[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 93 (Thursday, July 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1316-E1318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY ON ITS SESQUICENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 7, 2004

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in support of H. 
Res. 703, a resolution offered by my colleague Representative John 
Peterson, congratulating my alma mater, The Pennsylvania State 
University, on 150 years of service and commending Pennsylvania's 
designation of the university as Pennsylvania's sole land-grant 
institution.
  As a native Pennsylvanian, I was proud to attend Penn State and earn 
my undergraduate there in 1961. I also met someone there who would 
become the most important person in my life--a fellow Penn State 
student named Carolyn Stover who accepted my proposal to be my wife.
  We have many fond memories of our time together at Penn State, 
strolling together past Old Main, and our dates to the Creamery, 
enjoying the best ice cream in the world--bar none.
  Mr. Speaker, you may not know the tradition of the Creamery. It all 
started in 1892, when Penn State became the first American institution 
of higher education to establish collegiate-level instruction in ice 
cream manufacture, a program that has helped make the university an 
internationally recognized center for research in frozen confections.
  Penn State without question has had an outstanding 150 years as one 
of the finest land grant institutions in the Nation. Its list of 
achievements is long and impressive. It was the first institution of 
higher education in the country to offer undergraduate degrees in 
industrial engineering, fuel science, and turf grass science. Its 
strong and varied undergraduate program draws students from across the 
country and the world.

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  Penn State's graduate programs also are impressive. It's supply 
chain/logistics, industrial/manufacturing engineering, materials 
engineering, nuclear engineering, agricultural engineering, higher 
education administration, administration/supervision, vocational/
technical education, counseling services, ceramics, and rehabilitation 
counseling graduate programs rank among the Nation's top ten, according 
to U.S. News and World Report. Penn State's medical, law, and business 
graduate programs are also stellar.
  It is important to note that one in every eight Pennsylvanians with a 
college degree, one in every 720 Americans, one in every 50 engineers, 
and one in very four meteorologists are alumni of Penn State.
  Penn State is an institution that not only trains the mind, but the 
body as well. The Nittany Lions are known throughout the 
intercollegiate sports world for its outstanding teams. Penn State's 
football team is synonymous with gridiron excellence. Coach Joe Paterno 
is a football legend, and became the all-time leader in wins in college 
football in 2001. Penn State also fields quality teams in cross-
country, women's volleyball, and gymnastics, just to name a 3 few. The 
Penn State athletic tradition is robust, and the university has 
garnered an impressive 56 national team championships in its history.
  Penn State's scholar/athletes have impressive academic credentials: 
the university graduated 80 percent of its scholar/athletes from the 
entering class of 1996--1997 within six years, compared to a national 
average of 62 percent for scholar/athletes at all Division I NCAA 
institutions. Penn State maintains an emphasis on education and 
athletics that is to be envied.
  Penn State's history is full of accomplishments and its future is 
full of promise. I will insert for the record a list of 50 ways Penn 
State has shaped the world. This is just a fraction of the ways the 
students, faculty, staff and all those associated with Penn State have 
helped to make our Nation and the world a better place.
  The education I received at Penn State and the relationships I 
developed--the most important of which was meeting my future wife--
helped shape my life and the public service path I pursued. Carolyn and 
I, both proud Penn State alumni, congratulate the university on its 
sesquicentennial, and look forward to celebrating Penn State's future 
accomplishments.

                50 Ways Penn State Has Shaped the World

       Since its founding in 1855, Penn State and its people have 
     been leaving their mark on the world. From the viewing of the 
     first atom, to the leading roles played by alumni in Desert 
     Storm, Penn Staters have had a profound impact on the world 
     and are leaving a legacy of contribution.
       1. American Literature--Fred Lewis Pattee, who joined the 
     faculty in 1894, became the first in the Nation to hold the 
     title of Professor of American Literature, a field then 
     considered a minor subdiscipline of English literature. He 
     helped make Penn State one of the earliest centers for 
     American literature studies.
