Penn State women’s basketball team proudly boasts seven position endowed scholarships and was the first of the school’s 29 sports to have endowed scholarships for all five of its starting positions. Helen “Choo” Chelius was a Penn State fan for more than 60 years. Her late husband Carl (’26) and son Carl (’73) are both PSU alumni. In 1999, she made an even stronger commitment to the program by endowing the first women’s basketball position at Penn State. Chelius established the scholarship for the point guard position. Adding to the Lady Lion tradition in 2000, John (‘56) and Joanne Spangler endowed the Lady Lions’ forward position, while Carl and Joyce Chelius endowed the shooting guard spot. In April 2001, then-Penn State women’s basketball coach Rene Portland and her husband, John Portland, committed $500,000 to the University to endow two undergraduate scholarships for student-athletes. One scholarship, a Lady Lion captain, is named in honor of the Portlands’ daughter, Christine M. Portland, who played on her mother’s team from 1995 to 1999 and was a captain of the 1998-99 team. The other scholarship, to support student-athletes who play the center position, is named in honor of Rene Portland’s late mother, Margaret “Granny” Muth. John and Ann Curley added to the number of endowed Lady Lion scholarships with the advent of their scholarship for a Lady Lion forward, while Nancy Dreibelbis endowed a scholarship for a Lady Lion point guard. To be eligible for scholarships, students must have outstanding academic records and be proficient in basketball. Scholarships are awarded for one academic year with the possibility of renewal in subsequent years. For scholarship endowment information, including position scholarships, please contact the Major Gifts Office at (814) 863-GIFT (4438).
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2010-11 Penn State Lady Lion Basketball Yearbook