Inside: The two sides of social media; Meet the judges of the Court of Common Pleas
Town&Gown JANUARY 2012
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Soup’s
Centre County chefs have some great soups to try out and help you keep warm this winter
On!
IF IT’S HAPPENING IN HAPPY VALLEY, IT’S IN TOWN&GOWN
“[Valdés’] playing is titanic, from his stirring chordwork behind his already inflamed soloists to his improvisations of blazing trills and cascading runs.” The Guardian
CHUCHO VALDÉS with the Afro-Cuban Messengers 7:30 p.m. January 31
Eisenhower Auditorium On sale now!
863-0255 • 1-800-ARTS-TIX
w w w. c p a . p s u . e d u
College of Arts and Architecture
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT PENN STATE
AltoonA lithogrAph from tAvern
IN WORLD WAR TWO, ALTOONA RR SHOPS WERE TARGETS OF GERMAN SABOTEURS Even in 1892, when Wizard of Oz illustrator W.W. Denslow made this lithograph – now in The Tavern collection – Altoona had become an important railroad center. The PRR shops are seen in right center. “In 1849, PRR officials developed plans to construct a repair facility at Altoona. Construction was started in 1850, and soon a long building was completed that housed a machine shop, woodworking shop, blacksmith shop, locomotive repair shop and foundry. … In May 1877, telephone lines were installed for various departments. …” -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Railroad
Prime Rib Coated with Crushed Peppercorns and Marinated in a Sauce of Garlic, Soy Sauce and Wine. Served with a Pepper Sauce of Beef Broth and Marinade.
Fresh seafood, veal and prime rib are our specialties. Relax among rare and historic Pennsylvania lithographs and memorabilia at The Tavern.
Dinner at the Tavern… A Long-Standing Tradition in State College & Penn State Since 1948. Serving dinner from 5 p.m. seven days a week.
220 E. College Avenue, State College • 814-238-6116 • www.thetavern.com
i will take care of myself
BECAUSE I DESERVE HEALTHY ATTRACTIVE LEGS. The Circulatory Centers can help. For 30 years, we’ve helped women painlessly remove unsightly veins from their legs. Our local board-certified doctors specialize in improving the look and feel of your legs. All procedures are done in the privacy and comfort of our center. 95% of procedures are covered by insurance with little to no out-of-pocket expenses. Don’t wait. Now there’s no reason not to have healthier, younger-looking legs once again.
Call today for your FREE consultation! 1.800.536.9284 | veinhealth.com Visit our convenient State College office located on 313 Logan Street.
The vascular experts doctors recommend most.
“These two people have lost a total of 124 lbs and are still going strong!” What’s their secret?
It’s not a secret. Well, unless you haven’t heard of The Fitness Circuit (soon to be Ki’netik Fitness). Less than 5% of people that join a gym get the results they’re after, let alone results like this. That’s not the case at The Fitness Circuit, and that’s probably because we’re not your typical gym. “I am feeling good. I can tell that I can do more each week. I love it there. It is a better workout than I could do at a regular gym on my own. Starting to get results and I can’t wait to see how much I can lose with TFC!” - Laura, new member That’s right we’re not just a regular gym. We are a program. A lifestyle. A community. Not only do we have guided, fun and dynamic workouts that change every single day, but we also offer nutrition education, and a welcoming, fun environment.
Worried about beginning a new program? That you’ll feel out of place or too out of shape to keep up? We can’t prove it until you come in, but we promise you that those feelings will be erased after your first day! Most of our members come to us with the same sentiment, “I haven’t worked out in years.” “I’m so out of shape that I’ll hold others back.” And they’re all so surprised when they finish their first class and realize that we’re all a team here at The Fitness Circuit (TFC). Through modifications and your coaches’ support, you WILL make it through your first week - and you will love it! “ I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying my experience in your gym... Your clients are the best, NOT like other gym experiences I have had. They support you no matter what level you’re at... And you, thank you!!! You remembered my name and gave me exercises for my level of fitness or lack thereof, all while once again not making me feel like an idiot for being almost 40 and out of shape. It is no wonder so many people are saying so many great things about The Fitness Circuit....it’s different.” - Kelly C.
Looking great, being truly healthy, and staying active long into your life. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Doing all of this on your own is hard and personal training is expensive. But with TFC, never again be alone in your pursuit of health. Have a Certified Fitness Professional with you at every session, at a fraction of the cost of personal training. Our coaching staff has extensive fitness credentials and we truly care about your success! Our unique “group coaching” format offers you the best of all worlds - personal attention, support from your peers and tremendous value! Our classes run from 5:30am to 6:30pm, Monday - Friday. And for those who aren’t quite ready to be in a mixed environment, we even have two women-only classes at 5:30am & 10am daily. We have pages of testimonials frommen and women just like you who never thought it was possible to love working out and finally see results! You can be our next success story. But you need to take the first step.
Some feedback from our customers: “I love it at TFC. I have become slightly addicted. I have lost 11 pounds since August (about 1.5 months) and I’m hoping that it keeps coming... ALL the trainers there are so personable and helpful during the classes.” “I tried going back to a regular gym, but returned to The Fitness Circuit because after months elsewhere, I never achieved the results I got from a 50-minute workout 3-4 times a week. The variety and group workouts make exercising fun while attaining results!” “I feel great and I absolutely LOVE The Fitness Circuit! I love the pace and how the exercises change daily. It’s perfect for me!”
You can become our next success story! Go to thefitnesscircuit.com/youridealbody to download our FREE report
“5 Things You Should Never Do If You Want To Lose Weight Fast”
814-238-4677
2301 Commercial Blvd
State College, PA 16801
1375 Martin Street State College, PA 16803
it’s a
shore thing The Dining Room's Famed Seafood Spectacular Buffet
Centre Realty
Lisa Rittenhouse
(814) 231-8200
www.StateCollegeHomeSales.com (800) 860-6226 Each Office Independently Owned and Operated
REALTOR® ABR = Accredited Buyer Representation 203k Specialist = Rehab Loans RCC = Residential Construction Certified
The steps to buying and selling a property are important. • Showings • Open houses • Contracts • Inspections • Mortgage pre approvals and commitments • Appraisal • Utility transfers • Closing
Hire me to walk you through step by step, we will get through one of the most important decisions of your lifetime. Enjoy classic crab cakes & lobster bisque, as well as weekly specialties fresh
CALL ME AT 231-8200 ext. 321 Cell: (814) 933-7106 LisaLRittenhouse@gmail.com www.LisaRittenhouse.com Shannon Stiver, Licensed Sales Coordinator to Lisa Rittenhouse 814-231-8200, ext. 340
from the sea that create a
To better serve our growing clientele, Wise Crackers is moving this year to Celebration Hall for another great year of comedy entertainment and community fundraisers. Please consider Wise Crackers Comedy Club for your group or organization’s fundraiser. They are fun, easy and unique!
new menu every Friday. Top off your meal with a glass of your favorite wine from the Inn's award winning wine list.
5:30 EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT
MAKE $300 - $500 - $1000 - $2000...or MORE!
26
$
.95 +beverage excludes tax & gratuity & alcohol
814.865.8500 www. www.nittanylioninn.psu.edu TheDiningRoom@psu.edu Reservations are encouraged.
For more info contact: Tom Bruce (814) 280-7485 or email tombrucewc@aol.com
W
“Wise Crackers Comedy Club has provided a unique vehicle for our organization, Little Lion Youth Wrestling, for the past two years. We are planning our 3rd fundraiser with them for this upcoming winter season. It is a fun night out, we raise a useful amount of money, it is very easy and everyone has really enjoyed the different comedians they bring to State College.” Barb Barr at T&B Medical 2280 Commercial Blvd. State College, PA 16801 (814) 238-0824 (814) 238-0838
www.hoagscatering.com
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The Weight Is Over For some, losing pounds may be just an idle pledge they make at the start of every new year. But for others, eating better and becoming healthier become lifestyle choices that they carry with them throughout the year and beyond • by Rebekka Coakley
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Wired into the Social Scene The social-media world continues to change the actual world around us — in good and not-so-good ways • by Jenna Spinelle and • Jeanne Drouilhet
52
Order in the Court The judges of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas welcome a new member and continue to make life-altering decisions from the bench • by Tracey M. Dooms
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60 62 65 70 72 74 88 91 92
Letter From The Editor Starting Off On Center: Shanghai Tango Health: Improving eating habits and exercising in the new year should also be about our children This Month on WPSU Penn State Diary: George Harrell’s vision helped develop medical center and College of Medicine What’s Happening Guide to Advertisers From the Vine: Italy’s Puglia region Taste of the Month/Dining Out: Soups of Centre County Lunch with Mimi: Dr. E. Eugene Marsh III State College Photo Club’s Photos of the Month Snapshot: Brad Pantall
On the cover: Photo by Darren Weimert. Elk Creek Café’s Dumpling and Pork Belly Soup.
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 2012 by Barash Media. All rights reserved. Send address changes to Town&Gown, Box 77, State College, PA 16804. 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. www.townandgown.com
5 - Town&Gown January 2012
Town&Gown January 12
A State College & Penn State tradition since 1966.
Our Product Is Service Commercial Insurance Publisher Rob Schmidt
Personal Insurance Financial Services
Founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith Editorial Director David Pencek Creative Director/Photographer John Hovenstine Advertising Coordinator/Assistant Editor Vilma Shu Danz Graphic Designer/Photographer Darren Weimert
info@frostandconn.com 1301 N. Atherton St. • 237-1492
Graphic Designer Amy Schmalz Account Executives Kathy George, Debbie Markel Business Manager Aimee Aiello Administrative/Editorial Assistant Bikem Oskin Distribution Handy Delivery, Ginny Gilbert, Tom Neff Senior Editorial Consultant Witt Yeagley Interns Jeanne Drouilhet, Allison LaTorre (Editorial) Josh Lamey (Graphic Design)
To contact us: Mail: 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801 Phone: (814) 238-5051, (800) 326-9584 Fax: (814) 238-3415
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dpenc@barashmedia.com (Editorial) rschmidt@barashmedia.com (Advertising)
F. Glenn Fleming, Funeral Director/Supervisor Jay Herrington, Funeral Director Rebecca E. Sheetz, Funeral Director 2401 S. Atherton Street, State College, PA 16801
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.
(814) 237-2712 www.kochfuneralhome.com
Crematory on premises
www.townandgown.com 6 - Town&Gown January 2012
letter from the editor
Now for the (Other) News Good works don’t stop in Happy Valley Obviously, one story has dominated headlines here of late. So, in case you missed it, here are some other news items that have happened in the past few months: • More than 150 people participated in the YMCA of Centre County’s annual Polar Bear Plunge in December. The event raised $40,500 with proceeds going to benefit families who can’t afford YMCA memberships. • Right before Christmas, Interfaith Human Services was closing in on its goal of $20,000 for its Wishing Well Campaign, whose funds provide Centre County residents assistance for things such as prescriptions, mortgages, and utilities. • The Centre County Community Foundation, as part of its competitive granting, awarded nearly $45,000 to 13 local organizations. Some of the organizations that received money include Centre Volunteers in Medicine, ClearWater Conservancy, and Centre County Federation of Public Libraries. • The Bob Perks Fund, which helps individuals and families affected by cancer in Centre, Blair, Clearfield, and Huntingdon counties, received more than $35,500 from Penn State’s chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer. • More than 430 pounds of nonperishable food were donated to the State College Area Food Bank thanks to the Food For Fare day sponsored by the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA). • And of course, there are the ongoing efforts to help child-abuse victims, from Penn State’s creating the Center for the Protection of Children to individuals’ and groups’ raising money for organizations such as
RAINN, Prevent Child Abuse, and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. The amount of space here prohibits me from writing about the many other newsworthy good deeds that have happened here recently. The point is one that many have been making since that first weekend in November — that this region is much more than the alleged acts of one person or even a handful of people. Town&Gown has always strived to shine the light on the goodness in the communities we cover — whether it’s a person, an organization, or a business. During this coming year, Town&Gown will continue to do that — and then some — while also dealing with the story that has engulfed this region. Those acts of decency and kindness are some of the things that make most of us love this place so much and proudly call it home. And I’m still proud to call it home. Thanks to this job and being involved with various groups and organizations, I have been able to meet many of you and hear about the work you do to make our communities better. That work defines this region much more than what most of the rest of the country has seen and read about in the past couple of months. It was heartwarming to recently receive a message from a woman who lives near Philadelphia. She wrote, “Just know that there are people outside of Happy Valley (me!) who think State College is a fantastic place, for a lot of reasons. We stand with you!” Happy New Year! David Pencek Editorial Director dpenc@barashmedia.com
Caring for the People You Care About Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg l Westminster Woods at Huntingdon Windy Hill Village, Philipsburg l Woodland Retirement Community, Orbisonia www. presbyterianseniorliving.org (814) 693-4085 8 - Town&Gown January 2012
Capperella Furniture
- we’re in your neighborhood Over the past 15 years, Carol Capperella has helped us refurnish every room in our family home in Bellwood, achieving our goal of comfort, blended with elegance. In 2009, we asked Carol to lend her design expertise to two mountain-style cabins, at our HomeWaters Retreat in Spruce Creek. In the last several months, Carol came through again, helping us convert a 220-year-old farmhouse in Spruce Creek to the shabby chic, Cara Mor Spa. It turned out even better than we ever could imagine!
...Your Style. ...Your Life.
Pam & Donny Beaver Cara Mor Spa, Spruce Creek
w w w. c a p p e r e l l a . c o m 660 Pleasant View Blvd.Bellefonte, PA 16823 • 814.355.4857
145 E. Market St., Lewistown, PA 17044 • 717.248.0177
starting off
What’s
New
Centre County Reads ready for ninth year
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is the 2012 selection for Centre County Reads, which encourages residents of all ages to “explore the human condition and the issues of community by reading the same book and coming together in discussions anytime, anywhere, with anyone.” The 2012 program kicks off January 22 with Centre County Reads Indoor Sports Day from 1 to 3 p.m. at the State College YMCA. Other events include a Grim Reaper Writing Contest (entries are due February 24), a panel discussion February 21, and a Skype appearance by Zusak March 20 at Mount Nittany Middle School. For more information visit www.centrecountyreads.org.
State Theatre names new executive director
New State Theatre executive director Richard Biever.
State College to bring even more local talent to our stage. We will redouble our efforts in fundraising so the theatre is able to make the space available to even more local artists, and we’ll expand our national programming to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. It’s going to be an exciting time!”
Commission for Women turns 30
The board of directors at the State Theatre announced the appointment of Richard Biever as its new executive director. Biever, with his wife Heidi, is the coartistic director of Singing Onstage Studios, a musical theater training studio in State College. Biever, who replaces Harry Zimbler, completed an MFA in directing for the musical theater stage at Penn State in May 2010, and that fall began a musical theater development company in New York, which will continue. “The State Theatre has been our artistic home away from home for five years, and Heidi and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the staff and producing shows in that incredible space,” Biever said in a released statement. “The previous executive directors at The State have done great things and I’m thrilled and honored to continue that tradition of excellence and to bring new ideas to the table. There is much potential and I look forward to partnering with the many artists in
Penn State’s Commission for Women is spending the 2011-12 academic year celebrating its 30th anniversary. Plans are underway to hold events in honor of the anniversary, including a birthday party and display of a commemorative anniversary poster. “As we mark 30 years of the Commission for Women, it’s a time to look back and to celebrate our accomplishments and all of the women and men who were a part of our history and who worked tirelessly to make Penn State better for our women faculty, staff, technical service, administrators, and students,” commission chairwoman Christy Long said. “It’s also an opportunity to look forward and focus our energy on the work that we still need to do.” The commission serves as an advisory group to the university president on the status of women at Penn State, advocates for women’s concerns, and recommends solutions. In the spring, the commission will release its latest update to the Report on the Status of Women at Penn State. T&G
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People in the
Community Beth Alford-Sullivan
Penn State track and field and cross-country director and head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan was named the winner of the 2011 Joseph Robichaux Award by United States Track and Field. The award is presented each year to a coach, administrator, or volunteer who “has made a significant impact in women’s track and field in the United States.” Alford-Sullivan is in her 13th year as head coach of Penn State’s women’s track and field team. She is in her sixth year as the director of both the men’s and women’s track and field teams and cross-country teams. “This award means a lot, as previous recipients have been such outstanding individuals,” she
said in a released statement. “I appreciate the recognition and am thrilled to receive this award.” In 2009-10, Alford-Sullivan led Penn State women to Big Ten team titles in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field.
Terry Engelder
Penn State professor of geosciences Terry Engelder was named one of Foreign Policy magazine’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers” for 2011. Engelder, along with Gary Lash, professor of geoscience for State University of New York, and Texas oilman George P. Mitchell, were designated number 36 on the list for “upending the geopolitics of energy.” In 2008, Engelder and Lash estimated reserves of the US Northeast’s Marcellus shale formation at 50 trillion cubic feet. In 2009, Engelder revised the estimate up to 489 trillion cubic feet, making it the world’s largest unconventional natural gas reserve. In 1983, Engelder began looking into natural fracking to generate fractures in gas shale.
