Hello All! I have enjoyed writing to all of you over this past year. It was a great 27th for our organization and our projects have become bigger and more visible each year. We’ve walked backwards for Moxie Thon, created a Pink and Black S-Zone, entertained the largest group of people at GTLS in years, and of course gave 4,000 tours to prospective students and parents looking to make Penn State their new home. There has been so many exciting things going on this year in Ambassadors, but I have especially enjoyed working with the LAAIG on Moxie-Gate and working on the LAAMP mentoring program. Moxie Gate had won of the largest turnouts in years and we sent many, many bags to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I had the privilege to deliver those bags to my friends at LLS and they couldn’t have been more thrilled to have toys to take to the kids at the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. Thank you to all who came and brought toys, it was a great way to put some names with faces and also an amazing philanthropy project. The newest project that has been started by the LAAIG is the new Lion Ambassador Alumni Mentor Program (LAAMP). It is another way that current lambs and alumni are trying to become more connected. The LAAIG has already made eleven connections in just two weeks and about 60 current and alumni L’Ambs have asked to be matched! If you are interested in being a mentor, log onto the LAAIG website and click on “News,” there will be a link for you to fill out a form about where you are and what you are doing! The more people that sign up, the more connections can be made. It has been a pleasure to serve as the liaison to the LAAIG, I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing stories of past ambassador years. Always remember you have a home in happy valley! We love to see our alumni and you are always welcome to come back and visit! Though, I may not be the historian anymore, I won’t be too far. I will be serving as the tour director for the 2009-2010 school year. So, if you do have any tour requests, you know who to contact! Special thanks to all of you have submitted roars and personally speaking entries for Lion Pause. And specifically a special thanks to Lee Citarella, who helped with all the graphic design for this year’s Lion Pause! Hope all is well and I wish you a very safe, happy, and warm summer! For The Glory, Alyson Rotz

I can’t believe it’s been almost two years! I can still remember walking into Rec Hall only hours after landing at the University Park airport from Tallahassee, Florida for BAPFTS in August 2007 and now I’m trying to figure out how to say “see you later” to another group of seniors. The past year has been great- Joe and Sue Paterno helping welcome a new class at this year’s BAPFTS, juggling GTLS and being on the faculty homecoming court, and the joy of learning a new line dance at Retreat.

One of the most exciting things about this past year was the addition of a new staff member to the Student Involvement area in October. Just in time for the craziness of fall, Stacey Focht became our program assistant who helps me and all of the LAmbs stay on top of things. She is a great addition and loves working with the Ambassadors while luring them to her upstairs office by always providing chocolate!

This year’s group of Ambassadors keep me on my toes, and the alumni I have had the opportunity to interact with have taught me so much in my time here. I cannot begin to explain how much I have enjoyed the late nights, the laughs, the conversations with the students I have the privilege of working with and learning from. I’ve even been caught giving directions across campus! I am still challenged by the winter days that do not make it above freezing and the snow and ice covered mountain drives but with a lot of help, I am getting better.

The Ambassadors’ dedication not only to Penn State, but to their committees, each project, the organization, and to each other continuously amazes me. They are phenomenal individuals who are changing the world, impacting Penn State, challenging the way I think, and encouraging me to be Penn State proud. Alumni, thank you for the legacy that you have left for the current L’Ambs.

As this close out another year as advisor, I look forward to meeting more of you who continue to make the LAAIG one of the most respected interest groups in the Association. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there’s any way I can assist.

All the best and For the Glory, Sara Jones Advisor

Greetings Alumni and Friends!

It’s hard to believe that only 27 years ago our beloved organization came to be, as some of our founding fathers set forth on a mission around a camp fire in Stone Valley. There they spoke of the mission that our organization would uphold the traditions, values, and the pride that surround Dear Old State. Twenty-seven years later, each of our current Ambassadors continue to live this mission in their actions words and continued dedication to serving the University community.

Together with our strengths in campus outreach, collaboration with the Alumni Association and the LAAIG, the Lion Ambassadors have made the 2008-2009 year as one of the most exciting in Ambassador history. As the year began, we were able to implement some of the changes that were voted into motion in Spring 2008. By popular vote, the organization was able to return Moxie-Thon to a committee project from an adhoc that allowed the Ambassadors to extend the reaches of Moxie and further incorporate the Penn State and State College community as well as extend our continued support of the Heydenreich family. Other important changes made this year was the transfer of our project A Taste of Penn State to the University Relations Committee who spearheaded an ideal to make “TOPS” as we call it a semester long event.

The recruitment process was taken to new heights, as the elected membership committee was able to work collaboratively with the Sparks throughout LARS. This year our newly inducted Honorary Ambassador, Sue Paterno was able to help us recruit 51 of Penn State’s outstanding Sophomore and Junior leaders to join our ranks as the Penn State Student Alumni Corps.

Philanthropy was able to integrate more involvement on campus as well as collaborate with the Blue & White Society, our sister organization, to host Blood Drives and participate in other philanthropic activities. We were also able to beat previous years THON totals on an organizational level with our continued support and love of our THON child Becca, and the entire Allen family. In the upcoming weeks, Ambassadors will be creating the largest Relay for Life team in the past few years to walk in honor of cancer survivors and the American Cancer Society.

In April of 2008, the newly written Strategic Plan was approved by the Executive Board and General Membership. This Strategic Plan was written from the perspective of determining the mission, goals and visions of all Ambassador committees, projects, and relationships with Alumni Association, URC, and other student organizations. The 2008-2011 Strategic Plan also outlined strategic measures that was the basis of the responsibility of this years SPC committee to maintain, evaluate, and adapt as needed.

As an organization based on traditions, and trust, we continue to strive towards our mission of making our connection to the University a lifelong commitment. You as an alumnus stand as an excellent testament to our loyalty as students and alumni, and I thank you for your continued support for our beloved organization and Alma Mater.

