Many citizens of the Nittany Nation living in the Miami Valley mark the true arrival of spring by attending our Annual Spring Banquet. This year was no exception, and we again chose the beautiful environs of the NCR Country Club as our banquet venue. 

Our scheduled speaker was Bill Kenny, a long-time member of the Nittany Lions football coaching staff.  But two days before the banquet we learned Coach Kenny would be unable to attend because of a death in his family.

Scramble time!!

Thanks to the intensive last-minute collective efforts of Assistant Head Coach Fran Ganter and Chapter Board Members Carolyn Spiller, Sonia Leach, and Debbie Downes a replacement speaker was identified. Terry Killens, now a resident of Cincinnati, was a defensive lineman for the Nittany Lions in the mid-1990's. He readily agreed to come north on I-75 to fill in for Coach Kenney.

Terry recorded 11 sacks in 1995, tied for third-highest in the Big Ten, and was a second-team all-conference selection. He was one of the Big Ten's dominant defensive players and led Penn State in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (13). He was a 1996 third-round draft choice of the Houston Oilers. 

There were 33 of the faithful in attendance to enjoy the company of fellow Penn Staters, partake of the food and beverage offerings, and listen to Terry's animated stories.  They were:  Mike and Mary Beth Anthony; Joe and Marvia Bradley; Bernie and Priscilla DeLong; Debbie Downes; Dave and Leesa Galloway; Bob and Janie Gehman; John and Joan Glaser; John and Trish Hannah; Ken Hershberger and Val Catron; Sonia Leach; Bob Puskar; Lou and Marguerite Sharp; Ron and Rae Siders; Steve and Marianna Sunderlin; Don and Anna Marie Tandy; Jim and Sally Valeri; Jerry and Collette Zollars; and, Mike and Jenny Zollars.

At our banquets we usually schedule a Social Hour from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  Marguerite Sharp, Mary Beth Anthony, and Debbie Downes are shown here taking advantage of an opportunity for some heavy socializing.  Lou Sharp (far right) looks like he's headed for some of the action. 

A well-recognized and accomplished socializer, Marguerite found she and Priscilla DeLong had a lot in common. 

This fine looking foursome also found time to get better acquainted.  Leesa and Dave Galloway (on the left) are relative newcomers to chapter activities, while Joan and John Glaser (Past President) have been long-time chapter members. 

Our Spring Banquet was graced by the presence of Chapter Vice President Ken Hershberger and his close friend, Val Catron.  We were especially pleased to see Ken out and about, and looking great, after his open-heart surgery in March.

Other relative newcomers to chapter functions include Marianna and Steve Sunderlin.  May 5th also marked the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.  Marianna is very much the Kentucky Derby enthusiast, and came to our soirée fashionably dressed to reflect her enthusiasm.  And we wonder, "Did she place a wager on Street Sense?"  And, just how many mint juleps did she down during the evening?  

Talk about socializing . . . here's a group of inveterate Penn Staters whose socializing prowess is second to none. From left to right are Collette Zollars, Jerry Zollars, Mike Zollars, Jenny Zollars, Mike Anthony, and Mary Beth Anthony.

No account of our Spring Banquet would be complete without a photo op featuring our guest speaker and our assembled chapter officers.  From left to right are Debbie Downes (Secretary), Terry Killen (our Guest Speaker), Sonia Leach (President), and Ken Hershberger (Vice President). 

As is customary at our Spring Banquets, we conduct a brief business meeting immediately following dinner.  Sonia is shown here as she brings the business meeting to a close and prepares to introduce Terry Killens.

A relaxed and well-fed audience sits back to enjoy an evening of PSU football stories and quips.  Terry promised at the onset, however, that he wouldn't regale us with bad impersonations of JoePa. 

Here's a picture of Terry "doin' his thing."  One of his most amusing anecdotes described how JoePa became a bit confused when, at a pep rally, he led the "We Are . . . Penn State!" chant.  What came out of the venerable coach's mouth was, "Who Are . . . We Are!"  

Our chapter owes a debt of gratitude to Terry for his willingness to speak to us on such short notice.  This was truly an act of generosity above and beyond the call of duty.  But more than that, Terry did an absolutely great job.  He was sincere, enthusiastic, amusing, and articulate.  It was evident to all that he personifies those values — integrity and commitment — so strongly espoused by his collegiate coaching mentor.

Does this guy like surprises or what?  Sonia presents Terry with a tub-full of goodies as a token of the chapter's appreciation.  For his part, Terry spied the grilling hardware and allowed as to how it would be particularly useful over the summer. 

Many of our members took the opportunity to ask one-on-one questions of Terry.  True to form, he was unstinting with his time as he answered questions and signed autographs.  Here we see Don Tandy receiving an autographed business card.