It was a dark and stormy night . . .   Ooops!  Prez Vic already used that hackneyed cliché to lead off the April issue of our Nittany Notes newsletter.  So we'll just invoke another cliché by saying that for the recent ThinkTV 16 auction "It weren't a fit night out for man nor beast!"  You can attest to the veracity of this statement by the rain drops on the camera lens.  And yet eight of our stalwart chapter members endured the weather and made their way to the ThinkTV studios at 110 South Jefferson Street to participate in this annual event.  Kudos go to Mark Dowd, Prez Vic Folwarczny, Bob Gehman, John Glaser, Ken Hershberger, Bob Kreider, and Edie Kreider for answering the call.  And, of course, a special thanks goes to Dave Romanko for orchestrating our participation.

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Here's a glimpse of what its like in the studio — a panoply of rapidly changing movement, sights, sounds, equipment, and people.  There's excitement and anticipation in the air, and as you sit behind your brown vintage telephone you wonder how soon it'll ring and you'll have to respond with, "ThinkTV Auction!  May I take your bid?"

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And here are some of our folks in action — you can plainly see Prez Vic (lower row) and Ken Hershberger (upper row) on their respective hot lines jawboning with bidders.  But what's Bob Kreider up to?  Our guess is that he just finished taking a call and is about to give the bid ticket to one of ThinkTV's bid collectors.

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And what would a ThinkTV Auction be without Edie Kreider?  Here she is, pictured with best bud Penn State bear, eagerly anticipating another caller as she grins for the camera.  Uh, say Edie, just what kind of grin is that anyway?

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Flanked by Dave Romanko on his left and John Glaser on his right (trust us, we know who we're talking about), Ken Hershberger smiles as he gets a brief respite from the incessant telephone calls.

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Is this the prettiest bid collector on the set or what?  In addition to collecting bids, Krista served as our knowledgeable and hard-working "Go to Girl" anytime we needed help or had questions about procedure.

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John Glaser (left) expresses surprise at the final tally of bids he says he took during the evening — 15,844.  Dave Romanko (right) looks dubious.

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Meet Maurice Massey, a Purdue grad who was also on-hand to help with the auction.  We chatted with him for a few minutes about the Big Ten Night at the Dayton Dragons that the local Purdue Alumni Chapter is organizing.  Our chapter is participating, as well as the local alumni chapters of Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State.  Saturday, July 17th, is the date.

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The Super Board, Big Board, and Tonight Board feature big ticket items that are up for bid.  Bob Kreider and Vic Folwarczny were excited when they spied a 2004 Lexus SC430 on the Super Board, but their ardor quickly cooled when they saw the latest bid price — $64,720.

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Here's Mark Dowd flashing a smile of satisfaction for a job well done.

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Pandemonium!  That's what the Fire Drill bids are all about.  A small number of items are put up for auction, and frantic bidders are given one minute to call in and place (or increase) their bids.  We bid takers then collectively SHOUT the bids to the Firemen on the floor.  Lots of noise, excitement, and intensity is what these drills are all about.

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In closing, we would add that participating in the ThinkTV Auctions is immense fun.  Being on-camera from time-to-time is gratifying, but knowing you've played a key role in the fundraising success of public television brings even more satisfaction.  All this, coupled with the camaraderie of your Penn State friends and the wide variety of refreshments made available by Channel 16, means you'll be more than amply rewarded for your time and effort.  So think about saying "Yes" to the call for volunteers in Spring 2005.