We have been pleased to recognize the individuals and groups that have supported the Mountain and the Mount Nittany Conservancy by donating to the Conservancy and renewing their commitment as a “Friend of Mount Nittany” annually, or those who have purchased one or more Life Estate Deeds.
We no longer disclose donor information on our website, out of an abundance of caution in protecting donor information. We do, however, wish to acknowledge and thank our generous foundation supporters, who have helped the Conservancy to maintain and expand its programming.
The Ryan Memorial Foundation (John t. ryan, sr.)
The Ryan Memorial Foundation has been particularly generous, with annual gifts to The Mount Nittany Conservancy. John T. Ryan Sr. (1884 – 1941) was the founder of MSA (Mine Safety Appliances, or MSA Safety Incorporated), a Pittsburgh-based, global organization committed to developing, manufacturing, and supplying safety products that help protect people and facility infrastructures around the world.
MSA would become the largest mine safety equipment supplier in the world.
Mine Safety Appliances’ early success came from the battery-operated lamp for miners’ helmets, first developed for the company in 1915 by Thomas A. Edison to replace the open-flame lamp. Later, the company, diversified
beyond the mining industry, to produce safety products for the military and fire and utility companies.
Ryan Sr. attended Penn State University, where he received his mining
engineering degree in 1908. He was also a President of the Penn State Alumni Association. Under his leadership, along with his son, John T. Ryan Jr., MSA contributed immeasurably to the development of coal mine safety during the 20th century. John T. Ryan Jr., who died in 1995, was also a Penn State student, Student Body President, member of the Lion’s Paw Senior Honro Society and Lion’s Paw Alumni Association, President of the Penn State Alumni Association (like his father), and a Distinguished Alumnus.
The hamer foundation (donald w. hamer)
Don Hamer (1925-2016), of State College, PA, and his Hamer Foundation have been enthusiastic supporters of The Mount Nittany Conservancy, as well as many other endeavors in the Nittany Valley and beyond. In 1969, Don founded State of the Art, Inc. which became the leading manufacturer of high reliability chip resistors for microelectronics. These are important components for the biomedical, communications, aerospace, and defense industries worldwide. Don founded the Hamer Foundation in 1989 and made a significant contribution for the expansion of the Pattee Library; he credits Joe Paterno’s solicitation of support for the project with firing his passion for philanthropy. Over the years, he supported various projects at University of Illinois and University of Chicago, where he helped to establish the Hamer Small Business Initiative in 2004.
Penn State, however, was closest to Don’s heart. He gave generously to the Palmer Museum of Art, the PSU Libraries, the Arboretum, and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He also strongly supported the College of Arts and Architecture, where he established the Hamer Center for Community Design. Don was also a strong supporter of many local human service agencies, including Centre County United Way, Centre Safe (formerly Centre County Women’s Resource Center), Housing Transitions, Interfaith Human Service, Food Bank of State College and Centre Volunteers in Medicine.
Don cared deeply for the preservation of natural resources and generously gave of his time and resources to environmental groups in addition to the Mount Nittany Conservancy, including the ClearWater Conservancy, the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, the Shavers Creek Environmental Center, the Nature Conservancy of PA, and the World Wildlife Fund.
For his philanthropic and conservation activities, he was awarded numerous awards, including the 1992 Teddy Roosevelt Conservation award in a White House ceremony; he was also selected to be the 1995 PSU Renaissance Man of the year, 2014 Penn State Philanthropist of the year, and was inducted into the University of Illinois Engineering Hall of Fame in 2013.