Volume 7 No. 1 Winter 2007

 
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SFR ALUMNI GROUP NEWS


President's Message

Photo of Tom YorkeIt seems like just a few months ago that the Centennial Planning Committee had its first meeting to begin planning for the 100th anniversary of forestry education at Penn State. In 2004, we thought we had plenty of time to plan the event and get things right for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. We still have some things to do, but the committee has done its job; we put together a 3-day event that will be interesting for the faculty and students, alumni and friends, and the young and old.

Now it is your turn. The Centennial Celebration will only be a success if alumni and friends participate. If you have not marked your new calendar for April 27-29, 2007, do it now. You can help us with the final arrangements by registering now rather than later. You should have received a post card over the holidays with both information for online registration and an option for requesting a registration package by mail. This issue of RESOURCES also includes registration information.

We will be using both the new and beautiful state-of-the-art Forest Resources Building and the elegant and historic Nittany Lion Inn for the celebration. Both venues offer you opportunities to get reacquainted with Penn State and to reminisce with your friends and classmates about your years at Penn State. Please make sure that you have the opportunity to reminisce; call a few of your friends and encourage them to join you at the Centennial Celebration.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year. I look forward to seeing you in April.

Tom Yorke
4384 Antioch Ridge Road
Haymarket, VA 20169
(703) 753-0271
tjyorke@mindspring.com


P.S. If you returned a post card requesting a registration packet and did not receive one, please contact Ellen Manno at 814-863-5831 or exr2@psu.edu. A few post cards were returned with no names on them!


Candidates for the School of Forest Resources Alumni Group Board of Directors

The School of Forest Resources Alumni Group board of directors includes 12 at-large members who are elected to a three-year term and who may serve a second consecutive term if re-elected. The terms of four at-large members expire in Spring 2007 and therefore an election ballot is enclosed in this newsletter. Here are brief biosketches, in alphabetical order, of the candidates listed on this ballot. Incumbents are noted with as asterisk (*). Vote for no more than four candidates. Ballots must be postmarked by March 31, 2007. You can also vote online.

Marc D. Lewis (1978 FORSC)
"I graduated with a B.S. in Forest Science in 1978 and returned to Hillsgrove, Pennsylvania, where I joined as a third generation owner/operator of Dwight Lewis Lumber Company.

"I am a life member of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, recently elected vice president, and serve as the representative to the Penn State Ag Council. I am a Society of American Foresters Certified Forester and also serve on the boards of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, and the Loyalsock Creek Watershed Association. I am a member of the Pennsylvania College of Technology Forestry Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee to the Ibberson Chair at Penn State, and chairman of the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association Foresters Committee. I am a founder and serve on the board of Woodlands Bank and on the board of directors of the Sullivan County Rural Electric Co-op.

"I am an avid canoeist and outdoor enthusiast. My wife Diane and I live near Hillsgrove with our two children, Aaron and Sadie."

Robert D. Rorabaugh (1972 FORSC)
"I am a 1972 Forest Science graduate. Since graduation I have been a partner with my brothers Dan and Roger, in Rorabaugh Lumber Company, a sawmill/dry kiln operation located in Burnside, Pennsylvania. Our company was founded by our father in 1952.

"I am a member of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, the Society of American Foresters, the Penn-York Lumberman's Club, the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association board of directors, the Purchase Line Red Dragon Foundation Board of Trustees, the Penn State Nittany Lion Club, and an associate director of the Clearfield County Conservation District.
"My favorite pastimes are hunting, Penn State sports, Red Dragon Sports, Pittsburgh Steelers football, and managing our family's woodlots."

