McMurray is to woman BY SALLY BAIR Staff Correspondent STATE COLLEGE - Patty Marchezak McMurray graduated from Penn State in 1971 and is truly Penn State Proud! Today Penn State is almost as much a part of her life as it was in undergraduate days, since she is serving her first year as president of the College of Agriculture Alumni Society. Patty makes it clear that she is enjoying this unique opportunity to give back to the college some of what she feels she has gained. Patty was the first woman, and the youngest, to Be elected to the board of directors of CAAS. She served two years as president elect before moving up to president, and comments, “I am honored that they thought I had the skills to become president of the organization we have become. It is a great responsibility.” Since then she notes that there are several other female members of the board, some younger than she. The College of Agriculture Alumni Society has been around since 1968, but it has been revitalized recently after mem bers spent two years doing a self study. “We have grown so much and have become much more visible. It has absolutely revitalized the organization,” Patty states. According to Patty, the self study involved a lot of "cerebral” work. I did more thinking during that time. It is surprising how exhausting it was. But we had such capable people on the'board, and the work has paid off.” The board has grown in numbers as a result of the self-study, now including 15 members to make a committee system work more effectively. Patty says, “It has exploded, with fragments everywhere. We now have members involved throughout the state.” Patty says she is constantly meeting new alumni, adding, “Each of us knows people and don’t realize they are Penn Staters. Patty gives good marks'to those who serve on the board, saying, “I am impressed with how well our members attend meetings. It is at their own expense, and we have one member from Maryland and one from Michigan.” By virtue of her position as president, Patty also sits on the Alumni Council which has representatives of all the con stituent societies, so she really appreciates the support CAAS enjoys. “Some don’t have the support of their deans. The dean of As president of the Penn State College of Agriculture Alumni Society, Patty McMurray presides over a recent meeting. the college of agriculture adds believability to the group. It is very difficult for individuals to call meetings,” Patty says. The dean’s support includes naming a staff member to serve as executive director, something which adds stability and continuity to the group. The college of agriculture leads other colleges in the percentage of alumni who are members of the Alumni Association, another factor in the success of CAAS. Patty points out, “As a college we have the best percentage of graduates who belong. We’re very proud of that.” She explains that there are about 16,000 college of agriculture graduates who are eligible for membership. There is currently a membership drive by the Penn State Alumni Association, and membership in that automatically makes graduates a member of their college alumni group. During the membership drive, the college who sells the highest percentage of memberships will receive a cash award to help develop programs. CAAS would like to be the winner. Patty points out that being a member of the Alumni Association also adds points in the system for getting football tickets. The Alumni Association is of fering discounts on their rate until July 1. Lifetime rates for an in dividual until then are $2OO. After that they will increase to $250. Patty notes that people who are not Penn State graduates, but who support the University may become associate members of the Alumni Association. She notes that with a permanent CAAS office in the Ag Ad ministration Building, any alumni can get information on a former professor or a former classmate. This office is also willing to help with arrangements if alumni want to bring children who are con sidering enrolling. The whole purpose of CAAS, according to Patty, is “to provide a reason and a way for alumni to become involved.” The society also strives to support the University, help in recruitment of new students and will be providing recognition to faculty, alumni and students for their outstanding achievements. The self-study developed 13 objectives for the society, and Patty says, “We are working on each of the objectives in a small way.” She believes strongly that Organizations need to have a current project to promote in terest, and notes that the last o lead PSU's college of ag alumni group Patty McMurray, president of the College of Agriculture Alumni Society, reviews a meeting schedule with Ward Stover, past president of the association. major project of CAAS was helping with the Ag Arena, now a reality. She said they are studying the idea of having a “big event,” which would involve many facets of agriculture, perhaps bringing outstanding speakers to the University. “We would like it to be an educational event, perhaps tied to something else going on at the University.” Meanwhile the committees are at work, soliciting scholarships, working on internships,, talking with potential students, soliciting ideas and in general promoting a positive image about the University. Patty notes that