An $875,000 donation from a State High alumnus will help pay for the costs of the recently completed Memorial Field renovations.
Class of 1962 graduate Larry Beans made the gift through the SCASD Education Foundation. The school board formally approved the gift on Monday night, along with naming rights for several aspects of the revamped stadium.
“We’re so grateful to Mr. Beans,” Board President Amber Concepcion said. “This gift is going to make such a huge difference to the experiences of students at Memorial Field.”
In recognition of the gift, Beans will name the new home bleachers, press box and concession stand located at the Nittany Avenue entrance. Beans has chosen to name the concession stand for the Class of ’62 collectively. The press box will bear Beans’ name and a donor plaque will be placed on the concourse next to the bleachers.
“When I read about the project in the [Education Foundation] magazine, I thought an awful lot about the stadium. It’s a beautiful, iconic setting and I felt that this was something as a community and as alumni that we can do,” Beans said in a statement. “It’s a hard thing to explain, but when I think of Memorial Field and remember Friday night football—the crisp air, the lights, cheerleaders, the band, people in the stands—it was magnificent. I want to see that it’s saved and stayed in the location where it was originally built. I support many causes, but this one is very personal and worthwhile to me.”
The $14 million Memorial Field project, which is the second and final phase of renovations to the stadium, began in the spring of 2019 and was completed last summer.
Work included the addition of new locker, training and meeting rooms, restrooms, pedestrian and spectator plazas, home-side seating and permanent concessions. New ramps were added at the north and south ends and electric, gas, water, and sewer service were installed.
Beans played football, basketball and baseball while at State High.
“My own experiences meant a lot to me—they kept me out of trouble, kept me positive, taught me human decency and leadership,” Beans said. “It doesn’t matter what you give; it matters that you get involved. Sports, band, choir and other activities all need support. It’s a team effort. We can do this together.”
After graduating from college and serving in the military, Beans entered the explosives industry in 1970. Since 1984, he has owned Maurer & Scott Sales Inc., which is based in the Lehigh Valley and is one of the most successful independently owned explosives distribution companies in the country.
His gift is the third major donation to the project.
In 2019, local business leader Galen Dreibelbis made a $500,000 gift to name the new plaza near the entry at Nittany Avenue.
That same year, a donor who asked to remain anonymous until a later date gave $200,000 to the project to name the main home team locker room.
“The generosity of these individuals benefits not only today’s and future generations of State High students, but also the entire community,” SCASD Education Foundation President Chris Buchignani said. “Safe, functional facilities improve the experience of students participating in athletics, at State High or in youth and community leagues, as well as the fans who come out to cheer on the Little Lions and other teams.”
