Normally when I get published, I’m very excited. And I’ve just been published in the Penn Stater, which is a particular Blue-and-White thrill. However, this time any pleasure I feel is somewhat dimmed. A few months ago my dad told me that the Penn Stater was looking for submissions for “first day” stories. He and I both attended PSU-Altoona and we both loved it. He said he’d write his, I could write mine, and we’d submit both. After I read his, I wrote mine, dovetailing the two stories. And I didn’t show it to him because I wanted him to have the pleasure of reading it first in print (if we were selected).
Well, Dad died two weeks ago. And the Penn Stater just came out and they chose my piece but not his. I have no argument with the magazine—I certainly know editorial procedures and it could have been for any number of reasons. But seeing my piece in there, and not his, just reminds me he’s gone.
So here—complete—are both his and my work. Thanks, Dad.
The Beginning of a Life-Long Love
I remember my first day at what is now called Penn State–Altoona very well. I really didn’t want to be there. On that September morning in 1951, I walked the two miles from my house in Juniata to the Altoona Undergraduate Center of Penn State (AUC). It was on the grounds of what had been Ivyside (amusement) Park. The largest concrete swimming pool in the world was now the parking lot, the bathhouse converted into classrooms, the shooting gallery now the chemistry lab, and the skating rink the Student Union. I had desperately wanted to go away to school but family finances wouldn’t allow it. I envied those who went to real colleges—like Juniata, Indiana, and St. Francis. They would be living the “La Vie Collegian” while I was stuck at home.
The 200+ incoming freshmen gathered in one of the larger rooms in the bathhouse where we were welcomed by the director and various members of the staff. Most were graduates of area high schools. Quite a few ex-GIs and a smattering of other older students–very few girls. The last speaker of the morning was the music instructor. He talked about the friendliness of AUC and practically demanded that we say “Hello” to anyone we meet on campus. We were then dismissed for lunch.
As we walked to the Student Union, we awkwardly greeted everyone we passed. At first it seemed weird to greet strangers but, by the end of an afternoon of filling out forms, meeting with advisors, and learning the Penn State Fight Song, we became a cohesive bunch. I had met people who would become life-long friends, ate lunch with faculty members who talked about real life—baseball, movies, and cars. After the session was over, I got a ride home with another student from Juniata.
At supper that evening, I got the inevitable question, “How did you like AUC?”
I replied, “It was better than I expected.”
It was a rough beginning for a romance that has lasted to the present day.
—John E. Boyd, AUC ‘51
“Ahh, Altoona.” That’s all I heard growing up. This “Altoona” was, according to my father, the most wonderful place in the world to go to college. I didn’t believe him. After all, I saw the town every time we visited my grandparents—with its railroad tracks and hilly streets it didn’t look at all like the college towns I saw on TV. Occasionally on those visits my dad would stop the car at the edge of the tiny campus and go on and on about “Bathhouse U” while all the kids squirmed and said, “Can we go home now?”
Fast-forward. In September 1975 I packed up for college. Where was I going? I had not exactly been ambitious in either grades or college applications, so unlike my two sisters I was not headed for University Park. My father was—for once—delighted with my procrastination and uttered one word: “Altoona!” The only reason I didn’t argue was the short drive to State College, so I thought I’d spend my weekends in a “real” college town.
My procrastination also meant off-campus housing. My parents helped me move into a house I would share with three other freshman girls and a landlady. After I unpacked, my father tried his best to persuade me to walk around the campus so he could “show me around.” All I could think was I wasn’t going to be seen on any campus for the first time with my parents! I quickly ushered them to the door. I still remember the look on their faces as they said goodbye. I was eager to start college life; my parents were watching their last daughter leave home.
And it was better than I expected. Just as it did for my father, Penn State Altoona brought many wonderful memories and friends I cherish to this day.
—Therese Boyd, ’79 (Altoona ’77)
