PENN STATE COMMENCEMENT

Thousands of students embark on life's next chapter

A NEW Thousands of students embark on life’s next chapter

By Sara Ganim

UNIVERSITY PARK — It’s that time of year again — long lines at the Nittany Lion and Joe Paterno statues to capture smiles of celebration underneath square blue hats.

CDT/Melissa Doss

New graduates from the College of Communications toss up their mortarboards in celebration after their commencement ceremony at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday, May 2009. CDT/Melissa Doss

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About 10,875 students are graduating this weekend from Penn State’s 24 campuses, marking the completion of various degrees in several talents.

On a day that saw spouts of rain, flashes of sun and overcast skies, almost 7,000 students received baccalaureate degrees at University Park’s campus. About 700 got their master’s degrees, and 230 completed their doctoral degrees.

Here are some scenes from commencement.

•It’s a Saturday. The day of the week during fall semester that Mark Willauer enjoyed so much while at Penn State.

He returned one more time as a student to the place — Beaver Stadium — where he’s spent so many Saturdays.

“I love this place,” Willauer said. “It means a lot to be able to take a picture here.”

As part of a fundraiser for the All- Sports Museum, Willauer was able to get his picture taken in the team tunnel, in front of the team gates with the goal post, stadium seats and scoreboard above him, reading “Congratulations Class of 2009.”

This is the third year that grads have had this opportunity to get an 8-by-10 photo starting at $25, said museum director Ken Hickman.

Weather permitting, they’ve gotten close to 100 participants. The event continues today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

•Regis Kingera doesn’t get what the big fuss is.

“If I was being honored for a hobby that I have, it would be the same thing,” he said.

He’s 72 years old, and he graduated Saturday with a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational leadership from the College of the Liberal Arts.

He doesn’t plan on stopping either.

After nine years of classes, Kingera says he’s going to study for the GREs and the LSATs this summer, and see which path he’ll take up in the fall, just before turning 73.

“You never stop learning,” he said.

Kingera moved to State College to be closer to his daughter when he retired from a career as a union electrician in Washington, D.C. He’d always wanted a college degree, but circumstances never allowed.

“I retired and moved up here and was looking out the window wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life,” he said. “I decided to take a couple of classes.”

He enrolled in two or three classes a semester through Penn State’s Go-60 program, which lets people older than 60 enroll in classes for free.

“My daughters are putting together too much of a fuss for this thing,” he said of his graduation party Saturday. “But I love them for it, they’re great kids, mostly because of their mother.”

•State College resident Virginia Dale Ricker graduated from Penn State in 1929, when it was still a “college” and cars could still drive up Allen Street, through the gates and across campus.

Eighty years later, at age 101, she’ll watch her grandson, Alex Ricker-Gilbert, graduate with a kinesiology degree.

It will also be 40 years after her daughter — Alex’s mother, Heather Ricker-Gilbert — graduated from Penn State.

“She’s thrilled,” Heather Ricker-Gilbert said of her mother. “We are just very happy today.”

Virginia was born in State College and, unlike her brothers who were all farmers, went to college and studied English, then taught at this university for many years.

“I think she just was encouraged, and she wanted to go to college. She wanted a college education,” Heather said. “She was certainly the first in her family to get a college education, and now she’s watching her grandson.”

•Gary Geszvain is a pretty proud dad.

“And also pretty broke,” he said, joking. His fifth child received a diploma from Penn State on Saturday.

Geszvain has cheered as his children have completed degrees in landscape architecture, history, English and horticulture.

This time, it was commencement at the College of Communications for his son, Grant.

“This is the last one,” Geszvain said. “It started in 1993, and now the last one has graduated.”

Sara Ganim can be reached at 231-4616. CDT staff writer Chris Rosenblum contributed to this story.