves on the Board of Directors of Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. Bernie and his wife, Diane, share their home with two rescue cats.

MICHAEL PIPE

Centre County Commissioner Willowbank Office Building 420 Holmes St., Bellefonte (814) 355-6700 A Pennsylvania native, Mike graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a political science degree and was elected Centre County Commissioner in 2011. He lives with his wife, Ashley, in Millheim and strives to build a safer, closer-knit community to benefit all county residents. “I’m honored to serve and try to improve the lives of people in Centre County,” says Mike, a 2014 Leadership Centre County alumnus. “It’s exciting to be part of our growing county.”

RUSS ROSE

Penn State Women’s Volleyball Coach

235 Recreation Building University Park (814) 863-7474

In 2014, Russ led the Nittany Lions to their sixth national title in eight seasons, and their seventh overall. One of the most successful coaches in women’s volleyball history, he ended the 2014 season as the NCAA leader in career winning percentage, having won more than 86 percent of the matches he’s coached during his 36 years at Penn State, with 1,161 career victories. The legendary coach won his fifth National Coach of the Year award last season.

Sponsored by Rick Tetzlaff, Wells Fargo Advisors LLC

ROB SCHMIDT

Publisher Town&Gown Magazine Centre County Gazette Newspaper Rob became Publisher of Town&Gown magazine in 2008. He has spent his 30-plus year career managing media companies, including local radio, cable and broadcast television stations.

A graduate of State College High, Rob earned his journalism degree from Penn State in 1981.

Rob volunteers his time for many local charity organizations, and was recently honored with the first Lifetime Volunteer Award for his contributions to the Penn State Dance Marathon.

S p e c i a l

Ted has dedicated over two decades of his professional career to serving the financial and retirement planning needs of clients in Central Pennsylvania. A conservative wealth advisor, he provides comprehensive investment, retirement, and insurance planning solutions that best suit client needs.

When he’s not at work Ted enjoys working out at the YMCA, playing golf, coaching youth sports, and spending time with his wife Jennifer, son Trey, and daughter Linlee. He is a registered representative offering securities through J.W. Cole Financial Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Diversified Asset Planners, Inc and J.W. Cole Financial are not affiliated.

RICHARD ROBICHAUX Associate Professor, Theatre Head of Acting

School of Theatre, Penn State (814) 865-2960

Richard can be seen in Boyhood, which was nominated for 6 Academy Awards a n d w o n t h e G o l d e n G l o b e fo r B e s t P i c t u re . H e wa s re c e n tl y i n Bernie, opposite Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine. Next is The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, in theaters early in 2016. He has extensive television credits, and his theatre credits include the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., Yale Repertory Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Syracuse Stage. Richard has worked with top training programs including the Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, and University of Evansville.

CODY SANDERSON

Associate Head Wrestling Coach Penn State University 238 Recreation Building Cody, a 2X NCAA Silver Medalist for Iowa State, established, as Head Coach, the 1st new NCAA Division 1 wrestling program in 30 years at Utah Valley University. He then joined brother Cael’s coaching staff at Iowa State and has since guided, with Cael and Coach Casey Cunningham, both Cyclones and Lions to league and national championships. Cody now looks forward to more NCAA titles in Happy Valley, while enjoying the beauties of Central Pennsylvania with his growing family.

NEIL A. SHARKEY, PHD

Vice President for Research Penn State University 304 Old Main (814) 865-6332 Neil joined the Penn State University faculty in 1997 as a professor of kinesiology, orthopedics, and rehabilitation. His research in musculoskeletal physiology and biomechanics has served to advance orthopedic medicine through improved understanding, better diagnosis, and more efficacious surgical procedures. In September 2014, he was appointed Vice President for Research, overseeing a research enterprise that consistently exceeds $800 million in annual expenditures, and includes some of the world’s most creative and technically advanced projects.

A d v e r t i s i n g

Sponsored by the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County

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Men in the Community JAMES L. SHILLING JR.

BOB SHOOP

Executive Vice President, Senior Lending Officer Kish Bank

Jim Shilling leads Kish Bank’s commercial lending program across its three-county market area. Jim graduated from the National Commercial Lending Graduate School at the University of Oklahoma, as well as the Pennsylvania Bankers Association’s Advanced School of Banking at Bucknell University and the Commercial Lending School at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. He is a Penn State graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. Active in the community, Jim is a member of the SEDA-Council of Governments Board and is the Treasurer of the SEDA Foundation, Inc. He serves on the Community Advisory Board for Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital, is a Board member of Downtown Lewistown, Inc., and is active in Rotary Club.

Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Penn State Football 201 Lasch Football Building (814) 865-0412 An Oakmont native, Bob brought 25 years of collegiate coaching experience back to his home state in 2014, when he joined the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff. For three years prior, he was defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Vanderbilt, directing the Commodores to Top 25 finishes in total defense every season. As a Yale student, Shoop was a wide receiver and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1988. Bob and his wife, Maura, have two sons, Tyler and Jay. Sponsored by Hoy Transfer Inc.

DAMON SIMS

DAVID SKIPPER

206 Old Main (814) 865-0909

100 Oakwood Avenue, Suite 300 (814) 272-0262

Vice President for Student Affairs Penn State University Damon came to Penn State in 2008 after serving in various administrative and teaching roles at his alma mater, Indiana University. He is an affiliate associate professor of both law and education, and a licensed attorney. Damon co-chairs The Partnership — Campus and Community United Against Dangerous Drinking, a town-gown collaboration working to reduce the high-risk behavior that often accompanies the excessive consumption of alcohol.

MICHAEL SZCZESNY,CHA Director of Hotel Operations HFL Corporation

1155 Benner Pike, Suite 100 (814) 238-4000

D u r i n g t h e p a s t 36 - y e a rs , M i k e h a s b e e n i n v o l v e d w i t h n u m e ro u s aspects of Hotel Management fo r m u l t i p l e b ra n d s . H e i s c u r re n t l y t h e D i re c t o r o f H o te l O p e ra t i o n s o f H F L H o te l s .

Mike s e r v e s a s t h e B o a rd Pre s i d e n t fo r t h e C e n t ra l PA C o n v e n t i o n & Vi s i t o rs B u re a u ; i s t h e Vi c e P r e s i d e n t o f t h e Pa t t o n To w n s h i p B u s i n e s s As s o c i a ti o n ; a nd i s i nvo l ve d i n n u m e ro u s n o n p r o f i t s e r v i c e s a n d c l u b o rg a n i z a t i o n s .

Sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors Bureau

Vision Therapist Sepich Eye Care

D a v i d j o i n e d t h e S e p i c h E ye C a re te a m i n 2011, p rov i d i n g fu n a nd e ffe c ti ve t h e ra py s e r v i c e s to c h i l d re n a nd ad u l t s s u ffe r i n g f ro m l e a rn i n g re l a te d v i s i o n p ro b l e m s a nd c o n c u s s i o n s .

O u t s i d e t h e o ffi c e , h e vo lu n te e rs w i t h t h e l o c a l h o c key c o m m u n i t y , te a c h e s p r i va te m u s i c l e s s o n s , a nd p l ay s b a s s a nd s a x p ro fe s s i o n a l l y w i t h T h e I n s o m n i a c s a nd T h e Fe a t s o f S t re n g t h . Da v i d a nd h i s w i fe , J i l l , h a ve t w o te e n a g e c h i l d re n .

RICHARD TAYLOR

Palmer Chair in Telecommunications Studies & Law Penn State 314B Willard Building (814) 863-1482 Richard joined the College of Communications in 1989 after serving as vice president and corporate counsel for Warner Cable Communications Inc. He is co-director emeritus of the Institute for Information Policy and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Information Policy. He has directed research projects and published regularly on the implications of investment in information technology on social and economic development, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Richard was a member of President Obama’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Advisory Group.

GEORGE TRUDEAU

DAVE VACTOR

Eisenhower Auditorium (814) 863-9494

325 West Aaron Drive, State College, PA 16803 (814) 237-5731

Stewardship Coordinator, Youth Service Bureau (YSB)

Director Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State Before coming to Penn State in 2004, George spent 18 years as director of performing arts at the Munson-WilliamsProctor Institute in Utica, N.Y. A former trombonist, he holds degrees from Western Washington University and the New England Conservatory of Music. Each year, he and his team bring the world’s finest artists to Penn State stages through the Center for the Performing Arts. George is the immediate past president of the State College Downtown Rotary Club.

Sponsored by Mary Lou Bennett, Re /MAX Centre Realty

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As Stewardship Coordinator, Dave stewards the YSB’s core values of: professionalism, respect, integrity, and safety within the agency, and stewards relationships with our partners outside. Dave helps ensure that YSB is a wise charitable investment, and that the community is aware of all the YSB has to offer. Dave oversees the safe place initiative, connecting local businesses to our youth shelter. Dave builds community relationships while maintaining involvement with the kids and families we care for. Dave, his wife Mandy and son Justice, are all proud to be part of the YSB family!

A d v e r t i s i n g

S e c t i o n

Men in the Community

These men at Barash Media work hard to make Town&Gown and The Centre County Gazette successful and enjoyable products for our readers.

Bill Donley

Chris Morelli

Cody Peachey

David Pencek

Rob Schmidt

Darren Weimert

BOB WARMING

Head Coach Penn State Men’s Soccer 263 Recreation Bldg.

(814) 867-2407 Bob’s three-plus decades as a head coach have been marked by achievement. The six-time finalist for national coach of the year and 2008 winner ranks third among active Division I head coaches with 441 victories and is one of only two active Division I coaches to take two different programs to the NCAA College Cup. After coming to Penn State from Creighton University in 2010, he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2013.

Sponsored by The Penn State Bookstore

As it celebrates its 50th year, Town&Gown continues to bring to readers the people, places, issues, and events that make Happy Valley special! With a readership of over 50,000 we're the No. 1 monthly magazine to those who live in Centre County and those who are just visiting. To showcase your business in Town&Gown and reach more customers, call our account executives Kathy George or Debbie Markel at (814) 238-5051.