       2. Animal Nutrition--In the early 1900s Professor Henry 
     Armsby used a respiration calorimeter to try to determine the 
     net energy value of food--that is, the portion of food energy 
     that an animal used to produce milk or meat. His experiments 
     attracted worldwide interest and helped to develop livestock 
     feeds of higher nutritive value.
       3. Architectural Engineering--Penn State offers America's 
     oldest continuously accredited (since 1936) curriculum in 
     this field. It introduced the curriculum in 1910 to provide 
     ``liberal training in both the aesthetic and construction 
     sides of architecture.''
       4. Art Education--Penn State became an international center 
     for art education when Austrian-born Viktor Lowenfeld joined 
     the faculty in 1946. Lowenfeld was the most influential art 
     educator of the 20th century and wrote the field's dominant 
     book, Creative and Mental Growth, based on his pioneering 
     work in psychology and the art of the visually impaired.
       5. Artificial Insemination--Over a 30-year period beginning 
     in 1946, dairy scientist John Almquist perfected commercially 
     viable artificial insemination techniques for dairy cattle. 
     His research has led to more than $600 million worth of 
     increased food production and cost savings worldwide.
       6. Artificial Organs--A heart-assist pump developed by 
     medical and engineering faculty in 1976 to prolong the lives 
     of cardiovascular patients was the first surgically 
     implantable, seam-free, pulsatile blood pump to receive 
     widespread clinical use. It led to the Penn State Heart, the 
     only artificial heart approved by the U.S. Food and Drug 
     Administration.
       7. Astronauts--Four Penn Staters have flown in space: 
     alumni Paul Weitz, Robert Cenker and Guion S. Bluford Jr. 
     (the first African-American astronaut, who flew on the space 
     shuttle Challenger in 1983), and Assistant Professor of 
     Kinesiology James Pawelczyk.
       8. Astronomy--Penn State, with the University of Texas, 
     operates the Hobby-Eberly spectroscopic survey telescope, the 
     largest instrument of its kind in the world, which measures 
     individual wavelengths of light to reveal information about 
     stars, galaxies, and other deep-space phenomena.
       9. Atom First ``Seen''--In 1955, physics Professor Erwin 
     Mueller became the first person to ``see'' an atom, using a 
     field ion electron microscope of his own invention. The 
     device was a landmark advance in scientific instrumentation 
     that allowed a magnification of more than 2 million times.
       10. Best-Selling Authors--Vance Packard (The Hidden 
     Persuaders, The Status Seekers) earned his degree from Penn 
     State in 1936. Jean Craighead George, a member of the class 
     of 1941, authored the Newberry Award-winning children's book, 
     Julie of the Wolves.
       11. Cinema--Penn State alumnus Julius Epstein won an Oscar 
     for his screenplay for the classic Humphrey Bogart film, 
     ``Casablanca.'' Character actor Ed Binns, class of 1937, 
     received critical praise for supporting roles in such box 
     office favorites as ``Patton'' and ``Fail Safe.''
       12. Commercial Television--Penn State alumni who have made 
     their mark in television include Carmen Finestra, an 
     executive producer and writer for the hit ABC-TV comedy 
     ``Home Improvement,'' Jonathan Frakes (Commander Will Riker 
     on the hit television series ``Star Trek: The Next 
     Generation''), and writer and director Stanley Lathan 
     (``Cagney and Lacey,'' ``Remington Steele'' and ``Sanford and 
     Son'').
       13. Correspondence Courses--In 1892, Penn State became the 
     first American college or university to offer correspondence 
     courses in agriculture, an initiative that was followed by 
     national expansion of correspondence instruction in many 
     technical fields.
       14. Diesel Engineering--One of the world's first academic 
     research programs in diesel engineering began at Penn State 
     in 1923. Discoveries in such areas as supercharging and 
     scavenging helped to bring about today's fuel-efficient and 
     powerful engines.
       15. Discovering Planets--Alexander Wolszczan, professor of 
     astronomy and astrophysics, discovered the existence of three 
     planets orbiting outside of our solar system--the first 
     scientist to do so.