For the Glory, Emma Donley President (2k7)

Three and a half years in Lion Ambassadors brings about many fourths. A fourth Retreat, four OMOHS, four Lantern Tours, four U-WIDE’s, and of course, four trips through the whirlwind of New Member Education. As AVP, it’s hard to not look ahead to the New Member season early on in the academic year, which is why we dialed up our new member efforts a notch with the establishment of the New Member Education Committee, the NCC. In addition to being a New Member Chair, selected general members were also part of a committee dedicated to reshaping and improving our new member process, while providing feedback from past years and open discussion pertaining to all of our NME’s. Together we ushered in the class of 2k9, and set standards each week with an unprecedented dedication to education. It was a long and sometimes difficult road for our CHOPS, but I am proud to introduce the newest class of Lion Ambassadors to our alums far and wide. Congratulations 2k9! As a byproduct of the NCC, the Sourcebook underwent a massive overhaul, demanding long hours of both research and design. In the end, our first color Sourcebook, our largest Sourcebook, and our most complete and accurate compilation of Penn State and Ambassador History was sent to print and distributed to the new class. 2008-2009 saw advancements in several other areas as well. The Embassy Education position in the hardworking and creative hands of Frank Macinksy has become one of the most looked forward to portions of our General Meetings. Both entertaining and educational, Frank’s presentations never ceased to amaze, and still amaze regularly on our very own YouTube Channel. I could go on and on about the hard work that many members have put into the organization this year, but in Lion Ambassadors, much of that goes without saying. My three plus years as a Lion Ambassador have been my best, shaping who I am as a person, and preparing me for the real world that lies just beyond graduation. I have made lifelong friends and relationships which I will cherish forever, and I have given all I have to serve Penn State and the Alumni Association. I have been provided the opportunity to give back, to embrace a pride and tradition, and to represent something greater than any one of us, and for that, I am forever grateful. May Our Lives But Swell Thy Fame, Forever for the Glory, Lee Michael Citarella (2k6 Walker)

It’s not a surprise in the world of tours that the theme of this year was: “Changes.” I think the biggest changes this year came from a meeting in the fall semester when Admissions was informed that the use of the Bravo Room (in East Halls) was being converted into offices for additional office space. This allowed for a brand new plan to be enacted, and if I do say so myself – the changes are fantastic. Tours previously called “Offer” tours are now referred to as “Accepted Student Tours.” All of the ASP tours leave out of the HUB and each route is tailored to suit the specific College in which the student has been accepted. Additionally, the HUB Auditorium is now used for the presentation. When the tour splits the parents and students apart – the students are taken to the 3rd floor of the HUB and have their panel in that space and the parents stay for a newly created parent panel. So far, these major changes have worked exceptionally well.

As far as the sheer volume of students and their families that visit Penn State each year, this past year has been no exception in record attendance. For 2008, the statistics are as follows, courtesy of the Admissions department…

Prospective Student (and family): 24,542 Transfer Students (and family): 218 Offer Students (and family): 7,792

Spend A Summer Day Students (and family): 12,406 TOTAL: 44,958 visitors for 2008

The average family is a commonality here at PSU, but we’ve had some very famous special tours this year. A couple of the special guests to campus this year were Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and their children – one whom is considering Penn State as one of her top choices!

I’ve consistently been impressed with level of service that my fellow Ambassadors devote to touring – they have consistently stepped up to volunteer for tours and have been extremely patient, understanding and excited as we’ve worked through all of the changes this year. To my fellow Ambassadors – I extend a personal thank you to each and every one of you who has given a tour this year (ie: ALL of you!) and to all of the alumni who’ve shared the touring experience with us this year – I hope you had a good time and continue to spread the word about Penn State to your fellow alums and friends!

Tour the Glory,

Chuday

Hi L’amb Alums, For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Samantha Miller. I am a 2k8 Walker and served as the 2008-2009 University Relations Chair. The University Relations Committee was made of up of myself and six other individuals: Kerri Kearns (2k8, Atherton), Vicki Cooper (2k8, Walker), Tran Che (2k7, Burrowes), Steve Brown (2k8, Walker), Shane Flickinger (2k7, Fraser), and Andy Jaye (2k7, Atherton). We also received constant support from this year’s AVP Lee Citarella. The dynamic of URC changed a lot this year because of the change in the nature of our work. In the fall, the committee decided to start a brand new series of projects that were known fondly to the committee as “focus groups.” Two focus groups were held leading up to Taste of Penn State as a way for us to gauge what the sentiments of the University Community toward and about Lion Ambassadors. The focus groups allowed for a lot of honest discussion and were able to lead URC in the right direction for planning Taste. Fall 2008 also marked the first ever URC Taste of Penn State. The project was held on November 16, and took on a very new and innovative form from what had been seen in the past. The URC Committee decided to hold breakout sessions that were modeled to be discussions rather than presentations. This allowed all of our guests to interact not only with one group, but also with all groups present as well as the member of Alumni Council who were in attendance. In the spring, the committee shifted focus toward the All-Campus Conference (ACC). Held on March 27 and March 28, this year’s ACC saw record-breaking attendance with over 95 people attending. As a committee, we were able to introduce the idea of moving back into the ACC model where a Commonwealth Campus hosts every other year, and the Ambassadors present at ACC 2009 were extremely receptive to the idea. I could not be more proud of the committee for the tremendous strides they have taken for URC this year. We feel confident that we have grown URC to a new level and I am very excited to leave the committee in the hands of Emmy Enders (2k9, Fraser) and cannot wait to see where she takes URC in the coming year. For the Glory, Samantha Miller

yes

Greetings from State College! My name is Lauren Seitz and I am the 2008-2009 Executive Vice President. I am a senior majoring in International Politics and Economics with minors in History and Spanish, and I hail from the lovely Mechanicsburg, PA. And I love Ambassa-projects! This year, the classes of 2k7 through 2k9 have been working hard to bring Penn State amazing ways to learn about our history and share our traditions. In the fall, we began with Be A Part From The Start, which was run by our ad-hocs Tim Ballas and Tran Che, and celebrated the incoming freshman with a great pep rally. Our committee projects went full steam into the fall with the Burrowes running MoxieTHON, which this year became a committee project. We really wanted to make philanthropy a larger focus for the L’Ambs, and it made sense to add more people to the planning of our philanthropy. MoxieTHON had a great turnout and set a wonderful foundation for many more years of the 5k/10k fight against cancer. The Fraser Committee put on the S-Zone every home football Saturday, and they shook it up this year by not only flipping the Zone white for the Illinois game but also planning a surprise pink and black S-Zone for the Homecoming game against Michigan,

taking us back to our roots! The night before the Homecoming game, the Walker Committee ran Guard The Lion Shrine, complete with a visit from PSU historian Lou Prato, great entertainment, and the Last Guard Standing competition. At the end of October, the Hetzel Committee shared PSU pride with the community through Lantern Tours of campus. Though it was one of the first snowfalls of the season, the event had a great turnout to continue the tradition of this exciting project. Throughout the semester, the Sparks! Committee worked hard to recruit the L’Amb class of 2k9 with informational events to spread awareness about our great group of students! And since the fall, the Atherton Committee planned our annual Retreat, a rite of passage for new and old members alike, which welcomed our Chops into the organization and brought old members back together at the end of February. The spring has been going great, and we look forward to more projects coming your way soon! The Frasers put on a fantastic Founder’s Day celebration and coming next is Family Weekend by the Sparks! In April, we’ll be enjoying the Burrowes rendition of Old Main Open House, Walkerssssss’ (yelled in a loud voice) Internal Senior Sendoff, and a Hetzel-ed up University-Wide Senior Sendoff. Thank you for all of your support to the Alumni Association and the Lion Ambassadors so that we can continue to put on great projects for the Penn State community. And know that you are always welcome at any of our events; we would love to see you! For The Glory, Lauren Seitz, EVP (2k7 Atherton)

Lauren Chuday Nadia Hasan Kerri Kearns Betsy Kellander Tyler Noda Brittany Pasay

Zach Rice Jouelle Robinson Suzy Robold Carrie Salvia Lauren Seitz Claire Semerjian

The 2008-2009 Atherton Committee Committee Director: Christian Lane Fall 2008: Retreat Spring 2009: Retreat

Welcome to the Team 2k9!

