Let's All Finish Coach Groves' Scholarship

We are close enough to get it finished before Coach Groves' next birthday in April and certainly before the next Track Alumni Reunion and Coach Groves Golf Tournament!

Co-Administrator Larry Mangan has spearheaded the effort to find donors willing to match every donation made by the rest of us and complete the funding of a full tuition scholarship for an athlete in the Program.

So that means each of us must step up to make it happen.  Every single donation you make will be matched by 13 special members of our group up to a level of $2500.  We must not let this opportunity slip by.  Please consider adding to the effort, share this post and spread the word to everyone you know in our Universe.  It will make our next get-together a real hootenanny and bring a smile to Coach Groves' face!

Our Premier Benefactors: 

• Joe DeStefano  (1971)
• Carol and Steve Gentry  (1969)
• Hugh and Yunhee Hamill  (1976)
• Chris Herr  (1985)
• Doug Kent  (1980)
• Todd Leggett  (1984)
• Larry Mangan  (1981)
• Todd Shenk  (1984)
• Rod Stahl  (1991)
• Bob Radzwich  (1992)
• Tom Shiffer  (1987) 
• Doug Walter  (1990)
• Don and Lynn Ziter  (1981)

September 5, 2017

Dear Fellow Track & Field/Cross Country Alumni:

We hope you had an enjoyable summer and are getting ready for the upcoming 2017-2018 Penn State Cross Country and Track & Field seasons. The women’s and men’s programs are perennial B1G favorites, fueled by spectacular individual accomplishments and a great coaching staff. Based on the turn out for the 2017 Big Ten Championships in May, the alumni are really energized and engaged.

The alumni listed below, from a variety of decades in Penn State history and a mix of walk-ons and scholarship athletes, are hoping to capture that energy by taking the lead and asking you to join them to meet a challenge! Coach Harry Groves’ scholarship fund needs approximately $55,000 in donations to exceed the $300,000 necessary to partially endow the position scholarship, which would provide $15,000 in annual tuition support to a student athlete.

The challenge is this – we have pledged to support Coach Groves’ scholarship in the amount of $30,500 to match alumni contributions of that amount (hopefully more)! We ask you to donate what you can in support of our goal to get Coach’s scholarship over the $300,000 hurdle! We are in the homestretch, can you help to get us over the finish line?

Coach will turn 88 in April 2018 and we would love to present him with an early birthday present, and add to his great legacy, before the end of this year. We know from Greg Fredericks that Coach is excited about this effort. Please join us in meeting this very important goal. Thank you and We are…..Penn State!

Please send donations made payable to: Penn State University, noting the Harry Groves Track/XC Scholarship (GIXGH) in the memo portion of your check, at 147 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, PA 16802. If you have any questions, please call Kirk Diehl of the Varsity S Club at 814-867-2202.

If you would like to give online, you may do so at: https://secure.ddar.psu.edu/s/1218/nlclub/nlclub.aspx?sid=1218&gid=1&pgid=826&cid=3234&dids=633&bledit=1 and then type in GIXGH in the fund area below the amount you select.
Thank you.

Joe DeStefano (’71) Carol & Steve Gentry (’69) Hugh & Yunhee Hamill (‘76) Chris Herr (’85)
Doug Kent (’80) Todd Leggett (’84) Larry Mangan (’81) Todd Shenk (’84)
Rod Stahl (’91) Bob Radzwich (’92) Tom Shiffer (’87) Doug Walter (’90)
Don & Lynn Ziter (’81)

More Photos Saved From The Dustbin Of The Early 80's

Chris Herr at Villanova.

Todd Shenk Mike Valenti, with spectators John and Jim Reyner, above .Unknown Jumper, below!

Todd Leggett rightly points out that the thrower is Mike Valenti, not Todd Shenk.  Greg even told me that in his email.  I have no excuse for getting it wrong other than I'm an idiot.

Zeb Stewart, below. Unkown runners, above.

Fact checkers Alert.  You know what to do!  (A little help with identification...)  All photos by Greg Reyner.

Hershey Crawling With Penn State Track Alumni Golfers

It has been a few year's since I attended the PIAA State Cross Country Championships.  It certainly has become a much bigger affair over the years.

