Milton Stover Eisenhower came to Penn State in 1950 as its eleventh president after serving as a government administrator and seven years as president of Kansas State University. Eisenhower guided Penn State through a postwar transition of rapidly growing enrollment, academic programs, and research.
Schlow Centre Region Library, established in State College in 1957, serves Centre County residents as an agency of the Centre Region Council of Governments. The library was founded when local business owner Charles Schlow donated a property with a two-room storefront on West College Avenue to house it.
Gene Wettstone established the Penn State men’s gymnastics team and guided it to nine national championships, the most by a collegiate coach. He also served twice as head coach of the U.S. Olympic men’s team.
The Pattee and Paterno Libraries are one of the nation’s largest research libraries and serve as the headquarters of a statewide library system that encompasses Penn State’s twenty-four campuses. The building complex was built in stages and has been periodically renovated over the years.
The American Association of University Women Used Book Sale is a popular community event that raises more than $100,000 annually for scholarships and other causes. The State College branch of the AAUW started the sale in 1962.
The Garfield Thomas Water Tunnel is a historic engineering landmark on the Penn State campus that, for more than 70 years, has been used for research into military technology and other subjects. Built in 1949 it named in honor of Lt. j.g. Garfield Thomas, who died in fighting during World War II.
Ag Hill is the name of the collection of Penn State’s early buildings that supported the School of Agriculture and the university’s mission as a land-grant college. Many of the buildings still remain, although most are used for other purposes.
Frederick Watts served as founding president of the Board of Trustees of the Farmers’ High School / Agricultural College of Pennsylvania from 1855 to 1874. He played an integral role in establishing the college in Centre County and securing its federal and state land-grant designation.
The Allen Street Gates are the historic entrance to today’s Penn State campus. Located at the intersection of College Avenue and Allen Street, the gates are a traditional gathering place for university and State College events.
Amos Neyhart, a Penn State faculty member and longtime resident of State College, originated driver education programs in the United States. In 1933, he started teaching students at State College High School to drive. He later taught the first course instructing others how to teach driver education.