A Tribute to Don Barna

I’ll never forget the moment I opened my Penn State acceptance letter. My mom and Don, my step-dad, called me downstairs and handed me a blank envelope in the dining room. I slowly opened the letter and saw the Penn State logo, but I didn’t think much of it because I didn’t think I’d be admitted to University Park. I’ll be the first to say, I wasn’t the best student in high school.

I hardly paid attention, I even waited until the last minute to apply, and it took a lot of badgering from my mom to ask teachers for recommendation letters. I never saw myself in college, but once I pulled that paper fully out of the envelope, it felt right.

A few months later, my life changed completely. Don always had this nasty party trick of showing people his broken collarbone from his motocross days. But it started bothering him at work in the spray booths while he was painting cars, so he finally got it fixed.

While he was progressing through physical therapy, something wasn’t right. After weeks of appointments, his strength never came back. His muscles were still atrophied, so he went back to his orthopedic surgeon. He was referred to a neurologist, who ran tests and told him to come back with a loved one during his next appointment.

As I was preparing to graduate from high school, Don was diagnosed with ALS. He was given two to five years to live. After his diagnosis, I questioned whether leaving for Penn State was the right decision. But when I told him that, he wouldn’t let me stay.

I enrolled undecided, vying for a business degree. My heart was never in it. I wasn’t interested in any of my classes and struggled. I wanted to switch majors; I always loved journalism. My mom wasn’t the biggest fan of that idea.

Don urged me to follow my passion. He had regrets since he got sick, and he never wanted that for me. During the spring semester of my sophomore year, I started taking journalism courses. I loved it, it was the right decision.

As I was working through my courses, Don was getting worse. It was hard to focus on school when my family was struggling. I went home a lot to help take care of him; it was the least I could do for the man who sacrificed so much to take care of me.

Taking care of Don was the hardest challenge I’ve ever faced. Seeing him slowly lose the ability to walk, talk, and even sit up was devastating. As a kid, I thought he was invincible. I, now, realize he was stronger than that.

In 2014, Don lost his mom. He met us shortly after that. He would always tell us to appreciate our mom because one day she won’t be here. I used to shrug that off, until one day he wasn’t.

Don passed away on December 30, 2024 surrounded by our family. He fought until the end, wearing a smile.

You were a truly wonderful man. I’ll always miss your jokes, your non-stop talking, and watching football on the couch with you on Sundays. Thank you for everything, you’re on our minds every single day. I can’t wait to see you again.

A Tribute to Joe Baldt

A large part of my childhood was spent on Belgrade Street in Fishtown. I always looked forward to the weekends because it meant I had a chance to go to my grandparents’ house.

I would call my grandmom and beg to come over, or have my dad ask for me. It was my safe place, and I always had a great time.

We would spend the whole weekend there, or sometimes head down to the campground in New Jersey. The holidays were always special, especially Halloween.

Being around Grandpop made everything better. He was funny and loved joking around with our family. You could not sit near him if you were having a bad day because he would bust your chops until you laughed. It was hilarious, unless it was you.

I’d always get so excited seeing him sitting on the front stoop with his friends, Billy, Mike, and Frankie. They were always laughing and having a good time. If they heard the ice cream truck three blocks away, they would wave it down like it was an emergency, or yell for the pizza truck the second the jingle started playing, all just for me.

Grandpop lit up every room we walked into. He liked to play the Philly tough guy, but he had a heart of gold. He was not one to say how much you meant to him outright, but he did not have to. He showed it in everything he did.

He would call you out of nowhere just to talk about nothing, or make up some goofy jingle about you that would stick in your head all day. I will always cherish the nights around the campfire and every time you would break into “We’re on our way to Cape Maye!” like it was your signature song.

I miss you every single day, and I hope I’m making you proud. I didn’t expect you to go so soon. We all miss you, especially Grandmom. I hope Sheena is keeping you company, there’s probably hair everywhere.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me during my time at Penn State, especially my family (there’s too many to name). Without them I don’t know where I would be in life. There were so many times I wanted to give up, but I never wanted to let any of you down. I love all of you more than you’ll ever know.

To Mom, thank you for always being there. I don’t know where I’d be without your support. This experience couldn’t have happened without you. I hope I’m making you proud in everything that I do. You are so strong, and deserve the world. I love you more than you know!

To Dad, thank you for always listening. I look forward to annoying you every single day. I hope I’ve made you proud. It felt like yesterday I was watching you play Guitar Hero on Valley Avenue. I never thought I’d make it this far, but here we are. I love you so much!

To my siblings, I hope I’ve been a good role model to all of you. You’re all capable of doing whatever you put your mind to. I’m so proud of all five of you, and I am so thankful to be your older brother. I love you, always.

To my friends, you know who you are. Thank you for always making me laugh and putting up with my constant phone calls. You’re all so important to me and I can’t wait to keep making memories with you guys. You’re all going to do great things in life, but remember I’ll always be better at dynasty fantasy football.

To Sofia, you’re the best thing that happened to me at Penn State. This past year has been a dream with you. I admire you in so many ways, you make me proud every single day. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. You’re a beautiful person and you’ll accomplish the world, I love you so much.

Thank you to every single OS staffer, you’re all extraordinary. It’s been a pleasure to work with every single one of you. I won’t miss Sunday meetings. Onward State was a dream of mine from the moment I stepped on campus, and I’m so glad I was able to be apart of an amazing group of people.

For The Blog.