Roxanne C. Shiels (1993g FOR R)
"I graduated from the College of Agricultural Sciences in 1990 with a B.S. in Environmental Resources Management, and continued my education in the School of Forest Resources studying hydrology and earning an M.S. in 1993. In 1992, I began my career as an environmental scientist with Gannett Fleming Engineers and Planners at their headquarters in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. In 1993, I returned to Happy Valley to work at their local GeoDecisions, Inc. focusing on habitat studies, stream surveys, and geographic information systems. I joined ClearWater Conservancy, a Centre County-based, nonprofit watershed organization in 1997 where I became their very first watershed coordinator and full-time employee.

"Since moving back to State College, I have become very active in the alumni arena. In 2000, I became part of a committee to create an Environmental Resource Management Alumni affiliate program group of the College of Agricultural Sciences and served for a number of years on the board. I took my alumni involvement to a new level in 2002 by becoming the director of alumni outreach with Penn State Outreach and the Penn State Alumni Association. I currently serve as the associate director of alumni travel and education for the Penn State Alumni Association, overseeing 30 domestic and international travel programs and numerous educational opportunities in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., New York City, Harrisburg, and at the University Park campus."

Aura L. Stauffer (1989 W L S and 1995g W F S)*
"I graduated in 1989 with a B.S. in Wildlife Science and a minor in Marine Science. I returned to Penn State and completed an M.S. degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science in 1995. My graduate work was in wetlands and my adviser was Dr. Rob Brooks.

"My professional work experience began with an internship with the EPA Office of Wetlands in Washington, D.C., and a summer position as a marine biology instructor for the Audubon camp in Maine. For about 6 ½ years, I was an environmental consultant with Gannett Fleming Engineers in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. I also worked for 3 years as the county inventory coordinator with the Pennsylvania Science Office of The Nature Conservancy. In December 2002 I joined the Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Ecological Services, as a wildlife biologist. My area of interest is nongame species and species of Special Concern. In 2006 I became section chief for the Ecological Services Section.

"My volunteer experience includes serving as an aquarist and exhibit guide at the National Aquarium in Baltimore; I did this for about 2 ½ years, but am no longer an active volunteer. I have been a saw-whet owl bander at the King's Gap State Park banding station for about 4 years, and a Rehabitat-a-raptor rehabilitator in York County, where I help with educational programs."

Cecile M. Stelter (1989 FORSC and 1990g FOR R)
"I grew up in Herminie, one of the many small coal mining towns in southwestern Pennsylvania. I graduated in May 1989 from Penn State with a B.S. in Forest Science and then began work on an M.F.R. in Forest Resources Management with Dr. Stephen Fairweather as my adviser. My research centered around the 'Identification, Restoration and Maintenance of Historic Woodlots on Gettysburg National Military Park.'

"After graduation, I continued to work as a private contractor for the National Park Service and then was hired by the Forest Inventory and Analysis section of the Forest Service in Radnor to assist with nonindustrial forest landowner surveys. In 1998, I began my employment with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry as a forest technician. Then in 1999, I became the service forester for Venango and Forest counties. In 2004, I accepted my current position as assistant district forester for the Cornplanter Forest District in North Warren. I am an active SAF member, Certified Forester, and Certified Arborist. I also serve on the Pennsylvania Forestry Association board of directors. My husband, James ('90 FORSC), and I currently reside in Titusville, Pennsylvania."

Thomas H. Yorke (1964 FOR and 1967g FOR)*
"I am a private consultant and specialize in providing hydrological services to federal, state, and regional agencies and organizations involved in surface-water management issues. I have extensive experience in streamflow monitoring networks, flood hydrology and hydraulics, water quality and sediment monitoring, and streamflow and sedimentation analysis techniques.
"Prior to entering private practice, I was the senior science adviser for surface water and chief of the Office of Surface Water of the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division. The Office of Surface Water supported a national network of streamflow, reservoir, sediment, and precipitation monitoring stations, and was responsible for assuring the quality of all river stage, water discharge, and sediment data collected by the USGS. I represented the United States in the development and review of national and international standards related to the collection and analysis of surface-water and sediment-transport data. I also administered programs that supported the development of watershed, hydraulic, and statistical models and other technology for effectively managing the nation's water resources.

