Campus friendships again blossomed at the sunbathed scene of their planting, and parents and siblings – some separated from their loved ones since Welcome Weekend ("only" a month ago) – replenished their stockpile of hugs during Penn College's Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend (Sept. 24-26). Among the many activities intended to rekindle connections among alumni, students, kith and kin were an Athletics Hall of Fame induction, historic tours of campus and Greater Williamsport; a popular Alumni Golf Outing, a bonfire and live music on the Madigan Library lawn, the Alumni & Friends Tent Party, a wrestling retrospective, breakfast with President Davie Jane Gilmour, a craft brewery get-together, open academic labs, a celebration of plastics, family activities, men's and women’s soccer matches on UPMC Field, food trucks and games. Oh, never mind, come see for yourselves!
– Photos by Cindy Davis Meixel, writer/photo editor; Jennifer A. Cline, writer/magazine editor;
Rhonda S. Walker, alumni relations specialist; Tom Wilson, writer/editor-PCToday;
Kollin G. Kisner, student photographer; Becky J. Shaner, senior manager of donor relations and special events;
and Larry D. Kauffman, digital publishing specialist/photographer
Baby's First Homecoming! Meghan R. Delsite Coleman, assistant director of student engagement, and husband Will brought infant daughter Anna, fashionably sporting a Wildcat onesie – not to mention tolerating a photographer and bright sunshine, all while patiently awaiting lunch.
The Office of Student Engagement arranged for three food trucks, which satisfied the Game Day crowd (dessert included).
Wrestling coach Jamie R. Miller hits his mark dead-on at the dunk tank, where Wildcat shortstop Maggie J. Mangene took several dips for a good cause. Penn College's Student Athlete Advisory Committee ran the popular attraction as a fundraiser for Special Olympics, collecting $61 in the first hour alone.
Art Skalski, of Cranford, N.J., tosses a cornhole bag while holding an ice cream cone ... 'cause that's just one of the things that dads can do. Son Michael E. (left) is a first-year electrical technology major.
"Hit me with your best shot," sings Mangene, a heating, ventilation & air conditioning design technology major from Boalsburg, taunting a young hurler ...
... who gets the last laugh when he drops the student-athlete into the drink.
Fittingly seated near the entrance to UPMC Field, health care recruiters interact with attendees at Saturday's soccer doubleheader.
As soccer players do battle on the field, pups on the sidelines strike a less combative posture.
In safety vests and hard hats, construction management students support Wildcat Athletics while proudly representing their major.
The Pep Band entertains with such crowd-pleasers as "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "Sweet Caroline."
A tour group alights from a River Valley Transit trolley after returning to the Bush Campus Center. The excursions ran hourly for much of Saturday, providing a well-received glimpse of Millionaires' Row and its impressive Victorian Era mansions built by lumber barons.
A Capitol Eatery pumpkin display, supplied by John L. Carpenter Jr., a student in plastics and polymer engineering technology, frames the friendly face of Dining Services Leader Dave C. Munro during Breakfast With the President. Carpenter’s family owns Carpenter’s Farm in Linden.
Pre-dental hygiene student Allie L. Saylor is joined for breakfast by her parents, Cris and Mike.
The president greets Charlie Ford (center) and his son Tim W., an electrical construction student from West Chester, at breakfast.
Nate C. Williamson (second from left) a junior in the heating, ventilation & air conditioning design technology major, shows his mother, Nancy, and family friends Brett and Jodi Keenan around the HVAC labs. Brett is a prospective Penn College student. Nate has been working with his grandfather in the HVAC field.
Network administration and engineering technology student Brett B. Seelig II (center), of Haverford, uses Wireshark software to show his parents, Todd Seelig and Edith Pearce, the infrastructure for networking, demonstrating the tools he uses in his Networking I class. He is learning how to manage a network between clients and servers.
Mike, Karen and Mike Shupp traverse campus under sunny skies. The younger Mike, of Pocono Pines, is pursuing a degree in business administration.
In the collision repair and automotive restoration lab, Roy H. Klinger, instructor of collision repair, demonstrates metal-forming techniques and shows some of the projects his students undertake.