she enjoys her association with the University as much now as when she was a student, but points out that her first memory of Penn State was as a 10-year-old 4-H’er attending a Guernsey sale in what is now a theatre. She recalls that her father, John, let her do her own bidding for a 4-H animal, and, after it was hers, the animal “won junior champion everywhere she went. The sort of impression that had on me went a long way.” She traveled to Penn State many more times before she became a student, attending many 4-H events, especially State Days as part of the Washington County Judging team. “I was exposed to a lot of Penn State personnel,” she recalls. Despite her familiarity with the University and a strong desire to attend, she remembers being very homesick as a freshmen. “I was shy as a child, and even though I was a cheerleader and valedic torian in high school, I was not very outgoing. Penn State and my husband were very good for me. I learned to loosen up.” She adds, “I give a lot of credit to the young *people in the Dairy Science Club who helped me through those times. They took an interest in me, and took care of me. There was a group of married students, and others of all different ages, and I had a network to turn to. You were accepted for what you were right then.” She also joined a sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, which offered her the chance to meet many different people. Simply put, Patty recalls, “I blossomed at Penn State ” In addition to adjusting to campus life, Patty had to make another longer term adjustment. “All my life all I ever-wanted to be was a veterinarian. But I was so allergic I had to switch to general agriculture after two and a' half years ” There was never any question about moving out of agriculture for this woman, who was raised on her father’s Guernsey farm near Bentleyville in Washington County, and who thrived helping with the animals. It’s just that she can’t spend her whole life in the bam. Patty quickly immersed herself in student life, including lots of dairy activities. She was the first female to win the all around championship at the Dairy Ex position, a fete she accomplished as a freshman. Despite making it into the final phase of judging every year after that, she never again was named all around champion. “They never picked me,” she says. She also judged with the dairy cattle judging team, winning the Brown Swiss class at the national contest. Eventually, she added another “first” to her achievements when she became the first woman named as an approved Pennsylvania Dairy Cattle Association judge, which she did the year after graduating from Penn State. Because of her inclusion on this list, Patty says she was frequently the first woman judge at dairy shows throughout the state. She remarks, “In agriculture women have had a better place than in other areas. You have the basic feeling that you’ve had more equality. Women have gotten credit along the way.” She continues judging today, saying, “I’m as busy as I want to be. I do about six or eight shows a year, which is a lot when you consider the short span of time for shows to be held.” Additionally, Patty is now on the “4-H circuit” with her own children. She and her husband, John, have three sons, Justin, 11; Jonathan, 8; and Adam, 5, Patty has always shown cattle for her father, and continues to be in charge of the show string The advantage is that she can take her children with her. She is involved in the dairy operation, which has homestead tMeips changed since she lived at home, in that now the herd is about three quarters Holsteins. She says, “I work every day that I’m home. I take care of the calves in the evening, and I do all the bookwork and finances.” Her husband, who graduated from Penn State in food science in 1969, works in product develop ment for the H. J. Heinz Corp., and Patty says, “His greatest help is his support and the acceptance of my taking off to attend meetings, I really appreciate that.” Patty is very involved with 4-H in Washington County, serving as a leader for the Dairy Science Club, and working with the dairy judging and dairy bowl teams. She is also on the Junior Committee for the Holstein Association, and is currently hard at work producing the “definitive guide for fitting and showing,” something she believes will be very beneficial to young people. She is in charge of public relations and advertising for the Washington County Fair and will be chairman of the National Junior Guernsey Convention. She was involved with the planning for the recently completed Holstein convention, where she headed up the women’s committee. There’s no question about her loyalty she supports Penn State all the way. “It’s a learning ex perience. A bigger school offers more than a smaller school, because you can see and ex perience everything I would recommend it to anyone, though I suffered my first year.” I,ong after the suffering stopped, Patty found she had enough credits to graduate early, and quickly added more so that she wouldn’t leave until the end of her full four years Patty welcomes input from any interested alumni. She thinks CAAS is a vital network for agriculture within Pennsylvania, and she’s proud of the part she is playing in expanding its role
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