DUNMORE, Pa. — 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 was one of the founders of the chapter, 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, also were 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 Stephen also served on the campus’ Advisory Board. He was voted Penn State Alumnus of the Year in 1985 and was 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 quarterback and Scranton native Matt McGloin will serve as toastmaster.
Jones has been the play-by-play voice for Penn State football and men’s basketball for more than 30 years, getting his start announcing for Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s campus radio station while a student there. 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 at University Park.
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. A native of Mahanoy City, he has spent 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach, most recently at Virginia Commonwealth University. 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. He 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. McGloin spent six seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Oakland Raiders, and he 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 also is 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 [email protected] or 570-466-7872.
