The Western New York Chapter of the Penn State Alumni Association hosted its inaugural annual gala on Tuesday, May 11th at the historic Buffalo Club. Over 70 Penn State faithful from Western New York, Rochester, and even as far away as New York City turned out to welcome Nittany Lions assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Mike McQueary back to Buffalo. Additionally, Nittany Lions football alumni Bryan Scott, Paul Posluszny, and Lydell Sargeant of the Buffalo Bills were special guests of the Chapter. Their presence added a special element to the exciting evening.

During the cocktail hour, Penn Staters were able to mingle with each other, interact with Coach McQueary and the Bills players, and bid on Penn State and Buffalo Bills autograph memorabilia, including an embroidered Paul Posluszny Buffalo Bills jersey and a Penn State football signed by head coach Joe Paterno especially for this event. Afterwards, attendees headed to the Buffalo Club’s Fireplace Dining Room to enjoy a Blue and White themed dinner complete with ice cream imported from the Penn State Berkey creamery and Nittany Lions cookies designed by the Buffalo Club’s pastry chef for the gala. During dessert, Coach McQueary shared several stories about his experiences both as a Nittany Lion quarterback and an assistant coach. This was followed with questions from the audience for Coach Mike and the three Buffalo Bills players. At the conclusion of the evening, everyone had one last opportunity to pose for pictures and obtain autographs from the players and coach.

This inaugural gala represents the culmination of the first year of activity for the reborn Penn State alumni chapter of Western New York. Everyone had a great evening, more Penn Staters joined the ranks of the PSU WNY chapter, and individuals left the event more confident than ever that Penn State football is well represented in Western New York.