Joel N. Myers Sundial Dedicated at Penn State Arboretum

An expansive granite sundial sculpture was dedicated Thursday at the Arboretum at Penn State, drawing about 100 people in an afternoon ceremony.

The artistic piece is named for Joel N. Myers, a trustee and alumnus of Penn State, who gifted the addition to the university.

‘We wanted to create something unique,’ Myers said in remarks at the dedication. He said he was honored to give back to Penn State.

‘The sundial is to be a destination,’ said Myers, who founded State College-based AccuWeather in 1962.

Still being completed with some final touches — including some polishing — the sundial will, when it’s finished, allow visitors to tell the time down to the minute. It was designed and created by sculptor Mark Mennin.

Other speakers at the Thursday event included university President Graham Spanier, board Chairman Steve Garban and arboretum Director Kim Steiner. Steiner has said that the Penn State Astronomy Department helped with calculations in the sundial’s design.

Another addition to the arboretum, a boardwalk donated by the Class of 2010, is in the planning stages. Myers’ other contributions to Penn State include a sundial at the Nittany Lion Inn and a large weather vane — among the world’s biggest — at Beaver Stadium.