Alpha Gamma Rho - Penn State University

2 Gamma Crescent A s I was sitting in Beaver Stadium waiting for the Penn State-Iowa football game this fall, I began to think about my days as a student and realized that it was 60 years ago that I graduated in 1957. Back then, the football games were in the old Beaver Stadium near Rec Hall. I guess that change is a symbol of the many changes that have taken place in the last 60 years. Growing up near Crystal Spring, Pennsylva- nia, south of Breezewood, I went to a one-room school for my first four years of school and then moved to Carlisle, where my father bought a 150-acre farm. Needless to say, it was a big change. It was an equally big change when I went off to Penn State after high school. My freshman year dorm was one of the old Pol- lock Hall dorms that had been built to accommo- date the World War II veterans who came to Penn State after military service. We shared a dining hall with the Nittany Hall dorm students. Another piece of history is when we walked every day up to the main campus. There was a large hole in the ground that became the Hetzel Union building by 1955 for the Penn State centennial celebration when Penn State became a university. In my second semester, I was invited out to Al- pha Gamma Rho with other freshmen for us to look over ΑΓΡ and, of course, for them to look us over. It was somewhat overwhelming, but also very pleasant to be with other agriculture stu- dents. After a couple of visits, I was invited to be- come a pledge at ΑΓΡ, which I eagerly accepted. I started my third semester living at the ΑΓΡ chapter house. I quickly learned what it meant to be a pledge as we learned the history of the Na- tional Chapter and, of course, all about the back- ground and traditions of Gamma Chapter. Every so often, we would have a night class lineup in the Great Hall to be questioned about all that we were supposed to be learning. There were some love taps to help us remember or quickly learn things that we had been doing wrong. Early in my fourth semester, we had the final week of pledging. Somehow, I got the mumps and ended up in the infirmary for the first half of pledge week. I am not sure which was worse, the mumps or going through pledge week. We all survived and became brothers in one of the greatest fraternities at Penn State. A Letter from John Akers '55 (Γ692) Personal and Professional Life Influenced by Gamma Connections John Akers '55 (Γ692) with his wife, Ann, and their daughter, Janice. It was helpful to be in a fraternity where others were taking some of the same courses or had tak- en the same courses in previous semesters. There was a bluebook file with old tests for the various courses, and they were helpful to review before I had to take a test, to get an idea of the kind of questions I may be asked. Gamma Chapter offered a warm and pleasant at- mosphere where you could talk with older broth- ers about the courses they were taking and what kinds of jobs they were considering. As I became one of the older brothers, it was rewarding to share my experiences with the younger brothers and hopefully guide them to good career choices. The social life at Gamma Chapter was always friendly and relaxing and it provided a great place to bring a Friday and/or Saturday night date. You were surrounded by others who you knew and your dates often came to know them well, also. The chapter had a couple of dances at the house each year that were very nice and were impressive to our dates. I think all of my dates over the years were grateful for a lovely time that the Gamma Chapter atmosphere provided. After graduating in June 1957 with a degree in agricultural education, I went to work for Eastern States Cooperative that sold feed, fertilizer, and other farm products. I started at Dalmatia, then went in the National Guard for six months active duty and five and half years of weekly drills and two weeks of summer camp. After my six months of active duty, I was moved to Huntingdon, Penn- sylvania, with Eastern States and moved to Mil- ton in 1959 and was manager there. I changed jobs in 1961 and went to work with USDA Soil Conservation Service and was lo- cated at Brookville, Pennsylvania, then to Lees- port, and then became district conservationist in charge of the office at Lewistown, Pennsylvania. I was transferred in 1967 to Meadville, Penn- sylvania, and then in 1974, I was transferred to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. While there, the name was changed to USDA, Natural Resource Conservation Service. I retired in June 2000 with 40 years of service, including my time in the Na- tional Guard. I was glad that I had a degree in agricultural ed- ucation because it gave me a broad and general education in the field of agriculture that I used throughout my various positions. When work- ing with NRCS, I gave my conservation talks to schools, civic clubs, and other groups. In addition, I have taught Sunday school at various Methodist churches that I have attended over the years. My wife, Ann, and I moved to Everett in Bedford County in 2006, and since then, I have become a district\director on the Bedford County Con- versation District, and a regional south central chairman for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. In addition, I have been a trustee for the Crystal Spring Camp Meeting As- sociation, a church camp, for 50 years and was a secretary for 25 years. On a personal note, I have three sons, Jeffrey, Joel, and Jerald, as well as a daughter, Julie, with my first wife. I also have two children, Michael and Janice, with Ann. Janice graduated from Penn State in 1998 with a degree in infor- mation technology. In closing, I would say that my degree from Penn State opened many doors for my career in agri- culture. Becoming a brother in Gamma Chapter of ΑΓΡ was like a polishing touch to my life. It helped to round the rough edges and helped me to be more mature as I went out into the work place. Having knowledge is important, but knowing how to use that knowledge is equally important. If you would like to reconnect with me, you can reach me at jrajaa01@embarqmail.com. Fraternally, John Akers '55 (Γ692)

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