Today’s post is 1750 words, 39 photos, 2 videos, an 8-minute read. Enjoy!
Greetings and salutations,
This week we are back in State College, Pennsylvania, where I’ll take you to the Penn State Homecoming parade, an art exhibit, and the Penn State/Wisconsin football game. Then the long ride back to Madison.
Let’s get started.
Penn State Homecoming Parade
We stayed with our daughter, The Eldest, and her husband, The Son-in-Law, in the days leading up to the Penn State/Wisconsin football game on Saturday, September 26. We took in all the homecoming festivities, including the Homecoming Parade that began at 6 PM on Friday evening. Spectators, alumni, and families lined the parade route. Kids of all ages waited for candy tossed from passing floats, including The Eldest, who found us a spot near the beginning of the parade when the candy sacks were still full. I, on the other hand, attracted the attention of some candy tossers because I wore a red pullover emblazoned with University of Wisconsin, the opposition.
Beyond the candy, school spirit, tradition, and celebration were ever-present throughout the 103rd annual parade. The homecoming theme, “With Lions’ Pride, Generations Thrive,” featured students, student organizations, alumni, alumni groups, community groups, colorful floats, marching bands, and ROTC cadets, connecting generations of students, alumni, and the university community.
After the lead firetruck, came the presentation of the colors. 
Terry Smith was selected as the Grand Marshall of the Homecoming Parade. Terry played wide receiver for the Nittany Lions football team in the late 1980s and early 1990s. After earning a business degree, he went on to play professional football with the Washington Commanders and in the Canadian Football League. After coaching at the high school and college levels, he joined Penn State’s coaching staff in 2013, developing defensive backs. He became interim head coach after the head coach was fired mid-season. He has a strong, longstanding commitment to Penn State football community.
Alumni groups from all over the country participated in the parade.
Early in the parade, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of Central PA came by with their super cute, friendly, big dogs. They can stand 2 or more feet tall and weigh in at over 100 pounds. But dog lovers seem drawn to them because they are calm, loyal, and patient with children.
This student’s eye-catching turquoise costume and face paint stood out among the parade participants. I’m guessing he’s dressed as a blue Nittany Lion. He reminds us that Homecoming is about more than football—it’s also about the people, traditions, and enthusiasm that bring communities together.
There tractors and…
Politicans and …
The Alumni Blue Band and …
And Santa Claus too.
My personal favorite was the Poultry Club and the reminder that turkeys were for sale.
The ROTC program showed up strong in the parade.
This high school band was huge. Watch for the little guy loaded down with four drums. I give the award for persistence!
We had a great time at the parade on a nice fall evening.
Pattee Library and Paterno Library
On Saturday morning, we rode the bus down to campus. The game didn’t start until 5:00 PM, as Peacock was streaming it. We got off at the Pattee-Paterno Library to see the art exhibit in the Pattee section.
The exhibit Freedom in the Equation explores the devastating impact of war and political repression on scientific discovery and human progress through the stories of Ukrainian scientists. Ten portraits, created by the official portrait artist of the Nobel Prize, honor scientists whose careers were interrupted by Soviet-era persecution or Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Their work spanned fields such as mathematics, physics, geology, and neuroscience. The exhibit reminds visitors that war destroys more than lives and buildings—it can silence brilliant minds, disrupt education, and rob society of discoveries that might benefit future generations.
The 2026 Nobel Prize winners are being announced this week. Imagine if one or more of these scientists could have continued their work; their names might have been among the winners. Below, I highlight three of the ten scientists, both recently killed by the Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Neurophysiology was Bijan’s greatest passion. He studied the TRPV1 protein, which plays a key role in pain sensation — a discovery for which David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian earned the Nobel Prize in 2021. Beyond his scientific work, Bijan was a prolific science communicator. He led hundreds of tours for children at the popular science museum and gave dozens of lectures at science fairs and festivals.
However, Russian aggression disrupted Bijan’s dedication to science. Following Russia’s invasion of the Donetsk region and Crimea in 2014, he voluntarily joined the military. “I was born in Tajikistan. But everything I am, this land granted me,” he said in an interview. Bijan firmly believed that if Ukrainians did not defend their country immediately, they would lose it. Thus, in 2014–2015, he fought as part of a Ukrainian battalion. He returned to the military when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. In the spring of 2022, Bijan Sharapov was killed in action in the Kharkiv Oblast.
Vasyl Kladko was 65 in 2022 when he was killed. Since the late Soviet era, he had studied solid-state physics, worked with semiconductors and X-ray optics, and investigated X-ray interactions. His most significant scientific achievements focused on various X-ray scattering cases. Vasyl served as the deputy director at the Institute of Semiconductor Physics.
