Town&Gown Nov 2012

128
Town&Gown NOVEMBER 2012 FREE townandgown.com Inside: PSU helps wounded warriors • Holiday Gift Guide Thank You! Class of 2012: To the

description

Check out the online version of Town & Gown--A magazine about the people, places and events in and around State College and Penn State. If it's happening in Happy Valley...it's in Town & Gown…

Transcript of Town&Gown Nov 2012

Page 1: Town&Gown Nov 2012

Town&GownNOVEMBER 2012 FREE

townandgown.com

Inside: PSU helps wounded warriors • Holiday Gift Guide

IF IT’S HAPPENING IN HAPPY VALLEY, IT’S IN TOWN&GOWNIF IT’S HAPPENING IN HAPPY VALLEY, IT’S IN TOWN&GOWN

Thank You!

Class of 2012:To the

Page 2: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 3: Town&Gown Nov 2012

220 E. College Avenue, State College 814-238-6116 www.thetavern.com

Serving lunch from 11:30 am to 3:00pm

Monday - Saturday

Serving lunch from

Lunch at the Tavern… Relax and Enjoy our Daily Specials

Now Serving LunchSUNDAY

BRUNCH BUFFET

10:30 AM TO 2 PM

Monday - Saturday & Sunday Brunch Buffet 10:30 am to 2:00 pm

Page 4: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 5: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 6: Town&Gown Nov 2012

4 - Town&Gown November 2012

The Ultimate Driving Machine®

ARRIVED AND CROWNED IN THE SAME BREATH.

JOY IS THE ALL-NEW BMW 5 SERIES.

Fresh on the scene, the new 5 Series is already the most celebrated 5 Series ever, with the critics at CarandDriver.com concluding “The new 5 has us convinced. It’s luxurious, stylish, and fanastic to drive.” Also re-nowned for having our most generous maintenance plan ever, it’s coverd for everything but gas and tires. You pay nothing. And remarkably, this new 5 Series is recognized as a better value than ever, with a price point comparable to its predecessr. Stop by a BMW center today and experience the king of sport luxury sedans-the all-new 5 Series.

Joel Confer BMW 120 E. Clinton Ave., State

College 814-237-5713

The all-new BMW 5 Series Sedanbmwusa.com1-800-334-4BMW

Page 7: Town&Gown Nov 2012

5 - Town&Gown November 2012

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

Features28 / We Are …Town&Gown continues its series by the people who live here on why they live here and are proud to live here. They’re your neighbors, coworkers, and friends — people our extended community can count on to see it through difficult times

32 / To the Class of 2012: Thank You!How a group of Penn State seniors kept a team together — and may have saved a program • by Frank Bodani

42 / Help for Our WoundedThrough various programs and efforts, Penn State has become a leader in aiding those in America’s military returning from war • by David Pencek

42

70 / Ain’t It Grand!The special relationships between grandparents and grandchildren bring joyful moments and wonderful memories to families • by Aimee Morgan

Special Advertising Sections55 / Senior LivingOur annual “Senior Living” section provides you with information you can use on health, finance, and more.

79 / Holiday Gift GuideEverything from stocking stuffers to special presents for loved ones, the “Holiday Gift Guide” can help you find where to go and what to buy.

Page 8: Town&Gown Nov 2012

6 - Town&Gown November 2012

www.townandgown.com

To contact us: Mail: 403 S. Allen St., State College, PA 16801 Phone: (814) 238-5051, (800) 326-9584 Fax: (814) 238-3415

[email protected] (Editorial)[email protected] (Advertising)

We welcome letters to the editor that include a phone number for verification.

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

PublisherRob Schmidt

FounderMimi Barash Coppersmith

Editorial DirectorDavid Pencek

Creative Director/PhotographerJohn Hovenstine

Operations Manager/Assistant Editor Vilma Shu Danz

Graphic Designer/PhotographerDarren Weimert

Graphic DesignerAmy Schmalz

Account Executives Kathy George, Debbie Markel

Business Manager Aimee Aiello

Advertising CoordinatorBikem Oskin

Administrative AssistantGigi Rudella DistributionHandy Delivery, Ginny Gilbert, Tom Neff

Senior Editorial ConsultantWitt Yeagley

InternCara McShane (Editorial)

Town&Gown November A State College &

Penn State tradition since 1966.

Departments 8 Letter From The Editor10 Starting Off 22 On Center: A Leahy Family Christmas24 Health & Wellness: Healthy eating, exercise part of process in preventing diabetes91 This Month on WPSU92 Penn State Diary: Early student organizations attracted high-profile people 95 What’s Happening 102 From the Vine: Wines for Thanksgiving dinner106 Taste of the Month/Dining Out: Pizza Mia118 Lunch with Mimi: David Gray122 State College Photo Club’s Photos of the Month123 Guide to Advertisers124 Snapshot: James W. Houck

Cover Photo: Photo by Darren Weimert. Some members of the Penn State football team’s senior class include (first row, from left) Michael Zordich, Stephon Morris, Matt McGloin, (second row, from left) Gerald Hodges, Michael Mauti, and Jordan Hill.

106

Page 9: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 10: Town&Gown Nov 2012

8 - Town&Gown November 2012

on the field and in their locker room. They stayed for their new coach who had earned their confidence that he could lead them during these most trying times. They stayed because a place that had become a home to them with people who have become family to them was hurting.

They stayed because they have character.During a time when many people above them

were getting so many things wrong, these college student-athletes did what was right — they were selfless in an arena, college football, where selfishness often reigns. And while there were, obviously, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who stayed, it was the seniors who led and kept the heart of a program still beating.

Those seniors play their final game at Penn State on November 24. As this issue goes to press, the team is 5-2 heading into its game against Ohio State. If these Nittany Lions somehow go on to win the Big Ten Leaders Division, what an amazing and well-deserved accomplishment!

But even if they don’t, they’ve already cemented their legacy here. They’ll be remembered as fondly as any of the other great teams in Penn State history.

And the first thing many will think of when recalling the 2012 season likely won’t be of any win or individual play but, rather: What character these young men showed us and the country.

David PencekEditorial [email protected]

“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.” — Theodore Roosevelt

• • • Several things define a person’s

character — near the top of that list is what a person does when

faced with adversity. And, certainly, the Penn State football team faced adversity this summer when the NCAA handed down unprecedented penalties against the program for the Jerry Sandusky abuse scandal — and because of that punishment (banned from bowl games for four seasons, scholarship reduction, $60 million fine, among other things), the NCAA told all the Nittany Lion players, basically: Hey, you can go if you want and join — and be able to play immediately for — another program that can compete for a bowl game, a conference championship, heck, even a national title. You don’t have to stick around for what’s probably going to be a sinking ship. Doesn’t sunny Southern California sound nice? Or Tallahassee, Florida? Or Norman, Oklahoma? See, there goes your star running back. There goes your top receiver. Say goodbye to your kicker and punter (although he left mostly for family reasons). There goes one of your tight ends, a linebacker, and an offensive lineman. And do you really want to be representing Penn State right now?

Who would blame anyone for leaving?But, outside of those handful of players who walked

away, most stayed. They stayed because they knew they were part of something that was bigger than themselves. They stayed for the person next to them

A Team of Characterletter from the editor

The 2012 Nittany Lions will forever be special

Page 11: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 12: Town&Gown Nov 2012

10 - Town&Gown November 2012

What’s New

starting off

Sue Paterno

US

Navy

State College ranks among best college towns

According to the American Institute for Economic Research, State College ranks third best among college towns for students. The rankings appeared in the 2012-13

College Destinations Index (CDI), an annual quantitative ranking of the nation’s 75 best towns and cities to live in if you’re a college student.

The index takes into consideration such aspects as academic environment, quality of life, and professional opportunities. It considers “college towns” as those with a residential population under 250,000.

Ithaca, New York, and Ames, Iowa, came in first and second, respectively.

protection of teammates and of America.“Most of these ships are named after Naval

heroes and Michael Murphy sure fits into that profile — protecting his SEAL team against overwhelming odds, risking, and ultimately giving, his life.”

The ship’s homeport will be Pearl Harbor.

A day of caringThe 19th annual Centre County Day of Caring

took place in October and more than 1,500 people volunteered to work on more than 115 service projects across the county. The volunteers included people from local businesses and

organizations, Penn State students, and students for local school districts.

Day of Caring chair Colonel Gerald Russell said in a released statement, “I never imagined when we started in the early ’90s that this event would still be going

strong 19 years later. It is a testament to the generosity and compassion of our community.”

Some of the nonprofits that received help during the Day of Caring included Food Bank of State College Area, Interfaith Human Services, American Cancer Society, Easter Seals Child Development Center, and Centre County Women’s Resource Center.

Nick Lingenfelter, cochair of the Centre County United Way’s 2012 campaign, said in a released statement, “The energy I see during the Day of Caring motivates me to work hard to reach the goal we have set for the campaign. It reminds me that if we work together — One Community United — we can get the job done.” T&G

Navy commissions USS Michael MurphyIn October, the Navy commissioned its

newest guided-missile destroyer, the USS Michael Murphy. A Penn State alum, Murphy, a Navy SEAL, was killed in June 2005 while leading a four-man renaissance team in Afghanistan. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor.

In a story in the New York Post, Secretary of Navy Ray Mabus said, “The USS Michael Murphy exemplifies the traits that he showed so greatly: the courage, the selflessness, the

Page 13: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 14: Town&Gown Nov 2012

12 - Town&Gown November 2012

People in theCommunity

Barbara ChristBarbara Christ was named

interim dean of Penn State’s Col lege of Agr icul tural Sciences after former dean, Bruce McPheron, left to take a position at his alma mater, Ohio State.

Christ’s appointment becomes effective November 1. She will lead the college’s nine academic units and an extension program that reaches into every Pennsylvania county to deliver university programs. She had been the senior associate dean and a professor in the college.

“She is the perfect candidate to lead the college during this period of transition and her experience as senior associate dean

within the college will allow the college to keep its focus on its core missions,” said Robert Pangborn, interim executive vice president and provost. He said a national search for a permanent dean for the college will be launched in the near future.

Centre County Historical Society Historic Preservation Awards

The Centre County Historical Society honored the 2012 recipients of its annual Historic Preservation Awards. The awards recognize individuals and community groups for their work in preserving and interpreting Centre County history.

The recipients were: Black Moshannon State Park (Preservation, Heritage & Education); Dr. Darwin Braund (Education & Advocacy); Centre County Farmland Trust (Preservation & Restoration); Charles “Butch” Mehalick (Volunteerism & Support); Stan and Darlene Smith (Preservation & Restoration); Community of Millheim (Preservation & Restoration, Adaptive Reuse); and Mike Husband and Judy Heberling (President’s Award).

Stanley GoldmanOn November 1, Bellefonte Mayor Stanley

Goldman wil l step down due to health reasons. Goldman, 80, was elected in 2001 and took office in January 2002.

According to the Centre Daily Times, the Bellefonte borough council hopes to appoint a new mayor at a meeting in November. An election will take place in 2013 with the winner taking office in January 2014. The mayor oversees the borough’s police department, breaks tie votes during council meetings, performs marriages, and makes emergency or disaster declarations.

Borough manager Ralph Stewart told the Centre Daily Times, “I want to thank Mayor Goldman for his dedicated service to the borough. He quietly and consistently gave many hours of his time to make Bellefonte a better place to live and work.” T&G

Penn State Winter Sports Weekend roomsstart as low as $46.00 per person,

double occupancy, breakfast included!Call 800-2WSW-PSU or log on to

VisitPennState.org/wintersportsto build your package today!

Page 15: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 16: Town&Gown Nov 2012

14 - Town&Gown November 2012

For the past 24 years, Jill Campbell has dedicated a sig-nificant amount of her time and energy to the success of the State High Thespians — four of those years spent in choreogra-phy and the past 20 years in directing. The thespians annually perform a fall drama

and a spring musical. This fall they have chosen to change things up and present a small musical with Into the Woods. The show will be held at State High November 16-18. Campbell recently shared with Town&Gown some of her thoughts on what it’s like directing the thespians and what has changed — or hasn’t changed — in the past two decades.

T&G: How do you go about choosing which shows to put on?

Campbell: It’s different from what you’d typi-cally think. We have a student executive board that discusses what type of drama we’re looking for, and they make a list. They then share their thoughts with the club students who help to cut down the list. From there, the board studies what’s left and makes an executive decision. It’s definitely an educational experience for the students.

T&G: What are some challenges you face direct-ing a drama compared to a musical?

Q&A with Jill Campbell, director of the State High Thespians

By Sarah Harteis

Campbell: Musicals are actually more difficult than dramas. In a musical, there’s the added chal-lenge to do a drama plus lyrics and choreography — it adds that extra layer. Otherwise, it is similar — I am basically helping students to develop their characters.

T&G: Since you began working with the thes-pians 24 years ago, have you noticed any differ-ences in the talent over the years?

Campbell: Honestly, no. I started out with gifted and talented students who are now out there doing amazing theatrical things. To this day, I still see students leaving every year to do the same things.

T&G: What made you decide to do Into the Woods for your upcoming musical in the fall?

Campbell: When we decided we wanted to apply to do a main stage performance at the PA State International Thespian Society Festival and to have it adjudicated for a main stage performance slot at the festival this coming summer, we chose to take a smaller musical rather than a drama for the opportunities it offers to the students. We were looking for an ensemble show with strong char-acter roles for about 20 students. We feel music is a strength for us and we wanted to share that strength on a state and possibly national level. Into the Woods offers challenging roles for our actors along with an outstanding libretto and score by Stephen Sondheim — just the right attributes for State High Thespians this year.

T&G: What do you enjoy most about directing the thespians?

Campbell: I enjoy seeing the students do things that they never dreamed they could do. I love watching them grow and accomplish their goals and just do things they didn’t think they’d be able to do. T&G

The State High Thespians production of Into the Woods will be held November 16-18 in the North Building Auditorium. Showtimes are 8 p.m. November 16-17 and 2 p.m. November 18. For tickets, call 231-4188, starting November 5.

Con

trib

uted

pho

to

Page 17: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 18: Town&Gown Nov 2012

16 - Town&Gown November 2012

Family owned since 1913

F. Glenn Fleming, Funeral Director/SupervisorJohn H. “Jay” Herrington, Funeral Director

2401 S. Atherton Street, State College, PA 16801(814) 237-2712 • Crematory on Premises

www.kochfuneralhome.com

Family owned since 1913

November

1988Books & Bears and owner

Elaine Wickersham were featured in the story “Books & Bears through Fire and Flood.” Wickersham de-scribed her lifelong love of books and reading. “I did always have my nose in a book; my father had a tre-mendous influence on me that way. He was the only man I ever knew who kept a dictionary on the kitchen table.”

1995Town&Gown gave an in-

side look at the Penn State Blue Band in “Rhapsody in Blue.” Writer Nancy Folkenroth described the band members as musicians first, marchers second. Then-associate direc-tor Dr. O. Richard Bundy said, “In practice, we work hardest on our sound. If that means we don’t do as intricate a drill as some bands do, so be it.” Then-director Ned Deihl added, “While some other bands may seem to be flashier than others, we insist on substance as well as style. Musicianship first.”

2010In “On Your Mark. Get Set.

Go!” the Nittany Valley Running Club was in the spotlight. Former Penn State cross-country and track and field coach Harry Groves helped start the club. He said, “Running is for your health, it lets you come to terms with whatever is going on in your mind. Running can be very satisfying and a great form of socialization — you can love and hate running with company and push each other to try harder.” T&G

Looking BackCentre County history through the pages of Town&Gown

HAPPY VALLEY OPTICAL Custom

StyleEyeglasses

Sunglasses

Phone: 814.238.7281 Text: 814.470.1431D O W N T O W N S T AT E C O L L E G E

Shop for handmade items by over 75 artisans-jewelry, pottery, fiber, wood, mixed media, photogrpahy, painting, metal and more! Food available, make & take crafts and free parking!

656 Brandywine Drive. State College, PA 16801

ADMISSION $3 *$2 with this AD *KIDS under 12 FREE one entry per ad. ( tg )

Follow Us on

Town&GownNOVEMBER 2012 FREE

townandgown.com

Inside: PSU helps wounded warriors • Holiday Gift Guide

IF IT’S HAPPENING IN HAPPY VALLEY, IT’S IN TOWN&GOWNIF IT’S HAPPENING IN HAPPY VALLEY, IT’S IN TOWN&GOWN

Thank You!

Class of 2012:To the

Page 19: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 20: Town&Gown Nov 2012

18 - Town&Gown November 2012

This Month Ontownandgown.com

And visit our Facebook site for the latest happenings and opportunities to win free tickets to concerts and events!And follow us on Twitter at TownGown1.

Anthony ClarvoeJill Holdcroft

• In 5 Questions, State High alum Jill Holdcroft talks about being a part of Penn State’s first Division I women’s ice hockey team.

• Blogs on sports, entertainment, and more.

• Information on Rally the Valley.

• Special recipes from Pizza Mia.

Page 21: Town&Gown Nov 2012

19 - Town&Gown November 2012

Speed NetworkingHow would you like to make 9 vendor or sales contacts in less than ½ hour? Make it happen with our dynamic Speed Networking event!

Experience our local flavor by visiting County Cuisine, where area food services will have samples of their menus prepared for you to enjoy.Wondering who’s going to cater or host your holiday events? Here’s the perfect way to find out!

Our community has a lot of great culinary experiences just waiting to be discovered – delight your own taste buds and find out who you can work with to make the biggest splash at your next event!

Where can you meet with decision makers who are looking

to do business with YOU?The Networking Pavilion! Join us for a series of Speed Networking and Ask-the-Expert sessions where you can improve, connect, and grow your business.

Ask the ExpertMeet with industry leaders who are ready to sit down and talk to YOU! Gather your questions about accounting, health care, marketing, and more, to get the answers you need – right from the source!

FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING

Page 22: Town&Gown Nov 2012

20 - Town&Gown November 2012

CONFER’S JEWELERSFall is the time of year when Monteca Confer’s

thoughts turn to diamonds. That’s because October is when she and her parents, Monte and Brenda, travel to Antwerp, Belgium, to buy loose diamonds for Confer’s Jewelers.

They do business in Antwerp’s Diamond District, an area of about one square mile that is home to more than 12,000 gem cutters and polishers. “Antwerp is the diamond capital of the world,” Monteca Confer says. “The only reason the cutters will sell to a small store like us is because we belong to the Independent Jewelers Organization, so we have 850 members buying millions of dollars worth of diamonds together.” Before the Confers leave for Antwerp, they take orders from customers and then search out the exact stone each client is looking for.

Confer’s has been a family-owned business since

1977, when 23-year-old Monte Confer and his wife, Brenda, bought his father Sam’s watch and clock-repair business and opened Confer’s Jewelers in Potters Mills. Monte would do repairs, and Brenda would help customers with watch and jewelry purchas-es while taking care of the couple’s three daughters.

In 1985, with the help of landlord Frank Fisher, Confer’s Jewelers moved into its current building at 100 North Allegheny Street in Bellefonte, opening on April Fools’ Day with just $2,500 worth of inven-tory. “We’re a family business, and we treat our cus-tomers like they’re part of our family,” Monteca says. “We only sell jewelry that we would wear ourselves.”

Today, Confer’s offers a wide selection of jewelry, from bridal rings to diamond pendants to finger-print jewelry, which captures a loved one’s actual fingerprint. The shop carries diamonds in a variety of colors, including blue, green, and pink.

Dickens Troupe, Arts, Crafts, Santa’s House &Breakfast, Homes Tour, Gingerbread

Houses, Museums, Concerts, Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides, United Way “Festival of Trees”

www.bellefontevictorianchristmas.com

Page 23: Town&Gown Nov 2012

21 - Town&Gown November 2012

Your Custom Canvas Specialists • Residential & Commercial • Back-lit Awning & Canopies

• Stationary & Retractable Patio Covers • Window Awnings, Drop Curtains & Valances

We also offer Aluminum Awnings and Patio Covers.

113 Musser Lane, Bellefonte, PA 16823Free Estimates: 814-355-8979 • Toll Free: 800-669-2964 • Fax: 814-355-1405

www.midstateawning.com PA # 687

104 N. Allegheny St. Bellefonte, PA 16823

Mon - Fri 10:00 - 5:30 Thurs 10:00 - 7:00 • Sat 10:00 - 3:00

814-353-4258 • www.co2boutique.com

21 - Town&Gown &Gown &

Same great taste... Ready to feed the crowd!

Page 24: Town&Gown Nov 2012

22 - Town&Gown November 2012

on center

The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State marked the yule-tide two years ago with fiddler Nata-lie MacMaster’s festive Christmas in Cape Breton. On November 29 the center once again celebrates the holiday in a Celtic Canadian way, but this time the music flows from an exuberant folk-rock-pop band fea-turing extraordinary bow wrangler Donnell “Mr. Natalie MacMaster” Leahy and seven of his ten siblings.

In its Eisenhower Auditorium debut, Leahy (pronounced LAY-he) performs a triple threat of fiddle-driven music, dance, and vocals — augmented by keyboards, guitar, and percussion — influenced by the family’s Irish and Scottish ancestry.

Leahy musicians — Donnell plus Erin, An-gus, Maria, Siobheann, Doug, Denise, and Frank — are renowned for their intensity on stage.

“Their live performance makes Riverdance look like Lawrence Welk reruns,” quips a Time Out New York reviewer. The band’s “ferocious and extremely energetic works gain momentum through plenty of acoustic instruments,” writes a Chicago Sun-Times critic.

The band’s Christmas concert highlights hol-iday favorites, original seasonal pieces, and the inclusive Leahy fare that has made the band one of Canada’s most appealing exports.

Leahy’s “approach seems so gloriously free of the commercial pollution of so much American pop that it felt like a tonic for the spirit,” writes a Los Angeles Times reviewer. “ … This is an act whose music is invigorating.”

The raven-haired Leahys grew up, without a television, on a farm in Ontario. Their father educated each in the ways of the fiddle, while their mother, a champion step dancer from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, taught them to sing, dance, and play the piano.

