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• Index & Overview by Ryan Orr, ~Feb 2016

Overview

The artist, Michael Pilato, lives down the street and everyone on this painting is someone who inspired him at Penn State and the State College community. He has painted murals in State College since he was a child. Twelve years ago Michael left State College and this mural is a thank you to the community. The mural took about a year and a half to complete, but all the murals that Michael does are never finished, they are living murals. The intention of the mural revolves around that idea, everyone is coming out of the canvas and they are not actually in the mural as people. The people, who are living right now, are truly a painting within a painting and the handprints are the future of the world. For this particular mural, Michael has a 100-year lease to paint the mural with artistic freedom.

Sections

Section A – Artists, Libraries, & Partners

Section B – Faiths, Friends, & Locals

Section C – Local Leaders

Section D – Musicians & Family

Section E – Immigrants

Section F – Influential Locals & Famed Penn Staters

Section G – Famed Penn Staters

Section H – Youth

Section A

1. Richard Alden
2. John Mason
3. Lauren Luloff
4. Bruce Shobaken
5. Stewart Frost
6. Harold Altman
7. Roger Zellner
8. Stewart Frost’s and Roger Zellner’s Church
9. Lowell Manfull
10. Helen Manful
11. Ken Hull
12. Elane Meeder
13. Corinna Stokes
14. Frederic Omega Pye
15. David Hosler
16. Susan Gephart
17. Roger Pollok
18. Lee Coffer
19. Yury Karabash
20. Yury’s Style of Art
21. Vlad Karabash
22. Matt Karabash
23. Natalie Karabash
24. Ted Swanson
25. Carie Simpson
26. Pat Boland
27. Tom Shade
28. Charlie Schlow
29. Betsy Allen
30. Anita Ditz
31. Maurice Sendak’s The Wild Things
32. Josephine Perrone
33. Helen Friedman
34. Charlene Friedman
35. Sidney Friedman
36. Ed Friedman
37. Peter Weiler
38. David Lieb
39. Graham Spanier
40. Caroline Dolbin
41. Gladys Walter
42. Mary Maria Bellanti
43. Connie Pilato and Great-Grandchild
44. Animals of Centre Region, PA
45. Norm Brown
46. Waupelani
47. Bob Moore
48. Ariele Baggett
49. Nick Heldman
50. Marissa Plowden
51. Three Sisters of the Lene Lenape
52. Princess Nittany (Mona Ship)
53. Lenape Longhouse
54. Joe Humphreys

Overview

The first person Michael painted on the mural was his grandmother, holding his daughter, Skye, and two other women who were like grandmothers to Michael. The daisies in the painting symbolizes a song they sung called Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer true. The window third from the mural is Colonel Russell and his wife Eileen and a Special Olympiad. Colonel Russell was one of the founders of The Special Olympics also the United Way’s Day of Caring and he’s looking across the street to another mural.

To the right of Michael’s grandmother is Norm Brown, who was in charge of the Student Bookstore at the time the mural was being painted. Every football game he would come out of the door and put a different cheer on the chalkboard that he’s holding onto. Bob Moore, the Native American telling a story to children in the area, named the street Waupelani Drive. Waupelani is the Lenni Lenape name for Chief Bald Eagle and the story he is telling is about Waupelani. The children in green on the mural are teachers in the area who gave Michael pictures of themselves as children. Josephine Perrone was my English teacher and as a parent and a teacher, it’s always good to remind our students and children that we were once their age.

Mona Ship, Michael’s friend growing up in High School poses as Princess Nittany. She is a Native American now based out of Canada with her tribe. The story of Princess Nittany ends sadly and that is the reason for her sad face.

This section above represents our library. There is Mr. Schlow of Schlow Library who the library is named after. The first book the lady holding the puppet, Anita Ditz, read to me in the children’s section of the library was Where The Wild Things Are and it was also the first book she read my daughter.

The section above is the artist section. They are local artists, and artists from Penn State, including Ziggy Coyle, the first artist ever from the United States to be honored in China; Bruce Schobaken, Michaels mentor and in High School and when he took classes at Penn State; Harold Altman, one of the most famous artists from the area; Stewart Frost, instrumental with this mural and the mural within Old Main. The artist section was a big inspiration of Michael’s life. The picture being held is of a drawing that Corinna Stokes did of her mother breast-feeding her baby brother and it was censored at the High School during the first year of the mural, so Michael included it in the mural. Michael Angelo’s David was also censored from the waist up, but showed male nipples, so Michael put his friend Dave posing as David.

