Hazleton
Campus' Own
Newspaper
VOLUME 25—No. 6
Hazleton Campus Observes Its 25th Year
NEW STUDENT UNION BUILDING added to Highacres Campus
FRANK C. KOSTOS NAMED
DIRECTOR OF LOCAL CAMPUS
Appointment of Frank C. Kostos
as director of the Hazleton Cam
pus of the Pennsylvania State Uni
versity was announced recently at
University Park by President Eric
A. Walker. (Until this appoint
ment, Kostos was administrative
head of the local campus, a title
which no longer will be used.)
President Walker represented
the appointment which became ef
fective April 29, 1959, as the first
step in an organizational change
designed to bring the academic and
financial operations of the Univer
sity's fourteen urban area centers
into closer alignment with the Uni
versity Park campus.
Personal Representative
In his new position, Kostos will
serve as Walker's personal repre
sentative in this area, will be re
sponsible for administering the af
fairs of the University on the
Hazleton Campus, and will pursue
these objectives in consultation
with his Advisory Board, the aca
demic deans and general officers of
the University.
"It is our wish, through this re
organization," Walker said, "to
place in the hands of the director
of each campus many of the re
sponsibilities normally assigned to
a college president or dean, and to
develop through him a two-year
community c ollege capable of
bringing to the area served by the
Campus all the advantages of the
State University."
The president was warm in his
praise of the new appointee who
has served the Hazleton Campus as
administrative head since 1954.
Earlier, President Walker an
nounced the appointment of Ken
neth L. Holderman as coordinator
of the University's state-wide Sys
tem of Commonwealth Campuses.
(The Hazleton Campus will be part
of this system and no longer will
be an extension of the University.)
Holderman will serve as the liaison
between Walker, the directors and
the administrative officers of the
university.
Kostos joined the Hazleton Cen
ter in 1945 as an instructor in en
gineering. Two years later he was
moved up to administrative assist
ant, and five years age became
administrative head when Merle
E. Campbell transferred to the
main campus in charge of Division
of Center Administration.
After receiving his master of
science degree in 1939 from Buck
nell University, where he also
earned his bachelor of science de
gree in civil engineering, Kostos
worked in industry before entering
the teaching field. He taught at
Mt. Carmel High School, Wilming
ton, Del., Brown Vocation High
School and Valley Forge Military
Academy before coming to Penn
State.
Civicly, the new director is act
ively serving as secretary of the
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West Hazleton Lions, treasurer of
the newly formed Council of Civic
Clubs of Hazleton, and vice pres
ident of the Tri-County Principals'
Association.
MR. FRANK KOSTOS
HIGHACRES VERSATILE
FACULTY ARE ACTIVE
IN MANY FIELDS
Highacres can boast of a versa
tile faculty who are active profes
sionally in their own fields of
teaching as well as in other sub
jects.
James Steel, Assistant Professor
of Botany, is well-informed in
Egyptology and also on railroads.
In addition, he is an authority in
music. Recently, he gave a concert
of recordings, featuring unusual
works by modern European com
posers. He sometimes composes.
John Barnes, Engineering In
structor, is a professional artist
also.
George Nelson, Assistant Pro
fessor of Engineering, is a prac
ticing architectural engineer and
consultant in blasting effects. In
this latter capacity, he is called as
an expert witness in court cases
all over the country.
Andrew Kafka, Assistant Pro
fessor of English, has been ap
pointed to the State English Com
mittee of the Department of Public
Instruction, Harrisburg. As chair
man of the subcommittee on Col
lege Preparatory English, he at
tends occasional meetings in Har
risburg to assist in the Commit
tee's work in reexamining the En
glish curriculum in the public
schools.
Gordon Wilcox, English and
Speech Instructor, is an authority
on music as well. He recently lec
tured on contemporary American
composers. He is also a composer
in his own right.
Richard Mattern, Associate Pro
fessor of Chemistry, has been
awarded a Fellowship for College
Chemistry Teachers by the Na-
(Continued on page 4)
HAZLETON CAMPUS, HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA
Highacres Campus Alumni
Association Formed
For some time, there has been
considerable interest in establish
ing an alumni association to serve
the students of Highacres Campus.
Special interest was shown by the
graduates and students of the As
sociate Degree Program, among
others. Recently, a student-faculty
committee was formed to promote
such an organization for all past
and present students, regardless of
their curriculum.
It was learned that students who
have studied at the Hazleton Cam
pus are e - rtlraE.iw:tie about de
velopment. Some of them are
working nearby; others are in re
mote parts of the United States.
Whether near or far, for them
Highacres persists in being mem
orable; their feelings reflect the
loyalty and sentiments that are
associated with one's Alma Mater.
They look back to their friendships
and experiences gained here during
their early forma t iv e college
years, be it in the terminal Associ
ate Degree curriculum or the Bac
calaureate. They continue to be in
terested in Highacres.
While many come to visit in
person, or learn of Highacres news
from their friends, others cannot
do this. Thus, the Alumni Accoci
ation is going to publish a News
letter periodically so that they can
follow the developments here.
A number of successful organ
izational meetings have been held
at which William E. Kahler, class
of 1956, was elected president of
the Alumni Association, and Jo
seph S. Yemola, class of 1958, and
William Mace, class of 1959, were
elected secretary and treasurer,
respectively.
The first big social reunion to
be held by the Association will be
a catered banquet on Memorial
Day, May 30, at 6:30 p. m. in the
Student Union Building at High
acres. The speaker will be Pro
fessor Merle E. Campbell who is
Dean of Student Affairs for the
Commonwealth Campuses of the
Pennsylvania State University,
and who was administrative head
of the Hazleton Campus from 1951
to 1954. All present and past stu
dents are cordially invited.
