MERCER — It’s easy to tell by walking around Mercer Area High School the pride students take in having rock musician Trent Reznor as a predecessor.

“A lot of my kids wear Nine Inch Nails shirts and garb,” said Principal Dr. Hendley Hoge, speaking of Reznor’s band.

Reznor, who graduated in 1983, has gone on to win dozens of awards for his music, including Grammy Awards and platinum records for sales of more than 1 million albums.

Reznor has returned to the area to visit family members and friends over the years, but hadn’t been to the high school in decades. He returned last week to receive his latest award — to the delight of current Mercer students.

“I kept this hush hush until the banquet started,” Hoge said. “When he came down with the two other inductees, that’s when people came out with their cell phones and cameras.”

Reznor, of Los Angeles, was inducted with John G. “Jerry” Johnson and Mindi Lin Griffith Boysen into the high school’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Hoge said he promised Reznor there would be no press present and did not publicize Reznor’s induction ahead of time.

“I was sky high to have him back here,” said Hoge, a former music teacher. “He hadn’t been back to this high school in 23 years.”

Ms. Boysen remembered Reznor from when she was an eighth-grader and he was a senior.

“He was always in the art room when we were in there,” she said.

She also had a poem published next to one of his in the school’s literary magazine, she said.

“It definitely added to the evening,” she said of being honored along with Reznor. “I think it was a treat for everybody.”

The inductions were held as part of the district’s academic awards banquet, which honored students in grades six through 12. More than 300 students and parents attended.

Reznor, who played in the Mercer Community Band, appreciated the freedom he was given in the band and art rooms to work on ideas, Hoge said.

“He comes back now and appreciates the upbringing of being from Mercer,” Hoge said.

It’s a turnaround from past disparaging remarks he made about the area.

“Trent’s past 40 now and he’s somewhat mellowed now,” said Johnson, who sat with Reznor’s grandfathers, George Reznor and Bill Clark, who raised Reznor. “He’s 100 percent for Mercer now.” (Actually, today is Reznor’s 41st birthday.)

Johnson, from the class of 1941, has always been 100 percent for Mercer, hence, his nickname, “Mr. Mercer.” A borough councilman, Johnson is a former mayor and a former county commissioner. He chaired the Mercer County Bicentennial Committee, is a member of a number of organizations and commissions and owns an antique shop in the borough.

Ms. Boysen, a 1987 graduate, was honored for her accomplishments in the fitness industry. The Phoenix resident is a certified lifestyle and weight management consultant, personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She has taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated from, and Purdue University, and has released a series of digital video discs and a book on fitness through golf.

Hoge said the hall inducts former students — 27 so far — who have made a difference in a particular field or in society.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean you had to be the top student when you were here,” Hoge said.

Recalling his school days, Johnson said he was “probably an average student. I probably didn’t apply myself as I could.”

But, he always was inquisitive and “scientific.”

“I thank God that I’ve been able to stabilize myself and try to stabilize those around me,” he said.

Johnson, 83, said he preached a message of following the Golden Rule and acting instead of complaining.

“Nobody’s perfect. I know I’m not,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful life. I love life and I love people.”

Johnson’s said his secret to living to an advanced age has been refusing to allow himself to get depressed.

“If I feel depression coming on, I’ll relax it down and read from the Bible or a book for inspiration and put some music on,” he said.

The diversion usually puts him to sleep, and he wakes up in a better mood, he said.

The inductees are honored with a plaque and photograph of them from high school, which is posted at the school.

While Ms. Boysen said she’s not happy with her high school picture, Hoge said those pictures were chosen because “I thought it was important for the students to see a high school kid, one of their own peers, who has made a difference. I want them to read the bios and say, ‘I can be that, someday.’”

Ms. Boysen said she believed the three inductees presented a wide range of career possibilities to the students.

“I think all of the kids could relate to at least one of us,” she said. “Just because you’re from the little town of Mercer doesn’t mean you can’t do big things.”

Johnson said he enjoyed being around so many young people at the banquet.

“It was nice to be with the younger people and see the future is going to be good,” he said.



Ms. Boysen’s Web site is at www.boysenbodies.com The Nine Inch Nails Web site is www.nin.com