I received that wonderful invitation to the 100th year of wrestling and the wrestling weekend to celebrate it. I am impressed with the fine organization of the weekend and I thank all of those that are involved in the wrestling weekend. I felt special to be invited and to be a part of the weekend.
I live in California and I have traveled to Penn State in winter weather and I am heartily discouraged to attempt coming there at this time of year. I also ask that though I have a Pennsylvania address it is basically a summer home and we live there for only 4-5 months. I am a resident of California and I worked at the U. of California, Berkeley for many decades. I served as head coach of Gymnastics and I was a full professor of Physical Education at Berkeley.
I was a four year letter winner in Gymnastics at Penn State and in my junior year they dropped Gymnastics for one year stating that they needed to save gasoline for the war effort. The wrestling coach had a call out for someone to wrestle in the 1938 lb. class and after some persuasion by some wrestlers I joined the team. I had only two weeks of practice and instruction. I took a terrible beating in my first dual meet matches and I lost them all. By the time we arrived at the Eastern Wrestling Championships I was improving. To make a long story short I placed third in the EIWL Championships! I was so delighted after having absorped so much experience in such a short period of time. Naturally in my senior season I went back to Gymnastics where I was a national champion and later selected to an Olympic team. I have fond memories of my short wrestling career and I gave it my best effort and I did enjoy defeating some of the wrestlers that threw me around in the dual season when I met them a second time in the EIWL tournament.
I am not aware of a Special Gift that is mentioned in your fine letter and yes I would love to have a copy of the Centennial book. I am willing to pay for my copy. I follow the Penn State Gymnastics program and I was present at the 2007 NCAA Championships. I am impressed with all of the athletic facilities at Penn State and I was in close contact with John Greene in regard to an endowment for Gymnastics. I understand he has moved on to another position elsewhere. I was also contacted in the past in regard to donating to the wrestling program and I was sort of caught between my Gymnastics program at Cal and the Gymnastics program at Penn State and I wish I were rich so I could also help wrestling.
Coach Campbell was our coach in wrestling and I remember Jack Green, Grant Dixon, and Glenn Smith, they were of enormous assistance in helping me master some fundamentals of wrestling. As I write this message I feel some small twinges in my left shoulder from an injury in my first match. The lingering pain reminds me of the fine experience I enjoyed as a wrestler.
Thank you again for the invitation and I will miss this wonderful event that you worked so hard to honor wrestlers. My best wishes to the Penn State wrestlers that represented a fine sport in the past.
Sincerely,
Dr. Harold Frey