Above the archway is Michael’s painting partner, Yuri Karabash, and he is painting his family. He has a big blue circle above his head and that is his style of artwork, he believes energy runs through all of us and he paints abstractly in that manner. Michael painted Yuri on the Mural and in Section D Yuri painted Michael.

9/11

Every Anniversary of September 11th Michael holds a 48-hour vigil of painting. He has painted heroes, firefighters, EMT’S, Police and Veterans who have served overseas. The 2012 vigil was the painting of Michael Murphy and he is pictured on the door to the left of Michael’s Grandmother. Michael Murphy went to Penn State for Political Science and Psychology. He was mortally wounded in combat when he was trying to save his Navy Seals while cornered by 40 Taliban. He went into the line of fire to make the vital phone call that saved his Navy Seals. He posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Michael’s Mother’s handprint is over his heart and his father’s handprint is right next to hers. The first phone call the Murphy’s received after Michael died was from Hillary Clinton and the second phone call was from Joe Paterno. The Paterno’s sent them white roses and that helped the Murphy’s with the healing process and there is now a white rose with Michael, Joe Paterno and Sue Paterno. The flowerpot next to the rose holds the flowers indigenous to Afghanistan and represents the civilian loss of life as well. The handprints around Michael Murphy belong to students who lost loved ones on September 11th.

Jonas, the angel, was another 48-hour vigil as he was killed in the pentagon. He was from the area and you can see all of his family’s handprints and his nephew’s footprint on him. Jonah also has a rip in his shirt here because he was named after Jonas and the whale from the Bible; his ripped shirt is in the whale’s mouth in Section E of the mural.

Brandon McCombie, pictured above Bob Moore, died on the 10th of September a year after the tragedy. Michael now starts his vigils on the 10th of September now and goes through the 13th of September. Brandon was the area, went to Penn State, and was killed accidentally in a Blackhawk helicopter crash. In the mural, his father, mother, sister and flight buddies are all looking up at him. All the other people looking up at him were people who stopped to ask who Michael was painting on the mural. The next day when Brandon’s father came back Michael showed him the painting and told him that these were all the people who honored his son on the anniversary of his death. Above the door Brandon’s father wrote, “Brandon lived a short but good life, he achieved early what ever great man in world history has made life’s ambition to obtain, to die honored, loved, and successful.” – Captain McCombie. Above the next door he wrote his favorite quote, “No man is dead until forgotten,” – Ancient Spartans. He also put the heart above the last door.

Section B

1. Old Main
2. Family Friends
   1. Martin Marder
   2. Debbie and Ed Klevans
   3. Carolyn and John Bellanti
   4. Marilyn and Don Keat
   5. Lillian and Lee Upcraft
   6. Laura and David Brown
   7. Karl and Evelyn Bartsch
   8. Barbara Marder
   9. Sandy and Betty MacDonald
   10. Dan Peterman
3. Ed Mills
4. John Cocolin Sr.
5. Lou Silvi
6. Victor Israelyan
7. Thelma Price
8. Eugene Lederer
9. Charlie Mann
10. Kathy Staab
11. Dave Staab
12. Bobby Selego
13. Doug Albert

Overview

The archway here comes from the imagination of Michael; it’s a meeting place, a prospective point. Below the archway to the front right is Eugene Lederer of Lederer Park, who can be considered a Renaissance man. Lederer was a lawyer, sculptor, jazz musician, painter, and philanthropist; an amazing character in the community.

9/11

At the prospective point is a cross and the story behind it begins with September 11th. Yuri and Michael were painting on the mural during the events of 9/11 and Michael began to paint the Eagle, Goldfinch, Bluebird, and Chickadee, the state birds of where the planes original point of take-off. Birds were chosen because Michael’s grandmother and the native American Bob Moore would say when you die your soul is lifted closer to Heaven by birds. While Michael and Yuri were painting that day Giuliani was on the radio that day, pictured here in front of Bill Walsh, and he was saying its not the Muslims, its not the Middle Eastern people, it’s the Terrorists. In town there were racial profiling issues as there were all over the United States. Yuri noticed there were no Middle Eastern Flags on the wall. So Michael and Yuri started painting the Middle Eastern flags and some students began throw stuff at them and yelling, “You’re not American.” So Michael and Yuri painted rips out of every flag and Michael painted the Eagles nest on the front of the boat and interwove it with all of the flags; representing the eagle flying out ripping the flags and bringing them back to its home, America, including all the different immigrants which make this the beautiful country. When Michael was finished painting on that first September 11th, it was 48 hours straight.