Tricia Miller
Penns Valley secondary English teacher Tricia Miller was named the 2012 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year. She is the first Centre County educator to win the award in its 54-year history. Miller, who also is Penns Valley High School’s literacy coach and English department chairperson, has been teaching at Penns Valley for 16 years. She is a 1990 graduate of Bellefonte Area High School and a 1994 graduate of Penn State. “I simply represent all of the state’s teachers who do what’s right for students each and every day, and I’ve done that for 16 years because that’s what my teachers in Bellefonte Area School District did for me,” she says. Two other Penns Valley teachers, Mary ConnerRighter and Jacqui Wagner, were semifinalists in the state Teacher of the Year program. T&G 12 - Town&Gown January 2012
Lot 2 Little Brook Lane
380 Cogan Circle
1192 Westerly Parkway
MLS # 33035 $399,900
MLS # 33399 $269,000
MLS # 34450 $198,000
SO
LD
355 Johnson Road
MLS # 35022 $574,000 • 4 bedrooms • 1.73 acres • Central air
• 17.67 acres • Clean & Green
• 4 bedrooms • 2 baths • Finished lower level
122C Alma Mater Court
1604 Woodledge Circle
348 Arbor Way
• 3 bedrooms • Central Air
512 Belle Avenue
SO
LD
131 W High St
MLS # 34970 $205,000
MLS # 34736 $279,000
• 3 Bedrooms • 2.5 baths • 1 car garage
• 3 bedrooms • Carport • 2839 sq ft
Lot 101 Shoemaker Road
11 James Hill Road
MLS # 33219 $599,900 • 5 bedrooms • 2 baths •.49 acres
MLS # 34783 $189,000 • 4 bedrooms • 3 baths • 2 car garage
2442 Jacksonville Road
113 Sandy Ridge Road
MLS # 34298 $439,900
157 Rosehill Dr
SO
LD
Sale Pending
MLS # 34866 $269,000
MLS # 32811 $299,900
• 2.77 wooded acres • Close to I-80
• 3 bedrooms • 2.5 baths • 1.09 acres
• 4 bedrooms • 3 baths • Log home
201 Elmwood Street
264 Kathy Street
1368 S Atherton Street
Lot 4 Stoney Point Drive
MLS # 34075 $1800/mo
• 4 bedrooms • 3 baths • 1.3 acre
Ne
w
Pri
ce
MLS # 33131 $54,900
MLS # 34749 $139,000
MLS # 34992 $130,000
MLS # 24705 $145,000
• Commercial • Retail • Restaurant
• 3 bedroom •1775 sq ft • Wood/coal burner
• Commercial Office • 695 Sq Feet
• Lot 4 is 1.15 acre • Larger lots available
153 Thistle Lane
Lot 6 & 7 - 169 Bible Road
430 Shiloh Road
178 Shadow Hawk Lane
Pri
ce
161 Rosehill Dr
Ne w
Sale Pending
MLS # 32872 $394,900 • 4 bedrooms • 3 baths • 1.04 acres
1140 Kathryn Street
MLS # 33131 $314,900 • 4 bedrooms • 3 baths • 1st floor master
MLS # 34750 $179,000
MLS # 34146 $70,000
MLS # 32754 $325,000
• 2 acre • Rt 144 • Chose Builder
Commercial Lot • .77 acre
• 3 bedroom • 17 acres • SCASD
292 S Osmond Street
202-212D E College Ave
206 Water Street 529 E Irvin Ave
MLS # 34925 $99,000 • 4 bedroom on Bald Eagle Creek
MLS # 33434 $259,900
MLS # 27644 $239,000
• 4 bedrooms • 2 baths • Lower level apartment
• Office Condo • Currently rented • 1250 sq feet
Centre Realty 1375 Martin Street, State College PA 16803
(814) 231-8200
Tom’s Cell: (814) 574-4345 Ellen’s Cell: (814) 280-2088 Bob’s Cell: (814) 574-0293 Bob Langton Associate to Tom Cali Ellen Kline
13 - Town&Gown January 2012
cali.kline@gmail.com • www.statecollegeliving.com
Q&A
Q&A with photographer Steve Manuel By Sarah Harteis
It was 1973 when Steve Manuel decided he wanted to become a photographer. Since that decision, he has been featured in many major publications, including Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and USA TODAY. Penn State football also has played a large part in the former Marine’s career over the last two decades. Given the number of timeless photographs he has taken during the games, he compiled his best ones and put together a book. His final product, A Penn State Football Pictorial, A Collection of Penn State Football Images from 1993-2010, was published in October. T&G: When did you first become interested in photography? Manuel: I was 19 at the time and stationed outside of Philadelphia, along with seven other active-duty Marines. We ran the reserve unit and it was Christmas time — we were doing Toys for Tots deliveries and during this time there was a load of Vietnamese orphans coming in. Since we were going down to do deliveries anyways, I was asked if I’d take a few photographs and write a few words. I said
Sure. So they got me a camera and I went down and took some pictures and sent them in. I never heard from them until eventually I got a package in the mail. It was a newspaper with a full-page story and my photographs. I later applied for a change of occupation. So it was by accident that this all happened. T&G: Is it difficult to capture great photographs in sports? Manuel: Sports are like public relations – every play’s a crisis. You get paid to figure it out. They say sports photography is 50 percent luck, but I don’t believe in luck. I believe you make your own luck. T&G: What was your biggest challenge when putting your book together? Manuel: The hardest part was locating and searching through the negatives. When you shoot something, you say, “Oh, I’ll just file this away later.” Then the pile gets bigger and bigger. Then after making my initial selections, the next hardest part was “now what?” I have pulled photos in and out many times and eventually I just had to make my decisions on what I was going to use. T&G: What are some of your other accomplishments? Manuel: Probably my United Service Organization (USO) trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve gone to Iraq to shoot for Stephen Colbert. Comedy Central actually just filmed a show — a photo retrospective featuring my shots. I went to Iraq with Dane Cook for nine days where he did three shows a day. I was impressed. At every venue, he stayed until the last troops went through the line for a photo and autograph. We were there for hours. All of those trips are cool. T&G
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The Penn State Forum presents some of the most notable leaders and policy makers in their respective professions. Modeled after the National Press Club, the Forum includes lunch, followed by remarks from the distinguished speaker and a moderated Q&A session. Together, the speaker and audience have an opportunity to explore some of the most pertinent issues facing higher education and society today.
THE 2011-2012 SCHEDULE OF SPEAKERS Searching for the Lost Generation Speaker: Linda Miller, Professor of English at Penn State Abington and the 2011-2012 Penn State Laureate Date: January 20, 2012 Location: The Nittany Lion Inn Confronting the Climate Change Challenge Speaker: Michael E. Mann, Professor of Meteorology at Penn State Date: February 9, 2012 Location: The Penn Stater The Serious Art of Comedy Television (well, maybe not that serious) SOLD OUT Speaker: Don Roy King, Director of Saturday Night Live Date: March 20, 2012 Location: The Nittany Lion Inn Leading Responsibly in Healthcare Speaker: Richard T. Clark, Chairman of the Board of Merck Date: April 10, 2012 Location: The Penn Stater Covering Katrina: Then and Now Speaker: Karen Swensen Ronquillo, Newscaster for WWL-TV Date: April 23, 2012 Location: The Penn Stater Tickets may be purchased through the Penn State id+ office: Phone: 814-865-7590 / email: idcard@psu.edu Address: 103 HUB-Robeson Center. For more information, please visit http://pennstateforum.psu.edu/
15 - Town&Gown January 2012
Looking Back Centre County history through the pages of Town&Gown January 1980
In its story “Old Way of Life,” Town&Gown put a spotlight on Aaronsburg. Resident Ralph Beahm, who helped run the Aaronsburg Library and Historical Museum with his wife, Bernice, and two other women, said, “We’re not what we used to be. And Aaronsburg never did become a famous city. But I like it like this. The children learn about their home through the library. And we also manage to have some good clean fun.”
1994
0% ion 10 sfact tee i an S a tG u a r
Doug Moerschbacher
Town&Gown took look at State College’s new mayor, Bill Welch, in “The New Mr. Mayor.” As he prepared for his new role, Welch said, “State College has been awfully good to me in the 50 years I’ve been here. I want to do what I can to keep the town a nice place in which to live.”
Rug Cleaning Service 2010
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In “Mr. Thompson Goes to Washington,” Glenn Thompson talked about his first year of representing Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District in Washington, DC. “ The most negative thing is the partisanship that has been escalating over many years,” Thompson said about the job. “ We have so many important issues with the economy, and unemployment’s now over 10.2 percent nationally, and it’s higher in many parts of my district.” T&G
Let me pamper your rugs in my Spa! 121 West Street • Pleasant Gap PA, 16823
814-359-4414 • www.cleansweepp.net 16 - Town&Gown January 2012
This Month On townandgown.com • In 5 Questions, Kate Twoey of Pure Cane Sugar talks about Heart of Gold, the special fundraising event at the State Theatre that features local musicians performing the music of Neil Young. • From movies and books to music and food, discover all the new and exciting options to explore in 2012! • Special recipes from several local chefs and restaurants. • More What’s Happening listings, and sign up for Town&Gown’s monthly e-newsletter.
And visit our Facebook site for the latest happenings and opportunities to win free tickets to concerts and events!
* Great location with plenty of parking * State College Federal Credit Union is now on Facebook!
* Home Banking, VISA, & Debit Cards * Youth & Club Accounts
Holiday Loan Special Through January! 422A Westerly Parkway Plaza
State College, PA 16801
814-234-0252
www.statecollegefcu.com
P E R S O N A L * F R I E N D L Y * S E R V I C E
1kbb.com Your LOCAL Real Estate website ... ALL properties, news & statistics 1612 N. Atherton St. State College, PA
814-238-8080
2300 S. Atherton St. State College, PA
814-234-4000
18 - Town&Gown January 2012
Scan this tag to view all the MLS listings!
202 N. Jay St. Lock Haven, PA
570-748-8067
The Dix Honda Sales Team:
Bill Elder, Charlie Faris, Mike Shawley, Dave LeRoy, Rick Fisher
2796 W. College Avenue • State College, PA 16801 (814) 238-6711 www.dixhonda.com • Mon., Tues., Thurs. 8-8 • Wed., Fri. 8-5:30 • Sat. 9-3
We Put the Life in Life Care.
As a Foxdale resident, we encourage you to live life to the fullest, through mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. You’ll also have the assurance of quality lifetime health care services, or Life Care, as we call it, if your needs ever change. And even though care is here when you need it, our focus has always been on the “life” part—now for over 20 years. To learn more, and to find out how you can become a Foxdale resident, call us at (814) 272-2117 or visit us at www.foxdalevillage.org.
Quaker-Directed Continuing ContinuingCare CareRetirement RetirementCommunity Community A Quaker-Directed
(814) 238-3322 | (800) 253-4951 | 500 East Marylyn Ave. | State College, PA 16801 19 - Town&Gown January 2012
Chamber Membership Benefits Your Business and Your Community
CBICC Unveils New Values Statement Visionary Leadership
We are the leading business advocate in our countywide community, shaping policy, initiating collaborative partnerships and are the champions of economic development and business growth. We will lead with vision, inspiration, innovation, and enthusiasm.
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rganizational Integrity We will operate with the highest level of trust and integrity, delivering measurable results for the betterment of our economy and our members.
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nfrastructure and Education The CBICC recognizes that a strong community infrastructure, including but not limited to education, workforce training, transportation, and health care, is essential to creating and promoting a strong economic development climate in Centre County.
C
ommunication We are committed to effective, honest, and respectful communication to foster an environment favorable to positive economic growth and will clearly and consistently promote the CBICC mission, vision, priorities, and actions.
E
xperience and Value The CBICC will deliver high-quality member services that align with its mission, vision, and values to provide an outstanding “Member Experience� in which value exceeds investment.
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Coaches vs. Cancer Saturday, February 11, 2012 Bryce Jordan Center Game Tipoff – 1:00PM $3.00 from every individual game ticket sold to the February 11th contest will be donated to Penn State Coaches vs. Cancer!
Vs. Band Together is back! Join your Penn State Nittany Lions, the Penn State Coaches vs. Cancer committee and your local American Cancer Society in support of cancer patients and survivors in our region by attending the PSU men’s basketball game against the Cornhuskers. Bring your headbands or purchase a headband for $2 at the door. The Band Together event will also feature a Silent Auction of sports and celebrity memorabilia on the BJC concourse. Auction begins when the doors open at 12:00pm. All proceeds from headband sales and the auction benefit CVC.
www.cvcpennstate.org
Centre County Library & Historical Museum Shake those early winter doldrums and discover the treasure that is the Centre County Library & Historical Museum, located in the heart of downtown Bellefonte. The main library branch offers many interesting ways to spend time with friends and make new ones. Enjoy your favorite books, music, and entertainment. Stroll across Allegheny Street and admire the beauty of the 1814 Georgian-style limestone home that houses the Historical Museum and Pennsylvania Room. Wind your way up the staircase while “meeting” some of Bellefonte’s and Pennsylvania’s prominent community members. Enjoy the ivory keys of its 1890 Steinway or see the “Square Grand,” believed to be the first piano in Bellefonte, brought by canal from Philadelphia.
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Call us at (814) 355-1137 or follow us on 22 - Town&Gown January 2012
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Have you wanted to know more about the history of your relatives or neighborhood? Then, delve into your Pennsylvania and Centre County roots using the enormous amount of resources and helpful staff in the Pennsylvania Room. Ancestry and genealogy, Centre County and Pennsylvania history are specialties of our staff. Those who are curious can discover the answers to family mysteries and histories, otherwise left buried in archives collecting dust. All of this valuable information, helpfulness, entertainment, and fun are provided to you at no cost. So, feel free to come and enjoy a winter day in Bellefonte. Learn something new, every day, at the Centre County Library & Historical Museum.
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on center
Shanghai Tango China’s Jin Xing brings contemporary dance and compelling story to Penn State By John Mark Rafacz
When Chinese dancer and choreographer Jin Xing leads her contemporary company in a performance of Shanghai Tango February 8 at Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium, she brings with her a remarkable life story. Jin Xing started life as a boy. But from an early age, he felt out of place in his body. His fascination with movement began at age 6. After seeing a film about dance, he asked his parents for a ballet outfit. They obliged. A few years later the child, born in northern China to ethnic Korean parents, joined the People’s Liberation Army, where he received strict military training and grueling ballet instruction. At 17, he won his first national ballet award. Before long he also attained the rank of colonel. In 1988, at age 19, he was the first Chinese artist to receive a full scholarship to study in the United States. After four years in America — learning from modern dance icons Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and José Limón — he moved to Europe and performed with ensembles in Belgium and Italy. Following six years in the West, Jin Xing returned to China. He had thought he was gay, and even lived for a time with an American man, but the dancer became increasingly convinced he was actually trapped in the wrong body. By the mid 1990s, Jin Xing persuaded Chinese authorities to let him have gender reassignment surgery. The gender reassignment, one of the first in China, was done in three surgeries performed in Beijing. In the final operation, blood flow to one of the dancer’s lower legs was blocked for a time. After three months in a wheelchair, Jin Xing found the strength to dance again. In 1996, she became the first artistic director of the Beijing Modern Dance Company. Two years later she won the Wen Hua Award, the first Chinese national recognition for contemporary art. In 1999, the Chinese government allowed
Jin Xing’s Shanghai Tango comes to Eisenhower Auditorium February 8.
her to form her own company and suggested she move to Shanghai, China’s economic showcase city. She established Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai, the first private troupe in China. Shanghai Tango features 10 of her works that mix East and West in dance, music, and costumes. A Chinese folk tale about a mother divided between husband and lover inspired the title piece. Shanghai Tango’s sensual dance doesn’t include tango, but the use of music by Argentina’s legendary Astor Piazzolla lends a tango influence. T&G The Penn State International Dance Ensemble Endowment sponsors the performance. WPSU is the media sponsor. The presentation of Jin Xing Dance Theatre Shanghai was made possible by the MetLife Community Connections Fund of the New England Foundation of the Arts’ National Dance Project. Major support for NDP also is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust. The 2012 national tour also is part of a major, multiyear cultural exchange with Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest, the Chinese Ministry of Culture, and the United States Major University Presenters consortium. Support for the tour has been provided by the Ministry of Culture, People’s Republic of China. For tickets or information, visit www.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.
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health & wellness
A Resolution for the Whole Family Improving eating habits and exercising in the new year should also be about our children By Amy King
With a new year upon us comes the expected New Year’s Resolutions. It’s when we typically try to change something — most likely something we view negatively in our lives — wholeheartedly, immediately, and with instant gratification. And then it usually doesn’t happen. One of the areas that many want to change is their eating habits and general nutrition. We hit the gym hard core for the first week in January only to see that motivation slowly dwindle. Or we strive to lose 10 pounds by the end of the month only to fizzle and burn out after a week (or even a day). But what about our kids’ health, physical-activity levels, and food intake? If we choose to set any resolutions this year, perhaps they should be about them and not about us. A lot of kids do grow up in healthy households. They eat tons of vegetables and make better food choices than I do as an adult. I admire them. But
there also are plenty of kids who need help with their options and some educating to change to a healthier path in life. The key is to start small. Dr. Mike Roussell, a local nutritional consultant, stresses that the number-one thing to remember is that we can’t expect changes overnight. Everything should be about baby steps — especially with kids. It’s similar to running a race — we need to know where we want them to finish, identify the end goals to get there, and train (preferably as a familial unit) to accomplish those goals. It can be challenging, especially with so many “bad” options enticing children. It’s also difficult to raise a healthy family when budgets are constricted and coupons are offered disproportionately for prepackaged foods that get tossed into the pantry (namely chips, fruit snacks, and the like). Those include some of the breakfast options
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that are commonly available. “Most dry cereals are full of sugar or refined white flour. They’re full of processed carbohydrates and are engineered to taste good, and that’s why kids will eat them,” Roussell says. “It’s an uphill battle to combat those engineered flavors. Overall, they’re just not a great choice. And the ones that are good for you — well, they simply don’t taste good.” He touches upon the concept of familiarizing kids with new foods, and he says that we must try, try again — 11 or 12 times is the documented number for how many times a child must be introduced to a food before he/she may even venture to attempt it. So don’t give up! Carrie Nagy of Pennsylvania Furnace and her husband, Eric, are the parents of four children, ages five and under. Although they try to make wholesome food selections for their kids, Carrie is realistic about recognizing this daily struggle. “It’s hard to get them to try new things,” she says. “It’s often about ease and convenience, and that doesn’t always translate into healthy.” While Nagy finds breakfast time to be a struggle, she does, more often than not, take the time to cook hot meals for her kids. “We’re not big on cereals in our house,” she says. “We actually eat it
dry more as a snack than anything.” Some suggestions Roussell gave for morning options include fruit, yogurt, and some type of protein such as eggs. “It’s been documented that nutritious breakfast choices positively affect schoolwork, mood, concentration, and focus,” he says. Making scrambled eggs or a fruit smoothie in the morning might take an extra five minutes of sleep away from us as parents, but the rewards our kids may reap may be vastly beneficial. Other small changes also can pay dividends when it comes to our kids’ health. Nagy says that her kids consume a lot of grilled cheese and other types of sandwiches. At first, she had made the sandwiches using white bread, but she recently switched to whole-grain white and her children didn’t notice the difference. She also discusses snacking. In my household, snacking is a big downfall. My kids don’t often make nourishing choices, and I don’t necessarily push them in that direction. It’s been a long time since I’ve suggested a banana as a snack, mainly because I believe my kids will scoff. In the Nagy home, though, that’s not the case. They keep a bottom drawer (easily accessible) in
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the refrigerator stocked with yogurt and applesauce and sugar-free Jell-O cups. “The kids know that the snack drawer is there with their options, and they generally don’t ask for anything else,” she says. “That’s just the way it is.” She acknowledges that most of the snacks are items that are bought while on sale and/or with a coupon, but she feels better about what her kids are snacking on than I (and many others, I’d assume) do. She says they definitely do junk food such as ice cream or something similar every once in a while, but they keep it as a special treat. Physical activity is another factor when we look at the health of our children. How many kids are truly incorporating enough movement into their days? Again, between school and scheduled activities (albeit sometimes physical in nature), it’s hard. Nagy laments that in the colder months it’s just much more difficult to get moving. “We’re not the type of family that will bundle up and go on walks when it’s freezing outside,” she confesses. “It’s so much easier in the summer. I feel as though we’re constantly on the move. We kick the soccer ball in the yard, take walks, ride bikes, and play at the park all day long. I feel
great about our activity levels then.” Roussell emphasizes the importance of physical activity for kids as well. He highlights that it’s critical to remember that even if kids are at an appropriate weight, we need to add the physical component of keeping a healthy body that way. We need to limit the amount of time our kids sit in front of various screens and amp up the amount of time they move. The excuses (let’s face it, we all have them) need to take a back seat as we help our children encompass healthy living through a physical nature. It’s no secret that kids learn much of what they know by watching others, especially the principal adults in their lives. They parrot, mirror, and mimic much of what they see and hear. So in this new year, maybe we strive to encourage and educate our children on healthier options in their lives, all the while incorporating these choices into our lives as well. T&G Amy King is a contributor to Town&Gown, and teaches preschool at Grace Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten. She lives in State College with her husband and three children.
