We Are Penn State

Friday morning we drove in from our campground to State College, about 15 miles away, and found our way to Jay and Joyce's house in Boalsburg.  They're in a new 55 and over subdivision, with a view of hallowed Mount Nittany, where Nittany lions once roamed.

(This is an internet photo, not the view from their house, but it's close.)  J&J split their time between here, especially in football season, and their fifth wheel RV either on their farm west of Pittsburgh, or on the road with Habitat or for other travel.

The Friday focus was on meals in favorite student haunts, the Corner Room for lunch (Jay joined us there) and the Tavern Restaurant for dinner.  There we were joined by two of Joyce's college roommates and their husbands - a get-together that is a homecoming tradition.  The Tavern is on Campus Ave., which fronts the PSU campus.  While we were eating, the Homecoming parade was going by outside the window by our table, though we couldn't see much because the sidewalk was full of people.  Joyce and Jay's daughter-in-law and year-old granddaughter were in the parade.  Laurel, the d-in-law, was driving Jay's truck representing her graduating class, and granddaughter, Leah, was riding and waving in a stroller.

Mentioning grandchildren, here's a recent picture of the grandtwins, Landon and Julian, in either order.

 
I should note that one feature of the Tavern is that you can order unlimited side dishes from a list of 10 or so imaginative offerings.  You can also order seconds on sides.   So, I ordered an all side dish meal, knowing I'd probably get to share some of Susie's chicken dish.  And I did.

I asked Jay about PSU history - why was this locale selected for the state's land-grant college?  Out in the middle of nowhere was my none too subtle implication.  Because of location - it is at the geographic center of the state.  It resides in Centre County.  Makes a lot of sense since agriculture was the focus of land-grant colleges and State College is definitely in an agricultural area. Enrollment at this campus is about 44,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
 
Of course Penn State has been in the news for the last year because of the Jerry Sandusky case and its ramifications, including Joe Paterno's firing and the very tough NCAA sanctions on the university football program.  It's a subject that is difficult and unpleasant to discuss, and will be in the headlines again this week with Sandusky's sentencing, but there does seem to be a coming together and community resolve at work.  The slogan that is widely seen is OneTeam, meaning that there are not basketball and football teams, or men's and women's teams; there is one team.  Also, townspeople, faculty, students -- all OneTeam.  As one important part of the effort, here's been an amazing amount of money raised to combat child sexual abuse.  We saw one student wearing a t-shirt with the large letters, F T K.  For the Kids, we were told.  That was a relief.

So, Homecoming was more than just alumni parties this year.  The somewhat-depleted football team lost its first two games, then won three in a row.  The opponent was Northwestern, usually a doormat, but this year 5 and 0 and ranked.  Saturday morning it was raining, and cold.  We stopped on the way to town (for breakfast at J&J's) and bought ponchos.  Forecast, though, said the rain would stop by noon (game time) and it did, by mid-morning.  The subdivision runs a bus to the games, free of charge, no doubt one reason J&J bought a house in this particular location.  That got us to the campus about 10 am, where we were warmly greeted.  (Note that Susie had bought us Penn State t-shirts, so we would fit in.  I did have, however, a Michigan sweatshirt under mine, for warmth.)

 The band (The Penn State Blue Band) rushed by, bound for the basketball arena where we headed.

This is a tradition.  Fans gather in the basketball arena and are entertained and fired up by the band, the Nittany Lion mascot, and the cheerleaders.  And, the concession stands are open, so you can get lunch.  This happens every game, not just homecoming.  For homecoming, alumni band members and alumni cheerleaders also perform.  The emcee announced some statistics.  The oldest alumni band member in this years alumni band graduated in the 50s.  The alum who had traveled the furthest, for at least the second year in a row, came from Osaka, Japan.

Here's the Blue Band.

Penn Staters are a loyal bunch.  We know, because daughter-in-law Karen and her parents and brother are all Penn Staters.  There was a life-size Joe Paterno cutout at Mike and Karen's wedding reception.  I don't recall that I've ever attended an Oklahoma State Homecoming, but I think I'm pretty loyal to my old alma mater..

Now, the game.  Made me proud to have a Penn State t-shirt on.  PSU took a 10-0 lead the first quarter.  Then NW scored two touchdowns, one following a muffed punt fair catch by PSU, the other on a punt return.  At the end of the third quarter NW led 28-17.  A sense of doom descended on the stadium.

Throughout the game we'd been entertained/irritated by three guys behind us who kept trying to top each other and impress everyone within hearing distance, I guess, with their inside football knowledge. Joyce said they were HS coaches or former coaches.  For example, after the muffed punt, one said, That's a game-changer.  Another immediately countered.  How can you say that?  It might not be.  This profound argument was repeated for far too long.  Also, they were constantly disparaging the PSU coach's strategy or lack of same.  One kept calling for a quarterback draw play, but it never happened.  What's wrong with this coach?

Halftime.  Here's the alumni band, dressed in white.

 And an action scene.

The stadium wasn't full (paper said about 90% so far this year), like in the old days, so not everyone is in the OneTeam mode.

In the fourth quarter PSU started coming back.  They scored a touchdown to make it 28-23.  Coach O'Brien called for a two-point try.  The geniuses behind us said, That's a Huge Mistake (they talked in capital letters).  The guy next to me and I agreed quietly that it was the right thing to do.  If the NW lead was cut to three, they, NW, would probably play more cautiously than if they led by four and that could help us (neither of us were PSU grads, but at this time we were part of the We Are Penn State throng.  We believed.)

Penn State held a cautious NW, then drove for a touchdown to take the lead, 32-28.  The crowd was going crazy.  I hollered Gamechanger, Gamechanger, but I don't think the brain trust behind us heard me.  We held again and scored again at the end of the game to win 39-28.  Pandemonium.

More tradition.  After a game (or only a win? I don't know) players and fans sing the alma mater.  We had sung it in the basketball arena and in the stadium before the game, too.  Here are the words. It's got a great melody.


For the glory of old State,
For her founders strong and great,
For the future that we wait,
Raise the song, raise the song.

Sing our love and loyalty,
Sing our hopes that bright and free
Rest, O mother dear, with thee,
All with thee, all with thee.

When we stood at childhood's gate,
Shapeless in the hands of fate,
Thou didst mold us, dear old State,
Dear old State, dear old State.

May no act of ours bring shame,
To one heart that loves thy name.
May our lives but swell thy fame,
Dear old State, dear old State.

...............

At that fourth verse, you can hear the lump in the throat and see the tear in the eye.  But, through it all they still shout, We Are Penn State!

I realize it was just a game, but it still had a special feel and possible significance. It was exciting to be part of it.  Susie got this picture of three happy fans.

Sunday, Jay left early to return to Henryville and Joyce, Susie, and I attended services at the downtown Methodist Church, primarily because Joyce's 92-year old Aunt Gingie (she's Susie's "aunt-in-law") attends there.  Later that afternoon, Aunt G's daughter, Marggie (?), brought her mother out for dinner.  Lots of catching up on family things.  Here's a picture of the girls.

Aunt G's late husband was the head of the PSU Math Department.  She still lives alone, with major assistance from Marggie.

Monday, we left in late morning for Watkins Glen, NY, only about a three-hour drive north.  We'll stay there three nights, then work our way east.  Stay tuned.

Rob and Susie