The family of Preston J. Evey (second from right), an engineering design technology student from Lamar, makes his SWORD (Student Wildcats of Robotic Design) competition part of their visit. For this event, the students competed with 1.5-pound or under 3D-printed robots that they had 11 days to make. Evey is joined by two siblings and his parents, Julie and Justin.
SWORD member/engineering design technology student Elijah B. Peltz, of Bloomsburg, successfully completed several rounds with his bot, named Helios, which featured a spinning drum weapon.
Jennifer Fabian (right), an engineering design technology student from Hershey, competes against the bot of Alex J. Barreto, who is pursuing a degree in electronics and computer engineering technology: robotics and automation emphasis.
Student Kaden L. Blair (center), network administration and engineering technology, along with Sandy (left) and Daphne Blair, pose before a choice backdrop outside College Avenue Labs.
Brendan Chesebrough, an electronics and computer engineering technology student from Josephine, with parents George and Jill Endress.
Elizabeth A. Hamilton (center), collision repair technology, with Dad and Mom, Harry and Carol. The family resides in Oak Ridge, N.J.
If a birdie is one under par, an eagle is two under par, an albatross is a "double eagle" and a condor is a hole-in-one on a Par 5 ... what's left for these geese?
Move along, nothing to see here ... except the pleasing early-autumn sights of White Deer Golf Course, carved out of the same stunning woodlands that surround the nearby Schneebeli Earth Science Center.
Wildcat golf coach Matt R. Haile (left), a Penn College grad and employee, always beings his "A" game – "A" as in "amiable."
A hardly fearsome foursome hides its collective "game face" in smiles.
Off the tee and into the photo gallery
Taking the time, making it count
Kim Steimling sinks a putt, to the delight of teammates Kathy Poust (left) and Kati Wyland.
A picture of concentration, even though the scenic surroundings pose a threat of distraction.
An unmoving target (but ready to pull the flag if need be)
Ronald Z. Miller – Penn College retiree, alumnus and scholarship donor – was accompanied by son Evan as part of a family foursome.
Drive for show ... putt for dough ... and stop for the photographer!
... and brings along a file folder of photographs, including one of the Eastern Pennsylvania Community College Athletic Conference champions from the 1978-79 academic year.
Only the third wrestling coach in the institution's history, Miller asks current team members to "appreciate where the program began and build a connection that goes deeper than these four walls." The coach welcomed his two predecessors to a program reunion in the Thompson Professional Development Center.
Coach Max Wasson reviews his memory-filled 13 seasons (1970-82) as Williamsport Area Community College wrestling coach ...
Seven-year coach Schuyler Frey, often credited with restarting the program in 2010, ascribes that achievement to team member Tyler Myers – one of the college's first All-Americans and "the skipper of Penn College wrestling."
The wrestling coaches' reminiscences were illustrated by a looping slideshow of archival images.
Bill Lichtinger parlays a charitable contribution into an opportunity to sink daughter Nicole R., an emergency management and homeland security major from Erie, while Mom Brenda captures the moment on her phone. Behind the tank is women's soccer coach Christa Matlack, whose Wildcats – helped by Nicole's game-saving stint in goal – defeated the Wells Express in a Saturday shutout.
An aerial image from Saturday's opening game affirms the beauty of the college's artificial turf field, where impeccable drainage allowed for game play in spite of a midweek deluge.
Spectators hug the fence on the south side of UPMC Field, catching women's soccer action on a peerless early-autumn day.
Dylan Dailey provides an assist for Tyler Weimert's opening goal midway through the first half, setting the tone for a 3-0 win over Wells College. Dailey, of East Stroudsburg, is an engineering design technology student; Weimert, enrolled in architecture and sustainable design, hails from Feasterville-Trevose.
Barely seven minutes into the game, Shannon O'Day, a physician assistant studies student from Honesdale, strikes first for the Wildcats en route to Saturday's 6-0 victory against Wells.
Gilmour addresses the Hall of Fame Banquet, one of many gatherings she enjoyed during her final Homecoming as college president.
Aptly enough, a Wildcat Blue glow suffuses the PDC.
The setting sun sets the stage for acquaintance and reacquaintance alike.