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Friday January 27, 2012 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. at The Penn Stater Free Valet Parking Chocolate delicacies, silent auction of nature inspired art and live music by Jazza-Ma-Phone.
Tickets $30.00/person Open to the Public
Telephone: 814.237.0400 www.clearwaterconservancy.org Many thanks to our sponsors...
Mary Lou Bennett, Jacki Rutter & Cathy Flood, Steven Bodner 814-231-8200; State College, PA 16803
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Boalsburg The Boalsburg Apothecary The only certified compounding pharmacy in the area
Serving You For 31 Years! Pharmacists Wayne Foster & Carol Younkins 814-466-7937 In the Boalsburg Medical Office Bldg. 3901 South Atherton Street
Boalsburg Apothecary
As the only locally owned pharmacy in the region that caters to both people and pets, Boalsburg Apothecary celebrated its 31st anniversary in October. Located in the Boalsburg Medical Building, Boalsburg Apothecary was founded in 1980 by Donald and Anne Farber. The pharmacy quickly gained a reputation for being able to handle unusual prescriptions. Donald Farber had the skill to compound medications, which is a practice that has been upheld today by the small staff at Boalsburg Apothecary. Owner Jean Doyle, who took over the pharmacy with her husband, Mark, in 2001, says the apothecary is one of the few pharmacies in Central Pennsylvania that can compound medications. Compounding allows a practitioner to prescribe and a pharmacist to prepare a customized medication or to place an available medication in a different dosage form to meet a patient’s specific needs. “Veterinarians will prescribe a prescription to a dog, but maybe it’s a tiny dog and the medication is too much for them, so we’ll suit it to their indi-
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vidual needs,” says Doyle. Compounding medications also can change the concentration or flavor of the drug and make the drug more convenient to administer. Along with that, unavailable medications can be compounded using pharmaceutical-grade chemicals and specialized equipment into a formulation best suited to each patient’s needs. Boalsburg Apothecary joined PCCA, or Professional Compounding Centers of America, in 2002. This international association of pharmacies enables Boalsburg Apothecary to obtain supplies, equipment, formulas, and technical support for compounding prescriptions. Joining PCCA also has allowed Boalsburg Apothecary to expand its compounding abilities and expertise. While Doyle says that other forms of expansion aren’t in the near future, she hopes “to stay where we are and continue to serve the community with personal service.”
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Duffy sTavern Thank You to all Our Patrons and We Hope to See You Often in 2012! 466-6241
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Centre County’s Premier Steak & Seafood Restaurant A unique, eclectic gift shop
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“Fair Trade” is an internationally recognized approach to the relationship between consumers and producers from developing countries. “Fair Trade” tries to insure fair wages and decent working conditions for producers, which enable them to support their families and contribute to their communities. Communities can use “Fair Trade” funds to invest in local businesses, healthcare and education. Nature’s Hue is proud to offer for sale, hand-crafted baskets, jewelry, handbags and other interesting “Fair Trade” items.”
122 East Main Street, Boalsburg, PA 16827 • (814) 466-7181 33 31- -Town&Gown Town&GownDecember January 2012 2010
For some, losing pounds may be just an idle pledge they make at the start of every new year. But for others, eating better and becoming healthier become lifestyle choices that they carry with them throughout the year and beyond By Rebekka Coakley
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Contributed photo
Despite this, there are people who really do stick to their pledges to adopt a healthy lifestyle and lose weight, one way or another. Leigh Irvin of Bellwood is surrounded daily by burgers, fries, hot subs, hot dogs, pancakes, and eggs. She and her husband own Irvin’s on Main in Bellwood, a diner-type restaurant where she spends most of her time. As a mother of two kids, she says she gave up caring about herself to take care of her kids. But when the 33-year-old started developing anxiety, depression, and other health concerns two years ago, she decided to take action. “I was lying on my couch one day, depressed, when I s a w a n i n f o m e r cial for P90X” — a home-fitness training program on DVD — “and thought I’d give it a shot,” she says. “I ordered it at full price — it wasn’t cheap, so I knew I’d make myself do it.” At her heaviest weight, Irvin, who is 5-foot-5, weighed 172 pounds. When she received P90X, short for Power 90 Extreme workout, she read through the manual that came with the program. She was considered obese and was not in good enough physical condition to pass the fitness test the manual gave, but she decided to try the first workout anyway.
John Hovenstine (3)
It’s that time of year when many people resolve to rid themselves of the post-holiday bulge. While some of us swear every year to eat better foods and exercise more regularly, we soon realize that we’re back to spending more time on the couch and eating greasy fried foods and delectable sweets.
At her heaviest, Irvin weighed 172 pounds. Since then, she has lost 43 pounds.
“All I had to do was hit play and try,” she says. “The first day I was so sore, but I made myself do it the next day and the day after that. I couldn’t get through the whole thing at first. I had no athletic ability whatsoever, but I kept trying and eventually got through each workout.” Each day offered a different workout. From lifting weights and doing yoga and cardio work, she was able to keep up with the program and follow its guidelines to eat healthier. It called for her to work out six days a week, then rest and eat whatever she wanted on the seventh day. With the help of an iPhone application
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that helped her chart her caloric intake, which she calculated based on the program’s instructions, she started seeing results and feeling better right away. “I ate more meals throughout the day, but they were smaller, so I was actually shrinking
“I feel younger than I ever have, and I have more energy than ever before. Since I joined the gym, five of my friends also have joined the gym and one of them even runs with me now,” she says. “You need to surround yourself with people that inspire you — but only you can
“You need to surround yourself with people that inspire you — but only you can motivate yourself to work hard every day.” — Leigh Irvin my intake of food,” she says. “The program instructs you to take pictures in your underwear at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. I started out as a size 14; went down to 10 by the first 30 days; a size eight at 60 days; and after 90 days I was down to a size six. Anyone can do it, and it feels great.” When she had noticed after 90 days that she wasn’t losing any more weight, she changed her exercise routine. She took her German shepherd for long walks, then they started running a little during those walks, and now she and her furry running partner run about three miles a day — and she’s down to a size two. In addition to running, she lifts weights three times a week and is still eating healthier foods. She went from sodas, cakes, and chips to carrots, nuts, and hard-boiled eggs. She says now that she’s cut sweets out of her diet, she doesn’t crave them, and when she does take a bite of a birthday cake or something sweet, it doesn’t even taste good to her anymore. She’s also reduced her carbohydrate intake to just one a day. “I eat a lot of fish. My husband, the chef, broils it at the restaurant with vegetables, or cooks a chicken for me that I can have with salad,” she says. “It’s harder in the summer, with cookouts — hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and sodas — but you just have to take the time to figure out what you can eat. I still eat the meat, I just don’t put it in a bun. I cover it with condiments. You really have to plan your meals ahead if you want to lose weight.” She says that she lost 43 pounds total and feels a lot better — her anxiety and depression are gone and she’s healthier overall. She knows how hard it is to break unhealthy routines, with kids and busy work schedules, but sometimes her kids run with her, and the whole family is eating healthier foods.
motivate yourself to work hard every day.” Much like Irvin, Toby Capparelle of Bellefonte began losing weight by exercising. As coowner of TC Transport, 45-year-old Capparelle went from playing baseball and working out in college to driving a truck all day long, eating sugary foods, and drinking caffeine to stay awake. “I was overeating, feeling really run down, and dealing with heartburn and acid reflux every time I ate,” he recalls. “People actually said to me, ‘You’re getting fat!’ I was tired of hearing it. My sons are members of the YMCA [in Bellefonte] and I figured I’d join too — try to make some changes.”
Capparelle grew tired of hearing people tell him that he was getting fat, so he started working out and lost 15 pounds.
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Contributed photos
He admits he was nervous to join since he was feeling out of shape, but he started by working with Rachel Garmon, the sports and wellness director at the Bellefonte YMCA. She runs a boot camp from 7 to 7:50 a.m., Monday through Friday. The program fit Capparelle’s schedule perfectly, so it was an easy decision to take the class. “During the first class, I did 100 squats and I honestly felt like a model wearing high heels, my legs were so sore. They felt like rubber,” he says. “But Rachel made the classes different ev-
Garmon, who weighed 232 pounds when she gave birth to her son, now weighs 147 pounds.
ery time, from Zumba to yoga to weightlifting, and they actually were fun. After the first week I wasn’t sore anymore.” Garmon also advised Capparelle on healthier eating habits, and soon he had more energy and was feeling better about himself. After seeing the change in Capparelle, who lost 15 pounds, his wife and sister started working out at the YMCA as well. He says seeing results kept him motivated. And having others notice doesn’t hurt either. Instead of telling Capparelle he looks fat, people who haven’t seen him in a while tell him he looks really good. “Just hearing that and feeling how loose my clothes are feels so good,” he says. “Instead of having to buy the next size up in pants, I actually dropped a size. I wish I’d done this 10 years ago.”
Garmon, who motivated Capparelle to get into shape, says she knows what it’s like to be overweight and how hard the struggle is to lose weight. “When I gave birth to my son I weighed 232 pounds,” the 30-year-old says. “Two weeks after I had him I still weighed 206 pounds — and I’m 5-foot-5. I now weigh 147 pounds and wear a size six, smaller than I was in high school.” Although she works in the fitness industry at the Bellefonte YMCA, she says she has struggled with weight gain and trying to lose it. That has given her better insight while working with clients. Garmon was very active as a kid, swimming, playing volleyball, and lifting weights during her teenage years. In her early 20s, she managed Corporate Wellness Facilities and Programs in Columbus, Ohio. Through that work she gained experience in personal training and teaching group fitness classes. She began running boot camps and weight-loss programs and cofounded a fitness studio in Columbus. When she moved to Bellefonte, she began working for the YMCA and earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Penn State. With her career experience, she says she has learned that some people who struggle with their weight have addictions and/or emotional eating problems. Stress also is a huge factor in weight gain. “With all of the information that is out now, most people generally know what they should be eating, but what they actually choose to eat may be entirely different,” she says. “Exercise definitely helps to curb stress and anxiety and lifts your mood, which helps people make better eating choices.” She recommends people who are serious about making healthier food choices keep a food journal to put their eating habits into perspective. She adds that people who actually think about what they’re putting in their mouths might think twice about junk food. She also recommends eating five to six smaller meals a day, consisting of fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. She says these foods should boost the metabolism while curbing overeating. From her own experience losing weight, as well as from working with clients, she knows that a person has to have the desire to change
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their eating and exercising habits in order to achieve it. One of her most recent success stories is about a 60-year-old client who was seeking help after being diagnosed with diabetes and placed on medication. Garmon began to train the woman three times a week, and the woman did yoga twice a week on her own. Within a couple months, the woman had lost 20 pounds and her doctor took her off the medication.
“Exercise definitely helps to curb stress and anxiety and lifts your mood, which helps people make better eating choices.” — Rachel Garmon The woman attributes her weight loss to exercising and developing a healthy eating plan. For Kristin Sommese, a graphic-design professor at Penn State, losing weight at 47 years
old came when she started working with a personal trainer. She started working out at East Coast Health & Fitness in State College when the gym first opened in 1991. She took spinning, yoga, and Pilates classes, but decided a year ago that she wanted a workout routine to do on a regular basis. She signed up with a trainer, Bridget SardoMcGary, who was supposed to give Sommese a routine she could do on her own a few times a week. “The workout was so challenging, she pushed me for that whole hour,” Sommese says. “I decided then and there I’d never push myself that hard, so I asked her to be my regular trainer.” Sommese started working with SardoMcGary twice a week and is now going three times a week and running up to five miles at a time, which she says she could never do before her training. She’s doing a combination of strength, endurance, cardio, and plyometrics, a type of exercise designed to produce fast, powerful movements. Since she started her training, Sommese has lost 15 pounds from the hard workouts and eat-
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ing right. She’s cut out most processed foods from her diet, and eats smaller meals more often. “I only eat fresh foods that are high in protein, and only when I’m hungry,” she says. “It hasn’t been hard to stick to at all, and I feel great — healthier than I have in a long time.” Sommese says, for her, a personal trainer is key. Sardo-McGary keeps her motivated and pushes her beyond what she thought she was capable of doing. “She always says, ‘You can do it,’ ” Sommese says, “and it turns out that despite my doubts, I actually Hunter, who went from weighing can.” 267 pounds to While diet and exercise now weighing 147 are the most traditional pounds, says having gastric-bypass ways to lose weight, for Susan Hunter, a Penn State surgery probably saved her life. employee from Tyrone, they
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just weren’t enough. “Even though I was watching what I ate and exercising, I wasn’t losing any weight,” the 50-year-old says. “I was facing serious health issues. I was short of breath, had joint pain, was prediabetic, and I had high blood pressure. Something needed to be done.” That’s when she decided to talk to her doctor about gastric-bypass surgery, an operation that essentially shrinks the stomach so a patient cannot physically eat as much as he or she is used to eating. “I have known a lot of people that have had it done, so I looked into it,” Hunter says. “It took me a couple of years to even get comfortable with the idea of it.” According the National Institute of Health, only people who have a body-mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher, or with a BMI of 35 or higher with a life-threatening condition, will be considered for the procedure. Hunter, who is 5-foot-8, weighed 267 pounds and had a BMI just above 40. Before she could have the surgery, however, she had six months of doctors’ visits, which were required by her insurance to prove that diet and exercise were not making as much of an impact on her weight as she needed to prevent further health complications. During that time she also met with a registered dietician to talk about pre- and postsurgery, as well as a psychiatrist to make sure she was ready for the change and could handle it. Hunter explains that she had a Roux-enY gastric-bypass surgery, a permanent surgery where her stomach is stapled off, as opposed to Lap-Band surgery where a gastric band is placed around the upper part of the stomach and is readjusted during a year while the stomach shrinks. Hunter says she chose the Roux-en-Y
surgery because, although the actual surgery is more complicated and takes longer to heal, it’s permanent and does not need to be readjusted. She was in the hospital for two days after her surgery, which was in December 2009, and says she had no complications but was pretty sore afterward. She scheduled the procedure over her holiday break at Penn State and took a second week off to allow herself time to heal. During that time, she also had to give herself injections in her stomach every day to avoid stomach clots, and was not allowed to do any heavy lifting At her six-week checkup with her doctor, she’d already lost 32 pounds. At her threemonth checkup, she’d lost 50 pounds. After one year, she’d lost 120 pounds and her BMI was down to 22.3. At 147 pounds today, Hunter eats much smaller, healthier meals, walks on her treadmill regularly, and is no longer prediabetic. Her joint pain is gone, too. Something else she’s noticed — the bronchitis that she had seemed to get for a few weeks every February did not come in 2010 or 2011. She says the surgery probably saved her life and she no longer continues to eat when she’s full. Her husband doesn’t think she eats enough anymore, but she’s just eating smaller meals, five or six times a day. And since losing weight, she loves shopping. “I now have fun trying on new clothes,” she says. “I’m still looking at the old hide-meclothes I used to buy, but I can’t shop at Lane Bryant anymore. I like shopping at Ann Taylor Loft and JCPenney, but I love being able to shop at Victoria’s Secret for myself now since it was something I could never do before.” T&G Rebekka Coakley lives in Bellefonte, is a freelance writer, and works for Penn State.
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Wired into the
Social
Scene
The social-media world continues to change the actual world around us — in good and not-so-good ways. While sites such as Facebook and Twitter can help teachers, business owners, and organizations, and help people stay connected with each other, some believe those sites contribute to one’s lost sense of reality. After all, what does being a “friend” really mean to some? As with most things in life — whether virtual or reality — there are two sides to every story. 40 - Town&Gown January 2012
Darren Weimert (5)
ed Angela Homan, a sixth-grade teacher at Penns Valley Intermediate School, has had her students use Skype to connect with a classroom in Alaska. 41 - Town&Gown January 2012
Positive classroom, community connections made thanks to social sites By Jenna Spinelle From Facebook to Twitter to Skype and blogs, social-networking tools have connected people in ways never thought possible as recently as the last decade. It has profoundly impacted the way people learn, teach, and communicate, as well as speed at which all of these things can be done. While there are privacy concerns and other negative aspects of social media, it has positively impacted the community in a number of ways. Everyone from students to working adults has benefited from these technologies.
It seems just about every business and nonprofit organization one can think of has some social-media presence. Large corporations have millions of friends and followers, while local businesses might have only a few dozen or a few hundred. In either case, tools such as Facebook and Twitter have helped organizations to spread the word about who they are and what they do to a whole new audience. Locally, the Centre County United Way uses Facebook and Twitter to help promote its message to “Live United” and raise awareness about its events and fundraising activities. The organization also connects with its member agencies across the county and with United Way International, its parent organization. Centre County United Way communications director Megan Evans says the organization started using social media around the same time she came on board last fall. Its goals are broad, she says. “We’re trying to reach anyone who can support United Way,” she says. “Whether it’s with a donation or volunteering, anyone who can give to United Way. We serve the whole county, we want the whole county to be involved.”
Evans says social media has helped the United Way educate people on its partner agencies and send public Thank Yous to pacesetter companies.