Their compelling life story became the sub-

By John Mark Rafacz

ject of The Leahys: Music Most of All, an Oscar-winning documentary. The band also has been featured on three PBS specials.

A yearning to explore new sounds drew the musicians to a variety of genres and instru-ments. Leahy members continue to forge new paths with the group’s category-defying music, yet their Celtic-Canadian roots forever anchor them.

The band has released five albums and earned three Juno Awards — the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards — for Best New Group, Best Instrumental Artist, and Best Country Group or Duo.

After seeing a Leahy performance, a Buffalo News reviewer shared a common reaction to the music and dance of the Canadian clan. “They were fresh, vibrant, and engaging.” T&G

Foxdale Village, A Quaker-Directed Continuing Care Retirement Community, sponsors the perfor-mance. FOX 8, ABC 23, and 3WZ 95.3 FM are the media sponsors.

For more information or tickets, 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.

Canadian ChristmasOntario band Leahy performs fiddle-driven, Celtic-infused holiday music

Leahy brings its Christmas show to Eisenhower Auditorium November 29.

Page 25: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 26: Town&Gown Nov 2012

24 - Town&Gown November 2012

Healthy eating, exercise part of process in preventing diabetes

By Cara McShane

Lower the Riskshealth & wellness

Guilt is a feeling that no one likes to experi-ence. But when it comes to our health, we need to let our guilt dissolve or let it be a motivator to take action for a better lifestyle, or we may pay the consequences.

November, which is National Diabetes Month, is no better time to get a grip on your health.

“It’s hard to get people to realize that they are at risk for diabetes,” says Amy Leffard, a certified diabetes educator at Mount Nit-tany Medical Center. “The worst thing about type-2 diabetes is that most people associate it with guilt. If we can take that guilt factor out, we hope we can have people come in and get tested and then go from there.”

There are three major types of diabetes. Type 1 is most often diagnosed in children, teens, or young adults. The body makes little or no insu-lin, and daily injections of insulin are necessary. Type 2, the most common type, occurs most of-ten in adulthood. High obesity rates have con-tributed to rising numbers of teens and young adults being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes.

More than 20 million Americans have dia-betes, and more than 40 million other Ameri-cans have prediabetes (early type-2 diabetes). Type-2 diabetes develops slowly, so some peo-ple have no symptoms.

“As far as prevention goes, we’re trying to get people to live healthy and prevent diabetes rather than get it and have to deal with it,” Lef-fard says. “A lot of type-2 diabetes cases can be prevented by just healthy eating and exercise.”

Leffard says that diabetes prevention in-cludes “having a stable weight, eating as healthy as you can, and moving your body ev-ery day.

“Everyone should be tested periodically,” she says, “especially if you’re at high risk.”

Many factors come into play that can put a person at high risk for diabetes. Some include family history, and African Americans, Lati-nos, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans are all at more risk than Caucasians.

In addition, having gestational diabetes, giving birth to a baby more than nine pounds, and old age all contribute to the chances of being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. After age 45, the chances of being diagnosed with diabetes increase. After age 65, the chances are greatly increased.

Page 27: Town&Gown Nov 2012

25 - Town&Gown Novermber 2012

“That’s just part of the process,” Leffard says. “We can’t feel guilty about just getting older. Lets face it, we’re really all at risk. The smartest thing to do is call your doctor and share your concern. He or she will know which labs to draw to find out if you are at risk or have dia-betes.”

Leffard first got involved with diabetes when she was a floor nurse at JC Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon. “I was involved with some other nurses in Huntingdon, and we de-veloped a diabetes plan. Nothing was available in that area, so we started classes.”

While it was hard to get time off from her

job for the classes, she still managed to teach in the evenings, and sometimes during the day, in the education building across the parking lot from the hospital. She also was working toward becoming a certified diabetes educator.

“I wanted to do more of it,” she says. “It’s something that I enjoy doing.”

She applied for a job at Mount Nittany Health in 2006, and now leads education classes and a diabetes support group — Life with Diabetes — each month at the medical center.

“Mount Nittany is really all about preven-tion, early detection, and giving quality care to those who have diabetes,” she says. “We want people to do the things that they can in an ef-fort to prevent diabetes.”

Leffard mediates and facilitates conversation among the group. Life with Diabetes is a series of four classes with a three-month follow-up.

“Sometimes we have speakers who provide information and education,” Leffard says. “And sometimes we are just a sounding board for patients who have diabetes. We help pa-tients fill in the gaps, and send them in the right direction.”

Members can come share life experiences and get up to date on the newest information on diabetes. At the meetings, they cover every-thing from A to Z — what is diabetes, how to eat, how to exercise.

The size of the group varies. Over the last few years, the meetings have averaged about a dozen participants at each meeting.

Leffard sees the group as an important part in the fight against diabetes.

“Trying to help make resources more acces-sible is the key,” she says. “Then everyone is living just a little bit healthier.” T&G

Call for a free, no-obligation appointment

814.238.8820

Serving 7 Central PA Counties

www.homeinstead.com/CentralPAEach Home Instead Senior Care franchise office is independently owned and operated. © 2012 Home Instead, Inc.

To you it’s about making the right choice...To us, it’s personal.

Whether you are looking for a little help, or a lot of help, Home Instead can help.

• Companionship

• Meal Preparation

• Medication Reminders

• Shopping & Errands

• Personal Care

Page 28: Town&Gown Nov 2012

H I S T O R I C

Boalsburg

26 - Town&Gown November 2012

A Basket FullBeginning as a quaint, country-themed

gift shop 22 ½ years ago, A Basket Full has emerged as a premiere “Gift boutique,” as owner Pam Bair would describe her business. Nestled in a restored historic home, built in 1827, A Basket Full is just two doors down from Duffy’s Tavern, in Boalsburg.

With the move from country to boutique, many changes have been introduced over the years — the most significant being the style and inventory. “Our most popular lines are Vera Bradley and Chamilia Beads,” says Bair, “but we are also excited to offer such sought-after lines as Stonewall Kitchen gourmet products, various local food lines, including Tait Farm, Chef Tim, and Cooke Tavern, perfect to include in our custom gift baskets, this holiday season.”

The staff at A Basket Full is excited about their ever-expanding inventory, including new lines of fashion jewelry. Creating quite a stir is Spartina 449, a beautiful accessory line featuring linen and leather purses. There also is the addition of new lines for babies and young children, such as Jelly Cat and Mud Pie.

Bair, along with her daughter, Jennifer, and three part-time employees, is always searching

for the “next big thing” to bring to Boalsburg and their loyal customers. Open seven days a week, A Basket Full, is a relaxing shopping experience, where they are always happy to help you find the “perfect something.”

Pam Bair

Page 29: Town&Gown Nov 2012

27 - Town&Gown November 2012

Nature’s Hue is a unique, eclectic gift shop located in

the historic town of Boalsburg. Gift shop items include antiques, vintage artwork, Fair Trade items and much, much more!

122 East Main Street, Boalsburg, PA 16827(814) 466-7181

A unique, eclectic gift shop

A BASKET FULLGift Shop & Gift Baskets

121 E. Main St. Boalsburg

466-7788www.basket-full.com

Located “On the Diamond” 113 East Main Street

Duffy’sTavernColonial Christmas Dinner

Boalsburg Hometown Christmas Weekend!

November 30- December 1

Special “Williamsburg Style” Menu

Call 466-6241 for Details and Reservations

BOOK YOUR

HOLIDAY PARTIES

NOW!

The Boalsburg Apothecary The Boalsburg ApothecaryThe only certified compounding

pharmacy in the area

Serving You For 31 Years!Pharmacists Wayne Foster & Neil Foster

814-466-7937

In the Boalsburg Medical Office Bldg. 3901 South Atherton Street

Page 30: Town&Gown Nov 2012

28 - Town&Gown November 2012

Are... Centre County and its com-munities are filled with farm-ers, doctors, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, teachers, retirees, artists, researchers, and so much more. Some were born and raised here; many, however, are from vari-ous parts of the United States and even the world.

They all — we all — call this place Home.

This month, Town&Gown continues its series by the people who live here on why they live here and are proud to live here. They’re your neighbors, coworkers, and friends — people our extended community can count on to see it through difficult times

WeWeWeAre

WeAre

Page 31: Town&Gown Nov 2012

29 - Town&Gown November 2012

Lambert (right) with author Sara Shepard at this sum-mer’s BookFestPA.

Karen LambertYoung adult/reference librarian,Schlow Centre Region Library

I am a townie! State College is my hometown and I have lived here for most of my life, although I was not born here. I am a “campus brat” as my parents were faculty members at Dear Old State.

State College knows me, and I know “her” (because all inanimate things sound better as a her). She knows where I went to school, who taught me how to ride a bike and drive a car, how I broke my thumb, and whom I had a crush on. State College has literally “grown up” with me.

The most definitive thing that comes to mind about living here for so long is that I know what the town used to look like in the “old days,” the 1980s. Initially I lived on Westerly Parkway, and would walk to Holmes Foster Park and ride my bike around the block. My clothing choices were limited to what was available at Kmart or at the Nittany Mall, which had JCPenney and Sears, with a few handmade dresses. Fields used to be where housing developments, stores,

and roads are now. For example, a horse stable and riding ring occupied the land where the apartments on Vairo Boulevard and Walmart are located.

Running down the ramp at O.W. Houts was always fun while my parents were shopping for appliances, food, or furniture. When Westerly Parkway was extended past Corl Street, we moved out of the borough to a more rural setting, beyond the end of town. Since the move, more housing developments were built, taking over where I used to watch for deer and other wildlife in the early morning or sunset hours.

One of my favorite places in town as a child was the public library, where I now work as the young adult librarian. Almost every Saturday as a child, I spent an hour at Nittany Gymnastics (formerly on Pugh Street), and afterward my mother and I would walk to the library to choose books for the week. Through my current job, I have met other “townies” and several best-selling authors, which is a huge perk to a bibliophile like myself.

Traveling with my parents on trips to cities such as Seattle, Boston, Orlando, and Toronto was always an adventure. Still, it was nice to feel the plane landing at University Park Airport (the terminal was once a small trailer) or seeing Mount Nittany as we arrived home. Yes, I will complain about the humidity and the freezing temperatures, but I still enjoy the different seasons in Happy Valley. You can’t beat the sunsets or night sky. Other highlights of living in Happy Valley include the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and the July 4th fireworks, which were family traditions during my childhood.

We may not be unique in that we’re a community coming together in time of tragedy, but I don’t think you could find a more loyal or committed group of people, as evidenced by what we’ve seen in recent months. Maybe it’s because this town has a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” feel to it — I may not know you but I know a friend of a friend of a friend of yours.

Those degrees have perhaps lessened during the past few months and we’ve all become a little closer as friends.

Contributed photo

Page 32: Town&Gown Nov 2012

30 - Town&Gown November 2012

Rachel Mittl, Erika Smith, Sara Dieter, and Chelsea FinleyInterns, ProfessionalDevelopment Schools program

Fifteen years later and the PDS (Professional Development Schools) program is still going strong! The PDS is a partnership between the State College Area School District (SCASD) and Penn State’s College of Education. This partnership is a yearlong program in which senior elementary-education majors are paired with mentor teachers and Professional Development Associates (PDA). Together, they work to enhance, ensure, engage, and educate the next generation of teacher educators.

It is a prime example of the town-and-gown relationship and about the people of the region — whether they’re “townies” or students.

Former SCASD teacher and current PDA Marion Wheland says, “This collaborative partnership is pure gold. It is a win, win, win, win situation.”

PDS interns come out with the experience to successfully begin their first year as teachers, and their mentors come out learning innovative teaching models that they can implement in their classrooms. Professional Development Schools is a national movement to collaboratively redesign the way teachers are prepared, and provide interns with a real blend of theory and practice. The PSU interns take four methods classes during the fall semester in coordination with student-teaching

four days a week. This allows the interns to learn theory and practice it in their classrooms the next day. The yearlong internship allows interns to see the entire year unfold rather than a traditional student-teaching model where student teachers are in the classroom 12 to 15 weeks. This program not only prepares PDS interns for their first year of teaching but also gives them the skills to teach for a lifetime. In a society where half of all new teachers leave the profession in four to five years, the PDS program is preparing interns using a new collaborative model of teacher education that promotes longevity in the classroom.

Currently in the elementary-education PDS program there are 60 interns dispersed across the SCASD elementary and middle schools. Everyone in this program is a volunteer, including faculty, teachers, interns, principals, and even school administrators. The partnership has survived a lot of changes and people moving in and out of the district. When the program first started, some parents were skeptical about having interns in their child’s classroom. Now parents often request to have their child placed in a classroom where there is an intern because there are countless benefits this collaboration provides for the SCASD students.

These partnership benefits have been far reaching. The PDS program has received awards from three separate national organizations for being an outstanding teacher-education program. The program’s success also can be seen in its high rate of placing graduates. Currently there are former PDS interns teaching in more than 20 states and four international sites.

Current PDA and former PDS director Jim Nolan described the program as “a partnership between SCASD and the Penn State College of Education that aims to do four things: help children be more successful, prepare excellent beginning teachers, help veteran teachers and university faculty get better at what they do, and prepare future teacher educators who can build these kinds of partnerships.”

The university and school district benefit from the continuous exchange of new ideas and inquiry into what is best for all students. This collaboration proves to be more beneficial each and every day for everyone involved. Happy Anniversary PDS! Here’s to another 15 years! T&G

Participates in State College’s Professional Develop-ment Schools program include (from left) Jackie Ondik (mentor), Chelsea Finley (intern), Rachel Mittl (intern), Liz Cullen (mentor), Brenda Khayat (mentor), Jen Cody (mentor), Erika Smith (intern), and Sara Dieter (intern).

Con

trib

uted

pho

to

Page 33: Town&Gown Nov 2012

31 - Town&Gown November 2012

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1945

www.clinefeltersflooring.com

Page 34: Town&Gown Nov 2012

32 - Town&Gown November 2012

Thank You!

Dar

ren

Wei

mer

t

Members of Penn State football’s senior class of 2012 enjoy a few laughs. They include (first row, from left) running back Michael Zordich, cornerback Stephon Morris,

quarterback Matt McGloin, (back row, from left) linebacker Gerald Hodges, linebacker Michael Mauti, and defensive tackle Jordan Hill.

Page 35: Town&Gown Nov 2012

33 - Town&Gown November 2012

Town&Gown

Thank You!

Class of 2012:To the

How a group of Penn State seniors kept a team together — and may have saved a program

By Frank Bodani

33 - Town&Gown November 2012

Page 36: Town&Gown Nov 2012

34 - Town&Gown November 2012

There was little time to sleep. Mike Mauti’s cell phone wouldn’t stop beeping — constant calls and text messages from friends and supporters as well as from coaches at other schools who wanted him to leave Penn State.

The NCAA sanctions had just crippled his football program less than two weeks before the start of preseason camp under a new coaching staff.

National news media immediately blared their opinions, some viewing the bowl-game and Big Ten-title bans and scholarship cuts as too harsh; many others saying they weren’t nearly enough in light of the Jerry Sandusky child-sex-abuse scandal.

Angered and shocked by that Monday

morning announcement in late July, Penn State players who had gathered together threw trash cans, stormed out of the room, or simply sat in quiet disbelief.

Few could even talk about it, even after a quickly arranged team meeting.

Meanwhile, Mauti and his senior teammates realized their purpose and charged into action.

Guys such as Mike Zordich and Matt McGloin, Mike Farrell and Gerald Hodges, Jordan Hill and Stephon Morris. They quickly looked to everyone else on the team, questioned them, challenged them, led them.

“We wanted them to get the feeling that we put so much into this, we have so much experience together,” Mauti says. “Why

go somewhere else and start over? We were not going to let this happen to a place like this — a place we had come to love and respect.”

There was only so much they could do.

And yet, in a sense, there was still everything.

So Mauti and Zordich led the mission, spending evenings in new head coach Bill O’Brien’s office talking over the future of the team, which meant strategizing on how to keep as much of its current roster intact.

Publicly, their actions culminated in creating a video that proclaimed solidarity to their

Ste

ve T

ress

ler/

Vist

a Pr

ofes

sion

al S

tudi

os (6

)

Mauti joins his teammates in singing the Penn State Alma Mater following the team’s win over Navy.

Page 37: Town&Gown Nov 2012

35 - Town&Gown November 2012

university and to their team.Mauti and Zordich, ringed by teammates, spoke.But so much of the work that week and

beyond went on behind closed doors.

• • •

Everything about Penn State football depended on how these players handled this season — and this season depended on keeping the team close.

Assistant coach Larry Johnson quickly called a dinner meeting with his defensive linemen. The seniors brainstormed with their coaches, moving from O’Brien’s office and to new strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald’s office.

They identified which players were most likely to consider transferring. They divided up call-lists of teammates and their parents and their high school coaches, to pitch to them the reasons for staying at Penn State.

At one point, Mauti learned of two teammates driving to Michigan State to check out the possibility of leaving. He jumped on his phone.

“‘My God, dude, you’re going to be a big part of this team,’ ” Mauti remembers saying.

“It was a younger guy, who’s playing a big role now. I won’t say who. But they were on the road and turned the car around and didn’t look back.”

At least for now.Because they understood the possible

ramifications of not being able to play for a Big Ten title or go to a bowl game and challenge for a national title for four years. They knew that any of them could transfer and disregard the usual one-year penalty of sitting out. They not only were suddenly able to do that last July and August, they can again at the end of the 2012 season and until preseason camp begins next summer.

And the anger turned white-hot when

Zordich has helped keep Penn State’s running game going even after last year’s leading rusher Silas Redd transferred to USC.

Page 38: Town&Gown Nov 2012

36 - Town&Gown November 2012

the entire Illinois’ coaching staff showed up in State College to recruit Penn State players this summer.

“It was crazy,” says defensive tackle Jordan Hill. “It was like recruiting on steroids.”

In turn, these seniors all had their reasons for staying at Penn State, deep-rooted beliefs that would drive them to convince their teammates to bond together.

It would be known as the way a team — and, perhaps, a program — was saved.

• • •

All it took was a spark, and it turns out they had the hottest kind in Mauti — the most opportune kind of player at a time like this. His father and older brother played at Penn State and he had committed to the Lions out of high school during a meeting in Joe Paterno’s office. He gave the team eulogy at Paterno’s funeral and acted as a de facto coach while recovering from two knee injuries.

Mauti’s father, Rich, could have been a driving force alone for the kid. He had played under Paterno before a lengthy NFL career.

“It was never an option for him to leave,” Rich Mauti says. “He went to Penn State for several reasons: the tradition and the education, what Joe built there, for being the best linebacking school in the country.

“When he went up there for a [recruiting] visit, Sean Lee took him around. It was those kinds of special kids he would be with. He knew what that was all about. He knew my experiences there.

“He would never, ever bail out on a commitment he made for his school and his team.”

Zordich’s father also starred at Penn State. Plus, the senior running back is the do-everything, behind-the-spotlight guy who helps make everything run. He loves the responsibility.

Then there’s Morris, who was given the chance to play at Penn State as a true freshman and had come so far. He went about improving his open-field tackling and ate

Page 39: Town&Gown Nov 2012

37 - Town&Gown November 2012

up the promise of broader responsibilities in defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s new attacking defense.

Hill? He figured he’d still be learning from arguably the top defensive-line coach in the country in Johnson, if he stayed. But he also is playing for his father, who is recovering from ministrokes and battling diabetes and lives near Harrisburg, close enough to travel to see him play.

Hodges also is starring for one of the top position coaches in the nation in Ron Vanderlinden, and his commitment means so much more to him now. Seems like not so long ago he was switching from Rutgers to Penn State during his recruiting saga.

McGloin was indebted to Penn State on two fronts.

The Lions had wanted him in a way almost no one else did five years ago, as a Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback. Even better? Under a new regime he is being coached-up like never before. It is like he is now freed in the offense, pushed to succeed by O’Brien and staff.

Now, these seniors are the face of the

Scot Chambers, RealtorABR, e-Pro, NAR Green Designee740 S. Atherton StreetState College, PA 16801 Sering You in Central PA

Regardless of what you are looking for, give me a call;homes, land or cabins, I’ve got it all.

(814) 574-9267 (cell)(814) 272-3333 (office)[email protected]

program, more than any other group of players probably ever at Penn State.

Soon after making that team video, Mauti flew to Chicago for Big Ten media days and let the emotion pour out, even chastising the NCAA and those opposing coaches who turned aggressively on Penn State.

“It’s not even something we really thought about,” Mauti says of working so hard to be team saviors. “We just took it all so personally. We were in a position to help out, and selfishly we wanted to have a team and be good. We wanted to have our players.

“It’s about the people who built this place. If they were in our position and had the opportunity to protect Penn State, I know those guys would do the same things.”

It almost was as if they understood they’d be remembered more for escorting the fans and the university through this tumultuous season than for winning any number of games.

And motivation was easy to find. Take Hill, who saw both his roommates — tailback Silas Redd and wide receiver Justin Brown — transfer after the sanctions.

Page 40: Town&Gown Nov 2012

38 - Town&Gown November 2012

Morris called the day of the NCAA announcement, “probably one of the worst of my life.” The other Penn State seniors quickly got in his ear and made sure he knew how much he was wanted.

But, in another way, his decision wasn’t “even about football. I knew a degree wouldn’t mean as much somewhere else. It was as much about finishing my degree at Penn State as anything else.”

All at once, Morris was pulled, and calmed, by two forces.

On one end, it was his senior teammates, who

were even more solid than he himself from the start: “If Mike Mauti and Zordich and Jordan Hill would have left, you would have seen this team fall apart,” Morris says.

On the other side, first- and second-year players were looking to him, such as freshman cornerback Da’Quan Davis, who, like Morris, is from Maryland.

Davis didn’t know what to think or do when the sanctions hit. He came to Morris and asked questions. And it was in those moments — a time of someone else’s wavering — where this

Patr

ick

Man

sell

Under Bill O’Brien’s leadership, McGloin has taken to the new offense.

