Penn State Scranton Alumni Association Annual Dinner This year’s Greater Scranton Penn State Chapter annual dinner will feature some well-known Penn Staters, while honoring the memory of Stephen “Doc” Weissberger, a man who was synonymous with the Chapter and the ultimate Penn State fan.Weissberger of the founders of the Chapter was one, serving as its president for five years and as treasurer for over 20 years. He also was actively involved in running its annual dinners for 39 years, bringing prominent Penn State coaches, players and staff members to Scranton, while raising money for scholarships and programs at the Penn State Scranton campus. This year will be the group’s first dinner without him, as he passed away last year at the age of 84. In addition to being Chapter members and football fans, Weissberger and his wife Essie were also generous donors to the Penn State Scranton campus, establishing a scholarship in memory of their parents, and supporting other campus programs and initiatives. The two were members of the campus’ prestigious donor group, The Ridge View Society and Steven also served on the campus’ Advisory Board. He was voted Penn State Alumnus of the Year in 1985 and is a lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association. Featured guests are “The Voice of Penn State” Steve Jones and Penn State Men’s Head Basketball Coach Mike Rhoades. Former Penn State Nittany Lion quarterback and Scranton native Matt McGloin will serve as toastmaster. Jones has done the play-by-play voice for Penn State football and men’s basketball for over 30 years, getting his start announcing for Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s then campus radio station. He also covers a variety of Penn State and local sports and is a part-time faculty member for Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Penn State recruited Jones as the third announcer for Penn State football in 1983, which he did until he became the play-by-play announcer in 2000. Rhoades was named the Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Men’s Basketball Head Coach on March 29 of this year. A native of Mahanoy City, he has spent 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach, most recently at VCU. Over his career, he has produced a 373-189 record, a winning percentage of .664, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and nine national postseason appearances. He is a member of the Mahanoy Area High School Hall of Fame, Lebanon Valley College Hall of Fame (team and individual), Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Hall of Fame, Central Chapter Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Eastern Chapter Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and Jerry Wolman, Northern Anthracite Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. McGloin grew up in West Scranton and attended West Scranton High School where he played baseball and football and was a Pennsylvania all-state quarterback. He was the first walk-on quarterback to start at Penn State, doing so from 2010 to 2012; was the 2012 winner of the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented to the nation’s outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on; spent six seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Oakland Raiders; and has worked as a football analyst for the Big Ten Network. Locally, he has established the Matt McGloin Fund of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, works as a realtor in the Greater Scranton Area and is a candidate for Lackawanna County commissioner. He is also the namesake for Penn State Scranton’s baseball field. The dinner will be held Thursday, June 8 at Fiorelli’s in Peckville. Tickets are $50, with a cash bar beginning at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. Anyone interested in attending can contact Mike Rescigno at MIKE.RESCIGNO@COMCAST.NET or 570-466-7872.
The Wright Center Tribute Dinner A tribute dinner in honor of pioneering physician and longtime community leader Dr. Robert E. Wright and his late wife, Carole, will be held this fall to benefit one of the couple’s favorite charitable causes: the tuition-free NativityMiguel School of Scranton. Event sponsorships and reserved dinner seats are currently available for the school’s 2022 Tribute Dinner fundraiser, which is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the University of Scranton’s DeNaples Center. Donations honoring the Wrights by those who are unable to attend the dinner are also being accepted. Proceeds from the campaign will support the school’s mission of “breaking the cycle of poverty, one student at a time.” The Wrights left an enduring legacy on Northeast Pennsylvania’s educational landscape by, in part, helping to establish the NativityMiguel School of Scranton, an independent Catholic co-educational middle school for students of greater economic need in the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre areas. The school began instructing its first class of fifth-graders in 2015. Today, the small but impactful institution educates more than 60 students in grades five through eight. Dr. Wright, a Lackawanna County native, also founded and led the Scranton-Temple Residency Program, forerunner of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, and was instrumental in the startup and ultimate success of The Commonwealth Medical College, now known as the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Carole Wright supported those monumental projects, which collectively serve the region as a physician workforce pipeline to help meet the ongoing need for primary care doctors and other health care practitioners. A practice manager, Carole Wright also was vital to the establishment and growth of her husband’s hematology/oncology practice – the first of its kind in the region. And she was a consistent servant-leader, aiding many area nonprofits as a volunteer, a board member and a benefactor.