William Mace, treasurer, will
collect your donations, $2.50 to
cover the cost of the banquet.
Professor Merle E. Campbell
PSU'S First Undergraduate Center
Originated As Four Borrowed Rooms
hi 1934 Just 25 Years Ago
For the part twenty-five years The Pennsylvania State
University's Hazleton Campus has served to meet the educa
tional and cultural needs of Hazleton and its surrounding
This hilltop campus, whose fresh mountain air stimulates
and invigorates the minds and bodies of its students, has a
beautiful landscape. Its charm consists of a command of the
picturesque Conyngham Valley with an exquisite panorama
of trees, of patchquilt fields, and of luxuriant foliage that at
tracts the eyes of many spectators and tourists.
Formerly the private estate of
Alvan Markle, Sr., Highacres, as
the campus is known locally, was
purchased in 1948 and occupied in
1949. There are six buildings on
the campus: the old library build
ing, the main building, South Hall,
the old recreation building, and the
new $lOO,OOO student union build-
This efficiently organized cam
pus, now a permanent community
institution, originated as four bor
rowed rooms in the Markle Bank
Building in 1934. Hazleton was the
first community of the Common
wealth of Pennsylvania to apply
for and succeed in establishing an
Undergraduate Center of The
Pennsylvania St ate University.
The center, in June of 1937, moved
to the Broad Street School made
available by the Hazleton City
School Board. To cope with the
post-war rush of veterans and
other students, the Walnut Street
School was added to the Broad
Street facilities in 1944. In 1948
Lectiase c: a rist in student enroll
ment, Highacres was purchased
and converted into a Campus.
The first administrative head of
the Hazleton Center was Robert
Eiche, now head of the Altoona
Center. His successor in 1939 was
PRESI DENT WALKER
SENDS BEST WISHES
TO HIGHACRES
Calls Campuses Important
Academic Outposts
President Eric A. Walker looks
upon the Pennsylvania State Uni
versity's two-year campuses as
"important academic outposts of
the University's total educational
program" which the Common
wealth might profitably utilize to
"erect a .collegiate system for
meeting its fut u r e educational
needs.
He so envisioned the role of the
University's newly-integrated Sys
tem of Commonwealth Campuses,
the Hazleton Campus included, at
a dinner May 14, 1959, attended by
representatives from each of the
University's 14 campuses and cen
ters.
Representing the Hazleton Cam
pus were Frank C. Kostos, who
directs the Hazleton operation, and
Roland E. Edmunds, president of
the Hazleton Advisory Board.
"Under the new policy," Presi
dent Walker explained, "the au
thority and responsibility of the
director will be broadened and
deepened so that he might serve
essentially in the same capacity as
the dean of a college. This means,
Special Edition
an Anniversary
Coleman Herpel. The late Amos A.
Goss served from 1943 to 1951.
Merle E. Campbell, currently in
charge of the Division of Adminis
tration, preceded the present head,
Frank C. Kostos. Kostos was pro
moted from assistant head in 1954.
In addition to offering one to two
years work in all but three of the
university's 61 curricula, the
Hazleton Campus offers the Associ
ate Degree programs in Drafting
and Design Technology, and Elec
trical Technology. It also offers
one in Medical Techology.
It is fitting that as the Hazleton
Center prepared to look forward to
the celebration of its Silver An
niversary it should be officially
designated in 1958 by action of
the Board of Trustees of the Uni
versity as the Hazleton Campus.
In the words of an editorial in the
Hazleton Standard Sentinel,
written on the occasion of the Stu
dent Union Building dedication and
interpreting this change of status:
"It is a practical expression of the
faith of universiLy officials in the
future of this city and its environs.
Men of vision are, in effect, saying
to us: We find your past efforts
for higher education good, and we
know we can depend on you in the
future."
among other things, that he will
have closer ties and more direct
lines of communication with the
administrative officers at Univer
sity Park, and that he will be given
increased authority for the aca
demie performance of the faculty
under his administration."
The President pointed out that
Continuing Education services will
still be available throughout the
State as well as at the several
campuses and centers, and he rep
resented this as significant since
few junior colleges in other states
have been able to provide this ser
vice because they lacked the fac
ulty, the facilities, and the orienta
tion for them.
Turning to the financial aspects
of anticipated expansion, he said
each community will be expected,
to the extent considered possible,
to subscribe to the costs of a Uni
versity-approved site, construction
of the physical plant, and major
repairs. Operational expenses, he
added, will be met with University
funds allocated on the basis of a
policy that applies uniformly to all
off-campus units.
Of advisory boards, he said
simply that an attempt will be
made to "regularize" the composi
tion, the basic responsibilities and
authorities, and the channels of
communication of these boards in
order that each might make its
maximum contribution to the
growth and development of the
System of Commonwealth Cam
puses.
CONGRATULATIONS,
HIGHACRES, FROM
OUR CAMPUS STAFF
The Staff of the Hazleton Cam
pus wishes to extend their congrat
ulations to Highacres on its Silver
Anniversary. The Staff includes
secretaries, Miss Ruth Donar, and
Mrs. Vivian Enama; custodians,
Mr. John Coyne, Mr. Burgess
Faux, and Mr. Harold Michael;
Manager of the Student Union
Building, Mr. Francis McGurgan;
Mr. Tucker, and Mrs. Seely.
Silver
MAY 25, 1959