Page 41: Town&Gown Nov 2012

39 - Town&Gown November 2012

senior best understood why he should stay.He would be needed to teach and to

provide an example.If not now, then when?“This university needs me,” Morris says. “I

figured that I don’t mind some adversity … I don’t run from a challenge.”

• • • 

For now, this is all about the present, the most unpredictable and toughest time. But it will grow

into much more than this in the future.Because when the sanctions expire and

Penn State is back to recruiting full classes and maintaining 85 scholarships and going to bowl games and eligible again for titles, these seniors will take on a new meaning.

Fans will remember Mauti for more than just following Posluszny and Connor and Bowman and Lee into the NFL from Linebacker U.

They will replay that interception at Illinois, of all places, and how he somehow

Hill (left) and Morris are two of the senior leaders on defense. Morris says that he figured that he didn’t mind facing some adversity and didn’t want to run from a challenge.

Page 42: Town&Gown Nov 2012

40 - Town&Gown November 2012

found the energy after playing defense on a 14-play drive to run 99 yards down the Illini sideline.

He and his teammates will become more than just former stars. They will be legends in a way like no others.

Mauti says he’s already received more than 1,500 e-mails from supporters. There’s not a day when he doesn’t receive something in his inbox thanking him.

“They understand their opportunity to be at Penn State is not created by them but by me and all of the former players who put on a uniform before them. He understands that,” Rich Mauti says. “He knows what Joe and the program did for me.

“He wants to leave the program in better shape than when he got there. He wants to do this for players who come in the future.” T&G

Frank Bodani, a beat reporter for the York Daily Record, has covered Penn State since 1994.

Thank You Seniors

Penn State players with senior eligibility who will be playing

their final games for the Nittany Lions in November:

P – Joe BakerFB – P.J. Byers

DT – Cody CastorRB – Derek Day

FB – Andre DupreeS – Jacob Fagnano

T – Mike FarrellKS – Michael Fuhrman

DT – Jordan HillLB – Gerald Hodges

TE – Brian IrvinWR – Evan LewisDE – Pete MassaroLB – Michael MautiQB – Matt McGloin

QB – Shane McGregorCB – Stephon Morris

FB – JR ReficeC – Matt Stankiewitch

DE – Sean StanleyDT – James Terry

LB – James Van FleetQB – Garrett VenutoCB – Mike Wallace

LB – Michael YancichRB – Michael Zordich

Zordich celebrates with fans after Penn State’s win over Navy.

Page 43: Town&Gown Nov 2012

41 - Town&Gown November 2012

Page 44: Town&Gown Nov 2012

42 - Town&Gown November 2012

By David Pencek

HelpWWoundedoundedWoundedWWoundedWWoundedWoundedoundedoundedoundedoundedoundedHelp

forHelp

forforforOurHelp

OurHelpoundedOuroundedOurOurOur

Through various programs and efforts, Penn State has become a leader in aiding those in America’s military returning from war

Through various programs and efforts, Penn State has become a leader in aiding those in America’s military returning from war

By David Pencek

Help

Throwing discus and working with Penn State Ability Athletics have provided a positive outlet for Sean Hook since his return home from Iraq, where he was an Army sergeant and sustained a traumatic brain injury during an explosion.

Page 45: Town&Gown Nov 2012

43 - Town&Gown November 2012

Darren W

eimert (4)

Page 46: Town&Gown Nov 2012

44 - Town&Gown November 2012

His wife, Melanie, watches him during this mid-September practice session, and when she’s asked what athletic endeavors such as this have meant to her husband, she gives a big smile.

“It’s given him a focus, a sense of self,” she says. “He’d be sitting at home unable to do work or anything … feel useless as a man I guess.”

Walking with Sean as he gathers each discus is his coach, Teri Jordan, the disability-recreation program coordinator and Ability Athletics coach at Penn State. She is part of Penn State’s efforts to help this country’s wounded warriors such as Hook who have returned home during the past several years from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The university has already been designated a military-friendly school for three consecutive years because of the programs and services it offers through its World Campus. Those programs are designed specifically to help active-duty military-service members and veterans pursue an education. But beyond educating, the school is helping service members who have been wounded in combat transition to active and healthy lives — even if those wounds remain with them forever.

Besides the work Jordan does, the university also developed and hosts the Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors program, which is funded by the US Department of Defense. The program, which started in 2009 and is held four times a year, helps provide Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) professionals from each service with the knowledge and tools to take back to their facilities and make them even more helpful for the wounded men and women. The Penn State baseball team also has an annual Wounded Warrior Game that raises money

and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project. And this season, the wrestling team, for the first time, will hold a Wounded Warriors night on December 15 when they take on Lock Haven.

Looking at Sean Hook, one doesn’t see a wounded warrior. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, he looks every bit the former high school football player and current discus and shot-put thrower he is.

Three years ago, Hook was in Iraq as an Army sergeant with the Bravo Company 2, 112th Infantry Regiment. Like many, he wanted to serve his country following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. He and his platoon were patrolling the city of

After he throws the last discus of the three he has, Sean Hook walks in the grass field of Penn State’s outdoor track facility to retrieve them.

Hook and Ability Athletics coach Teri Jordan met about a year ago, and Jordan convinced Hook to take up throwing the discus and shot put.

Page 47: Town&Gown Nov 2012

45 - Town&Gown November 2012

Abu Ghraib when they were hit by a VBED (Vehicle Borne Explosive Device).

“It’s not like you see on TV,” says Hook, who lives in Altoona with Melanie and their three children. “You see a VBED on TV and it blows up and it’s on fire. There was nothing left of this vehicle.”

Hook had been eight meters away when the vehicle exploded. About 100 civilians died and some members of his platoon sustained serious injuries. Hook had his left shoulder torn up, which has left him with about 60 percent mobility in his arm. It wasn’t until he returned home that he realized his injuries weren’t just physical.

At Fort Dix in New Jersey, doctors found that Hook had sustained a traumatic brain injury. It has caused him to have problems with his memory and focusing.

“That’s one of the hardest things I found — I don’t have focus,” he says. “It’s tough to go day to day. Sometimes I can’t even hold a conversation because my focus is so bad.”

He also says he had a problem going into crowded places such as Walmart and he’d constantly move his head around to survey his surroundings — something he had been trained to do in Iraq.

While the 35-year-old Hook could have returned to a job he had at a chemical plant before he was deployed, he decided not to because he didn’t want to risk injuries to himself and others. After he had returned home, much of his time was spent riding ATVs with a friend of his or drinking some beer and telling war stories with military buddies of his who also were home.

“You put all those thoughts back in your head,” he says. “You get weary of it. It happened and you’re never going to forget about it but you can’t dwell on it. … What was more important to me was getting my life back together.”

About a year ago, Hook met Jordan. She asked him if he had ever thrown the shot put. He said No but would give it a try. Ever since, he visits Penn State a few days a week to train with Jordan. In the spring, he participated in the Warrior Games, competing in shot put and discus, and plans to participate again next year.

But more important than the distances — the feet and inches — he throws the shot put and discus are the steps he has taken in his life since he began training.

“It’s brought goal-oriented things back into my

Kortney Clemons (left) had a chance to meet President George W. Bush in the White House. Clemons was the first Iraq-war veteran to qualify for the US Paralympic team.

Hook gives candy to a young boy while he was on duty in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.

Sgt

. Kar

i Ron

ning

enC

ontributed photo

Page 48: Town&Gown Nov 2012

46 - Town&Gown November 2012

life,” Hook says of the practices. “It’s frustrating as can be, but it brings that focus back.”

Jordan says having goals is what helps many battle-tested military personnel make the transition into their post-military-service lives.

“Some of them have lost sight that they can do the things they used to do, it just might be in a different way,” she says.

Photos of many of the people she’s helped train — both military and nonmilitary — cover the walls of Jordan’s small office in the Bryce Jordan Center. Each day when she walks through her door, she sees their faces.

“I’m inspired every day,” she says. “I surround myself with inspiration.”

Probably the most well-known person Jordan has trained is Kortney Clemons, who lost his right leg while serving as a combat medic in Iraq in 2005. He graduated from Penn State in 2008, and during his track-and-field training here he became the first Iraq-war veteran to qualify for the US Paralympic team and he won the 100-meter run at the US Paralympic Track & Field Championships in 2006 and 2008.

In October, Penn State Ability Athletics received a $13,000 grant from the US Olympic Committee and Veterans Affairs. It was one of 97 organizations across the country to receive a grant. The funding is “helping to meet the need for Paralympic and adaptive sport programming for disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces in communities across the country.”

Besides training individuals in track and field events (Jordan had been Penn State’s track and field coach for 15 years from 1984 to 1999), she and the Ability Athletics program also offer a wheelchair-basketball program. Last winter, she helped organize a sitting volleyball match that featured members of the US Army Sitting Volleyball team, athletes from Penn State Ability Athletics, and Penn State’s women’s volleyball team.

Erica Denney, a redshirt sophomore on the women’s volleyball team, played in the match and says, “It was one of the coolest things I’ve done. Not only playing with them but talking with them and hearing about everything they’ve gone through. … They

Penn State graduate Jake Schrom, who lost his right leg in a car accident in 2008, talks to Morale, Welfare, and Recreation professionals during a session of Penn State’s Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors program.

Page 49: Town&Gown Nov 2012

47 - Town&Gown November 2012

Page 50: Town&Gown Nov 2012

48 - Town&Gown November 2012

are incredibly strong and focused and have tremendous will power.”

When members of the military began coming home from the war in Iraq in 2005, many, including those who had been wounded,

continued on active duty and returned to work on military installations. During previous wars, those who had been wounded would likely have been discharged or retired.

Tammy Smith, then an instructor in Penn State’s department of recreation, park, and tourism management, saw a need developing — these military facilities and their civilian workers had to be better equipped and trained to help the wounded men and women who had returned.

She wrote a concept paper and presented it to the Department of Defense. In 2007, she put together a

prototype curriculum for MWR professionals to be trained to provide opportunities for wounded service members. She invited the decision-makers from all the military branches to experience it. The next year,

Tammy Smith (right), project director for Penn State’s Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors program, wrote a concept paper and put together the prototype curriculum for the program. Her husband, Ralph, is a Vietnam War veteran and program coordinator for the Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors program.

Con

trib

uted

pho

to

With you every step of the way...• Dependable, trained, professional personnel• Local, long distance & international moving• Personal Move Coordinator• Guaranteed on-time pick up and delivery available

HOY TRANSFER, INC.2580 Clyde Avenue State College, PA 16801814-237-4975 • 800-257-1110www.HOYTRANSFER.comAtlas Van Lines, Inc U.S. DOT No. 125550 PA PUC A-85095TM & © 2012 AWGI LLC

• Packing & Unpacking Services• Safe & Secure Storage• Free Estimates

Page 51: Town&Gown Nov 2012

49 - Town&Gown November 2012

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

The Dix Honda Sales Team: Bill Elder, Charlie Faris, Mike Shawley, Dave LeRoy, Rick Fisher

The new Accord is loaded with intelligent technology that’s

intuitive and easy to use.

The intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) is standard on every Accord—it’s command central for all kinds of useful information and features when you’re on the road. Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with voice recognition is available on EX-L models & above.

The ingenious Eco Assist™ technology helps car and driver work together to improve fuel efficiency. Coaching bars around the speedometer change from white to green to indicate how efficiently you’re driving, so stay in the green as much as you can.

the Department of Defense contracted with Penn State to run the four-day Inclusive Recreation for Wounded Warriors training course.

Four times a year (twice during the spring semester and twice during the fall semester), MWR professionals from across the country and abroad visit Penn State to take the course.

“What we do is introduce MWR professionals to the concept of inclusion,” says Smith, who is the project director. “What does it mean to be included? What does it mean to be excluded, whether purposely or not purposely? … We break it down by various disabilities.”

The MWR professionals hear from people who have traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress, spinal-cord injuries, and amputations. They learn how to adapt programs to be more inclusive and ensure their buildings meet with standards that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. But it’s not all about buying new equipment or changing physical structures.

Smith notes that most people with disabilities have conditions that can’t be

seen. They have “hidden” disabilities such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress, and the program shows what can be done to help people with those injuries.

“For example, some people with post-traumatic stress are sensitive to loud noises, so, they go to a fitness facility where people may be dropping weights all of the time,” Smith says. “That could be very disturbing for someone who has post-traumatic stress. So maybe we suggest that the person comes when there’s lower participation in the gym or the person has a pair of noise-cancellation ear phones to minimize the noise. Little things like that don’t cost much. It’s about being creative and working with a person to meet their needs.”

She adds that she constantly hears from installations that had someone take the course. They describe changes they’ve made to help their wounded warriors. One example is how the Marines have hired recreation therapists for Marine Headquarters and some of their other installations. According to the publication Government Recreation & Fitness, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina has become

Page 52: Town&Gown Nov 2012

50 - Town&Gown November 2012

THE AREA’S ORIGINAL, MOST RELIABLE TAXI CO.

PUCA 107326

HANDY DELIVERY

HANDY DELIVERY

HANDY DELIVERY

www.handydelivery.comCourier Service • Local Deliveries

• Mechanics on Duty

814-355-5555We accept all major credit cards

SERVING YOU WITH THE LARGEST FLEET & THE ONLY DRUG-TESTED DRIVERS

a leader in creating more inclusive environments.

Ruth Ann Jackson, a faculty member in the School of Hospitality Management at Penn State and principal investigator for the project, says the program needs to continue to evolve, including having an online module in the future.

“The next frontier is to investigate programming around recreation and suicide prevention,” she says. “And post-traumatic stress is now hitting daycare centers because children are suffering because of their parents. I don’t think people realize what repeat deployments have done to people and families.”

Ralph Smith, Tammy’s husband and program coordinator, knows about the wounds from war and what it can mean to have support from the home front. He served in Vietnam in the late 1960s and returned home with his left leg 1 ½ inches shorter than his right leg because of injuries he suffered from being shot. He didn’t have the opportunities or receive the care today’s military veterans receive.

“There was a lot of resentment and anger

toward soldiers,” says Smith, a professor emeritus in Penn State’s department of recreation, park, and tourism management. “Now, there’s a lot of positive feelings toward the military, especially after 9/11.”

He concurs that when it comes to helping wounded warriors it isn’t just about changing physical environments. “You have to start with the attitude people have toward people with disabilities,” he says. “That’s No. 1 — not the architecture but the attitude. … Hopefully we’re changing attitudes and reinforcing positive attitudes of managers who want to include, and they’ll train their staff for inclusion.”

Much of that change in attitude comes from listening to those who sacrificed and served, as the MWR professionals have the opportunity to do during the course when wounded service personnel share their stories. They’re the ones who can explain best what help they may need.

“These people are extremely brave, and it’s an honor to work with them,” Jackson says. “They never talk about what they did. They don’t want to brag, they just want to complete their mission.” T&G

Page 53: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 54: Town&Gown Nov 2012

52 - Town&Gown November 2012

Order today at www.townandgown.com.

Publication date is November 8.

Two-time defending national champions

in wrestling!

Defending Big Ten champs in women’s basketball!

One of the best point guards in the nation in

men’s basketball!

And the start of Division I hockey!

That’s what Penn State fans

have to look forward to this winter. Get ready for it all with Town&Gown’s

2012-13 Penn State Winter Sports Annual.

Page 55: Town&Gown Nov 2012

Thanks to the generous sponsors, donors, and volunteers of Coaches vs. Cancer, the American Cancer Society is able to fund life-saving research while supporting patients in the Centre community.  In 2011-12 the American Cancer Society:

If you know a cancer patient that needs help, have them contact the American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or www.cancer.org.  

Thanks to the donations and efforts of generous and devoted supporters, Coaches vs. Cancer – Penn State raised a record-setting $215,000 during the 2011-2012 fiscal year!  If you’d like more information about the organization or to volunteer, visit www.cvcpennstate.org.

Upcoming Event:Penn State Men’s Basketball GameSaturday, January 26, 2013Penn State vs. Ohio StateOrder your tickets online at http://www.gopsusports.com/tickets/m-baskbl-tickets.html

www.cvcpennstate.org

Each year, approximately 550 Centre County residents are diagnosed with cancer.

• Provided 244 cancer patients in Centre County with services, information, or guidance • Offered over 210 free nights stay for over 75 patients at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge ® • Provided 66 rides to treatment for eight patients through Road to Recovery ® • Assisted 21 women through Look Good Feel Better ® • Funded new wigs for 15 patients

Page 56: Town&Gown Nov 2012

54 - Town&Gown November 2012

• Gift Certificates

• Call to Reserve Your Holiday Party

• Accepting Reservations for Thanksgiving & Christmas Buffet

200 East Presqueisle St. • Philipsburg, PA814-342-7445 • www.thephilips1921.com

Congratulations to Bill O’Brien and the Penn State Football Team!

Wishing Everyone a Peaceful Holiday Season!

Page 57: Town&Gown Nov 2012

55 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

SeniorLiving

Special Advertising Section

Our annual “Senior Living” section provides you with information you can use on health, finance, and more.

Page 58: Town&Gown Nov 2012

56 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Over the age of 70, it’s 1 in 4. Do you have 2 minutes to find out if YOU’RE at risk?

1 patient in 10, over the age of 60, will be diagnosed with Macular Degeneration or AMD.

104 W. Main St., Boalsburg, PA

814-466-2020A Macular Degeneration Center of Excellence

305 Village Heights Drive, State College, PA 16801 • 814-231-5507www.VillageHeightsPA.com

As a nonprofit home health and hospice agency, Centre HomeCare Inc. focuses on providing the best services for our patients and our community. We work closely with Mount Nittany Medical Center so our patients have effective continuity of care both in the hospital and at home.

As a nonprofit home health and hospice agency, Centre HomeCare Inc. focuses on providing

Our experienced, caring staff provides health services including:

• In-Home Assessments• Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy• Cardiac Rehabilitative Care• Wound and Ostomy Care• Diabetes Care, Management, and Education• Specialized Oncology RNs• Medication Management for Seniors• IV Therapy• Psychiatric RNs• Medical Social Services• Home Health Aides• Palliative Care Program• Prenatal and Postpartum Care• Catheter Care and Instruction• Crossings Hospice Care• Lifeline 24-hour Personal Response System

We are a Centre County United Way agency, meaning we are supported by the community, for the benefit of the entire community, and we are a member of VNA Health System, giving us the resources of a larger System. Our staff members are proud to help their neighbors get the care they need right in their own homes, so they can stay in their homes longer. n

2437 Commercial Blvd.State College, PA 16801

(800) 700-3498www.vnahs.com

Page 59: Town&Gown Nov 2012

• Ownership- Every apartment and home in Village Heights is privately owned by residents age 55+. Unlike other retirement communities, Village Heights has neither entrance fees nor second person fees!

• Lifestyle-Village Heights is a unique living experience, with beautiful grounds and common areas, an indoor heated pool and spa, state of the art fitness center and “restaurant-style, full menu” dining room, not to mention the peace of mind that comes from living in a gated community with caring neighbors!

• Special Health Needs?- The residents of Village Heights are granted a direct link- and preferred access- to healthcare services from the adjacent Brookline-an established, highly regarded healthcare provider, offering care in skilled nursing, personal care, memory loss and post-hospital rehabilitation.

Taking Retirement Living to New Heights!

305 Village Heights Drive, State College, PA 16801 • 814-231-5507www.VillageHeightsPA.com

Let us show you why we love Village Heights! Call anytime for more information or a personal tour!

Page 60: Town&Gown Nov 2012

58 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Senior LivingSave the First Eye By Dr. Harvey P. Hanlen

Losing vision and becoming blind is one of our number-one fears. For people over the age of 50, macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness. This year 1.2 million people will be diagnosed with AMD, and 200,000 people will be diagnosed with Wet Macular Degeneration — and nearly 65 percent of those patients go blind in the first eye. AMD is a silent, painless disease, and by the time you see the effect in your vision the damage has been done.

The causes of AMD are still unknown. One form of AMD (dry) may be caused by aging and thinning of the macular tissue, pigment deposits, or a com-bination of the two. The other form of AMD (wet), results when new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. This leakage causes retinal cells to die and creates blind spots in central vision.

My goal is to Save the First Eye. There is a new risk assessment for patients to determine if further evaluation is needed. It takes only a couple of min-

utes to complete the questionnaire. During the visit, I review the modifiable risk factors and the nonmodifi-able risk factors. One in 10 people over the age of 60 and 1 in 4 people over the age of 70 will develop AMD. Smokers are five to eight times more likely to develop AMD. It also is more prevalent in females, patients that have high blood pressure, and those who are overweight. Family history of macular de-generation is one of the major risk factors.

Find out what your risk is for developing AMD. Do you have a couple of minutes to find out and pos-sibly save your sight? Every two minutes a person goes blind. Over half of those people could prevent that blindness with proper evaluation and treatment. Our Macular Degeneration Center of Excellence of-fers a complete AMD workup to determine your risk of developing this dreadful disease. Now is the time to protect your sight.

Harvey P. Hanlen, O.D., F.A.A.O. is the owner of Dr. Hanlen and Associates. His office is located at 104 West Main Street in Boalsburg. He is a past president of the American Optometric Association and serves as a consultant to many ophthalmic companies.

1700 Old Gatesburg Road, Suite 300, State College, PA 16803Corner of Old Gatesburg Road & Blue Course Drive

heimereye.com • 814-234-1002

At Heimer Eye Care Associates, we are determined to give our senior patients the best possible care.

Specialists in:• Treatment of Eye Disorders and Diseases

• Cataract Surgery

• Glaucoma Evaluation and Treatment

• Diabetic Eye Care

• Corneal Transplant

Jeffrey L. Heimer, M.D.

Jay M. Fiore, M.D.

Page 61: Town&Gown Nov 2012

OB/GYN | 1850 East Park Avenue | Suite 301 | State College, PA 16803 | 814.237.3470

Urology | 905 University Drive | State College, PA 16801 | 814.238.8418

LEFT TO RIGHT | Howard Miller, MD | Shreya Patel, MD, FACOG

Angela Hardyk, MD, FACOG | J. Frederick Doucette, MD, FACOG

When you need surgery, rely on the surgeons and state-of-the-art

technology of Mount Nittany Physician Group. We’re the only provider

of leading-edge da Vinci® robotically assisted surgery in the region and

your source for minimally invasive urologic and gynecologic procedures.