Austin Antolik - Jackie Boyland - Will Dennis - Michael Goralcyzk - Alex Hauser

Mackenzie Kagel - Alex Middleton - Bob Spellman

John Sladewski

Atherton anticipation began to build last April when it was revealed that the committee was charged with planning Retreat 2k9! True to form, the 2008-2009 Atherton Committee has enjoyed a fun and successful year this far! Things started with a bang this fall when the A-Team’s very own John Sladewski was named as one of the three Lion Ambassadors to the 2008 Homecoming Court. The first weekend in October was dubbed “Ather-weekend” as the teAm spent a great deal of time and energy selecting the theme, class song (Time of My Life by David Cook), and other specifics that would lay the foundation for Retreat weekend. Although the committee did not have a project to complete in the first semester, we remained active in the fall lineup assisting with S-Zone, GTLS, Moxie-THON, Lantern Tours, and LARS sessions.

Rejuvenated by a long winter break, we returned to State College in Retreat mode. Four location visits, various filming sessions, and multiple calls to vendors all took place in the first month back. The week leading up to Retreat was extremely hectic as well, but everything was completed in time! From February 27th to March 1st, 2009 we hosted the Lion Ambassadors’ 27th Retreat at Camp Krislund in Madisonburg, PA. The Ambassador Class of 2K9 was encouraged to embody the theme “Live it Out Loud” for the duration of their Ambassador careers. Drs. Andrew Peck and Robert Ricketts made the journey to Camp Krislund to speak to the group and to share insight from their life experiences. It is safe to say that each Ambassador left the weekend with a new sense of pride and tradition.

Now that Retreat has come and gone, the Atherton Committee is still looking for new challenges/adventures to take on. The baby Atherton’s will be selecting or creating some service projects around campus that they would like to partake in, then they will be given the opportunity to run the project. This will provide the class of 2K9 with practice and leadership experience in projects since they were not allowed to assist with Retreat. Atherton clothing designs are also in the works! Ideas have included; tuxedo t-shirts, sweater vests with ties, and revisiting old t-shirt ideas. Also, a kickball challenge has been extended by the Fraser committee (they have completed their Spring project as well) with gentlemanly means pursued. The wager and outcome has yet to be decided! Lastly Atherton Committee Retreat and Initiation was a success! The new class of Atherton’s learned more about the committee through time honored traditions, and Curious George is still in our possession (despite the Burrowes various attempts to steal him)!

I would like to thank the Atherton seniors that have given so much of their time and energy to this organization: Kerri Kearns, Suzy Robold, Lauren Chuday, Yuqing Gao, Nadia Hasan, Andy Jaye, Christian Lane, Zack Rice, Lauren Seitz, and John Sladewski. All of you will be missed!

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the executive board for the last year. The experiences that I had and the memories that I made will truly last a lifetime. My 2.5 years as a Lion Ambassador have been the best of my Penn State career. Best of luck to the future of Lion Ambassadors, and carry on our storied tradition. For the George and For the Glory!

Christian Lane

Senior Atherton Committee Director

The 2008-2009 Burrowes Committee Committee Director: Emily Hebner Fall 2008: MOXIE-thon Spring 2009: Old Main Open House

Embrace the Shade, 2k9

Liz Miller Megan Maczonis Brian Parico Sarah Schindler Angie Smith Shay Solt Jeff Watson

Tran Che Michael Dimattesa Bryan Getz Jeff Guagliardo Kristen Gunnison Chris Hachey T.J. Keefe

Keith Agyeman - Acshah Dorsey - Kate Gullo - Jon Hudak - Katy Rambo

Bill Rech - Jaclyn Sokol - Eileen Webb - Ben Witt

Nick Pinto

The Burrowes Committee understands that this letter's importance is to inform everyone on what we have been up to this past year; however, the Burrowes must embrace the shade and fill you in on some but not all of our endeavors. Our Fall project, MoxieThon, was a challenging yet exponentially rewarding experience. In the more recent years, MoxieThon was an ad hoc project and in the Spring semester of '08 the organization voted to move Moxie back to its original spot as a committee project. Therefore, the Burrowes began slowly chipping away at some business over the summer in order to take the project to new heights come fall. Our main goals were to increase participation, raise more money for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, and to integrate Melissa Heydenreich's family into the project as much as possible. Thanks to the committee's dedication, creativity, and heart, we far exceeded our goals. We raised over $7000, had a substantial increase in attendance, and were able to communicate and involve the family as much as possible. On Friday October 3, ACACIA Fraternity (Rush Acacia!) hosted our spaghetti dinner, which raised $500. ACACIA provided a dining area, assistance with setting up the dinner, Nelly, the cook who prepared all of the food, and clean-up help as well. During the dinner, we had two Penn State athletes speak about their life experiences. Kevin Tan, the men's gymnastics coach who competed in this past summer's Olympics, created a moving video speech for us about his mother's battle with cancer and his perseverance throughout his athletic career. Afterwards, Doris Willette, a sophomore fencing athlete, took the stage to speak about her interesting and challenging fencing career. The following Sunday, October 5, MoxieThon kicked off. Aside from your typical 5k/10k race competition, the Burrowes invited all of the other touring organizations on campus (SMART and Scouts) to compete in the inaugural "walk backwards competition." The prize for the winning organization was a coveted, gaudy, and hilarious trophy. L'AMBS represented for the win and the trophy now resides in our office! Dole Fruit Company and Rita's Ice also added some extra pizzaz to MoxieThon by allowing us to borrow a banana costume and ice cup costume for the day. The Burrowes own T.J. Keefe completed the 5k race dressed as Bobby the Banana. Now if that is not dedication, I ask you what is? Other highlights of the day included the LAAIG posthumously awarding Melissa the John Black Award. Melissa's mother and family were present to accept the award and at that time spoke of Melissa's past achievements including her time as an Ambassador. All in all, MoxieThon was day of reflection, determination, and fun. Currently, the Burrowes committee is busy planning a fantastic Old Main Open House! We can't divulge any of the cool details yet, but we have an abundance of historically smashing ideas this year! We're also devoting our time to welcoming in the new Burrowes who have been nothing short of super shady, sexy, and cool! Additionally, the Burrowes have designed a new shirt to honor Thomas Henry Burrowes himself and to display the chillingly shady side of our committee. As the Burrowes committee director, I have been so lucky and honored to see firsthand how smoothly projects can run when working with enthusiastic, creative, and open-minded individuals. I'd like to thank all the Burrowes, past and present, for embracing the shade in order to take our committee to new heights! WAB. FTG, Emily Hebner