S p e c i a l

ROGER L. WILLIAMS

Executive Director, Penn State Alumni Association and Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations, Penn State In June, Roger will retire from Penn State following a 12-year tenure in his current role and more than 37 years in higher education. Under his leadership, the Alumni Association achieved 19 percent growth in membership to 174,379, securing its status as the world’s largest dues-paying alumni association. He also established the Alumni Achievement Award, which honors high-achieving alumni under age 35. Roger holds three Penn State degrees—a bachelor’s in history, a master’s in journalism, and a D.Ed. in higher education.

A d v e r t i s i n g

S e c t i o n 2015 April T&G - 67

• Residential & Commercial • Free Estimates • Free Financing • Professional Installation Available on All Products • Large Showroom and Selection Center-Conveniently Located • Local, Friendly Staff • Open Late Monday & Thursday 1518 North Atherton St., State College, PA 16803

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Ray Gricar Mini Cooper

70 - T&G April 2015

WHAT HAPPENED TO

RAY GRICAR?

Ten years after Centre County’s district attorney disappeared, questions and theories remain abou t one of the area’s biggest unsolved mysteries

By Mike Dawson

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Contributed photos (3)

Lara Gricar called her father, Ray Gricar, for a brief chat on April 14, 2005. The two exchanged “I-love-yous” as was their routine several times a week. However, two days later, Lara’s world was turned upside down. She found herself in Pennsylvania before TV cameras at a news conference in Bellefonte, pleading for her dad to come back home.

Gricar, the longtime, wellrespected district attorney in Centre County, had vanished.

Ray Gricar, who disappeared 10 years ago, drove this Mini Cooper His girlfriend reported to to Lewisburg on April 15, 2005, to do some shopping at an antique Bellefonte police late the night of mall. The car was found in a parking lot in Lewisburg the next day.

April 15 that he had never come The state police major-case squad still considers home from Lewisburg after a day off from work that Gricar’s disappearance a missing-person case, he took to go shopping, and his car was found in a and the investigators are working with a task parking lot along the Susquehanna River. force convened by district attorney Stacy Parks Theories, explanations emerged: He committed Miller upon her election in 2010. A state police suicide by jumping off the bridge into the river. Or, spokesman declined to answer specific questions just a few months from retiring, he walked away about the case, and instead provided a statement from his life. Or, something sinister happened — he via e-mail. was the victim of foul play.

“Since assuming the lead role on this Soon after, his laptop computer was discovered investigation, we have received tips and without the hard drive. A few months later, the information pertaining to the case,” writes trooper hard drive was discovered on a riverbank, but its Jeff Petucci of the Hollidaysburg barracks. “The tips contents didn’t yield anything. That only added to and information have been and are currently being the perplexing mystery. followed up on by our investigators in an attempt The case lost steam, and Gricar was declared to further the investigation. Currently, the case is legally dead in 2011. In February 2014, state police’s classified as a ‘missing person,’ and we continue to major-case squad took over the investigation explore all possibilities which led to Mr. Gricar’s from Bellefonte police. Now, family, friends, disappearance.” and colleagues have endured 10 long years of Parks Miller says no one is treating this as a cold questioning how Gricar vanished without a trace. case, despite it being 10 years old. The state police Despite its status as a cold case and the lack of solid have reorganized the case and started from the physical evidence that has hampered the case from beginning and are examining certain aspects of it. the beginning, closure for his loved ones and public “Our community will never fully heal until we confidence in law enforcement means it cannot be have answers, and when the district attorney who forgotten. served our community admirably for 20-plus years “He was one of the best prosecutors in goes missing, we owe it to the community and to Pennsylvania, bar none,” says Bob Buehner, a him to do everything to try and find him,” Parks retired district attorney for Montour County Miller says. and a friend of Gricar’s who was critical of the The evidence and how the case has revealed investigation in its early years. “If a district attorney itself since 2005 could lead someone to believe in can go missing, now is declared dead, and law any of the theories about what happened. enforcement does little or nothing about that, then Gricar seemed to be loving life in 2005. At age 59 what chance does an average citizen have when and 20 years at the helm of being the county’s top one of their loved ones goes missing, as well?”

prosecutor, he decided not to seek reelection. With a either a blue vest or fleece jacket — standing in salary of about $130,000, he would’ve been looking front of a store, as though he were waiting for at a hefty pension in retirement. He’d told friends someone. Another witness from that antique mall and colleagues about his plans to travel with his said someone matching Gricar’s description was seen girlfriend of four years, Patty Fornicola, with whom waiting in the mall the Saturday that his car was he shared a home on Bellefonte’s Halfmoon Hill. found along the river. A third witness also reported So, by early evening of April 15, Fornicola was seeing someone there who looked like Gricar. worried when Gricar still hadn’t come home from Scuba divers scoured the Susquehanna River but his impromptu shopping excursion to Lewisburg. failed to come up with any further clues.

Her last contact with him was when he called The longer that time lapsed, the farther away around 11:30 a.m. saying that he was going for a from Lewisburg the sightings were. Over the drive. When 11:30 that night rolled around — a weeks, tips came in from Wilkes-Barre, Ohio, full 12 hours later — a frightened Fornicola called Michigan, and Texas — the latter from a woman at Bellefonte police. a Chili’s restaurant who was so sure she saw Gricar The next day, police combed the routes to that she tried talking to the man and then posed Lewisburg. her family so the man was in the background of a It wasn’t until 6:30 p.m. that day that police cellphone photo she took. Authorities reviewed the received their first break in the case. Gricar’s red photo, but after days and days of waiting, they said Mini Cooper was found in a dirt parking lot in it wasn’t the missing DA. Lewisburg. What was inside In mid-July, Fornicola passed and what wasn’t inside made it a lie-detector test. One of the even more mysterious: Police questions was whether she’d smelled smoke inside the car been contacted by Gricar. and found a small amount of Later that month in cigarette ash, which were odd Lewisburg, another piece of because Gricar did not like evidence turned up. Fishermen smoking and prohibited it found a laptop in the river under inside his car. Gone were his the state Route 45 bridge, and wallet, keys, sunglasses, and the laptop matched the kind county-issued laptop, which — Stacy Parks Miller that Gricar had been issued police would later say he took through the county. The only from home minus its case and trouble was that its hard drive power source. was missing.

That weekend, land and air searchers came up In October, investigators thought they might empty. Police began looking into criminal cases have another break in the case when people he’d been handling for any links that could put walking along the Susquehanna River came across him in harm’s way. Gricar’s family also arrived in a hard drive in the mud. The hard drive was found Central Pennsylvania, and his nephews drew eerie about 100 yards away from the laptop and matched parallels between the scene there in Lewisburg the laptop that had been found. and what they’d experienced with their father, Police did not get the break they’d hoped for Roy, years ago. Their father disappeared in Ohio — in December, the hard drive was found to be too and his body later was found in a river from what damaged to extract anything from it. authorities determined was a suicide.

For the one-year anniversary, the NBC news With suicide and foul play possible explanations, program Dateline featured the Gricar mystery, police held press conferences, where Gricar’s but the national exposure did not generate any daughter and Fornicola begged for information that substantial leads. would lead them to Gricar.

Then, a little more than a year after the Tips trickled in, and police received leads from disappearance, media reports revealed that Gricar Lewisburg. was seen with an unknown woman in Lewisburg A shop owner in the town told police he had on April 15, 2005. The media jumped on the seen someone who looked like Gricar — he wore news, and police defended their not releasing that

“Our community will never fully heal until we have answers ...”

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information the year before while the investigation was big news.

The years that came next had little in the way of advancing the case. News media marked the anniversaries with stories that few clues were there and that the family was losing hope. At the end of 2007, the lead detective on the case, Darrel Zaccagni, retired.

The longer the family went without answers, the more they’d started to resign themselves to the possibility of Gricar’s death. In 2009, around the four-year anniversary of the disappearance, the Bellefonte detective assigned to the case, Matthew Rickard, released information that someone using Gricar’s home computer had done Internet searches for “how to wreck a hard drive,” among others. It

Gricar was the district attorney in Centre County from 1985 until his disappearance in April 2005.

put the suicide theory front and center again.

In the summer of 2011, Lara Gricar asked for a judge to declare her father legally dead, and by phone from her home in Washington, she testified she believed — “without a doubt” — that he was dead. She and Fornicola each said Gricar was not the kind of person who would put them through so much turmoil.

Others agree.

“I’m absolutely convinced he was murdered,” says Ted McKnight, a retired district attorney from Clinton County who, with Buehner, was among the most vocal proponents for a larger police force taking on the case in its early years. “The question is, was he kidnapped and then murdered?”

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He discounts the suicide theory, remembering the last conversation he had with Gricar during a conference in Pittsburgh for district attorneys. They talked about Gricar’s retirement plans, and he was obviously looking forward to them, McKnight says.

He points to Gricar’s disappearance as something calculated.

“The fact that so little evidence that was readily available — that tells you something,” he says.

“I think the biggest thing it tells you is that who could have committed this crime. This wasn’t a person that nobody knew — this was the chief lawenforcement officer of Centre County for 20 years.

When someone of that stature disappears off the face of the Earth and there’s essentially no evidence to say what happened, that, in and of itself, tells you a lot — and what it tells you is this wasn’t some random act, some spur-of-the-moment act.

“This was done by individuals who have the capacity to make someone of that stature disappear.”

Gricar’s disappearance was a reality check for McKnight and made him take his own safety more seriously. He was someone who, as a district attorney, had his life threatened during his tenure.

Buehner also believes that Gricar met with foul play. He thinks it was the work of a former Hell’s Angel who Gricar’s office previously prosecuted. A media report in 2013 raised the question whether Gricar’s death was retribution, but local police claimed there was no connection.

Zaccagni, the original detective on the case, says while Bellefonte police certainly had their hands full, they had the help of other agencies from the beginning.

“We definitely stressed our resources in the first year of this investigation,” he says, adding, “we had the state police on our right and the federal government on our left hand.”

Like Buehner and McKnight, Zaccagni thinks Gricar is dead, but he’s not ready to rule out suicide given the evidence and circumstances. He does not think Gricar walked away from his life or is in witness protection, which have been other theories floated over the years.

