RPTM Kudos and Announcements June 16, 2008
Congratulations Alumni
The following Alumni Award recipients were honored at the fourth annual recognition banquet:
Steven Landes ’74 (slandes@muhlenbergtwp.com) - RPTM Affiliated Program Group Award
Christopher Cain ’98 (Christopher.cain@unlv.edu) - PGM Affiliated Program Group Award
Mark Lammi ’99 (mlammi@reynoldsplantation.com) – RPTM Emerging Professional Undergraduate Award
Eileen Soisson ’93 (EileenD11@aol.com) - RPTM Alumni Recognition Award
Jesse Ellis MS ’01 (Jesse.ellis@fairfaxcounty.gov) – RPTM Emerging Professional Graduate Award
Congratulations Students
The following students were honored as Outstanding Undergraduate Students in their option at the fourth annual Recognition Banquet on April 5:
Robin Bang - Outdoor Recreation
Casie Goshow - Commercial/ Community
Nathan Graeff - Therapeutic Recreation
Megan Padua - Professional Golf Management
Undergraduate Penny Horner was given the RPTM Cheryl Kelley Student Spirit Award. The Student Spirit Award is named in honor of our RPTM graduate student who received the award last year and who exemplifies the important qualities valued by the department.
Nathan Trauntvein was honored as Outstanding Graduate Student.
The following students were scholarship winners for 2007-2008:
Kortney Clemons – Christopher W. Barnes Honors Scholarship
John Ebmeyer - Mills Family Scholarship and Paul Runyan Collegiate Golf MGT Scholarship
Douglas Finkle, Cara McCorkel and Tomas Rista - Fred M. Coombs Scholarship
Patrick Gunning - Pamela Nicholson-Dadey & Kevin Ryan Dadey Memorial Student Scholarship
David Kim and Megan Padua - Professional Golf Management Diversity Scholarship
Rosmeri Tejeda - Raymond E. & Erin Stuart Schultz Endowment
Patrick White - Anita N. & Fred M. Coombs Scholarship in Professional Golf Management
Meghan Wikler - Jonathan & Judy Mills Trustee Scholarship
Hui Jimmy Xie was recipient of the Herberta M. Lundegren Graduate Scholarship in Leisure Studies for 2007-2008.
Kortney Clemon’s book, Amped: A Soldier's Race for Gold in the Shadow of War, will be published by Wiley on July 8. The book is an account of his quest to compete in Beijing as a part of the 2008 U.S. Paralympic team.
Huan Li graduated in May with a Ph.D. in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management. Her dissertation was titled "Influences of Life Satisfaction in Western Pennsylvania.”
Congratulations Faculty
Patty Kleban presented "The 6th Man: Group Dynamics as a Factor in Program Success" at the Mid-Eastern Symposium on Therapeutic Recreation on May 19 in Ocean City Maryland.
Departmental Happenings
The following collaborating agencies were honored at the Recognition Banquet on April 5 for their long-term commitment and cooperation in working with RPTM students and faculty:
Bellefonte Youth Center – represented by Penny Horner
Centre Region Parks & Recreation – represented by Beth Lee
Central PA Convention and Visitors’ Bureau – represented by Betsy Howell
Mount Nittany Wheelworks – represented by Frank Maguire
Penn State Golf Courses – represented by Joe Hughes
Millbrook Marsh Nature Center – represented by Molly Hetrick
PA Department of Community and Economic Development – represented by Richard Bonds
Playworld Systems, Inc. – represented by Ian Proud
Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center – represented by Paul Brigman
Sight-Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania - represented by Doug Little
The Second Mile – represented by Jeremy Fegert and Meghan McElrone
Venture Publishing - represented by Frank Guadagnolo and Geoff Godbey
Notable Quotes
“What a pleasant surprise and wonderful honor to be given the Professional Golf Management Program’s 2008 Honorary Alumni Award! Please accept my sincere thanks for this honor and share my gratitude with your colleagues in the program.” -- Lyn Harmon
“I have been fortunate to belong to a department that has extended their support in ways I never imagined. The faculty, through flexible scheduling, creative financing, and tremendous patience have allowed me to slowly make progress toward my degree. Both the faculty and my fellow grad students have worn many hats…AS HAVE I…they have played counselor, chauffeur, chef, house-keeper, they have run countless errands, and sat for long hours in the hospital. But more importantly, they listen to my fears about the present and the future, help to dry my tears on tough days, make me laugh through their stories and jokes, and have provided much needed encouragement though this entire experience. In essence, they have shared with me their compassion, their friendship, and…their Spirit. I am flattered and over-whelmed to have an award named in my honor, but in all honesty it should be the RPTM Spirit Award." -- Cheryl Kelly
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