With much talk about the upcoming Orange Bowl on January 3, 2006, and the opportunity to vanquish Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles, our annual holiday party had unusually festive air.  The Fireside Room, our usual haunt in early December, was decorated for the holidays and provided a beautiful and comfortable venue for us.  Thank you, Randy Gallas, for again making arrangements with the folks at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to book the room.  And where would we be without talented and energetic Edie Kreider?  Thanks Edie, for handling the financial transactions, coordinating menu selections, and communicating necessary information to the rest of us.

Here we are dressed in our holiday finery, posing for a picture to include in a birthday card to Coach Joe Paterno.  Credit goes to Marguerite Sharp for this inspiration. 

There were 32 of us on hand to celebrate the holiday season.  Holiday revelers included Mike and Mary Beth Anthony; Joe and Marvia Bradley; Vic Folwarczny and Sandy Wallace; Randy and Ann Gallas, Bob and Janie Gehman, Chapter Prez John Glaser; Ken Hershberger; Bob and Edie Kreider; Sonia Leach; Lou and Marguerite Sharp; Ron and Rae Siders; Carolyn Spiller; Bob and Helen Swab; Sam and Kandi Tahmoush; Don and Anna Marie Tandy; Jim and Sally Valeri; Jerry and Collette Zollars; and, Mike and Jenny Zollars.   

To have a private bar we had to make a commitment to spend at least $100 on libations.  Always eager to pitch in and do whatever is necessary, Vic Folwarczny was one of the first to make good on our commitment.  

We've all gotten a rise out of Ron Siders' oscillating Santa hat, and you can tell by the smug smile on his face he takes great pleasure in demonstrating its capabilities.  Or maybe there's another message inherent in Ron's beguiling smile.  Kids, don't take candy from this Santa!

Mary Beth and Mike Anthony were also on hand for the big party.  As you can see, Mary Beth is doing her part to help us meet our $100 bar commitment.  Bet you didn't know Mary Beth is a Dreamweaver instructor, and that Dreamweaver is one of the most powerful web site creation, editing, and management applications.    

The Zollars pride of lions (and lionesses) also graced the Fireside Room for our party.  From left to right are Jerry Zollars, his wife Collette, son Mike (former Nittany Lion mascot), and Mike's wife Jenny.  Congratulations to Mike and Jenny on the impending birth of their son (future Nittany Lion mascot?), due on Valentine's Day.

Here's a partial glimpse of our happy throng enjoying dinner.  Red and white wines were on the table and we had an entree choice of grilled London broil with rich demi-glaze or grilled lime-basted chicken with citrus rum sauce, accompanied by potatoes and a vegetable medley.  Desserts were apple tarts and chocolate mousse cake.  There was agreement all around the dinner was one of the best ever at the club.

Here are the folks responsible for the fine service and delicious food.  On the left is Jessica Mahoney, our attentive and affable server.  Jessica accommodated our needs promptly and cheerfully.  In the center is Dave Palmer, the club's sous-chef.  We offer our compliments to him for a dinner that was both appealing to the eye and delicious to the palate.  The unidentified lady on the right is one of Dave's assistants.

Carolyn Spiller and Ken Hershberger enjoy dessert.  Not everyone knows they worked together as undergraduates in the early 1960's, when Ken managed Penn State's student-operated radio station WDFM and Carolyn was a program director.  

Bob and Helen Swab were cheerful celebrants at the party.  We hope they'll join us more often in 2006.

Pictured here are Sam and Kandi Tahmoush, with smiles beaming so brightly you could light up a room.  Sam and Kandi are regular attendees of our holiday parties.

Here are some more regular attendees of our December get-togethers — Joe and Marvia Bradley.

Last, but certainly not least, we see Chapter Prez John Glaser as he concluded a short business meeting after dinner.  As we all know, the student "White Outs" at Beaver Stadium were crucial elements in Penn State's 2005 football success.  John wanted everyone to know that "White Outs" originated with his family, and offered this family photo as proof.  So John, who is the black sheep of the family who refused to wear white? 

Merry Christmas
and
Happy Holidays
to all!!