Tom Thwaites was a professor, outdoor recreationist, and author perhaps best known for founding the Mid State Trail, the longest hiking trail in Pennsylvania. The first segment of the trail to be opened was in Rothrock State Forest on Tussey Mountain near Boalsburg.
William Jeffrey, who learned soccer as a boy in Scotland, coached the Penn State men’s soccer team for twenty-seven years and won ten national championships. Jeffrey Field, home of the men’s and women’s soccer teams, is named for him.
Alice Fuchs was a distinguished aviator who became the first female instructor of cadets at the Air Force Academy. The Penn State graduate trained countless new pilots and was a well-known author on aviation subjects.
Penn’s Creek is the longest limestone stream in Pennsylvania. The scenic stream, which has its headwater near Penn’s Cave in Centre County, is known for outstanding fly fishing.
Shortly before the dawn of the automobile age, two Centre County railroads established summer recreational parks that attracted thousands of visitors annually. Hecla Park and Hunters Park were built to create modest but dependable sources of income that helped railroads weather the ups and downs of the freight business.
Franco Harris was a popular Penn State graduate who went on to a Hall of Fame career as a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League.
Fisherman’s Paradise is a popular recreation area on Spring Creek in Benner Township, originally designed as a fisheries management facility and habitat improvement project.
Penn State’s golf courses have evolved from a rudimentary course of four or five holes in the late 1800s to the 18-hole Blue and White courses that the university operates today.
The “White Out” is a nationally recognized game hosted by Penn State football each year at Beaver Stadium. It is an atmosphere that embodies tradition and creates challenges for opposing teams with a sea of white shirts that students and fans sport throughout the stadium.
Wallace “Wally” Triplett was a trailblazing Penn State athlete who was the first Black student to earn a varsity letter on the football team and the first drafted by a National Football League team.
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