Derek S. Garner, ’09, civil engineering technology, and his wife, Lindsay, prepare to sample beverages from Elk Creek Aleworks, served by Palin J. Hurst, a culinary arts technology student from Gardners. Hurst and others enrolled in the Beverage Management and Service Applications class (FHD228) were on hand to assist at the Alumni & Friends Tent Party.
Alumni line up to enjoy Terrapin Beer, a company based in Athens, Ga., that hired Montana L. Bilbay (at right, serving), a 2021 brewing & fermentation science graduate. From left: Adam H. Lester, ’02, electronics engineering technology; Mark R. Capellazzi, ’09, culinary arts & systems; Katie L. Mackey, ’02, applied human services. Lester and Capellazzi are former Presidential Student Ambassadors. Mackey is employed at the college as assistant director of disability and access resources.
In the glow of an early autumn evening, the president enjoys conversation with Colletti, who traveled back to campus from Little Elm, Texas, a small town north of Dallas, where he has enjoyed a postgraduate career with Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
A highlight of the Tent Party, alumnus Kevin L. Imes (on microphone) surprises President Davie Jane Gilmour by announcing that members of the Alumni Task Force contributed money to create a scholarship in her honor. Imes, ’03, building construction technology, and '07, construction management, served as a resident assistant and in the Student Government Association.
Presidential Student Ambassadors through the ages get reacquainted at Homecoming: Whitnie-Rae Mays, ’12, advertising art, and ’14, applied technology studies, converses with George Colletti, ’95 automotive service management, and ’97, automotive technology management. Colletti was in the first set of Student Ambassadors and shared fond memories of the group’s late founder, Chester “Chet” D. Schuman, director of admissions.
Sharing a laugh are Nathaniel H. Lyon (left), ’20, welding & fabrication engineering technology; Timothy J. Mallery, assistant director of residence life & housing operations; and friend.
Checking in and grabbing a sampling glass are 2021 graphic design graduates Joey M. Morrin (center) and Tyler W. Miller. Assisting is Becky J. Shaner, senior manager of donor relations and special events.
Regulars on the Tent Party scene are these graduates of the first class of brewing & fermentation science major (from left): Ryan J. Hampton, William B. Ernst-Wingfield, Luke H. Brown and Christopher P. Good, all enjoying careers as brewers.
Proud Penn College Mom Susan Watkins (right) joins her daughter, Sierra, dental hygiene, for Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend festivities.
Partaking of a Victory Brewing Co. sample is Steven J. Moff (left), professor of business administration/management and marketing, with the assistance of Charlie M. Suchanec (with thumb up), a culinary arts technology student from Tyrone. Suchanec, along with his classmates in FHD228, learned the logistics of service firsthand.
Fall colors festively add to the celebratory warmth.
Hall of Fame inductee Steer enjoys a moment with her mother, Rebecca A., office assistant to the dean of engineering technologies.
Jamie L. Steer and daughter, the youngest member of her extended fan base.
James Woodring (whose baseball-playing brother, Phillip, was inducted in the Hall of Fame's 2014 class) was accompanied by his parents and young son – who, he joked, might be recruited by presenter/coach Chris Howard in another 10 years.
Kennell, lauded as an architect of Penn College Athletics, was presented by Blymier.
Baier with her parents, Bill and Valerie. Her mother is coordinator of president’s office operations.
The Hagan Way pyramids bookend the blazing bonfire.
Night falls on another successful Homecoming and Parent & Family Weekend.
The shimmering fountains at the college's main entrance, freshly turned on after a summerlong rehabilitation project, accent Friday night's bonfire on the library lawn.
The 2021 Athletics Hall of Fame Class (from left): Scott E. Kennell (administration), James C. Woodring (baseball), Kendel F. Baier (archery) and Jamie L. Steer (basketball).
Plastics alumni enjoy perusing their former labs – decked out with exciting, new equipment they wish was available during their own "Proud Penn College Days." From left are Andrew B. Mitterling, William J. Moyer II and Timothy A. Frymoyer. The three were Selinsgrove high school classmates who ended up pursuing the same college major and graduating in 2004 from plastics & polymer engineering technology.
