Behrend

Behrend lion now guards Erie campus

The Behrend lion, a close relative of the longstanding symbol of Penn State, the Nittany Lion, is now in temporary winter quarters on the Penn State Erie campus, just waiting for spring and a move to its permanent location.

"We're delighted to have the Behrend Lion here at last," said Kevin Moore, associate director of development at the college, a 1985 alumnus, and the motivator of the fundraising efforts that resulted in the purchase of the lion statue. "I am grateful to the 2003 and 2004 senior classes who gave gifts that allowed us to purchase the statue."

Penn State alumni who attended the University Park campus are familiar with the Nittany Lion Shrine. The Class of 1940 presented a Nittany Lion sculpted from a large block of Indiana limestone to Penn State in 1942. The work of noted sculptor Heinz Warneke, the crouching, powerful figure is now the popular Nittany Lion Shrine, located near the Recreation Building on the University Park campus. It is said to be the most photographed site on the University Park campus.

The Behrend Lion is constructed of reinforced fiberglass that is, according to Moore, as durable as concrete. It will be placed in a landscaped site near the walkway between Junker Center and the Smith Chapel that leads to the new Research and Economic Development Center, now under construction. Landscape design for the site has been donated by Ed Wehrle, a Penn State alumnus and principal of Wehrle and Associates, a landscape architecture firm from Pittsburgh.

Moore said that gifts still are being accepted to help defray the cost of creating a permanent site for the Behrend Lion. Anyone wishing to make a contribution may e-mail Moore at kem7@psu.edu or call him at (814) 898-6475.

Last Updated March 19, 2009

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