ERIE, Pa. — Penn State Behrend has presented the Behrend Medallion, the college’s highest award, to alumnus Robert D. Metzgar, the former president of Warren-based North Penn Pipe and Supply and a longtime supporter of Penn State and its students.
The Behrend Medallion is given to individuals who, by their service to society, have brought honor to their profession, their community and themselves. The medallion has been awarded just 24 times since the college was founded in 1948.
The medallion was presented during a dinner at the Robert and Sally Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center — the two-story, 14,028-square-foot “front door” of the Behrend campus. Metzgar and his late wife partnered with the University to build the facility, which houses Behrend’s admissions, financial aid and registrar’s offices.
“Bob’s influence has been monumental,” Chancellor Ralph Ford said. “His visionary leadership and remarkable generosity have left an indelible mark on this college.
“He has invested his time, his wisdom and his heart into making Penn State Behrend a better place,” Ford added.
Metzgar attended Behrend for two years before earning a degree in business administration at Penn State’s University Park campus. He was the first in his family to graduate from college.
In 1978, he mortgaged his house and car to purchase North Penn Pipe and Supply, a wholesale supplier for the oil and gas industries. He paid off the loan in five years.
By the time he retired, leaving his role as president and CEO, the business was generating $45 million in annual sales.
In 1995, then-Gov. Tom Ridge appointed Metzgar to the Penn State Board of Trustees. He would serve on the board for 14 years, chairing the Committee on Finance and Physical Plant. During his tenure, the committee oversaw nearly $1 billion in construction at University Park, including the Information Sciences and Technology Building, the Eastview Terrace residence halls, the Chemistry and Life Sciences buildings and the Shortlidge Mall.
“Bob’s secret sauce was his ability to perceive a physical space,” former Chancellor Jack Burke said. “He sees not only the big picture, but also the nuts and bolts. He could always envision what a property could look like.”
During construction of the Metzgar Admissions and Alumni Center, which he and his wife, Sally, supported with a $2 million gift, Metzgar insisted that Penn State architecture students be included in the design process.
“He didn’t just write a check,” Ford said. “He created an opportunity.”
Metzgar’s philanthropic support of Penn State students dates to 1972, when he and Sally contributed to the Levi Lamb Fund, which provides scholarships and other support to more than 800 varsity student-athletes.
The couple also provided funding for the Energy and Fuels Research Center, the School of Theatre, WPSU-TV and the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Children’s Hospital.
At Behrend, the couple supported athletics programs and endowed multiple scholarships, including the Metzgar Leadership Scholarship, which supports six students every year.
Metzgar also served on the Penn State Behrend Council of Fellows, which advises the college leadership team on issues related to campus development and regional need. In 1996, he was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow.
Previous recipients of the award include former Gov. Tom Ridge; Thomas B. Hagen, chairman of the board of Erie Indemnity Company; six-term Erie Mayor Louis J. Tullio; and astronaut Paul J. Weitz.