One recent social success was the United Way Day of Caring event in October. The event takes volunteers to nonprofits across the county to complete landscaping, repair projects, and other work. Without any encouragement from Evans or other United Way staff, participants posted pictures from their day on the group’s Facebook page and created a Twitter hashtag for the event to share their thoughts as the day of volunteering unfolded. Evans says she hopes those activities will encourage more people to get involved with Day of Caring next year. She encouraged United Way member agencies to share their feedback about how volunteers helped them on the Day of Caring. She also posts photos from the organization’s events and reminders about donating to its fundraising campaign. Like many other nonprofits, the United Way has a small staff and many responsibilities. It looks to Penn State student interns to stay on top of new social-media trends and expand its current presence by adding more interactive features. United Way International also offers support but does not dictate what content or images its chapters must post because each organization is self-governed. “Using social media has allowed us to educate people about our partner agencies and send public Thank Yous to pacesetter
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companies and link to partner agencies,” Evans says. “It’s gotten the word out about us and helped inform people about how our partner agencies serve the community.” While the United Way has national support and recognition behind it, smaller organizations such as the Centre County Community Foundation are using social media to help raise awareness about the work they do on a local level. Erin Rowley, program assistant, manages the foundation’s blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account. A recent Penn State graduate, she was very familiar with social media and was eager to incorporate it into the foundation’s communications strategy. “It’s a really great way for us to reach out Rowley says the Centre County Community Foundation uses to people who might normally not know much social media mainly as a way for people to feel more personally connected to the foundation. about us,” she says. “It’s a lot easier to find information via social media April, its blog has received more than 5,000 than it is to do it in more traditional ways.” views, and its number of Facebook fans has The foundation’s blog tells stories of the doubled. She’s careful not to use social media organizations that benefit from its funds. One directly for fundraising. such post introduces readers to Bob Perks, for “Our main goal is just to continue to whom the Bob Perks Fund is named. feel more personally connected to the Rowley’s posts on the blog also promote foundation,” she says. “Social media is a great other fundraising events in the community way for organizations to reach out to people such as the State High 5K and PAWS Bingo and have a conversation rather than talking Night, and even allow her personality to at them.” shine through in photos from her semester spent studying abroad. All of these things, she says, help to make the organization more authentic and put faces and personalities with the appeals for funds, creating a more In addition to its impacts in the professional well-rounded image for the foundation. world, social media has enhanced teachers’ Since Rowley joined the organization in toolboxes and made it easier for students to express 43 - Town&Gown January 2012
themselves and share their work with peers. Virginia to explore how she can use iPads and Angela Homan, a sixth-grade teacher at the company’s other products in the classroom. Penns Valley Intermediate School, has used She also shows her students the dangers Skype to connect her classroom with one of that can come with using social media. In a a friend now teaching in Alaska. Rather than unit called “Missing,” she shows them how writing letters or exchanging e-mails in a peneasy it can be for others to find information pal format, Homan’s students were able to about them online. She’s careful to walk come face-to-face with their peers in Alaska the line between showing students how to and interact with them in real time. protect themselves online without turning “We talked about the similarities and into a parental figure. differences in our lives,” Homan says. “For “Social media is wonderful, but social media example, students in Alaska need to be taught can also be scary,” she says. “Safety is at the safety because they may encounter a moose on top of my list of concerns, and role-playing their way to or from school.” scenarios like the one we use in the ‘Missing’ Each classroom asked the other 10 unit are a great way to show how quickly it is questions, and both groups used the answers to to get yourself into trouble.” write essays comparing and contrasting life in In addition to her classroom work with social Pennsylvania with life in Alaska. media, Homan uses Twitter to connect with other Homan’s students also use Glogster, an online teachers, share ideas, and keep up with the latest presentation tool, to create and share electronic posters with their classmates. Gone are the days of markers and poster boards — Glogster allows students to share their work with others, comment on each other’s work, and incorporate multimedia elements into their projects. Students have created “glogs” about current events that included links to news stories, and about their favorite music with clips of songs they like incorporated into the online posters. “Students make an interactive online poster where they can add photos, videos, and animations, and comment on each other’s projects similar to YouTube,” Homan says. “It’s better than getting out the poster board to do a project … it’s so much more interactive.” She says stakes are higher for the students when their work is being viewed by others instead of just by her. Online tools such as Glogster and Google Docs allow her students to work from anywhere and keep up with assignments when they’re not in the classroom. O'Hara says that she uses blogs in her The Penns Valley district classes to help students learn how to write has supported Homan in these for a public audience and refine their skills of persuasion and building arguments. endeavors, and in October paid for her to visit Apple’s offices in 44 - Town&Gown January 2012
trends and news in the profession. At the collegiate level, one can barely walk around campus without seeing students on phones or logged into Facebook from computer labs or laptops. Professors are leveraging social media to help enhance their classroom communities and keep discussions going long after the class period ends. Penn State English lecturer Jessica O’Hara uses blogs in her classes to help students learn how to write for a public audience and refine their skills of persuasion and building arguments. Her students in English 15, the introductory composition class required for freshmen, maintain “passion blogs” devoted to interests of their choice. The blogs also serve as platforms for them to create and edit drafts of traditional compositions and essays. “They find it a lot more Penn State students enjoy writing blogs as part pleasurable to write when a of their class work. major component is blogging,” she says. “I’m trying to instill other new students at Penn State. in my students a sense of public writing and “In high school, the teachers were really writing for an audience as a way to help them focused on formal writing and grammar, so this find their voices. That can be difficult to do was definitely different” she says. “I was excited when they’re only writing for a teacher.” not to be so buckled down and I feel like it’s Her students use Blogs at Penn State, a easier to convey your viewpoints in this format.” platform maintained by the university and linked The students enjoy commenting on each to a student’s Penn State user ID. Blogs at Penn other’s blogs and getting to know each other in State is part of the Teaching and Learning with the process. O’Hara says the blog platform and Technology group, which helps faculty integrate the interests shared on the blogs allow students the latest technology into their classrooms. to connect with each other in a way that would The classes meet three times per week, not happen in a more traditional classroom with Fridays designated as blogging days environment where the only interaction was for students to work on their posts and add partnering up to proofread each other’s papers. comments to their classmates’ blogs. PassionStudent Madison Butler blogs about her blog topics range from ways to be frugal in favorite music, bands off the beaten path Happy Valley to celebrity gossip to awkward that are not always known by her classmates. moments in college life. She’s received several comments during the Theresa Fieo, a student in O’Hara’s class, semester thanking her for turning people on says she was taken aback at first when she to new songs or artists, and hoped to continue found out she would be blogging for class but blogging once the class ended. has grown to love the assignments over the “This actually isn’t the first class I’ve blogged course of the semester. Her blog chronicles her for,” she says. “I like it because we can do what first semester of college and provides tips for 45 - Town&Gown January 2012
we want it and it helps convey your personality.” In the last few weeks of the semester, O’Hara’s students added another social-media platform into the mix by creating Facebook pages to advocate for a local, national, or global issue they wrote about in a paper. Like the blogs, O’Hara says the Facebook assignment helps refine the students’ publicwriting skills and teaches them how to craft an argument in a public setting, creating a conversation and responding to others who might disagree with their viewpoints. “They already have a Facebook account and are spending time there,” she says. “This is a way to get other people to join in and raise awareness about an issue that they’d like to tell their audience on Facebook. They can invite other people to join their site and try to get information out there.” T&G Jenna Spinelle is a freelance writer in State College. She works in Penn State’s Undergraduate Admissions Office and is an adjunct lecturer in the College of Communications.
46 - Town&Gown January 2012
Being too connected to the social-media world can lead to disconnection from reality By Jeanne Drouilhet There’s a new way of looking at things these days: stalking is encouraged often by companies when considering potential new hires, a tweet isn’t necessarily the sound a bird makes, four square isn’t necessarily something played on a school ground, and “u” doesn’t always represent just a letter. They’re all part of social networking and mobile technologies that have invaded everyday life. Always present, contributing and distracting. While things such as texting and Facebook have allowed people to stay in touch with more frequency than ever, what kind of effect has that had on our society and our community?
Originally created exclusively for university and college students, Facebook has expanded to allowing everyone and everything to have a means to connect, and it’s a brand that is everywhere and nearly impossible to ignore. It’s become an integral part to everyday life for many people of every age, and has become
almost a necessary evil if you want to stay in touch with people or be informed on events, parties, and gatherings. While this particular social-media outlet can allow people to connect to people they have lost contact with or may not be in contact with otherwise, it can cause obsessions. One of which, according to Penn State professor S. Shyam Sundar, founder of Penn State’s Media Effects Research Laboratory, and psychology and communications professor, is an obsession with “friending.” “More and more people are losing the essence and meaning of ‘friend,’ ” he says. “I think it used to be a little more sacred than it is now.” “Friending” people on Facebook can lead to a competition of sorts, whether it be an internal competition or a competition with others, says Sundar, which can cause a person to be spread thin with many weak ties and few strong ones. “There is some strength in weak ties. You can get some work done, you can have some contacts, but you may not have that kind of deep meaningful intense relationship that you used to have in a small group of people,” he says. The networking aspect of Facebook and other social-networking sites can give the user a false sense of social capital. The number of connections made can mean little when in a time of need they are unwilling or not inclined to provide help regardless of the “friend” status connecting to the person. Another sort of obsession Facebook can cause is an obsession with yourself. Facebook, along with many other social-media outlets such as Twitter and blogs, is centered around self-perception, how the world is a reflection of self and how the self is viewed by the world. “It makes you look at the world in terms of your next Facebook profile picture, or look at the world in terms of what am I going to say, how are people going to look at me, and does it matter how many contacts I have,” says Sundar. Through these outlets, people are able to choose to put on their best faces by putting up the most flattering photos of themselves and by carefully crafting the words they post. They can broadcast their thoughts or share them to gauge a response, Sundar says, and can clear out the negative and enhance the positive so their online personas appear to be of high selfstandards — with the offline reality becoming
47 - Town&Gown January 2012
somewhat disappointing. This self-centered tendency through social media can create an outlet to receive feedback, praise, and sympathy. A Penn State senior majoring in kinesiology and State College native, Justin Assadinia finds these types of things sometimes irksome — a shortcoming of Facebook, which he otherwise thinks can be helpful, especially in keeping long-distance contact with others. “I get irritated with Facebook in that I’ll get on there and see peoples’ status updates and people being melodramatic and over the top with what they’re feeling,” he says. “People use it to get attention or [complain] about their problems.”
A not-so-long time ago, I was a high school student trying to sneakily send texts of “wat r u doing 2nite?” and “mr. smith’s fly is down lol” under my desk hoping my teacher wouldn’t catch me and take my phone away. That is until my junior year English class with Mrs. Ajemian, who encouraged us to use full sentences and full words when texting and instant messaging — the crazes of the day. This simple change in habit my junior year saved my writing from continuing its downward spiral, though this isn’t true for all students then or now. “I do see the use of abbreviations frequently, particularly things like ‘b/c’ and ‘u,’ ” says Michael Maney, a world cultures teacher at Bellefonte High School. “The texting language does affect grammar and spelling skills.” In his class, Maney tries to have his students write as much as possible, despite the fact that it is a social studies class, in order to prepare them for their PSSA tests later in the year as well as their quickly approaching college years. “I try to make sure to point out ‘texting language’ and make these corrections early on and let them know this may be acceptable texting your friend but not in world cultures or PSSA tests,” he says. While Maney notices those types of grammatical and spelling mistakes in his class, Sundar has shown in his research that people who text heavily develop poor grammar skills. The study was conducted by giving an offline grammar test to middle school students, and the results
showed that the students who had low scores on the grammar test also were heavy texters. While, on the positive side, things such as texting and instant messaging are making people use words — write words — again, the language is very different. “Linguists would argue that that’s the way language shapes and changes itself,” says Sundar. “We now talk in terms of LOL and ROFL and stuff like that, so it’s kind of an abbreviated language we’ve developed as a result of texting.”
School bullies have a new tool in their arsenal. It’s no longer about the wedgies and swirlies and stealing of lunch money that you so stereotypically see in movies. Social media and other online and offline technologies have contributed to brutal bullying — so much so that it has made national news in relation to several suicides over cyber bullying, which is often about a person’s sexual preference. “Especially for young people who are just developing their personalities, some people can be very cruel and write things on there that can destroy their self-confidence,” says Patty Assadinia of State College, who has three children ages 15 to 21. While she thinks modern social-media sites and technologies have made her children more tech savvy and thinks they’re great tools to connect with others, she stresses the boundaries and responsibilities that come with their usage, including being selective of whom to accept as “friends” to avoid bullying. “That’s the thing that scares me the most, the bullying online,” she says. “It’s important for parents to talk to their kids and explain to them the consequences, and they should understand it before they allow them to use them.” Maney has had to attend meetings and in-service days on the subject of cyber bullying in the school. While the school has taken some measures to limit students’ access to these outlets by blocking socialmedia sites such as Facebook on school computers and not allowing cell-phone usage in the classroom, students are still able to access these things on their phones between classes and outside of school. “When Facebook started it was only open up to universities and colleges and students. I don’t think that the younger students — and
48 - Town&Gown January 2012
they keep getting younger — have access to fully understand that the stuff you say on the Internet becomes permanent,” says Maney.
Need to check scores on ESPN, listen to the radio, take a picture with a mustache, track your diet and exercise, simulate punching someone in the face, pop bubble wrap, or get out of a bad date? Don’t worry there’s an app for that. Smartphones, such as iPhones and Droids, allow for people to not only be constantly connected socially but also stay informed, keep a calendar, check the weather, and pretty much any useful thing that used to be done only on a computer. They also will send alerts from Facebook and Twitter and do things as trivial as digitally slap someone in the face or pop bubble wrap. “Ubiquitous computing is really the idea that you have computing access anywhere and everywhere,” says Sundar. “People are using it in many profound and interesting ways, but they are also getting sucked into it.” Having access to nearly everything that a computer would have — the helpful things and also the things that aid procrastination and provide distractions — can cause quite the time suck. “It almost prompts you to get on social media when I otherwise probably wouldn’t have bothered to do that,” Sundar says about the Facebook notifications on his iPhone. “It has connected up all our different devices to be in social-media land all the time.” Here’s the scenario: you walk into a very public place, say the HUB on Penn State’s campus or even a busy street corner, and you see a person handing out fliers. You don’t
want to be cornered into taking the flier because you know you’ll most likely just throw it in the next trash can you can find, so you pull out your cell phone and pretend to be calling someone or sending a text message. Situation averted. “There’s a general kind of lowering of civil exchange in public life,” says Sundar. “And you can also see people being less responsive to the needs of people around them.” Cell phones and mp3 players create a convenient excuse for people to not interact personally with others and to tune out their immediate environment. These technologies allow people to strategize their isolation, as in the situation with the person handing out fliers. Also, the increased usage of technology as a means of communication has created, as Penn State sophomore Matt McGee put it, a gain in ambiguity. You can’t tell sarcasm in a text message. “It teaches ambiguity and ambiguity is the same as monotony, it’s not as fun or as creative an expression. While you can use it to perpetuate this creativity, a lot of times it’s lost because of the tendency to be ambiguous,” says McGee, who is a member of the Clown Nose Club, whose philosophy is pretty simple: people matter. The club encourages members to take positive social risks and redefine the norm in areas of
49 - Town&Gown January 2012
social interaction through using symbols of happiness, such as the clown nose, to spread positivity. President and founder of the club Chad Littlefield agrees with the vague tendency of digital communication and says one of the reasons for it is a loss of nonverbal cues such as body language and tone of voice. “I don’t know, you just can’t communicate the same thing if you’re breaking up with somebody in a text as you can in person,” he says. In a world where people are becoming more connected to, and at the same time more distant from, each other, Littlefield created the Clown Nose Club in part to encourage people to personally interact with one another. The idea sprang from a desire to be like Patch Adams, and from a walk from the HUB to his dorm where Littlefield wore a clown nose. He received nods, smiles, and comments from many of the people he passed. The clown nose brings people to the same level and can provide a good icebreaker to initiate positive social interactions
Though the doctor path, like Patch Adams, wasn’t quite the fit for Littlefield, he still liked the idea of promoting personal and authentic interactions between people, especially on a campus of more than 40,000 students that can often feel very impersonal. “The idea of the club is to personalize and I think there is also an element of encouraging, as much as possible, an environment where people are comfortable being authentic and comfortable being themselves,” he says. The Media Effects lab conducted a study on ubiquitous computing where they had people look something up using their phones and had a person come in their vicinity carrying a heavy bag of books, looking around. The study found that people who were looking something up were less inclined to help out the person with the heavy bag than those who weren’t. “People who are on cell phones and these kinds of mobile media tend not to be aware of their real physical surroundings, so that’s a real danger sometimes,” says Sundar. “Going online can cut you off from your immediate offline world.” T&G
50 - Town&Gown January 2012
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Order in
The judges of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas welcome a new member and continue to make life-altering decisions from the bench 52 - Town&Gown January 2012
Darren Weimert (5)
Judge David Grine (sitting), who retired in 2011, with the four common-pleas judges starting in 2012. (From left) Pamela Ruest, Tom Kistler, David Grine, Brad Lunsford, and Jon Grine, who was elected in November.
the Court By Tracey M. Dooms
53 - Town&Gown January 2012
More than 112,000 people lived in Centre County in 1980. That’s the year before the Court of Common Pleas added a second judge here. Three decades later, Centre County has almost 154,000 residents — a 37.5-percent increase — and two additional common-pleas judges help handle the caseload arising from the county’s growing population. Last year marked a milestone for the court, as Judge David E. Grine, who stepped up to the bench in 1981, retired. He joins Judge Charles C. Brown Jr. as a Centre County senior judge — basically, parttime judges who step in when their expertise is needed. Judge Grine’s son, Jonathan D. Grine, was elected in November as the court’s newest judge. Judge Thomas King Kistler has the longest tenure among the four full-time judges, so he automatically became the court’s president judge. He oversees a county-court system that, at all levels, handled 14,028 civil and criminal matters in 2010 — that’s everything from terroristic threats and aggravated assault to name changes and zoning appeals. Yes, the Centre County Court of Common Pleas judges are busy. However, creating a fifth judge’s seat would require an act of the legislature, added staff, more courtroom and office space, and hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. “We’re not in a position now where we’re talking about that,” Kistler says. He emphasizes that “we’ve had 30 years of phenomenal leadership,” and he intends to continue it. Judge Thomas King Kistler Tom Kistler jokes that he’s moved only a few feet in the world since age 16. That’s when he took a job with his father’s law firm, Miller Kistler Campbell, doing title searches at the courthouse in Bellefonte. He ate his brown-bag lunch in the quietest spot he could find — the law library. In 1981, the county added a second judge and turned the library into judge’s chambers. When Judge Brown retired in 2007, Kistler took over those chambers, and his former lunch spot. Kistler had become Centre County’s third judge in 1998. He had earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State and his law degree from Dickinson School of Law, and then went back to work for Miller Kistler Campbell before running for judge. “I thoroughly enjoyed the move from being a lawyer to being a judge,” he says. “I enjoy the people; I enjoy the process. I go home full of energy every single day.” Still, he emphasizes, “There are horrible things that we have to do. We have to split families up.” After State College mother Jodi Barone was killed by her estranged husband in the gas-station parking lot where they had met each week to exchange custody of their then-3-year-
Among his accomplishments, Kistler campaigned for the creation of the Bellefonte Family Resource Center.
old daughter, Kistler campaigned for the creation of a place where parents could exchange custody safely, without having to interact. The Bellefonte Family Resource Center opened for custody exchanges in 2008. “It’s been a great success,” says Kistler, who volunteers at the center every year on Christmas. “Imagine knowing that every single Friday and every single Sunday, you have to go and be in the place where [your ex-spouse who threatened you] is. Even if nothing happens at the exchange, you’ve got that feeling of dread. We get rid of all that.” Another problem Kistler has experienced as a judge are cases involving young pregnant girls in his courtroom. “We saw a lot of 15-year-old girls who needed to go to rehab to get over their drug or alcohol problems, but we couldn’t send them because they were pregnant,” he says. He started community discussions that led to the Centre Alliance for Healthy Relationships, which helps youths make sound decisions and reduce sexually risky behaviors. Healthy behaviors have been a part of Kistler’s life since he was a youth himself. Not only did he earn his Boy Scout Eagle Award in 1973, but also every man born in his family since Scouting began is an Eagle Scout, including his father and his sons, Hobart and Peter. As Centre County’s new president judge,
54 - Town&Gown January 2012
“It’s going to be a big inconvenience, but I don’t expect to have a single complaint from the employees because justice is being done,” he emphasizes. “That is an environment that has been created by the judges before me. The courthouse really, truly works in a harmonious way, with everybody understanding that they’re a part of it, but not the center of it.”
