Dear Fellow Penn Staters of Western New York,

By now you have probably heard the good news about the Coaches Caravan from Penn State that will be heading to Buffalo. We will be the last stop of an 18 stop whirlwind tour. That’s right, the coaches are saving the best stop for last! And here is your opportunity to hear from first year head coaches Bill O’Brien, Guy Gadowsky and Josh Brandwene as they share with us how they will take Penn State Athletics to the next level of excellence and success.

Mark your calendars for the evening of Wednesday, May 16th as the Penn State Alumni Association of Western New York Nittany welcomes Lion Football Head Coach Bill O’Brien who will be joined by PSU Men’s Hockey Head Coach Guy Gadowsky and Women’s Hockey Head Coach Josh Brandwene. The event will occur at the Buffalo Marriott Niagara hotel in Amherst and is being sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and The Nittany Lion Club. We want to be sure to have a huge turnout for this event as this is important to ensuring that other Penn State Coaches will want to come to Buffalo and meet alumni.

Here are the details:

Date and Location

• Wednesday, May 16, 2012
• Buffalo Marriott Niagara Hotel (Grand Ballroom, 1st floor. This event is wheelchair accessible)
• 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst, NY 14221 (take the Millersport exit off of I-290, free self-parking)
• Tel.: 716-689-6900

Time

• 6:00pm Cocktail Reception (Hors D’ouevres, Cash Bar, complimentary soft drinks)
• 7:00pm Coaches Presentation by Bill O’Brien, Guy Gadowsky, and Josh Brandwene

Cost

• $40/person for Penn State Alumni Association Members (PSAA members may bring one additional guest at the $40 rate)
• $55/person for individuals who are not current Penn State Alumni Association Members
• $15/children (Ages 6-18)
• Complimentary registration to children (Age 5 and under)

Attire

• Blue and White (need we say more?)

To Register for the Event (or Questions?)

• Advanced registration is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED as this event will likely sell out. So register early to secure your seat.
• Please register online at: www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan Click on the link for Buffalo, NY. It is the last listing on the schedule of stops. This will take you to the registration page. Registration may be paid online via credit card or you may mail a check to the Penn State Alumni Association.
• If you have questions, contact the Penn State Alumni Association at 800-548-LION (5466), option 4, or visit www.alumni.psu.edu/coachescaravan

Some members of Pennsylvania State Alumni Association of WNY decided to make the trek to State College and take in the 2012 Blue / White game.  Luckily, the rain held off which made for good conditions, and a unique scoring system saw the Defense (Blue team) defeat the Offense (White) 77 to 65.  Click here to read more about the game.  With spring practices now behind us, we can all look forward to cheering our Lions on for the 2012 season!

The entire Penn State Alumni Association of Western New York is deeply saddened by the news of Coach Joe Paterno’s passing earlier today. Coach Paterno contributed 60 years of his life to making Penn State a better institution and for this he will be forever remembered. He touched the lives of so many students, faculty, staff and alumni and will always be remembered as an educator, humanitarian and coach. The thoughts and prayers of all Penn State Alumni are with the Paterno family during this difficult time. We await news from Penn State University regarding plans to honor Coach Paterno for his many contributions and to remember his remarkable life and legacy.

The Penn State Alumni association of WNY has been designated a “Group of Distinction” for the second year in a row!  This level of excellence is only awarded to the upper tier of alumni chapters.

The criteria for “Group of Distinction” is based on strict guidelines established by the Penn State Alumni Association.  For the fiscal year which ended June 30, 2011: the WNY chapter far exceeded the required criteria which is based on the chapter’s programming over a 12 month period.

Chapter President, Douglas Kellner, commented on the news of the honor: “We are extremely proud of achieving this honor for another year.  The Penn State Alumni Association recognizes that the alumni in WNY are proud of our university and want to stay connected as evidenced by our membership and programs.  We could not achieve this honor without the hard work by our core Board members and those members who participate in our programs and pay their dues”.

Thank you to all of our members in helping our chapter earn this prestigious designation!

The Penn state Alumni Association of WNY joined alumni chapters from across the country in marching in the 2011 Homecoming Parade through University Park and State College.  We had a local WNY PSU student and two of his dorm friends carry our WNY banner and lead a group of 7 alumni and friends (plus a classic 1995 Corvette with a “PSU 72″ New York license plate!)

This was our second year in the parade and hope that next year we can count on even more participation from our WNY membership.  After the parade, WNY was represented by a dozen alumni and friends at the post parade party at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.  Thank you to all who participated!