Section C

1. Charlie Rider
2. Chuck Rider
3. Mark Morath
4. Lance Shaner
5. Bill Welch
6. 9/11 Tribute – Rudolph Giuliani
7. Chuck Weyandt
8. Don Meyer
9. Virginia Ricker
10. Bob Leitzinger
11. Fred Kissinger
12. Raymond Agostinelli
13. Lani Agostinelli
14. Ron Agostinelli
15. Raymond Agostinelli Sr.
16. Rose Agostinelli
17. Col. Deering
18. Col. Boal
19. Margaret Tennis
20. Spencer Ruhl
21. “Honors to the Fallen” – Sculpture by: Lorann K. Jacobs
22. Anonymous Girl
23. Deidre Conway
24. Lynn Herman

Overview

This portion of mural consists of leaders of the community through business and also at Penn State, people like the mayor at the time, Bill Welsh (middle center of balcony). Lance Shaner (Left of Bill Welsh), whose group hires thousands of people each year worldwide, including in state College, is a generous philanthropist of many causes.

Colonel Boal, who Boalsburg is named after, is next to Colonel Deering. Next to him is Margaret Tennis, she organizes the festivals in Boalsburg and is never embarrassed to point out herself on the Mural. The three women are the statue in Boalsburg. These are the first three women who laid flowers on the graves of their loved ones, who were soldiers. They noticed no other graves had flowers, so they came back the next day and laid flowers on all the other soldiers’ graves. They then repeated it the next year as well and Boalsburg became the birthplace of Memorial Day.

Section D

1. Andy Ricker
2. Josh Dorsey
3. Deborah Musolff
4. Scott Mangene
5. Molly Witzke
6. Ted McCloskey
7. Ken Voltz
8. René Witzke
9. Daryl Davies
10. Daryl Branford
11. R.T.
12. Ernie Oberman
13. Jason Zarecky
14. Davo Geiser
15. Wayne Pawell
16. Jenny Heitler-Klevans
17. David Heitler-Klevans
18. Author Goldstein
19. Tommy Wareham
20. Mark Ross
21. Justin Dorsey
22. Mark Daubert
23. Bobby Dorsey
24. Kim Asbury
25. John Cunningham
26. Jim Marshall
27. Jack Wilkinson
28. Tonya Brown
29. Keiko Pilato
30. Skye Pilato
31. (Left to Right) Jazelle and Grace Pilato
32. Lisa Pilato
33. Natalie Pilato
34. Emory Pipersburg
35. Tommy and Tracy Pilato
36. (Left to Right) Guyaton, Mark, Alyssum, and Carmen Pilato
37. (Left to Right) Noah and Tyler Pilato
38. Guy and Grace Pilato and 9/11 Tribute – Twin Towers

Overview

This portion of the mural with the group of people on the piano consists of local musicians who have been entertaining State College for years. People like Arthur Goldstein (bottom left on the piano), who is a professor of music at Penn State, Ernie Oberman (center middle left on piano with the microphone) from the band the First Family, and R.T. (top middle left on piano with the microphone) for the Earthtones, which closes Art Fest for the last 20 years. There are people here like the owner of the Phyrst, Tommy Wareham (bottom left on piano with one leg straddling the edge), whose been playing piano in town here forever. Mark Ross (bottom left on piano with both legs over the side), who’s in a band called Queen Bee, was nominated for a Grammy, but sadly the lead singer of the band, Tonya Brown died of a diabetes related incident before the Grammy’s came up. Tonya was a free spirit and loved by many, so this is why she is up in the clouds above the musicians.

The section to the left of the musicians is Michael’s family. The title of the mural is “Inspiration”, and Michael’s biggest inspiration is his family. His daughter, Skye (bottom right) is holding her hamster, Lovey Dovey. Above Skye is Michael painting his mom dad in the middle canvas, and all around Michael are his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. In the middle canvas the twin towers are visible behind Michael’s parents and the clouds come into the canvas from the background, which represents that time still moves in a two dimension plane and the towns represent the strength of family.

