Academics

Meling award recipients announced

The recipients of the 2009-10 Penn State Altoona Kjell Meling Award for Distinction in the Arts and Humanities have been announced.

The internal awardee is Jerry Zolten, associate professor of communication arts and sciences. Zolten was once the road manager and producer for the Fairfield Four and their bass singer Issac Freeman. He has tried his hand at stand-up comedy in San Francisco, has played and continues to play in bands, is the creator and host of two public radio programs, In The Spirit and Chimpin’ the Blues, and is an avid collector of all things music, including vinyl records, 78 rpm shellac discs, sheet music, and framed record covers. Zolten also is the author of "Great God A'Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music," which tells the story of the renowned Dixie Hummingbirds and their rise from the Jim Crow South of the 1930s to top Grammy-winning gospel group and collaborators with Paul Simon on the 1973 pop hit, "Loves Me (Like a Rock)."

Zolten has been working at Penn State Altoona for 27 years, teaching communication arts and sciences, American studies, and integrative arts, including courses on the history of stand-up comedy and the cultural roots of rock and roll.

Zolten will receive his award Thursday, April 15 on the Penn State Altoona campus.

The external award recipient is Harvey Pekar, an American underground comic book writer best known for his autobiographical American Splendor series, which was later adapted to a movie. In the late 1980s, Pekar's comic book success led to eight guest appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. His confrontational style led to the show banning him as a guest until the early 1990s.

Pekar has written a number of biographies on other people’s lives and also is a prolific freelance jazz and book critic. He’s won several awards for his work including first place in Public Radio News Director’s Incorporated "Commentary/Essay" section for "What's In a Name."

Pekar will receive his award Thursday, Oct. 1 on the Penn State Altoona campus.

Penn State Altoona initiated the Meling Award in 2006 to honor the memory of its longtime associate dean of academic affairs, who passed away in 2005. The award is intended to memorialize Meling's love of literature and language and his unwavering support as an administrator for the development of Penn State Altoona's faculty as scholars and artists.

Last Updated January 9, 2015

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