“That leaves he’s either dead by suicide or dead by homicide,” Zaccagni says. “I think you can make a case for each one. I definitely think he’s deceased.”

The Gricar mystery has spurred interest beyond Bellefonte and Centre County. Internet message boards have pages upon pages of discussions from serious and committed posters.

Gricar has his own Wikipedia page. National news outlets have revisited his case over the years.

Former State College resident Rebecca Knight has been investigating the theories and hopes to publish a book this year. Her working title is Final Argument, a play on words that refers to the last phase of a trial in which a prosecutor sums up the case for the jury. She has devoted herself to the book — she’s made 31 trips to Pennsylvania, and she’s conducted hundreds of interviews to answer the simple questions that have dogged her about the case.

“I was always fascinated with it from the time I heard about it because it never made sense to me,” she says. “How does a DA vanish without a trace? How does anyone for that matter vanish without a trace?”

Knight, who lives in California, says she’s “turned over stones that no one would want to” as she has worked toward one theory to explain

Gricar’s death, which she declined to explain because her book is not yet published.

But for people such as Tony Gricar, a nephew of the missing DA, closure grows more unattainable with each passing day. He’d long championed another agency taking the case if it meant a fresher look. Now that that’s happened, he’s still not optimistic anything will come of it.

He says he hasn’t heard from authorities on the case since the state police took over the investigation more than a year ago. In a short e-mail, he is disheartened and declines a more extensive interview.

“I really don’t know what I can add to what I’ve already said over the years,” he writes. “Second set of eyes. Maddening. Three theories. Similarities and differences between Ray and Roy’s disappearances.

“I really do wish I could offer something more — that would mean there’s been even the slightest development from [10] years ago.” T&G Mike Dawson is a freelance writer in State College.

2015 April T&G - 75

This Month at Schlow: “The Magic School Bus” performed by the Penn State Thespians Saturday, April 11, 11:00 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 12, 2:30 p.m.

Gadgets for Grownups: Gadgets for Fitness Saturday, April 18, 10:30 a.m.

Mother/Daughter Book Club Tuesday, April 21, 6:00 p.m.

Additional Listings at

schlowlibrary.org

“Schlow helps us open our world up and experience new things.” ~ State High teachers Kate Hoffman and Jen Rand When a pipe burst and flooded part of Schlow Library, Kate Hoffman and Jen Rand immediately sprang into action. The two teachers gathered a group of State College Area School District teachers and librarians and spent a Saturday canning outside the Library. The fundraiser was a resounding success, netting more than $2,700 - and bringing the community together in the process. “We both feel extremely grateful to have experienced firsthand such an outpouring of love for the library,” says Jen. “The library is an integral part of our community.

And as educators with a focus in English, we know how valuable access to books is for readers of all ages.”

Celebrating our building’s 10th birthday in 2015.

211 S. Allen Street • 814.237.6236 • schlowlibrary.org

Advertisement donated by the Friends of Schlow Library.

Coming to Bryce Jordan Center

April 10 Steve Aoki and Friends 7 p.m.

16 The Price Is Right Live 7:30 p.m.

24-25; May 1-2 Garth Brooks 7 p.m. April 24; 7 & 10:30 p.m. April 25; 7 p.m. May 1; 7 & 10:30 p.m. May 2

Coming in May 15 WWE Live!

7:30 p.m.

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T& G

April

what's happening 3

Downtown State College host its First Friday events.

9

5

Roseanne Cash performs at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Easter

16

12 Theatreworks USA brings its production of The Lightning Thief to Eisenhower Auditorium.

20

22

The popular musical Camelot comes to Eisenhower Auditorium.

Earth Day

The Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour makes its annual stop at the State Theatre April 10-11.

18

Fans can get their first look at the 2015 Nittany Lions at the annual BlueWhite Game at Beaver Stadium.

29 Todd Rundgren returns to the State Theatre in support of his upcoming album, Global.

Announcements of general interest to residents of the State College area may be mailed to Town&Gown, 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801; faxed to (814) 238-3415; or e-mailed to dpenc@barashmedia.com. Photos are welcome.

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Academics 2-3, 6 – State College Area School District, no school K-12.

Children & Families 1-3, 6 – Discovery Days, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m. Wed., Fri., & Mon., noon Thurs., schlowlibrary.org.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 – Baby Explorers, Discovery Space of Central PA, SC, 10:15 & 10:45 a.m., mydiscoveryspace.org.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – Storytime, Discovery Space of Central PA, SC, 10:30 a.m., mydiscoveryspace.org.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – Science Adventures, Discovery Space of Central PA, SC, 11 a.m., mydiscoveryspace.org.

3 – Free Developmental Screenings, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 9 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

3 – Homeschool Days, Discovery Space of Central PA, SC, noon, mydiscoveryspace.org.

4 – Saturday Stories Alive, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4 – Block Party, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

11-12 – The Magic School Bus performed by the Penn State Thespians, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Sat., 2:30 p.m. Sun., schlowlibrary.org.

18 – World Stories Alive: Japanese, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

23 – Awards Ceremony for the 31st Annual Write and Illustrate Your Own Book Contest, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 4 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

25 – World Stories Alive: German, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 11 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

Classes & Lectures 1 – The Art of Poetry: “The Stick Soldiers: Veteran Poetry on War,” by Hugh Martin, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

1 – Friends’ Richard Koontz Memorial Lecture Series: “Remembering World War II, A Pilot’s Journey” by Army Air Forces pilot John F. Homan, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 7:30 p.m., pamilmuseum.org.

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2 – Research Unplugged: “Love, American Style: The Evolution of Courtship and Dating” by Beth Montemurro, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 12:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

3 – Gallery Talk: “Hidden Mother” by Dana Carlisle Kletchka, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

3 – Mary E. Rolling Reading Series: Robin Becker/Geffrey Davis, Foster Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m.

7, 21 – “A Joint Venture,” information session on hip or knee replacement, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 11 a.m.

Apr. 7, 7 p.m. Apr. 21, 278-4810.

9 – Research Unplugged: “Is Satire Saving Our Nation? Mockery and American Politics” by Sophia McClennen, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 12:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

10 – Gallery Talk: “Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos” by Andrew Schultz, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

16 – Research Unplugged: “Excavating the Bible: What the Dead Sea Scrolls Reveal about Biblical Stories” by Daniel Falk, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 12:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

18 – Gadgets for Grownups: Gadgets for Fitness, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 10:30 a.m., schlowlibrary.org.

18 – Lecture: “Air War – A First Hand Account of Combat and Capture” by Sgt. Major Bob Baker, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 1:30 p.m., pamilmuseum.org.

21 – Straight Talk Series: Child Sexual Abuse presented by Janet Rosenzweig, PhD, Mount Nittany Middle School, 7 p.m., janamariefoundation.org.

23 – Research Unplugged: “Seeing with Your Ears: Visualizing Data with Sound”

by Mark Ballora, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 12:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

24 – Paper Views Conversation: “Not-soHidden Mothers … and Children” by Joyce Robinson, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 1 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Club Events 1, 15 – Outreach Toastmasters Meeting, The 329 Building, Room 413, PSU, noon, kbs131@psu.edu.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30 – Comics Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 3:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Go Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 1:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Chess Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

6, 20 – Knitting Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 5:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

7 – State College Downtown Rotary, Lettermans, SC, noon, centrecounty.org/rotary/club/.

7, 14, 21, 28 – State College Rotary Club, Nittany Lion Inn, SC, 5:30 p.m., statecollegerotary.org.

8 – Women’s Welcome Club of State College, Oakwood Presbyterian Church (not church affiliated), SC, 7 p.m., womenswelcomeclub.org.

8 – 148th PA Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Group, Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, SC, 7:30 p.m., 861-0770.

9, 23 – Embroidery Group, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 5:30 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

14 – State College Sunrise Rotary Club mtg., Hotel State College, SC, 7 a.m., kfragola@psualum.com.

14 – Nittany Valley Writer’s Network, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

15 – Nittany Mineralogical Society, 116 Earth & Engineering Sciences Building, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.nittanymineral.org.

18 – Lego Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

21 – Women’s Welcome Club of State College Coffee/Tea, Oakwood Presbyterian Church (not church affiliated), SC, 9:30 a.m., womenswelcomeclub.org.

21 – Mother/Daughter Book Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

22 – Afternoon Book Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 2 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

22 – Applique Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 6 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

22 – State College Bird Club, Foxdale Village Meeting Room, SC, 7 p.m., scbirdcl.org.

Community Associations & Development 9 – CBICC Membership Luncheon: “State of the Economy,” Celebration Hall, SC, noon, cbicc.org.

16 – CBICC Membership Breakfast: “Four Generations at Work: How Can We All Get Along?, CBICC, SC, 8 a.m., cbicc.org.

2015 April T&G - 81

21 – Spring Creek Watershed Association, Patton Township Municipal Building, SC, 7:30 a.m., springcreekwatershed.org.

22 – Patton Township Business Association, Patton Township Municipal Building, SC, noon, 237-2822.

23 – CBICC Business Spotlight, Celebration Hall, SC, 5 p.m., cbicc.org.

Exhibits Ongoing-April 26 – Hidden Mother, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-May 10 – Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-May 10 – Song of Myself, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Ongoing-November 15 – Everyday Iron: Iron Objects of the 18th and 19th Centuries, Centre Furnace Mansion, SC, 1-4 p.m. Wed., Fri., & Sun., centrehistory.org.

1-30 – What Is Cartoon Art?, Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County, Bellefonte, 1-4:30 p.m.

Fri.-Sun., bellefontemuseum.org.

3 – Spring Elation, Fraser St. Gallery, SC, 6 p.m., fraserstgallery.com.

24 – Paper Views: Not-so-Hidden Mothers … and Children, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., palmermuseum .psu.edu.

Health Care For schedule of blood drives visit redcross.org or givelife.org.

3 – Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Schlow Centre Region Library, SC, 1 p.m., schlowlibrary.org.

3, 14 – Juniper Village at Brookline’s Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Mount Nittany Dining Room at The Inn, SC, 1 p.m.

Fri., 6:30 p.m. Tues., 231-3141.

6 – Breast Cancer Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 5:30 p.m., 231-6870.

