If you would like to plan a class reunion at Mont Alto, the Development and Alumni Relations Office can help.
Let us know what classes you want to include, and we'll pull a list of your classmates and help you contact them. We'll also help you plan the details of the reunion, including dinner and lodging. If you want to schedule a reunion, call the Alumni Office at 717-749-6105 or email us at [email protected].
Penn State Mont Alto Forestry Alumni gather in Post Falls, Idaho
Eleven Penn State Mont Alto forestry alumni gathered for a West Coast reunion from September 8–10, 2015 in Post Falls, Idaho. The event was organized by Bill O’Connell ’58 who has been planning the event for almost two years.
O’Connell reflected on the gathering: “Even though we are all retired, we remain a very active and busy bunch. Getting us all together at one time has been harder than I expected.”
Additional invitations were extended to western forestry alumni who graduated from the Mont Alto Classes of 1956 and 1963.
The reunion included a tour of the Buck Knife factory and a visit to the beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene. The group also travelled to Wallace, Idaho, where they visited the historic Cataldo Mission — the oldest building in Idaho.
During a formal dinner presentation, Penn State Mont Alto’s Director of Campus Development Randall Ackerman presented O’Connell with Mont Alto’s Distinguished Fellow award. The award recognizes O’Connell’s outstanding contributions to both his profession and community after graduating from Penn State. O’Connell joins about 1 percent of Mont Alto’s 16,000 alumni who have received this distinction.
Penn State Forestry alumni who gathered for a West Coast reunion in Post Falls, Idaho, in September 2015 are (left to right): (standing) Henry Hartman '58, Joe Frank '58, Dave Note '58, Joe Eichert '63, Ralph Peace '58, and Chuck Strauss '58; (sitting) Earl Reinsel '56, Bill O'Connell '58, Don Wermingler '58, and Ralph Heilig '58. Present but not pictured is Lou Shane '58.
2015 Reunion – Class of 1958, Celebrating Mont Alto Magic
“My first remembrance of Mont Alto is that there is something magical going on here,” said Robert (Bob) Slagle ’58 after being named a Penn State Mont Alto Distinguished Fellow on June 3rd, during the Class of 1958 Reunion. “The magic is still here, and I appreciate the opportunity to celebrate with you,” he said. “We are Penn State and this is Mont Alto!” View photos from the reunion here.
For members of The Class of 1958, the main Reunion objective was to reminisce and reconnect to Penn State Mont Alto and each other. There was plenty of that and so much more during their three-day reunion, June 3-5.The classmates and their spouses – about thirty in all – explored the campus and recorded their individual biographies about their careers after graduating from Penn State. They learned from Penn State faculty members, Drs. Lauraine Hawkins and Peter Linehan; heard historic tales from Storyteller Nancy Pritt; and chatted with forest technology students enrolled in Dr. Beth Brantley’s class. On June 3rd they honored a few of their own, when the Joseph E. Ibberson Founders Tree was recognized and the 2015 Distinguished Fellows were named.