That means you get the care you need with less scarring, quicker

recovery, and a faster return to your normal life. Leading-edge surgery

by local specialists. That’s L I F E F O R WA R D.

Schedule an appointment today, or visit mountnittany.org for more information.

LEADING-EDGEROBOTIC SURGERY.

THE REGION’S LEADERS IN

©2012 Mount Nittany Health

Page 62: Town&Gown Nov 2012

60 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Senior LivingReiki for Seniors

By Beth WhitmanReiki is a practice that promotes relaxation,

stress reduction, and well-being that can be used in conjunction with other treatments and therapies. Reiki, which is a Japanese word that is pronounced ray-key, is based on the idea that an unseen “life-force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life-force energy” is free flowing, we are more likely to be happy and healthy. While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to learn and use it. Adherents see it as not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not.

Because Reiki comes from God, many peo-ple find that using it puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.

Reiki offers seniors an opportunity to actively participate in their own care and well-being. It

is a technique that channels energy by means of touch to activate the natural rejuvenating processes of the body. Because it is channeled with gentle touch and the energy is self-adjust-ing, it can only improve your experiences and situations. Its use is not dependent on one’s intellectual capacity, spiritual development, or physical condition, and therefore is available to everyone.

Those who believe in Reiki say it treats the whole person, including body, emotions, mind, and spirit, creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, secu-rity, and well-being. Everyone can facilitate and receive it. When one first is learning to channel the Reiki energy, self-practice is the primary focus. With practice and experience you can then feel confident in sharing with others.

Reiki, they say, is often experienced as calm-ing warmth coming from the hands. Specific positioning of the hands is taught to help the seniors become more comfortable with the pro-cess. Seniors will quickly recognize the benefit

Next Class Begins Soon! Pre-registration Required!

Call Today!

www.InspiredHolisticWellness.com

Beth Whitman, Karuna Reiki® Master,

Consulting Hypnotist

814.883.0957

107 S. Spring St. Bellefonte, PA

SenioReiki© Classes for

those 50+ and Caregivers

A unique self-care class that teaches you how to connect

with your life force energy by means of gentle touch to promote

relaxation, stress reduction and well-being.

Next Class Begins Soon! Pre-registration Required! Also encouraging

behavior modification

through Hypnosis and

PSYCH-K®.

Page 63: Town&Gown Nov 2012

61 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

of modifying the hand positions for their specific needs. It also is a wonderful way for caregivers to share with the ones they love so dearly.

Reiki is an augmentation and not an alterna-tive or substitute for medical treatment. Each ministration is a unique experience. Many times, Reiki has a subtle effect that often resolves is-sues gradually. It is like any other technique — the more you practice, the more intense it be-comes and the deeper it goes. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeu-tic techniques and may ease side effects and promote recovery.

Intuitive insights often become more appar-ent when Reiki is practiced regularly. The re-laxed state that it can create provides an envi-ronment that fosters an inner peace. Allowing yourself to become comfortable with this inner knowingness will help to intensify your Reiki practice, say adherents.

Pets are often trusted companions and dearly loved family member, especially for seniors. Reiki can be very beneficial for the animals in

our lives. As seniors come to understand Reiki, they also will instinctively share with their furry companions.

Reiki classes are usually offered in small groups and are a blend of theory, instruc-tion, and interactive experience. Classes can range from a few hours to a few days in length. There are typically five levels of training (I, II, Advanced Reiki Training, Master, and Karuna Reiki®). There are many specialized classes as well. Some examples are those focused on ani-mals, children, and seniors. Researching your instructor and assuring they provide an envi-ronment, skill level, and training approach that is a fit for your learning goals is very important.

Those who believe in Reiki say it can facilitate a profound integration of mind, body, and spirit. It is a perfect a fit for seniors and their care pro-viders, empowering them to actively participate in their well-being.

Beth Whitman is the owner of Inspired Holis-tic Wellness in Bellefonte.

Page 64: Town&Gown Nov 2012

62 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Senior Living

A cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens of the eye and a reversible cause of blindness. The lens of the eye rests behind the pupil and is responsible for helping to focus light on the back the eye (the retina).

Cataracts can affect anyone, of any age, but are more common in the aged population. As cataracts develop, they block the passage of light through the eye and cause light to be scattered as it enters the eye. This loss of quantity and focus of light leads to decreased quality of vision and visual acuity.

Early signs of cataracts include seeing “halos” and glare from lights at night as well as the inability to read road signs at the same distance one had been able to. Eventually, cataracts lead to overall decrease in visual function leading to a decreased ability to read and perform activities of daily living. Cataracts

The Truth about Cataracts By Jay Fiore, MD

can cause frequent eyeglass-prescription changes, double vision, and a fading of colors. A typical cataract of aging will cast a yellowish hue to one’s vision, a process that happens so slowly that its effect typically isn’t noticed until the cataract is removed.

Cataracts most commonly are the result of the process of aging, but also can be derived from other causes. Children can be born with congenital cataracts and require surgery before 6 weeks of age. Secondary cataracts can develop from diabetes, radiation, corticosteroid use, and previous intraocular surgery, just to name a few. Blunt-force trauma to the eye also can trigger cataract formation. Lastly, certain lifestyle choices such as smoking, alcohol use, and prolonged sun exposure can lead to early cataract formation.

Fortunately, in the Western World, going blind from cataracts is almost a thing of the past thanks to the many highly trained ophthalmologists performing state-of-the-art

Page 65: Town&Gown Nov 2012

63 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

surgery. Cataract surgery has progressed from a procedure known as couching, where the cataract was pushed to the back of the eye, and Coke-bottle glasses were worn afterward, to today, when a cataract can be removed through a microscopic self-sealing incision with phacoemulsification, and a lens can be inserted into the eye to not only correct for one’s eyeglass prescription, but, in certain circumstances, also eliminate glasses entirely.

A main fallacy with cataracts is that it “has to be ripe” before it can be removed. While it is true that Medicare and insurance companies won’t pay for clear lenses to be removed just so an intraocular lens can be placed, one does not have to be blind in the eye in order to qualify for surgery. Typically, a visual acuity of 20/40 or less under normal lighting or glare testing, in a patient with cataract-related visual complaints, is reason enough to remove the cataract.

Cataract surgery in today’s world has

moved from being a purely therapeutic procedure to a refractive procedure. Not only is the visual obstruction to vision removed, but also a lens that can compensate for one’s eyeglass prescription is placed in the eye.

For those willing to pay a premium, lenses are available that can correct both distance and near vision or astigmatism. In a few places around the country, new lasers are available, at a premium, that make, for the surgeon, the incisions required for cataract surgery. While not perfect, these technologies are great for the right patient.

If you or someone you know feels a cataract is affecting their vision, schedule an appointment with your local ophthalmologist for an evaluation.

Dr. Jay Fiore is a cornea specialist with Heimer Eye Care Associates in State College and Tyrone, specializing in the treatment and surgical care of the cornea and lens (cataract). He can be reached at (814) 234-1002.

Page 66: Town&Gown Nov 2012

64 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Senior Living

Centre County Office of the AgingWillowbank County Office Building420 Holmes Street Bellefonte, PA 16823(814) 355-6716

Centre Region Senior Center131 South Fraser Street #1State College, Pa 16801(814) 231-3076www.crpr.org/senior/sr-ctr-main.html

Community Help Centre141 West Beaver Avenue Suite #AState College, PA 16801(814) 237-5855www.communityhelpcentre.com

Comfort Keepers915 Benner Park State College, PA 16801(814) 861-1600www.comfortkeepers.com

Resources for SeniorsHome Instead2330 Commercial Blvd. Suite 500 State College, PA 16801(814) 238-8820www.homeinstead.com

Meals on Wheels205 South Garner Street PO Box 1235 State College, PA 16804(814) 237-8135www.scmow.org

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Penn State 126 Outreach Building University Park, PA 16802 (814) 867-4278 olli.centreconnect.org

Senior Centers and Food Banks are located in various locations across Centre County, including Bellefonte, Centre Hall, Millheim, Snow Shoe, and State College.

Page 67: Town&Gown Nov 2012

65 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Providing short term rehabilitation stays, recovery following surgery or after an acute hospitalization to function better to enjoy life once returning home.

Please contact us for any of your short term rehabilitation needs.

450 Waupelani Drive, State College, PA 16801814-237-0630 • fax 814-237-1803

We subscribe to a non-discrimination policy.

301 Farmstead Lane, State College, PA 16803 • (814) 234-9898 • Fax: (814) 234-1090 • www.greenhillsvillage.com

Page 68: Town&Gown Nov 2012

66 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Senior Living

Every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke. Ev-ery four minutes, someone dies from a stroke. Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the US.

A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular ac-cident (CVA), occurs when the brain blood flow is blocked or when an artery in the brain ruptures. Comprehensive rehabilitation is essential in re-covering from a stroke.

Speech therapy is an integral part of rehabilita-tion. Speech, language, cognition, and swallowing may be impacted by a stroke. “Speech therapy is not only about how the person talks but includes reading, writing, language use, thinking and rea-soning skills, and dysphagia,” explains Caroline Salva-Romero, speech-language pathology man-ager at HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital. “We use many tools and technological advances in speech therapy, including the Interac-tive Metronome, Visi-Pitch, and VitalStim.”

Speech Therapy and Interactive Metronome

The Interactive Metronome (IM) is a brain-based therapeutic assessment and training pro-gram that improves attention, concentration, mo-tor planning, and sequencing. Improvements in those areas result in stronger motor control and coordination, enhanced balance and gait, and improved language and cognition. Salva-Romero adds, “Every patient that has used the IM has evi-denced improvement — it’s one of the best tools in my therapy kit.”

The IM works by providing a structured, goal-oriented program that challenges the patient to synchronize a range of body exercises and/or cognitive tasks to a precise computer-generated beat. IM’s game-like features engage the patient with auditory and visual guidance, and provide real-time feedback while encouraging the patient to improve scores.

Stroke Rehabilitation: Technology Enhances Speech Therapy By HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital

Speech Therapy and Visi-PitchFollowing a stroke, individuals may experience

motor-speech disorders. The Visi-Pitch provides speech and voice analysis. Therapeutic benefits are realized using the unique auditory and vi-sual feedback displays. Stroke survivors use the feedback to improve speech-sound production, speech-stress patterns, voicing, rate of speech, and overall vocal quality and loudness.

Speech Therapy with VitalStimSince 2006, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab

has offered VitalStim therapy for dysphagia. It is estimated that 50 to 75 percent of stroke survi-vors experience dysphagia (i.e., difficulty swal-lowing). VitalStim provides noninvasive, surface electrical stimulation of the muscles of the throat to improve the swallow. Research has confirmed that the addition of VitalStim enhances outcomes when paired with conventional swallow therapy.

If you have questions about speech therapy or the aforementioned technologies, please contact Caroline Salva-Romero, HealthSouth Nittany Val-ley’s speech-language pathology manager, at (814) 359-3421.

HealthSouth Nittny Valley Rehabilitation Hospital is in Pleasant Gap. The acute care, inpatient hospi-tal specializes in rehabilitation, and holds a Disease-Specific Care Certification by the Joint Commission for its stroke rehabilitation program. Ou tpa t i en t C l i n i c s are located at Plea- sant Gap, Lewistown, and Mifflintown. Visit www.ni t tanyval ley rehab.com.

HealthSouth Nittny Valley Rehabilitation Hospital is in Pleasant Gap. The acute care, inpatient hospi-tal specializes in rehabilitation, and holds a Disease-Specific Care Certification by the Joint Commission for its stroke rehabilitation program. Ou tpa t i en t C l i n i c s are located at Plea-sant Gap, Lewistown, and Mifflintown. Visit www.ni t tanyval ley

Page 69: Town&Gown Nov 2012

67 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

INVESTMENT • ADVISORS, L.L.C.

1276 N. Atherton St.State College, PA 16803Ph: (814) 867-2050 FAX: (814) 867-2063

Through objective investment advice, exhaustive due diligence and research, and professional portfolio management, Vantage provides a comprehensive approach to asset management for high net worth individuals, trusts, IRAs and qualified pension plans. Vantage utilizes individual stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and institutional money managers to create a personalized asset allocation and investment portfolio for each client, taking into consideration their specific investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon.

A Team You Can Count On!

CONTACT: Robert R. Thomas, CFA, CFP® ([email protected])or Jill W. Sutt ([email protected])

VANTAGE:offers a comprehensive approach to investment management.

emphasizes versatility andcustomization in the structure of client portfolios.

has access to 9,000 mutual funds and 350 institutional money managers.

allows clients continuous access to information on their accounts through its website, www.vantageadvisors.com.

Equal Housing Opportunity. Income Limits Apply. HUD Subsidized Housing in State College for persons 62 and older, or with mobility impairments.

Providing “Excellence” in Subsidized Housing Apartments

Come be a part of the Mount Nittany Residences

family, where we provide unique recreational and program

opportunities for the active senior lifestyle

mount nittany residences

301 Rolling Ridge Dr. State College, PA 16801 • 814-234-1323 fax 814-235-1507 • [email protected]

Friendly, reliable staff One- and two- bedroom modern units

with large balconies • Small pets allowed • Gardening areas • On-site laundry

• On-site Computer Lab • 24-hour maintenance

and emergency call service

Managed by Improved Dwellings for Altoona Inc.

Page 70: Town&Gown Nov 2012

68 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

Senior LivingOutlive Your Money, or Outlive Your Lifestyle

By Don Leitzell, CFP® I have been involved with Retirement Planning

for 30 years, and, luckily, early in my career I at-tended a seminar by Michael K. Stein author of The Prosperous Retirement Guide to the New Reality. In his book he defines a prosperous retirement as the time when the focus of daily activity shifts from economic productivity to chasing your dreams. A prosperous retirement is not about money — it is about being able to maintain the life you decide you want, as simple or extravagant as that might be.

My experience agrees with Mr. Stein’s three stages of retirement: Active, Passive, and Final.

My client’s Active Stage may have a budget high-er than their preretirement budget as they travel and chase their dreams. You will not live on 70 to 80 percent of preretirement budget, as some may be-lieve, it could be more. Their active stage could last 15 to 20 years depending on health and finances.

The Passive Stage begins with a general slow-

down, but not any less rewarding as your mid-sev-enties are attained. There is no social science to verify this but hundreds of retirements have verified this to me. This stage typically lasts 10 years.

The Final Stage may turn quiet pleasure into unpleasant realities, but our senior services are getting better.

It is important to note that more retirements fail for nonfinancial reasons than because of inad-equate monies. How much money do I need to retire? What is the right investment mix? What is a conservative rate of income distributions? All im-portant questions, but they pale relative to a retire-ment attitude.

Mr. Stein says, “If you are not looking for oppor-tunities, you will not see them.”

It would not be fun if there were no challenges, but we must stay resolved to take a positive view and be determined to stay connected and relevant.

Don Leitzell has been in the local financial plan-ning industry for 30 years and founded Diversified Asset Planners in 1987.

Securities offered through J.W. Cole Financial – Member FINRA/SIPC. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ AND in the U.S. Diversified Asset Planners and J.W. Cole Financial are independent firms.

1524 W. College Ave., State College • 814-234-2500

Diversified Asset Planners

Financial Wellness takes careful planning…We can help you get there!

Christopher D. Leitzell Donald E. Leitzell, CFP ®

• Retirement Planning

• Tax Planning

• All Your Life Insurance Needs

Page 71: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 72: Town&Gown Nov 2012

70 - Town&Gown November 2012

The special relationships between grandparents and grandchildren bring joyful moments and wonderful memories to families

By Aimee Morgan

Ain’t itGrand!

Page 73: Town&Gown Nov 2012

71 - Town&Gown November 2012

The smell of sage and pepper filled my grandma’s kitchen every Sunday. Granddad was in charge of cooking the sausage, while Grandma made her famous pancakes.

They were light and fluffy — Aunt Jemima had nothing on “Gram.” This is just one of the many memories I have of my grandparents. There is a certain comfort that only a grandparent seems to give you. Your heart has a soft spot for them, as they have for you.

After interviewing several grandparents and grandchildren, the thing that comes through loud and clear are the words they use to describe the special times they share. Pride. Compassion. Joy. Love.

Rebecca Domico, 20, and Claire Domico, 18, of State College, and Penn State students, say that one of their favorite memories of their “Pap” is sharing his love for sweets.

“Whenever he makes his delicious homemade apple dumplings, I’m only a 15-minute walk away! He definitely passed his sweet tooth on to me as well,” says Claire.

“Pap” Tom Neff, 68, of State College, says, “Rebecca loves to cook. She is the master chef. Some lucky man will get her. Her mother has let her cook she since she was six — always making messes, but she loved it. She was the only 10-year-old I knew that would watch the Cooking Channel.”

Neff and his wife, Tom Neff (center) with his grandson, Curtis (right), and wife, Karen.

Grand!

Page 74: Town&Gown Nov 2012

72 - Town&Gown November 2012

Karen, enjoy spending time with Neff’s grandchildren, attending almost every activity they are involved in and spoiling them, mostly with love.

“My relationship with my Pap and Karen is fun and always supportive and loving,” Rebecca says. “I’ll just pop over to their place and I can slide right into whatever activity they are doing … especially when Pap is baking! That’s probably the best descriptor of our relationship — a general appreciation for all things delicious.”

Neff fondly recalls the first Domico child being born, saying, “When Rebecca was born, we were in the Clearfield Hospital and her daddy brought her down the hall and she was like 10 minutes old. He brought her real quick to see Pap.”

Neff has eight grandchildren, with seven of them living in the area — Rebecca, Claire, Kyle, and Ryan are his daughter Tammy’s children. She and husband, John Domico, live just a five-minute drive from him. Curtis, Tyler, and Chelsea are his son Tom’s children. They live in the Moshannan Valley area. Neff’s youngest

daughter, Tarla Kullgen, lives in Boston and has a four-year-old son, Bjorn.

“The [Domico] girls are musically inclined,” Neff says. “They have been playing the violin since they were five, and are very good. I always like to tell Rebecca the story of how my dad played the trombone.”

Neff is proud of both girls making the competitive State High Marching Band. He recounts the story of when Rebecca had started high school and asked the band director what she

Neff with two of his granddaughters, Claire (left) and Rebecca.

“They know they can call me up anytime for anything they want. I am always there for them when they need us.”—Tom Neff

Photo coming of Tom Neff and his granddaughters

John Hovenstine (4)

Page 75: Town&Gown Nov 2012

73 - Town&Gown November 2012

had to do to be in the band. The director told her to learn the French horn. “She learned it within a month and made the State High band,” Neff says.

Claire says, “I really appreciated seeing him at all of my music performances in high school. He is so supportive of all the activities I am in, and because he lives so close, he is able to come to all my events.”

Neff says he bonds with his grandsons by talking about sports, especially Penn State. The Domico boys play football and wrestle for State High, while Tyler was the quarterback for three years at Moshannon Valley. Curtis is currently the quarterback for the junior high team.

Neff has been working construction all his life, and his grandkids took to calling him Pappy Truck because he always drove a truck. His favorite projects, however, are making things in his shop, including homemade Chinese checkers, wooden jeeps, and a cedar chest for the grandkids.

“They can’t ever forget me! I put their name, the date, and ‘Pap’ right on it,” he says. “They know they can call me up anytime for anything they want. I am always there for them when they need us. It’s just nice to be close.”

Living close to your grandkids is something that Don and Bonnie Burris, both 63, of State College also enjoy. Their son, Jeremy, and his wife, Amber, have a two year-old son, Ogden, and three-month old daughter, Eliana. Their

daughter, Jennifer Conklin, has a son, Seth, 14, and daughter, Sara, 11.

“I think we have a close relationship with all four of them,” says a proud grandma Bonnie.

Seth and Sara live across the street from Don and Bonnie, so they are able to spend a lot of time with them.

“Seth, being a teenager and needing his independence, does not always want to run errands with his mother and sister. In these cases, knowing we are so close, he either spends the time with us or at his own home. When cooking on the grill, he is usually there to help,” said Bonnie.

She explains the feeling of that first grandchild being born.

“When Seth’s father brought him to us, he introduced him and the two grandmother’s hugged and cried. The expectation was over. We were holding the newest member of our family in our arms. He won our hearts immediately,” she says.

Bonnie says Sara has a close relationship with her “Pappy,” Don.

“They play volleyball together, then sit and have their talks on the front-porch swing. Sara comes to her grandmother when she needs help sewing something or working on a craft,” she says.

Both Seth and Sara ask Don and Bonnie questions about what their lives were like when they were young, and what kind of activities they did for fun.

Don and Bonnie Burris with their four grandchildren, (from left) Seth, Eliana, Sara, and Ogden.

John Hovenstine (4)

Page 76: Town&Gown Nov 2012

74 - Town&Gown November 2012

“It’s hard for them to believe we did not have the opportunity to participate in many school activities,” Bonnie says. “They like to hear stories when their mom and uncle were growing up. Sara is very interested in whom our parents and grandparents were and whether they knew her.”

Because Ogden and Eliana are younger, Don and Bonnie’s relationship with them is different from the bond they share with Seth and Sara.

“When Ogden sees us, he gets the biggest smile on his face and makes himself quite at home at our house. Eliana will sit and ‘coo’ to you, with her big smile and eyes bright and shiny,” says Bonnie.

She adds that they find the relationship with each of the grandchildren is different because of their personalities. “The way each one relates to us is unique to that individual,” she says. “We love our grandchildren, but we also witness what

Richard Schittler (left) of State College with his grandson, Sean Kelly.

good parents our children and daughter-in-law have become. We are so proud of them.”

Richard Schittler, 76, has lived in State College for seven years and enjoys attending many sports events in the area with his grandson, Sean Kelly, 9, of State College.

“He goes to Penn State games all the time. It is a family affair thing, ya know?” Schittler says. “I really don’t have much interest in it but he does, so we talk about it, and I like going to his games.” — Sean plays football for a local Catholic school.

