Hanging of the Greens

Penn State Behrend will begin the holiday season with a candlelit program at Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery, where students, faculty, staff and alumni will honor the Behrend family on Dec. 5. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Behrend Chapel.

The Hanging of the Greens is the oldest tradition at Penn State Behrend. Each year, a small group from the college gathers at the Behrend family chapel to sing Christmas carols and place a wreath on the doors to the mausoleum.

The tradition began in 1948, when T. Reed Ferguson, the administrator at what was then called the Behrend Center, placed a wreath as a favor to Mary Behrend, who had donated her family’s farm to Penn State. She was present at the center’s dedication, just two months before, but had since moved to Connecticut. She had asked Ferguson to hang an evergreen wreath to honor her late husband and son, who were interred at the chapel.

The Hanging of the Greens has continued annually since that first, intimate ceremony.

“This tradition is a reminder of the enduring legacy of the Behrend family,” said Kelly Wertz Shrout, director of Student Affairs. “Their generosity transformed Glenhill Farm into a place of learning that has shaped thousands of lives, including my own. The Hanging of the Greens invites our community to pause, give thanks, and recognize that we are part of something larger, an ongoing story of opportunity, stewardship and belonging.”