Spring 2026, Volume 35, Number 1
In the 88 years from Bardo Gymnasium’s dedication in 1937 to the replacement of its original floor in 2025, many feet crossed its boards. Can you help us identify who’s taking “center court” in these images?
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Many thanks to Scott Ranck ’74, Tom Casti ’68, Jim Young (who retired in 2009) and Heather (Young) Whipple ’02 for identifying building construction faculty members Frank Grenoble (wearing a vest and tie) and William Young (reviewing plans with students at a worksite) on the Fall 2025 “Photographic Memory” pages, which featured photos from the construction of student-built homes known as WACC IV and WACC V. Ranck, who earned a certificate in construction carpentry, and a friend from Danville, Donald Burke, were selected by faculty member Mason Wagner to lay bricks for WACC V. “I distinctly remember laying bricks on the right front end of the home,” Burke said. Jim Young retired from Penn College as a building construction technology instructor and is the son of William. Whipple, Jim Young’s daughter and William’s granddaughter, holds a degree in business administration: management concentration.
Civil engineering technology students Dennis M. Prestash Jr. (left) and Dante T. Hatton use a GPS receiver to record the location of a soil test pit. Students used a Munsell chart to identify the soil, then determined its moisture content in the lab. The activity is part of the Origin, Distribution & Behavior of Soils class, in which students learn how moisture, composition and compaction affect soil strength, density and permeability.
Breuder Advanced Technology & Health Sciences Center, Room W210
Operating since Oct. 3, the Physical Therapy Clinic provides pro bono services to the community and allows physical therapist assistant students to work with real patients. Upgrades to the space, much of the equipment and funding for the first two years of the clinic’s operation were provided for through a gift from Penn College President Emeritus Davie Jane Gilmour. “Now these students will be able to work in a hands-on environment, on real people with real needs,” Gilmour said. “The opportunity to provide these services is one of many priceless gifts Penn College can provide. There is no better place for students to have that opportunity.” The clinic offers services twice weekly to individuals who are uninsured, underinsured or have financial barriers to receiving physical therapy. A doctor’s referral is required.
Hover over the statement for the answer.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Black Sabbath, led by vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, performed in Lewis H. Bardo Gymnasium.
Williamsport Area Community College’s Student Government Association booked Black Sabbath to perform for Spring Weekend 1973 – but the band canceled to play a weeklong gig in Canada.
Country Music Hall of Famer Kenny Rogers performed in Lewis H. Bardo Gymnasium.
Several music legends have appeared on stage in Bardo Gym, including Kenny Rogers, then a member of the First Edition, during Spring Weekend 1969.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band ZZ Top performed in Lewis H. Bardo Gymnasium.
ZZ Top played a concert with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band for Spring Weekend 1974 and Neil Diamond performed Fall Weekend 1967. Each year, SGA organized Fall Weekend and Spring Weekend, which usually featured concerts, a dance with a queen contest, a picnic and a road rally.
The first Williamsport Area Community College commencement ceremony, 1966. Commencement ceremonies were held in Bardo Gymnasium before the college purchased and rejuvenated the Journey Bank Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport.
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