Alumnus James Fanelli (left) chats with plastics & polymer engineering technology students Ben D. Burns (center), of Northumberland, and Morgan T. Bartholomew, of Etters, two of several current plastics students who volunteered to meet and greet alumni in the labs. Fanelli graduated in 2010 with three degrees: applied technology studies, plastics & polymer technology, and plastics & polymer engineering technology.
Rebecca (Brown) Anderson, ’19, plastics & polymer engineering technology, enjoys showing her new husband, Kyle, around campus.
Joy in reunion! Plastics & polymer engineering technology alumni (from left): Shawnee M. Mills, 19; Lucas S. Poche, ’20; Nathan A. Rader-Edkin, ’19; Harold C. Lampe IV, ’19; and Alexa M. Korinchak, ’20.
A well-attended Plastics & Polymer Alumni Reunion reunited graduates and faculty from one of the college's most enduring programs.
Cheers with beers! Plastics alumni savoring the moment (from left) are Christopher E. Kohler, Taylor M. Kijak and Lance B. Richardson, all 2011 alumni in plastics & polymer engineering technology.
Kirk M. Cantor shares memories (and “Westonisms”) from his many years working side-by-side with his emeritus-faculty friend and colleague.
Timothy Weston, who retired in August 2020 as an associate professor of plastics technology – a program he founded – enjoys the humorous and sentimental comments that constituted his "roast."
Designed by plastics faculty member and alumnus Adam C. Barilla and 3D-printed in the college's makerspace, a replica of an injection molding machine was presented to Weston. (The base was constructed by instructor Richard K. Hendricks Jr. and crew in the automated manufacturing lab.)
Collin D. Skiba’s father, Doug, flew all the way from Texas to play disc golf with his son (and enjoy Parent & Family Weekend and pristine weather of a just-begun Pennsylvania autumn). The younger Skiba, from Boerne, Texas, is enrolled in robotics & automation.
Emilee A. Frazier, a welding technology student from Fredericksburg, with her painted (and button-bedecked) pumpkin
Mum’s the word: free popcorn from the Office of Student Engagement!
Sharing his musical talents on the Bush Campus Center Patio on Saturday night is Dallas J. Maloney, a residential construction technology and management freshman from Phoenixville.
Getting into the seasonal spirit with campus creativity is Kayla M. Figuereo, a first-year robotics & automation major from Beverly, N.J.
Patio lights, a cozy fire and live music provide all the ingredients for a truly golden hour.
College roommates who now live in four far-flung corners (Tennessee, northwest and southeast Pennsylvania, and Virginia) returned to campus to participate in the Alumni Golf Tournament ... and enjoy good times at New Trail. From left are Timothy R. Palmer, ’07, building construction technology, and ’09, residential construction technology & management; Jared M. Rabell, ’08, civil engineering technology and surveying technology; Brett M. Germeroth, ’08, building construction technology and ’09, residential construction technology & management; and Kyle Z. Godfrey, ’09, building construction technology.
Returning to their alma mater with exciting news: They’re engaged! Planning a June wedding are former Presidential Student Ambassadors Zachary J. Kravitz, ’20, construction management; and Kelsey L. McKenrick, ’19 and ’20, dental hygiene.
New Trail’s new addition, offering ample breathing space for private parties
Rekindling connections at New Trail ...
... and toasting (again!) the recent (Sept. 4) wedding of Michael and Melyssa Ferraiolo who celebrated their reception in that exact locale. Michael graduated from aviation technology in 2010 and aviation maintenance technology in 2011.
... while cinder blocks reinforce the "stay back" admonition.
Safety first! Fire personnel park nearby in case of emergency ...
Bonfire attendees warmly gather (while socially distancing) on the first night of an eventful weekend.
Adding to a diverting menu, The Hatchet House brings its portable ax-throwing unit to campus.
Chloe N. Taylor, a gallery attendant and graphic design student, shows yet another gift in a musical performance outside the library.
Matt J. Blymier, interim director of athletics, shows off the Hall of Fame rings.
The college president watches while Baier, who was introduced by architectural technology instructor Daniel L. Brooks, takes to the lectern.
Steer – presented by her sister, Kierstin, a 2018 inductee for basketball, and former coach Matt Wilt – offers remarks at the HOF banquet.