Mass. politician honored at dinner

A dinner was held last night for State College native and Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, who was awarded the Inspiration Award, given annually to a person who has greatly contributed to his or her community.

A crowd of approximately 420 people filled the ballroom of The Nittany Lion Inn, 200 W. Park Ave., to see the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation present the award to Harshbarger. Money raised from the annual event will go to the Joe Paterno Diabetes Research Grant. The grant is funded by the foundation and aids in diabetes research.

In addition to the dinner, the foundation held a silent auction to raise further funds for the research grant. "Doing research to prevent and identify problems earlier will save lives," Harshbarger said. "This money makes a huge difference, and also shows victims of this disease that they are not alone."

In Harshbarger's acceptance speech, he emphasized the values he felt State College had instilled in him and their importance in his life.

"The sense of community and emphasis on honesty, integrity and responsibility to others are all things I learned here in State College," Harshbarger said. "I took all those values with me."

Harshbarger grew up in State College, two miles outside of Pine Grove Mills. From State College Area High School he went on to Harvard University, and eventually to Harvard Law School.

The "tumultuous" events of the 1960s, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, made him consider a career in public service.

The ideals of public service were instilled in him by his father, Luther H. Harshbarger, who founded the department of religious studies at Penn State.

"My father often quoted Thomas Wolfe," Harshbarger said. "One of the things he said was that 'You can't go home again,' but I believe you can take it with you. I've taken the spirit of Nittany Valley with me wherever I've gone."

Harshbarger is currently running for governor of Massachusetts.

"We chose Scott for the award because he is someone we can all look up to," said Jeanne Schleiden, who aided with publicity for the event.

"We try to choose someone who can be a role model to the community."