Kistler with his son, Hobie, on a mountain climb in Patagonia, Chile.
Kistler faces the immediate challenge of the wide-ranging effects of trials related to the Jerry Sandusky child-sex-abuse case. Although judges from outside Centre County are presiding, Kistler still has to spend a great deal of time making decisions related to the hearings: Where to put media trucks, what to do in the event of a fire alarm, how many portable toilets to order — “all those kinds of decisions that have nothing to do with the case,” he says. Lunsford helped institute a program that allowed a yellow Labrador retriever, Princess, into the courthouse to help provide emotional support for children involved with court cases.
Judge Bradley P. Lunsford Brad Lunsford never aspired to be a judge. A Clearfield County native and graduate of Penn State (BS in public service) and Duquesne University School of Law, he was a public defender, then a prosecutor, and then an attorney in private practice with Goodall & Yurchak. “I enjoyed the people I was working with, and I enjoyed a lot of the clients, but it wasn’t what I had envisioned as being a lawyer,” he says. “Something was missing.” In 1995, District Judge Clifford Yorks announced that he was retiring. Lunsford ran for and won the Magisterial District Court seat. He soon realized that he had found what was missing from his career. “I like trying to help people resolve their disputes,” he says. “I really encourage open dialogue and mediation.” When Centre County was allotted a fourth common-pleas judge for a term beginning in 2006, Lunsford won the position in an unopposed election. Already tapped by President Judge Brown to look into the concept of a special drug court for Centre County, Lunsford and his committee eventually realized that the county’s most pressing need was a drunk-driving court for people charged more than once with driving under the influence. Founded in 2009, the DUI Court Program puts repeat offenders through two years of jail time, house arrest, probation, counseling, journaling, and sessions every other week
Lunsford and his family (wife, Susan; son, Ryan; and daughter, Madison) meet the country group Sugarland. 55 - Town&Gown January 2012
Ruest takes some time to kayak at Colyer Lake.
Ruest has been appointed to the state Judicial Ethics Committee.
with Judge Lunsford. The first two participants are about to “graduate.” “It’s really inspiring to see how hard these people work and how they’ve changed their lives,” Lunsford says. “Here, I feel like I’m actually correcting behavior, and it works.” He also is responsible for bringing a canine influence into the Bellefonte courthouse. After seeing a CNN segment about a San Diego dog that served as a victim’s “advocate,” he worked with Centre County victim advocate Faith Burger and Canine Partners for Life to institute a similar program here. On December 30, 2009, a yellow Labrador retriever named Princess joined the Centre
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County court system to provide emotional support for children involved with court cases. “When I was a prosecutor, I did a lot of cases that involved sexual abuse against kids, and I remember how hard it was for them to come here,” Lunsford recalls. Now Princess is on the job to help them, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Lunsford and his wife, Susan, a Park Forest Elementary teacher, have two dogs of their own: Jack, a “puggle” rescued from Hurricane Katrina, and Jake, a “real sweetheart” chocolate Lab. The Lunsford children, eighth-grader Ryan and sixth-grader Madison, are budding musicians, following in their father’s footsteps. When he’s not wielding a gavel, Judge Lunsford plays drums for country/rock band ACExpress. Being a Centre County judge requires dedication and hard work to get through a demanding schedule, Lunsford says. “We come here in the morning, we stay into the night, and we ‘git ’er done,’ ” he says, noting that it’s well worth the effort. “There’s not a day that I haven’t enjoyed this,” he says. “I still skip to work.” Judge Pamela A. Ruest Before becoming a judge, Pam Ruest practiced family law for 20 years. She was a solicitor for the Centre County Domestic Relations Sec-
tion and for Children and Youth Services. She chairs the Centre County Children’s Roundtable and participates in its statewide counterpart. She serves on a subcommittee of the Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. She’s done all this despite her original reluctance to work on women’s and children’s issues. “I resisted doing family law because it was the ‘thing women should do,’ ” she says. In fact, coming of age in the 1970s, she set aside her desire to become a nurse and became a biology major instead because “we needed to do things that were not traditional.” Having grown up in Connecticut, she attended the University of Connecticut, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s in statistics, and a law degree. She thought she would become a biostatistician but decided she could have “more of an impact” going into law. (She later put her scientific education to use as a registered patent attorney.) She moved to Centre County when her then-husband took a job at Penn State, intending to stay for just three years. Instead, Central Pennsylvania became her permanent home. She practiced with McQuaide Blasko and then was elected as a common-pleas judge
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Grine, shown with wife, Nina, is the newest member of the court. He says he would like to see a special court program to help defendants who have mental-health issues.
in 2007. “I thought we needed a judge who had a background in family law,” she recalls. “I also thought it was time a woman ran for judge in Centre County.” Campaigning for judge was a “wonderful experience” that took Ruest to the far reaches of Centre County, getting to know people and eating “too many” delicious Grange dinners. Now her mornings begin at 5:30 a.m. with a “boot camp” exercise program before she dons her judge’s robes. Despite — or perhaps because of — her background in family laws, she finds those cases to be the most difficult. Many people in divorce or custody cases are not represented by attorneys, and Ruest has to guide them through each case without imposing her thoughts as an attorney about what they should be doing. “Custody decisions are the most difficult to make,” she says. “You’re deciding a child’s life.” Through her children’s roundtable work, she is helping to address such issues as smoothing the way for foster children who turn 18 and “age out” of the system. Another area where she would like to see progress is in mental health as it relates to the courts. “There are so many mental-health issues
leading to crime,” she says. “It would be great if we could have a family mental-health court.” With Judge David Grine’s retirement, Ruest has been appointed to the state Judicial Ethics Committee, which discusses ethical issues that concern judges across the commonwealth. Through this work, she says, she hopes to help improve the judicial system in Pennsylvania, and in Centre County. Jonathan D. Grine Jon Grine recently received a letter from a woman whose son had appeared in his courtroom on DUI charges. Grine had sentenced the young man to public service, and the mother reported that her son had gone on to finish college and get a job with a New York accounting firm. “The best part of this job is having a positive impact on the community or someone’s life,” says Grine, who has been having that impact since 2004. That’s when he became a Centre County magistrate, presiding over summary offenses, landlord/tenant disputes, and civil cases with damage claims under $12,000. In 2007, when Judge Brown retired, he ran for Centre County judge but lost to Ruest. Last
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November, he won election for the seat of another retiring judge — his father, Judge David Grine. Jon Grine hadn’t intended to follow in his father’s footsteps. He had wanted to go into law enforcement; earned a bachelor’s degree in crime, law, and justice from Penn State; and thought that a law degree would give him a better chance of becoming an FBI agent. During law school, though, his internships made him realize that he loved litigation. He graduated in 2000 as part of the first full Penn State Dickinson School of Law class and went into private practice, doing civil and criminal litigation. Becoming a judge then seemed like a “natural progression.” As he moves from his Calder Way district judge’s office to the Common Pleas Court in Bellefonte, he would like to bring along recent technological advances. When he first became a magistrate, a 2 a.m. arraignment required the defendant to physically appear in court, necessitating transport and protection. Now, the defendant can remain at the sheriff’s department and the magistrate in his or her office, with the proceeding conducted via teleconference. The district judge’s office also features a public-access computer terminal for looking up court cases, and electronic filing of cases.
“I’d like to build on this technology,” Grine says. “I think we can save a lot of time and money and make things more efficient.” The judge also would like to see a special court program to help defendants who have mental-health issues. “They’re often just lowgrade nuisance crimes, but the person keeps cycling through the system,” he says, advocating a program that would break that cycle. Grine grew up in Bellefonte, graduated from Penn State, and lives in State College with his wife, Nina. He has enjoyed being a magistrate in his home county and looks forward to sitting on the common-pleas bench. “This is a very small community, and there are a lot of common ties,” he says. “You know the attorneys who handle a case before you. You get a lot more civility between the attorneys, the judges, and the public.” However, those common ties also drive home the gravity of his job as a judge. “What you’re paid to do is make decisions,” he says. “These are really hard issues that cut to the core of someone’s family or liberty.” T&G
Tracey M. Dooms is a freelance writer in State College and a contributor to Town&Gown.
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ThisMonth on
Penn State Public broadcaStinG
*For additional program information log on to wpsu.org
WRITE ON!
with Chef Pati Jinich WPSU’S ANNUAL CONNOISSEUR’S DINNER & AUCTION Saturday, February 18, at 6 p.m.
This year’s Connoisseur’s Dinner will mark the 20th anniversary of WPSU’s annual winter gala at The Nittany Lion Inn. Leading this year’s culinary sojourn will be Chef Pati Jinich, host of the new public television series Pati’s Mexican Table. Guests will experience firsthand the adventurous and trendy cuisine found across Mexico. Each dish will serve as a point of departure into Mexico’s rich history and culture. For a complete menu, or to make your reservation for this winter feast, please visit wpsu.org/conndinner.
Few things capture a child’s imagination like a good book. The “Write On!” contest encourages kids to tap their inner author by writing and illustrating their very own stories. WPSU is partnering with WQED (Pittsburgh PBS) and WVPB (West Virginia Public Broadcasting) to host this writing contest for children in kindergarten through third grade in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky. “Write On!” is part of the national PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest. An entry form, contest rules, guidelines, and information about submitting an illustrated story can be found online at wpsu.org/ writeon. Entries will be received from January 31, 2012, to March 31, 2012. The contest is sponsored by EQT Corporation, a long-time supporter of Raising Readers in Pennsylvania.
STORYCORPS, BRADFORD
Last year, StoryCorps, NPR’s national oral history project, came to Central Pennsylvania to collect conversations MASTERPIECE: CLASSIC between local residents. WPSU broadcast DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 2 excerpts from more than 40 of those Beginning Sunday, January 8, at 8 p.m. recorded conversations over the past year. Multiple Emmy winner (including Now WPSU is going from town to town Outstanding Miniseries!) Downton Abbey to collect more stories. Recording and resumes the story of aristocrats and servants preserving stories unique to the lives of of Downton Abbey during the tumultuous Bradford residents began in October; their World War I era. The international hit, stories will be shared with the WPSU-FM written by Julian Fellowes, stars Dame audience beginning this month. In January, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, and tune in during Morning Edition and All Hugh Bonneville, as well as a drawing room Things Considered to hear this special full of new actors, portraying the loves, feuds, collection from Bradford. and sacrifices of a glittering culture thrown into crisis. Laura Linney hosts.
wpsu.org U.Ed. OUT 12-0422/12-PSPB-TV-0011
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penn state diary
Medicine Man George Harrell’s vision helped develop medical center and College of Medicine Penn State University Archives
By Lee Stout
Harrell had ideas about everything from curriculum to architectural design when it came to a medical school.
The creation of a medical school is no small undertaking. About 15 years ago in this column, I described the amazing story of the $50-million gift that resulted in the founding of the Hershey Medical Center and Penn State’s College of Medicine in 1964. The work of Penn State president Eric A. Walker, Hershey executive Samuel F. Hinkle, and Harrisburg lawyer Gilbert Nurick combined to make a highly unusual tale of philanthropy and legal sagacity that resulted in one the commonwealth’s most outstanding health-care resources. However, that story is incomplete without acknowledging the contributions of Dr. George T. Harrell, the founding dean of the school. Back in 1981, I had the opportunity to conduct two oral-history interviews with Dr. Harrell that shed light on that history. Harrell was a visionary, and when I met him, he was in his early 70s.
As I reflect on those conversations 30 years ago, I realize he was something of a model for what I hoped I could be in my retirement as well. He was still healthy, vigorous, and his memory was clear. He was engaged in the philosophical implications of how medical education was evolving and what it should be, and he was carrying his ideas into action as a consultant working with new medical schools around the world. He was a North Carolinian by birth, upbringing, and education; to call him gentlemanly did not seem anachronistic. He was one of the first medical students at Duke, and the first clinical faculty member of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest in North Carolina. He became the founding dean of the University of Florida’s medical school in 1954, and Eric Walker had persuaded him to do it again at Hershey. By 1964, Harrell had definite ideas about what mattered in a medical school, from the standpoint of both curriculum and architectural design. Seeing the majestic curved facade of the main hospital building from Route 322 as you approach the campus, you might be surprised to learn that this was Harrell’s concept. Most Penn State and Hershey administrators from that era recall his collection of building blocks; he used them to explain to anyone who would listen how he wanted to lay out the hospital, school, and all future development of the physical plant. He would become a virtual partner to the architect with his long-thought-out program for the facility. But architectural design was only one of his passions. He had strong opinions about the education that would happen there as well. The Hershey site could allow a complete animalresearch facility directly adjacent to the school for applied-research projects. There would be a humanities department, where medical students would learn to consider all aspects of the person who was sick — you would not just be the appendicitis in Room 413 at Hershey. Related,
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and at that time unprecedented, there would be a department of family and community medicine — where doctors could train to become family doctors by choice. Being what’s now referred to as a Primary Care Physician would not simply mean a doctor who tried to do everything alone. What enabled Harrell to bring about all these innovations were the unique circumstances he found at Hershey. The $50-million gift of the Hershey Trust created a situation that was almost unprecedented in medical education. The university would manage the hospital and run the medical school, but, initially, the trust owned the grounds and buildings. On arrival, Harrell explained to the Penn State and Hershey administrators that he could likely get $21 million in Public Health Service matching funds to help build the medical center, and thus the $50 million could be used to create both the school and all the additional things he had in mind as well as the nucleus of an endowment. That was a surprise to them but they quickly agreed and Harrell prepared the necessary applications. He recalled that Arthur R. Whiteman, the chief financial officer of the Hershey Trust Co., attended the critical meeting with the government officials to discuss the unusual partnership between the university and the trust. Their primary concern was what would happen if Penn State backed out of the agreement and the hospital had to close. The government grant of more than $20 million would have to be repaid; how would that happen? The trust representative quietly thought for a moment and then replied, “Well, if it’s that much, we will have to have 48 hours’ notice.” The Public Health Service officials were stunned, but the grant went through and construction began. Since that time, the Hershey Medical Center has grown into one of America’s premier medical-education and health-care facilities. It is altogether fitting that we remember George T. Harrell, whose creativity and passion helped create that institution. T&G You can see George Harrell speaking, and see the building blocks in a Hershey “Memories and Milestones” video at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=o98V61Kzvp4. Lee Stout is Librarian Emeritus, Special Collections for Penn State.
Get to know...
Coquese Washington: Scoring on and off court
Coquese Washington tipped off as Penn State’s women’s basketball coach in April 2007, which means this is the first season that the team is entirely her recruits. That bodes well for a strong season — and maybe even a Big Ten title — since her team has moved up the Big Ten ranks each year, finishing second in the conference last season. Washington’s strength as a coach and role model for her athletes reaches far beyond basketball. She graduated from Notre Dame in just three years and then earned her law degree there, finishing it while starting her professional basketball career with the ABL and WNBA. As an attorney, she helped create the WNBA Players Association. Today, she and husband Raynell Brown also are parents to young Quenton and Rhaiyna. The coach encourages her Lady Lions to volunteer their time to worthy causes, and she practices what she preaches. Coquese’s Drive for the Women’s Resource Center golf tournament is into its fifth successful year, and she is president of the PA Pink Zone board of directors. On Feb. 26, she’ll be coaching both behind the scenes and courtside as Penn State takes on Minnesota in the annual Pink Zone game, expected to raise more than $200,000 in the fight against breast cancer. The Penn State Bookstore thanks Coquese Washington and all staff and faculty who carry out the university’s mission every day.
www.psu.bncollege.com 814-863-0205
63 - Town&Gown January 2012
COMING TO THE
1972 2012
Bryce Jordan Center
January 5 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Purdue 8 p.m. 7 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Michigan State 2 p.m. 8 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Indiana Noon 12 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Michigan 6 p.m. 13 Jeff Dunham 8 p.m.
Recent Acquisitions
Continuing through January 22, 2012
15 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Minnesota 4 p.m. 19 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Illinois 9 p.m.
Museum Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. Closed Mondays and some holidays 814-865-7672 The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Proud to be the Palmer Museum of Art’s Major Corporate Sponsor
Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. Above: Samuel L. Margolies, Man’s Canyon, 1936, etching and aquatint, 2010.29.
22 Lady Lion Basketball vs. Iowa 3 p.m. 27 Winter Jam 2012 7 p.m. 29 Rise Against 7 p.m. 31 Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Wisconsin 8 p.m.
January
what’s happening
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22 Penn State’s wrestling team hosts rival Iowa at Rec Hall.
The Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra presents Happy Birthday Mozart in the Ramada Grand Ballroom.
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The Vienna Choir Boys perform at Eisenhower Auditorium.
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Return to the eighties when the musical Rock of Ages visits Eisenhower Auditorium.
Comedian Jeff Dunham brings his many characters to the Bryce Jordan Center for an 8 p.m. performance.
ClearWater Conservancy holds its annual For the Love of Art & Chocolate at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.
Local musical acts perform Neil Young music for the benefit show Heart of Gold at the State Theatre.
31 The Nittany Lion men’s basketball team welcomes Wisconsin to the Bryce Jordan Center.
For more “What’s Happening,” check out townandgown.com. Deadline for submitting events for the March issue is January 27.
Announcements of general interest to residents of the State College area may be mailed to Town&Gown, Box 77, State College, PA 16804-0077; faxed to (814) 238-3415; or e-mailed to dpenc@barashmedia.com. Photos are welcome. 65 - Town&Gown January 2012
Academics
12 – Prenatal Discussion Night, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 7 p.m., 466-7921.
2 – State College Area School District, no classes. 9 – PSU Spring Semester Begins. 16 – PSU Martin Luther King Day, no classes. 27 – State College Area School District, no classes.