"During my 35-year career with the USGS, I held management and research positions in Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Maryland. Research positions included projects in suburban Washington, D.C., studying the effects of urban development on streamflow and sediment transport and the effectiveness of sediment controls used during urban construction; and in Pennsylvania, studying the occurrence, transport, and fate of trace metals and organic substances in major river systems. I also worked with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service team that was responsible for developing methods and procedures for assessing the impact of water resource development projects on the biota and habitat of rivers and their floodplains."

"I graduated from Penn State with a B.S. degree in Forestry in 1964 and earned an M.S. degree in Forest Hydrology in 1967. I am a member of Xi Sigma Pi, Phi Epsilon Phi, Tau Phi Delta Fraternity, the Nittany Lion Club, a life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, and a member of the Greater Washington DC Chapter of the PSAA. I am the current president of the School of Forest Resources Alumni Group and co-chair of the SFR Centennial Planning Committee. My wife Jeannie (PSU '65) and I have two daughters, Barbara (Penn '89) and Christa (PSU '92) and three grandchildren."


2007 Outstanding Alumni to Be Honored

We will honor four Outstanding Alumni at the Alumni and Friends Banquet being held in conjunction with our Centennial Celebration. Registration information is included in this newsletter. The deadline for banquet reservations is April 17, 2007.

The four School of Forest Resources 2007 Outstanding Alumni are:

John A. Byerly '68
Bruce M. Edwards '71
Marc D. Lewis '78
Harry E. Murphy '43


History Books Available for Purchase

Two books on the history of forest resources education at Penn State are available for purchase.

“ForestryEducation in Pennsylvania” was published in 1957 by the Penn State-Mont Alto Forestry Alumni Association to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the School of Forestry at Penn State. Edited by Henry Clepper ’21, the 269-page book with 18 photographs details the history of professional forestry education at Penn State from ideas and sentiments in the late 1800s to the establishment and growth of the program through 1957. Authors of the various chapters include Clepper, Wilber Ward, Victor Beede, William Bramble, Wallace White, Henry Chisman, William Byrnes, David Worley, and Walter Simonds. Detailed appendices include an alphabetic directory of alumni, an honor roll of World War I and II casualties, a listing of the forestry faculty, and more.

“A Century of Forest Resources Education at Penn State: Serving Our Forests, Waters, Wildlife, and Wood Industries” was published in 2007 by the Penn State University Press. Authored by Henry Gerhold ’52, the 280-page book contains brief biographies of nine pioneers in forestry education, fifteen directors and interim directors of the School, and more than fifty alumni and professors. Forty photos and early maps illustrate people and places that extend back to 1904. Historical descriptions of faculty and staff, facilities, academic curricula, student organizations, research, extension and outreach, and alumni relations include some little-known facts. For example, the nations first African-American forester graduated in the first class of the Mont Alto Academy; a captive bear once prowled the halls of the Old Green Shack and sniffed at a visiting professor from Yale as he lectured; students in summer camp sometimes walked fifteen miles to revel in exciting weekends in State College; one of the early graduates became the governor of Alaska; a former instructor founded the Penn State ski club, helped to design and develop the Arapahoe Basin and Keystone ski resorts in Colorado, and he and his wife still skied into their 90s. The accomplishments of our alumni and professors, as indicated by just a sampling of their biographies, are impressive indeed.

Both books may be ordered from the School. The Clepper book is available for $40 plus $5 shipping and the Gerhold book is available for $35 plus $5 shipping. A set of both books can be purchased for $75 plus $5 shipping. To order, please use the Response Form or contact Ellen Manno at 814-863-5831 or exr2@psu.edu.