       16. Driver Education--Amos Neyhart taught America's first 
     classes for driver education teachers at Penn State in 1936, 
     three years after he began the Nation's first driver 
     education course at nearby State College High School.
       17. Engineers Everywhere--One in 50 professionally licensed 
     engineers in the U.S. is a Penn State graduate.
       18. Environmentally Correct--Polymer scientist Bernard 
     Gordon III developed a biodegradable plastic that, with the 
     assistance of water, disappears in two years. Early tests 
     indicate that molecular weight of the polymer reduces as 
     water is added, and at 120 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, 
     the material falls apart in three days.
       19. Environmental Stress--The Noll Physiological Research 
     Center, established in 1963, was the Nation's first academic 
     research center dedicated to studying human tolerance to 
     heat, cold and other environmental stresses, and served as 
     the prototype for similar labs worldwide.
       20. Family Doctors--Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical 
     Center in 1967 became the Nation's first medical school to 
     establish a department of family and community medicine on 
     the same level as traditional medical specialities. It also 
     introduced a residency in the field, thus foreshadowing a 
     renewed emphasis Nationwide on family practitioners.
       21. First AG Degrees--Penn State was the first American 
     institution to confer baccalaureate degrees in agriculture, 
     in 1861.
       22. Geraniums--Penn State researchers developed the world's 
     first commercially successful geranium grown from seed, the 
     Nittany Lion Red.
       23. Greek Leadership--With 56 fraternities and 29 
     sororities, Penn State has the largest number of Greek 
     organizations of all colleges and universities in the 
     country.
       24. Heavy Water--Penn State physicist Ferdinand Brickwedde 
     in 1931 produced the world's first measurable amount of 
     deuterium, a hydrogen isotope needed to make ``heavy 
     water''--an essential ingredient in basic atomic research.
       25. Ice Cream--In 1892 Penn State offered America's first 
     collegiate instruction in ice cream manufacture, followed 
     soon after by a pioneering ``short course'' program that 
     has helped to make the University an international center 
     for research in frozen confections. Ice cream gurus Ben & 
     Jerry got their start from a correspondence course in ice 
     cream making from Penn State.
       26. Industrial Engineering--The world's first baccalaureate 
     curriculum in industrial engineering was introduced at Penn 
     State in 1908.
       27. Management Education--Established in 1915 as one of the 
     nation's first continuing education programs for business and 
     industry, Penn State's management education classes boosted 
     Pennsylvania's economy by tailoring instruction to thousands 
     of clients statewide in such fields as time management, 
     employee motivation and leadership, and served as models for 
     similar efforts nationally.
       28. Materials Research--In 1960, Penn State established the 
     nation's first interdisciplinary curriculum in solid state 
     technology and in 1962, created one of the first 
     interdisciplinary research laboratories, which has since won 
     international acclaim in materials synthesis, 
     electroceramics, diamond films and chemically bonded 
     ceramics.
       29. Mathematics--Mathematician Haskell Brooks Curry's 
     research in the 1950s into the foundations of mathematics, 
     especially his development of combinatory logic, later

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     found significant application in computer science, 
     particularly in the design of programming languages.
       30. Meteorologists--One in every four meteorologists in the 
     United States is a Penn State graduate.
       31. Minority Enrollment--Among more than 100 colleges and 
     universities in Pennsylvania, Penn State ranks second in the 
     enrollment of African Americans and graduates more of these 
     students than any other institution in the Commonwealth.
       32. Mushroom Research--In the 1920s, Penn State became the 
     first land-grant college to initiate a comprehensive mushroom 
     research program. Researchers developed improved composts and 
     production practices that were adopted by growers worldwide 
     and also helped Pennsylvania retain its leadership as the No. 
     1 source of domestic mushrooms.
       33. Music--Fred Waring, nationally beloved choral leader 
     (``The man who taught America how to sing'' ) and founder of 
     The Pennsylvanians, was a Penn Stater. So is Grammy Award-
     winning singer, songwriter and pianist Mike Reid (``Stranger 
     in the House,'' ``Lost in the Fifties Tonight'' ).