Children & Families 2 – No School Day Craft: Snowball Pitch!, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 23, 26, 30 – Music Together free trial class for children 0-5 and a parent, Oakwood Presbyterian Church, S.C., 10:45 a.m. Mon. & Fri., 9:30 a.m. Thurs., 466-3414. 6, 20 – Playgroup, Childbirth Education Association, Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Graysdale, S.C, 10 a.m., 237-4232. 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28, 31 – Music Together free trial class for children 0-5 and a parent, Houserville United Methodist Church, S.C., 10:45 a.m. Tue., 10:30 a.m. Sat., 466-3414. 8, 15, 22, 29 – Go Club, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 1:45 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 9, 23 – Drop In Knitting Group, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 6:30 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 21, 28 – World Stories Alive: Tales in Many Tongues, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 27 – In Service Days: Let it Snow, Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania, Lemont, 9 a.m., 234-2740, www.artalliancepa.org. 27 – No School Days: It’s National Puzzle Day!, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 28 – National Kazoo Day Festival, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 2 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 29 – Winter Wonderland Festival, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 2 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.
Classes & Lectures 3, 17 – “A Joint Venture,” a free class on hip and knee replacements, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 11 a.m. Jan. 3, 7 p.m. Jan. 17, 278-4810.
Club Events 4, 11, 18, 25 – S.C. Sunrise Rotary Club mtg., Hotel State College, S.C., 7:15 a.m., kfragola@psualum.com. 4, 18 – Outreach Toastmasters Club mtg., room 413, 329 Building, Innovation Park, PSU, noon, http://outreach.freetoasthost.us/. 5 – Central PA Observers mtg., South Hills School of Business and Technology, S.C., 6 p.m., 237-9865. 5, 12, 19, 26 – S.C. Downtown Rotary mtg., Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, S.C., noon, http://centrecounty.org/rotary/club/. 5, 19 – S.C. Lions Club mtg., Damon’s, S.C., 6:15 p.m., www.statecollegelions.org. 10 – S.C. Sunrise Rotary Club Board mtg., Wegmans, S.C., 7 a.m., http://centrecounty.org/ rotary/club/. 11 – Women’s Welcome Club of S.C., Oakwood Presbyterian Church, S.C., 7 p.m., www.womenswelcomeclub.org. 11, 20, 25, Centre Squares Dance Club, Pleasant Gap Elementary School, Pleasant Gap, 8 p.m., 238-8949. 20 – Central PA Country Dance Association dance, State College Friends School, 7:30 p.m., www.cpcda.org. 21 – Pastel Society Paint-In, Community Center, Boalsburg, 9 a.m., SNicholasArt@aol.com 25 – State College Bird Club mtg., Foxdale Village Meeting Room, S.C., 7 p.m., www.foxdalevillage.org.
Community Associations & Development 10 – Women’s Mid Day Connection Luncheon, featuring Sack’s 5th Avenue, Elk’s Country Club, Boalsburg, 11:45 a.m., 355-7615. 12 – Centre County Triad mtg.: Passive Alcohol Sensor Flashlight (PAS)/DUI, Centre LifeLink EMS, 125 Puddintown Road, S.C., 10 a.m. 12 – CBICC Business After Hours, Mercedes-Benz of State College, 5:30 p.m., www.cbicc.org. 17 – Spring Creek Watershed Association mtg., Patton Township Building, S.C., 7:30 a.m., www.springcreekwatershed.org 25 – Patton Township Business Association mtg., Patton Township Mun. Bldg., noon, www.ptba.org.
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26 – CBICC Business After Hours, Rotelli, S.C., 5:30 p.m., www.cbicc.org.
Exhibits Ongoing-13 – New Works by Members of The Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society, BHCA Gallery at the Gamble Mill, Bellefonte, www.centralpapastel.org. Ongoing-15 – Seriality: Photographs from the Permanent Collection, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu. Ongoing-15 – Art on the Move: Photos by Michelle Bixby, West Halls, PSU, 865-5951, http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/artgalleries. Ongoing-17 – Art on the Move: Paintings by Anna Brewer, Student Health Center, PSU, 865-6556, http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/art galleries. Ongoing-22 – Recent Acquisitions, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu. Ongoing-Feb. 19 – Art on the Move: Photos by Chuck Fong, Old Main, PSU, 865-0909, http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/artgalleries. Ongoing-Feb. 29 – Art on the Move: Painting by Beverly Klucher, Old Main, PSU, 865-0909, http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/art galleries. Ongoing-March 1 – Art on the Move: Paintings by Ruth Kazez, Conference Room 237, HUB-Robeson Center, PSU, 865-2563, http://stu dentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/artgalleries. Ongoing-June 17 – Those Who Came Before – The Archaeology of Centre County’s Native Americans, by the Centre County Historical Society, the Bald Eagle Archaeological Society, and Penn State’s Matson Museum, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 1 p.m. Wed., Fri., & Sun., www.centrecountyhistory.org. 4-21 – State College Area School District K-12 Student Show, HUB-Robeson Gallery, PSU, noon, 865-2563. 5 – Betsy Rodgers Allen Art Gallery: Oils, Pencils, and Pastels by Veronica Winters, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., www.schlowlibrary.org. 6-29 – Ruth Talman Kazaz, Community Art Gallery, The Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County, Bellefonte, 1 p.m. Fri.-Sun., 353-4280, www.bellefontemuseum.org.
6-Feb. 26 – Speak Peace: Children’s Art from Vietnam and Photos of Vietnam by Sharon McCarthy, Main Gallery, The Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County, Bellefonte, 1 p.m. Fri.-Sun., 353-4280, www.bellefontemuseum.org. 16-March 11 – Devan Shimoyama, Art Alley, PSU, noon, 865-2563. 18-Feb. 26 – Hateful Things, HUB Gallery, PSU, noon, 865-2563. 31-May 13 – Painting the People: Images of American Life from the Maimon Collection, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.
Health Care For schedule of blood drives visit www.cccred cross.org or www.givelife.org. 5 – Grief Support Group, Centre Crest, Bellefonte, 6 p.m., 548-1140 or amboal@co.centre .pa.us. 7 – The Parent Support of Children with Eating Disorders, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 7 p.m., 466-7921. 9 – Breast Cancer Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 4:30 p.m., 234-6175. 10 – Brain Injury Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 7 p.m., 359-3421. 12 – The Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6 p.m., 231.7095. 16 – Cancer Survivor Support Group, Centre County United Way, S.C., 11:30 a.m., www.cancersurvive.org. 17 – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Outpatient Entrance, Pleasant Gap, 6 p.m., 359-3421. 19 – Better Breathers Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 2 p.m., 359-3421. 19 – The free H.E.I.R. & Parents class and tour of the maternity unit for expectant parents and support people, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6:30 & 7:45 p.m., 231-7061.
Music 19 – Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu.
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22 – Winterfest Music Series with Anthony Costa and Robyn Dixon Costa, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, S.C., 3 p.m., 237-7605 or www.uufcc.com. 27 – Winter Jam 2012, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu. 28 – Heart of Gold — An Evening of the Music of Neil Young, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., 272-0606 or www.statetickets.org. 28 – Nittany Valley Symphony: Favorite Things II – Symphonic Pops Concert, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.nvs.org. 29 – Sunday Afternoons at the Library: Amanda Silliker, soprano, Svetlana Rodionova, piano, Centre County Library Museum, Bellefonte, 2:30 p.m., www.bellefontearts.org. 29 – Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra: Happy Birthday Mozart, Ramada Inn, S.C., 3 p.m., www.centreorchestra.org. 29 – Rise Against, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m., 865-5555 or www.bjc.psu.edu. 31 – Chucho Valdes with the Afro-Cuban Messengers, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu.
14 – The State College Elks Lodge #1600 Local Lodge Hoop Shoot, Mount Nittany Middle School, S.C., 8:30 a.m., 574-3265. 14 – You Enter Germany - Bloody Huertgen and the Siegfried Line, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., www.pamilmuseum.org.
Special Events
18 – Transition Towns State College Energy Forum: Marcellus and Beyond, State College Borough Community Room, 7 p.m., 21, 28 – Global Connections’ Home Edition dinners, International cuisine in local homes (also on February 4 and 11), 863-3927. 22 – Kickoff for 2012 Centre County Reads: The Book Thief with Indoor Sports Day, State College YMCA, 1 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org. 24 – Mike Daisey: The Island at the Birth of the World, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu. 27 – For the Love of Art & Chocolate, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, President’s Hall, 7 p.m., 237-0400 or www.clearwaterconservancy.org.
3, 10, 17, 24, 31 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, Boalsburg Fire Hall, 2 p.m., 466-2152. 7 – Mothers & More’s 5th Annual Preschool Fair, State College Friends School, 10 a.m., maggie@langelaan.com. 7 – State College Area Preschool Fair, The Friends School, S.C., 10 a.m. 13 – Jeff Dunham, BJC, PSU, 8 p.m., www.bjc .psu.edu. 13 – Welcome Back the Spring Semester with The Big Lebowski, State Theatre, S.C., 4, 7, & 9:30 p.m., 272-0606 or www.statetickets.org.
The Book Thief is this year’s selection for Centre County Reads, which kicks off January 22 with Indoor Sports Day at the State College YMCA.
Now Renting for 2012
Free Heat • Free Cooking Gas • Free Parking • Free Basic Cable Furnished or Unfurnished Apts. • On CATA Bus Route R Grocery Shopping Across the Street • 24-hour Maintenance On-Site Laundry & Management Office • Tennis and Basketball
238-2600 • 424 Waupelani Drive Open Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-3 • www.lionsgateapts.com lionsgateapts@lionsgateapts.com
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Sports
31 – PSU/Wisconsin, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 8 p.m.
For tickets to Penn State sporting events, call 865-5555. For area high school sporting events, call your local high school. 5 – PSU/Purdue, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 8 p.m. 7 – PSU/Michigan State, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m. 7 – Penn State Relays, track & field, Ashenfelter Track, PSU, all day. 8 – PSU/Indiana, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, noon. 12 – PSU/Michigan, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 6 p.m. 14 – PSU/Army, men’s gymnastics, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m. 14 – Nittany Lion Challenge, track & field, Ashenfelter Track, PSU, all day. 15 – PSU/Minnesota, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 4 p.m. 19 – PSU/Illinois, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 9 p.m. 22 – PSU/Iowa, wrestling, Rec Hall, PSU, 2 p.m. 22 – PSU/Iowa, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 3 p.m. 27-28 – Penn State national, track & field, Ashenfelter Track, PSU, all day. 28 – PSU/Drew/Johns Hopkins/North Carolina/Duke/Penn/Haverford, fencing, White Building, PSU, 8:30 a.m. 28 – PSU/St. Bonaventure, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 10 a.m. 28 – PSU/Army, men’s lacrosse, PSU, 1 p.m. 28 – PSU/Lehigh, men’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 3 p.m. 29 – PSU/Pittsburgh, women’s tennis, Sarni Tennis Center, PSU, 1 p.m. 29 – PSU/Ohio State, wrestling, Rec Hall, PSU, 2 p.m.
Seussical visits Eisenhower Auditorium January 22.
Theater 21 – The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD: The Enchanted Island, State Theatre, S.C., 1 p.m., 272-0606 or www.statetickets.org. 22 – Seussical, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 2 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu. 25 – Rock of Ages, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu. T&G
Taste of the Month
Café 210 West’s Ultimate Angus Burger
Town&Gown ’s Monthly Focus on Food 69 - Town&Gown January 2012
guide to advertisers
ATTRACTIONS, EVENTS, ENTERTAINMENT Bob Perks Fund ..............................89 Center for the Performing Arts ................... Inside Front Cover ClearWater Conservancy..............29 Coaches Vs. Cancer @ PSU ......21 Palmer Museum of Art ...................64 Penn State Forum ...........................15 State College Choral Society ......25 State Theatre............................ 59, 71 AUTOMOTIVE Dix Honda .........................................19 Driscoll Automotive ...... Back Cover Joel Confer BMW ............................28 BANKS, FINANCAL SERVICES Frost & Conn ...................................... 6 M&T Bank (Crowley, Webb & Associates, Inc.) .... Inside Back Cover Penn State Federal Credit Union ..............................................56 State College Federal Credit Union ..............................................18 Ufinancial ..........................................57 BELLEFONTE Black Walnut Body Works............23 Confer’s Jewelers ...........................23 Jake’s Cards & Games..................22 Mid State Awning & Patio Company .......................................23 Penn State Federal Credit Union ..............................................23 Reynolds Mansion ..........................22
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2011
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BOALSBURG A Basket Full ....................................31 Boalsburg Apothecary ..................30 Duffy’s Tavern ..................................31 Kelly’s Steak & Seafood ...............30 Nature’s Hue ....................................31 N’V (Envy)..........................................30 Tait Farm Foods...............................30
LODGING HFL Corporation (Country Inn & Suites) ............................................16 Hospitality Asset Management Company .......................................81 Mount Nittany Inn............................84 Penn State Hospitality ..................... 4 Toftrees Resort ................................46
BUSINESS, INDUSTRY Blair County Chamber Of Commerce ....................................61 CBICC .................................................20
MEDICAL Ginger Grieco, DDS .......................61 Lewistown Hospital ........................25 Mount Nittany Medical Center........................................7, 51 The Circulatory Center .................... 2
DINING Autoport .............................................85 Cozy Thai Bistro ..............................85 Damon’s Grill....................................86 Dantes ................................................83 Faccia Luna ......................................82 Herwigs ..............................................84 Hotel State College ........................80 India Pavilion ....................................86 Meyer Dairy Store & Ice Cream Parlor ..............................................84 Otto’s Pub .........................................81 PSU Food Services ........................86 Tavern Restaurant............................. 1 Wegmans...........................................87 Westside Stadium ...........................84 Whistle Stop Restaurant ...............84 Zola New World Bistro...................83 HEALTH & FITNESS East Coast Health & Fitness ........37 Fitness Circuit .................................... 3
PHOTOGRAPHY Vista Pro Studios ............................39 PRINTING, COPYING, MEDIA Penn State Public Broadcasting (WPSU)...........................................60 REAL ESTATE, HOUSING Cali, Tom - RE/MAX........................13 Kissinger Bigatel & Brower ..........18 Lions Gate Apartments .................68 Lisa Kirby Rittenhouse RE/MAX............................................ 4 Scot Chambers/Green Irene .......27 RETIREMENT SERVICES Elmcroft of State College..............14 Foxdale Village ................................19 Presbyterian Senior Living ............. 8
SERVICES Centre Elite Gymnastics, Inc. ......69 Clean Sweep Professional Cleaning Service.........................16 Goodall & Yurchak..........................89 Handy Delivery ................................36 Hoag’s Catering ................................ 4 Houck Home Care & Cleaning ........................................29 Koch Funeral Homes ....................... 6 McQuaide Blasko ...........................11 P2P Computer Solutions ..............50 Red Cross .........................................29 Tire Town ...........................................17 SHOPPING, RETAIL America’s Carpet Outlet ...............28 Aurum Jewelers & Goldsmiths ....................................38 Bicycle Shop, The ..........................37 Capperella Furniture ........................ 9 Collegiate Pride ...............................46 Degol Carpet ....................................17 Home Reflections............................37 Penn State Bookstore ...................63 Squire Brown’s ................................56 Tubbies .............................................39 Victorian House Antiques.............22 VISITOR INFORMATION Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau............................................12
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70 - Town&Gown January 2012
The Met Opera Live in HD
Heart of Gold
Community Conversation: Addressing Sexual Abuse
The Enchanted Island
An Evening of the Music of Neil Young
In A Town This Size (2011)
Sat, Jan 21 1pm
Sat, Jan 28 7pm
Sun, Jan 29 7pm
The Met Opera Live in HD
Tea Leaf Green
presents
Umphrey’s McGee Wed, Feb 8 9pm
presents Götterdämmerung
Sat, Feb 11 12pm
with special guest Ha Ha Tonka
Wed, Feb 15 8pm
from the vine
Ready for a Revolution Italy’s Puglia region starting to impress with quality wines By Lucy Rogers
For most of us, when we think of drinking or purchasing Italian wine, we tend to think first of Chianti from Tuscany, or Barolo from the Piedmont, both of which regions are located in northern Italy. And it makes sense that we think of those wines first because those are the wines that have been bottled and shipped to American markets for many decades now. Italy is the numberone producer of wine in the world (always jockeying for that top spot with neighboring France), and if you think about the country’s topography and geography, you can see that the entire country is practically a vineyard. A peninsular country by definition, surrounded on three sides by water, the majority of the country has access to water and to the cooling coastal breezes that grapevines need to make balanced wine. The Apennine Mountains form a spine down the country that results in many microclimates across the country, and while those microclimates vary significantly as you move from north to south — as does the soil — the growers in Italy have more than 900 grapes that are currently used to make wine — many indigenous — from which to choose for their particular regions. One of those regions is Puglia, the strip of land in the southeastern corner of Italy, often referred to as the “heel” of the boot. (Actually Puglia is more than the heel — it goes up the coast to
where the Achilles tendon would be and a little beyond.) Puglia is a hot, flat plain bordered by both the Adriatic and Ionian seas that has historically served as Italy’s wine and bread basket. Sunny hot days and fertile soil make Puglia an agricultural haven, growing most of Italy’s wheat, olives, grapes, and other crops. One of Italy’s historically poorer regions, Puglia also has been one of the country’s top wine producers in terms of quantity. Most of the wineries were co-ops of individual farmers selling their red juices through a co-op, and the juices were then used to make bulk wine, which was then sold to northern Italian or French winemakers as a blending wine to beef up their own wines, or simply barreled and sold to the local communities. A very small percentage was ever bottled, even less was exported. But reviewing the region’s considerable potential for making quality wines — hot sunny days, access to water, cool coastal breezes — some in the wine industry predicted that Puglia could be the next California in terms of wine revolutions. While that revolution hasn’t exactly happened — yet, anyway — there are some definite signs that the approach to winemaking in the area has experienced some revolutionary stirrings. Successful winemakers from northern Italy have identified Puglia’s potential and have started to invest in the area. So, too, have foreign winemakers interested in seeing if they can really put this wine region on the map. Tuscan wine giant Antinori created their Tormaresca label with vineyards in Castel del Monte and Salento. Peter Woodbridge of the globe-trotting Layer Cake wines also is producing a wine out of Puglia, and the “flying winemakers” who have come to the area — consultants who are retraining family growers and teaching them how to cut back on yields — are helping to modernize many aspects of the winemaking process. At the forefront of this movement is Gregorio Perucci of the Accademia del Racemi, an umbrella organization managing four wineries in Puglia as well as his own vineyard. And as we’ve seen in other wine-region “revolutions” such as California in the 1970s and more recently in Argentina, improving a wine economy means focusing on quality rather than
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quantity. Making better wines means limiting fruit on the vine, which helps the vine to create a more concentrated, higher-quality grape, which will then, in turn, make a higher-quality wine. So just what are the grapes grown in Puglia? The most important are the area’s three main red grapes: Negroamaro (black bitter), Primitivo, and Uvo de Troia. Negroamaro and Primitivo are the most widely planted, and both grapes make big, fleshy, fruit-driven wines that are accessible while young in spite of their power. Some of the few reds exported from Puglia to the US are the wines of the late Cosimo Taurino, whose offerings from the subregion of Salice Salentino wines were often earthy, perfumed Negroamaro-based wines. Primitivo, a very close relative to California’s Zinfandel grape, is Puglia’s most consumer-friendly wine with its sweet, soft tannins, plush jammy fruit, and often high alcohol. We are beginning to see more and more Primitivos on the shelves (some are even labeled Zinfandel), and at price points that are a little lighter on your wallet than their Californian counterparts. For whites, there is the indigenous Verdeca grape, the Bombino Bianco (found in wines from Gravino), and other Italian whites such as Trebbiano from the north and international varieties such as Chardonnay, which also are being planted. During this evolution from mass producer of bulk wine to mass producer of affordable bottled wine, there is still not an abundance of Puglian wines available in the Pennsylvania state system, but their numbers are increasing. Our tasting panel was able to taste a 100-percent Verdeca called “Messapia” from Leone di Castris, a winery founded in 1665 with more than 900 acres under vine. This white wine (PLCB code 17195, $14.99) smelled of honeysuckle and jasmine, was mediumbodied with almond and pineapple notes, and would certainly pair well with heartier appetizers or seafood dishes, maybe even pork. We then tasted a number of reds, the first of which was the Layer Cake brand of Primitivo 2007 (currently the North Atherton store has the 2008 for $14.99, PLCB code 38004). This was definitely a new-world-styled wine in that the fruit flavors and oak-induced vanilla were prominent, with fig and black cherry dominating. It was clear that this wine was designed for an American market used to drinking California Zinfandel. And while there were some not-so-subtle differences between this wine and those from California, we all agreed of the Primitivos we’ve had, this was the most Cal Zin-like.
