Tim Bonawitz ’70 has not only returned to live in State College since his graduation, but he’s built a house there that’s practically custom-made for alumni parties. “State College is a beautiful place to live,” he says, “I encourage any alumni who have children now attending Penn State to stop by and say hello.
Tim Bonawitz’s Commitment to Kappa Sigma Continues to Bring Brothers Together
Opening His State College Home to Alumni, Tim is Optimistic About the Future of Kappa Sigma at Penn State
Tim Bonawitz ’70 has not only returned to live in State College since his graduation, but he’s built a house there that’s practically custom-made for alumni parties. “State College is a beautiful place to live,” he says, “I encourage any alumni who have children now attending Penn State to stop by and say hello. We have a 64-foot deck out back, perfect for entertaining.” Before he even started at Penn State, Tim was familiar with the campus and various fraternities. His older sister went to Penn State, as did several friends from his hometown of Newport, PA. He attended parties there and met several fraternity guys throughout the 1960s. Over the years, Tim and his wife of 28 years, Michaela, have organized and hosted many alumni reunions. These are usually two-day affairs that include golf, dinner and a cookout in their backyard. Although they didn’t meet until ten years after he graduated, Tim says that Michaela has become one of the guys. There is a core group of about 70 alumni from 1968 through 1976 who generally attend the reunions, and Tim invites and encourages more alumni to attend. A few years ago the group hosted a seafood feast at the Elks Club with golf during the day. The following year they rented a private box at a minor league baseball game. This past May there was a 60th birthday party for 11 brothers who turned 60 during 2008. For this year’s Homecoming, Ray Royko ’69, Rich Mascaro ’67, Ted Perry ’70 and John McEnery ’70 will be staying with Tim. “It’s a lot of work for my wife and me, but I’m retired and have the time to do it,” says Tim. “And we always have a great time.” Tim continues to be an avid Penn State football fan. He has been retired for five years now, but his 30-year career in the insurance business and 22 years with The Hartford Insurance Company, moved him several times to Virginia and Connecticut. Even when living out of state, Tim only missed three Penn State home games. “The one thing that I could count onduring all those changes was that I would
be sure to see many of my old friends on my return trips to State College for football games,” Tim recalls. There are about 50 fraternity brothers who still tailgate at each home game and they have 28 seats reserved in the first rows along the 40-yard line. Back in school, Tim lived in the house his sophomore and junior years, and in an apartment his senior year when the house was full. A few of his roommates were Calvin Lewis ’71, Mike High ’70, Dave Snyder ’63 and the late Fred Ciotti ’70. One story that often comes up in conversation is their “mountain party.” “We covered the party room floor with straw, had several barnyard animals wandering throughout the house and had our own one-hole outhouse in the party room door,” he remembers. “I am quite sure that the brothers and pledges from the late ’60s can recall other activities that may have occurred during that fateful evening.” After graduation, Tim served as an Alumni Advisor for several years in the 1970s and today is an Assistant Alumni Advisor. “Kappa Sigma has had a significant influence on me since graduation. The contacts that I made during my years as an undergraduate and during my tenure as the Alumni Advisor have had an impact on my professional and personal life,” he says. As it turns out several of his brothers have also decided to purchase property in Happy Valley. George Strachan ’70, Charlie Mazza ’70, Rob Hampton ’73, Don Carretta ’75 and soon Bill Vittori, all have homes in State College and try to get together whenever they come back home to Happy Valley. Some of Tim’s favorite hobbies are fishing and golfing. He takes yearly fishing trips to various hot spots in Canada, the Finger Lakes and upstate New York. Calling himself an “addicted golfer” he is on the course up to six times a week. In addition to his continuing work with Kappa Sigma, Tim is a member of the State College Elks club and a volunteer for the Centre County chapter of AARP. “As one of the Assistant Alumni Advisors I would like to see the current colony become an official chapter and restore the Kappa Sigma fraternity to a prominent place in the fraternity system,” he says looking to the future, “I’m willing to do what I can to help make that happen.”