Four years ago, when Sedell's parents wanted to sell the restaurant, Thorpe and Sedell decided to buy it. Now, after finishing the day at the water authority, Thorpe heads over to Twirly Top. He's there six nights a week.
Thorpe does intend to return to Harvard eventually, even if it's during his retirement.
"I'll come back long enough to finish up that part of my life," Thorpe says.
But he has firm plans to spend the rest of his life in south central Pennsylvania where he enjoys the quieter way of life and the connections to his roots.
Thorpe says he has never regretted his return to his family and the region where he grew up.
"I met a man years ago whom everyone loved and respected. And he never spoke of his job," Thorpe says. "I'm sure people knew what he did for a living, but it was never a topic of conversation-it was the rest of his life that people talked about.
"I had a lot of respect for that man."
Besides, he says, "what was I going to do in south central Pennsylvania with a degree from Harvard?"