Our other Primitivos at this tasting were from Cantore di Castelforte, a winery with more than 1,500 acres of vineyards across the area of Salento near the city of Taranto. We tasted three of C di C’s Primitivos, all of which were quite palatable with good fruit and equally good balancing acidity (which apparently has been lacking in the hot, flabby, full wines of Puglia’s past). The Primitivo 2008 IGT Salento (PLCB code 501424) and the Primitivo di Manduria DOC 2007 Donna Maria (PLCB code 501425) were both reminiscent of their California cousins, yet more restrained and a little lighter in body. Both these wines were perfect with the basic Italian flavors of pasta Bolognese — for which some California Zinfandels might be too big and rich. The Cantore di Castelforte Primitivo Passito 2007 Salento IGT (PLCB code 501416) was a fuller-bodied, more fruit-forward, and frankly sweeter wine, which is a result of the fact that the grapes for a passito wine are dried before they are crushed for juice. In that drying process, the water leaves the grape while the sugar stays, creating a sweeter, more intensely flavored grape from which to press juice, resulting in a sweeter, more intense wine reminiscent of its similarly produced northern counterpart, Valpolicella. Cantore di Castelforte’s Aglianico 2008 Donna Elena (PLCB code 501422) also was a great food wine, with its lighter body and hints of caraway and cumin. The winery’s take on Cabernet Sauvignon (2007 vintage PLCB code 501427) was very fresh and showed that there is some promise for the grape in Puglia. The most refreshing (and surprising) part of the Cantore di Castelforte’s portfolio was the pricing. Not a single wine was more than $16, and most hovered around the $10 mark. And while it’s true the wines are not available on the shelves of the store as regularly listed items, they are available SLO with no 6- or 12-bottle minimums, meaning you can go in and order a single bottle or two and the state will ship it to the store, something I would highly encourage you to take advantage of. If Cantore di Castelforte is any indication of what kind of value-to-price wines Puglia can offer, then their wine revolution is one we must consider supporting! T&G Lucy Rogers teaches wine classes and offers private wine tastings through Wines by the Class. She also is the event coordinator for Zola Catering (offsite and at the State College Elks Club).
73 - Town&Gown January 2012
Taste the
of
Month
Soups of Centre County By Vilma Shu Danz
Nothing is better on a cold wintry day than curling up with a bowl of hot soup. Mothers all over the world have some version of chicken noodle soup, which has long been used as the perfect cure for a cold. Researchers have tried to determine what exactly is in chicken noodle soup that seems to help reduce cold symptoms, but perhaps the answer is simple — the warmth from the broth and the combination of tender chicken and nutritious vegetables hydrates the body and soothes the stomach. The word “soup” originated from the English term “sop,” which refers to a piece of bread soaked in liquid or broth poured onto bread. At some point in the eighteenth century, the liquid broth began to be served on its own without the bread, and nowadays the possibilities for soups are endless. There are cold or chilled soups such as a gazpacho, savory hot soups such as bisques, chowders, Asian noodle soups, thicker stew-like soups, and every combination of meats and vegetables you can imagine. Town&Gown spoke with some local chefs to find out what soups they have planned on the menu this January as well as what their favorite soups are and what memories they have growing up making soup at home.
Frittatensuppe
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Elk Creek Café + Aleworks head brewer Tim Yarrington (left) and proprietor Tim Bowser.
> Harrison’s Wine Grill • 1221 East
College Avenue, State College <
Each seasonal menu at Harrison’s Wine Grill includes countless locally sourced, and often organic ingredients. This is the result of more than 12 years of relationship building with Tait Farm and more than 20 other local purveyors by proprietors chef Harrison Schailey and Kit Henshaw. Offerings include a variety of six soups daily, all made from scratch. “We have always had some vegetarian soups and we are now also creating gluten-free options,” says Schailey. “We have a lot more people asking for special dietary needs than ever before, so our menu is leaning in that direction, and many of our soups in rotation are vegetarian, such as our Smoked Tomato Bisque, Mushroom Barley, Cream of Asparagus, Butternut Squash Bisque, and Vegetarian Bean.” But don’t be fooled by this list, there are many others in rotation that are equally full-flavored and unique. Every day brings a different variety of tureens for curious soup lovers in the dining room. For the nonvegetarians, Harrison’s does have the classic, cold-fighting favorite, a hearty Chicken Noodle Soup. “In the winter months, I always offer a chicken noodle or chicken and rice soup because it is just so comforting, especially when you have a cold,” explains Schailey. “Hopefully there are healing properties, otherwise our mothers were lying to us!” Growing up, Schailey would have ham and split pea soup at least once a week because that was his father’s favorite. And while the soup is rarely featured at the restaurant, Schailey still has warm memories of it. “I have seven brothers and sisters, so my mom would make a big pot of ham and split pea soup, and it was thick, hearty, and it filled you up,” explains Schailey. “Many people make a ham for New Year’s, so don’t waste that ham bone. Use it to make ham and split pea or ham and bean soup.”
75 - Town&Gown January 2012
Frittatensuppe
Seafood Chowder > Herwig’s Austrian Bistro • 132 West College Avenue, State College < Originally from Igls, Austria, the Brandstatters — Brandy, his wife, Gundi, and son, Bernd — of Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, serve authentic Austrian home-cooked dishes made fresh daily. Each morning at 5 a.m., Brandy starts his day at the restaurant making the soup of the day and preparing the salads. “I make the soup with whatever I have in hand that day, so if there is beef broth and potatoes or other vegetables, I make a soup with that,” he says. “And if there is soup left at 3 p.m., the soup is half-price because I would not serve that soup tomorrow, so we want to get rid of it to make fresh soup the next day.” There aren’t any recipes written down for any of his soups because most of them are created on the spot with what is in season and in the restaurant’s pantry. “I have cooked and done it so many times that I know what would be good and what would not be good together,” he says. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have refrigerators, and I can remember my grandmother going down to the basement where we kept the potatoes after we harvested them, so you made soup from what grew where you lived.” One of the best-known soups in Austria is the frittatensuppe — Austrian crepe noodles in beef broth. Brandy makes his frittaten batter with eggs, flour, milk, salt, and finely chopped chives. After cooking this thin crepe-like frittaten, he rolls it up and slices it into thin strips and it is eaten in his homemade beef broth. “When you go to any Austrian guesthouse, you will most likely find this soup, frittatensuppe, as well as bouillon mit ei, which is beef broth with a raw egg,” Brandy says. “That is another soup that you will find almost everywhere in Austria.” 76 - Town&Gown January 2012
New Eng
> Zola’s New World Bistro • 324 West College Avenue, State College < Zola’s New World Bistro’s modern, urban-chic décor and open kitchen allows patrons to be part of a dynamic culinary experience. When it comes to soups during the winter months, chef and co-owner Paul Kendeffy creates heavier and richer soups that can almost be full meals. One of these hearty soups is the Seafood Chowder with fresh scallops, mussels, and clams with the shells, potatoes, and bits of crispy pancetta all in a creamy broth. “Most people open a can of clam chowder and you are lucky to get a clam or two, but our seafood chowder has whole clams and mussels still with the shells,” says Kendeffy. “It is a more exciting version of an American classic that everyone recognizes,” Growing up on a farm, Kendeffy remembers that his family grew everything they ate, and nothing was wasted. “We raised animals, grew vegetables, and if we had a roasted chicken for dinner, the next day we would have chicken soup, then the day after, my mother would thicken the chicken soup and make a pot pie,” he says. “I was blessed to have a mom who was a professional chef, and even though my father wasn’t a trained chef, he was pretty amazing as well, so the variety of foods that I grew up with is incredible. Soups were a great way to use up things that were in the kitchen or the pantry, and my mother would do a lot of Hungarian-style soups like Goulash.”
England Clam Chowder
>
The Corner Room • 100 West College Avenue, State College <
The Corner Room has been the traditional meeting place for State College locals and Penn Staters since 1926. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The soup staples are New England Clam Chowder, French Onion, Vegetable Soup, and Beef Chili. The soup du jour changes daily with a soup and half-sandwich special every day. Chef Mikel Langron will be serving a Potato Parmesan soup on Wednesdays in January. “I wanted to create something different than your traditional cream of potato soup, so I thought a little parmesan cheese would add some sharpness and saltiness that would go very well with potatoes,” he says. A unique way to use up some leftovers from New Year’s dinner is a Reuben Soup. “It’s a cream-based soup made with sauerkraut, corned beef or maybe leftover pork, and take some rye and pumpernickel bread, dice it up to make the croutons, then add a dollop of Thousand Island dressing on top, and you get all the elements of a Reuben Sandwich in a soup,” says Langron. 77 - Town&Gown January 2012
Farmhouse Chicken and Ham
Soup Sampler
White Turkey Chili
> The Deli Restaurant • 113 Hiester Street, State College
<
Dante’s Restaurants Inc. owns some of State College’s favorite eateries, including Hi-Way Pizza, Mario’s Italian Restaurant, bar bleu, The Deli Restaurant, and Inferno Brick Oven & Bar. The Deli Restaurant has been known for their soups. Since opening in 1973, The Deli’s large menu offers diners everything from comfort food to pub favorites. For the past 15 years, The Deli has held its annual Soup and Chili Festival in the months of December and January. In addition to the six soups that are on the regular menu such as the Ultimate Jewish Penicillin, Baked Potato, French Onion, Seafood Bisque, Texas Steak Chili, and the Vegetarian Vegetable, there will be nine other soups and five different chilis to choose from. And if you can’t decide on just one, there is a lunch soup sampler where you can choose any three soups, served with a warm homemade chili-cheese corn-bread muffin. “All our soups are always made from scratch,” explains Jennifer Zangrilli, director of operations for Dante’s Restaurants, Inc. “For me personally growing up at the restaurant, family time was having dinner at The Deli, so the Ultimate Jewish Penicillin is what my dad, Andy Zangrilli, used to make for us before we had it on the menu. It is basically chicken noodle and matza-ball soup put together.” Soups are simple meals that you also can make ahead of time. “At home, I would make a vegetarian vegetable soup in a big stock pot, keep it, freeze it, and pull it out as you need it,” says Jennifer.
78 - Town&Gown January 2012
Cheesy Broccoli
> Kelly’s Steak and Seafood • 316 Boal Avenue, Boalsburg < A Boalsburg native, Sean Kelly is the executive chef and owner of Kelly’s Steak and Seafood. He and his wife, Tien, who also is a chef, work together in the kitchen to create a truly family-friendly menu inspired by the Pacific Northwest. When it comes to soups, Kelly’s Seafood Chowder with potatoes, crab, and bay shrimp is always on the menu, and in January, they also will be serving a Farmhouse Chicken and Ham Soup that tastes like a chicken pot pie without the crust. “I came about this soup during the winter when I was making chicken pot pie. and I figured the flavors of a pot pie would make great soup!” explains Tien. “Soups are perfect for the winter months because it is filling, and most of the time when you make soup you make a big pot, so it is a great meal to share with your family and friends.” Growing up, Tien, who is of Vietnamese descent, would have an Asian soup called Pho, which is typically a rice-noodle soup with thinly sliced meat, cilantro, green onions, and mint all in a beef broth that is flavored with cinnamon, star anise, black pepper, and coriander. “My mom and grandmother would make it. In fact, even now, when we go back to Seattle to visit, my mom would make a gigantic pot of Pho and my boys love it,” says Tien. “It is very aromatic, light, refreshing, and when it gets cold that’s what Sean and my sons want to eat!”
>Elk Creek Café + Aleworks • 100 West Main Street, Millheim < Elk Creek Café + Aleworks is a community gathering place centered on local and regional American cuisine. For January, the restaurant’s two soups will change depending on what local produce is available. “We are still getting broccoli in from a couple of our purveyors like Tait Farm, so we will have a Cheesy Broccoli Soup,” says chef Mark Johnson. “This time of year, it is getting colder and we have been getting pork belly in weekly as well as root vegetables like carrots and celery root, so we will add that to a hearty Dumpling Soup.” There is something about Cheesy Broccoli soup that takes Johnson back to his childhood. “In the wintertime, coming home after sled riding, I remember opening up a can of Campbell’s Cream of Broccoli, and my Cheesy Broccoli Soup at Elk Creek Café is a play on that and all those childhood feelings that it conjures up,” he says. Soups and stews also are easy, no-fuss meals. Johnson explains that when he was growing up, both his parents worked full-time, so on Monday or Tuesday his mother would start a Crock-Pot in the morning and the family would help themselves to a hearty stew for dinner.
Visit www.townandgown.com for the following recipes: Harrison’s Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque. Kelly’s Steak and Seafood’s Farmhouse Chicken and Ham Soup. Elk Creek Café + Aleworks’ Cheesy Broccoli Soup. Zola’s New World Bistro’s Seafood Chowder. The Deli’s Wild Mushroom with Arugula & Bacon. Herwig’s Austrian Bistro’s Sauerkraut. The Corner Room’s Potato Parmesan. 79 - Town&Gown January 2012
Dining Out Full Course Dining The 1921 Restaurant at The Philips Hotel, 200 E. Presqueiste Street, Philipsburg, 342-7445, www.ThePhilips1921.com. Exquisite fine dining in the historic Philips Hotel. Featuring choice steaks, fresh seafood, and a full bar. Private dining rooms are available. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar. Allen Street Grill, corner of Allen Street and College Avenue, 231-GRILL. The food sizzles. The service sparkles. The prices are deliciously frugal. The menu is classic American grill mixed with popular influences from Mexico, Italy, and the Far East. AE, D, MC, V. Alto Italian Restaurant and Bar, 901 Pike St., Lemont; 238-5534. Featuring authentic, traditional Italian cuisine with seasonal menus, handmade pastas, fresh and local ingredients, and exceptional service. Extensive wine list, full bar, catering, private dining. Perfect for a casual or business lunch. Reservations suggested. All credit cards accepted. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Fri. Dinner 5:30-9/10 p.m. The Autoport, 1405 S. Atherton St., 237-7666, www.theautoport.com. The all new Autoport offers exceptional dining featuring local produce and an extensive wine list. Tapas menu and special events every week. Catering and private events available. Live music. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V. Full bar. Bar Bleu & Bar Q, 113 S. Garner St., 237-0374. Authentic Kansas City Barbeque featuring smoked ribs, pork, wings, plus down-home sides and appetizers. Roadhouse & Sports Lounge upstairs. Upscale martini bar downstairs featuring live music 7 nights a week. Open for dinner every night at 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, ID+, MC, V. Full bar.
Bill Pickle’s Tap Room,106 S. Allen St., 272-1172. Not for saints…not for sinners. AE, DIS, MAC, 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. The Corner Room Restaurant, corner of Allen Street and College Avenue, 237-3051. Literally first in hospitality. Since 1855, The Corner Room has served generous breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to the community and its guests. AE, D, MC, V.
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.
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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.
We love People, Beer & Local Foods Bringing you craft beer and fresh food using local products in a family friendly, casual atmosphere.
Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, 1031 E. College Ave., 237-6300, damons.com. Just seconds from Beaver Stadium, locally owned and operated, Damon’s is the premiere place to watch sports and enjoy our extensive menu. Ribs, wings, burgers, steaks, apps, salads, and so much more. AE, D, MAC, MC, V, Full bar. The Deli Restaurant, 113 Hiester St., 237-5710. The area’s largest menu! Soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, Mexican, Cajun. Dinners featuring steaks, chicken, seafood and pastas, heart-healthy menu, and award-winning desserts. 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.
Food & Beer TO GO! Bottles • Cases • Kegs • Growlers Visit our Gift Shop to check out our merchandise!
2235 North Atherton Street, State College
814.867.6886
www.ottospubandbrewery.com
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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.
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.
Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., 234-9000, www.faccialuna.com. A true neighborhood hangout, famous for authentic New York-style wood-fired pizzas and fresh, homemade It.alian 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.
Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, where bacon is an herb, 132 W. College Ave., herwigsaus trianbistro.com, 238-0200. Located next to the State Theatre. Austrian Home Cooking. Ranked #1 Ethnic Restaurant 5 years in a row. Eatin, Take-Out, Catering, Franchising. BYO after 5 p.m., D, MC, V.
Gamble Mill Restaurant & Microbrewery, 160 Dunlop St., Bellefonte; 355-7764. A true piece of Americana, dine and enjoy our in-house craft beers in a historic mill. Experience bold American flavors by exploring our casual pub menu or fine dining options. Six to seven beers of our craft beers on tap. Brewers Club, Growlers, outdoor seating, large private functions, catering. Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Dinner 5-9/10 p.m. Mon.-Sat. “Chalk Board Sunday’s” 4-8 p.m. All credit cards accepted.
