University Park, Pa. -- Blake and Linda Gall of State College have been named Penn State's 2006 Renaissance Fund honorees and will be recognized at the 30th annual Renaissance Scholarship Fund dinner, according to Charles W. Rohrbeck, president of the fund's board of directors. Blake Gall, an investment banker, and Linda Gall volunteer extensively in the community and at Penn State.

This year's event will be held Nov. 14 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the University Park campus, with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Each year, the Renaissance Fund honors an individual or couple who, through a lifetime of service, has contributed greatly to the Penn State and State College communities. In its selection process, the fund's board of directors seeks to recognize individuals with deep roots in the Centre region, close relationships with civic and University leaders, and a commitment to philanthropy.

The annual dinner raises money in the honoree's name. Contributions are used to endow Renaissance Fund scholarships, which are awarded to academically talented Penn State students with the greatest financial need.

Since the fund's inception in 1969, more than $6 million has been raised. During the 2005-06 academic year, 440 Renaissance scholars received $534,828 in scholarships.

"Linda and Blake are well known in the community for their energetic and enthusiastic volunteer leadership," said Rohrbeck. "They are a perfect example of good citizens who are living their convictions every day, and we are so pleased to be able to honor them through the Renaissance Fund."

Linda and Blake Gall, originally from Long Island, N.Y., and Florida's Tampa Bay area respectively, met as undergraduates at Princeton University. After graduating in 1974, they married and moved to Manhattan to start their careers, Blake as a securities analyst with Standard and Poor's and Linda as an actuary with Equitable Life.

Over the next decade, the two rose in their professions. In 1983, following the birth of their daughter Lauren, Blake accepted a job with Trinity Investment Management, located in Bellefonte, and the couple moved to State College. Linda continued working with Equitable as a consultant. After the arrival of their second daughter, Andrea, in 1986, Linda devoted herself to parenting.

Linda also began her "second career" as a volunteer, thanks to a friend who asked her to serve on a committee for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Her initial involvement was followed by four years as board president of the arts festival. She then moved on to volunteer work in school and church activities, Girl Scouts, Galaxy, the Knight Foundation and service on the boards of the Second Mile and the United Way, whose Centre County fund-raising campaign she will chair in 2007. Blake, meanwhile, found that volunteerism offered another venue for his investing acumen: the Centre County Community Foundation, where he serves as chair of the investment committee.

The Galls have made Penn State part of their lives as well. "Penn State truly helps to make this a wonderful place to raise a family," said Blake. "The University is central to the life of the community here, and we wanted to be a part of that." Over the years, Linda has served with the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art and the museum's advisory board, the Center for the Performing Arts advisory council, the Schreyer Honors College advisory board and the National Council for Penn State Philanthropy, the University's top fund-raising advisory board. She also currently serves as chair of the President's Club, which recognizes individuals who are committed to an exceptional level of generosity through annual giving to Penn State. In June, Linda was named an Honorary Alumna by the Penn State Alumni Association.

The Galls' philanthropy to Penn State includes the creation of an endowed faculty fellowship, support of various capital projects, and four endowed scholarships, including most recently a Trustee Matching Scholarship for the College of Arts and Architecture. "The more you learn about the need, the more compelling the case for support," said Linda.

In recent years, their connection to Penn State has strengthened and become more personal. Their daughter Lauren and son-in-law Sam are graduates of the Schreyer Honors College, and their daughter Andrea is now in her second year at the University.

"We have such esteem for the Renaissance Fund and for the previous honorees," said Linda, "and we're humbled to be named alongside them."

For Renaissance dinner information, or to make a contribution to the Renaissance Fund, contact Kathy Kurtz in the Office of Annual Giving at (814) 863-2052 or KLK13@psu.edu via e-mail.