Still Life

With four guide ropes attached to it, the east-side clock face is raised into position. While it didn't seem that windy on the ground on Saturday, Jan. 28, winds higher up were strong, requiring extra guidance to bring the clock face safely to the Old Main bell tower.

Old Main clock faces installed

Ben White of New Vibrations Audio and Video works on a ledge of the Old Main bell tower, to remove the speakers from the old chime system. The company installed a new carillon system today (Jan. 27) that will play a digital recording made of the original Old Main bell that now sits adjacent to Old Main and other bells of comparable sizes.

New carillon, restored clocks being installed

The funeral procession for Joe Paterno made its way past Beaver Stadium and down Porter Road as crowds applauded on Jan. 25. Thousands lined the procession route through the University Park campus and downtown State College to bid a last farewell to Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno's funeral procession

Coach Joe Paterno was on the field for the first half of the Nittany Lions' football game. Penn State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 13-3 on Oct. 8, 2011, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Beaver Stadium.

Joe Paterno through the years

Katie Knobloch and Andrew Adamietz, members of the a capella group Blue in the Face, shared a candle at the vigil held Sunday, Jan. 22, to mourn the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who passed away earlier in the day. Several thousand members of the Penn State and State College community came out to the Old Main lawn on Penn State's University Park campus for the vigil.

Thousands mourn Paterno's passing

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Pipe organ to enhance all-faith spiritual center

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Worship Hall closed starting May 9 to accommodate installation

University Park, Pa. -- Whether the echo of marriage vows or the harmonized voices of a University ensemble, beautiful sounds have lofted from the halls of The Frank and Sylvia Pasquerilla Spiritual Center since its opening in 2003.

But in fall 2005, a new sound will emanate from the center's Worship Hall -- a 7.5-ton organ crafted by Orgues Letourneau Limitee especially for Penn State. Numerous private donors are to thank for bringing yet another musical element to the multi-faith worship space. The organ will be installed over the summer and fall and will be officially dedicated in early November.

Including an organ in Worship Hall was a dream of the late Rev. James D. May, whose love of music was second only to his dedication to serving Penn State students as a chaplain for 24 years. The private donors who financed this project see the organ as a way to honor May's work, as well as to provide students with another way to express their spirituality through music. Available for use by all who use Worship Hall, the organ is expected to provide the musical backdrop to many services, celebrations and concerts.

The organ's facade and visual design are a joint effort between the Pasquerilla Center's architect, James Oleg Kruhly and Associates of Philadelphia, and the organ builder, Orgues Letourneau Limitee of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec. The organ is roughly 20 feet wide and more than 28 feet tall. The sizeable instrument boasts 2,091 pipes -- the largest of which will be just under 20 feet tall and nearly 11 inches in diameter, and the smallest of which are no larger than a pencil.

The facade of the organ will be crafted from solid silver maple that will be lacquered to match the color of the surrounding walls in the Pasquerilla Center. Accents of American yellow poplar and hand-polished metal will round out the aesthetic appeal of the organ.

The organ will be built into the existing choir loft in the Pasquerilla Center's Worship Hall. To accommodate the construction necessary to prepare the space as well as the installation itself, Worship Hall will be closed from May 9 through early fall, except for wedding ceremonies that already had been scheduled in the space. For private meditation, members of the University community are directed to use Eisenhower Chapel or inquire at the Pasquerilla Center's information desk for other accommodations.

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