John William McKenzie (Mack) Brady

Just yesterday I read an email that reduced Kristin and I to ongoing tears. It was a note from the president of the University letting us know of the passing of eight year old, Mack Brady. Mack’s Dad is Dean Chris Brady of the Schreyer Honors College here at Penn State. I’ve known Chris since even before he arrived at Penn State and he continues to be one of the most admired men in our community. He is a scholar, an outstanding Dean, and most of all a glowing Father. He and I share a love of Macintosh computers, writing, and spending time with our families — we often joked that we both named our boys after the computer we liked. Learning of Mack’s passing has paralyzed our own home. I can only begin to imagine how Chris, his wife Elizabeth, and their daughter are feeling. I hurt for them in so many ways.

I am asking my entire community to consider sharing what they can to help endow a scholarship here at Penn State for a men’s soccer player. Mack was a third grade soccer player — and he dreamed big. He wanted to be the goalkeeper for the US National Soccer Team some day. I’d like to think he would have made it. As his Dad said today, that in endowing a Penn State soccer player, Mack “will, in some sense, ‘be on the field’ that he had hoped to play on someday.”

Please take the time to read the note shared at the Schreyer Honors College site.

Memorial gifts may be made online at http://givenow.psu.edu or by sending a check, payable to Penn State with “In memory of Mack Brady” in the memo line, to: Penn State University, One Old Main, University Park, PA 16802.