Longtime faculty member H. Eugene Goodwin, an important and influential builder of the journalism program at Penn State, died Feb. 13. He was 89. (more)
Joe Paterno, the Hall of Fame head coach who led the Penn State football program for 45 years, died Sunday, Jan. 22, at the age of 85, after a battle with lung cancer. The list of Paterno accomplishments is vast. His head-coaching career began in 1966 and spanned nine presidential administrations and nearly 900 Division I coaching changes. He won more games (409) and bowl games than any other coach in Division I history. He brought Penn State five undefeated seasons, three Big Ten championships and two national championships. His teams finished 23 seasons in the top 10 and 35 in the top 25. However, his career never was simply about wins, banners and trophies. An altar boy and Boy Scout as a child who served in the Army before attending Brown University, Paterno used his considerable on-field success to espouse a philosophy that college athletics and academics should go hand-in-hand. (more)
The Penn State community is mourning the death of Brandywine campus founding executive officer John D. Vairo, who died Jan. 1 following a long illness. He was 91. "We are very saddened to learn of John Vairo's death," said Sophia Wisniewska, chancellor at Penn State Brandywine. "Those of us who worked with him applaud both his contribution as founder and head of Penn State Brandywine and his extraordinary commitment to the Delaware County community. John was respected and admired by all who were privileged to know him. He was a Delaware County icon. No matter where you went, everyone knew of John Vairo. I was honored to learn from John. He was my best supporter and adviser, and he was a joy to work with. I will miss him." (more)
Jeanne Lynn Hall, a faculty member in the College of Communications, died unexpectedly Dec. 23 at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College. She was 53. (more)
Former College of Communications faculty member and television pioneer E. Stratford "Strat" Smith -- the man whose legal advice and approach opened the door for the growth of cable television across the country -- died Dec. 25, 2011. (more)
The Penn State community is mourning the death of Edward N. Thompson, director of development for the Office of Educational Equity, who died Sunday, Oct. 23. "Everyone feels they've lost a very good friend," said Terrell Jones, vice provost for Educational Equity, said. "Ed was so positive about the University and everything he was doing. He always had a smile on his face, and was probably the most optimistic man I've known." (more)
"It is a wonderful experience to live so close to an institution you have watched grow," said Ben Lane, sitting in his yellow house on Jordan Road during a May 2007 interview with the Erie Times-News. Ben Lane, associate professor emeritus of English at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, died July 15, at Twinbrook Medical Center after a brief stay. He was 88. (more)
The public is invited to celebrate the life and legacy of William A. Schreyer, the pioneering Penn State philanthropist for whom the Schreyer Honors College is named, at a Memorial Mass on Sunday, March 20. The event, which begins at 2 p.m. in University Park's Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, will include remarks from University representatives and some of Schreyer's many friends in the Penn State community, including head football coach Joe Paterno and Schreyer Honors College dean Christian M. M. Brady. (more)
John Brown, professor emeritus of electrical engineering, died on Feb. 20. He was 85. Brown taught and conducted research in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Research Laboratory for more than 35 years. (more)
Without the research of Herschel Leibowitz, we would not understand why drivers make often fatal errors when driving across railroad crossings and crashing with an oncoming train. He conducted groundbreaking research on human vision and perception, and the causes and mitigation of human error, especially the speed of large objects such as trains. Considered one of the most influential scientists in the past 50 years in the area of experimental psychology, Leibowitz, 85, the Evan Pugh emeritus professor of psychology at Penn State, died Feb. 13, 2011, at Mt. Nittany Medical Center, surrounded by his family. (more)
