RPTM Kudos and Announcements May 19, 2008
Congratulations Alumni
Esther Johns ’06 (johns.esther@gmail.com) received certification as an ESL teacher after graduating from the RPTM program. She currently teaches 6th and 7th grade English in northern Turkey.
Shawn (Flynn) Franks ’89 (scfranks@comcast.net) is an occupational therapist working with preschool children at the Central Intermediate Unit. She lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband and four children.
Richard Schultz ’79 (rshultz@nashawtuc.com) is General Manager/CEO of Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord, MA. Ric, his wife Sue, and two children live in Amherst, NH.
Larry Williamson ’69 (lwilliamson@state.pa.us) received the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy’s 2007 Conservationist of the Year Award. Larry was most recently the DCNR Deputy Secretary for Conservation and Technical Services and was a founder of Pennsylvania’s Greenways program.
Congratulations Students
RPTM graduate student Jihee Kim’s daughter Josephine won the 2008 Rotary 4-Way Speech Contest with a speech titled, “Take My Break Away” on the dangers of smoking. Josephine Kim will be a freshman at the University of Washington this fall.
Graduate student Yasong Alex Wang was selected in a national competition to be the Fall 2008 tourism/political science intern in the office of Stephen Richer, the DC lobbyist for the US National Tour Association.
RPTM senior Derrick Williams was one of five Penn State Nittany Lion football players chosen to lead the team as captains in 2008-2009.
Congratulations Faculty
The Fred and Ann Coombs Library, located at PRPS Headquarters in Ferguson Township, was dedicated on May 15. The library will serve as a meeting place and resource center for the PRPS Institute for Recreation and Parks and will contain resource books, information files, and periodicals for the use of PRPS members and others involved in the recreation field.
Deborah Kerstetter secured funding from the Central Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau to document visitors' response to advertising. She also secured a research grant from the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission to conduct a study with visitors to The Alleghenies during summer 2008.
In the News
A May 7 Penn State Live news article mentioned Deborah Kerstetter as the recipient of the 2008 Rosemary Schraer Mentoring Award. Deb was honored at a luncheon hosted by the Commission for Women on April 11. Read the rest of the story here.
Notable Quotes
“I am writing on behalf of the golf staff at Augusta National Golf Club. Both John Ebmeyer and Patrick White exceeded our expectations during the 2008 Masters. They are a shining example of the quality of golf professionals graduating from your facility every year.” – Jason Ballard, Assistant Golf Professional, Augusta National Golf Club
“I love my job because even though it would seem like it has nothing to do with parks and recreation, it actually does. I am constantly thinking how important it is that these kids simply have fun while learning. I think a huge reason I teach the way I do is because of what I studied and learned at college as a recreation major.” -- Esther Johns ’06
“A huge thanks for an outstanding Big Ten Women's Championship. We have had many compliments on the golf course, the event, but especially the volunteers and students from the PGM program. At least half a dozen parents came up to me and said how they enjoyed your company and how professional you were during the event. You should all be very proud of your efforts, not only with this event, but all of them.” – Joe Hughes PGM ‘99, General Manager, Penn State Golf Courses
If you have accomplished something you would like to share with the RPTM crew, please notify me. Also, if you are aware of accomplishments or quotes by our alumni, students, or staff, please let me know so I can share the news. Thank you! – John Dattilo, Professor and Department Head jxd8@psu.edu