Under the baobab: State College thanks its volunteers, and other community happenings
The Borough of State College held its annual ABC Appreciation Dinner, presided over by the president of the Borough Council, Evan Myers. Mayor Ezra Nanes made opening remarks, and 36 citizens were awarded certificates of appreciation.
Specific awards were given to Leslie Laing, the Arnold Addison Award; Michael and Beth Hess, the Ingrid P. Holtzman Award; and Susan Venegoni, the XYZ Award. Borja Gutierrez and Judge Don Hahn were presented Legacy Awards. Hahn, who served on the council and as mayor of the borough, made a few poignant remarks about his life in State College. Others present included: State Rep. Paul Takac; Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins; Borough Manager Tom Fountaine; executive director of the State College Water Authority, Brian Heiser; PSU senior VP, Sara Thorndike; and Julian Morales, PSU Director of Local Government and Community Relations.
State College Area High School senior Prithvi Narayanan was honored for being a U.S. Presidential Scholar. Only two Pennsylvania high school students and 161 nationwide were so chosen.
Penn State’s School of Theatre (SOT) presented “One Night on Broadway,” its annual fundraiser. The sold-out event featured Penn State grads who have gone on to professional careers in NYC. Robert Schneider and Catherine DeLucer were the MCs. The BFA performers were Faren Collins (‘08), Alex Dorf ( ‘17), Andrew Leggieri (‘08), Lexi Rhoades (‘13), Richard Spitaletta (‘16) and Becca Suskauer (‘21). The musical director and accompanist was Gage Norrison, a second-year theater major. Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and spouse attended. Rick Lombardo, head of SOT, took the opportunity to announce the incoming interim head, Professor Kikora Franklin.
Franklin, head of SOT’s dance program, is the founder of Roots of Life Performing Ensemble, a PA Area School District arts education program comprised of 4th-12th grade students who perform throughout the community.
SOT family and faculty also came from all over the country to attend a celebration of life for the late beloved Professor Helen Manfull, which was organized by her sons, Ben and James. It included former department head Dan Carter, Prof. Bill Kelly, former students Bob Gaspar, David Markel, Emmy Award winner Ty Burrell and others.
Elsewhere in the community, Sock & Buskin and Tempest Productions held a three-night fundraising performance of “The Good Body” at various venues. Centre Safe was the beneficiary. Duane Bullock, purchase manager and supplier for Diversity & Environment, organized the Supplier Diversity Fair at the Bryce Jordan Center for locals involved in procurement with 80 vendors from all around the country.
Sadly, my friend, actor and playwright Samm-Art Williams joined the ancestors a few days ago. We were colleagues at the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). Samm was the company’s featured playwright, one of the first from our ensemble to have a play move to Broadway. NEC had been started by the late Douglas Turner Ward and Robert Hooks. They got the idea for a Black company while performing in the cast of the original production of Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” The writer, director (Lloyd Richards) and most of the major members of Raisin’s original cast have passed on. Only Robert Hooks and Glynn Turman are still with us.
Samm’s play, “Home,” opened this past weekend at the Roundabout in NYC. Directed by Tony Award winning Kenny Leon, the cast features Tony Kittles, Brittany Inge and Penn State Theater MFA Stori Ayers. You may remember Stori from SOT’s “Blood at The Root,” a few years ago.
There is a sadness inherent in the passing of old friends. But as Maya Angelou taught us about the passing of MLK:
“When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder, lions hunker down in tall grasses… And when great souls die, after a period, peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly… Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For they existed.”
Charles Dumas is a lifetime political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Congress in 2012. He was the 2022 Lion’s Paw Awardee and Living Legend honoree of the National Black Theatre Festival. He lives with his partner and wife of 50 years in State College.
