Created in 1968 by alumnus John Filippone, the Glee Club Patch remains an integral part of the Glee Club uniform and identity today. Noted for its design, the Glee Club patch integrates many musical symbols as well as symbology important to Penn State as a whole creating a single cohesive icon the Glee Club proudly calls its own.
Decoding the Glee Club Patch
- Shape at the top that encircles Penn State: symbol for the “first son” in heraldry and the negative space below become the keystones, a symbol synonymous with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Keystone state.
- Red symbol on the left: the modern day tenor clef
- Red symbol on the right: the placement of the note “c” in early music
- Central Figure: represents a lyre, a historically important instrument in choral singing as well as in the founding of the Glee Club & Mandolin Choir. The figure also acts as a visual pun. The lyre is intended to depict a conductor with raised arms.
- Enclosure at the bottom that encircles Glee Club: typical collegiate draped iconography to tie together the design