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Alumni Society Spotlight
Brendan Kelly
The typical Penn State alumnus begins an affiliation with the University during the college years and fosters it throughout a lifetime. Brendan Kelly traces the start of his affiliation to Penn State as a grade school student in State College more than 35 years ago, when his father began taking him to football games at Beaver Stadium.
 In those days, the stadium was one level and formed a horseshoe with wooden bleacher seating in the South endzone, a far cry from the state-of-the-art facility of today. Those still were heady times for a wide-eyed youth and Kelly has never forgotten them. The treks to Beaver Stadium with his father, J. Kevin ’55, a former Penn State Altoona basketball player, instilled in Kelly a deep desire to pursue a college education at the University. After graduating from Bishop Guilfoyle High School in Altoona, Kelly concentrated his academic efforts on an associate’s degree program in computer science at Penn State Altoona.
Now an alumnus who has maintained an active presence at Penn State Altoona over the last 20 years, Kelly’s affinity with his alma mater has led him to service on the College’s Alumni Society Board of Directors.
“Looking back, my interest in Penn State sports continues to solidify my attachment to Penn State and all that is offered from this great school,” stated Kelly, Highway Superintendent for the City of Altoona.
Kelly proudly recounts meeting Penn State football players such as All-America running back Charlie Pittman during father-and-son banquets sponsored by the State College Knights of Columbus organization. At one such event, Kelly won a brand new football, which he immediately had autographed by as many players as he could locate. Kelly attended junior high with future Penn State gridiron stars Paul and Matt Suhey, and a few years later, while attending Penn State Altoona, Kelly experienced the thrills generated by the Nittany Lions’ march to the 1982 national championship.
Today, Kelly remains connected to the University through participation in a variety of programs sponsored by the College. He regularly returns to Ivyside Park to attend the Distinguished Speaker Series and Cultural Events Series. His appreciation of the idyllic setting is as keen today as it was two decades ago.
“The Penn State Altoona campus atmosphere is something all in this area should discover, absorb and enjoy,” Kelly stressed. As he begins his
second year on the Alumni Society Board, Kelly is committed to supporting the sponsorship of events and programs that will re-connect alumni to the College so that they too may enjoy a lifelong affiliation with Penn State that is as fulfilling as his continues to be.
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