Galen Dreibelbis
Galen Dreibelbis was raised on a dairy farm, and started wrestling at State College High in 10th grade. A 3-year starter, graduating 1952. He was 21 when he started his own business, Nittany Oil Company, which began what would be a lifelong career as an entrepreneur. In 1970, Galen was elected to the PA House of Representatives. He served 3 terms but declined to run a 4th. In 1982, he sold Nittany Oil to focus on real estate development. Galen erected several commercial buildings and 6 residential/office parks. He and partners built Phase II of the Penn State Research Park. He still runs his business, managing 350 apartments, 4 commercial buildings and Nittany Farms. Galen was pivotal to create the PA Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame. He was a driving force to erect the National Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City. This facility hosts ASA Men's and Women's National Championships, and since 1987, the NCAA Women's College World Series. Galen is a member of the Pennsylvania ASA Hall of Fame as a player and sponsor. Galen and his wife Nancy have been great friends to their community, contributing heavily to Penn State, and to the Mount Nittany Medical Center. The couple have donated to Penn State to fund scholarships, and boost the Galen Dreibelbis Endowment for Excellence in Agriculture and Business Administration. Galen was the Penn State Renaissance Man of the Year in 1993 for his work on the Renaissance Fund Campaign, which provides scholarship support to academically talented students with the greatest financial need, regardless of academic major or other criteria. He was the Campaign Chair of the Mount Nittany Medical Center building expansion, and remains very active with facility needs and fund raising. Among the family's gifts, they provided funding to construction the state-of-the-art Medical Center auditorium and conference center, which bears Galen's & Nancy's name. He's been the President of the Penn State Quarterback Club. Galen was also the organizer and the first President of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The Penn State Wrestling Club is now has more members that any other Club in the United States. In 1994, Penn State University named Galen Dreibelbis an honorary alumnus, in recognition of his many years of involvement with the university. Galen has been a devout supporter of the Nittany Lion Wrestling for over 60 years. He attended the NCAA Wrestling Championship in 1953 when Penn State won its first National Championship and has attended Nittany Lion Wrestling meets for 67 years. He's seen 47 NCAA Tournaments, including 35 of the last 36. He endowed a scholarship for the Nittany Lion 126 lb. weight class, and was instrumental in building the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. Galen and Nancy provided funding for the two huge HD digital wrestling video/scoreboards in Rec Hall. They also endowed a scholarship for the Point Guard position on the Lady Lion Basketball team. Possibly Galen's biggest contribution to Penn State was in 2009 by kindling the University's interest to recruit Cael Sanderson as its head wrestling coach. The Hall of Outstanding Americans demonstrates wrestling's pride in those who have used the disciplines of the sport to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science and technology, business and industry, government and the military, or the arts and humanities. That describes Galen pretty accurately! Galen and Nancy reside State College, 500 yards from the farm house where Galen was born. They raised three children there.
Awards:
Year
2016
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Award
Outstanding American
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Chapter/Region
Pennsylvania
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