In my element (A love letter to dear old State)

I was a naive, unsophisticated, partly uncultured lad when I came to Penn State. As I entered the Nittany Valley, the first sight to greet me was the beautiful tower of Old Main.

It is here that Penn State molds a person’s life from the raw and unsophisticated into the conscious and cultured. We learned that a person must first be responsible to himself before he can be responsible to his university, his society, his world.

It is on this beautiful campus that we learn, as my wife Katey wrote, "A man’s soul and his life are his own, and even if he gives himself away in hundreds of careful and loving pieces, he’s still his own man with his own life span, and no one but he has a claim on it, except his God."

And here, in this lovely, intriguing spot called Penn State, each of us staked our own special, precious and eventful life.

This letter, penned by Ross Lehman (’42), is available to read in full on the Alumni Association’s website, which I highly recommend you do.

The fall semester in State College is a special time for many, but perhaps none more so than those men who get to lace up their cleats to compete on the gridiron, the cheerleaders who dedicate months preparing to share Penn State spirit the masses, the Lionettes who dazzle the the crowd, and of course, the Blue Band.

Part of growing up means caring for those younger than you, molding them into ‘conscious and cultured’ men and women. Equally important is respecting the traditions that have come before you, and building on their legacy. I am fortunate to have been in the position to do both in my four years on this campus. I’ve learned how to lead by first being led. I’ve learned to serve by first being served. It is through these connections one learns the value of humility and just how special this thing we call ‘Penn State Pride’ is.

Dear old State,

We’ve been acquainted for a short four years, though it’s the milage that counts, not the necessarily the years. Like Ross, I arrived in this valley wide-eyed and ambitious, but lacked an understanding of what really makes this place a home in the hearts of Penn Staters around the world. We got through COVID together, formed foundational relationships, grew as a student, leader, researcher, person, and have had to pay respect to those we’ve lost along the way.

No matter where I am in the world, you will be always be home. You’re not just the rolling mountains and humble bricks that constitute the physical makeup of this university. You’re the intricate web of people and relationships that connect us all.

You’re the upperclassman who showed me how to be a leader in the Blue Band. You’re the administrator who took a chance on me as a freshman. You’re the tunnel when I’m standing in front of 110,000 of my best friends. Sometimes you’re brunch over the sharing of old stories at the Waffle Shop. Other times you’re bumping into an unexpected friend at Cafe. Some of my favorite times with you have been when you travel — to California, Alabama, even Hawaii.

So do be well when I leave. You’ll always be a piece of me and all of the others who have called you home.

David