Hobbies follow trustee through his endeavors

Some people collect stamps. Other people collect coins. David Morrow collects bells -- long strings of bells that were originally from sleighs.

In his family room, more than 20 sets of bells hang from pegs around the room. But the collection goes beyond the sleigh bells and the one Swiss cowbell that hangs with them. On the mantle of his fireplace, a group of school bells sit as a reminder of Morrow's time in a one-room schoolhouse for his first eight grades.

"It started out with bells," he said of the collection that started when his father gave him a sleigh bell. "It's a case of a big interest in country things."

The rest of the room contains objects such as two butter churns, bed warmers and copper ladles reflecting Morrow's interests in antiques.

"It's like turning a hobby into an investment or an investment into a hobby," he said.

Completing the collection is several Conestoga bells that were used in the early 1800s on teams of horses. Morrow explained that if a team required help during their journey they were required to give a set of the bells to the people who helped them. So if one returned home with all the bells, it meant the trip was a good one.

Morrow, who is a University trustee, returned to the State College area with his bells on after spending about 20 years as a faculty member at both Cornell University and Michigan State University. Morrow, who was born and raised near Tyrone, said coming back was like coming home.

After his graduation from the University in 1956, Morrow went to veterinary school at Cornell and taught there before moving to Michigan State, where he taught from 1968 to 1990 and became a professor emeritus.

"I would like to say this was what I wanted to do all my life but . . . one thing kind of lead to another," he said.

However, he said he enjoyed the opportunity to work in his field and work with students. Getting to know their students is something that Morrow said he and his wife, Linda who is an instructor of nutrition at the University, both take seriously. He prided himself on knowing all the names, majors and hometowns of his students when he was on the faculty at both Cornell and Michigan State.

He continues his involvement with students from Penn State after his retirement by working with student organizations such as Omicron Delta Kappa society and Lion Ambassadors. He often has students over to his home in State College or his farm near Tyrone.

"It's not something I do because I have to do it," he said. "It's something I do because I like it."

Being a trustee is also not something Morrow said he does because he has to. Getting involved with the University is a payback for his education, he added.

"It's a way of saying 'thank you,' " he said.

The University Board of Trustees is a 32-person governing body that oversees the University's overall mission and direction. The board does not manage the day-to-day affairs of the University. As a trustee, Morrow wants to see the University fulfill each of the tenets of the mission of a land-grant university -- service, learning and research.

"I feel that one of my roles is to see Penn State develop a balance between them," he said.