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Member of the Program’s First Graduating Class (1952) Reconnects

Member of the Program’s First Graduating Class (1952) Reconnects

January 23, 2017

An alum from the Class of 1952, Joseph G. Arteritano of Lower Burrell in western Pennsylvania, sent a note in response to the School’s invitation to attend last Spring’s Alumni Reception in Pittsburgh.  He expressed regret at not being able to attend, but passed on some interesting information about the School’s history.  Joe’s class was the program’s first.  He characterized his time in the major, and that of his 21 classmates, as “an experiment in progress.”  He noted that the name of the major initially was LMR for Labor-Management Relations and that Penn State then was still “Pennsylvania State College” and not yet a university.  Joe recalled that he was the first president of the program’s student organization (a group that has been continuously active, with a few name changes, for 65 straight years!).

Joe also mentioned that he was never able to take advantage of all that he learned in the major as, after serving time in the U.S Air Force, he went on to a successful career in pharmaceutical sales, retiring in1993 as Director of Teaching  Hospital Sales with Johnson & Johnson’s Eye Care Division.  He also mentioned that he has had a number of connections to the program since graduation, including living next door to School Director Paul Clark years ago and being married to a distant relative of APG Board Member Tom Giotto. 

If any graduates of the program in the 1950s and 1960s have additional recollections, please pass them on to pfc2@psu.edu.  We are trying to putting together a history of the Program/Department/ School over the years and any details from the “early years” will be helpful.