Cover Story

In this column last March, I shared some history about Town&Gown cover images.

If you happened to read that column, you know that the person who has appeared on the cover the most since the magazine’s founding 55 years ago is, unsurprisingly, Joe Paterno. The late Penn State football coaching legend was featured on the cover eight times.

But another of the community’s most notable citizens had never been featured on T&G’s cover – until now.

Mimi Barash Coppersmith founded T&G with her late husband Sy Barash in January 1966. That was 662 covers ago. Over that time, Mimi has been a true trailblazer in the community: a pioneering businesswoman, a philanthropist and champion of charitable causes, and the first woman elected chair of Penn State’s Board of Trustees, in 1990.

Mimi sold Town&Gown to Indiana Printing & Publishing Company in 2008. But she has remained active with the magazine through her monthly Lunch with Mimi interview, and particularly through her tireless efforts in advertising sales.

At age 87, Mimi is retiring from her advertising consultant role with T&G to enjoy more personal time. She leaves enormous shoes to fill.

Thankfully, she’ll keep producing her Lunch with Mimi column, continuing a tradition that began in January 1996. Showing her ability to adapt to the times, for the past year during the pandemic, Mimi has moved her interviews from tableside at a local restaurant to remote computer sessions via Zoom. She hasn’t skipped a beat.

On my first day on the job with Barash Media in September 2016, Mimi took the time to sit down with me and shared stories about the history of the magazine and the community, and promised to be a resource whenever I needed her. I’ve called on her often, and she’s always delivered.

One thing to remember about that meeting: it occurred eight years after she sold the company.

But, as Vilma Shu writes in her profile of Mimi inside this issue, Mimi is fond of referring to Town&Gown as her third child. Its continued success – and the continued success of this community – mean so much to her.

And she means so much to us.

In her honor, as she retires, T&G cover image No. 663 is hers. It seems only fitting that she finally graces the cover of the magazine she created.

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Speaking of our community’s history, this month we’re excited to launch a new regular column, Local Historia. The column will be written by public historians Matt Maris and Dustin Elder, who have partnered on Local Historia LLC in Bellefonte. Local Historia has carved a valuable niche since its founding in 2019 by bringing Centre County’s history to life through walking tours and other engaging content, including a YouTube channel.

Matt, Local Historia’s founder, was recently honored by the Centre County Historical Society for education and advocacy during its 32nd annual John. H. Ziegler Historic Preservation Awards ceremony.

Matt teaches history at Bellefonte Area High School, while Dustin does the same at Tyrone Area High School.

We’re looking forward to having Matt and Dustin share their insights on the region’s history, as we aim to build on our own here at T&G.

Mark Brackenbury

Editorial Director

[email protected]