Section E

1. 9/11 Tribute – Goldfinch, Bluebird, Chikadee, and Eagle
2. Gloria Humphreys
3. Chuck Herlocker
4. Veronica Burk
5. Renata Glon
6. Saghir Ahmad
7. Arnold Addison
8. Hellen Woskob
9. Alex Woskob
10. Bob Sahakian
11. Iza Petrykowski
12. 9/11 Tribute – Eagle Nest
13. John Dimakopoulos
14. Whales

Overview

The Whales are carrying in the boat above, which include immigrants who came into our community. The woman in blue is Hellen Woskob and she is next to her husband, Alex Woskob. Together they own many buildings in the area. During World War II, she was a little girl and her family was trying to flee from the Nazis. Bullets were flying over their heads, they swam through a river, and got onto a moving train and she lost her sister in the process. Twelve Years ago she found her sister. Another immigrant, the waving Saghir Ahmad, owns a t-shirt store down Calder Ally. Arnold Addison was director of the Applied Research Lab in 1948 and eventually became Mayor of State College. The man on the top, John Dimakopoulos, is the owner of the Waffle Shops and came from Greece.

Colonel Russell, from Section A, was looking at a mural across the street of himself from when he was at Iwo Jima. He commanded 1,500 men and on the fifth day of battle he only had 400 men left, but his good friend has tears coming down his face and he said, “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” Colonel Russell turned to see what his friend was looking at and it was the famous flag rising at Mt. Suribachi. Michael told the Colonel when he dies, it will be another glorious day because he will see his wife again. Therefore in the mural, his wife is ghosted in next to him and his Marines are coming through her, directly across the street from the Whales. In the eye of the Whale is the same flag rising. The handprints in this section are of Special Olympiads, students, and the dark handprints were sold to raise money to purchase boats in Sri Lanka after the tsunami.

Section F

1. Geoffrey Brugler
2. Fred Ramsey
3. Pat Farrell
4. Mike Herman
5. Marty McIntyre
6. Jackie Melander
7. Kay Rogers
8. Bob Potter
9. Joel Myers
10. Nadine Kofman
11. Bill Schreyer
12. Caroline Smith
13. Grace Holderman
14. Catherine Zangrilli
15. Linda Gall
16. Sue Paterno
17. Mimi Coppersmith-Fredman
18. Jo Chesworth
19. Susan Baker
20. Debra Williams
21. James Pawelczyk
22. Calyampudi Rao
23. Alexander Wolszczan
24. Guion Bluford
25. Tanya Milliman
26. Bruce Milliman
27. Jana King
28. Thomas King

Overview

Included in this section are two astronauts, Guion Bluford, the first African American to go into space and to the right of him is James Pawelczyk, who was a payload specialist. Below them is Calyampundi Rao, a distinguished mathematician and statistician, who was awarded the US National Medal of Science.

Former Penn State Board of Trustees President, Bill Schreyer is located in the top right of the section. The Schreyer’s enormous generosity towards Penn State is evidence in the renamed, Schreyer’s Honors College. Below him is Sue Paterno who dedicated a great portion of her life to creating a Catholic student facility at Penn State and working with Special Olympics Pennsylvania.

One of the newest additions to the mural is Kelsey Hirsch who is 13 years-old and has raised over $20,000 for RAINN.