8 – The Fertility Issues and Loss Support Group, Choices (2214 N. Atherton St.), SC, 6:30 p.m., heartofcpa.org.

9 – Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 6 p.m., 231-7095.

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12 – The Ostomy Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 2 p.m., 234-6195.

14 - Brain Injury Support, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 7 p.m., 359-3421.

15 – Alzheimer’s Support Group, Elmcroft Senior Living, SC, 6:30 p.m., 235-7675.

16 – Better Breathers Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 2 p.m., 359-3421.

16 – Parents-to-be Orientation, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 6:30 p.m., 231-3132.

20 – Cancer Survivor Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 11:30 a.m., cancersurvive.org.

21 – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 6 p.m., 359-3421.

27 – Heart Failure Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 4 p.m., 359-3421.

27 – Cancer Caregiver Support Group, Bellefonte Library, Bellefonte, 6:30 p.m., cancersurvive.org.

28 – Stroke Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 4 p.m., 359-3421.

Music 1 – Penn State School of Music: April Fool’s Day Concert, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

2 – Eighth Blackbird, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

2 – Penn State School of Music: Theodore Kerkezos, saxophone, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

8 – Penn State School of Music: Saxophone Ensembles, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

9 – Rosanne Cash, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

9 – Penn State School of Music: Musica Nova I, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music .psu.edu.

10 – Steve Aoki & Friends, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m., bjc.psu.edu.

10-11 – Penn State School of Music: Penn State Jazz Festival, Esber Recital Hall & School of Music locations, PSU, music.psu.edu.

11 – Heather Aubrey Lloyd, Center for WellBeing, Lemont, 7:30 p.m., acousticbrew.org.

12 – Violinist Max Zorin with guitarist Nadav Lev, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County, SC, 3 p.m., uufcc.com.

12 – The Wood Brothers, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

14 – Brooklyn Rider, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

14 – Penn State School of Music: Musica Nova II, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

15 – The Art of Music: Horns a Plenty with Lisa Bontrager and the Penn State Horn Ensemble, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., palmermuseum.psu.edu.

15 – Penn State School of Music: String Chamber Music, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

16 – Shawn Colvin, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

18 – State College Choral Society presents “Lush & Lovely Layers,” Our Lady of Victory Church, SC, 7:30 p.m., scchoralsociety.org.

18 – Penn State School of Music: Glee Club Blue & White Concert, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

19 – Penn State School of Music: Oriana Singers, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 2 p.m., music.psu.edu.

19 – Penn State School of Music: Concert Choir, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 4 p.m., music.psu.edu.

20 – Penn State School of Music: Percussion Ensemble I and Mallet Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

22 – Penn State School of Music: Jazz Combos, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

23 – The Nile Project, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu.

23 – Penn State School of Music: Centre Dimensions Jazz Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

24 – Penn State School of Music: Inner Dimensions and Outer Dimensions Jazz Ensembles, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

24-25, May 1-2 – Garth Brooks, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m. April 24 & May 1, 7 & 10:30 p.m. April 25 & May 2, bjc.psu.edu.

25 – April Verch Band, WPSU Studios, PSU, 7:30 p.m., acousticbrew.org.

25 – Nittany Valley Symphony presents “Viva Espana,” Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m.

26 – Penn State School of Music: Women’s Chorale, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 2 p.m., music.psu.edu.

26 – Penn State School of Music: University Choir, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 4 p.m., music.psu.edu.

26 – Penn State School of Music: Essence of Joy, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 6 p.m., music.psu.edu.

27 – Penn State School of Music: Philharmonic Orchestra, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

28 – Penn State School of Music: Campus Band and Campus Orchestra, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

29 – Penn State School of Music: Concert Band, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7 p.m., music.psu.edu.

29 – Todd Rundgren, State theatre, SC, 8 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

29 – Penn State School of Music: Symphonic Band, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8:30 p.m., music.psu.edu.

30 – Penn State School of Music: Symphonic Wind Ensembler, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 8 p.m., music.psu.edu.

Special Events 3 – First Friday, Downtown State College, 5 p.m., firstfridaystatecollege.com.

4 – First Book Festival, Foster Auditorium & Mann Assembly Room, PSU, noon.

4 – HBI Easter Egg Hunt, Talleyrand Park, Bellefonte, 1 p.m., bellefonte.net.

4 – Easter Egg Hunt, Orchard Park, SC, 2 p.m., crpr.org.

4, 11, 18, 25 – Millheim Farmers’ Market, Old Gregg Mills Farmers’ Market, Spring Mills, 10 a.m., centralpafarmers.com.

5 – Easter Pancake Breakfast, Zion Lutheran Church, Boalsburg, 8 a.m., 466-6061.

7 – PA Strategic Energy Management Showcase, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, PSU, 8 a.m., penntap.psu.edu/services/ energy/pa-sem-showcase.

7, 14, 21, 28 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, St. John’s United Church of Christ, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., boalsburgfarmersmarket.com.

11 - Minerals Junior Education Day, Central PA Institute of Science & Technology, Pleasant Gap, nittanymineral.org 11 – AID presents Taste of India, State College Area High School, SC, 5 p.m., clubs .psu.edu.

12 – Earth Day Celebration, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, SC, 2 p.m., crpr.org.

2015 April T&G - 83

25 – Bellefonte Farmers’ Market, Gamble Mill parking area, Bellefonte, 8 a.m., centralpafarmers.com.

25 – Kids Day I: Dress Up & Discover, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 10 a.m., pamilmuseuem.org.

26 – Spring Scavenger Hunt, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, SC, 2 p.m., crpr.org.

Sports For tickets to Penn State sporting events, call (814) 865-5555 or visit gopsusports.com. For area high school sporting events, visit high school Web sites.

1 – PSU/Kent State, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

1 – PSU/Bucknell, softball (DH), Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, PSU, 5 p.m.

3 – PSU/Wisconsin, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 4 p.m.

4 – PSU/Ohio State, women’s lacrosse, Penn State Lacrosse Field, PSU, 6 p.m.

5 – PSU/Wagner, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, noon.

5 – PSU/NJIT, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 5 p.m.

7 – PSU/Ohio State, softball (DH), Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, PSU, 5:30 p.m.

7 – PSU/Bucknell, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

8 – PSU/Lafayette, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

9 – PSU/Michigan, women’s lacrosse, Penn State Lacrosse Field, PSU, 7 p.m.

10 – PSU/Purdue, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 4 p.m.

10 – PSU/Harvard, men’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.

10-12 – PSU/Michigan, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m.

Sat., 1 p.m. Sun. 10-12 – PSU/Indiana, softball, Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, PSU, 6 p.m. Fri., 3 p.m.

Sat., 1 p.m. Sun. 11 – PSU/Sacred Heart, men’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 4 p.m.

12 – PSU/Indiana, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, noon.

12 – PSU/Monmouth, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 5 p.m.

15 – PSU/Bucknell, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

17 – PSU/Michigan State, women’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 4 p.m.

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18 – Blue-White Game, football, Beaver Stadium, 4 p.m.

18-19 – PSU/Rutherford, men’s golf invitational, Penn State Blue Course, PSU, all day.

19 – PSU/Michigan, women’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 11 a.m.

19 – PSU/Rutgers, men’s lacrosse, Penn State Lacrosse Field, PSU, 6 p.m.

22 – PSU/St. Francis, softball (DH), Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, PSU, 5 p.m.

24-26 – PSU/Rutgers, softball, Beard Field at Nittany Lion Softball Park, PSU, 6 p.m. Fri., 3 p.m.

Sat., 1 p.m. Sun. 24-26 – PSU/Illinois, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m.

Sat., 1 p.m. Sun. 29 – PSU/Pittsburgh, baseball, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, PSU, 6:30 p.m.

Theater 1-11 – Penn State Centre Stage presents Dogfight, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, SC, 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. matinees April 4 & 11), theatre.psu.edu.

2-5 – The Next Stage presents Tuesdays with Morrie, State Theatre, SC, 8 p.m.

(3 p.m. matinee Sun.), thestatetheatre.org.

10-11 – Banff Mountain Film Festival, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

11 – The American Nurse, Galen and Nancy Dreibelbis Auditorium, Mount Nittany Medical Center, SC, 7 p.m., www.nursing.psu.edu/ american-nurse.

12 – The Lightning Thief, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 2 p.m., cpa.psu.edu 15-17 – Penn State Centre Stage presents Julius Caesar, Old Main lawn, PSU, 7:30 p.m. Wed. & Thurs., 7:45 p.m. Fri., theatre.psu.edu.

18 – National Theatre Live presents The Hard Problem, State Theatre, SC, 3 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

20 – Camelot, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., cpa.psu.edu 25 – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD presents Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana/Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, State Theatre, SC, 12:30 p.m., thestatetheatre.org.

26 – State of the Story: Close Calls, Narrow Escapes, State Theatre, SC, 7 p.m., thestatetheatre.org. T&G

T& G

on tap

Can-Do Spirit Craft-beer makers and lovers are coming around to having their beverages come from cans Tröegs Brewery

By Sam Komlenic

Tröegs Brewing Company in Hershey is putting more of its beer in cans, including its Cultivator Helles Bock.

A can of beer. At first, the concept was so quickly accepted that the response to the first batch ever released to the masses wildly exceeded the expectations of both the manufacturer of the cans and the brewer who filled them. The container eventually became so prolific across the industry that cans were the de facto container of choice for mass-market brands and, in the process, turned into the very symbol of mediocre beer. At the beginning of the craft-beer revolution, no self-respecting brewer of “better” beer would touch them, though cost was a major consideration. Now, however, the beer can is being embraced by those same brewers, who tout them as the perfect container for their products — the same claim made by the New Jersey brewery that first used them 80 years ago. What goes around comes around.

Just prior to the repeal of Prohibition, the American Can Company had finally engineered a workable steel can for holding beer. The intricate mechanics of the concept included having to address the pressure that beer naturally exerts on any container and a way to prevent the beer from touching and reacting with the steel of the can. It recruited the Gottlieb Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey, as its first client. Krueger filled a test run of 2,000 cans and handed them out to die-hard Krueger drinkers for their reaction. Ninety-one percent said they liked the container, and an amazing 85 percent said that Krueger’s from the can tasted more like draft beer than that from a bottle.

The first public release occurred on January 24, 1935, in 86 - T&G April 2015

Richmond, Virginia. Krueger, despite the positive test feedback, wanted to introduce the new package in a far-flung market just in case there was public backlash. Quite the contrary, the first run sold out in record time, and the popularity of the beer can was assured.

Cans became so popular that bottle manufacturers were forced to counter with the introduction of the “no deposit, no return” bottle. Early on, in fact, they were called “glass cans” by their makers.

The advantages of the can to the consumer are many. It prevents light from altering the taste of the beer inside, it cools quickly, weighs very little in its modern aluminum guise (though that first can weighed four ounces!), does not shatter, and can be flattened when empty for easy removal from a hiking or fishing trip. Recycling them uses much less energy than is needed to make a new can.

Brewers also like them for a lot of reasons. They can’t break on the filling line, they weigh less than bottles, and, because of their compact design, a truck can haul a lot more cases of cans than bottles.

Why then were craft brewers slow to accept the technology? The answer has little to do with the can itself.

For decades, canning equipment had been designed for use by the major brewers, who demanded speed and volume. There was no option for a brewer making less than 100,000 barrels per year; most major brewers brewed in the millions, while many craft brewers brewed in the hundreds or very low thousands. The same goes for buying empty cans. Because of printing issues, suppliers require huge minimum orders that small brewers couldn’t afford, store, or even use quickly.

Technology finally caught up to the demand for compact equipment in 2002 when Cask Brewing Systems introduced manual canning machinery, followed two years later by an automated system. At the Craft

Shawn Grenninger

Old Forge Brewing Company in Danville puts all of its beer for distribution in cans.

Brewers Conference in Cleveland in 2002, where it debuted the concept, it was told by one attendee that it was the “dumbest idea” he had ever heard.

“Nobody in the craft-brewing industry would put their beer in cans!” Oskar Blues Brewery of Longmont, Colorado, was its first customer that year, initially canning its Dale’s Pale Ale, and, since then, Cask has installed more than 350 craft canning lines worldwide.

Many craft brewers package their beers exclusively in cans, having to make a financial decision between bottles and cans as their package of choice. Custom canning operators have sprung up, as well. If a small brewer can’t afford to buy their own equipment, they can have a mobile canning line come to their door when needed to package their beer.

Examples of Pennsylvania can-only breweries include North Country from Slippery Rock and Old Forge of Danville, which packages exclusively in 16-ounce cans. Can the 24-ounce “tall boy” be far behind?

Though bottles still dominate the craft-beer market, some larger craft brewers who started out packaging only in bottles have added canning capacity to their breweries to satisfy demand. Tröegs of Hershey and Victory from Downingtown are both recent examples here in the Keystone State. Cans are indeed gaining traction.

Where does demand for canned beer come from?

The aforementioned outdoor activities, the beach, sporting events (including stadiums and ballparks), and even Penn State tailgates require that no glass be allowed, for obvious reasons. Considering that cans are the dominant container from the big brewers, someone transitioning to craft beer might just be 88 - T&G April 2015

more comfortable with a can.

The progression of beverage-can design over time is apparent in the ways needed to gain access to the contents. Before the 1960s, you needed a tool — a can opener — to get at your suds. Early beer cans were actually printed with instructions showing the consumer how the concept worked.

These “instructional cans” are much sought after by modern-day collectors. But the change that truly revolutionized the beer can and encouraged its acceptance more than any other came in 1963.

That was the year Pittsburgh Brewing Company put its Iron City beer in the first “pull tab” can.

Pull tabs were a beer drinker’s dream and an environmental nightmare. Pets and wildlife died from ingesting them, as did more than a few people who dropped them into their can of beer and then accidentally choked on them. The tabs wound up on beaches, where they’d cut your feet. They littered roadsides and damaged garbage disposals.

“Stay tabs” were the answer. Introduced in 1975 by the Falls City Brewing Company of Louisville, Kentucky, the tabs stayed connected to the can.

Today, virtually all carbonated beverages are marketed in cans with stay tabs.

Craft brewers now have access to “widget” cans, too. These packages include a device (the widget) that contains a drop of liquid nitrogen that releases into a gas when opened, giving the beer a soft, Guinness-like carbonation.

The beer can has come full circle since its early days. It is a user-friendly, product-friendly package offering convenience, durability, light weight, and colorful graphics. It began as a brilliant packaging concept launched by a regional brewer into a small market and eventually became the preferred package for drinkers nationwide.

Once the bane of craft brewers, the humble can is now the package of choice for many of them, and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. What does this mean for you, the consumer? There are more choices for canned beer on the shelf every month, and there are some amazing beers that can’t be enjoyed any other way — but don’t hesitate to use a glass.

Remember, too, that every delicious draft beer you’ve ever enjoyed has come from a can, albeit a much bigger one. Embrace a can of good beer soon.

Why? Simply because you can! T&G Sam Komlenic, whose dad worked for a Pennsylvania brewery for 35 years, grew up immersed in the brewing business. He has toured scores of breweries, large and small, from coast to coast.

Tasteof the Month

Opened last July, Big Spring Spirits offers eight spirits, including (from left) Big Spring Vodka,Silver Lion White Corn Whiskey, 7 Governors’ Gin, 90 - T&G April 2015 and Spiced Rum.

The Road to Good Tastes

Tasting Trail event puts Happy Valley’s beverage business in the spotlight

By Vilma Shu Danz

C

entre County has become a hub for the microbrewing and microdistilling movements. It also has seen a boom in the winery business, making this area popular for everyone who has a taste for wine, beer, spirits, and hard cider.

April offers a month-long celebration of those tastes with the first Central PA Tasting Trail. With the purchase of a $20 Tasting Trail ticket at the Centre County/Penn State Visitors Center, you will be able to get your ticket stamped at the 11 participating locations from April 1 to 30. In addition, many locations are offering special giveaways and promotions to Tasting Trail ticket holders.

Once a ticket is completely filled, it can be dropped off at any of the participating venues or at the visitors center and be entered in a May 8 drawing for prizes that include concert tickets, gift cards, gift baskets, and free nights at local hotels and bed and breakfasts.

The trail invites you to take a tour of the award-wining venues and sample the one-ofa-kind craft beverages from Elk Creek Café + Aleworks, Happy Valley Brewing Company, Otto’s Pub & Brewery, Home D Pizzeria & Robin Hood Brewing Co., Big Spring Spirits, Good Intent Cider, Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery, Keewaydin Cider Mill, Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery, Seven Mountains Wine Cellars, and Nittany Mountain Distillery, which is opening soon and will be pre-stamped on tickets.

Big Spring Spirits is the first LEED-certified distillery in the country. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, a green-building certification that recognizes advanced-building strategies and practices. It takes into account water efficiency and energy use, occupant health, and comfort.

The more than 5,000-square-feet boutique distillery, named after the water from the Big Spring in Bellefonte, is located in the historic Match Factory complex. Opened in July 2014, owner Kevin Lloyd and business partner Paula Cipar made extensive renovations to the building but still maintained its architectural charm. Eight spirits are offered — Big Spring Vodka, Rum, Silver Lion White Corn Whiskey, Spiced Rum, Coconut Rum,

Good Intent Cider has a variety of hard ciders, including (from left) Calebasse Bosc, North Meets South, and Good Charmât.

7 Governor’s Age Gin, Silver Fox White Rye Whiskey, and Silver Hare Wheat Whiskey.

Tastings are $2.50 for three (10 ml) pours or $5 for six (10 ml) pours, but there is no charge for Tasting Trail ticket holders.

“We also have a full cocktail menu using locally sourced shrubs from Tait Farm Foods and housemade cordials and syrups,” says tasting-room manger Lucy Rogers. “Since we have a distiller’s license and not a liquor license, we can’t serve beer or wine, or use any alcohol that we don’t produce.”

The cocktail menu includes the Milesburg Mule, the Centrepolitan, and the Bellefonte Iced Tea. Big Springs Spirits also serves a charcuterie plate featuring Hog’s Galore meats and Calkins Creamery cheeses. Other menu items include quiche, pickled eggs, roasted-garlic hummus, and sweet-onion and bacon jam.

Also in Bellefonte is Good Intent Cider, which started with a few gallons of cider produced by Adam Redding in his parents’ house (on Good Intent Road) in Gettysburg after he took a fiveday course at Cornell University in 2010.

“We started making small batches of 20 gallons at a time and fermenting it in my parents’ hallway closet, and we served it at my wedding in 2011,” he says. “Some of our friends said it was pretty good, my wife, Jenn, liked it, and I was impressed, too. So by 2012, we had a pretty good idea what apple blends would make a good cider and started applying for licenses.”

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Some of the participating venues on the Central PA Tasting Trail include (from left) Robin Hood Brewing Co., Seven Mountains Wine Cellars, and Otto’s Pub & Brewery.

By 2013, Redding started producing 120 gallons and sold out of his two varieties at the time — Adam’s Apple and North Meets South.

Unlike hard ciders that are sold commercially at beer distributors, Good Intent Ciders are between 7 and 11 percent ABV. Opened in October 2014, Good Intent Cider offers four ciders in bottles and six on tap. It now produces more than 1,700 gallons of cider every year.

The Adam’s Apple is the flagship semidry cider made with freshly pressed juice and no added water. In remembrance of the Battle of Gettysburg, the North Meets South is a bourbon-barrel-aged cider. The Good Charmât is a close relative of champagne and is twice fermented with notes of vanilla, red berry, and grape flavors. The Calebasse Bosc is made from the Bosc pear. It is lightly effervescent and semidry with hints of ginger.

“Coming this spring, we will have a New England-style cider made with honey and raisins. … We are going to do a Cyser, which is like the New England style but made with just apples and honey,” says Redding.

Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery in Centre Hall is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and it offers free tastings of its more than 25 award-winning wines, which range from dry to sweet. Some wines to try include the Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Nittany Mountain White, Nittany Mountain Blush, and Tailgate Red. For sweeter tastes, try the winery’s luscious fruit wines such as Raspberry, Blueberry, and Cherry. For the Tasting Trail, Mount Nittany Winery will be giving away stemless wine glasses to ticket holders.

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Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery in State College has more than 25 wines, including the recently released Meritage, a premium dry red wine, and a red-spiced wine of German tradition.

Other wines to try include the Fox Point, Blue Luna, and Ruby Throat Rosé. A few lucky ticket holders will win a chance to be part of a catered winemaker’s dinner in the winery’s barrel room.

Seven Mountains Wine Cellars in Spring Mills offers more than 30 wines, and coming this spring, try the new un-oaked Chardonnay.

Wines to try include the Ten Point, Vidal Blanc, Traminette, and Cranberry. Also this spring, look for Seven Mountains Wine Bar to open on the Diamond in Boalsburg.

Otto’s Pub & Brewery in State College always has 10 to 12 house-brewed beers on tap, including Slab Cabin IPA, Red Mo Ale, Mt. Nittany Pale Ale, Apricot Wheat, and Spruce Creek Lager. Coming in April, try the Maibock Spring Lager. For a taste of something different, visit Otto’s each Friday at 5 p.m. for Firkin Friday. A firkin is a Britishstyle cask of ale that is conditioned in the cask and gravity-poured for a real ale taste.

Keewaydin Cider Mill, owned by Otto’s, currently offers three hard ciders — a semisweet, semidry, and cherry hard cider.

Coming this spring, Otto’s will be opening Barrel 21 Distillery & Dining, a tapas dining experience featuring small-plate fusion cuisine with local flavors influenced by various cultures.

Happy Valley Brewing Company in State College has 13 different styles of beers brewed in-house, including the Tsar Bomba, the Hop Goblin, Nitwit, and Singletrack.

Home D Pizzeria & Robin Hood Brewing Company in State College and Bellefonte, has 13 to 15 of its own beers on tap, including the Nobility Blonde, Peasant Pale Ale, King Richard Red, Bulls IPA, and Blueboary Wheat. Coming in April, it will relaunch Robber Rye. Tasting Trail ticket holders will get a free sample of beer shampoo made with Robin Hood Brewing Company beer as well as a $10 gift card to Home D Pizzeria if you join the Bow & Arrow Brew Club.

Elk Creek Café + Aleworks in Millheim offers six house-standard beers, and in April it will tap the Yarrington’s Best Bitter, a British-style beer served on nitrogen to ensure a creamy smooth texture.

Other beers to try include the Big Trout Oat Stout, Hairy John’s IPA, Little Village MFA, Tail Dragger Imperial Stout, and My-O-Maibock. T&G For special sangria and cocktail recipes from Good Intent Cider and Big Springs Spirits, visit townandgown.com.

For more information about the Tasting Trail, visit centralpatastingtrail.com.

Tasting Trail Participants Big Spring Spirits 198 Match Factory Place, Bldg. 10, Bellefonte (814) 353-4478 • bigspringspirits.com Thurs. 5-9 p.m.

Fri. 4-10 p.m.

Sat. Noon-10 p.m.

Sun. 2-7p.m.

Elk Creek Café + Aleworks 100 West Main Street, Millheim (814) 349-8850 • elkcreekcafe.net Wed. & Thurs. 4-10 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. Noon-11 p.m.

Sunday Brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Good Intent Cider 167 South Potter Street, Bellefonte (717) 778-8171 • goodintentcider.com Fri. 3-9 p.m.

Sat. Noon-9 p.m.

Happy Valley Brewing Co. 137 Elmwood Street, State College (814) 234-4406 • happyvalleybeer.com Open every day, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

Happy Valley Vineyard & Winery 576 South Foxpointe Drive, State College (814) 308-8756 • thehappyvalleywinery.com Tues.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sun. 1-6 p.m.

Keewaydin Cider Mill 2235 North Atherton Street, State College (814) 867-6886 • ottospubandbrewery.com Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery 300 Houser Road, Centre Hall (814) 466-6373 • mtnittanywinery.com Tues.-Fri. 1:30-5 p.m.

Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sun. 12:30-4 p.m.

Otto’s Pub & Brewery 2235 North Atherton Street, State College (814) 867-6886 • ottospubandbrewery.com Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.- 10 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. -11 p.m.

Robin Hood Brewing Co. 1796 Zion Road, Bellefonte (Brew Site) (814) 357-8399 • robinhoodbrewingco.com Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-midnight Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

1820 South Atherton Street, State College (814) 237-7777 Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-12:30 a.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Seven Mountains Wine Cellars 324 Decker Valley Road, Spring Mills (814) 364-1000 • sevenmountainswinecellars.com Sun-Thurs. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Coming Soon Barrel 21 Distillery & Dining 2235 North Atherton Street, State College Nittany Mountain Distillery 201 Elmwood Street, Lemont nittanymountaindistillery.com 2015 April T&G - 93

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dining out

Full Course Dining bar bleu, 114. S Garner St., 237-0374, bar-bleu.com.

Socializing and sports viewing awaits at bar bleu. Don’t miss a minute of the action on 22 true 1080i HDMI high-definition flat-screen monitors displaying the night’s college and pro matchups. The bar serves up 16 draft beers in addition to crafted cocktails, including the “Fishbowl,” concocted in its own 43-ounce tank! Pub fare featuring authentic Kansas City-style barbecue is smoked daily on-site. AE, D, DC, ID+, MC, V. Full bar.

Carnegie House, corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave., 234-2424. An exquisite boutique hotel offering fine dining in a relaxed yet gracious atmosphere. Serving lunch and dinner. Prix Fixe menu and à la carte menu selections now available. AAA Four Diamond Award recipient for lodging and fine dining.

Reservations suggested. AE, MC, D, V. Full bar.

Clem’s Roadside Bar and Grill, 1405 S. Atherton St., 237-7666, www.clemsbarandgrill.com. Chef/owner Greg Mussi combines forces with infamous griller Clem Pantalone to bring you a mix of classic BBQ and other signature dishes featuring local produce and an extensive wine list. Central’s PA’s unique “whiskey bar” and extensive wine list. Happy hours every day from 5 to 7 p.m. State College’s largest outdoor seating area. Groups welcome. Catering and private events available. Daily specials listed on Facebook. Live music. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Cozy Thai Bistro, 232 S. Allen St., 237-0139. A true authentic Thai restaurant offering casual and yet “cozy” family-friendly dining experience. Menu features wide selections of exotic Thai cuisine, both lunch and dinner (take-out available). BYO (wines & beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. The Deli Restaurant, 113 Hiester St., 237-5710, The DeliRestaurant.com. Since 1973, The Deli has served up New York-style deli favorites on an American menu offering everything from comfort food to pub favorites, all made from scratch. Soups, breads, sauces, and award-winning desserts are homemade here early in the morning folks. Look for its rotating menu of food-themed festivals throughout the year. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

The Dining Room at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., 865-8590. Fine continental cuisine in a relaxed, gracious atmosphere. Casual attire acceptable. Private dining rooms available. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Down Under Steakhouse at Toftrees, One Country Club Lane, 234-8000, www.toftrees.com. A casual restaurant with unique dining featuring hearty appetizers, delicious entrees, fresh sandwiches and salads in a comfortable scenic atmosphere. Outdoor seating available. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Duffy’s Boalsburg Tavern, On the Diamond, Boalsburg, 466-6241. The Boalsburg Tavern offers a fine, intimate setting reminiscent of Colonial times.

Dining for all occasions with formal and casual menus, daily dinner features, specials, and plenty of free parking. AE, MC, V. Full bar.

Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., 237-9000, www.faccialuna.com. A true neighborhood hangout, famous for authentic New York-style woodfired pizzas and fresh, homemade Italian cuisine. Seafood specialties, sumptuous salads, divine desserts, great service, and full bar. Outside seating available. Sorry, reservations not accepted. Dine-in, Take out. MC/V. Galanga, 454 E. College Ave., 237-1718. Another great addition to Cozy Thai Bistro. Galanga by Cozy Thai offers a unique authentic Thai food featuring Northeastern Thai style cuisine. Vegetarian menu selection available. BYO (wines and beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. .

The Gardens Restaurant at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., Innovation Park, 863-5090. Dining is a treat for breakfast, lunch and dinner in The Gardens Restaurant, where sumptuous buffets and à la carte dining are our specialties. AE, CB, D, DC, MC, V. Full bar, beer.

Key AE............................................................American Express CB ...................................................................Carte Blanche D ................................................................. Discover/Novus DC.........................................................................Diners Club ID+ ................................................ PSU ID+ card discounts LC............................................................................. LionCash MAC........................................................................debit card MC........................................................................MasterCard V.......................................................................................... Visa ............................................... Handicapped-accessible

To advertise, call Town&Gown account executives Kathy George or Debbie Markel at (814) 238-5051.

94 - T&G April 2015

2015 April T&G - 95

Gigi’s, West College Ave. on the Corner of Cato Ave., 861-3463, gigisdining.com. Conveniently located 5 minutes from Downtown, Gigi’s is a farm-to-table dining experience inspired by the hottest southern trends. Outdoor Patio. Lunch & Dinner. Full Bar. AE, D, MAC, MC, V.

The Greek, 102 E. Clinton Ave., 308-8822, thegreekrestaurant.net. Located behind The Original Waffle Shop on North Atherton Street. Visit our Greek tavern and enjoy authentic Greek cuisine.

From fresh and abundant vegetables to the most succulent kebabs, each dish has been perfected to showcase genuine Greek flavors. When we say “authentic,” we mean it. Full service, BYOB. D, MC, V. Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, “Where Bacon Is An Herb,” 132 W. College Ave., 272-0738. Located next to the State Theatre. Serving authentic Austrian home cooking in Central PA. Ranked #1 Ethnic Restaurant in State College for 7 years in a row. Eat-in, Take-Out, Catering. Gluten-free options available. Bacon-based dessert. Homemade breads, BYO beer or wine all day.

Sense of humor required. D, MAC, MC, V.

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Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 N. Atherton St., 237-0375, HiWayPizza.com. The State College tradition for nearly 50 years, nobody does it better than Hi-Way! Offering more than 29 varieties of hand-spun pizzas made from scratch offer an endless combination of toppings. Its vodka “flaky” crust and red stuffed pizzas are simply a must have. Hi-Way’s menu rounds out with pasta dishes, calzones, grinders, salads, and other Italian specialties.

Eat-in, Take-out, or Hi-Way delivery. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

India Pavilion, 222 E. Calder Way, 237-3400. Large selection of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes from northern India. Lunch buffet offered daily. We offer catering for groups and private parties. AE, D, MC, V. Inferno Brick Oven & Bar, 340 E. College Ave., 237-5718, InfernoBrickOvenBar.com. With a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, Inferno is a place to see and be seen. A full-service bar boasts a unique specialty wine, beer, and cocktail menu. Foodies — Inferno offers a contemporary Neapolitan brick-oven experience featuring a focused menu of artisan pizzas and other modern-Italian plates. Lunch and dinner service transitions into night as a boutique nightclub with dancefloor lighting, club sound system, and the area’s most talented resident DJs. AE, D, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Legends Pub at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., Innovation Park, 863-5080. Unwind with beverages and a casual lounge menu. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.

Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 1272 N. Atherton St., 234-4273, MariosItalianStateCollege.com.

Fresh specialty dishes, pasta, sauces, hand-tossed pizzas, and rotisserie wood-grilled chicken all made from scratch are just a few reasons why Mario’s is authentically Italian! At the heart of it all is a specialty wood-fired pizza oven and rotisserie that imparts rustic flavors that can’t be beat! Mario’s loves wine, honored with six consecutive Wine Spectator awards and a wine list of more than 550 Italian selections. Mario’s even pours 12 rotating specialty bottles on its WineStation® state-of-theart preservation system. Reservations and Walk-Ins welcome. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

India Pavilion Exotic Indian Cuisine

Now Open 7 Days a Week Lunch Buffet: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Carry Out Available

222 E. Calder Way 237-3400 www.indiapavilion.net 2015 April T&G - 97

Otto’s Pub & Brewery, 2235 N. Atherton St., 867-6886, www.ottospubandbrewery.com. Our new location provides plenty of parking, great ales and lagers, full service bar, signature dishes made with local products in a family-friendly, casual atmosphere. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.

Philipsburg Elks Lodge & Country Club, 1 Country Club Lane, Philipsburg, 342-0379, philipsburgelks.com. Restaurant open to the public!

Monday-Saturday 11-9, Sunday 9-3. Member-only bar.

New golf member special, visit our Web site for summer golf special. AE MC, V. Full Bar (member only).

The Tavern Restaurant, 220 E. College Ave., 238-6116. A unique gallery-in-a-restaurant preserving PA’s and Penn State’s past. Dinner at The Tavern is a Penn State tradition. Major credit cards accepted. Full bar.

Whiskers at the Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., 865-8580. Casual dining featuring soups, salads, sandwiches and University Creamery ice cream. Major credit cards accepted. Full bar.

Good Food Fast Baby’s Burgers & Shakes, 131 South Garner St., 234-4776, www.babysburgers.com. Love poodle skirts, a jukebox playing the oldies, and delicious food cooked to order? Then Baby’s Burgers & Shakes is your kind of restaurant! Bring the entire family and enjoy a “ Whimpy” burger, a Cherry Coke or delicious chocolate shake, and top it off with a “Teeny Weeny Sundae,” in our authentic 1947 Silk City Diner. Check out Baby’s Web site for full menu and daily specials! D, MC, V, MAC, Lion’s Cash.

Barrel 21 Distillery & Dining, 2255 N. Atherton St., barrel21distillery.com. Coming this spring, a tapas dining experience brought to you by Otto’s Pub & Brewery! Barrel 21 will feature small-plate fusion cuisine with local flavors influenced by various cultures. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.

Fiddlehead, 134 W. College Ave., 237-0595, www.fiddleheadstatecollege.com. Fiddlehead is a soup-and-salad café offering soups made from scratch daily. Create your own salad from over 40 fresh ingredients.

DUFFY’S TAVERN Est. 1819

Pairing Dinner

RepreS enting Boalsburg through DeliciouS

Tradition

Make your Easter Sunday Reservations today!

A true neighborhood hangout highly regarded for its popular and authentic New York-style wood-fired pizza and commitment to quality. Award-winning pizza. and Italian cuisine homemade with only the best and freshest ingredients.

www.faccialuna.com 1229 South Atherton St. • State College • 234-9000 98 - T&G April 2015

Located “On the Diamond” 113 East Main Street 814-466-6241 Duffystavernpa.com

HUB Dining, HUB-Robeson Center on campus, (814) 865-7623. A Penn State tradition open to all!

We will have a total of 13 different eateries. Jamba Juice, McAlister’s Deli, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Higher Grounds, Sbarro, Soup & Garden, Diversions, Blue Burrito, Mixed Greens, Panda Express, and Sushi by Panda Express. V, MC, LC. Irving’s, 110 E. College Ave., 231-0604, www.irvingsstatecollege.com. Irving’s is State College’s finest bakery café serving award-winning bagels, espresso, sandwiches, salads, and smoothies.

Meyer Dairy, 2390 S. Atherton St., 237-1849.

A State College Classic! Meyer Dairy is the perfect choice for a quick, homemade lunch with fresh soups and sandwiches or treat yourself to your favorite flavor of ice cream or sundae at our ice cream parlor. Fresh milk from our own dairy cows (we do not inject our cows with BST), eggs, cheese, ice cream cakes, baked goods, and more!

Plus, Meyer Dairy is the best place to pick up your Town&Gown magazine each month! T&G

Taste of the

Month

Each month Town&Gown highlights a local place to eat and offers a glimpse into the great dining of our community.

If it’s happening in Happy Valley, it’s in Town&Gown!

HANDY DELIVERY HIRING DRIVERS! Part-time or Full-time You can make your own hours!

PUCA 107326

814-355-5555 We accept all major credit cards

www.handydelivery.com Courier Service • Local Deliveries • Mechanics on Duty 2015 April T&G - 99

lunch with mimi

Darren Weimert

T& G

Guiding One Team Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour actually has 31 sports under her care, and she’s looking to lead the university’s broad-based athletics program through recent challenges in order to reach new heights

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour

(left) talks with Town&Gown founder Mimi Last July, Penn State President Eric Barron named Barash Coppersmith at the Original Waffle Sandy Barbour the school’s ninth director of athletics.

Shop in State College.

Barbour came to Penn State after serving 10 years as public and represents the university. It director of athletics at the University of California. She has more makes us all proud. It’s a tough role, and I than 30 years of experience as a collegiate administrator and know you face it as a real professional. I’d coach and is now directing Penn State’s 31-sport, broad-based athletic program that supports approximately 850 student-athletes like to explore with you some easy stuff, but also some of the tougher issues that and an intercollegiate athletics staff of more than 300.

Born in 1959 in Annapolis, Maryland, she grew up in a military you need to work within a community family. Her father was a career aviator in the Navy, and her family that’s well-educated, very critical, and has high expectations, especially of athletics. lived in various US locations as well as in western Europe during Sandy: It speaks to the passion. It her childhood. She graduated cum laude in 1981 with a bachelor’s speaks to the role that athletics play in physical education from Wake Forest, where she was a fourin bringing the university and the year letter winner and served as captain of the field hockey team. community together.

She also played two varsity seasons of women’s basketball. She Mimi: You couldn’t have said it better. earned a master’s degree in sports management in 1983 from the Perhaps one of the issues is people in this University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA in 1991 from community used to enjoy jogging in Rec Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down Hall, and all of a sudden that was a nono. Is that still a no-no? with Barbour at the Original Waffle Shop in State College to Sandy: It is. That’s the policy. It’s a discuss her role as Penn State athletic director and what she policy that was put in place, and I’ve envisions for intercollegiate athletics and student-athletes. been asked about that a number of times and certainly understand the enjoyment Mimi: Tell me what’s it like to come from California that was derived from the community. to State College?

The leadership of the university has Sandy: I worked in Berkeley and lived in Oakland. For committed to take a look at it and review me, this was coming home to the East Coast, and I think the it. That doesn’t mean that it is necessarily first six months have been dominated by two impressions.

One is just the enthusiasm and the passion of this community going to change — it could be altered.

Mimi: There could be rules and about the university and the role the university plays in the regulations that would make it possible. community, but also about service and being active. And Sandy: Certainly, yeah. We’ve then, I think the second impression is around Penn State and got a couple of years behind us now, the role and the challenge that I’ve accepted. I couldn’t be and I think the promises and the more thrilled. It’s an incredible place with incredible people. commitment are to take a look at it while Mimi: Well, we’re happy to have you. I especially am, understanding the premise of which it seeing and observing a woman who speaks very well in 100 - T&G April 2015

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was enacted and how do we ensure that, and do we have a policy that maybe does all that and more that could be altered.

Mimi: If one were to look at the financials, the effort to do good to assist the university in major projects, the list is long in terms of the community’s role in that, especially for athletics.

Sandy: I don’t think there’s any argument for that at all. It is the university’s responsibility to balance that with what its number-one priority is — to serve its students and protect its students. I will tell you this, that the policy that Penn State has is very typical from a university standpoint. The challenge is that the Penn State community enjoyed something that is atypical and it was taken away, and so now it’s how do we make sure we uphold our number-one priority and yet, at the same time, address the needs, wants, and desires of our community.

Mimi: In the subject of athletics’ role in promoting the overall academic quality of the institution, tell me a little bit about how you see your role in the sustainment of that concept?

Sandy: I believe very strongly that one of the many aspects of the value that intercollegiate athletics can bring to a campus is to leverage

the many platforms and opportunities that we have. Intercollegiate athletics has to promote the excellence of every part of campus. I have only been here for six months, so I know the tip of the iceberg of what I should know and what I am going to know eventually. This is a campus that’s so rich in excellence and in accomplishment, and athletics absolutely can be leveraged and used to promote that. It needs to bring honor to the campus in terms of how our student-athletes and our staff behave, how we perform academically, and then, ultimately, our contribution to comprehensive excellence at the university is to do well on the course, pools, and tracks.