Conor Daly Anthony Estes Shane Flickinger Cri Cri Henry Elizabeth Kernion Mike Lamapriello

Janelle Mikulca Mike Niffenegger Val Russell Matt Sheroff Ari Waschler Kat Wilson

Eileen Barno - Emmy Enders - Jimmy Gibbons - Curran McCready - Sharon O’Brien - Kayla Ritenour

Lucas Scott - Susan Urish - Josh Wentz

The 2008-2009 Fraser Committee Committee Director: Dani McIntyre Fall 2008: S-Zone Spring 2009: Founder’s Day

Welcome to the Family 2k9

Hi Fraser Fam! The Frasers have been working very hard all year to put together two outstanding projects. Starting over the summer, we worked hard to ensure the success of our first project, the S-Zone. While the S-Zone image has become a sort of brand for the student section at all home football games, we did our best to provide our own sense of flair to the zone.

In addition to the traditional blue “S” on a white background, the Frasers kicked it up a notch. With the growing popularity of “white-outs” in the student section, we were able to flip the S-zone with a blue background that was widened to create a larger looking “S.” The Frasers decided to go one step further than any previous S-Zone by showing the old school style of the Farmer’s High School. For the homecoming game against Michigan, the Whitehouse was “Inspired by Tradition” with the first ever pink “S” on a black background to honor our former school colors. The look was complete with metallic pink and black shakers for all students in the S-Zone, causing the pink and black to stand out and sparkle. This homecoming game was extra special for the Fraser committee because this year’s king and queen were our very own Anthony Estes and Liz Kernion, representing the family quite well! Throughout the long football season, the Frasers, as well as all Ambassadors, helped to make our most visible project a huge success!

After the semester long fall project, the Frasers hit the ground running for the spring project of Founder’s Day. For the 154th birthday of dear old state, the Frasers decided to cover as much of campus as possible so that all students were aware of the celebration. We moved up to East Halls for an evening event to kick off the celebration with PSU Trivia Plinko, cookies, raffle prizes, and “did you know?” flyers for all students. The following day, Ambassadors took over the HUB with decorations, trivia games, PSU history, and entertainment throughout the afternoon. The HUB event featured a “balloon drop” from the ceiling, the Blue Band Trumpets, step team performances by the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Phi Beta Sigma, and live music from local bands Whipple Jam and Havoc Jack. We kept the HUB rocking all day as a constant crowd was formed around the stage. Finally, giant birthday cards containing facts about influential presidents were placed at 6 locations around campus, and hot chocolate, cookies, and trivia were distributed at tables around campus to include students who did not pass through the HUB during the celebration.

While we were busy all year, we still made time for several family dinners, the traditional family photo at Sears, and rocked new Fraser gear that contained a picture of John Fraser wearing stunner shades on a yellow t-shirt.

In January, we were very lucky to welcome nine wonderful new members to the family as the class of 2k9! I know they will continue to make the family proud!

It was great seeing many of you throughout the football season and we hope all is well and that we can see you again soon!

For the family, For the glory, Dani McIntyre, Fraser CD (2k7)

“Throughout the long football season, the Frasers, as well as all Ambassadors, helped to make our most visible project a huge success!”

- Committee Director Dani MacIntyre

The 2008-2009 Hetzel Committee Committee Director: Amy Leslie Fall 2008: Lantern Tours Spring 2009: University Wide Senior Sendoff

Shockingly Refreshing, 2k9!

Blake Ilgenfritz Frank Macinsky Heather McMunigal Amber Reilly Sean Stanton Greg Tallman

Nick Baccash Julia Covelli Lauren DiGaetano Eric DiGiovanna Emma Donely Sam Hahn

Victoria Brandolini - Rebekah Cosco - Rachel Louie - TJ Masteller - Joe Millet

Corie-Mae Myers - Justin Polosky - Kaitlin Seasoltz

The 2008-2009 year has proven to be a very shockingly refreshing one! The Hetzels returned in the fall ready to plan an innovative and exciting Lantern Tours. Combining creative juices and Hetzellence the Zels came up with new ideas to incorporate into the Fall project. Lantern Tours 2008: The Search for Paranormal Pride included new characters and an interactive video tour. As the students and community toured the night with lantern light, they were asked to find the missing pride at Penn State. In the end however, it was clear through the people of Penn State’s past, tour guides, and videos that pride is not a tangible thing. Instead it exists inside the Penn State community! Everyone seemed to really enjoy the interactive twist that encouraged LT guests to actively pursue Penn State’s history. In the Spring, the Hetzels will be putting together the 2009 University Wide Senior Sendoff. The Zels are ready to put yet another shockingly refreshing twist on a L’Amb project and planning is already successfully going under way. Even though our next project is rapidly approaching, we were able to spend most of the spring semester getting to know our newest Pinkies. The Zels welcomed 8 new members into the most shockingly refreshing committee and couldn’t be more excited about it! Planning an awesome skit for retreat and having frequent committee dinners has helped the new Zels feel welcome and excited to be Hetzel. We also have two new Zels subheading for UWIDE which is providing them with great opportunities to get involved early on. Overall, it has been a wonderful 2008-2009 year so far and we can’t wait to see how our committee continues to bond and instill outrageous fun within our projects and the rest of the organization. We hope all is well with our L’Amb and Zel Alum! HET HET LTS, Amy Leslie 2008-2009 Junior Committee Director 2k8 Hetzel

Elyse Adams Joe Caruano Emily Cohen Megan Francis Kirsten Hosack Greg Hyde

Jen Lowe Sam Merrit Drew Nebrig Sharon Rose Katie Tolerico

The 2008-2009 Sparks Committee Committee Director: Ryan Kress Fall 2008: LARS Spring 2009: Family Weekend

2k9, How do you spell SPARKS?

Sara Ann Barrett - Robin Beltrani - Nicole Eckhardt - Jake June - Brett Kesselman - DJ Lingelbach

Jared McKnight - HJ Sieminski

Not Pictured: Katie Martin

Greetings L’Amb Alumni! The Sparks! Committee has had quite the tremendous year. In fully living by our motto, Soul. Friendship. Dedication., the Sparks! have taken our committee to new heights and have been nothing short of amazing.