At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Vasyl returned to the village of Vorzel near Bucha to evacuate his family. While his loved ones managed to escape, Vasyl was at home when Russian forces occupied the area. Russian soldiers shot him dead in his yard. The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine wrote about Vasyl Kladko: “He contributed significantly to developing the physical and physical-technical foundations of semiconductor nanostructure formation. He had ambitious plans for reviving the electronic industry in Ukraine.”
Liudmyla Shevtsova dedicated decades to hydrobiology, taught ecology, and worked at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. She began her career during the Soviet era and defended her doctoral dissertation at a historic turning point in 1991, when Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union. Lyudmyla studied animals inhabiting the bottoms of canals and irrigation systems, primarily in southern Ukraine. She also developed methods to combat mollusks that settle in irrigation systems.
On January 2, 2024, Russia launched 99 missiles at Ukraine. One of them killed Lyudmyla Shevtsova. Her students remember her as “an excellent teacher” who “not only imparted knowledge but also shaped ecologists into true scientists and defenders of nature.”
One lone student occupied the large study room. It was a football Saturday after all!
Penn State vs. Wisconsin
From the library, we walked to Beaver Stadium, where the parking lots hummed with tailgate parties. Vendors were selling Penn State paraphernalia. Cornhole boards lined the lots, with fans drinking beer and eating food. The tailgate group The Eldest and the Son-in-Law are involved with had an Oktoberfest theme, so there were pretzels, sausages, schnitzel, sauerkraut, and more. It was fun meeting their friends, eating, and having a few drinks.
I wandered over to a nearby tailgate that was flying both Wisconsin and Penn State flags. We chatted about the UW and the game. None of us were very optimistic about our chances of winning.
Meanwhile, back at the tailgate, a friend of The Eldest and The Son-in-Law, a professor of Equine Science, stopped by to invite everyone to the nearby horse barn, where students would introduce us to the horses. We made our way over and talked to the students and faculty. It was fun to hear some students’ stories about why they’re interested in horses.
Soon it was time to head to the stadium and find our seats.
As we walked up the ramp, I took a photo of the tailgates below. Note the cars parked in the lot in the back, center-left.
We arrived early, but the teams kept us entertained as they came out to warm up and practice.
We looked around the stadium and saw how many football championships they’d won over the years.
As the stadium filled up, the Blue Band came on the field with the Blue Band Alumni. At one point, a few hundred current and past band members were on the field. I should point out that Penn State’s original team colors were pink and black. At this game, students with black T-shirts and some with pink T-shirts spelled out the letter S for Penn State. Even some alumni wore pink and black, and few would like to bring those colors back.
A few minutes before kickoff, this guy arrived and sat in front of me. He was a big fella, and I think he was irritated that I kept cheering on the Badgers when they did something good or exciting.
In the first half, Penn State controlled the game, building a 17–0 lead in the second quarter and taking a 17–7 advantage into halftime. The Wisconsin Badgers gradually fought their way back, cutting the deficit to 20–10 by the end of the third quarter. Wisconsin then delivered a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback, scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes. Wisconsin won 24–20, ending a six-game losing streak against Penn State and earning its first victory at Beaver Stadium since 2003. For Wisconsin fans, it was a thrilling road victory—and a reminder that a football game isn’t over until it’s over. 
Here’s a photo of the scoreboard after the game ended.
It was a good game at least for the Badger fans. I estimated about a 1000 or so scattered around the stadium. Here’s the view walking down the ramp to the exit.
On the walk back to the car, we passed The Creamery, where the line stretched far. Good thing we didn’t need a post-game ice cream! 
The next morning, after a filling breakfast, we headed back to Madison. It took us 12 hours. We were tired of sitting in the car, but we were home.
That does it for this week. Join me next week for a rerun of a previous post, yet to be selected.
But before I go……
THE FIVE SENSES PLUS ONE
Saw – the full stadium with cheering fans, the teams, bands, cheerleaders, the floats in the parade, the art exhibit at the library
Heard – tires on the highway, trucks shifting gears, the loud noise in the stadium when Wisconsin had the ball (good thing I had earplugs), the fight songs, entertainment during tv timeouts, the game announcer, the marching bands at the parade
Touch – the seats in the stadium, the cool evening air, high fives with Wisconsin fans, petting the horses
Smell – popcorn, beer, horse shit
Taste – popcorn, bratwurst, pizza, German chocolate cake, candy from the parade
Learned – Beaver Stadium is the second largest in college football, momentum can change quickly, the Russian aggression has killed skilled scientists, parades are fun
Until then, happy travels,
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM