by Hugh Mose
My wife Janyce and I arrived in State College in the spring of 1995, when I was hired as the General Manager at CATA. We moved here from Washington State, where I had been the manager of the local transit system for eight years, but had been asked to resign following a change in board leadership. In any event, moving back to Pennsylvania (we had met when we were students at Bucknell years earlier) was not something we really wanted to do, because professionally it was a step backwards, and we both had very much liked the ambiance of the Pacific Northwest.
We thought that our time in State College would be fairly brief, just until something better came along, presumably back on the West Coast. With that in mind, we decided that we could tolerate buying a house that didn’t have a number of features we really wanted, because, after all, we weren’t going to be in it all that long. Similarly, I avoided any long-term commitments in the community, and I didn’t get fully engaged in the state transit association, because I figured I would be moving on soon.
Not only that, but Janyce and I had a difficult time getting engaged in the community. We had none of the links that many other newcomers enjoyed. Neither of us had any connection to Penn State, and we discovered that for many people their children and their church were main points of contact – and we had neither. On top of everything else, I had a philosophical belief that as the CEO, I shouldn’t develop close friendships with people who worked at CATA. As a result, we found ourselves pretty much isolated.
However, after a while we started making connections. We discovered that this community has a rich fabric of organizations – service clubs, human service agencies and other assorted non-profits, governmental entities. When we first arrived in town, I joined Rotary and Janyce became a Kiwanian. As the years went by, we got involved in dozens of other organizations, from the United Way to the Nittany Valley Symphony, from Global Connections to Centre Volunteers in Medicine, from Foxdale Village to the Airport Authority, and of course to Nittany Greyhounds. With each came an increased appreciation for the community – and new friends!
But back to our house, the one with all the deficiencies, that was the best fit of those on the market at the point we arrived in town. Well, we’re still living there. We discovered that the lack of certain amenities wasn’t nearly as important as the location, and the neighborhood. From our house we can get downtown in five minutes (twenty minutes, if I walk), and to just about anywhere in town in less than fifteen. And our neighbors – past and present – have turned out to be some of the best people we have ever known, and the ambiance of “the Avenue” is just ideal.
The other part of the story is that CATA turned out to be a perfect fit for me professionally. The Board of Directors was great – and when you have had a board ask you to resign, you really appreciate that. I inherited an excellent staff, most of whom stayed on throughout my time at CATA, and the community support for transit (especially at Penn State) could not have been better. As a result, the team and I were able to build on the work of my predecessors to make CATA into one of the premier small transit systems in the nation. Think natural gas buses, the Football Shuttle, CATA’s downtown office in Schlow Library – the list goes on and on. So, I stayed until I retired.
The rest, as they say, is history. Thirty years later, and a decade into retirement, we’re still here. Why? Because Happy Valley is a great place to live. Thanks largely to Penn State, there’s so much to do – big-time sports, top-tier entertainment, the arts, you name it. Due to the proximity of the campus, downtown State College is a vibrant, exciting place to be, especially during the school year. While it’s not exactly like a big city, there are still plenty of places to eat and drink and be entertained. And if you’re looking for even more, a number of major cities are within a reasonable driving distance.
So, hats off to Happy Valley. We’re here to stay!
A question for readers
When did HappyValley start to feel like your place?
Was it a person, a role, a neighborhood, a habit, or a moment you did not expect?
Or, if you are still finding your footing, what feels hardest to figure out here?
You do not need to write a full story. A few sentences, a small memory, or even a single moment is enough. These are not comments for debate. They are pieces of how this place explains itself.
If Hugh’s story resonated, your experience might help someone else feel less alone in theirs.
We will share a few reader reflections in a future issue, with permission.
2 Responses
State College is very fortunate that the Mose family stayed here. With all the work Hugh did for CATA and they both have done for community non-profits….they have been a blessing for State College. I am honored to have gotten to know both of them.
State College is lucky to have had Hugh and Janyce. Both of them, great people individually, and even better together, they have given so much to all of us.