B.S. Forestry, 1951

Paul W. "Sunshine" Shogren earned a B.S. in Forestry in 1951. As an undergraduate student, he was active in the Forestry Society, on the Sylvan staff, on Ag Student Council, and in Alpha Phi Omega, the national service fraternity.

After graduation, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps 1951 - 1954, including one year in the Korean War. He subsequently served 18 years in the Army Reserves and National Guard, retiring as staff sergeant in 1989. He earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1963 from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Paul's professional career spanned 30 years with the U.S. Forest Service (5 years), Soil Conservation Service (17 years), and Office of Surface Mining (8 years).

A resident of Maryland, Paul serves on the Garrett County Forestry Board. He has been active in Boy Scouting for more than 70 years and was honored with the Silver Beaver Award in recognition of his distinguished service. He annually engages with youth groups via Living History presentations in which he re-enacts the life of Johnny Appleseed. In cooperation with Garrett County Historical Society and Southern High School, he published oral histories of Garrett County veterans of World War II and the Korean War.

Paul chaired "Forester Reunions" at Penn State Mont Alto every 5 years from 1987 to 2003 (four reunions in total). In 2003 he was honored as a Penn State Mont Alto Centennial. He served as president of the SFR Alumni Group for a two-year term, 1997 - 1999.

In 2009, Paul completed a compilation of biosketches from the Class of 1951 for which he collected donations to cover the printing and mailing costs. He donated the proceeds to the Arboretum at Penn State and the Mont Alto Arboretum. He was the impetus behind our expanded alumni program this past spring, when, in addition to our usual banquet, we added a morning session during which alumni learned about the School of Forest Resources today, and a lunch session and Arboretum tour that provided additional opportunities for alumni, faculty, staff, and students to interact.

Paul is also a church officer, and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, Christian Crossing Thrift Shop, 4-H, and the American Legion.

Paul and his wife Donna Lee live in Oakland, MD; they have two sons.

Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

Address

117 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
Directions

Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

Address

117 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802
Directions