Schittler is originally from Berks County, and has a strong Pennsylvania Dutch accent. Passing down stories and traditions from one generation to the next is one of the unspoken duties of a grandparent.

“ ‘Shaker’ is the translation for my last name, meaning people that are involved in the church in Germany,” Schittler says as he explains his heritage. “We have a yearly get-together and they tell [Sean] a lot of stories. ... My uncles and aunts tell him, so he knows a little bit about the heritage.”

The Schittler family started moving to the United States in the late 1700s, after working for King Wilhelm in Germany, according to Schittler. He says one of his great-grandfathers was seeing the Queen’s maid, which was prohibited.

“They would have been beheaded, so they quickly came to Philadelphia/New York area and from there moved to Allentown,” he says.

He adds that Sean is a good learner, and often inquires about his family’s history.

“He’ll say, ‘Did you tell me about this, or that?’ And I say, ‘Yeah,’ and he says, ‘Would you mind explaining that again?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, of course.’ It’s nice for him to come up and want to talk to me,” says Schittler.

Page 77: Town&Gown Nov 2012

75 - Town&Gown November 2012

now, throughout the years. “We have been together almost constantly, really,” she says. “They still come to Gram for this, that, and the other thing! And they’ll tell me anything. They tell me about the girls they go with and what they’ve done on their dates. They tell me everything!”

Hamilton worked at the time they were born, but later she quit and was able to take care of Paul and Joe.

“I would buy those little toy soldiers a couple inches high and we would play,” she says. “Paul always played the sergeant, and now he works for the Army and is in the National Guard.”

One of her favorite memories of the boys is going to the Grange Fair with them. “I’d pull them in a wagon — both of them in the same wagon — and they would love the sandbox,” she says. “Every year I would buy them a farm toy of some kind down there and they would play and stay there for hours. We had a ball!”

When she’s asked to sum up her relationship with her grandsons, she says, “We just help each other wherever and whenever we can.”

With grandparents, many have one distinct trait that is noticeable — when talking about their grandkids, their eyes

After her husband died, Theresa Park, 63, returned to Pennsylvania from Las Vegas. Originally from Brockport, she now lives in State College with her daughter, Valerie Noel.

Park is a grandmother of five and enjoys spending time with her three grandsons — Cody, 22, Jordan, 20, and Presley, 19. Her granddaughters, Mercedes and Shelby, live outside of the area.

“She is good to have around. She has a good quality of life,” says Noel.

Parks says she is very close to her family. While her grandsons played baseball and football, she would be their audience and watch. She says they used to play softball together, and remembers when Cody accidentally hit her in the face — although it didn’t hurt, it did leave a mark.

“It put a big ‘C’ on my cheek, and he said, ‘Grandma, just put the O-D-Y and make it Cody,’ ” she says. “They make me laugh!”

Noel says, “Her relationship with them was always playful. She wanted to be more of a friend than a disciplinarian.”

Park says grandchildren grow up so fast, and now that Cody and Jordan are in college, she sees less of them. But she still calls them and says, “You make Grandma very proud of what you are doing.”

Just like parents, grandparents sometimes make sacrifices or life changes in order to do what is best for a grandchild. Louis Hamilton made a change that probably helped her to do what also was best for her.

When her twin grandsons, Paul and Joe Lansberry, were born, Hamilton, 81, of State College, gave up smoking. “You can’t hold two twins and try to use your feet to smoke — that doesn’t go over well,” she says.

Her relationship has remained close to both of the boys, each 27

Theresa Park is a proud grandmother of five.

Page 78: Town&Gown Nov 2012

76 - Town&Gown November 2012

light up. With grandchildren, it’s the memories the grandparents create that light them up.

Although all of my grandparents have passed, I want to make some pancakes —“Gram style” — and think of those memories each time the batter hits the hot pan.

Syrup anyone? T&G

Aimee Morgan is a freelance writer in State College. She enjoys sharing the beauty of the town with friends, family, and her two dogs, Willy and Danny.

Now Renting for 2013 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

[email protected]

Louis Hamilton, a grandmother of two, says she enjoyed taking her grandsons to the Grange Fair and pulling them in a wagon.

The writer with her grandmother.

PERSONAL, FRIENDLY SERVICE

Better rates. Better terms. Better deals.

422A Westerly Parkway Plaza State College, PA 16801 814-234-0252 www.statecollegefcu.com

* Home Banking, VISA, and Debit Cards

* Youth and Club Accounts

* Holiday Loan Special: Up to $8,000 for 12 months at 5%

State College Federal Credit Union is now on Facebook!Shares are insured up to $250,000

Page 79: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 80: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 81: Town&Gown Nov 2012

Town&Gown’s 2012

Holiday Gift Guide

Special Advertising Section

Page 82: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 83: Town&Gown Nov 2012

107 Mountain Springs Lane • (814) 364-1000 • www.sevenmountainswinecellars.comOnly 20 minutes from State College, 1 mile off 322 near Potters Mills/Decker Valley Road

Relish theCranberry!

No “Holiday Gathering” is complete, without the fresh, crisp, taste of Seven Mountains100% Cranberry Wine. Great with Turkey, and sure to become a family tradition!

2010 Governor’s Cup Winner and Best of Show Fruit Wine

Unique wine accessories, carriers, stoppers, jewelry and ornaments, for the wine lover on your gift list! Tasting and Winery Tours at Seven Mountain’s beautiful lodge. Shipping Available.

Special Offer! 2010 Vidal Ice Wine, 10% Off, while supplies last!

Page 84: Town&Gown Nov 2012

82 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section Special Advertising Section

Holiday Gift Guide

Ace Hardware of State CollegeAce is a great place for unique gift ideas. Houseware items such as these from TAG are a small sample of our large, in store, gift selection. Can’t find it? Check out our extensive catalog, available for special orders. Our helpful staff is happy to help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list!

150 Rolling Ridge Dr.State College, PA 16801(814)237-3333

Aurum Jewelers and GoldsmithsA wildly elegant pendant in 14-karat white gold featuring round brilliant cut black and white diamonds, 1.51-carat total weight. Come see our unique designer collections and one-of- a-kind Aurum exclusives and let us help you select the perfect gift this holiday season.

132 S. Allen Street(814)237-1566www.aurumjewelers.net

Blair Plastic Surgery’s Non-Surgical Options Get started now on your Holiday Glow!Visit us in State College or Altoona during November and December to take advantage of10% OFF Botox and JuvedermXC10% OFF all medical skin care products10% OFF Latisse and Obagi Kits$25 OFF microdermabrasions $25 OFF chemical facial peelsOpen M-F with evening hours on Wednesdays.

1952 Waddle Rd., State College (814) 234-14203107 Fairway Dr., Altoona (814) 949-7280www.BlairPlasticSurgery.com

Confer’s Jewelers BellefonteWe need our loved ones to be close to us, we need to feel their touch. With these prints your loved ones are never far away, you can be reminded of their touch always. Fingerprint jewelry is a meaningful gift for the New Mom and Dad, New Grandparents, for those serving our Country away from their loved ones and as a Lasting Memorial for a loved one who’s passed on.

100 N. Allegheny St., Bellefonte(814) 355-8836, www.confersjewelers.com

Page 85: Town&Gown Nov 2012

83 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

The Perfect Gift for theOutdoor Chef on your list.

• Grills & Smokers • BBQ Tools • 3 Little Pigs Sauces & Rubs• John Henry’s Rubs & Sauces • NorthWoods Smoke

West College Ave.,Pleasant Gap, PA 16823

800-598-3995 • 814-359-2761fax: 814-359-2763

M.-Th. 8:30-5:30 • Fr. 8:30-5:00Sa. 8:30-2:00 • PA012501

SEE OUR COMPLETE SELECTION!SEE OUR COMPLETE SELECTION!150 Rolling Ridge Drive

Hills Plaza South (Next to Weis Market)

Mon.-Fri. 7am-8pm • Sat. 8am-6pm • Sun. 10am-5pm

814-237-3333 • acehardware.com

83 - Town&Gown&Gown& Special Advertising Section

Central Pennsylvania’s Game Room Superstore!STATE AMUSEMENT Billiards & Darts

Serving Central PA Since 1962

Holiday Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-6:30 p.m., Sat. 10-6 p.m., Sun. 12-4 p.m.

1358 E. College Avenue, State College814-234-0722The Ponderosa from Ollhausen

Try It, Before You Buy It! Our knowledgeable Staff is here to help you!

• Pool Table, Cue Sticks, Ping Pong, Foosball, Shuffleboard, Darts, Dart Boards & Accessories, Bar Stools, Poker Tables, Chess Sets, Lighting, Video Games If we don’t have it, we can get it!

• 12 Months Same as Cash Available

• Free Delivery and Set Up

• Billiard table cloth recovering, repairs, and moving

Page 86: Town&Gown Nov 2012

84 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

For the Cheese Lover!Slowly, but perceptibly, Goot Essa is developing a reputation for

producing cheeses of unmatched quality that really do deserve the designation, “gourmet.” The natural, earthy richness of the milk,

the care in hand-crafting, and the skillful aging by Amish cheese makers, all contribute to the Old World flavor. Ten varieties to

choose from including Mountain Valley Sharp Cheddar, Old German Weissa Kase, Der Alpen Kase, and introducing, Der Edel Bleu Kase, a rich

blue cheese that enhances the flavors of wines and meats.

Custom Gift Boxes, Baskets, and Shipping Available. Call 1-800-490-4387 for the complete catalog of Goot Essa Gourmet Food Assortments.

For the Cheese Lover!Slowly, but perceptibly, Goot Essa is developing a reputation for

producing cheeses of unmatched quality that really do deserve the designation, “gourmet.” The natural, earthy richness of the milk,

the care in hand-crafting, and the skillful aging by Amish cheese makers, all contribute to the Old World flavor. Ten varieties to

choose from including Mountain Valley Sharp Cheddar, Old German Weissa Kase, Der Alpen Kase, and introducing, Der Edel Bleu Kase, a rich

blue cheese that enhances the flavors of wines and meats.

Custom Gift Boxes, Baskets, and Shipping Available.

Slowly, but perceptibly, Goot Essa is developing a reputation for producing cheeses of unmatched quality that really do deserve the designation, “gourmet.” The natural, earthy richness of the milk,

the care in hand-crafting, and the skillful aging by Amish cheese makers, all contribute to the Old World flavor. Ten varieties to

choose from including Mountain Valley Sharp Cheddar, Old German Weissa Kase, Der Alpen Kase, and introducing, Der Edel Bleu Kase, a rich

blue cheese that enhances the flavors of wines and meats.

Special Advertising Section

Holiday Gift Guide

Mount Nittany Winery’s Autumn NectarPerfect to Serve Guests or as a Hostess Gift!One of Mt. Nittany Vineyard and Winery’s favorites to recommend, Autumn Nectar is a sweet, full-flavored dessert wine, similar in style to a German Eiswein. Served chilled, it is sure to finish off any holiday dinner in style. The perfect gift from your Local Vineyard and Winery. Free shipping for cases purchased online! Go to www.mtnittanywinery.com.

Back by popular demand, mark November 16 on your calendar, Ladies’ Night Wine and Appetizer Pairing, 5-7 p.m. An evening of sampling wine and appetizers, and holiday shopping with your girls. Event is $10 per person or $8 per person for parties of four or more. Reservations required. Call Sandy or Jinx at (814)466-6373.

I-99 Shiloh Rd. Exit shopnittanymall.com • 814.238.8037A Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust® Property PREIT

MALLSDownload the PREIT® Mall App

Nittany Mall... where your style comes to life.From the latest fashions and accessories to electronics, jewelry, and bath & body products, shop more than 60 specialty stores for everyone on your gift list! American Express® Mall Gift Cards are also available in the Management Office.

Jack Harper’sPeter Millar Penn State University Navy & White Twill Tattersall Sport Shirt.This Peter Millar NANOLUXE manufacturing process yields three benefits:Wrinkle resistance; Reduced seam pucker; Minimized garment shape loss. A classic tattersall pattern that will have people noticing your sense of classic style at the next tailgate.

100% Cotton. Retail $115. A Harper’s exclusive.Available in-store and online at www.jackharpers.com

Page 87: Town&Gown Nov 2012

85 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

A Perfect Choice for PSU Fans, from your Local Vineyard and Winery! Tailgate Red, Nittany Mountain White, Lion Country Blush

300 Houser Rd., Centre Hall 16828 ( 7 miles east of Penn State )www.mtnittanywinery.com (814) 466-6373

Tues.-Fri. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Art & Fine Crafts

Only 3 miles from Downtown, East on Rte 26 (E. College Ave.) Turn Right at Sheetz

824 Pike Street, Lemont • 814-867-0442 • www.gallery-shop.com824 Pike Street, Lemont • 814-867-0442 • www.gallery-shop.com

of Central Pennsylvania

Natural & Organic Cotton • Wool & Natural LatexMattresses & Bedding for Children & Adults

Eco-friendly • Solid Wood • Made in PennsylvaniaAffordable Living Solutions

1199 E. College Avenue • State College(866) ROOM DOC

www.RoomDoctor.com

Page 88: Town&Gown Nov 2012

86 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section Special Advertising Section

Holiday Gift Guide

Treat Your Wine Lover! Making room for the 2012 vintage in time for the holidays, all remaining 2010 will be 10% off until gone. Supplies very limited. 10% Off 2010 Vidal Ice Wine, Until Gone!Made from grapes that were permitted to freeze on the vine, this full flavored wine has a wonderful honey and apricot-like aromas and flavors. Awarded Double Gold at the PA Farm Show and winner of the Governor’s Cup in 2011 and 2012, Vidal Ice Wine finishes with a lingering richness. Seven Mountains Wine Cellars is getting ready to introduce the 2012 Vidal Ice Wine, so they’re offering the 2010 Vintage at 10% off. Quantities limited. Gift baskets, 28 different wines, unique wine accessories, ornaments. Shipping Available.

Seven Mountains Wine Cellars 107 Mountain Springs Lane (1 mile off 322 near Potter’s Mills/Decker valley Road) (814) 364-1000 • www.sevenmountainswinecellars.com

Great Gifts for the Hearth made in the USA!Come see our complete selection of Hearth Rugs, Tea Kettles, Tool Sets, Fireplace Screens, Wood Holders, Gloves, and Stove Pipe.

Pennwood Home & Hearth294 West College AvePleasant Gap, PA 16823800-598-3995 • (814) 359-2761www.pennwoodhomeandhearth.com

Give yourself a lasting gift of time & beauty. With Permanent Cosmetics you will save hours of primping and gain confidence by enhancing your look with color and definition. Deanna Vonada’s artistic application of hair-stroke eyebrows, eyeliner and lip liner and color will look more natural than over-the-counter cosmetics. Topical analgesics and the beautiful setting of the Spa at Kenlee will ensure your comfort. For before & after photos: www.AlwaysBeautifulLLC.com. Call (814) 353-4223 for a free consultation.

Healthy Living begins with Health Sleeping so give the Gift of Health to someone that you love. From our own line of affordable, solid-wood, eco-friendly furniture to our complete line of natural and organic bedding solutions, we can help you to purify your home.

• Natural and Organic Mattresses• Chemical-free Pillows• Wool Mattress Toppers• Natural Cotton futon mattresses

Room Doctor Furniture Company1199 E. College Avenue, State College(866)-ROOM-DOC • www.RoomDoctor.com

Page 89: Town&Gown Nov 2012

87 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

“Goot Essa”Simply, Good Food

Please call (800) 490-4387 to request our free catalog!

351 Wise Rd., Howard, PA 16841

(814) 349-4387

Make Holiday Entertaining or Gift-Giving Deliciously “Simple”

Create Your Own Custom Baskets and Boxes Choose from 10 Varieties of Amish-Made,

All Natural Cheeses, Apple Butter, Dipping Mustardsand 5 flavors of Fudge. Corporate Orders Welcome.

Shipping Available.

107 S. Allegheny St.(next to Dairy Queen)

Bellefonte814.404.1565

ALWAYS BUYING

15% Discount Extended with this Ad!

Open Mon-Fri.11-5 and Sat. 10-4

Through 12/29/2012

Page 90: Town&Gown Nov 2012

Holiday Gift Guide

State Amusement Company of State College State Amusement is the only place in town to get everything for your game room. Want to play a little Bubble Hockey? It is just as much fun today as it was when we were kids. Maybe Air Hockey is more you speed. No? What about ping pong? We have many other table games including Foosball, Poker and Pool. You should really stop in to see all of the great gift ideas in our showroom. Our showroom staff can help you make an educated selection, whether it be a pool cue, a chess set, or a boxed set of poker chips. If we don’t have what you want, we can order it for you to arrive before the holiday.358 E. College Avenue, State College(814) 234-0722

The UPS StoreTurn your pictures into art at the UPS store• Show off your child’s artwork or turn a favorite photo into a special gift • Gallery-wrapped edges allow you to hang with or without a frame • Stylish backgrounds and layouts for one or more photos • Landscape or portrait orientation • See photos in full color, black & white or sepia tones • Whether you are an avid or amateur photographer or simply a customer with a digital camera, this amazing process of adding any type of photo to a canvas background is truly amazing and makes a wonderful gift for any occasion. The UPS store can ship overnight!

19 Colonnade Way, State College(814) 238-8001$69 Special

Page 91: Town&Gown Nov 2012

89 - Town&Gown Special Advertising Section

BlairPlasticSurgery.com

Blair Plastic Surgery Robert Louton MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Altoona & State College

814.234.1420

814-353-4223 212 Kenlee Drive Facebook.com/kenleespaConveniently located off the Benner Pike between State College & Bellefonte.

• facials • massage • I Lipo • permanent make up • microderm • manicures • pedicures • waxing • laser • reiki • dermal rolling • hydrafacials • reflexology • hypnosis • Botox • Juvederm • gift cards

THE SPA AT KENLEEPamper your loved ones at

Free facial waxing with purchase of a hydrafacial.

Page 92: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 93: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 94: Town&Gown Nov 2012

92 - Town&Gown November 2012

Penn State students from the late 1880s – the high point of the Washington Literary Society.

Early student organizations attracted high-profile people

By Lee Stout

Group Gatheringspenn state diary

Question: What do Abraham Lincoln, Evan Pugh, James Buchanan, William G. Waring, and Thaddeus Stevens have in common?

Answer: They were all honorary members of the earliest student organizations of what is now Penn State University.

The groups that Lincoln and the others joined were the Farm School’s two literary societies, the Washington Agricultural and the Cresson, which were the only two approved student organizations of that time. They were begun in 1859 by students interested in literary pursuits, although the faculty soon assigned all the school’s students to one society or the other.

The Washington Literary Society (“Agricultural” was dropped from the name in 1869) was named for President George Washington, who was a gentleman farmer and a member of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, which was founded in 1785. That society was the precursor of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society, which sponsored the creation of the institution that is now Penn State.

The other association was the Cresson Literary Society, named for Elliott Cresson, a noted Philadelphia Quaker merchant and philanthropist, who left a legacy of $5,000 to the Agricultural Society at his death in 1854. The society allocated it to the school; it was thus the largest donation to the college from a single individual until the Atherton administration gifts of Charles Schwab and Andrew Carnegie.

The societies came together in their halls in Old Main every Friday evening, and these meetings provided some cultural and social life for both the students and faculty families in this isolated place. The societies developed libraries with books of popular interest, in contrast to the college collection of scientific and technical literature. Debating and oratory

were regular features of the meetings as were the presentation of essays and declamations, which also were occasionally published in a society literary magazine.

There also were occasional musical recitals and performances of plays, lectures, and a variety of other social events. The school’s first “newspaper,” something of a schoolboy scandal sheet, handwritten in several copies and titled The Anonymous, was the product of the Washington society. Its motto, “Catch me if you can,” suggests that it poked fun at the formalities of mid-nineteenth-century college life.

Lincoln’s letter accepting his membership is one of the University Archives most cherished documents. It was sent from Springfield, Illinois, on June 4, 1860, and simply states: “The Washington Agricultural Literary Society of the Farm School, Pennsylvania, will please accept my thanks for the honor done me in electing me an honorary member of the same.” It is signed “Very Respectfully, A. Lincoln.”

Just three weeks before, Lincoln had become the Republican Party candidate for the office of President of the United States. He had remained at home in Springfield, rather than attending the convention in Chicago. He spent that summer and fall wrapping up his law practice, meeting visitors, carrying on

Penn State U

niversity Archives

Page 95: Town&Gown Nov 2012

93 - Town&Gown November 2012

an extensive correspondence, and sitting for well-known portraits by several artists and photographers. In fact, he stayed in Springfield until the conclusion of the election in November. The letter he wrote to the Farm School students was one of hundreds, both trifling and significant, he wrote that summer.

The Cresson society’s membership roll book in the archives lists 191 honorary members elected between 1859 and 1888, and there are a number of letters in response to the invitations in the collections of both societies. In addition to candidate Lincoln, Buchanan, the only Pennsylvanian to serve as President, also accepted membership. Senator Stephen A. Douglas, Senator Hannibal Hamlin, who would be Lincoln’s first Vice President, Major Robert Anderson, who was the Union commander of Fort Sumter in 1861, Secretary of State William H. Seward, Senator Simon Cameron, who also was Lincoln’s first Secretary of War, and powerful Republican Representative Stevens did as well.

Local faculty, college presidents, and prominent community members such as James Irvin, Moses Thompson, E.C. Humes, and Hugh N. McAllister accepted honorary membership, as did Penn State trustees (including Carnegie). Pennsylvania governors Bigler, Pollock, Packer, Curtin, Geary, and Beaver were invited as well as state officials and legislators.

These first student societies offered students a broader experience than just agricultural science; several of the acceptance letters encouraged students to apply themselves in these endeavors to further their “mental training,” learn “moral rectitude,” and build character. They also were cautioned, however. George Barrett of Clearfield advised: “Adopt at once the higher standards, and discard from your library, your reading, and your thoughts the filthy trash that is now obtaining so extensive a circulation. …” Despite Barrett’s counsel against “cheap literature,” the Cressons that year had a debate on the question “Is fictitious reading injurious?” The attendees concluded by a vote of 12-5 that it wasn’t; novels remained a mainstay of their libraries. While largely dismissed as antiquarian curiosities today, these societies reinforced the “practical usefulness” of the liberal arts in the nineteenth century’s rural land-grant college. T&G

Lee Stout is Librarian Emeritus, Special Collections for Penn State.

