When I was a kid, Friedman Park — formerly Central Parklet — was a schoolhouse playground. It was downhill from the l897 Frazier Street School (“Fraser” Street used to be “Frazier”). Entering as a kindergartener, I received my first right-left lesson from Miss Boyd, who eyed then reversed my galoshes. Grades went to fourth then. Laid-out on land bought from William Foster, both the school and its playground initially saw kindergarteners though eighth graders.
In the early 1960s, the redbrick school — early home of the public library — was closed. By the time I was finishing a BA at Penn State, it was succeeded by the 1965 State College Post Office (previously centered where Schlow Centre Region Library sprawls). The playground joined the parks system.
Today’s Friedman Park holds a piece of old State College: The backbone of a three-tiered drinking fountain for the village’s population (humans, horses, pigs). It was donated by the 1894 Woman’s Literary Club (State College Woman’s Club), under organizing president Frances Atherton (Mrs. George Atherton). The graceful fountain was positioned along earthy College Avenue at Pugh Street.
With the 1920 paving of College Avenue, says Winona Morgan Moore in the club’s early-history publication, the fountain was sold off and abandoned — until rescued by one of the Atherton daughters, Helen Atherton Govier. She placed it on the grounds of her 518 South Atherton Street home. Subsequent homeowner Dottie Poschadel Roberts and her husband, Chris, gave the fountain back to State College.
It became one of the souvenirs of a yearlong birthday party: The 1996 State College Centennial Celebration. The celebration, whose Centre Pieces centennial quilt hangs in the State College Municipal Building, was huge. Amid the volunteer outpouring was a borough centennial commission, chaired by previous mayor Arnold Addison or his “vice mayor” Hank Yeagley Jr. John A. Brutzman, wry newsman, was a member, as were John Dittmar, Connie Randolph, Karen Shute, Anita Genger, Pete Jeffries, Diane Sweetland, Lilly Nichol, Bob Kucas, and others. Lurene Frantz, former Arts Festival director, was the centennial commission’s executive director.
Several highlights follow. Some central figures then are blasts from the past now.
In 1896 — specifically on August 29 — State College was incorporated as a borough. During 1996, organizations cheered with special events. Red, white, and blue bunting was hung in neighborhoods and downtown, notably on the landmark Hotel State College.
On August 26-27, 1995, the Centennial Celebration opened at Centre Furnace Mansion (Penn State’s birthplace) with a lawn party that included outdoor Pennsylvania Dance Theatre swirls and original songs by Ray Fortunato, retired Penn State human resources administrator well known for music and pertinent patter.
Centennial Homecoming Weekend came the following August — its centerpiece, a bygone Alpha Fire Company Fourth of July parade, this time dedicated to times past. Organized by Alpha member Dick Bland, it proceeded under the direction of the Alpha’s Carmine Prestia (a magisterial district judge today). It was led by mayor Bill Welch, whose Penn State and lifelong book-learning had been launched at the 1930 College Heights Elementary School. The grand marshal was the oldest living Alpha — 102-year-old Bob Sigworth, Penn State’s utilities director from 1930 to 1955.
For years, commission photo archivist Carolyn Smith had collected historic shots, many of which received prominent use. Later, downtown-betterment chief Marty Starling pointed to me for the (ultimately unfinished) historic plaque project. She proposed today’s numerous benches, the promotional kiosk on South Allen Street at College Avenue, and regular downtown sidewalk washing, with cigarette-butt disposal.
During February 1996, the air in Eisenhower Auditorium filled with a 1,000-voice centennial choral symphony performing “Mountain Laurels,” which was composed by Penn State music professor Bruce Trinkley. Eight soloists and 13 choral groups (school district, Penn State, seasoned) sang couplets by 17 local poets. It was, read a printed-program comment by Charlie Mann, celebrated Penn State rare books/special collections curator, “indicative of a continued poetic vitality in State College that has flourished for a long time.”
Because of the centennial, State College received its own 1896-1996 history book, Story of the Century, by longtime writer Jo Chesworth. The borough with the Barash Group published it — Schlow Centre Region Library has three copies, including two that circulate; Centre County Library in Bellefonte has one.
On the first page, Chesworth noted that, “if William Frear, a chemist at Penn State’s Agriculture Experiment Station, had not been sick with the flu four years earlier, our town would have been a borough in 1892. And its name might have been College Park.” The town took its name from the Pennsylvania State College, which wouldn’t evolve until 1953.
Agrarian roots showed in the Penn State Creamery’s Centennial Vanilla Bean ice cream, the “New Century State College PA” pink geranium, and the pig family sculpture installed on Centennial (formerly McAllister) Walkway at East College Avenue. Unveiled that July, the bronze trio quickly became an attraction for climbing kids. Mom “Centennia” and piglets “Ed” (ucation) and “Hope” were allegedly named by a group of kids. The project was guided by commission member/project head Ed Mattil (age 98 now), a retired Penn State art education professor.
A nearby plaque has a circa 1896 photo showing a roaming pig pausing on a dirt road (College Avenue). Under readers’ feet is State College’s first engraved brick project, overseen by Mattil. From East College Avenue, they continue between Douglas Albert Gallery and The Tavern Restaurant (one of whose historic photos is of the famous pig).
That summer, collected memorabilia, curated by Joyce Robinson, went on exhibit at the Palmer Museum of Art.
The State College School District, obviously also celebrating 100 years, reissued its 1896-1940 history booklet, The Public Schools of the State College Area: A History, written by Jo Hays, who was a former supervising principal, State College mayor, and state legislator; and Peg Riley, who was the first woman president of the school board and Penn State Room worker.
A few years later, an update was shepherded by teacher Phyllis Watkins Crabtree, longtime director of the Park Forest Day Nursery — and a Frazier Street Elementary School graduate.
Mayor emeritus Addison brought out “Issues and Personalities in the First 100 Years of State College Government” and — orchestrated by Frantz, Maryann Curione, and Steve Williams, the commission published “A Photographic Celebration” shot in the borough in one day.
Fifth-graders wrote an original historical pageant for kindergarten through fifth, presented in May at Bryce Jordan Center. That April, Children’s Day “for kids of all ages” filled Central Parklet. And there — on August 29, 1996 — the Centennial Celebration closed with the burial of time capsule that will be opened in 2046.
“Sidney Friedman Park” dates from August 17, 2009 — four months after the death of the prominent downtown businessman, community leader, and philanthropist. Friedman, an Altoona native who came to college and stayed, was concerned about the downtown’s future. His donation of the State Theatre for community use is well known. Less so is a name change. Based on his proposal, “Calder Alley” was upgraded to “Calder Way.”
It could be said that the old playground — a slice of community open space — is as close as State College comes to a Pennsylvania municipality’s town square. It’s but two blocks from the signature avenue running between town and gown.