Some highlights:

• My daughter's York Suburban team ended in 5th place in the AA Girls event (and 9th in the AA Boys event.)
• Rebecca Donaghue's and Artie Gilkes State College High AAA Girls team finished in 13th place.  Dave Felice's Boys team placed 4th.
• Mark Haywood's (Asst. Coach) Camp Hill team finished in 15th place in A Boys.
• Bill Kvashay's Lake Lehman runner Dom Hockenberry (Bill coaches him in track) finished 2nd in the AA Boys race.
• Coach Gondak reports that the Girl's AA winner (Elizabeth Chikotas, Saucon Valley) and AAA winner (Tessa Barrett, Abington Heights) will both become future PSU Track/XC Alumni Golfers! (And he wasn't done working yet!)

Rebecca Donaghue (center) and Artie Gilkes (right)

Jeff Sanden almost never misses the PIAA Championships.

Assistant Coach Mark Haywood (left) and Chris Herr.

Dave Felice.

Bermuda Triangle of PSU Track Alumni Found:

I did not know what peril Gary and I were in last week when we ventured to The West Shore Country Club. It turns out, the area is known to swallow up PSU Track alums, never allowing them to be heard from again. Mark Haywood and Jeff Sanden are lucky we thought of them, they have been saved from a life of anonymity by the generous arm of The PSU Track Alumni Golf Outreach Program.

In just this 1/2 mile circle, 5 PSU Track alums have succumbed to the evil forces. We were not able to save Chris Herr yet, and Bruce McLanahan and his brother G. McLanahan have not yet been heard from. In addition, the area was also home to Mary Rawe, central PA's running phenom now married to fellow Track alum golfer (and former champion) Tom Rapp. We think she escaped the darkness by moving to Ohio, but neither of them have been heard from in several years. Does the long arm of malevolence reach more than 400 miles?

Note the green at the left side of the circle. Skwilli actually parred this hole, proving the bizarre potential of this dangerous parcel of land! My 7-iron into the first hole was prettier than McCain's running mate!*

*(from Jeff Sanden) Arbitrary political quotes not endorsed by officers of the group.

Warning, Bleg (blog begging) coming... Please send in a little something to the till so we can continue the humanitarian efforts in saving other Track Alums from the scourge of anonymity!

ALUMNI OUTREACH SUCCESSFUL: PSU Track Alumni Rookie Schools 2 Former Champions:

The Penn State Track and Field Alumni Golf Outreach Program reached The West Shore Country Club in Camp Hill recently. Both Jeff Sanden, '82 and Mark Haywood, '81 were pleased to see us and provided unparalleled courtesy and munificence. After a pleasant lunch, the nine holes breezed by in a flash. In the end my "D" golfer status shone through despite a par on the initial hole.* Gary hung in tough, but the new hips are still not allowing the 300 yard drives of the past. Jeff easily eclipsed us both, despite constantly hitting further left than Barack Obama's rhetoric**. Jeff is looking forward to the Coach Groves Memorial and the reunion with Alumni luminaries like Rob Whiteside and Don and Lynne Ziter. Mark couldn't golf with us this time, but is interested in putting at the tourney next Spring (pending approval of Clark and Leggett).

Before arriving at the Country Club we attempted to visit Chris Herr at his palatial estate nearby. However, we were rebuffed by the security forces and the hounds.*** Chris, we want you to come back. Drop us a line. Also living nearby was Coach Groves' mile-standout in the late 60's, Bruce McLanahan, the former mayor of Camp Hill! (I bounced many a check at McLanahan's in the late 70's; hope he's not related!)

YOU may be next for an Alumni Outreach unless you sign up now! Visit the message board and tell me who to visit next.

*54 for 9 holes (never broke 100 for 18 holes, and apparently not going to anytime soon)

**Arbitrary political references not necessarily endorsed by Group Officers. (Although I'm sure there will be more coming.)

***It turns out we were at his neighbors house, a Mr. Montgomery Burns, who heads the nearby Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Sorry for the confusion. (Smithers, release the hounds!)