On July 30, 1984, fifteen interested individuals, along with Alumni Association staff members Frank O’Brien ’54 and Jerry Wettstone ’62, convened the first meeting of the Centre County (Pa.) Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association in the Keller Conference Center on the University Park campus. Bryce Jordan was the President of the University and William Rothwell was the Alumni Association executive director. Both supported the chapter’s organization and dues were set at $10 for an individual and $15 for a couple. Amazingly, those dues remain the same today. 

On April 21, the Centre County Chapter celebrated its 20th anniversary, hosting 127 attendees at the Days Inn Penn State with dinner, music, and several distinguished guests and speakers. 

“We have activities similar to other chapters such as away football game parties and monthly happy hours,” said chapter president Richard Weiler ’61 in his opening remarks. “We [also] participate in Festival of the Trees, hike Mt. Nittany, and have a great Web site, a great newsletter, and a championship softball team. We take trips, tours, and go to theatres as a group.” The Centre County Chapter also makes donations to many worthy local causes like the Women’s Resource Center and the Penn State Habitat for Humanity.

Weiler went on to explain how the chapter members donate their time to various community projects such as keeping a section of University Drive clean and planting flowers at the intersection of University Drive and College Avenue. “We generally clean up Spring Creek Park, and in the past have adopted the Senior Activities Center to make things more comfortable for them.” Many of the chapter members can also be seen and met as they welcome visitors to the Hintz Family Alumni Center during weekend hours.   

The group volunteers its time to a program called Spend a Summer Day, which welcomes prospective students to the University Park campus. “Our chapter members are the ones in the yellow t-shirts answering questions and directing prospective Penn State students to their classroom meetings,” Weiler explained. “We have been extremely successful because of our hard working board and membership.”

Alumni Association executive director Roger Williams ’73, ’75g, ’88g gave a welcome speech in which he praised the group for its many contributions to the community and to the University. He noted that Centre County has a large number of Penn State alumni. A very high percentage of those alumni—about 43 percent—are also members of the Penn State Alumni Association.  He attributed this to the quality of the chapter and the work it does to keep alumni connected to all things Penn State. 

State representative Lynn Herman was in attendance and presented a House of Representatives citation and House Resolution commending the chapter and the University for its service to the citizens of the Commonwealth. The citation, signed by Herman on February 24, 2004, recognizes the Centre County Chapter for its “immeasurable contributions toward the welfare of society and the community at large through countless civic and charitable endeavors that have been designed to enhance the quality of life for all.”

The Centre County Chapter has received recognition for several of its programs, among them the Penn State Alumni Association’s Award for Outstanding Student Support and Interaction Program in 2001. This award considered the chapter’s scholarship and emergency grant for students, annual interaction with international students, and support of organized student activities. The money from the award was donated to the Penn State International Friendship House.