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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Abington lecturer reflects on the evolution of the American identity

Monday, July 7, 2008

As the United States celebrated its independence this past July 4, we also celebrated what it means to be American, and how that identity was shaped by events in our nation’s history. While the American Revolution and our Constitution are obviously the first influential historical events that come to mind, Penn State Abington history lecturer Jeffrey Prushankin suggests a dark horse: The Civil War.

"It is my contention," said Prushankin, "that the Civil War, more than any other event in our history -- save perhaps the American Revolution -- shaped our identity as Americans."

Prushankin points out that the Civil War resolved many questions left unanswered by the Revolutionary generation. "In that sense the Civil War still shapes thought in the United States," he said. "Look at the recent Supreme Court decision regarding guns. The court read the words that the framers wrote and determined that the Constitution guarantees the right of the individual to possess firearms. Now, it is up to the states to manage or regulate that right. The Civil War established -- irrevocably -- that the states must work within the parameters established by the federal government," he added.

Civil War military lessons, too, reverberate to this day. "Gettysburg is often seen as a model for lessons in leadership, decision-making, executing instructions, and personal dedication and bravery." According to Prushankin, "these all transcend their military applications and provide examples that students can apply in business or professional settings."

Other American characteristics borne of the Civil War are our value of freedom and liberty and our search for racial equality. "I believe that Lincoln's words in the Gettysburg Address are as relevant today as they were in 1863. The Civil War marked a new birth of freedom for all Americans regardless of race", he said.

Today the American identity is a powerful and significant distinction, both nationally and globally. Perhaps every July 4 we should consider what it means to be an American in the present, and what it took for the American identity to be shaped in the past.

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