This past fall the Sparks! took on the important task of recruiting the newest class of L’Ambs with our project Lion Ambassador Recruitment Sessions. After much brainstorming, the Sparks! chose this year’s theme as “Telling The Story, For The Glory. It’s Your Turn.” We had four separate sessions throughout the fall, the first of which was an event on the patio of Old Main. A tent was set up, great food was served, flyers were dispersed and the word of L’Amb was preached to students passing by as a way to market our upcoming information sessions. Speaking of marketing the information sessions, the Sparks! put a twist on marketing LARS this year by doing flash mobs in the HUB. For those that aren’t exactly sure what in the world a flash mob indeed is, I will tell you. A flash mob is where a group of individuals go through a crowded space, such as the HUB, and all completely freeze at the same time in the position that they were in. Wearing our bright orange LARS t-shirts and with flyers in hand, we pretended to do a tour through the HUB with about thirty or so L’Ambs. At the shout of “We are…” everyone froze in their positions for two awkward minutes. This was actually not only a great way to market and get people’s attention, but it was so much fun, too!

For the actual information sessions themselves the committee really wanted to add some excitement to this year’s sessions so we invited newly inducted Honorary L’Amb Sue Paterno to speak about the organization. SuePa gave an incredible speech and spoke so highly of the organization, which was something both the recruits and especially current L’Ambs loved and needed to hear. We also had Joe Battista, one of the founding members of L’Ambs speak. He gave quite the rousing pump up speech and was a great balance to SuePa. We also held the annual Open House which is always a great way to have some one on one face time with recruits and really talk up the organization. Fantastic food, great music, awesome prizes and wonderful conversations…what more could you want for an Open House?

Our spring project was also quite the success! The Sparkies had the wonderful opportunity to host Family Weekend 2009. Our committee truly dedicated themselves to this project and was determined to leave their mark on it. The goal for this weekend was to put the family back in Family Weekend and really make it personal. We wanted to keep certain traditions the same, but also put a twist on things.

The weekend kicked off with a Welcome Event in the HUB Auditorium. We made an awesome video that introduced the Sparks! and welcomed everyone to Family Weekend. After the video played, members of the Blue Band stormed into the auditorium and proudly played our favorite Penn State Fight Songs. One of the highlights of the event was when each family was put into the committee that their children had thought best matched their personalities. Teaching families committee chants and signs was quite hilarious. Throughout the entire weekend families proudly displayed and showed their signs. From the HUB families went on a short walk to the Hintz where buses were waiting to give them a short tour of our favorite Penn State spots. During the walk characters from Penn State’s past met the families and shared their history with them.

A dinner reception was held on the Hintz Lawn where a massive tent was constructed that fit all 320 L’Ambs and their families. So about this tent. On this particular weekend, the weather decided to have a mind of its own and severe winds of forty plus miles per hour ensued. If you know anything about massive tents and high winds, then you know enough to be able to tell that they do not go together, at all. Long story short, Best Event had to come four separate times throughout the day to fix our collapsing tent. Fear not though, for the winds subdued for the dinner and a marvelous time was surely had by all. We also had a mini General at dinner that showed our families an inside look to L’Ambs. After dinner families were able to go up into the bell tower and enjoy the beautiful sights of campus at night. The weekend concluded with a delicious brunch at the Hintz. All in all, the weekend was an enormous success and everyone surely had a fantastic time.

The Sparks! Committee welcomed nine incredible new members this year that have been amazing additions to an already amazing committee. The Sparks! have had one of the best years and we are surely sad to see it come to an end. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as CD to this incredible group of individuals and I am positive that our committee is only destined for greatness next year. We hope everyone is doing wonderful, we miss you! Take care! Arf arf! arFTG, Ryan Kress

Kyle Brzezynki Steve Brown Lee Citarella Vicki Cooper Dan Coughlin Ashley Fowler

Nadina Fraimow Amy Leib Andy Miller Sam Miller Alyson Rotz Steph Yessler

The 2008-2009 Walker Committee Committee Director: John Paul Rossi Fall 2008: Guard the Lion Shrine Spring 2009: Internal Senior Sendoff

Fear the Bull, Fear 2k9

Eric Charity - Steve DeSandis - David Frankenfield - Ashley Grim - Rachael Grosso

Lauren Hosack - Megan McGurk - Victoria Wolff

Tim Ballas Matt McCowan

Hey Nation! This fall, the 2k8 Walkers got their first crack at project work after sitting on the sidelines through Retreat 2008 planning. The committee came together to execute Guard the Lion Shrine and orchestrate our involvement with the related Homecoming week activities. Never losing sight of our mantra, “We win, we always do,” our boisterous committee ensured Homecoming would be no different. Fourteen Lion Ambassadors clad in rolled-up khaki pants stormed Eisenhower Auditorium with a rousing Airbands performance. In perfect harmony, the love story of Jomeo and Suelliet played out to a cheering crowd and a panel of judges that crowned the Lion Ambassadors Airbands 2008 Champions.

In related news, the Pleasant Gap Fire Company was forced to retire the ailing antique blue and white fire engine that traditionally carried senior Lion Ambassadors through the Homecoming Parade. Symbolizing our University’s agrarian roots and its location at the forefront of technological innovation, the Walkers decided that the Lion Ambassadors and President Spanier should be pulled through the parade by the largest blue tractor in the State College region powered by alternative fuels. The float and tractor, decorated with hay, pumpkins, and gourds, created an impressive sight rolling down College Avenue and up Burrowes Street, finishing its route at the Lion Shrine.

The evening of Friday, October 17, marked the 2008 celebration of Guard the Lion Shrine that brought over a thousand Penn State alumni, students, and friends to the Class Gift of 1940. The organization and greater community gathered,Honoring the Past, Protecting the Future, complete with delicious food and great entertainment. The Blue Band and Cheerleaders kicked off the event by leading the crowd in fight songs. Lines grew quickly as hungry patrons waited for popcorn, fresh submarines, Clem’s Barbeque sandwiches, and Philly Pretzels. Loyal Nittany Lions came out to hear Lou Prato, a Penn State football historian, recount the storied history of the Lion Shrine. Prato, who guarded the Shrine as a student in the 1960s, kept the audience captivated with his knowledge of the repeated attacks the Lion Shrine faced since its dedication in 1942.

