Websters Dictionary defines the word Journey as “an act or instance of traveling from one place to another”.  Over the past 40 years, THON has certainly been on a journey.  It started from humble beginnings in the HUB Ballroom, to growing in the White Building and in Rec Hall, and now to its current home in the BJC.  It has gone from raising just over $2,000 in 1973 to $9.56 million in 2011.  But, aside from the larger journey of the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, there are all of the other journeys that have helped to shape THON as a whole; smaller journeys.  There have been tens of thousands of dancers and THON Volunteers throughout these past 40 years.  And, for all those journeys, there is a story.  These are the stories of THON and its volunteers throughout the years. 

Luann Byerly, Dance Marathon 1978:

“The Penn State IFC Dance Marathon ‘78 was a competitive event that involved raising money for charity since it began in 1973. However, 1978 was the first year that Four Diamonds Fund became the permanent THON charity.  The dancers entered into one of 2 divisions. A sorority and a fraternity sponsored a couple (Greek Division). All other dance couples were either sponsored by a campus organization or a business (Independent Division). The money was raised through pledges and canning. The first through third place couples for each division were announced at the end.  To place you had to raise the most money within your division and still be on your feet after 48 hours. Mandatory bathroom breaks were given every 8 hours for a timed total of 3 minutes each. Other breaks could be taken as needed, but were deducted from your overall time, so to avoid additional breaks, you tried not to eat or drink too much in the interim.

We learned a line dance during the week prior and performed it at various intervals throughout the weekend. I remember dancing to music from local live bands and DJ’s.  To this day, every time I hear the Steve Miller Band song, “Swingtown”, I think of THON – that was the song played by the local radio stations when advertising for Dance Marathon ’78.  Local restaurants donated food for our meals and Hershey Foods provided a non-stop supply of chocolate. The Morale Committee could be seen roving about the dance floor throughout the weekend, keeping us dancers alert, mentally psyched and always moving. EMTs were available, providing first aid as needed. The students and visitors in the bleachers cheered us on as well. The toughest hours were between 2:00 – 5:00 AM both days. As a student, I could never pull all-nighters for big exams, so for me, staying awake for 2 days straight involved a pretty intense “mind over matter”.  I remember people bringing buckets of snow into the HUB – the icy cold snow felt good on your face and neck to help you stay awake!  

As we got into the second day on our feet, I watched several exhausted dancers being carried off the floor.  I must admit, there were times when I questioned the wisdom of my decision to participate. Yet, when it was all over, I quickly forgot how exhausted and sore I was, because I had just participated in a once in a lifetime experience, where kids with cancer would benefit from the money that was raised. My dance partner (John Witherow) and I raised a total of $1,767.49 and came in first place in the Independent Division.  The overall total that year was $52,818.69, a substantial sum of money based on 1978 figures.  Who would have thought in 1978 that THON would have grown to become the largest student-run philanthropic event in the world, raising more than $ 9 million dollars in 2011!

In recent years I have returned to THON – my daughter Lauren is now in her 4^th year of THON participation. Last year, she was a dancer, representing the Circle K organization. I had the opportunity to join her on the floor of the BJC and experience this awesome event all over again.  I feel a deep sense of pride in her and all the Penn State students who come together and work tirelessly throughout the year, doing something that really matters – “For The Kids”.

We Are Penn State!

Luann (Surak) Byerly

PSU Class of ‘78”

Mike Richardson, Dance Marathon 1981:

“THON (we used to just call it the Dance Marathon back then!) took place in the White Gym….we had 500 dancers and it was heavily tilted towards IFC members – I would guess this is still the case, but back then it was really identified as a greek fundraiser.  I recall we had myself and 7 committee chairmen that were a tremendous support.  I can’t even recall all of the functions, but I do know we had a great Morale leader in Cindy Schmucker.  She was non-stop energy and perfect for the role!

The Marathon that year raised $99,600 and the event went off as planned…….our theme song was Celebrate by Kool and the Gang.  It’s 32 years later and I can still remember being on stage at the end of the Marathon as we did our final line dance and announced the money total like it was yesterday.  The thing that stuck with me over the years was our committee visit to Hershey Medical Center some months before the event; we met so many wonderful kids and their families.  One young man named Bobby Comp captured all of our attention right away – he was so much fun with a great attitude.  We stayed as close as we could to Bobby leading up to the Marathon…..as the year progressed, he got sicker and eventually passed away.  When I think of all of the hard work and effort we made, we always had Bobby and kids like him to keep things in perspective and remind us why the Marathon is so important on so many levels.

I just finished reading the latest Penn Stater and, while what is happening at Penn State in so painful, I was strengthened by the many references to THON.  The Dance Marathon is such a great example of what the university and it’s students represent and it always has been.  My involvement with the Dance Marathon that year remains one of my life highlights

Mike Richardson

Overall Chairperson, 1981”

William Cluck, Dance Marathon 1981, 1982, 1986

“The IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon had outgrown the Hub ballroom and moved to the White Building.  I danced in three THONs at the White Building; 1981, 1982 and 1986.  I was President of Undergraduate Student Government 1981-82.  I was friendly with Kevin Steinberg because the IFC office was next to the  USG office on second floor HUB.  Kevin died in an auto accident on a trip to Hershey Medical Center.  In his honor, and because I knew I could raise a lot of money (getting Old Main administrators to pledge $1 or $2 per hour), I was one of the dancers in 1982.  My partner was Leni Barch, who would become the first female USG president.  We finished first in the independent category.  I also danced in 1986 during my first year of law school at Temple University (My classmates and professors were very generous).  My partner that year was Laurie Dieffenbach, whom I did not meet until we entered White Building that Friday afternoon.  Laurie and I danced for Skull and Bones Senior Honorary Society and raised enough money to finish first in the independent category.  Laurie and I are still friends.

I have two distinct memories from 1982- my four year old niece Lia (another Penn Stater) and her parents stopped by Sunday afternoon to provide support.  Roy Scott, the Nittany Lion mascot at the time, came over to visit and scared the hell out of Lia when he said hello.  The Lion speaks!  The other memory was playing catch at 3 am Sunday morning with Candy Finn, who was then the all time leading scorer for lacrosse and field hockey. I was a big fan of Candy.

For me, personally, the best part of THON was about ten years ago when my other niece, Casey (another Penn Stater), danced when THON was at Rec Hall.  Early Saturday morning, I stopped by and gave her my THON t-shirt from 1986, a symbolic and emotional passing of the torch so to speak.

I continue to support THON financially and by spreading the word among my many social and professional contacts.  If I had to choose one diamond to best describe me it would be “honesty”.  I am proud to be an environmental attorney and volunteer my time in a number of professional organizations.  In all my endeavors, honesty is the best policy.

The one word I would use to describe THON is “renewal”.  THON is about annually renewing the cause of raising funds to assist families dealing with childhood cancer, renewing our commitment to serving others less fortunate, renewing our faith in each other and renewing our love for the Four Diamond Families.

To the current volunteers, THON is a life changing experience, once you’ve participated, you will not be the same person.

For the Kids


William J Cluck, Esquire
Class of 1982
Harrisburg PA”

We will be posting many more stories, so be on the look out for them.  If you would like to add your story to our continuing journey, please email Kirsten Quisenberry at stories@thon.org.