Penn State Mont Alto Forestry Reunion and Schatz Tree Genetics Colloquium

The Penn State Mont Alto forestry reunion is scheduled for April 29-May 1, 2007, immediately following the School of Forest Resources’ 100th Anniversary celebration at University Park. Alumni can spend a few days at University Park, then travel to Mont Alto to participate in both reunions. The Penn State Mont Alto reunion will take place in conjunction with the Schatz Tree Genetics Colloquium, offering alumni the opportunity to attend lectures and other educational activities on campus. A detailed brochure will be mailed to all Penn State Mont Alto forestry alumni in February 2007. For more information, contact the Penn State Mont Alto Office of Alumni Relations at 717-749-6110 or www.ma.psu.edu.


Who Is Coming to the Centennial Celebration?

As of February 16, 2007, 219 people are registered for the April 2007 School of Forest Resources Centennial Celebration. That includes the 118 alumni listed below by class year.

You can keep tabs on who has registered by visiting our Web site, http://www.sfr.cas.psu.edu/Alumni/Alumni.html. Click on the “100 years and growing” graphic, then on the “Program” tab and then on the “Attendees” tab.


For information on class representatives, or help with locating classmates, please contact Ellen Manno at 814-863-5831 or exr2@psu.edu.

There is still time to register. Use the registration forms in this newsletter, or register online at the Web site listed above. Registration deadline is April 17.

Schaller, Leroy FOR 1947
Ross, Robert FOR 1949
Rumpf, Robert FOR 1949
Steimer, John FOR 1949
Heinemann, Heinz FOR 1950
Jensen, Ted FOR 1950
Kern, George FOR 1950
Martin, Norm W U 1950
Rossman, Walter FOR 1950
Storer, John FOR 1950
Coder, Ronald W U 1951
Haney, Glenn FOR 1951
Kirch, John FOR 1951
Moore, Harry FOR 1951
Shogren, Paul FOR 1951
Stambaugh, William FOR 1951
Davies, John W U 1952
Gerhold, Henry FOR 1952
Imes, Floyd AG EC 1952
McCullough, James FOR 1952
Nelson, Jim FOR 1952
Yarosh, Thaddeus FOR 1952
Kemp, George FOR 1953
Naylor, John FOR 1953
Bergey, Glenn FOR 1954
Loucks, Daniel FOR 1954
Reynolds, Temple FOR 1954
Sopper, William FOR 1954
Finkbeiner, John FOR 1955
Radomsky, Robert FOR 1956
Underhill, Lowell FOR 1956
Dress, Peter FOR 1957
Erbeck, William FOR 1957
Heilig, Ralph FOR 1958
Hunter, Richard FOR 1958
Loftus, Nelson FOR 1958
Peace, Ralph FOR 1958
Schell, Kerry FOR 1958
Strauss, Charles FOR 1958
Werner, Richard FOR 1958
Carey, Robert FOR 1959
Clarke, Jess FOR 1959
Hockinson, Joel FOR 1960
Hutchison, Boyd FOR 1960
Smith, George FOR 1960
Speace, Daniel FOR 1960
Frayer, Warren FOR 1961
Caris, Marlin FOR 1962
Oplinger, Arthur FOR 1962
Rhody, Kenneth FOR 1962
Pennypacker, Stanley FOR 1963
Rebert, Barry FOR 1963
Davis, Donald FOR 1964
Farmer, William FOR 1964
Healy, William FOR 1964
Leavesley, George FOR 1964
Townsend, Alden FOR 1964
Yorke, Thomas FOR 1964
Lingenfelter, Jack FOR T 1965
Knoble, Skip FOR R 1966g
Lynch, James FOR T 1966
Tressler, William FOR T 1966
Dunham, Thomas FOR T 1967
Harrington, Dave FOR T 1967
Schrum, Gregory FOR T 1967
Byerly, John FOR T 1968
Kress, Lance FOR T 1968
Buckler, Jack FOR T 1969
Kusko, Michael FOR T 1969
Seidel, Frederick FORSC 1969
Wentz, Terry FOR T 1969
Young, Donald FOR T 1969
Blankenhorn, Paul FOR R 1972g
Kehler, Stuart W U 1972
McColly, Robert FORSC 1972
Powell, James FORSC 1972
Long, David FORSC 1973
Remy, Patricia FORSC 1973
Webb, Mark FORSC 1973
Williams, Darrel FORSC 1973
Green, David FORSC 1974
Houk, David FORSC 1974
Rosevear, William FORSC 1974
Jagielski, John FORSC 1975
Knight, Robert FORSC 1975
Lammie, Samuel FORSC 1975
Rees, William FORSC 1976
Ryan, David FORSC 1976
Siefert, Roy FORSC 1976
Bratkovich, Alan FORSC 1977
Pierson, Timothy FORSC 1977
Prutzman, Peter FORSC 1977
Schreiter, Richard FORSC 1977
Arceri, Patrick FORSC 1978
Lewis, Marc FORSC 1978
Tome, Michael FORSC 1978
Vahoviak, George FORSC 1978
Kiehl, David FORSC 1979
Wurzbacher, Howard FORSC 1979
Bertsch, Stephen FORSC 1980
Witmer, Tom FORSC 1984
Bauman, Randall FORSC 1986
Egenrieder, James (Jim) W L S 1986
Manno, Ellen FOR R 1986g
Hoover, Steven FORSC 1989
Hamilton-Smith, Nicole W F S 1997
Keefer, Jennifer Stingelin W F S 1997
Whitehill, Mike FORSC 1998
Glover, Joseph FORSC 1999
Peterman-Moore, Debby W F S 1999
Powell, Michael FORSC 1999
Rennig, Robert FORSC 1999
Miller, Jennifer W F S 2000
White, Herbert FORSC 2000
Topper, Samual FORSC 2001
Duklis, Peter E P C 2003g
Meiser, Nathan FORSC 2003
Coup, Charles FORSC 2006


