HUGH MCRANDAL RECOGNIZED AT CHANCELLOR'S GALA
Former Campus Student Establishes Honors Award
Hugh G. McRandal Jr., a former student at Penn State New Kensington, was inducted Sept. 30 as the 2011 member of the Arch Recognition Society at the annual Chancellor's Gala.
McRandal, a marine forecaster for the Ocean Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, joins the 23 charter members who were honored at the gala a year ago. The donor society's membership is reserved for campus supporters who have contributed a total of $25,000 to the campus.
The Upper Marlboro, Maryland, resident made an estate gift to the campus in September to establish the "Hugh G. McRandal Jr. Honors Award." The endowment will fund scholarships for campus students who excel in the Honors program. Students in the program have a record of academic achievement and a commitment to scholarship.
McRandal is a 1974 Penn State graduate with a bachelor's degree in meteorology. He earned a master's in meteorology from the University of Utah in 1980. He has been a marine forecaster with the National Weather Service since 1989. The Ocean Prediction Center is one of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's original six service centers. Through the prediction center, the National Weather Service issues warnings and forecasts for portions of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.
The Arch Society was founded in 2010 and named for the arch that stands at the front entrance to the campus. Designed by Henry Noestheden and donated by Alcoa, the aluminum arch has been a campus landmark since 1976. A symbol of the history and spirit of the campus, the arch is a significant tribute to the campus’s achievements. It was the inspiration for the creation of the new society that supports the needs and programs of Penn State New Kensington students.
"The arch sits at the top of a set of stairs and forms a portal to the campus," said Barb Arnold, who is a charter member of the society. "It leads new students upward to find their path, their adventure and their new frontier."
McRandal received a print of a painting of the arch by Bud Gibbons, professor of visual arts at the campus. The gala was sponsored by the Hyman Family Foundation, the campus' 2011 Corporate/Foundation Partner of the Year.
Membership in the Arch Society is open to alumni and friends of the campus. For more information, contact Donna Speer, Director of Development, at 724-334-6057.
ARCH SOCIETY
CHARTER MEMBERS 2010
THE BOOTH FAMILY
RICHARD P. SIMMONS
JIM AND CARMEN MOORE
THE STEIN FAMILY
JOSEPH AND BONNIE DEFILIPPI
THE HAUPIN FAMILY
FLOYD R. GANASSI
ROGER AND BARBARA CLAYPOOLE
SARAH G. YEAMANS
ROBERT L. MAYER JR.
JIM AND EILEEN KOPELMAN
BILL AND CLAUDIA HARBAUGH
JOE AND EVELYN KREPLEY
DR. ALLEN S. AND JUDITH RUSSELL
REGINA QUARATRO MAGUIRE
DR. BARBARA J. ARNOLD
ROBERT AND IRENE BOZZONE
MARDELLE AND PATRICK KOPNICKY
STANLEY AND LOIS JACOBS
BERNIE AND GERRY GUSS
HAZEL L. HUG
HERMAN ISRAEL
ELISABETH S. BLISSELL
2011
HUGH G. MCRANDAL JR