The collection of 500 letters have been preserved by the library to offer students and researchers firsthand accounts of the everyday lived experiences of local soldiers during the war. An interactive exhibit is currently on display to the public in the Robert E. Eiche Library.
About 100 students and faculty members from Penn State Altoona kept in contact with Robert Eiche, the campus’ first director, after they left school to serve in World War II overseas. Today, the collection of about 500 letters is a permanent collection at the campus library.
Penn State’s Wagner Building, home to ROTC programs at University Park, bears the name of Harry Edward Wagner — a 1941 Penn State graduate who served as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and fought to liberate France from Nazi occupation during the D-Day operations that shaped history. On June 6, the United States celebrates the 75th-year anniversary of the D-Day landings, honoring those who risked and gave their lives during the invasion.
Scholars from around the globe will visit Penn State on Nov. 12 and 13 to participate in "Dislocation: Beyond War's End,” an international colloquium marking the centenary of the Armistice.
On and near Penn State's University Park campus are commemoratives of the battleship Pennsylvania, reminders of the historic attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor that led to America's entry into World War II.
World War II veteran Harlan “Rip” Hoffa, professor emeritus of art education and former associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Arts and Architecture, died on Monday, May 1. He was 91.
Penn State Altoona's World War II correspondence collection includes over 400 letters that offer researchers first-hand accounts of the everyday experiences of local soldiers during the war, such as that of Richard Aikey, of Bellwood, Pennsylvania.
The Penn State Altoona Heritage Committee will receive the Blair County Historical Society's President's Award for its efforts in preserving campus history. More recently, the committee, in partnership with the campus library, has preserved and catalogued hundreds of letters written by campus students while they served during World War II.
World War II veterans from the U.S. Army Eighth Air Force will share their stories at a special panel discussion at 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library.
Publications by Penn State Beaver faculty members were recently announced by the Office of Academic Affairs. "Optimistic Bias About Intimate Partner Violence Among Medical Personnel" was written by John Chapin, associate professor of communications, and published in Family Medicine, Vol. 43, No. 6, June 2011. "Cold War Crusader: Arthur Bliss Lane and the Private Committee to Investigate the Katyn Massacre, 1949-1952" was written by Robert Szymczak, associate professor of history, and appeared in Polish American Studies: A Journal of Polish American History and Culture, Vol. LXVII, No. 2, Autumn 2010. Contact Chapin at jrc11@psu.edu or 724-773-3877 and Szymczak at rxs16@psu.edu or 724-773-3895.
This Saturday, 70 years after he started his undergraduate degree at Penn State, 88-year-old Charles J. Kasales will receive his diploma. Kasales, a retired physician and U.S. Navy medical officer who attended Penn State's School of Chemistry and Physics from 1940 to 1942, will be awarded a premedicine degree at the University's fall commencement on Dec. 18 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Kasales is one of many students who left Penn State during World War II when it was possible to enter medical school without an undergraduate degree. A careful review of his transcripts has determined that he completed all the necessary courses and credits to complete his undergraduate degree.
WPSU invites the "greatest generation" to recount their unique experiences of World War II. WPSU-TV is asking those who lived through World War II to offer their stories during a video recording session to be held on Saturday, May 3, at the Penn State Altoona campus. In order to take part in the event, those with first-person accounts of World War II must call (814) 863-6636 to schedule an appointment. Spaces are limited, anyone interested should call soon. Appointments must be made by Thursday, April 24.