SFR Alumni Group Board of Directors

Elected at-large members
David B. Lezzer (’00 FORSC) 2007 1st*
(Log Buyer, International Veneer Company)
1899 Silver Road
Wooster, OH 44691
(724) 992-1922 cell
(724) 458-5059 office
e-mail: psu4ster@hotmail.com

Aura L. Stauffer (’89 WLS, ’95g WFS) 2007 1st
(Wildlife Biologist, PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry)
546 Criswell Drive
Boiling Springs, PA 17007
(717) 258-3590 home
(717) 783-0380 office
e-mail: astauffer@state.pa.us

Benjamin G. Tresselt, Jr. ('63 FOR) 2007 2nd
(Consultant Forester, Certified Arborist)
110 Long Bend Beach Road
Hopewell, PA 16650
(814) 652-9150 home
e-mail: btresseltjr@pennswoods.net
spouse: Carole

Thomas H. Yorke (’64 FOR, ’67g FOR) 2007 1st
President
(Hydrologist, Yorke Consulting, Inc.)
5384 Antioch Ridge Drive
Haymarket, VA 20169
(703) 753-0271 home
(703) 593-1706 office
e-mail: TomYorke@RegencyDV.com
spouse: Jeannie

Joseph E. Barnard (’60 FOR, ‘63g FOR) 2008 2nd
(Retired, National Program Manager,
USDA Forest Service)
584 Blossom Trail
Mount Joy, PA 17552
(717) 492-9152 home
e-mail: JBOAERNARD@aol.com
spouse: Phyllis

J. Theodore “Ted” Jensen (’50 FOR) 2008 2nd
(Retired, Sales Consultant, forest products and automotive fire apparatus)
P.O. Box 332
323 Summit Avenue
Jenkintown, PA 19046
(215) 887-0118 home
(215) 884-4368 fax
e-mail: JTJPOB33219046@aol.com