Hi-Way Pizza, 1688 N. Atherton St., 237-0375. Voted best pizza. Twenty-nine variations of pizza, entire dinner menu and sandwiches, strombolis, salads, spectacular desserts, and beer to go. 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, (call ahead.) MC, V.
We continue the Luna tradition by using only the freshest ingredients!
1229 S o u t h A t h e r t o n S t r e e t S tAt e C o l l e g e 234-9000 A
true neighborhood hAngout highly
regArded for itS populAr And AuthentiC
n ew y ork - Style
wood - fired pizzA
And Commitment to quAlity .
A wArd - winning pizzA . And i tAliAn CuiSine homemAde with only the beSt And freSheSt ingredientS . www . fACCiAlunA . Com
We offer wood-fired pizza, fresh homemade pasta, as well as wood-grilled items such as Baby Back BBQ Ribs, homemade meatloaf, various fish and seafood and our soon to be award winning burgers!
www.luna-2.com 2609 E. College Ave. • State College, PA • 234-9009 82 - Town&Gown January 2012
Inferno Brick Oven & Bar, 340 E. College Ave., 237-5718, www.infernobrickovenbar.com. Casual but sophisticated atmosphere — a contemporary brick oven experience featuring a lunch and dinner menu of old- world favorites and modern-day revolutions. AE, D, MAC, MC, V. Full bar. Kelly’s Steak & Seafood, 316 Boal Ave., Boalsburg, 466-6251. Pacific Northwest inspired restaurant. Seasonal menu with rotating fresh sheet. Offering private dining for up to 50 people. Catering available. AE, 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. Luna 2 Woodgrill & Bar, 2609 E. College Ave., 234-9009, www.luna-2.com. Wood-fired pizza, fresh pasta, wood-grilled BBQ ribs, seafood, burgers, and don’t forget to try the homemade meatloaf! Sumptuous salads and desserts. Full bar service. Outside seating. Sorry, no reservations accepted. Dine-In, Take-out. MC/V.
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Mario & Luigi’s Restaurant, 1272 N. Atherton St., 234-4273. The Italian tradition in State College. Homemade pasta, chicken, seafood specialties, veal, wood-fired pizza, calzones, rotisserie chicken, roasts, salads, and sandwiches, plus cappuccino and espresso! AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar. The Mt. Nittany Inn, 559 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Centre Hall, 364-9363, mtnittanyinn.com. Perched high above Happy Valley at 1,809 feet, the Mt. Nittany Inn offers homemade soups, steaks, seafood, and pasta. Bar and banquet areas available. AE, CB, D, MAC, MC, V. Full Bar. Otto’s Pub & Brewery, 2235 N. Atherton Street, 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, DC, LC MC, V, Full bar. 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.
Whistle Stop Restaurant, Old Train Station Corner, Centre Hall on Rte. 144, 15 minutes east of State College. 364-2544. Traditional dining in an 1884 Victorian railroad station decorated with railroad memorabilia. Chef-created soups, desserts, and daily specials. Lunch and dinner served Wed.-Sun. D, MC, V. Zola New World Bistro, 324 W. College Ave., 237-8474. Zola combines comfortable, modern décor with exceptional service. Innovative, creative cuisine from seasonal menus served for lunch and dinner. Extensive award-winning wine list. Jazz and oysters in the bar on Fridays. Catering. AE, D, MC, V. Full bar.
Good Food Fast HUB Dining, HUB-Robeson Center, on campus, 865-7623. A Penn State tradition open to all! Eleven restaurants stocked with extraordinary variety: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Higher Grounds, Joegies, Mixed Greens, Burger King, Panda Express, Piccalilli’s, Sbarro, Sushi by Panda, Wild Cactus, and more! V, MC, LC.
Happy New Year from Matt & the Staff at Westside Stadium
Open 7 days for Lunch & Dinner 11:00 am until 9:00 pm Sun.-Thur. 11:00 am until 10:00 pm Fri.-Sat. • Business Lunches and Dinners • Birthday and Anniversary Parties • Weddings and Receptions • Meetings • Award Banquets • Rehearsal Dinners • Reunions
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.
Only 15 minutes from the Stadium!
Kick-off the season right — stop by for lunch or dinner before or after the game! Enjoy the Looking Glass Lounge and take in the best view in happy valley.
www.mtnittanyinn.com Reservations 814-364-9363 • 559 N. Pennsylvania Avenue • Centre Hall, PA 16828
Owner Matt Leitzell
• Take-out and bottle shop • Outdoor seating available
1301 West College Ave. • 814-308-8959 www.westsidestadiumbarandgrill.com
Warm up with hot chocolate from Meyer Dairy. MILK • ICE CREAM • EGGS • CHEESE • JUICES POP'S MEXI-HOTS • BAKED GOODS • SANDWICHES ICE CREAM CAKES • & MORE!
MEYER DAIRY STORE & ICE CREAM PARLOR Open Daily 8:00 a.m. - 11 p.m. • 2390 S. ATHERTON STREET • 237-1849
FROM TOWN&GOWN
84 - Town&Gown January 2012
Meyer Dairy, 2390 S. Atherton St., 237-1849. Stop and get your favorite flavor at our ice cream parlor. We also sell a variety of delicious cakes, sandwiches, and baked goods. Taco Bell, 322 W. College Ave., 231-8226; Hills Plaza, 238-3335. For all the flavors you love, visit our two locations. Taco Bell, Think Outside the Bun! Westside Stadium Bar and Grill, 1301 W. College Ave., 308-8959, www.westsidestadium barandgrill.com. See what all the buzz is about at Westside Stadium. Opened in September 2010, State College’s newest hangout features mouthwatering onsite smoked pork and brisket sandwiches. Watch your favorite sports on 17 HDTVs. Happy Hour 5-7 p.m. Take-out and bottle shop. Outdoor seating available. D, V, MC. Full Bar. T&G
BREAKFAST
Special Winter Rates
Serving Breakfast Open at 7am daily
Sunday Breakfast Buffet
Rooms starting at $49.99!
9am-noon
Weekly Specials at The Autoport! Monday: Mexican Mondays $5 Nachoes and $2 margaritas till 12 Tuesdays: 1/2 price wings! Wednesday: 1/2 price burgers Thursday: 1/2 price PIZZA
Friday: Fresh Seafood Night Saturday: Steakhouse Saturdays Sunday: 2 or $20 dinner deal
Check out our Facebook page for Lunch and Dinner Specials and Nightly Entertainment and Drink Specials
(includes appetizer and dessert to share)
facebook.com/TheAutoport
State College’s Smoker Friendly Bar located adjacent to the Autopor t
Great daily specials – Great prices!
Open Mon-Fri 5pm-2am • Sat 7pm-2am • Closed Sunday 1405 South Atherton Street, State College, PA 16801
www.theautoport.com
•
814-237-7666
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Family friendly dining for all the sports enthusiasts.
7 big screens all now in HD, NFL Sunday ticket, catering tailgate and party packs available. 14 New Craft Beer Selections! Great menu with award winning ribs, wings, thick cut steaks, burgers, pastas, pizzas, grinders, salads and more. Check out our new outdoor patio! 1031 East College Ave. 814-237-6300 â&#x20AC;˘ damons.com
THE 2012 WBCA PINK ZONE GAME
PENN STATE VS. MINNESOTA
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 AT THE BRYCE JORDAN CENTER
Follow Us on
Open Tuesday thru Sunday Closed Monday 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 86 - Town&Gown January 2012
Tilapia Al Forno with Artichoke & Asiago Croquette and Harvest Vegetables
Chef-prepared. Ready to go. 345 Colonnade Boulevard â&#x20AC;˘ State College, PA 16803 (814) 278-9000 â&#x20AC;˘ wegmans.com
lunch with mimi
Cure for Health-Care Delivery College of Medicine’s senior associate dean is helping PSU forge a strong relationship with medical center
88 - Town&Gown January 2012
John Hovenstine
As senior associate dean of the University Park Regional Campus of Penn State College of Medicine, associate director of Penn State Hershey Medical Group in State College, and professor in neurology, Dr. E. Eugene Marsh III is tasked to help develop and oversee medical-education opportunities at University Park, including clinical clerkships for Penn Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith (left) talks with State medical students and Dr. E. Eugene Marsh III at Zola’s New World Bistro in State College. residency training in family medicine in collaboration with Mount Nittany Regional Campus to provide a higher level of health care in our region. Medical Center. Mimi: Dr. Marsh, I just can’t help but reflect Marsh also oversees the development of Penn State Hershey Medical Group practices in State on the fact that it’s about your one-year anniCollege at Park Avenue, Windmere Centre, Ben- versary here and you and I are part of a painner Pike, and Colonnade. These practices offer ful healing period in this valley. Any words of both primary care and an expanding array of spe- wisdom or advice as a newcomer from another college community? cialty-care services in the Centre County region. Eugene: Well, that’s a very important and In addition, as a board-certified neurologist, his clinical interests include stroke and stroke preven- difficult question, but from my experience, tion, along with general neurology, especially neu- college towns and college cities tend to be rerological conditions affecting the elderly. He sees silient and able to adjust and respond to challenges that arise. I lived in Tuscaloosa for 20 patients part-time. Originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina, years before I moved here and I was also there he earned his doctor of medicine degree at the Uni- for college. Alabama is recovering from a major versity of South Alabama College of Medicine in tornado that occurred in March. Lots of people Mobile. After an internship in family medicine at are coming together to build Tuscaloosa back Eisenhower Army Medical Center, he completed to be a better place than it was before. I think his residency in neurology at Walter Reed Army this was a good lesson about dealing with unMedical Center in Washington, DC, and served as expected trauma. What seems to set successful a teaching fellow at the Uniformed Services Uni- organizations and communities apart is how versity of the Health Sciences in Bethesda. He also they handle challenges. Penn State is certainly completed a two-year fellowship in cerebrovascular facing the current challenge head on and is diseases (stroke) at the University of Iowa Hospi- working very hard to make the university even stronger going forward. tals and Clinics in Iowa City. Mimi: It really is an opportunity to examine Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down with Marsh to discuss progressing what exists and make it better. Eugene: And that applies across the board the development of the new regional medical campus and the ongoing collaboration between Mount to so many areas. My wife and I were both imNittany Medical Center and the University Park pressed with this community and the people
we visited as part of the interview process. My wife had never visited this part of the country, and I had only been here once on a very short visit. Mimi: And you both have southern accents. Eugene: Oh yes, and that has stayed with us for the last year. When making the decision to relocate to this area, we were interested in the community and the kind of people here, as well as the university’s commitment to fulfill its goal of establishing a regional medical campus in State College. We evaluated my wife’s career opportunities, as well as State College being a place to raise our children, Emily and Will. We definitely made the right decision. Mimi: I couldn’t agree with you more. It was my observation that Penn State Hershey and Mount Nittany Medical Center were not on the same page a year ago. It’s clear that with your new leadership on this campus and [Mount Nittany Medical Center president and CEO] Steve Brown’s arrival there has been a gradual improvement in that relationship. What do you see as the keys in that early progress and what can we expect going forward? Eugene: On a personal level, I put a great
deal of value in relationships built on mutual trust. I find Steve Brown to be a very trustworthy and dedicated person with whom I share many similar opinions and goals. Most importantly, we are both committed to the health and welfare of the people in this area as our primary focus. Mimi: It shows an improved environment for collaboration and commitment to working together. That’s encouraging. What is your vision with regards to accelerated and/or continued outpatient services in our community? Can you give us some indication of where that will be going? Eugene: We have five locations, and I have to credit Craig Hillemeier, MD, vice dean for clinical affairs, Penn State College of Medicine, and Steve Speece, administrative director, Penn State Hershey Medical Group in State College, for their work in the early buildout of our clinical operations. We are developing a workforce of providers to help meet the needs of our community, particularly for Penn State faculty, staff, dependents, and retirees. Mimi: Health-care delivery for Penn State employees.
financially supporting
our
cancer community
You can help.
bobperksfund.org 89 - Town&Gown January 2012
Eugene: That’s right. It is an area of focus for our regional campus. At the same time, we are making contributions to meet the needs of the community at large. Mimi: What are some of those in your mind? Eugene: The most urgent need is a topnotch hospitalist program at Mount Nittany. We have put a lot of time and energy into the program, and we are starting to see positive results. Mimi: For the benefit of our readers, give us a brief description of the hospitalist program. Eugene: It is a relatively new concept, but it is certainly not unique. A hospitalist program was developed during my time in Tuscaloosa. The idea is to take well-trained physicians who enjoy working in the hospital setting and allowing them to do that full-time. Mimi: And it is around the clock? Eugene: Absolutely. Mimi: Isn’t that the biggest difference? Eugene: This program allows our hospitalists to concentrate on patients in the hospital and allows other physicians to focus more time and energy on outpatient care. When fully developed, this program will be very beneficial to Mount Nittany Medical Center and the community, allowing for more efficient, shorter hospital stays. This program, along with Mount Nittany Medical Center’s plan for an “intensivist” program, will allow for people with more complicated conditions to receive care closer to home. Mimi: It makes them feel better. Eugene: It makes them feel better and it gives people a sense of comfort to know that the same level of care is available here rather than having to worry about traveling two hours or so to receive it. The goal is to provide the highest quality of care possible to meet the needs of our community. Mimi: Working together is important. Let me ask you about the medical campus. That’s a pretty exciting term to me. The whole concept of clerkships, fellowships, dual degrees, and growing Medical Group services will also contribute to Penn State College of Medicine and the university itself. A medical campus in State College is going to be a significant extension of what happens here. Eugene: You’re right. By next July, we expect to have our first cohort of 12 students who
will spend their entire third and part of their fourth year here. This will immerse them in the community in hopes they’ll not only learn about health care from a community perspective, but some of them may stay for residency or come back after they complete their training. I saw that work very well in Tuscaloosa. In October, we received confirmation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) that we’re ready to move forward with this part of our regional campus mission. Mimi: Isn’t that exciting! Eugene: It is. Accreditation was an important step. The family-medicine residency program is the next step. We’ve had conversations with Mount Nittany Health System’s board of trustees about their critical role in the program. If we secure their commitment, then we expect to have a residency program running in about three and half years. We will essentially be helping to train the future workforce for this region. The other part of our mission is rural health. State College is in the middle of a huge rural area that is underserved when it comes to health care. There are problems with access, delivery of care, and mortality rates. Part of our job as we grow is to provide more outreach to improve care to people in rural Central Pennsylvania communities. Mimi: What’s our biggest challenge going forward in the relationship between the community and Penn State Hershey Medical Center? Eugene: There are a lot of things that have happened over the years that set the stage for some negative opinions and positions. I think we have to work together and focus on where we want this community to be in five or 10 years. How can we best serve the people of this community? What can we do to make health care available, affordable, and to the level it needs to be in this community? Mimi: Good advice about looking forward not backward. We can’t change the past, but we can change the future. I like that. I wish you continuing good success and solutions to problems with your forward vision and your capacity to collaborate in a community where most of us feel we’re experts. Eugene: Well, thank you! It has really been a joy and I hope to have more conversations in the future — formally or informally. Mimi: Thank you so much. T&G
90 - Town&Gown January 2012
State College Photo Club’s Photos of the Month Since 1947, the State College Photo Club has provided local photo enthusiasts with the opportunity to share their passion for photography with others and to provide an environment for learning and developing new skills. The club welcomes and encourages 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. Here are the winning photos from the October competition.
Special Category (Humor)
>
“Milky Way” by Joe Conklin
“This was taken at Bald Eagle State Park during an astrophotography workshop with State College Photo Club members.” Note: To see more photos from this workshop, visit www.statecollegephotoclub.org and click on Club Activities.
Open Category
>
“A Shade of Yellow” by Roel Fleuren
“One of the things I love about photography is trying to find unusual graphic images in ordinary situations places you walk by on a daily basis without looking twice. This picture was taken at the Beaver Stadium parking lot” A copy of either of these photos may be obtained with a $75 contribution for each photo to the Salvation Army of Centre County. Contact Captain Charles Niedermeyer at 861-1785 and let him know you would like this image. You can select any size up to 14 inches wide. The State College Photo Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Foxdale Village Auditorium. Learning sessions on topics of interest are often scheduled at 7 p.m. before the meeting. New members are always welcome! If you are interested in joining the State College Photo Club, visit www.statecollegephotoclub.org for more information. 91 - Town&Gown January 2012
snapshot
Making the Lions, both Nittany and Lady, Stay Fit Strength and conditioning coach helps PSU’s basketball teams train for rigorous seasons By Jeanne Drouilhet
Brad Pantall doesn’t care if he’s with a male athlete or a female one — he doesn’t change his attitude when he trains them. “They’re held accountable. There are expectations. There are goals,” he says. “I’m hard on both of them. I’m very demanding with both of them.” For the past six years, Pantall has been the head strength and conditioning coach for Penn State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams. In his 15 years of working with Penn State athletics, he has been involved with every athletic program on campus. And he had stints working with the Washington Redskins and, briefly, the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. He grew up in State College and walked on to Penn State’s football team. He earned three letters as a long snapper and was on the 1994 undefeated team that won the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl. After completing his undergraduate degree, he went to work for the football team while studying for his master’s. “I had an opportunity to learn from the greatest college football coach ever,” Pantall says of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno. “I saw the commitment to that program, saw the dedication to be as great as Penn State football really is.” While studying for his master’s, he received an offer to go work for the University of Connecticut’s football team. Paterno convinced him to stay at Penn State where he could finish his degree and where a full-time position working with some of Penn State’s Olympic sports awaited him. He hasn’t looked back since. “This is the best place and it’s home and my family loves it here and the people are great,” he says. “So, no, I don’t wonder what if and I don’t look back.” Besides Paterno, Pantall says the coaches he has enjoyed working with the most are women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose, field hockey coach Char Morett, and former Penn State Icers head coach Joe Battista. Now, he’s working with Lady Lion head coach Coquese Washington and first-year
Brad Pantall Family: Wife, Susan; son, Scott; daughter, Sadie. What he envies about the players he coaches: “Some of the men’s players are allowed to eat 9,000 calories a day!” How has the transition been from working with Ed DeChellis to Patrick Chambers: “It’s been very smooth. [Chambers] has been super supportive.”
men’s basketball head coach Patrick Chambers. “The neat thing with basketball is the numbers are such that you can really do so much individual work with the student-athletes,” he says. “From their training needs to their flexibility to their performance nutrition. I mean, from A to Z you can really just hone in and focus.” Not only is Pantall responsible for creating strength-and-fitness-training programs for the players, often individually designed, he also forms individualized nutrition plans. He does this for both the men and women — they vary slightly in training and vastly in nutrition. But it’s never work to him. “I have the greatest job, if you want to call it that,” he says. “I love doing what I do. I have loved where I’m doing it; I love the people I work with. It’s just a special place.” T&G
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NEW YEAR, NEW CAR! 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo
2012 Nissan Versa Sedan
2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class
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