Prato soon passed the microphone off to guitarist Mike Antosh, who headlined the night’s entertainment. As night fell, listeners, hot chocolate in hand, crowded the stage to enjoy Antosh’s acoustic mix of popular song covers and his original music. Meanwhile, over fifty competitors gathered for the 5th annual Last Guard Standing Competition. The competition, which included a Creamery ice cream flavor challenge, ultimately awarded the Last Guard Standing with an autographed Sean Lee jersey. The night concluded with a performance by the Pennharmonics, one of Penn State’s premier a cappella groups, who impressed the crowd with their renditions of contemporary favorites. With the Lion Shrine safe at midnight, the crowd dispersed, ready to cheer the Nittany Lions on to victory over Michigan in a nationally televised event.

As graduation looms in the distance, the Walkers look forward to bidding farewell and thanking the Lion Ambassador seniors for their dedicated service to The Pennsylvania State University and our special organization at Internal Senior Sendoff. The eight Baby Walkers are already showing their superior skills, continually impressing older members with their dedication. Be confident that the Nation stands strong, respects those that came before them, and continues to remember the foundation each of you built. We hope you are doing well and we miss you! O.L.É.

Eric Walker liked to tell a story about a conversation he had with his friend, the distinguished scientist Vannevar Bush, soon after being named president of Penn State. “Eric, there are three ways to build a great University,” said Bush. “You can build a lot of buildings. You can build a football team. Or you can build a faculty.” “Well, Van,” Walker replied, “I am going to do all three.”

FTB, JP Rossi, Walker CD (2k7)

Between continuing traditions started in the past and creating new projects, Philanthropy has been very busy this academic year. In the fall, we began by raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk, in memory of the grandmother of a L’amb. During Penn State’s Homecoming Week, the Lion Ambassadors donated 10 full garbage bags worth of clothing and shoes to St. Vincent’s, a local church. St. Vincent’s provides these items to those in need for very low prices and then uses that money to make meals for people as well. In both November and February, the Lion Ambassadors hosted a blood drive in the Hintz Alumni Center. The fall blood drive was one of several drives that helped Penn State to beat Michigan State in the 15th annual Blood Donor Challenge. GO LIONS!

Also, by mid-fall we began raising money for THON ’09. We also began a new pen pal project with our THON family, the Allen’s. The Allen’s have four daughters, Liz, Steph, Becca, and Amanda. Each month, one Lion Ambassador was matched with one of the girls as pen pals. The L’amb pen pal wrote letters and sent gifts to ‘their’ girl. In addition, at Christmas and Valentine’s Day, members donated money to give the girls gifts and candy! Additional money was donated to give the girls presents upon their arrival to THON ’09. Lion Ambassadors had 4 official dancers at THON, however many L’ambs danced for other organizations. The 4 people dancing specifically for Lion Ambassadors were Julia Covelli, Greg Hyde, Andy Jaye, and Shay Solt. Our over-all fundraising for THON was also a success, as we were able to raise about $1,000 more than our total last year. Our final total for THON 2009 was $12,693. Thank you to all that donated.

As the year continues, we look forward to seeing the Allen family more. We are also making plans to raise money through an internal Lion Ambassador Group Date Auction. We will also be creating teams for this year’s Relay for Life, which will take place at Penn State on April 17th.

FTG,

PhiLAMBthropy

Hello Alums! This year we had a very competitive ballot for Honorary Ambassador, as there are many Penn State faculty, staff and volunteers who help the Lion Ambassador organization in internal and external events. This year we were fortunate in having two Honorary Ambassadors elected by the general membership as they ran on the same ticket. The 2009 Honorary Ambassadors were selected as husband and wife, Steve and Carol Gentry. Both graduates of the University in 1969, Steve and Carol have remained dedicated Penn State as they share our mission in making a lifelong commitment to the institution. Both Carol and Steve received their degrees in Education, and have remained in the State College area as teachers throughout their tenure. As graduates they have both remained dedicated to the Alumni Association as Steve Gentry served six years as an Alumni Council member serving on the Diversity Committee. Carol is currently serving in her second term on the Diversity Committee. The Gentry’s have also committed themselves as mentors to the Fast Start program which is the third student group sponsored by the Alumni Association. As educators they have also volunteered their time as mentors for the continuing education program for adults here at the University. The Gentry’s have continued to be some of the Lion Ambassadors biggest fans, as they have attended every Taste of Penn State, as well as participated in Moxie Thon, our race against Leukemia in honor of Melissa Heydenreich. This project is very special to them as they taught the Heydenreich girls when they were students at State College High School, before attending Penn State. Furthermore the Gentry’s are volunteers and docents at the Centre Furnace Mansion. The historical building located on College Avenue in route to Bellefonte holds many traditions, as our story of being a Land Grant Institution came from the Thompson and Irvin families that produced iron ore at the mansion’s large furnace. The Gentry’s are an outstanding selection as honorary Ambassadors. They share our enthusiasm and devotion to the University, and every Ambassador looks forward to working with them in the coming years. For the Glory, Emma Donley Lion Ambassador President 08-09

Hi Ambassador Alums! It has been a very exciting year for the LAAIG. We have been busy working on new programs, improving membership communication, and continuing to help the Lion Ambassadors any way we can. Here are just a few of the projects we currently are working on! With fresh diplomas in hand, the newest Shepherds will be welcomed in to the LAAIG, continuing to grow our membership of already 1000+ members! The LAAIG is working on a Mentoring program where Shepherds can volunteer to mentor new Alums and current Lion Ambassadors. The program is a great way to meet other Ambassadors and help ease the transition from student to Alum. We are continuing our fundraising efforts for the AlumniWalk where the LAAIG will be honored with a center paver; all of the money raised from the project goes to the Alumni Association’s student programs such as the Blue & White Society and Lion Ambassadors! The Moxie-Gate project was another success, with Historian Alyson Rotz taking a car load of wellness bags to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society of Pittsburgh. The bags are distributed to hospitals where pediatric patients and young family members can play with the books, pencils, toys, and many other items to help pass the time. Jason Mattia has continued to do a tireless job of keeping the LAAIG’s IT in order! We are fortunate to have a listserv, LAAIG-L@lists.psu.edu which makes communicating news to our group so much easier. The LAAIG is a unique organization with members in dozens of states and overseas. We hope to expand the use of the listserv so our members can support each other’s projects and continue to serve the University and our communities. We also have a new webpage which will make accessing LAAIG items quicker and easier; go to the Alumni Association’s Interest Groups site for our link. If you are seeking out a specific LAAIG Member, the new Alumni Directory is a great source for information, choose the Lion Ambassador AIG as the Activity to narrow your search to LAAIG Members. The LAAIG Board is working hard to continue our many projects and to bring students and Alumni closer together. Please keep in touch and continue to support the Lion Ambassadors and the Alumni Association as we continue to support the University’s missions. I hope to see you in Happy Valley soon! For the Glory, Chris Stout President LAAIG

On Saturday, October 18, Penn State faced off against Michigan during Homecoming weekend at PSU. If it’s Homecoming it must also be the annual MOXIE-GATE!!!!! The Lion Ambassadors sponsor a wonderful annual tailgate for us now named Moxie-Gate. Moxie-Gate is named in honor of Melissa Heydenreich, a former Ambassador and the LAAIG John Black Award winner for 2007, who passed away from Leukemia. In her honor, like Moxie-Thon, we help the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society by contributing bags of cheer for children dealing with lymphoma and leukemia. Around 100 alumni and current Ambassadors gathered for the tailgate and put together 50 bags of cheer which were brought to the Greater Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital for distribution. Items in the bags of cheer included bandanas, dolls, crayons, fun band-aids and an assortment of other toys supplied by Shepherds. A great time was had by all and another football game was won.

