Letters: The Kepler Barn lives on; Grateful for Penn State’s military appreciation game

The Kepler Barn lives on

The Historic Barn and Farm Foundation recognizes the Kepler Barn as a significant example of Pennsylvania’s agricultural and architectural heritage. While we regret its removal, we understand that such decisions often involve complex considerations. We remain committed to documenting and preserving the legacy of barns like Kepler through research, education and public engagement. HBFF encourages all institutions and property stewards to explore alternatives to demolition and to consult preservation professionals early in the decision-making process. We welcome continued dialogue with Penn State and others to ensure that Pennsylvania’s rural heritage is honored and remembered.

Oct. 13, 2025, is a sad day for all who value our state’s historic barns. The Kepler Barn stood as a testament to generations of stewardship, and its loss is deeply felt. We extend our sincere gratitude to Vicky Kepler Didato, the Kepler family and all those who advocated for the barn’s preservation. HBFF deeply appreciates your dedication, passion and tireless efforts to protect this historic structure.

In keeping with our mission, HBFF will continue to document the Kepler Barn’s history and architectural significance. We are also grateful that select elements of the barn will be preserved through Penn State’s Land and Legacy Exhibit at the Pasto Agricultural Museum, allowing its story to continue as part of their educational outreach. Together, we honor the legacy of this remarkable structure and the community that fought for it.

The Kepler Barn lives on — in pieces, in memory and in the hearts of those who stood for its preservation.

Priscilla deLeon, Bethlehem. The author is the president of the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania.

Grateful for Penn State’s military appreciation game

Thank you to Penn State University for honoring all military members at the PSU vs. Indiana game. Thank you to all the fans who donated tickets to the military members to attend the game. Thank you to the Penn State president, athletic director and all the volunteers who helped make this event a great experience. My two brothers and I were able to attend the game for the first time as brothers, and we had the best time spending time with one another.

However, by the grace of God, our lives were spared by divine intervention as we were returning home to Pittsburgh. We were by the Pittsburgh Airport on 376 when traffic came to a complete stop due to a car hitting a deer. My brother was able to stop his car, missing the vehicle in front of him. He stopped about six inches from the vehicle in front of us. We were bracing for the vehicle in back of us, but because of him angling his vehicle a few inches to the left, nothing happened. I believe God spared our lives. My brother Rob was my hero by saving our lives.

Joseph Rozman, Bloomingdale, Ohio

Higher education must reexamine priorities

It’s astonishing how often we hear about fake or fraudulent college admissions. The reaction is always disbelief: “How could this happen? Not here — not in our town.” But it does happen, and it reflects a deeper problem.

Universities have strayed from their original mission — education. If they can’t attract enough American students, we need to ask: What’s broken in our education system? Why aren’t we preparing our own youth to succeed in higher learning?

Instead, many institutions recruit international students in large numbers. While global exchange has value, it’s fair to question whether our taxpayer-funded resources should prioritize educating the world while our own communities struggle.

Even more concerning is what follows: families brought here under student visas often head straight to the Social Security office, then apply for food, health care and housing assistance. These costs fall on American taxpayers.

We must reexamine our priorities. Education should serve the people of this country first — ensuring access, affordability and academic excellence for American students. If our institutions have lost sight of that, it’s time we hold them accountable and demand a return to their core purpose.

Owen Borger, Moshannon

No celebration for gerrymandering

In 1917 my grandmother was jailed when she picketed the White House for the right to vote.

In the 1960s, many of my Freedom Movement comrades were beaten, jailed and murdered for attempting to register to vote.

In 1965 the Voting Rights Act outlawed legal disfranchisement and forbade dilution of voters’ effectiveness by racial gerrymandering. Merely being allowed to cast ballots does not assure that elections are fair.

In 1969, a federal court forbade Bennie Thompson’s draft board from ordering his induction into the army after he was elected as an alderman in Bolton, Mississippi.

In the 1970s federal courts forbade Mississippi’s dilution of voters’ effectiveness through multi-member electoral districts and “stovepipe” district configurations that grouped remote concentrations of favored voters.

I spent most of my 20-plus years in Mississippi defending Black elected officials from the state’s schemes to undermine their ability to govern effectively.

Today, in response to Republican gerrymandering, we are being asked to forsake all this, and to cheer when Democrats “fight fire with fire” by creating super-gerrymandered districts that disfranchise Republicans.

I am not cheering. Democracy cannot be built by rigging elections to be less fair.

Ken Lawrence, Spring Mills