Mimi: And in the community. Increasingly, the athletes play a part in the fundraising aspects of the community.

Sandy: Absolutely. This is impressive.

Mimi: I think the service piece of intercollegiate athletics goes unnoticed, but these kids give up their time — and in very special ways.

Sandy: I’ve been really impressed at Penn State.

They have to go to school, study, and engage at a very high level in the classroom. Obviously, they have both the physical and mental time demands

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of their sport, and then, they also have a passion for engaging with the community.

Mimi: Money is certainly at the heart of athletics. How the money is raised and, in many ways, is controlled by outside or for-profit organizations. How do you feel about where we’ve arrived on that particular style of funding athletics?

Sandy: I think it’s challenging because, even with the way you’ve labeled it, money is at the heart of intercollegiate-athletic resources. We can’t do what we do without it, but at the heart of intercollegiate athletics are students.

Mimi: I agree with you.

Sandy: At the heart of intercollegiate athletics are students, and if it weren’t for needing resources to fund and to create the conditions for success for students, we wouldn’t need resources. But we do, and so, then we have to walk that line. I think one of the biggest challenges in intercollegiate athletics is that we are at the same time an educational entity, a service entity, but we’re also a business.

Mimi: Huge business!

Sandy: We have to operate under business principles in order to acquire the resources and the funding to create the conditions for success — this

world-class student-athlete experience. We all get caught up in thinking we got to make more money.

Well, it’s not make more money for the qualities of the profit. It’s create the resources, acquire the resources, so that we can fund, in Penn State’s case, 31 intercollegiate-athlete programs and support, at a very high level, 850 student-athletes. Like most things, it’s a balance that we have to maintain between Yes, we need revenue to fund these programs, but what are we willing to do and what are we not? Whatever it is we do to create those resources has to be consistent with our mission. Now, universities themselves, because of the same financial pressures, are more and more moving toward business principles and commercialrevenue-type activities.

Mimi: You have a huge job. Penn State is in the spotlight now more than ever, having experienced the worst event in our history. When you’re ready to retire, I hope it’s many years from now, what will you have hoped you accomplished here?

Sandy: I think first and foremost is to have served thousands of students and student-athletes, and served them well. Help create a vision for a department that creates an opportunity for them to take advantage of, because if they’re not willing to

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take advantage of it then there’s not much we can do.

That’s the great thing about Penn State is students don’t come here, much less student-athletes, if they’re not craving that opportunity. We’ve got to create something for them to take advantage of, but I think the other piece would be not only to have helped us through a really successful time on the course, fields, goals, tracks, but also to use athletics to help tell the Penn State story to the rest of the world. We know it. There’s a lot of the outside world with a variety of reasons not willing to hear the story, not prepared to hear the story, and I think that we’ve got work to do.

I’d love to be a part of that because I want the rest of the world now to know what I know about Penn State — what I know about the hearts and minds here, and this is not a new thing. It’s very clear to me that it has always been this way at Penn State. Penn State is about excellence, service, community, and education. That’s the culture that’s always been here and always will.

Mimi: One closing shot. What about the issue of paid collegiate athletes?

Sandy: I have very strong opinions about that.

Number one, I think students, student-athletes in particular, receive the very best and most valuable

compensation there is, and that’s an opportunity for education. They will continue to get paid for that over and over again throughout their lives, whatever career they choose. Let’s take the other tactic and let’s look at what they are getting, and not enough of us have done a really good job of quantifying what our student-athletes do actually get. If you added up the coaching expertise, the training, the nutrition, the travel, the medical, the health care, all of the academic support that they receive, the uniforms, and the equipment, it’s upward of a couple hundred thousand dollars a year per student. I think there’s been little or no acknowledgment of that. Yes, there are probably a few student-athletes that you could point to that on the open market could go out and could command some significant dollars for maybe advertising or licensing their image, but that number is tiny — it’s really small. Everyone wants to look at the middle linebacker at Penn State or the quarterback or the point guard on the basketball team, but, to be honest with you, when I was at Cal, the most marketable student-athlete on our campus was a woman by the name of Missy Franklin, a five-time Olympic medalist swimmer.

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I think the other thing is there is so much misinformation out there about this. Michael Bennett, a young man who played for the Seahawks and had just recently been at Texas A&M, said that he should have had his piece of the $50 million that Texas A&M got last year in jersey sales. Well, that kind of turned my head because $50 million — wow, that’s a lot of jerseys! That’s a big number!

So, I went back and did my research. Texas A&M last year received $56,000 in royalty fees from jersey sales across all of their sports. ... So, there’s a lot of misinformation. What Michael Bennett’s piece of that $56,000 will be? I don’t know, but is he willing to give up his scholarship?

Mimi: And, are we willing to allow money to take over intercollegiate athletics?

Sandy: I think it becomes infinitely less attractive.

And, I think one of the draws of college sports is that, number one, as a Penn State alum and as a Penn State fan you’re really proud — it’s one of the things I love about Penn State — you’re really proud of the John Urschels of the world, and you’re really proud of the graduation rate, and you’re really proud of the fact that you know that when James Franklin, Coquese Washington, Pat Chambers, Amanda

Lehotak, or Erika Walsh go out there to recruit a student-athlete, yes, they’re recruiting them because they’ve identified them as being able to contribute to the success of their team. They’re also recruiting them because they know that they have the tools to take advantage of the educational opportunity that’s here. I think we would feel differently if we felt it was all about a paycheck.

Mimi: I personally believe if the NCAA goes in that direction, they’ll put the final nail in their coffin. This has been a wonderful breakfast for lunch. Town&Gown thanks you for squeezing out the time to do this!

Sandy: My pleasure, absolutely.

Mimi: I’m sure our readers will be as enthusiastic as I am and will enjoy reading this.

Sandy: One of the great joys of the last six months has been getting to know the community a little bit, and I’ll put out the same challenge to our community as I have to our student-athletes. I started it this way in August and September — if you see me on campus or see me on the streets, come up and say Hello and introduce yourself. I’d love to know more about everybody! T&G

2015 April T&G - 105

State College Photo Club’s

Winning Photos

The State College Photo Club provides photo enthusiasts with the opportunity to share their passion for photography with others, and an environment for learning and developing new skills. The club welcomes individuals from amateurs to professionals.

One of the club’s activities is to hold a monthly competition. Town&Gown is pleased to present the winning images from the club’s competition.

Shown this month are the first-place winners from the judged January meeting competition.

“River Ice” by Alyssa Valent

>

January Meeting First Place Theme “Cold” “This photo was taken near Raystown Lake with my Nikon. I liked the snowflakeshaped ice over the running water near the end of winter.”

January Meeting First Place Open Category

>

“Love You” by Robert Hale

“It is a studio photo taken of two Penn State students who are very much in love. I have photographed Ashley since she was a freshman at PSU. This image was taken with her boyfriend just before they both graduated and moved on with their careers. I think it captures this wonderful time in our lives.”

A copy of many photos taken by the State College Photo Club may be obtained with a $75 contribution to the Salvation Army of Centre County. Contact Captain Charles Niedermeyer at (814) 861-1785. You can select any size up to 11 inches wide.

The State College Photo Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Foxdale Village Auditorium. Guests and new members are always welcome.

Visit statecollegephotoclub.org for more information about how to join.

106 - T&G April 2015

Inspired Together Thank you to those in the State College community and beyond, including THON, Lion’s Pride, Penn State Hershey Association of Faculty and Friends, and so many more, for supporting programs and efforts at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. With your help, we truly are inspired together.

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PennStateHershey.org/childrens

T& G

snapshot

Committed to the Future Steve and Nancy Sheetz are helping the next generation of entrepreneurs Contributed photo

By Harry Zimbler

Steve (left) and Nancy Sheetz

Great companies and institutions depend upon the vision and determination of their leaders. Behind every successful business, you will discover a story of persistence, selfconfidence, and mentorship.

Steve and Nancy Sheetz understand how critically important it is to provide future leaders — including entrepreneurs — the opportunities to learn and develop the skills needed to flourish in a twenty-first-century economy.

That’s why they have made a major financial commitment to the students of Penn State Altoona. The Steve and Nancy Sheetz Trustee Scholarship will help provide more than 120 Penn State Altoona students the funds they will need to attend the school. It is the largest commitment ever made for scholarships at the Altoona campus.

Now serving as chair of the Sheetz Family Council, Steve has spent a lifetime working to help grow his family’s company, Sheetz, which has become one of the most prosperous convenience-store chains in the nation. Though she prefers to stay out of the limelight, Nancy has always been at her husband’s side, supporting his efforts to stay ahead of business challenges.

This month, Penn State Altoona is honoring the couple as its 2015 Renaissance Scholarship Fund honorees. The dinner is April 24 at the Blair County Convention Center.

The team of Steve and Nancy came to be in 1969. The story of their meeting takes place, of course, in a Sheetz store.

“I went in to buy a dill pickle,” Nancy recalls. “We started talking and he asked me out. We were married a year later.”

108 - T&G April 2015

The value of family relationships cannot be underestimated in the Sheetz home. One of Steve’s most important roles is to ensure that the business stays a family-run enterprise.

Ask any member of the Sheetz family what they value most in business, and you’re likely to get the answer that Steve gives.

“I think that all of us truly believe that great people build great businesses,” he says. “It’s our employees that make the difference.”

Sheetz Incorporated recently opened store 500. Its stores are in six states — Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. A new store is planned for downtown State College, though it will not include the familiar red gas pumps.

In the formative years, during the 1950s and 1960s, there were eight employees working for Sheetz. Today, there are more than 17,000 people working for the company. Also, there are now 83 members of the Sheetz Family Council, all descendants of Steve’s mother and father.

While the family business continues to expand, it is the idea of giving back that consumes much of Steve and Nancy’s time these days.

“I was with 30 Sheetz Fellows [recently],” says Steve. “I get a lot of hope from them. They are driven students who want to make a difference. The next generation really feels a social responsibility to make the world a safer, better place.” T&G For more information on Penn State Altoona’s Renaissance Scholarship Fund Dinner, contact the college’s development office at (814) 949-5104 or 800-874-8055.

Harry Zimbler is a freelance writer who focuses on business issues.

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