The LAAIG Board of Directors awarded the 2007 John Black Award posthumously to Melissa Heydenreich. Melissa continues to inspire us every year as her spirit lives on through the Lion Ambassadors' Moxie Thon 5k/10k (a fund raiser for the Leukemia Society held every fall on campus) and the LAAIG's Moxie Gate (a new tradition at our Homecoming tailgate where L'Amb Alumni and their families create gift bags for pediatric cancer patients). In lieu of an award plaque, a donation of $100 was presented along with an Award Certificate in Melissa’s honor, to Susan Heydenreich, by Lori Master at the Moxie-Thon 2008 (Sunday, October 5, 2008). Moxie-Thon raised over $4,700 and was supported by over 200 runners and volunteers.

Melissa Heydenreich was born on May 14, 1965 in Reading, Pa, a daughter of Reverend Robert and Susan Heydenreich. She grew up in State College with her parents and three younger sisters, Michelle, Elizabeth (Lizzie) and Jennifer. Melissa attended local schools, was active in 4-H, competed in the Junior Miss contest, and wrote for the Park Forest Junior High School newspaper just so that she could interview the Penn State quarterback at the time, Chuck Fusina. At home, she helped her father in the large garden and corn field behind their house and competed joyfully with her family for the love and affection of Lizzie, who is mentally handicapped due to an early childhood fight against cancer. Melissa at one time worked with the Penn State Nittany Lion mascot, Norm Constantine, to better understand and use sign language. Like the rest of her family, Melissa became a diehard Penn State fan. She also became an avid runner and could been seen with a bandanna in her hair along many of the country roads surrounding state college. In 1983, Melissa graduated from State College Area high school and headed down the road to Penn State where she was actively involved with Penn State Lion Ambassadors and was tapped into Parmi Nous. Four years later, she graduated as a University Scholar and a Renaissance Scholar. In 1987, she left State College to attend law school at the college of William and Mary. After law school, Melissa headed for Washington DC where she began her career as an antitrust lawyer at the Federal Trade Commission. During her time at the FTC, Melissa received numerous awards for her work on specific cases as well as for consistent outstanding performance. In 1996, she was promoted to the position of Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the FTC Chairman, where she worked to establish guidelines for the FTCs innovative-markets competition policy. She met her future husband, JD Marple, one night in DC when she was cajoled into stopping by a party he and his roommates were having in their basement apartment. Melissa lived in DC but a large piece of her heart remained in State College throughout her life. She was a member of the Mt. Nittany Conservatory Board of Directors, was elected to the Penn State Liberal Arts Alumni Society Board of Directors, and served on the Centre County Drug and Alcohol Planning Council. She was a member of her father's congregation at the Pine Hall Lutheran Church and frequently made the four-hour drive from DC to attend church, visit the golden retrievers, enjoy meals with her family, and spend time with Lizzie (who would always scream with delight when any of her sisters arrived home). In August 1996, Melissa was diagnosed with acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. She first knew something was wrong when she had to cut her daily 5-mile run short because of fatigue. She spent the next 4 months between John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore and apartment nearby and occasionally back at the home she loved in Alexandria, VA. Despite months of chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant, Melissa was irrepressible throughout her fight with cancer. She bought Holiday gifts for her doctors, chatted with the nurses, and circled the halls for hours each day while pushing an IV unit as a substitute for running. Although she was a cancer patient, she still had occasional blisters on her feet from her running shoes. Melissa died on New Years Day 1997. Although she was cared for and supported by her family and friends, it is apparent in looking back that it was Melissa who gave them the strength to carry on through her display of courage and moxie, and who now inspires them to be loving and thoughtful and to share their lives fully with those around them.

We still need to raise close to $3,800 to support the LAAIG pledge of $5,000 for the Alumni Walk center diamond stone. The Alumni Walk outside of the Hintz Family Alumni Center was dedicated during Homecoming weekend. The Walk reminds us of the many different individuals and groups that comprise the Penn State Alumni Association while also demonstrating the financial support and generosity of alumni.

Donations made to the Alumni Walk will establish the Alumni Association's new Student Endowment Fund, whose main purpose is to help student programs. The Lion Ambassador program will be a main beneficiary of this fund. The Alumni Association, to recognize the important work we do to keep Alumni and students connected, has reserved one of the 12" by 12" diamond granite centerpieces for the Lion Ambassadors in exchange for a $5,000 donation. We are asking for your support and a direct donation to the LAAIG centerpiece. With more than 1,000 Lion Ambassador alumni, raising these funds is certainly within our reach. Please consider giving at least $25; this small donation will support the current and future Ambassadors. With gifts of $25, we can reach our goal with donations from you and 199 others! Help us get the Lion Ambassador Alumni Interest Group brick inscribed so that it "belongs" with the other bricks in the walk in a proud display of Penn State alumni providing a path for future students!

Lauren Kerr (’05) will be graduating with her M.D. in May 2009 from Northwestern University’s School of Medicine and starting residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in June at Northwestern’s Prentice Women’s Hospital.

Darryl Bundrige (’93) is the Deputy Director of Programs and Services for City Year Philadelphia. City Year is an Americorps program that engages 17-24 year olds in a year of meaningful service in urban schools and communities. Darryl oversees the training, evaluation, service, and management components of over 200 corps members in 25 schools

Clint Mickel (’05) will be completing his MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in May and will subsequently be moving to Minneapolis in June.

Rob Bowsher (’86) visited his 21st and 22nd state capitol buildings over the past six months. In October, he entered the Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison with fellow Lion Ambassadors Nancy Hammond (1985), Kevin Wood (1986), and Eric George (1987). Afterwards,they enjoyed our Nittany Lions’ 48-7 victory over the Badgers. In February, while skiing in Lake Tahoe, he visited the Nevada state capitol building in Carson City with his Australian mate Tim and his friend Barry. Twenty-eight buildings to go!