YMCA’s Golf Tournament & Dinner Celebration on September 16th The Greater Scranton YMCA’s 3rd Annual Harry P. McGrath Memorial Golf Tournament & Dinner Celebration will take place Friday, September 16th at Glen Oak Country Club. While the golf portion of the day is sold out (interested golfers can be added to a waiting list), the evening portion of the event is open to everyone, not just golfers, and dinner tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available.Following the completion of the golf tournament, the evening celebration will begin with cocktails at 6:00 p.m. and the dinner/program at 7:30 p.m.Harry McGrath was a proud member of the Greater Scranton YMCA. He specialized in education law, advocating for the rights of all students, particularly those with special needs. It became his passion to improve the quality of education for children living in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Proceeds from the tournament will support the Y’s Summer Learning Loss Prevention Program, a six-week program serving rising first and second grade students who are struggling with reading and are attending the Dunmore and Mid Valley School Districts.“Our dad worked tirelessly so that children in this area had the necessary tools to succeed in school,” said Betsy McGrath Ardizoni, Event Coordinator and Greater Scranton YMCA Board Member. “The Summer Learning Loss Prevention program is consistent with his goal of using his legal career to positively impact the lives of the children he was privileged to represent, and our family is humbled and grateful to honor his legacy through a program he would undoubtedly support.” Committed sponsors thus far include: Gold Sponsors: Universal Printing Company LLCSilver Sponsors: Jen Ricci State Farm; Haggerty, McGrath, Collins, O’Rourke and James Families19th Hole Sponsors: J. Conrad Bosley Appraisal Services; NET Credit Union; Fellerman & Ciarimboli; Northeastern Envelope CompanyBackpack Sponsors: The Perry Law Firm LLC; Vanston & James Funeral Home; Malone & Rosetti Wealth Management; Northeastern Rehabilitation Associates, PC; Topp Business Solutions; Titan Tree Service, Inc.; Atlas Landscape Contractors; Matrix Fitness; Fidelity BankAdditional Sponsors: Thomas Lyons; P&W/Washo, Inc.; Energy Smart; Barrett Law, LLC; Alliance Wealth Management; Mesko Glass; O’Donnell Law Offices; Joanne Cantafio & Family in Memory of Anthony “Taps” Cantafio; Community Bank; A Gift in Memory of Cody Jude Barrasse; Shrive Law, LLC; Judge Robert Mazzoni; PNC Bank; Pat & Christine Philbin; Wasco Insurance; University of Scranton Athletics; Bender Private
Greater Scranton YMCA’s Harry P. McGrath Memorial Golf Tournament & Dinner The Greater Scranton YMCA’s 2nd Annual Harry P. McGrath Memorial Golf Tournament & Dinner Celebration will take place Friday, May 21st at Glen Oak Country Club. While the golf portion of the day is sold out (interested golfers can be added to a waiting list), the evening portion of the event is open to everyone, not just golfers, and dinner tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Following the completion of the golf tournament, the evening celebration will begin with cocktails at 6:00 p.m. and the dinner/program at 7:30 p.m. Harry McGrath was a proud member of the Greater Scranton YMCA. He specialized in education law, advocating for the rights of all students, particularly those with special needs. It became his passion to improve the quality of education for children living in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Proceeds from the tournament will support the Y’s Summer Learning Loss Prevention Program, a six-week program serving rising first and second grade students who are struggling with reading and are attending the Dunmore and Mid Valley School Districts. “Our dad worked tirelessly so that children in this area had the necessary tools to succeed in school,” said Betsy McGrath Ardizoni, Event Coordinator and Greater Scranton YMCA Board Member. “The Summer Learning Loss Prevention program is consistent with his goal of using his legal career to positively impact the lives of the children he was privileged to represent, and our family is humbled and grateful to honor his legacy through a program he would undoubtedly support.” Committed sponsors thus far include: Gold Sponsors: Highmark Health; Universal Printing Company LLCSilver Sponsors: Jen Ricci State Farm; Haggerty, McGrath, Collins, O’Rourke and James Families19th Hole Sponsors: The Perry Law Firm; J. Conrad Bosley Appraisal Services; Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC; Fellerman & CiarimboliBackpack Sponsors: Vanston & James Funeral Home; Northeastern Rehabilitation Associates, PC; Topp Business Solutions; P&W/Washo, Inc.; DePietro’s Pharmacy; NET Credit UnionAdditional Sponsors: Frank O’Neill Law Office; The Wood Grille; Helbig Meditation and Arbitration; Malone and Rosetti Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; Timothy and Janet Brier; Joanne Cantafio & Family in Memory of Anthony “Taps” Cantafio; Pat and Christine Philbin; PNC Bank; University of Scranton Athletics; Dick and Richard Conaboy; Maloney Law, P.C.; Northeastern Envelope Company, Inc.; Thomas Lyons and Mesko Glass and Mirror For more information about the tournament, visit the Greater Scranton YMCA’s website or contact Betsy at (570) 768-6118.