Merrill David: Fostering Understanding

“Global diplomacy on a one-to-one level” — that’s how Executive Director Merrill David interprets the mission of Global Connections. The United Way partner agency and Penn State affiliate brings together local residents and visiting or immigrant internationals for conversation, English as a second language classes, cultural events, and much more.

“We live in this amazingly internationalized community,” David says, “with some 130 countries represented here. Our programs are designed to assist both internationals and Americans to foster greater understanding and build community across cultures.”

David’s “global connection” began for personal reasons. The New York City native and her British husband moved to Pennsylvania to teach at Bucknell University. David eventually began directing ESL and literacy services for the Mid-State Literacy Council. In 1998, as the couple prepared to bring home their first daughter from China, David was matched up with a Chinese conversation partner through Global Connections to learn more about her daughter’s culture. The Chinese woman “became like a sister to me,” David recalls, even serving as an interpreter during the adoption. In 2004, David took on the role of Global Connections director.

David loves the Chinese concept that a red thread connects each person to everyone who is supposed to be part of his or her life . “My first daughter is my first red-thread girl, and you could say that all the people who connect through GC’s programs also share a red thread between them.”

The Penn State Bookstore thanks Merrill David and everyone who helps carry out the Penn State mission, every day.

Get to know...

www.psu.bncollege.com814-863-0205

Page 96: Town&Gown Nov 2012

COMI NG TOBryce Jordan Center

November1

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

7:30 p.m.

3Lady Lion Basketball vs. California (PA)

(Exhibition)2 p.m.

3Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Philadelphia

University (Exhibition)4 p.m.

4Maybach Music Group

7 p.m.

8Central PA Regional Business

and Industry Expo1:30 p.m.

9Nittany Lion Basketball vs. St. Francis

7 p.m.

11Lady Lion Basketball vs. Howard

2 p.m.

13Carrie Underwood

7:30 p.m.

17The Blue Band TailGreat Show: Indiana

TBA

18Lady Lion Basketball vs. Lafayette

2 p.m.

23Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Bucknell

4:30 p.m.

24The Blue Band TailGreat Show: Wisconsin

TBA

28Nittany Lion Basketball vs. Boston College

9:15 p.m.

Page 97: Town&Gown Nov 2012

95 - Town&Gown November 2012

what’s happening

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 [email protected]. Photos are welcome.

November1

25 27

4 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 16 17

18 19 24

26

Great night of music in Happy Valley as Bruce Springsteen is at the BJC and Bela Fleck headlines Banjo Summit 2 at Eisenhower Auditorium.

15

22

30

Daylight Saving Time Ends

Election Day Penn State Centre Stage opens its production of In the Red and Brown Water at the Playhouse Theatre.

The Nittany Lion basketball team opens its season hosting St. Francis.

Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of Maria and Baron von Trapp, performs at the State Theatre.

Veterans Day

The Lady Lion basketball team takes on Howard in its season opener.

Country/pop star Carrie Underwood visits the Bryce Jordan Center.

The two-time defending national champion Penn State wrestling team opens its season hosting cross-state rival Lehigh.

Thanksgiving The Nittany Lion football team ends its season at home against Wisconsin.

The holiday season is officially here as Boalsburg hosts its Hometown Christmas celebration Nov. 30-Dec. 1.

17

national champion

opens its season

state rival Lehigh.

VOTE

Daylight Saving Time Ends

For Club Events, Films, and more “What’s Happening,” check outtownandgown.com

Deadline for submitting events for the January issue is November 30.

Page 98: Town&Gown Nov 2012

96 - Town&Gown November 2012

15 – Research Unplugged Series: Anthony Leach on “A Joyful Noise: Choral Music from the African-American Tradition,” Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 12:15 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.16 – Gallery Talk: “Celebrating Forty Years of Gifts,” Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.

Club Events1 – 148th PA Volunteer Infantry Civil War Reenactment Group mtg., Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, S.C., 7:30 p.m., 861-0770.2 – Town & Gown Ballroom Dance group, Mountain View Country Club (Elks), Boalsburg, 7:30 pm, 880-0723.7, 14, 21, 28 – S.C. Sunrise Rotary Club mtg., Hotel State College, S.C., 7:15 a.m., [email protected], 14, 28 – Centre Squares Dance Club, Square Dancing, Pleasant Gap Elementary School, 8 p.m., 238-8949.8, 15, 22, 29 – S.C. Downtown Rotary mtg., Damon’s Grill & Sports Bar, S.C., noon, http://centrecounty.org/rotary/club/.11 – CPBDA Ballroom Dance, Christ Community Church, S.C., 6 p.m., [email protected] – Women’s Mid Day Connection Luncheon, Elks Club, Boalsburg, 11:30 a.m., 355-7615.14 – State College Bird Club mtg., Foxdale Village, S.C., 7 p.m. 14 – Women’s Welcome Club of State College, Oakwood Presbyterian Church, S.C., 7 p.m., www.womenswelcomeclub.org.

Community Associations & Development8 – Centre County TRIAD mtg., Centre LifeLink EMS, S.C., 10 a.m., 237-8932.15 – Business After Hours hosted by The Hearthside Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, 450 Waupelani Dr., S.C., 5:30 p.m., 234-1829 or www.cbicc.org.20 – Spring Creek Watershed Association mtg., Patton Township Mun. Bldg., 7:30 a.m., www.springcreekwatershed.org.28 – Patton Township Business Association mtg., Patton Township Mun. Bldg., noon, www.ptba.org.

ExhibitsOngoing-18 – Decade3 SCASD Alumni Art Exhibition, HUB-Robeson Gallery, PSU, 272-4067 or 231-1080.

Academics2 – State College Area School District, K-12 no school.16 – PSU, Late-drop deadline.18-24 – PSU, Thanksgiving Holiday, no classes.21-26 – State College Area School District, Thanksgiving Holiday, K-12 no school.

Children & Families2, 21, 23, 26 – No School Day Activities, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 11 a.m., 2 p.m. Nov. 23, www.schlowlibrary.org.3, 10, 17, 24 – Gadgets for Grownups, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 10:30 a.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.5, 19 – Drop In Knitting Group, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 6:30 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.4 – Pajama Concert, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 7 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.9 – John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean, State Theatre, S.C., 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.8 – Drop In Embroidery Group, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 6:30 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.8 – Kids Day: Dress Up & Discover!, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 10 a.m., www.pamilmuseum.org.

Classes & Lectures1 – Research Unplugged Series: Samuel Thompson on “Obama vs. Romney: The Debate on Economic Growth,” Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 12:15 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.6, 20 – “A Joint Venture,” a free class on hip and knee replacements, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 11 a.m. Nov. 6, 7 p.m. Nov. 20, 278-4810.8 – Research Unplugged Series: Simon Bronner on “Campus Traditions: Folklore from the Old-Time College to the Modern University,” Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 12:15 p.m., www.schlowlibrary.org.9 – Gallery Talk: “Floating Between Worlds: A Conversation about Japanese Woodblock Prints,” Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.11 – “From Africa to the Bars and Brothels of the Inner City” presented by Edwina Gately, State College Presbyterian Church, S.C., 3 p.m., www.scpresby.org.13 – Central PA Civil War Roundtable Lecture: “The Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee” by Matthew Atkinson, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 7:30 p.m., www.pamilmuseum.org.

Page 99: Town&Gown Nov 2012

97 - Town&Gown November 2012

2-Dec. 8 – Watercolor Paintings by Michele Rojas Rivera, Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, S.C.

Health CareFor schedule of blood drives visit www.cccredcross.org or www.givelife.org.

1 – Grief Support Group, Centre Crest, Bellefonte, 6 p.m., 548-1140 or [email protected], 13 – Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group, Schlow Centre Region Library, S.C., 1 p.m., 234-3141.5 – Breast Cancer Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 5:30 p.m., 231-70058 – The Diabetes Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6 p.m., 231-7095.11 – Ostomy Support Group, Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 2 p.m., 231-3132.13 – Brain Injury Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 7 p.m., 359-3421.14 – The Fertility Issues and Loss Support Group, Choices (2214 N. Atherton St.), S.C., 6:30 p.m., www.heartofcpa.org.15 – Better Breathers Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Pleasant Gap, 2 p.m., 359-3421.

Ongoing-28 – Those Who Came Before: The Archaeology of Centre County’s Native Americans, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., www.centrecountyhistory.org.Ongoing-Nov. 30 – Art of the Southwest, Bellefonte Art Museum, Bellefonte, 1-4:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., www.bellefontemuseum.org.Ongoing-Nov. 30 – Foodways, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, www.pamilmuseum.org.Ongoing-Dec. 9 – Floating Between Worlds: New Research on Japanese Prints 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-Dec. 16 – Photography at the Palmer: A Selection of Gifts, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.Ongoing-Dec. 31 – Centre County and the Civil War, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., www.centrecountyhistory.org.Ongoing-Jan. 20 – Celebrating Forty Years of Gifts: Works on Paper 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.2 – Drawings and Masquettes by Seymour Lipton, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 10 a.m., www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.2-4 – Journey East: Quilts of Our Foreign Lands, Art Alliance Art Center, Lemont, 234-6066, www.bellefontemuseum.org.

College of Arts College of Arts and Architectureand ArchitectureC e n t r e S t a g e

P E N N S T A T E

814-863-0255 • www.theatre.psu.edu

Some people would KILL for a good musical!

Oct. 16–Nov. 2Pavilion Theatre

NOVEMBER 7–15Playhouse Theatre

Sometimes TRAGEDY is just a matter of

REALLY BAD TIMING.

Page 100: Town&Gown Nov 2012

98 - Town&Gown November 2012

15 – The free “Parents-to-Be: The HEIR & Parents Hospital Tour for Expectant Parents,” Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 231-3132.19 – Cancer Survivor Support Group, Centre County United Way, S.C., 11:30 a.m., www.cancersurvive.org.20 – Multiple Sclerosis Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Outpatient Entrance, Pleasant Gap, 6 p.m., 359-3421.27 – Stroke Support Group, HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehab Hospital, Outpatient Entrance, Pleasant Gap, 1 p.m., 359-3421.

Music1 – Bach’s Lunch: Solo & Ensemble Music from the flute studio, Eisenhower Chapel, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.1 – Banjo Summit 2 featuring Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, Bill Keith, Richie Stearns, Eric Weissberg, and Pete Wernick, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu.1 – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, BJC, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu.3 – Nittany Valley Symphony presents Youthful Voices, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.nvs.org.3 – Penn State Glee Club, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 8 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.4 – Oriana Singers, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 2 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.4 – Concert Choir, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 4 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.4 – Maybach Music Group Tour, featuring Rick Ro$$, Meek Mill and Wale, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu.5 – Toots and the Maytals, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.5 – Trombone Choir, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.7 – G. Love & Special Sauce, State Theatre, S.C., 8:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.8 – Bach’s Lunch: Hilos from the Penn State Glee Club, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.8 – Ron Carter Trio, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu.9-10 – Single Reed Summit, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, all day, www.music.psu.edu.10 – Acoustic Brew Concert: Town Mountain, Center for Well Being, Lemont, 7:30 p.m., www.acousticbrew.org.10 – Elisabeth von Trapp – Benefit Event for Pennsylvania’s Central Orchestra and The State Theatre, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.11 – Women’s Chorale, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 2 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.11 – Veterans Day Concert, State College Area South High School Auditorium, S.C., 3 p.m., www.scasd.org.

11 – Violinist James Lyon, Unitraian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County, S.C., 3 p.m., www.uufcc.com.11 – University Choir, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 4 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.12 – Centre Dimensions Jazz Ensemble, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.13 – Masterclass: St. Lawrence String Quartet, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 10 a.m., www.music.psu.edu. 13 – Carrie Underwood with Special Guest Hunter Hayes, BJC, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu.14 – The Art of Music: Revamped – A Violin Duo, Palmer Museum of Art, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.14 – St. Lawrence String Quartet, Schwab Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu.15 – Bach’s Lunch: Baroque Ensemble, Eisenhower Chapel, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.15 – Chamber Orchestra, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.16 – Pure Cane Sugar, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.29 – Bach’s Lunch: Clarinet Studio, Eisenhower Chapel, PSU, 12:10 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.29 – A Leahy Family Christmas, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., www.cpa.psu.edu.29 – Clarinet Studio Recital, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., www.music.psu.edu.30 – The Celtic Tenors, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.

Special Events2-4 – State of Film Festival: Celebrating State High Alums Working in Film, State Theatre, S.C., www.thestatetheatre.org.2, 9, 16 – Downtown State College Farmers’ Market, Locust Lane, S.C., 11:30 a.m., www.statecollegefarmers.com.3, 10 – North Atherton Farmers’ Market, parking lot of Home Depot, S.C., 10 a.m., www.nathertonmarket.com.3, 10, 17, 24 – Millheim Farmers’ Market, Millheim American Legion pavilion, 10 a.m., www.oldgreggschool.com.4 – Historic Harvest Festival, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, S.C., 2 p.m.6 – Boalsburg Farmers’ Market, PA Military Museum, Boalsburg, 2 p.m., www.boalsburgfarmersmarket.com.8 – Central PA Regional Business and Industry Expo, BJC, PSU, 1:30 p.m., www.bjc.psu.edu.8 – Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art Holiday Art and Ornament Sale, Palmer Museum of Art, www.palmermuseum.psu.edu.8 – Women’s International Night Out!, Minitab World Headquarters, S.C., 6:30 p.m., 863-3927.

Page 101: Town&Gown Nov 2012

99 - Town&Gown November 2012

8 – Community Help Center “Sound Relief,” State Theatre, S.C., 6 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.9 – Candy Canes and Cocktails to benefit Our Lady of Victory Preschool, Our Lady of Victory Activity Center, S.C., 6 p.m., 238-6616.9-11 – Holiday Open House at The Harvest Shop, Tait Farm Foods, Boalsburg.10 – Pennsylvania State Elks Soccer Shoot, Park Forest Middle School, S.C., 9 a.m.10 – Alla Prima Art Auction, Elks Club of State College, 7 p.m., www.scasd.org.11 – Veterans Day Dinner, State College Elks Country Club, Boalsburg, 6 p.m., 574-8920.14 – Live Well: World Diabetes Day Special Event, Galen & Nancy Dreibelbis Auditorium at Mount Nittany Medical Center, S.C., 5:30 p.m., 234-6727.15 – Found in Translation: World Poetry Read by World People, Webster’s Bookstore Cafe, S.C., 7 p.m., www.global.psu.edu/gc.16 – Crystal Gala Celebration for Saint Joseph’s Academy, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, PSU, 6 p.m., 808-6118.17 – One-Stop Shopping Fair, Knights of Columbus Hall, S.C., 574-7578.29 – Warren Miller’s Flow State, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.30-Dec. 1 – Boalsburg Hometown Christmas, Boalsburg, www.boalsburgvillageconserancy.org.30-Dec. 1 – Stocking Stuffer Antiques, Art & Fine Craft Sale, Centre Furnace Mansion, S.C., 10 a.m., www.centrecountyhistory.org.

Sports

For tickets to Penn State sporting events, visit www.gopsusports.com or call 865-5555. For area high school sporting events, call your local high school.

1 – Intrasquad, wrestling, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.2 – PSU/Minnesota, women’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 8 p.m. 2-3 – PSU/Sacred Heart, women’s ice hockey, Greenberg Ice Pavilion, PSU, 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sat.3 – PSU/California (PA) (exhibition), women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.3 – PSU/Philadelphia University (exhibition), men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 4 p.m.3 – PSU/Buffalo State, men’s ice hockey, Greenberg Ice Pavilion, PSU, 7:30 p.m.3-4 – PSU, Garret Penn State, men & women’s fencing, White Building, PSU, 8 a.m.4 – PSU/Wisconsin, women’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 2 p.m.8 – PSU/Illinois, women’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 8 p.m.9 – NCAA Cross-Country Mid-Atlantic Regional, PSU, noon.9 – PSU/St. Francis, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 7 p.m.9-10 – PSU/Air Force, men’s ice hockey, Greenberg Ice Pavilion, PSU, 7:30 p.m.10 – PSU/Northwestern, women’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.

B u y H e r e L i v e H e r e . c o m

Page 102: Town&Gown Nov 2012

4 – “Greats at the State” Film Series: Modern Times, State Theatre, S.C., 2 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.4 – Red Sky Performance presents The Great Mountain, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 2 p.m., 863-0255 or www.cpa.psu.edu.7 – Company Finzi Pasca presents Donka: A Letter to Chekhov, Eisenhower Auditorium, PSU, 7:30 p.m., 863-0255 or www.cpa.psu.edu.7 – National Theatre Live presents Timon of Athens, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.7-15 – Penn State Centre Stage presents In the Red and Brown Water, Playhouse Theatre, PSU, 7:30 p.m., theatre.psu.edu.10 – The Metropolitan Opera Live HD presents Ades’s The Tempest, State Theatre, S.C., 1 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.11 – The Sound of Music, State Theatre, S.C., 1:30 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.12 – PSU Ethical Dilemmas in Film Series: Citizen Kane, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.12 – PSU Ethical Dilemmas in Film Series: The Third Man, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.26 – PSU Ethical Dilemmas in Film Series: The Girl in the Cafe, State Theatre, S.C., 7 p.m., www.thestatetheatre.org.30 – Cosi Fan Tutte, Esber Recital Hall, PSU, 8 p.m., www.music.psu.edu. T&G

10 – PSU/Villanova, men & women’s swimming, McCoy Natatorium, PSU, TBA.10-11 – PSU/Robert Morris, women’s ice hockey, Greenberg Ice Pavilion, PSU, 2 p.m.11 – PSU/Howard, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.16 – PSU/Lehigh, wrestling, Rec Hall, 7 p.m.17 – PSU/Indiana, football, Beaver Stadium, PSU, TBA.18 – PSU/Lafayette, women’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 2 p.m.21 – PSU/Ohio State, women’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, 7 p.m.23 – PSU/Bucknell, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 4:30 p.m.24 – PSU/Michigan State, women’s volleyball, Rec Hall, PSU, TBA.24 – PSU/Wisconsin, football, Beaver Stadium, PSU, TBA.28 – PSU/Boston College, men’s basketball, BJC, PSU, 9:15 p.m.30 – PSU/Arizona State, men’s ice hockey, Greenberg Ice Pavilion, PSU, 7:30 p.m.

Theater1-2 – Penn State Centre Stage presents Sweeney Todd, Pavilion Theatre, PSU, 7:30 p.m., theatre.psu.edu.1-4, 9-11 – Next Stage presents Ten Unknowns, State Theatre, S.C., 8 p.m. (2:30 p.m. matinees Nov. 4, 10, & 11), www.thestatetheatre.org.

100 - Town&Gown November 2012

Red Cross Honor Roll of Milestone Blood Donors

650 N Science Park Rd • 2601-A E College Ave

THIS AD IS SPONSORED BY

13 GALLONS: Patricia Ketcho12 GALLONS: Nanette Bohren, Herbert McKinstry,

Robert Peese11 GALLONS: William Bowser, Richard DiMarcello,

Ronald Dixon, Chris Dotts10 GALLONS: Paul Lutz, Carl Merrow

1 GALLON: Tyler Boone, Tracey Bowes, Kathleen Bradley, Christine Broadwater, H Scott Burd,

Cameron Butler, Jorge Calderon, Daniel Carretta, Bobi Catherman, Kandi Catterton, Leah Cherry, Colleen Cingle, Julie Colman, Nichole Corrigan,

Jenna Cowan, Whitney Crater, Jeffery Crum, Rhiannon Davis, Kristin Dreyer, Gerald Dufour, Edward Evock, Jennifer Feehan, Richard Feigh,

Mark Feldman, Jay Fiore, David Fisher, David Frantz,Steven Fuhrman, Kimberly Fuller, Cindy Gearhart,

Andrew Geronimo, Paul Gibson, Kaylee Giger,Jennifer Gilbert, Gail Gilchrest, James Glick,

Bryan Glick, Kathryn Goodman, Lauren Greselin,Jose Guerrero, Kathleen Guglielmi, James Gunther

Page 103: Town&Gown Nov 2012

THE CELTIC TENORSNov. 30 at 8pm

$37.00

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE PRESENTS:

TIMON OF ATHENSNov. 1 at 7:00pm

$15, $12 seniors, $10 students

TEN UNKNOWNSPRESENTED BY THE NEXT STAGENov. 1 at 8pm (Preview)

Nov. 2 at 8pmNov. 3 at 8pm

Nov. 4 at 2:30pmNov. 9 at 8pm

Nov. 10 at 2:30 and 8pmNov. 11 at 2:30pm

$16, $14 seniors & students, $10 (preview only)

STATE OF FILM FESTNov. 2 at 5-11pm

Nov. 3 at 9am-11pmNov. 4 at 9:30am-11:30am$55 Weekend Pass, $6 Feature

Films, $4 Short Films

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALSNov. 5 at 8pm

$38.00($1 of every ticket goes to

the Toots Foundation)

HOW TO SURVIVE THE PLAGUE

Nov. 17 at 4 & 7:30pmNov. 18 at 4 & 7:30

Nov. 19 at 4pmNov. 20 at 7:30pmNov. 21 at 4 & 7:30

Nov. 18 at 4 & 7:30pm$8.00, $6.00 seniors & students

www.thestatetheatre.org • (814) 272-0606

130 W. College Ave. • Downtown State College

Come Home to The State

G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE Nov. 7 at 8:30pm

$29.50

ELISABETH VON TRAPPPRESENTED BY PENNSYLVANIA CENTRE

ORCHESTRA & THE STATE THEATRENov. 10 at 8pm

$30.00, $100.00 VIP Ticket includes post event dessert reception with Ms. von Trapp

THE SOUND OF MUSIC SPECIAL SING-A-LONG VERSION

PRESENTED BY PENNSYLVANIA CENTRE ORCHESTRA & THE STATE THEATRE

Nov. 11 at 2pm$8.00, $6.00 seniors & students,

$25.00 Family Package (Includes two adults, two children)

Page 104: Town&Gown Nov 2012

102 - Town&Gown November 2012

Finding the right wines to go with the holiday feast can be difficult, but there are delectable options out there

Thanksgiving Tricks and Treats

By Lucy Rogers

from the vine

Our sense of Thanksgiving tradition is most certainly tied to the foods served at the Thanks-giving table. When we recall Thanksgivings past or plan Thanksgivings future, undoubtedly we are most excited to talk about the foods we prepare: Mom’s green-bean casserole with the fried onions on top, or the broccoli-cheddar-Ritz cracker casserole, or perhaps Grandma’s awesome mashed potatoes and Dad’s unbeat-able gravy.

