Madison Kwiecinski – Editor-in-Chief

Mvk5945@psu.edu

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, Otto Behrend would have celebrated his 150th birthday. Behrend students and staff gathered in the Lilley Library to celebrate at 3, wishing Otto a happy birthday. 

Dr. Behrend, whom the Otto-Behrend science building is named after, had a tremendous impact on both Penn State Behrend and Erie as a whole during his lifetime. 

When Dr. Otto Behrend died, he donated his 110-acre farm to the Millcreek Township School District, a portion of which was later allocated to form Asbury Woods, which is a 216-acre nature preserve. 

Executive Director of Asbury Woods, Jennifer Farrar, has stated “Our present-day mission statement includes three prongs: conservation of the land, environmental education, and outdoor recreation. We are honored to carry forward the legacy Dr. Behrend created with his generous gift.” 

Another part of Otto Behrend’s life that is evident through PSB history and campus is that he was the co-founder of the Hammermill Paper Company, along with his brother Ernst. The company was established in Erie in June of 1898, based on a papermill his father had previously founded in Germany. 

At Otto Behrend’s farm, he trained thoroughbred horses and cared for various animals. Additionally, he adventured with planting different species of trees to test in his papermill, some of which are still standing today. 

Otto and Ernst Behrend traveled to the U.S. together, where Ernst met and married Mary Behrend, who donated the land our campus rests on in 1948. Without this series of events, Penn State Behrend would not exist here today, much less have its namesake. 

On May 20, 1957, Otto Behrend passed away, willing funds to be donated to the Behrend Center in order to construct a building in his honor, a building in which many students still attend classes today. 

All of this and more is why this week, Behrend community members gathered in the library to celebrate what would have been his 150th birthday. Happy birthday Otto!