YORK, Pa. — A cap and gown — also called regalia — are symbols of commencement or graduation, but for Logan Kline, graduating on Friday, Dec. 15, at Penn State York, those clothing items mean so much more. He is wearing the regalia his father, Charles S. Kline, wore when he graduated in 2004 with an associate degree in mechanical engineering technology from the York campus. The commencement is set for 6 p.m. in the Pullo Family Performing Arts Center on campus and is free and open to the public.

Kline will wear his tassel for the class of 2023, but his other commencement attire is all in honor of his father. He is excited to make his father proud by wearing it again.

“It is difficult to describe the sentimental value in wearing the same regalia that my father wore during his graduation but it is an immense appreciation,” he said “My dad went back to school after working for a few years out of high school and starting a family, so I find an immeasurable appreciation and admiration in it all.  He was a hard-working father who decided to go back to school to further his education to provide for our family with better opportunities.”

A biology major with an interest in greenhouse management and regenerative farming at the York campus, Kline transferred to Penn State York during the height of the pandemic to get closer to home for familial health reasons as well as the financial savings of being able to commute. A graduate of Eastern York High School in 2018, Kline grew up in Hellam, Pennsylvania in York County.

During his time at the York campus, Kline interned at the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education in Hellam and had hands-on opportunities in the greenhouse with growing plants, seeding, and other horticulture-related tasks. When he completed his internship, he continued to work there as a paid employee while finishing his degree. Kline hopes to pursue a career in this field and perhaps at Horn Farm.

While on campus, Kline was involved with the Biology Club and took part in some campus activities and attended sporting events.

Summing up his thoughts about his time on campus, Kline said, “The interpersonal relationships built with other students and particularly the biology department professors and classmates was something I think I will always remember fondly.  The friends, connections, and opportunities that Penn state York offered me over the past few years have been incredibly joyful and important as well.”

A number of family members, including his mom, dad and grandparents, will be attending commencement and Kline is looking forward to his special day celebrating his accomplishments in the same regalia his dad did so many years ago.

Commencement speaker

Penn State York’s commencement speaker is Jeffrey L. Rehmeyer II, attorney and past president of CGA Law Firm in York. He served as president for 10 years, from 2013-22. The CGA Law Firm serves clients throughout south-central Pennsylvania.

He joined the CGA Law Firm in 1995 and provides counsel in a variety of areas including business entity formation, business and estate planning, personal matters, intellectual property, and real estate matters (residential and commercial purchases, sale, leases, financing, and settlements), among others. He started as a law clerk and then progressed to an associate attorney. After practicing with the firm for four years, he became a shareholder. He has served on nearly all of the firm’s committees including marketing, building, and executive. He has been in management for twenty years.

Early in his career, he was an adjunct professor at Penn State York, York College of Pennsylvania, and Duquesne University. Those teaching efforts subsided as he was growing his law practice and focused on managing the firm. In recent years, he has been doing more seminars, both in person and online. He is about to publish a book on Estate Planning and Administration called "The S.M.A.R.T. Estate Plan."

Rehmeyer is a graduate of Penn State Dickinson Law, where he earned a juris doctorate and graduated cum laude. He is a member of the Woolsack Honor Society and was editor and author of the Dickinson Law Review. He also holds a bachelor of arts in economics from California State University at Long Beach and graduated with honors.

He began serving on the Penn State York Advisory Board in 2012 and works as a member and general counsel. Throughout his years on the board, he has provided guidance and support to help Penn State York move forward in the community. He has also been involved on the board serving on the Executive Committee and Community Engagement Advisory Group. Rehmeyer also works with the Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Penn State York.

Rehmeyer’s Penn State connections do not stop there, two of his three children are graduates of the University, as well as his brother, aunt, and his wife’s uncle.

In addition to serving on the board at Penn State York, he has served in the community for several nonprofit entities, including many boards and foundations, as counsel or as a member.

In his spare time, Rehmeyer enjoys camping, hiking, motorcycle riding, pickleball, and traveling. He resides in Jacobus, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Michele, and they recently celebrated their twenty-sixth wedding anniversary. They have three children, Derek, Collin, and Rachel.

In addition to hearing from Rehmeyer, James Ye, representing the class of fall 2023, graduating cum laude with degrees in business and project and supply chain management, will say a few words. Penn State York will also continue its open microphone tradition when graduates can speak to the audience for a moment.

A total of 37 students will participate in the commencement ceremony including 31 fall York campus graduates, four summer graduates, and two students who earned their degrees through the World Campus of Penn State.

For those who cannot attend the event, Penn State York’s commencement can be viewed on Comcast cable channel 18 or streaming live on the York campus website.