Holly Williams Leppo (’98) and husband Shawn welcomed their third son, Benjamin Wade on April 8, 2008. Benjamin joins his big brother Samuel Wythe, 4. Their middle son, Nathaniel Williams, was stillborn at 35 weeks on March 2, 2007.

In January 2009, she was named one of the 40 Under 40 in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries by Building Design + Construction magazine. She became a partner at SMB&R in Camp Hill in January 2008 and is the principal architect in the firm. She has published seven study guides for the Architect Registration Exam and the LEED AP exam through Professional Publications, Inc. over the past three years.

David (Dfeld) Dorenfeld (’95) and wife Dana have 2 children, Emily (3 ½ yrs) and Kate (5 mo) and live

in Charlotte, NC. He is brainwashing the girls that PSU, and NOT UNC is the best school in the world.

You have to start young!!

Jeff Deitrich (’89) bored the only 5 people who noticed that he wrote “just got home from a long day

at work” February 24 on Facebook

David Ulmer (’01) and family recently moved from Minnesota back to Audubon, Pennsylvania (just

outside King of Prussia). They’ve had a busy year with the move, finishing grad school, and the birth of

their third child, David Jr. in August. They’re glad to be closer to State College again and looking

forward to going to more games this fall.

David Toliver (’97) and wife Jessica are expecting our second child, a girl, in July. Their son, Cole, was

born June 27, 2007. They currently live in Falls Church, VA.

Jeff Jubelirer (“Jubes”) (’93) is enjoying his two future Penn Staters, Sofie (born 8/7/06) and Ali (born

3/21/08) here in Philadelphia.

Hans Arora (’05) was elected as Chair of the Governing Council for the American Medical Association

Medical Student Section for 2009-2010. He is currently an M.D./Ph.D. student at Northwestern

University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL.

To: Victoria DiTaranto (’05) From: Jason Mattia (’04) Message: Hoboken or bust…. But can we still have dinner at your parents’ place?

To: Michael Maloni (’91) From: Jeff Deitrich Message: Did you write anything funny in this edition of LionPause?

To: Jill Wilson (’05) From: Erika Strack (’05) Message: To my BFF Jill: Please stop slamming the front door. And Carol sends her love to the kids.

To: Stephen Rohrbach (’08) From: Lee Citarella (’09) Message: FACES!

To: Tiffany Arnold (Gorman)(’02) From: David Ulmer Message: Tiff – Thanks for letting us join your tailgate at the bowl game. It was great to see you and Greg again. Let us know if you are ever in PA.

To: Natalie Nowak (’08) From: Mary Katherine Moravek (’07) Message: Thank you for always letting me crash in NYC – even if we have to bucket our showers! Love you!

To: Shaun (’02) & Julie Mason (’05) From: Jason Mattia (’04) Message: Good luck with the new house. I’ll be out to visit again soon!

To: Mark Lukac (’05) From: Erika Strack (’05) Message: I miss you, buddy!

To: Kristin Ginty (’06) From: Erika Strack (’05) Message: Sending a trans-Atlantic roar to a lovely Spanish Owl!

To: Jordan Ford (’07) From: Lee Citarella (’09) Message: Ummm…the 25th Volume of the Lion Pause has ketchup all over it. Hmmmm….

To: Anna Portz (Hughes) (’01) From: David Ulmer Message: Anna – Thanks for crashing our breakfast at the Inn. It was great to see you and Bede (you two look great together!) and meet his family. Thanks for the free babysitting. Hope to see you again soon!

To: Brad Georgic (’01) From: David Ulmer Message: Brad – Congratulations on your 30th birthday and your first house! Man, you are so OLD!!!

To: Mark Polinski (’86) and Kevin Wood (’86) From: Jean Guskey-Fuchs Message: No more planes, trains and automobiles driving on the left side of the road to see each other. Dinner. Soon.

To: Patrick Kiley (’07) From: Mary Katherine Moravek (’07) Message: “He did, he said she was cruel!” Our times together always make me smile, miss you!

To: Lindsay Bayliss, Christina Madgits, Erika Swiercynski and Julie Leard From: Lauren Kerr (’05) Message: Roar to the 110

To: Kevin Houston (’08) From: Mary Katherine Moravek (’07) Message: …a million sea cucumbers.

To: Kevin Zakorchemny (’04) From: Jason Mattia (’04) Message: Roar to the world traveler! Keep the stories coming. See you in the Fall!

To: Karen Rovder Koenig (’86) From: Rob Bowsher (’86) Message: The Steelers reign supreme again! Congrats on scoring those Super Bowl tickets for you and Tom, Karen. Next year, we’ll celebrate a Chargers victory.

To: Olivia Etz (Littleton)(’01) From: David Ulmer Message: Liv – It was great to catch up with you and Erik in Pasadena. I hope that we can catch up again soon.

To: Terry Kerwin (’05) & Stef Stewart (’07) From: Jason Mattia (’04) Message: Welcome to the neighborhood! Just in time for summer

To: Stephen Renaldo (’08) From: Lee Citarella (’09) Message: We should have delivered that letter to Jordan….you know which one I’m talking about!

To: Megan Tomlin (‘07), Betsey Geib (‘07) & Kristin Avagliano (‘07) From: Mary Katherine Moravek (’07) Message: “You girls are the loves of her life, a guy is lucky to come in fourth.” I miss you girls, Fab4 <3 always!

To: Scott Lockledge (’86) From: Rob Bowsher (’86) Message: Thank you so much for calling and reconnecting, Scott. It’s always great to hear from you.

…Coach Mike says “Hi!”

Jill Wilson, 2k4 Fraser grad year 2005 and Erika Strack, 2k4 Burrowes grad year 2005 at a winery in Northern Virginia late last Summer

Left to right, Kevin Larson (son of James & Kristen Carroll Larson), Samuel Leppo (son of Shawn & Holly Williams Leppo), Isla Modic (daughter of Paul & Holly Firth Modic), and James Larson (Kevin's big brother) -- taken at the Pittsburgh Zoo in early November

Jeff Jubelirer, Class of 1993, two children Sofie and Ali

David Ulmer, Class of 2001, and Family

Congratulations to the 2009-2010 Executive Board

President: Amy Leslie Executive Vice President: Ryan Kress

Administrative Vice President: T.J. Keefe Secretary: Heather McMunigal

Office Manager/Treasurer: Bill Rech Director of Internal Relations: Sam Hahn

Historian: Victoria Wolfe Tour Director: Alyson Rotz

University Relations Chair: Emmy Enders Atherton CD: Austin Antolik Burrowes CD: Chris Hachey Fraser CD: Jimmy Gibbons Hetzel CD: Blake Ilgenfritz Sparks CD: Dan Coughlin

Walker CD: David Frankenfield