By Golly, Emerson Begolly’s Mom a PSU Professor
The strange story of Emerson Begolly continues to develop as information about him and his family comes to light.
Emerson’s mother Joan Kowalski (formerly Joan Begolly) had been approached by FBI agents who expressed concern about her son’s online postings and made arrangements to get him out of his father’s house. His father, who reportedly had major disagreements with Emerson’s mother, had dressed Begolly in the Nazi uniform for pictures now spread widely on the Internet.
While Begolly was taken to a parking lot in New Bethlehem, PA under the auspices of visiting a sick relative, a search warrant was served on his father’s house, turning up more than 20 guns (mainly hunting rifles) and computer equipment. When Emerson and his mother arrived at the parking lot, his mother went in to a Burger King while a couple agents approached Emerson. The situation escalated with Begolly biting one of the agents and allegedly reaching towards a loaded handgun in his jacket.
A search was also conducted at Joan Kowalski’s house in Natrona Heights. Natrona Heights is just about ten miles from the Penn State New Kensington campus, where Begolly had previously taken classes before he transitioned to being a World Campus student.
Turns out that his mom is also a senior instructor in engineering there. She teaches a mechanical engineering class on dynamics and another on the strength of materials. She also teaches a couple mechanics for technology courses.
Kowalski seems like a smart woman, and she probably had no intention of seeing her son walk away in handcuffs. She knew he was dangerous and cooperated with the investigators. Begolly is now being kept in jail awaiting his trial, having been barred from posting bail following an appeal from federal prosecutors. It will be interesting to see how the trial proceeds from here, and how (if at all) Penn State will be involved in the proceedings.
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!
About the Author
The Complicated Legacy Of Joe Paterno 15 Years After His Firing
It’s been 15 years since Paterno’s historic tenure came to a sudden end, yet his legacy is just as in question as it was then.
Penn State Football’s Post-Washington Report Card
It was a tale of two halves for the Nittany Lions on Saturday.
Penn State Men’s Hockey ‘Still Trying To Find’ Identity 10 Games Into Season
The Nittany Lions take on No. 2 Michigan next.
Penn State and the Process of Life
To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of higher education’s death have been an exaggeration. American universities produce more research and relevant knowledge for the world at large than any other institutions I know of. Tuition may be too damn high, but over the long-run, undergraduate degrees are definitely worth the cost. But Penn State could be so much more. It used to be, I think.