Denise Mitcheltree (’94 W F S, ’96g W F S) 2008 1st
(Wildlife Conservation Officer, Pennsylvania Game Commission)
3607 Tamarack Road
Renovo, PA 17764
(570) 923-0311 home/office
e-mail: denise@kcnet.org
spouse: John Wasserman

Gregory M. Schrum (’67 FOR T, ’69g FOR R) 2008 2nd
(Chief, Division of Resource Mgmt. and Planning, Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks)
5776 Stillwell Court
Harrisburg, PA 17112-1600
(717) 540-7038 home
(717) 787-6674 office
e-mail: gschrum@state.pa.us
spouse: Judy

David J. Babyak ('71 FORSC) 2009 2nd
(Consulting Forester and President, Babyak Forestry Services)
33 Moretti Road
Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 465-8345 home
(724) 465-8345 office (724) 465-5408 fax
e-mail: babyakforestry@adelphia.net
spouse: Jane

Frank S. Judd ('67 FOR T, '73g FOR R) 2009 1st
(Market Development Manager, Rainforest Alliance)
727 Buckwood Lane
Lititz, PA 17543-8436
(717) 625-4912 office
(717) 371-8778 cell (717) 627-1773 fax
e-mail: fjudd@ra.org
spouse: Mary

E.L. “Dick” Shafer ('56 FOR and ‘57g FOR) 2009 2nd
(Professor Emeritus of Tourism and Environ. Mgmt)
2604 Tall Cedar Circle
State College, PA 16803
(814) 237-6383 home
e-mail: els1@psu.edu
spouse: Rose Mary

Mark R. Webb (’73 FORSC) 2009 2nd
Vice President
(Consulting Forester and Owner, Mark R. Webb and Company)
11021 U.S. Route 6
Union City, PA 16438
(814) 663-5393 home
(814) 663-5393 office
(814) 663-4008 fax
e-mail: mrkrwebb@earthlink.net
spouse: Blare

Immediate Past President, SFR Alumni Group
Lowell T. Underhill ('56 FOR)
(Retired, E. I. duPont deNemours and Co., Inc.)
1002 Weldin Circle
Weldin Woods
Wilmington, DE 19803-3204
(302) 764-8759 home
e-mail: lowell.underhill@verizon.net
spouse: Lois

Director, School of Forest Resources
Charles “Chuck” Strauss
121 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 865-7541 office
e-mail: chs3@psu.edu
spouse: Carol

Assistant Director for Outreach, School of Forest Resources ex officio
Richard H. Yahner
119 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-3201 office
e-mail: rhy@psu.edu

President, College of Ag Sciences Alumni Society (CAAS) ex officio
George R. Kemp ‘53
(President/CEO, The Kemp Group)
2401 McClintock Road
White Oak, PA 15131-2730
(412) 678-6400 office
(412) 678-5326 home
e-mail: kempgroup@libcom.com
spouse: Ann

Faculty Member, School of Forest Resources
Henry D. Gerhold
(Professor of Forest Genetics)
333 Forest Resources Building
University Park, 16802
(814) 865-3281 office
e-mail: hdg@psu.edu
spouse: Marilyn

Undergraduate Student, School of Forest Resources
Benjamin M. Gamble
(Senior, Forest Science)
125 Amblewood Way
State College, PA 16803
(570) 971-5401 cell
e-mail: bmg180@psu.edu

Graduate Student, School of Forest Resources
Steven D. Mills
(M.S. Candidate, Forest Resources)
236 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 865-1441 office
e-mail: sdm247@psu.edu

Executive Director
Ellen A. Manno
(Program Assistant)
416A Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-5831 office
(814) 234-8157 home
(814) 865-3725 fax
e-mail: exr2@psu.edu
spouse: Ken

Informational copy of correspondence also to be sent to Jillian Stevenson, director of alumni relations, 229 Ag Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802; (814) 863-7278; jstevenson@psu.edu.

* year term expires


 

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