It is kind of interesting, however, that no particular beverage has ever been specifically tied to Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, there’s wine on the table and beer with football, but noth-ing seems to have captured this holiday in the way Champagne has taken hold of New Year’s Eve. When our panel gathered for a mock Thanksgiving dinner to explore wine pairings with a turkey and all the trimmings, we think we may have figured out why. With an embrace of so many different dishes on the table (often contributed by different guests attending the dinner) and American culinary trends always tweaking and twisting old favorites, it’s pretty hard to identify just one wine that will go with every dish on the table.

We assembled most of the traditional dishes one would find at almost any Thanksgiving ta-ble: creamy mashed potatoes, buttery corn scal-lop, salty rich gravy, moist savory stuffing, tart cranberry jelly, (semidry) herbed turkey, and green salad with roasted shallot vinaigrette. If you were to consider a wine pairing for each of these dishes individually, you would undoubt-edly be led to as many wines as you had dishes. And we did have quite an assortment of wine: Prosecco, sparkling brut rosè, two still rosès (one Gamay based, the other Syrah/Grenache based), a Pinot Gris, an off-dry Riesling, a

Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, a Sangiovese, a Zin-fandel, and two red blends — a Zin-Cab-Syrah blend and the other a Cab-Merlot blend. And for history’s sake, we also included a hard apple cider, since it is most likely that the pilgrims were drinking cider at the first Thanksgiving.

For the most part, we found certain wines paired nicely with certain foods — even mul-tiple foods. The right rosè could bring a nice element of fruit and acidity to turkey, Riesling worked well with salad, Chardonnay worked just fine with mashed potatoes and corn scal-lop, but it was hard to find one wine that worked well with every food. This was further

Page 105: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 106: Town&Gown Nov 2012

104 - Town&Gown November 2012

complicated for those who were “mixed fork” eaters — those who always put a little taste of everything on their fork for every mouthful. Invariably for these folks, cranberry jelly be-came any wine’s nemesis, with its semi-sour-fruit-and-tart finish singlehandedly bringing every wine to its knees. That is, every wine save one: the sparkling wines. You may have heard me say it before, but it is no less true today as ever: sparkling wines are quite possi-bly the most versatile of wines with which to pair food. The carbonation helps cut through heavier dishes, as does their dose of acidity. If you choose a sparkler for Thanksgiving, look for something that isn’t quite bone dry (bruts will probably be too dry for the meal) — choose an extra dry (ironically named) or a demi-sec. These wines will have enough fruit flavor to complement most of the dishes on the table, and are often lower in alcohol, which can be a nice bonus if you will be at the table for a while. An extra perk is that if you go with a rosè sparkler, they are celebrational, great on their own as an aperitif, and look lovely in the glass. One of my go-to favorites is Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noirs (PLCB code 8100, $16.99) from Napa Valley.

But maybe after a few glasses of sparkling wine prior to and at the beginning of the meal you want to move on to something else. Cran-berry jelly aside, there were lots of interesting combinations that worked. For white wines, I thought the slightly off-dry Riesling worked well with salad, if you are doing a salad course, and would work with sweeter sides like sweet

potatoes. The still rosès, if fruity enough, also work well with turkey and gravy, as will Pinot Gris and hard cider. In fact, I thought the Pinot Gris was the best white wine suited to the meal as a whole with lots of ripe fruit right up front, but with enough acid to not be cloying. A couple of Pinot Gris to look for are those from Trimbach (PLCB code 8494, $18.99), Anne Amis (PLCB code 38925, $15.99), and Lange Estate (PLCB code 45564, $18.99).

For reds, lighter fruit-forward wines made from grapes such as Gamay Beaujolais and new-world Pinot Noir can offer the same qualities that cranberry jelly can in terms of complementing turkey and all the trimmings — as long as you don’t have cranberry tucked on to that fork! Bigger reds such as our red blends and Zinfandels actually fared well with most of the dishes because they had a more jammy profile than a peppery or tannic one. In that regard, Francis Coppola’s Rosso (PLCB code 5383, $12.99) blend of Zinfan-del, Cabernet, and Syrah was a hit in terms of really complementing the meal rather than serving to distract from it.

And then, finally, there is dessert. If pumpkin pie is on the menu, a nicely chilled Gewurztraminer is a good match. Apple and peach pies would probably be best served with a nutty tawny port, or, better yet, an ice wine. The beauty of offering dessert wines is that those who simply can’t eat another bite can participate in dessert with a luscious glass of something a little sweet.

In the end, if you are committed to trying to please as many people as possible at your Thanksgiving table, have a few options on hand, and experiment. Start with a sparkling, move on to Pinot Gris, and then keep a nice rosè and a big red handy. You and your guests will have plenty to be thankful for! T&G

Lucy Rogers teaches wine classes and offers pri-vate wine tastings through Wines by the Class. She also is the event coordinator for Zola Catering.

Page 107: Town&Gown Nov 2012

105 - Town&Gown November 2012

Our Product Is Service

1301 N. Atherton St. • 237-1492

Commercial Insurance

Personal Insurance

Financial Services

[email protected]

Just One Reason toDo Business With

a MemberMembers Sign a Code of Ethics

Learn more atwww.centralpabuilders.com

Page 108: Town&Gown Nov 2012

106 - Town&Gown November 2012106 - Town&Gown November 2012

Joh

n Ho

venstine (4)

Tastethe TasteTasteofthe ofofMonth

Cinnamon Bunsfrom Pizza Mia.

Page 109: Town&Gown Nov 2012

107 - Town&Gown November 2012107 - Town&Gown &Gown & November 2012

Pizza Mia, located at 106 North Spring Street in historic Bellefonte, is creating quite a buzz with local residents. Opened in 2003, the dining room features flat-screen televisions and seats up to 60 guests. The inspiration behind the pizzeria is to es-tablish a gathering place where people of all walks of life can come for great pizzas at reasonable prices. Over the years, the menu has expanded to include subs, wraps, salads, wings, pastas, burgers, and, new this year, breakfast!

Pizza lovers are taking notice because owners Melissa and Johnnie Jennings are not cutting any corners when it comes to using only the freshest ingredients and taking the time to hand-toss every pie. The dough is made fresh every day from lo-cal spring-harvest flour, specially filtered Bellefonte spring water, 100-percent extra-virgin olive oil, premium harvest Hawaiian gold raw cane sugar, sea salt, and yeast.

“We use as much local produce as we can when it’s in season, but during the off-season, I place my order on Monday or Tuesday — it’s picked on that day by our purveyors, it’s imme-diately shipped to Pittsburgh where my

guy picks up the order, so the tomatoes go from vine to plate in just a few days,” explains Johnnie Jennings. “We also only use premium whole-milk mozzarella cheese with no preservatives or fillers because when our customers bite into our plain cheese pizza, they will taste the flavor, and there is a Wow! factor!”

With more than 30 different toppings to choose from, the pizza combinations are endless. Some unique specialty pizzas include the Rustic Harvest, Chicken Alfredo, and Bacon Cheeseburger. But the bestsellers are the traditional plain cheese pizza and the pepperoni pizza. For a special birthday treat, call ahead to request a hand-tossed 28-inch pizza with all your favorite toppings. Available for pick-up or dining in, it serves 11 to 15 people.

Other must-try items on the menu include the marinated stuffed portabella mushrooms, the Very Berry Dessert Pizza, Hawaiian Sweet Pie, the Early Morning Breakfast Pizza, any of the burg-ers served on a made-to-order handspun bread roll, and freshly made in-house cinnamon buns.

Take-n-bake cinnamon buns also are available, so take

some home to bake in your own

oven for the holidays.

From standards to new creations, Pizza Mia has something for everyone

By Vilma Shu Danz

Pie Perfection

Very Berry Dessert Pizza (opposite page)Made with fresh fruit — blueberries and strawberries — with a drizzle of sweet vanilla icing on top of a sugared crust.

Garlic Chicken

PizzaGrilled chicken,

red onions, mozzarella, cheddar cheese with garlic

ranch sauce, and fresh garlic.

Page 110: Town&Gown Nov 2012

108 - Town&Gown November 2012

For your next business luncheon or special oc-casion, Happy Valley Catering at Pizza Mia offers a wide assortment of catering options from make-your-own personal-sized pizzas, sub and wrap trays, appetizers, salads, fruits, and cookie platters, to pasta buffets. Pizza Mia also will be happy to customize a menu to meet your needs and has done special requests such as on-site blueberry pancakes!

The Jennings couple believe that their passion and attention to detail are building them a great reputation and a loyal following in the community. “We strive to provide our customers with the best quality, service, and value, but more importantly, establishing a good relationship,” Johnnie says. “We also care about the health of our community, so we don’t have a deep fryer in the restaurant and our wings are oven-roasted, never fried. The caloric value of a deep-fried wing is roughly two-thirds more than an oven-roasted wing!”

For a decade now, Pizza Mia has partnered with the American Red Cross and is proud to be part of

the organization’s blood drives. “We stand by the American Red Cross because they don’t discrimi-nate, so people of all races or religious backgrounds can freely donate their blood, and afterwards, they get a delicious slice of Pizza Mia pizza,” Johnnie says.

In addition, for the past six years, Pizza Mia has given away four Entrepreneurial Spirit Award scholarships annually to a male and female stu-dent from Bald Eagle Area School District and the Bellefonte Area School District. “You don’t have to be a 4.0 student to get this scholarship. We want these kids to be recognized for their community spirit,” says Johnnie.

Pizza Mia’s fundraising program offers a variety of incentives to motivate organizations and reward customers. Groups can select a dine-in date, and 20 percent of proceeds will benefit the organization, or choose from six different pizza options from cheese to meat eaters to receive pizza coupons redeemable for six months and your organization will earn at least $2 on every pizza sold.

For more information on fundraising, catering, or to view Pizza Mia’s menus, visit www.Bellefonte PizzaMia.com or call (814) 355-3738. T&G

Marinated Stuffed PortabellaPortabella-mushroom cap with roasted garlic, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese baked to perfection.

BruschettaHouse-made crostini topped with roasted garlic, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese baked to perfection.

> Featured Selections <

Hours of Operations:Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight

Pizza Mia delivers to Bellefonte, Pleasant Gap, Zion, Milesburg, Continental Courts, and Nittany Mall.

Specials:Monday Madness: All day Monday, get a large one-topping pizza for $8.99.2-Pizzas Tuesday: Buy any pizza, get the second pizza of equal or lesser value free. Carry out and dine-in only. (For delivery, buy one, get one half off.)Wings Wednesday: Add 10 oven-baked wings to any order for $5. Super Sunday: Any two large specialty pizzas for $29.99.

Web Offer: For special recipes for Pizza Mia’s homemade Chocolate Cake and Very Berry Pizza, visit www.townandgown.com.

Page 111: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 112: Town&Gown Nov 2012

110 - Town&Gown November 2012

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.

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, 114. S Garner St., 237-0374, bar-bleu.com. Socializing and sports viewing awaits at bar bleu. Don’t miss a minute of the action on 22 true 1080i HDMI high-definition flat-screen monitors dis-playing the night’s college and pro matchups. The bar serves up 16 draft beers in addition to crafted cocktails, including the “Fishbowl,” concocted in its own 43-ounce tank! Pub fare featuring authentic Kansas City-style barbecue is smoked daily on-site. AE, D, DC, ID+, MC, V. Full bar.

Bill Pickle’s Tap Room,106 S. Allen St., 272-1172. Not for saints…not for sinners. AE, DIS, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

Full Course Dining

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.

Chili’s Grill & Bar, 137 South Allen Street, 234-5922. Chili’s is like “no place else” — Southwestern menu features sizzling fajitas, “the Best Burgers,” baby-back ribs, steaks, and Margarita Madness.

The Corner Room Restaurant, corner of Al-len 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.

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.

Dining Out

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

Key

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

Page 113: Town&Gown Nov 2012

111 - Town&Gown November 2012

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, TheDeliRestaurant.com. Since 1973, The Deli has served up New York-style deli favorites on an American menu offering everything from comfort food to pub favorites, all made from scratch. Soups, breads, sauces, and award-winning desserts are homemade here early in the morn-ing folks. Look for its rotating menu of food-themed fes-tivals throughout the year. AE, D, DC, LC, MC, V. Full bar.

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

Bringing you craft beer and fresh food using local products in a family friendly, casual atmosphere.products in a family friendly, casual atmosphere.

Food & Beer TO GO!Bottles • Cases • Kegs • Growlers

2235 N. Atherton St. State College814.867.6886

www.ottospubandbrewery.com

Now offering

locally made

beer soap, candy,

& mugs!

We love People, Beer & Local Foods!

We love People, Beer & Local Foods!

Proudly Serving Our Dedicated, Loyal Customers For 10 Years

Page 114: Town&Gown Nov 2012

112 - Town&Gown November 2012

Duffy’s Boalsburg Tavern, On the Diamond, Boalsburg, 466-6241. The Boalsburg Tavern offers a fine, intimate setting reminiscent of Colonial times. Dining for all occasions with formal and casual menus, daily dinner features, specials, and plenty of free parking. AE, MC, V. Full bar. Faccia Luna Pizzeria, 1229 S. Atherton St., 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.

Galanga, 454 E. College Ave. 237-1718. Another great addition to Cozy Thai Bistro. Galanga by Cozy Thai offers a unique authentic Thai food featuring Northeastern Thai style cuisine. Vegetarian menu selection available. BYO (wines and beer) is welcome after 5 p.m. AE, D, DC, MAC, MC, V.

Open Tuesday thru Sunday Closed MondayLunch Buffet:

11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

222 E. Calder Way237-3400www.indiapavilion.net

India PavilionExotic Indian Cuisine

Carry Out

Available

India PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionIndia PavilionExotic Indian Cuisine

India PavilionIndia PavilionExotic Indian Cuisine

2609 E. College Ave. • State College, PA • 234-9009

We continue the Luna tradition by using only the freshest ingredients!

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.com1229 South Atherton St. • State College • 234-9000

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

www.faccialuna.com

We continue the Luna tradition by using only the freshest ingredients!

Page 115: Town&Gown Nov 2012

113 - Town&Gown November 2012

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.

The Gardens Restaurant at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, 215 Innovation Blvd., Innovation Park, 863-5090. Dining is a treat for break-fast, 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.

Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, 1221 E. College Ave. (within the Hilton Garden Inn), 237-4422, www.harrisonsmenu.com. Traditional seasonal favorites prepared extraordinarily. Fusion food, sharing plates, and fresh seafood. Extensive wines-by-the-glass, full bar, moderate prices. Lunch/Dinner. Exquisite catering. MC, V.

Herwig’s Austrian Bistro, where bacon is an herb, 132 W. College Ave., herwigsaustrianbistro.com, 272-0738. Located next to the State Theatre. Austrian Home Cooking. Ranked #1 Ethnic Restaurant 5 years in a row. Eat-in, Take-Out, Catering, Franchising. BYO after 5 p.m., D, MC, V.

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

India Pavilion, 222 E. Calder Way, 237-3400. Large selection of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dishes from northern India. Lunch buffet offered daily. We offer catering for groups and private parties. AE, D, MC, V. (call ahead.)

137 S. Allen Street · 234-5922

Monday: Fajita Rita Day

Classic Double fajitas $12.99 Tuesday:

Burger with Fries $5.99 Wednesday:

Half Order Texas French Fries $2.99, Whole Order $4.99

Thursday: Burger with Fries $5.99

Page 116: Town&Gown Nov 2012

114 - Town&Gown November 2012

WWW.MTNITTANYINN.COM • 814.364.9363559 N. PENNSYLVANIA AVE CENTRE HALL, PA

BANQUET/MEETING FACILITIES

Inferno Brick Oven & Bar, 340 E. College Ave., 237-5718, InfernoBrickOvenBar.com. With a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere, Inferno is a place to see and be seen. A full-service bar boasts a unique specialty wine, beer, and cocktail menu. Foodies — Inferno offers a contemporary Neapolitan brick-oven experience featuring a focused menu of artisan pizzas and other modern-Italian plates. Lunch and dinner service transitions into night as a boutique nightclub with dance-floor lighting, club sound system, and the area’s most talented resident DJs. AE, D, MAC, MC, V. Full bar.

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

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.

Mario’s Italian Restaurant, 1272 North Ather-ton St., 234-4273, MariosItalianStateCollege.com. Fresh specialty dishes, pasta, sauces, hand-tossed pizzas, and rotisserie wood-grilled chicken all made from scratch are just a few reasons why Mario’s is authentically Italian! At the heart of it all is a specialty wood-fired pizza oven and rotisserie that imparts rustic flavors that can’t be beat! Mario’s loves wine, honored with six consecutive Wine Spectator awards and a wine list of more than 550 Italian selections. Mario’s even pours 12 rotating specialty bottles on its WineStation® state-of-the-art preservation system. Reservations and Walk-Ins welcome. 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.

Page 117: Town&Gown Nov 2012

115 - Town&Gown November 2012

WWW.MTNITTANYINN.COM • 814.364.9363559 N. PENNSYLVANIA AVE CENTRE HALL, PA

BANQUET/MEETING FACILITIES

FINE COUNTRY

FOOD &

DRINK

LOCAL...SEASONAL ...RUSTIC...COMFORT

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 lo-cal 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 preserv-ing PA’s and Penn State’s past. Dinner at The Tavern is a Penn State tradition. Major credit cards accepted. Full bar.

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

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.

Bill O’Brien radio show live from the clubhouse every Thursday from 6-7pm!

1031 East College Ave. 814-237-6300 • damons.com

NFL Sunday Ticket in HD on 7 big screens. Tailgate Party Packs available for every home

PSU game for pickup or delivery. Call to Preorder.Bar open at 7am on PSU Gamedays.

Best Bloodies!Check out our tailgate menu at damons.com

under the catering tab.

Check

out o

ur

NEW ou

tdoor patio

!

1405 South Atherton St. • State College, PA 16801 • www.theautoport.com • 814-237-7666

Taste of the MonthTown&Gown’s Monthly Focus on Food

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

Hi-Way Pizza

The Penn Stater

Elk Creek Cafe

1405 South Atherton St. State College, PA 16801 www.theautoport.com

814-237-7666

Make reservations for our Famous THANKSGIVING

BUFFET

NEW FOR 2012Celebrate the holidays with the Autoport

Check Out The

Autoport’s NEW

MENU!

During The Month Of DecemberHoliday Buffet Every Friday Lunch

Leading Up To Christmas

Page 118: Town&Gown Nov 2012

116 - Town&Gown November 2012

Open Daily 8:00 a.m. - 11 p.m. • 2390 S. ATHERTON STREET • 237-1849

Milk and Cookies...the perfect holiday pair!MILK • ICE CREAM • EGGS • CHEESE • JUICES

POP'S MEXI-HOTS • BAKED GOODS • SANDWICHES • EGG NOGICE CREAM CAKES • & MORE! • EGG NOG AVAILABLE NOW!!!

MEYER DAIRY STORE & ICE CREAM PARLOR

State College’s newest hangoutTry our onsite

Smoked Pork Sandwich!

1301 West College Ave. • 814-308-8959www.westsidestadiumbarandgrill.com

The Very BesT In AusTrIAn home CookIng

“Where Bacon is an herb”™

Voted #1 Ethnic Restaurant 8 Years in a Row!

Try our homemade

BREADGREAT

PRICES!

Mon-Wed 11:45am-8pm | Thu-Sat 11:45am-9pm132 W. College Ave. | 814-272-0738

Pre-show Dinner DiscountsPre-show Dinner Discounts

Unique Dining Experience!

Eat In • Take Out • Catering • Franchising

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.

HUB Dining, HUB-Robeson Center, on campus, 865-7623. A Penn State tradition open to all! Eleven restaurants stocked with extraordinary variety: Star-bucks, Chick-fil-A, Higher Grounds, HUB Subs, Mixed Greens, Burger King, Panda Express, Piccalilli’s, Sbarro, Sushi by Panda, Wild Cactus, and more! V, MC, LC.

Good Food Fast

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.

Westside Stadium Bar and Grill, 1301 W. College Ave., 308-8959, www.westsidestadium barand-grill.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

Page 119: Town&Gown Nov 2012
Page 120: Town&Gown Nov 2012

118 - Town&Gown November 2012

industrial-engineering program. That helped to renew our acquaintance with Penn State and just remind us of what a rich resource this is and how much we love this place. It’s deeply engrained in our family roots. My wife and I met here in gradu-ate school. My parents, both deceased now, were alums. My wife’s father, who is also deceased, was an alum. We are Penn Staters through and through. When the knock came on my door last September from a search consultant asking me if I have an interest in pursuing this opportunity at Penn State, I said Yes, absolutely, because I have a tremendous level of respect. By the time I worked through the interview process and came back as a finalist, it was the week after President Spanier and Coach Paterno had been terminated from their positions with the university. I met with President

PSU’s new VP for finance and business talks about school’s future

Financial Forecast

Early this year, David Gray was named the new senior vice president for finance and business. In this role, he oversees the of-fices of the physical plant, human resources, university police, investment management, auxiliary and business services, corporate controller, legal services, and common-wealth-campus business operations.

Originally from Williamsport, he gradu-ated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1977, and a master’s degree in public administration in 1979. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he served three years as the senior vice presi-dent for administration, finance, and tech-nology as well as treasurer at the University of Massachusetts.

Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down with Gray at the Nittany Lion Inn to discuss his reasons for accepting his new job and the financial challenges and outlook for Penn State moving forward.

Mimi: You’ve been on the job here since Febru-ary. You applied for this job last fall, when most of us in Happy Valley had no idea what was coming up. You obviously went through the process, got the job, and I’d love to know the real reason that motivated you to come back to Happy Valley.

David: First and foremost, we’re dealing with a world-class, premier university that I have just had enormous respect for. So much so that we sent our son here as an out-of-state student. He graduated from Penn State two years ago. We were happy to pay out-of-state tuition for him to engage in the

lunch with mimi

Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith (left) talks with Penn State senior vice president for finance and business David Gray.

John Hovenstine

HarrisonsMenu.com • 1221 E. College Avenue • 814.237.4422

Six Homemade Soups DailyTake-Home ThanksgivingBest Caterer—Eighth Year

Page 121: Town&Gown Nov 2012

119 - Town&Gown November 2012

Erickson. It was very unexpected. When the of-fer came my way a few weeks later, right around Thanksgiving, I reflected with my wife. And we said all those things we hold near and dear with which we view Penn State, none of that has really changed. This is a remarkably resilient, great insti-tution with wonderful faculty, and it will bounce back — and I want to be part of that. So, I ar-rived here in February to help President Erickson and the team to rebuild something of tremendous value to Pennsylvania and to all Penn Staters.

Mimi: What is the toughest part of this job?David: This role, the senior vice president for

business and finance, is a large, expansive job. This would be a challenging job under the best of cir-cumstances. Even if we were in normal times, this would be a challenging professional opportunity. And, obviously, these are anything but normal times for Penn State. We have the greatest chal-lenge in the university’s history that we’re facing. We will and are meeting that challenge. I would suggest that some of the changes that have already been made are moving us in a very positive direc-tion. One, I think we’ve established a national-leadership profile, even in terms of the changes in the board of trustees and their new tone of open-ness, transparency, and public engagement. These are very significant changes in how Penn State op-erates. All of the committee meetings are open to public participation. In view of the fact that you’re never going to please everyone, you have to con-centrate on doing the right thing.

Mimi: I agree. Nearly $20 million has been ex-pended so far on the Jerry Sandusky case. Can you give us a long-term estimate on its potential cost and impact on Penn State?

David: The hardest part in developing a real projection of total cost of all of this really hinges on the unknowns of the claims that will be asserted by victims of Sandusky’s crimes. Those will probably be the largest category of the expenses associated with all of this. And to some considerable extent, they will be covered by our liability insurance. We have stacked liability-insurance coverage, which means we have multiple policies and multiple car-riers of our liability coverage.

Mimi: In hindsight, that was pretty good judg-ment.

David: In hindsight, that was very good judg-ment. The nature of our insurance program, I believe, provides for very robust coverage in to-tal. Thankfully, most of our insurers are standing behind the university. We’ve got nothing but re-

assurance from them that they will honor our li-abilities once they’re fully known. We don’t know yet the precise number of victims that may step forward and serve claims of abuse at Sandusky’s hands, in which the university has some culpabil-ity, but we have engaged Ken Feinberg as the me-diator for claims that come forward from victims. That process will begin to unfold very quickly. We will be reaching out to victims, understanding who they are, what the nature of their claim is, what the nature of the university’s involvement is, and then coming up with what we believe is a fair and responsible settlement offer to each of those vic-tims.

Mimi: Is your job too big?David: It’s an expansive role, but I would say

No, it’s not too big. Among the areas that report to me are the offices of corporate control, inves-tor management, human resources, police depart-ment, physical plant, and the social vice president, who is responsible for commonwealth-campus business-office relationships and real estate mat-ters. In addition, I have indirect relationships with information and technology services (ITS). IT is part of my background, so I am very comfort-able with that. What makes a job too big is if you don’t have really competent professionals to work with, in whom you can invest trust that they can manage their areas quite capably and that you are comfortable with delegation. I am blessed to have wonderful, able, seasoned professionals that are in these leadership roles, and so, therefore, it’s a man-ageable footprint.

Mimi: You seem to have a remarkably balanced perspective — not just on Penn State, but also on life. Any advice you can give to those of us who need more confidence?

David: What I’ve told our employees, friends, and family is that the core values of this univer-sity and its people are what will help it to tran-scend and move through this period of difficulty. It is they who really provide the resiliency to Penn State University. The administrators and staff are the people that make this place looking great every day. I have told our physical plant what a marvelous job they do. Our groundskeepers and custodians work so hard to make sure that this place presents well. That’s one of the most dra-matic things that I’ve noticed over the years. It’s always been a beautiful campus, but never more so than it is today. And that’s the first impression that it leaves with people from prospective students or parents. It’s that obvious pride in Penn State Uni-

Page 122: Town&Gown Nov 2012

120 - Town&Gown November 2012

versity that everybody connected to the university has. That is why Penn State will bounce back from this. That’s why I have such an infectious spirit of enthusiasm and positive outlook on the long-term prospects for Penn State.

Mimi: Can you give us a report card on our fi-nancial stability, football’s future, faculty, and staff?

David: Penn State is remarkably strong from a financial perspective. But, credit ratings hinge on many factors and are subject to continuous review. Due to all that has occurred over the past year, our credit ratings are under review, which is under-standable. Agencies have an obligation to work with a very close eye on everything that occurs. I can tell you that one of the things that made Penn State such an attractive opportunity for me was how well managed it has been historically. The financial ratios reveal the fact that this has been an institution that’s been thoughtfully and conser-vatively managed. That’s what Penn Staters can look at with some degree of confidence and know that we have the rainy day funds to withstand a storm, so we can deploy those resources now to help see us through. That’s a credit to generations of leaders at Penn State who managed this place very prudently.

Mimi: Sometime in the next decade, we are go-ing to have to rebuild that.

David: Specifically with the situation of football, call me an optimist. In Coach [Bill] O’Brien, I see a person of great integrity and leadership, who has not only galvanized a whole team of young men with such a degree of spirit and purpose, but has helped to galvanize the community and rally Penn Staters, students, faculty, and alums in an unbelievable way. What tremendous pride I think we all feel when we see that team come together and perform as it has, under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. I think they’ve become a great source of pride.

Mimi: They’re getting better every week!David: That makes me believe that we can

weather the storm of the NCAA sanctions, all of the things that we have to abide by under the terms, punishing as they may be. But it is the spirit, strength, and determination that’s been the evi-dence, from Coach O’Brien on down, that gives me great optimism that we’ll see our way through the difficulties of the next few years with the loss of scholarships and the sanctions. The Penn State alums and the Penn State community are riding behind us, filling the seats of the stadium. We’ll make it through to a degree that most folks in the world beyond would find unimaginable.

Mimi: State support started declining in recent times, and some commonwealth campuses struggle to break even. Is this an area financially where we need to look at some really serious financial deci-sions?

David: President Erickson launched a budget-planning task force and asked the provost, Rob Pangborn, and me to coach this task force. Spe-cifically, to look out of the next two to five years at the challenges Penn State is facing and to deal with them in a strategic and systemic way — be-cause he agreed with the premise that the chal-lenges are of a magnitude that we’re not going to get by fine-tuning or cutting around the edge. The things that we’re facing are of a structural nature, and they need to be responded to accordingly, so we’ve actually, as part of that task force, created six subcommittees, one of which is looking specifi-cally at campus structures, delivery systems, and the demographics of the state. The demographics of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are not monolithic — they are very regional, and as you look from east to west you see a relatively robust demographic picture in southeastern Pennsylva-nia, a very strong demographic picture of growth in south-central Pennsylvania as the suburbs of Baltimore and Washington work their way north into southern Pennsylvania. But as we move to the western half of the state, the further west you go, the more difficult things become. The demographics are harsh, and the competition is intense, not only with other public institutions but also with small private liberal arts colleges that discount their tu-ition and fees. We are looking at a serious prospect of realignment of that delivery system.

Mimi: Especially with the capacity of the World Campus.

David: Exactly. One of our six subcommittees is looking specifically at the World Campus and how we continue to grow that at the pace that it’s been growing recently, which is 20 or more percent per year. We looked recently at our graduate enroll-ments across the entire university over the last 10 years. Were it not for the World Campus enroll-ments, we would actually be at a decline in our graduate enrollments. But more and more of our graduate enrollment is shifting to online delivery. They are the most rapidly growing part of Penn State’s delivery system, and we need to figure out ways in which we can continue to have that growth drive us into the future. There are still programs that aren’t necessarily fully brought into the online de-livery mode, and we need to convince those folks.

Page 123: Town&Gown Nov 2012

121 - Town&Gown November 2012

1518 North Atherton Street, State College, PA814-238-2103 • www.acofloors.com

PA#005727

The College of Liberal Arts is the largest player in the World Campus of all the various colleges at Penn State. For traditionally aged students, 18 to 23 year olds, they’re going to want to continue to come and have the full experience. But for the adult non-traditional students, the folks that are in midcareer, they don’t want the hassle at the end of a long work-day of having to leave their spouse and their kids at home to drive to a campus to go take courses. And what we’re finding is they vastly prefer the online motive of receiving their program.

Mimi: We have an unusual situation for the first time in the history of the institution where we have internal and external dissension about the board of trustees. It’s one of those hot topics. You’ve been at another sizeable public institution, and now you’re here and familiar with us. Tell us about the composition of boards around the coun-try in your experience.

David: Many boards, including the board of trustees at the University of Massachusetts, were heavy with political appointees. In the case of the UMass board, there are approximately 20 members, all of which are named by the gover-nor, including the chairperson. There is a dispro-portionate degree of influence being exercised by

governors and legislators. For other universities, you’ll often have a board that’s predominated by political appointments, even as state appropria-tions and support of public higher education is falling off rapidly. We used to look longingly at the governance model that Penn State has because of its diverse representation from which people are chosen — the industry representatives, the agri-cultural representatives, the elected alumni, and then a small number of political appointees rep-resent the fact that it’s a public institution. I think it’s a very balanced model. While certainly every institution ought to be looking at ways in which it can improve its governance, the composition of Penn State’s board of trustees wouldn’t be at the top of my mind of things that need to be changed. It’s actually, I think, a very healthy and balanced composition.

Mimi: It could stand to be a little bit smaller.David: I think so. Thirty-two members is a

large number. Some degree of turnover is always healthy. One could argue about what the appropri-ate length would be.

Mimi: There is some improvement that could be done.

Thank you for speaking with me. T&G

Page 124: Town&Gown Nov 2012

122 - Town&Gown November 2012

A copy of either of these photos may be obtained with a $75 contribution to the Salvation Army of Centre County. Contact Captain Charles Niedermeyer at 861-1785. You can select any size up to 11-inches wide.

The State College Photo Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Foxdale Village Auditorium. Guest and new members are welcome.

The State College Photo Club provides 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 individuals from amateurs to professionals. One of the club’s activities is to hold a monthly competition. Town&Gown is pleased to present the winning images from the club’s competition.

Shown this month are the first-place winners from the judged August meeting competition.

Visit www.statecollegephotoclub.org for more information about how to join.

> “A Very Still Life on Kew”by Christine Hill

“How long these lonely bones were closed in an aging artist’s cabinet

is unknown to me. But after a surreptitious peek and a returned

toothy smile, I knew this was my must have ‘still-life’ shot — and it is ‘our’

little secret!”

August Meeting First Place: Still-Life Theme

< “Buttermilk Sky”by Carolyn Todd“One of my favorite hikes at Acadia National Park in Maine is a gentle walk through the woods to a rocky shoreline called Wonderland. I had arrived at about 6:30 a.m. for ‘minus tide,’ an extremely low tidal condition (minus-7 feet that day) that can reveal fantastic tidal pools. I was happily taking photos of the pools and the glistening rocky shore when I turned around and discovered this dramatic sky. It was a truly amazing morning.”

August Meeting First Place: Open Category

State College Photo Club’s Winning Photos

Page 125: Town&Gown Nov 2012

123 - Town&Gown November 2012

guide to advertisers

ATTRACTIONS, EVENTS,

ENTERTAINMENT Bob Perks Fund ........................... 100

Bryce Jordan Center .................. 103

Center for the Performing

Arts ................... Inside Front Cover

Coaches Vs. Cancer ......................53

Palmer Museum of Art ...................94

Penn State Centre Stage ..............97

State Theatre ................................. 101

Toftrees Resort ................................38

Winter Craft Market ........................16

AUTOMOTIVEDix Honda .........................................49

Driscoll Automotive ......Back Cover

Joel Confer BMW .............................. 4

BANKS, FINANCIAL

SERVICES Frost & Conn Insurance ............. 105

Kish Bank ..........................................17

Penn State Federal Credit

Union ..............................................48

State College Federal Credit

Union .............................................76

Susquehanna Bank ......................... 7

BELLEFONTE SECTIONBellefonte Victorian Christmas ...20

Confer’s Jewelers ...........................21

Mid State Awning & Patio

Company .......................................21

Penn State Federal Credit

Union ..............................................21

Pizza Mia............................................21

BOALSBURGA Basket Full ....................................27

Boalsburg Apothecary ..................27

Duffy’s Tavern ..................................27

Hometown Christmas Boalsburg

Village Conservancy ..................26

Natures Hue .....................................27

N’v ........................................................27

Tait Farm Foods ...............................27

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY Blair County Chamber Of

Commerce ....................................99

CBICC .................................................19

CONSTRUCTION,

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Builders Association of

Central PA .................................. 105

S&A Custom Built Homes .............13

DININGAutoport ...........................................115

Chili’s Grill & Bar ...........................113

Cozy Thai Bistro ............................113

Damon’s Grill ..................................115

Dantes ............................................. 109

Faccia Luna ....................................112

Gamble Mill Restaurant...............114

Harrison’s Wine Grill &

Catering .......................................118

Herwig’s ...........................................116

Hotel State College ......................110

India Pavilion ..................................112

Luna 2 ..............................................112

Meyer Dairy Store & Ice Cream

Parlor ............................................116

Mount Nittany Inn ..........................115

Otto’s Pub .......................................111

Philips Hotel......................................54

PSU Food Services

(Hub Dining) ...............................114

Tavern Restaurant ............................. 1

Wegmans.........................................117

Westside Stadium .........................116

Whistle Stop Restaurant .............115

Zola New World Bistro.................114

EDUCATIONThe Pennsylvania Cyber Charter

School ............................................15

Penn State Continuing

Education ........................................ 2

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDEAce Hardware of State College ...83

Aurum Jewelers & Goldsmiths ....87

Bare Foot ...........................................87

Blair Plastic Surgery ......................89

Confer’s Jewelers ...........................85

Gallery Shop, The ...........................85

Goot Essa ..........................................87

Jack Harper’s ...................................85

Mount Nittany Vineyard &

Winery ............................................85

Nittany Mall .......................................90

Pennwood Corporation .................83

Room Doctor ....................................85

Seven Mountains Wine Cellars .....81

Spa at Kenlee ..................................89

State Amusement ...........................83

The UPS Store #5642 ....................89

Victorian House Antiques .............87

Woolrich Company Store .............80

LODGING HFL Corporation (Comfort Suites/

Sleep Inn/Country Inn & Suites) .....51

Hospitality Asset Management

Company .....................................111

Penn State Hospitality ..................... 4

MEDICAL Envision Laser Center ...................77

Mount Nittany Medical Center ...... 3

Penn State Milton Hershey Medical

Center ......................................11, 31

The Circulatory Center .................... 9

PRINTING, COPYING, MEDIAPenn State Public Broadcasting

(WPSU) ...........................................91

REAL ESTATE, HOUSING Berks Homes................................. 105

Chambers, Scot-Keller

Williams ..........................................37

Kissinger Bigatel & Brower ..........14

Lions Gate Apartments .................76

Perry Wellington

Realty ............... Inside Back Cover

RETIREMENT SERVICES Home Instead Senior Care ..........25

Presbyterian Senior Living ............. 8

SENIOR LIVING Allegheny Lutheran Social

Ministries .......................................61

Centre Home Care .........................56

Diversified Asset Planners ...........68

Dr. Hanlen & Associates ...............56

Elmcroft of State College..............64

Foxdale Village ................................62

Greenhills Village ............................65

HealthSouth/Nittany Valley Rehab

Hospital ..........................................56

Hearthside.........................................65

Heimer Eye Care Associates ......58

Home Nursing ..................................60

Inspired Holistic Wellness ............60

JC Blair Memorial Hospital ..........64

Lewistown Hospital ........................63

Mount Nittany Medical Center ....59

Mount Nittany Residences Inc. ...67

Shute & Coombs Financial

Advisors .........................................65

Vantage Investment

Advisors, LLC ...............................67

Village at Penn State......................69

Village Heights .................................57

SERVICES Centre Elite Gymnastics, Inc ......... 4

Clinefelters Flooring .......................31

Handy Delivery ................................50

Happy Valley Optical .....................16

Hoy Transfer .....................................48

Koch Funeral Home .......................16

McQuaide Blasko ...........................23

P2P Computer Solutions ..............18

Penn State Alumni Association .....78

Penn State Intercollegiate

Athletics .........................................41

Red Cross ...................................... 100

Tire Town ...........................................47

SHOPPING, RETAIL America’s Carpet Outlet ............ 121

Collegiate Pride ...............................39

Degol Carpet ....................................36

Moyer Jewelers ...............................54

Penn State Bookstore ...................93

Squire Brown’s ................................47

VISITOR INFORMATION Central PA Convention & Visitors

Bureau............................................12

Page 126: Town&Gown Nov 2012

124 - Town&Gown November 2012

snapshot

Homecoming for HouckThe retired Judge Advocate General returns to area to start second careerBy Iris Peters

James W. Houck

It is a homecoming for Vice Admiral James W. Houck, the retired 41st Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy. Houck, who grew up in State College and attended State College Area High School, finds himself back in Happy Valley, but this time as a professor.

The Penn State University Dickinson School of Law welcomed Houck to its staff this fall. He will begin teaching in the spring, focusing on international and national security law as well as maritime law and policy.

“I always enjoyed working with younger attorneys, so I think it is a natural extension of that to have a chance to work with aspiring attorneys,” he says.

Houck left State College to attend the Naval Academy right after high school, and had only been back for visits. After he graduated from the acad-emy, he started working on a destroyer as an offi-cer. It was not until he was accepted into a program within the Navy that he started practicing law.

As the Judge Advocate General, he was in charge of the military justice systems. He also served as the principal military legal counsel to the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations, and led more than 2,000 attorneys, civilian employees, and legal staff that make up the worldwide Navy JAG Corps. He held this position from August 2009 to this past July, but was active with the Navy for 32 years. During that time he was able to travel the world.

One opportunity that stands out to him was work-ing as the chief Navy lawyer in the Middle East — he advised in the Persian Gulf and in Africa.

When he visited Penn State in previous years he was impressed with the quality of the faculty and the combination of the law school and school of international affairs.

“The law school here has partnerships with the law schools in China, Turkey, and the Dubai Judicial Institute,” he says. “These are places around the world where, years ago, one would not have associated with. The international fo-

cus is a way of the future and a great thing for Penn State to be involved.”

Houck is eager and excited about his new journey. He looks forward to working in an environment where the same values he learned in the Navy are held.

“I was very privileged to be a part of a job with the values of honor and courage and commitment that I re-spect,” he says. “I wanted to go to a place for my second career that would allow me to work in an atmosphere with the same kind of goodness that was in the Navy.”

He is preparing for the spring by working and making sure that he will be a good professor. He participates in other professors’ lectures and is ac-tive in events within the school of law.

“I have been so impressed with the people I have met here, primarily in the law school, who have demonstrated real commitment to scholar-ship and students,” he says. “There are exciting things going on with the law school, and I think the future here is very bright.” T&G

What do you do in your spare time for fun?: “My wife and I live on a small farm and I like gardening with her, and I am a very big fan of Penn State wrestling.” Favorite place to visit: “They are all interesting in their own way but the Navy has a lot of activity and presence in Italy and I’ve been there enough to know it — I love Italy.” Career you would you have chosen if you weren’t a lawyer: “I wanted to be a journalism major and wanted to be a newspaper reporter.”

Page 127: Town&Gown Nov 2012

Your Lender Connection!

Perry Wellington Real Estate Agency

814-695-8020 814-695-3050

The End of the 6 month Listing Contract! List your home for 90 days at Perry Wellington Realty

Scholarships Available!

www.perrywellingtonrealty.com

ATTENTION HOMEBUYERS!

Full time agents answer the phone 7 days a week. We have years of experience to help you buy and sell a home.

We’re growing – Hiring Agents – No desk fees, no required floor

time, INBOUND LEADS, Work from home, Broker paid CE. Visit our website for more details.

Use us to buy any house and we’ll give you $250 from our commission. Conditions apply, call for details.

Now 5 Offices to serve you better & listing 4 MLS’s

511 Allegheny St.Hollidaysburg, PA 16648

814-695-5323

314 S. Burrowes St.State College, PA 16801

814-273-1446

1360 Eisenhower Blvd. Suite 406Johnstown, PA 15904

814-619-0256

100 E. Pitt St., Suite 208Bedford, PA 15522

814-310-0099

419 14TH St., Suite 209Huntingdon, PA 16652

814-251-9725

Licensed by the PA Dept. of Banking #922931

CircuitMortgage.com

814-693-5337

PerryWellingtonrealty.com

814-273-1446

Realty Abstract Services

“Your Closing

Specialists”

AdvanceAcademyonline.com

Get Licensed

Become a Real Estate Agent at Advance Academy

The End of the 6 month Listing Contract! List your We’re growing Hiring Agents

4.5% Commission! Call us 814-273-1446 Anything higher is too much!

New Class Starting December 17

St., Suite 209

New offices in Scranton & Hazelton

Page 128: Town&Gown Nov 2012

3220 W. College Ave.(814) 238-2447

Hot Deals,CoolPrices!

2012 Nissan Leaf100% Electric

2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo

2012 Mercedes-Benz M-Class

Prices!