UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State All-Sports Museum is offering a variety of free, virtual programming through spring on its social media platforms and Zoom.
Additions to these events are ongoing and will be updated via the Museum's social media channels all under the handle @PSUSportsMuseum. All events are free, with recordings available via social media for any who wish to watch them after their air dates.
For a chance to participate in the zoom chats, register at this link.
Friday, April 17, 1:30 p.m. — Maggie Harding, women's volleyball, and Jim Nelson, football
The museum will be joined by Penn State alumni Maggie Harding and Jim Nelson for a virtual chat about their time at Penn State and where they are now.
Harding was a member of the women's volleyball team from 2010 to 2013. During her time at Penn State, the team won two national championships and three Big Ten titles. Harding is a State College native and graduated in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in food science from the College of Agriculture. She currently works in cheese research and development in Buffalo, New York.
Nelson, who graduated in 1997, was a three-year starting linebacker for Penn State, which included the 1994 undefeated and Rose Bowl championship team. He continued his career in football playing in the NFL with stops in Green Bay, Minnesota, Indianapolis, and Baltimore. While playing professionally, Nelson became a small franchise business owner, which he and his wife (a Penn State tennis alumna) still own today. Nelson channels the discipline he learned as a football player in his role as a Wealth Advisor with Merrill Lynch in Wilmington, Delaware.
Wednesday, April 22, 1:30 p.m. — "Penn State's 1935 Female 'Letter "Man"' and New Frontiers in the History of Women's Intercollegiate Sport in the United States," Mark Dyreson and Tommy Slotcavage
The museum, in partnership with the Penn State Center for Sports In Society, will host a virtual presentation titled "Penn State's 1935 Female 'Letter "Man"' and New Frontiers in the History of Women's Intercollegiate Sport in the United States," with Mark Dyreson and Tommy Slotcavage.
In 1935, the Penn State fielded a varsity men's tennis team that included a woman, Dorothy "Dot" Anderson. In an era in which only college women at single-sex institutions played intercollegiate sports, Anderson represented a startling anomaly. She briefly became a national celebrity for earning a varsity "S" from Penn State. Inspired by her example, women joined varsity men's tennis teams at several other colleges in the region from the 1930s through the 1950s, a prelude to the rise of women's intercollegiate sports that began in the 1960s and vastly expanded since the 1970s.
Dyreson and Slotcavage will share their research discoveries of Penn State's first female varsity athlete. Dyreson is director of research and educational programs for the Centre for the Study of Sports in Society and professor of kinesiology and affiliate professor of history; and Slotcavage is a 2018 kinesiology alumnus and currently graduate student in management and organizational leadership. Their research article is free for a limited time to read and download at https://bit.ly/34x4lSh.
Friday, April 24, 1:30 p.m. — Rich Makover, men's lacrosse, and Janae Whittaker Ali, women's gymnastics
The museum will be joined by alumni Rich Makover and Janae Whittaker Ali for a virtual chat about their time while at Penn State and where they are now.
Makover played for the Penn State men's lacrosse team from 1983 to 1987 and was a team captain in 1987. He graduated in 1987 with a degree in accounting. His career has focused on finance, sales management, strategic planning, and change management and has taken him around the globe. Today, Makover is the chief revenue officer at Fredrick Goldman Inc, a luxury goods and jewelry company based in New Jersey. He also gives back to his alma mater as a Teammate for Life mentor to current Penn State student-athletes.
Ali competed for the Penn State women's gymnastics team from 1995 to 1999, was an MVP, four-time NCAA National Championship qualifier, and captain of the team in 1999 when she suffered a career-ending injury. During her final year at Penn State, she and a teammate studied and student-taught abroad in New Zealand. Ali graduated with a degree in kinesiology in 2000 and went into pharmaceutical sales in Manhattan post-graduation. Today, outside of homeschooling her five children in Oregon, Ali is the author of two books, "I Am A Retired Athlete ... What Now?" and the soon-to-be-published "I Am An Injured Athlete ... What Now?" She also has been a mental-toughness trainer for athletes for 17 years and has led over 2,000 live webinars.
Wednesday, April 29, 1:30 p.m. — Maggie Harding, women's volleyball, reading "Rooster the Red Roany Pony"
The museum will host 2014 alumna Maggie Harding, reading the book "Rooster the Red Roany Pony." Illustrated by Harding, the children's book is written by Lauren Stanley. The reading will be streamed on the Penn State All-Sports Museum's Facebook page.
Friday, May 1, 1:30 p.m. — Vincent Tedesco, men's lacrosse, and Anthony Calvano, men's soccer
The museum will be joined by alumni Vincent Tedesco and Anthony Calvano for a virtual chat about their time while at Penn State and where they are now.
During his college career, Tedesco was starting goalie and co-captain of the Penn State men's varsity lacrosse team from 1962 to 1964. He was selected as an outstanding freshmen student athlete in 1961 by the Druid Hat Society. Tedesco and three of his high school lacrosse teammates established the "Friendship Cup" which is presented each year to the winner of the lacrosse game between Penn State and Rutgers. Upon graduation with a degree in accounting in 1964, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant of Artillery in the United States Army. He went on to obtain a master's degree in business administration from Bucknell and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College and Naval War College. He retired from the Army as Colonel in 1991 after 27 years of service and soon after worked for global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin. Tedesco's focus at Lockheed Martin was air defense for the U.S. government for 18 years until he retired in 2011.
Calvano played for Penn State from 2001 to 2004, with his team winning both a Big Ten title and making it to the Elite 8 in 2002. He graduated from Penn State in 2004 with a degree in elementary education. He went on to play professionally with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds men's soccer team for eight years before retiring in 2012. Calvano has coached high school, middle school and club soccer, and has worked with thousands of youth soccer players as a Soccer Shots instructor. He is an active member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of American and Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children.