Section G

1. Joseph Besket
2. Andrew Besket
3. Nancy Hermen
4. Craig Avedesian
5. Gary Filkins
6. Michael Coyle
7. Kay Emigh
8. Mike Negra
9. Michael Morgan
10. Hal McCullough
11. Art Fine
12. Bill Clark
13. Sally Ann Cameron
14. Kevin Kassab
15. Don Kassab
16. Clara Wang
17. Zeno Papas
18. Chris Papas
19. Lorrie Badali
20. David Wells
21. William Asbury
22. Jackie Hunt
23. Bobbie Hunt
24. Erin O’Leary-Rallis
25. Dennis Rallis
26. Dan Rallis
27. Jim Rallis
28. Dan Pivirotto
29. Patricia Pisano
30. Pat Daugherty
31. Michael Desmond
32. John Cocolin
33. Joan Brower
34. Dave Lee
35. Jack Loftus
36. Jan Hurvitz
37. Fred Hurvitz
38. Dick Benefield
39. Guy Kresge
40. Chris Rallis
41. Polly Rallis
42. Robert Steinbach
43. Felix Boake
44. Kelly Grimes
45. William Wagner
46. Anne Corr
47. Herb Taub
48. Gilbert Levy
49. Kevin Dare
50. ——-
51. Timothy Bronish
52. Bruce Heim
53. Don Boller
54. Paul Frankhouser
55. Joe Paterno
56. (Left to Right) Fran Fisher and George Paterno
57. Andy Zangrilli
58. Jennifer Zangrilli-Hoag
59. Bob Dornich
60. Doris Sapia
61. Jack Sapia
62. Arn Sapia
63. Tony Sapia
64. Mark Sapia
65. Melissa Coudriet
66. Susan, Scott, and Ben Gummo
67. Adam Taliaferro
68. Suzie McConnell
69. Nittany Lion
70. Joe Cappelletti
71. John Cappaletti
72. Kristen Woodring
73. Jeff Kersavage
74. Joe Banks
75. Lew Marrara

Overview

Kevin Dare (second row far right with halo) is the athlete that died, sadly during an event at Penn State. He was a pole-vaulter and on the track and field team. His father made the sport safer through the Dare Foundation. On Kevin’s shoulder is his ferret Gizmo, which his friends still have today. The halo over Kevin’s head was the first Roman Catholic halo Michael ever painted on the mural, and it was the only one that was left because Kevin’s father helped paint the halo with Michael.

The earliest memories Michael had of Joe Paterno (right chair) and Penn State football were away games and fishing with his dad. The painting Joe is holding has Joe’s father Fran Fischer, who used to call the football games on the radio. If you follow the cord up and look in his glasses you can see Michael and his father fishing with a little radio in front of them. The other lens is Beaver Stadium and there is a man holding a flag that says 324 which is indicative of Joe Paterno’s impressive accomplishment of reaching the most wins of any division 1 college football coach.

Michael was with Joe a few weeks before he passed and one of the things he said to Michael was that he wishes there were classes to teach you what to do in a situation like that and what has occurred because of it. Michael told him that there won’t be a coach put into such a situation like that ever again because of the events that have occurred, and this can be seen as moving forward. Through the tragedy that has occurred, betterment of our community and progress can commence.

John Cappelletti (with Heisman) was Penn State’s only Heisman Trophy winner, and to his right is his little brother Joey who battled Leukemia. John had a powerful and emotional speech at his Heisman presentation where he honored Joey with the trophy. Adam Taliaferro (right of Cappelletti) was a true inspiration to Penn State and demonstrated great will power. Christine Woodruff (bottom coming out of pool) was a big ten swimming champ at Penn State.

The Mountain Lion (bottom right), according to the Lenni Lenape tribe represents courage, strength, and dignity and that is what it took for the young man abused by Sandusky to come out against the oppressor. That’s why there is a ribbon around his neck.

9/11

The ten angels are the ten alumni that lost their lives on September 11th. This was the first vigil after September 11th. At the time it was raining, so they were painted on a piece of material and then put up on the mural. They will be redone in the clouds. One woman said that the first thing she remembered about her husband was going into a bar and at the other side of the bar was a guy wearing the ugliest green shirt she had ever seen. She looked at her friend and said, “Look at that ugly green shirt,” the man looked at her and it was love at first sight. He is the only angel up there with the ugly green wings.

Section H

1. Bill Coleman
2. Jen Schroeder
3. Alex Goncalves
4. Gary Penkala
5. Tom Penkala
6. Cheryl Bohn
7. Bob Placky
8. Ken Tennis
9. Leslie Oldenburg
10. Mark Shermer
11. Barbara Farmer
12. Sherry and Dayton Coles
13. Joann Dornich
14. Natalie Hallock
15. Hal Hallock

Overview

Primarily in this section are more of Michael’s schoolteachers. Although there is one child, Alex Gonsalves, who was that age when Michael painted him and he taught Michael everything he knows about dinosaurs. This shows how are students are teachers as well.

Also included in this section are the sponsors for the first year of the project.