       34. Nobel Prize--Stanford University biochemist Paul Berg, 
     a member of Penn State's class of 1948, won a Nobel Prize in 
     1980 for his study of the biochemistry of nucleic acids.
       35. Nuclear Reactor--Penn State in 1955 became the first 
     university to be issued a federal license to operate a 
     nuclear reactor, which it continues to use for studies in the 
     peaceful uses of atomic energy and the training of nuclear 
     industry personnel.
       36. Pacemaker--A surgeon and two engineers at Penn State 
     perfected the world's first long-life, rechargeable heart 
     pacemaker.
       37. Penn Staters Everywhere--Penn State has more than 
     466,000 living alumni. One in every 720 Americans, and one in 
     every 70 Pennsylvanians, is a graduate of Penn State.
       38. Personality Tests--In 1931, psychologist Robert 
     Bernreuter began refining his ``Bernreuter Personality 
     Inventory,'' a pioneer multiphastic test of traits that 
     became the standard by which other personality tests were 
     measured and is still used worldwide for counseling and 
     personnel selection.
       39. Petroleum Research--In the 1920s, Penn State 
     researchers began pioneering investigations that identified 
     the components of crude oil, leading to significant 
     improvements in the refining process and the development of 
     today's widely used lubricants that can withstand extremes of 
     heat and cold.
       40. Playwrights--The hit Broadway play ``Give'em Hell, 
     Harry,'' based on the life of President Harry Truman and 
     authored by Penn State alumnus Samuel Gallu, was made into a 
     critically acclaimed motion picture. So was Penn Stater John 
     Pielmeier's ``Agnes of God,'' which received three Academy 
     Award nominations.
       41. Progesterone--Pioneer steroid chemist Russell Marker's 
     work in synthesizing the hormone progesterone in the 1930s 
     laid the foundation for the birth control pill and such 
     medical applications as cortisones and various hormone and 
     steroid therapies.
       42. Public Television--The first national conference of 
     educators and broadcasters was held at Penn State in 1952 and 
     urged the Federal Communications Commission to set aside 
     licenses for noncommercial use. The FCC responded favorably, 
     thus providing the regulatory basis for today's system of 
     public television stations.
       43. Pure Food--Pennsylvania's and the Nation's pure food 
     laws stem partly from the work of pioneer chemist William 
     Frear, who in the early 1900s analyzed foods for government 
     agencies and headed an expert committee whose recommendations 
     shaped the landmark Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
       44. R Values--This widely adopted standard of heat 
     resistance, used to measure the insulating properties of such 
     materials as fiberglass and window glass, was developed by 
     Everett Shuman, who in the 1960s headed Penn State's Building 
     Research Institute.
       45. School Administrators-- One out of every four senior 
     school administrators in Pennsylvania is a graduate of Penn 
     State.
       46. Science, Technology, and Society--In 1969-70, Penn 
     State established the Nation's first interdisciplinary 
     program in science, technology and society. Its integrative 
     courses addressing critical issues in these areas served as a 
     model for similar programs at many other universities.
       47. Telecommunications--Penn State alumnus Charles 
     Krumreich invented the telephone jack. More than a billion of 
     his patented Jack-11 square plastic plugs are used worldwide 
     for telephones, modems, and fax machines.
       48. Toymaker--Herman Fisher, co-founder and longtime 
     chairman of the board of Fisher Price, one of the Nation's 
     largest toymakers, graduated from Penn State in 1921.
       49. Visionary Educator--Evan Pugh, Penn State's first 
     president (1859-64), was among the first nationally 
     recognized advocates of adding science, agriculture and 
     engineering to traditional collegiate studies.
       50. Weather Prediction--Meteorologist Hans Panofsky 
     conducted fundamental work at Penn State (1952-82) that led 
     to a new understanding of atmospheric turbulence, air 
     pollution, ozone depletion and planetary atmospheres, and was 
     among the first to apply computer analysis to weather 
     prediction.

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