You may not know his face, but his voice -- most often known as the voice of Penn State -- is loud and clear.

Bill Mahon, a 51-year-old husband and father of three, said he usually chooses to keep himself out of the spotlight and focus his attention on conveying Penn State's message to the public.

As Penn State's assistant vice president for university relations, Mahon's responsibilities include talking to reporters, writing press releases for the Penn State Live Web site and scheduling appointments with television crews that want to film at Penn State.

From his office in Old Main, decorated with a few newspaper articles and numerous framed pictures of his children, he looks out to the university he represents. "When I walk into the office in the morning, I have no idea what's going to happen by the end of the day," he said. "I often have to do a lot of fast writing and thinking on a lot of different subjects, which is very similar to what I did as a reporter."

After spending eight years as a reporter and editor with the Lewistown Sentinel, Mahon decided to move into public relations in the early 1980s because he felt there was not another strong newspaper in central Pennsylvania at the time.

"I originally thought I would only be in higher education public relations for a year and then go back to reporting, but I ended up staying here for more than 20," he said.

As a university spokesman, Mahon is always on call for interviews with reporters, even when he's at home or attending one of his 8-year-old son Christopher's football games.

"My life is pretty crazy, but I always try to make myself available to reporters because that's my job," he said. "My wife and children have become used to it over the years and it has become a joke within our family."

Mahon said music plays a key role in his life and he cannot live without his iPod, which boasts a playlist including Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band and Wyclef Jean.

He said he has always been fascinated with the media and he tries to access as many outlets as he can -- even if they are not conventional for his age group. "I am probably one of the only 51 year olds in the country who reads Teen People and watches MTV," Mahon said. "But I am always trying to keep on top of what is current and what our students are interested in."

Nancy Mahon, a communications instructor in the Smeal College of Business, said she and her husband met in 1988 while both were pursuing their graduate degrees at Penn State.

"We took several classes together and worked on projects outside of class, so we got to spend a lot of time together," she said.

When he is not preoccupied with his children's activities, Mahon said one of his interests is performing magic tricks, a hobby he shares with Penn State President Graham Spanier.

"I'm not nearly as good as President Spanier," Mahon said. "I can impress my 10- year-old and my 8 -year-old, but I would never perform in public."

Mahon said one of the exciting aspects of his job is seeing technology improving in the communications field. "One of the reasons I love this job is because I get to play with technology," he said.