Intercom Online......December 2, 1999

dowdy2A passion for singing

The thought of performing the national anthem in front of thousands of onlookers may make most people quake in their shoes -- but not Terri Dowdy, manager of capital and special planning at the Office of Physical Plant, who has sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Penn State sporting events for the last five years.

On Dec. 18 Dowdy also will serve as song leader for the graduate commencement ceremony before accepting her master's of education degree.

"I would rather sing in front of a crowd than give a speech," said Dowdy. "Singing is my passion. It's what I was born to do."

Dowdy has become a familiar presence at men's and women's basketball games, wrestling matches and baseball games. She even kicked off Jesse Jackson's appearance last March at the University Park campus with a stirring rendition of the anthem. A personal goal of hers is to be the first to sing the national anthem at a football game in Beaver Stadium.

She has been singing in public since the age of 5, primarily gospel music in her native Pittsburgh, and is still an active member of her church choir in State College, where she's lived ever since graduating from Penn State in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.

Now Dowdy plans to record a demo CD of three original gospel songs co-written with a friend who owns a recording studio in Portland, Ore. She hopes that her efforts will lead to contacts with record companies.

Of the national anthem, written by Francis Scott Key in 1812, Dowdy said, "Everybody says it is so difficult, but I haven't found it to be. My fear is that I will start off at the wrong note, at too high of a pitch, and not be able to hit the ending. It hasn't happened yet."

Commencement ceremonies set for Dec. 18

By Karen Trimbath
Public Information

The University Park campus will hold its fall 1999 commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 18.

At the University Park campus, 20 will graduate with associate degrees, 2,750 with baccalaureate degrees, 453 with master's degrees, and 185 with doctorates, for a total of 3,408 degrees. Systemwide, Penn State will graduate a total of 4,319 students -- approximately 284 with associate degrees, 3,218 baccalaureate degrees, 812 graduate degrees, 2 masters of law degrees and 3 juris doctorate degrees.

At University Park, undergraduate and associate degrees will be awarded at 10:30 a.m. in The Bryce Jordan Center. Graduate degrees will be awarded at 2 p.m. in Eisenhower Auditorium.

President Graham B. Spanier will confer degrees at the undergraduate and associate degree ceremony. Rodney Erickson, executive vice president and provost, will preside. Anne Riley, State College school teacher and immediate past president of the Penn State Alumni Association, will be the trustee present during the ceremony. Penn State alumnus J. Lloyd Huck, retired chairman of Merck & Co. and a trustee emeritus of the University, will speak.

Huck and his wife, Dorothy F. Huck, made a $7.5 million commitment to strengthen a variety of Penn State science, libraries and health and human development programs. The Hucks designated their gift to support three existing faculty chairs and to create a biotechnology innovation fund and three student aid funds.

Huck, a 1943 Penn State graduate in chemistry, began his career as a research chemist, and joined Merck & Co. as director of marketing in 1958. In his 28 years with the firm, he rose through the ranks to president and chief operating officer before retiring as chairman of the board in 1986. He then served as chairman of the board and CEO of Nova Pharmaceutical Corp. until 1991.

He also was chairman of the University's Board of Trustees from 1988 to 1991, and served as president of the Penn State Alumni Association from 1975 to 1977. In the late 1980s, he made a major gift to, and chaired the fund-raising campaign for, the biomedical research facility at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The University named him a distinguished alumnus in 1991. He is treasurer of the University's Grand Destiny campaign.

Spanier will confer degrees at The Graduate School commencement. Presiding will be Eva Pell, Steimer professor of agricultural science and interim vice president for research and dean of The Graduate School. Steve Garban, director of Metropolitan Life Series Fund in New York and State Street Research and Management Mutual Funds in Boston and former senior vice president and treasurer at Penn State, will be the trustee present at the ceremony. David Monk, dean of the College of Education, will speak.

Monk, who joined Penn State in July, was most recently the chair of Cornell University's education department. His research interests focus on the economics of education and the organizational structure of educational systems.

At Cornell, Monk chaired a statewide task force to study boards of cooperative educational services in New York state. In 1993 he spent a year as a special adviser to New York state's commissioner on education on matters relating to educational finance and school district organizational structure. He has written numerous articles, special reports and books on resource allocation and organizational change.

Guests are encouraged to arrive early for the 10:30 a.m. undergraduate ceremony because a capacity crowd is expected. Parking is available for the undergraduate ceremonies at The Bryce Jordan Center in Lot 44, Orange E, near the Shields Building; Orange A, west of Beaver Stadium; Lot 80, across from East Halls on Bigler Road; and in Orange A near Curtin and Bigler Roads. Continuous shuttle bus service will be available from Lot 80 to the Jordan Center starting at 11:15 a.m. The shuttle also will be available after the ceremony.

Handicap parking is available east of the Jordan Center, in the Founders Lot; in Orange A, near the Shields Building; and in front of the Jordan Center.

Graduating students should enter the Jordan Center via Gate B and enter event level at Portal 15. To avoid traffic congestion, drivers will not be permitted to drop off passengers in front of the Jordan Center.

Parking for The Graduate School ceremony at Eisenhower Auditorium is available at the Eisenhower Parking Deck.

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