PSU should create a memorial at statue location

[buddy]

(Letter to the editor / Pgh Post Gazette)

PSU should create a memorial at statue location
July 21, 2012 12:04 am

Many people are calling for the removal of Joe Paterno's statue, but I think this gesture would feel hollow and leave a scar in the statue's current location.

Instead, Penn State should create a memorial.

I recently visited the Flight 93 Memorial near Ligonier and was reminded of the power a well-conceived memorial can wield.

I had similar experiences at the Vietnam War memorial and the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C.

A memorial could symbolize and define Penn State's response to this tragedy.

In Penn State's president's words: "although we cannot undo history, we can ... reaffirm our core values of honesty, integrity and justice."

The right memorial could communicate this message in an effective and lasting manner.

A well-conceived memorial would help us focus on the victims.

It could also remind us that power, money, fame, pursuing a legacy, protecting a worthy cause and attaining greatness can potentially cause the best among us to bend or possibly look the other way -- and enable the horrific.

Personally, I believe Paterno's accomplishments and acts of selflessness should be included.

They would make the memorial's lessons all the more powerful, because he fell far and hard.

Penn State should have a competition to identify the best ideas for a memorial.

Maybe the statue stays because it makes the memorial more effective.

Maybe it goes.

But at least Penn State will be able to review submissions from the country's best artists, designers and scholars before it decides.

I expect a donor who appreciates the benefits such a memorial would bestow upon Penn State and our society would feel honored to underwrite such an effort.

GARY SCHWAGER
Squirrel Hill

 

[yyz]

You know, I think everyone already gets where you stand on this shit after the first 20 threads.

Maybe you can dedicate one worthless thread to Penn State, and leave it at that?

 

[The Boys]

We need to move on now...........

 

[greggraffin]

You know, I think everyone already gets where you stand on this shit after the first 20 threads.

Maybe you can dedicate one worthless thread to Penn State, and leave it at that?

:mj07: , i was thinking it

 

[Cie]

Do as you will with th statue. Franco harris and those kooks lining up to take pictures with the statue of this this deceased would-be felon are an embarrassment.

 

[Cie]

Who in their right mind worships a statue of a man whose efforts to preserve his career, reputation and precious football program included covering up child molestation on campus and allowing a known pedophile to rape children for over a decade?

I simply don't understand this.....

 

[the addict]

Who in their right mind worships a statue of a man whose efforts to preserve his career, reputation and precious football program included covering up child molestation on campus and allowing a known pedophile to rape children for over a decade?

I simply don't understand this.....

The part that confuses me, is he did it in big part to maintain his reputation. He didn't want to tarnish what people thought:

But if he would of went and sold out sandusky immediatley, a life long friend, his reputation would've bein even more then the already outstanding one he had. People would've used words like brave, corageous, morals, when a person is conscious enough of a childs innocence that he would sacrafice a life long friendship to save the children who were victims of a sick disgusting man. The pennstate brand would've stayed at the top and remained a top class university. I just don't get the thought process. So then I think, he must not of done it for any other reason then to simply save his friend, who was also a outstanding coach. he valued what sandusky was to him more then he valued the children. That to me is disgusting, and I loved joepa...he was my avatar here. I am stil disgusted by what happened. Sometimes when I see my daughter, I am often times thinking about the poor victims.

Love psu, and don't think at all pennstate should hold their heads low or face huge punishment, although there should be some. I am psu alum, and as a part of the family, I am no more responsible then any of you people here. A couple of powerful people made horrible decisions. Not the first time. When a president makes a bad decision, we all don't blame the country. Its a terrible thing, but glad the statue is down, and hope we can now move on.

 

[fatdaddycool]

The part that confuses me, is he did it in big part to maintain his reputation. He didn't want to tarnish what people thought:

But if he would of went and sold out sandusky immediatley, a life long friend, his reputation would've bein even more then the already outstanding one he had. People would've used words like brave, corageous, morals, when a person is conscious enough of a childs innocence that he would sacrafice a life long friendship to save the children who were victims of a sick disgusting man. The pennstate brand would've stayed at the top and remained a top class university. I just don't get the thought process. So then I think, he must not of done it for any other reason then to simply save his friend, who was also a outstanding coach. he valued what sandusky was to him more then he valued the children. That to me is disgusting, and I loved joepa...he was my avatar here. I am stil disgusted by what happened. Sometimes when I see my daughter, I am often times thinking about the poor victims.

Love psu, and don't think at all pennstate should hold their heads low or face huge punishment, although there should be some. I am psu alum, and as a part of the family, I am no more responsible then any of you people here. A couple of powerful people made horrible decisions. Not the first time. When a president makes a bad decision, we all don't blame the country. Its a terrible thing, but glad the statue is down, and hope we can now move on.

A very interesting post as you are an alum and I guess former Joe Paterno fan.
First of all I guess it goes without saying you aren't real happy about all the public shit your school is taking and I am sure that sucks for you and I mean that sincerely not sarcastically. I would be pissed if it happened to my alma mater.
Anyway, what is your take on the thought process of Joe? I mean, do you think that his age, coupled with his local and national fame perverted his thinking? I personally think he had become an ineffective coach some years ago and he truly seemed to be slow to catch up with the changing game. That is just my observation, I am asking if you had any similar. I think he really believed he could cover this up but I also don't know that he truly understood the severity of the molestations or the true number. He lived in a little Utopia where with a wave of the hand he could do whatever he wanted. I have to believe that he and Sandusky spoke on the subject at some point and maybe Jerry convinced him it was something different? I don't know because I don't understand the logic but I was curious to hear your take on it.

Cheers,
FDC

 

[the addict]

FDC

Ive thought about it a lot. I am as perplexed as everyone as to the thought process of any of the individuals involved. As far as joepa, yes he should have retired 10 years prior imo as far as the coaching aspect goes. He was not able to relate to the new generation in any way possible. he would of done the univeristy good to retire years ago.

As far as sandusky and his relationship, I am not sure. I am sure they spoke about it. I also think sandusky explained the situation much differently then what it really was, like any criminal does. I think joe expected things to go much differently, and felt like it would vanish in a couple of years. I have no doubt that joe knew more then what he would like people to believe. "Horsing around in the shower"...I don't care how you interpret it, its disgusting to any degree.....

He was a man I looked up to very much. Now, I just pray noone ever has the type of power he did at psu, because we have seen how to much power, mixed with the wrong people in the wrong environment can make anyone do stupid things.

Like I said, as part of the penn state family, I am no more responsible then anyone else here. But I do think the punishment was fair, and understand why it was done. I just hate seeing all of the other people involved with the program for the past 15 years forgotten about and punished for the actons of a few. That being said, they are not victims. The only victims were those children involved. That is why I said I am totally ok with the punishments.

Joepa should've done so much more, in many different spots.....he should've walked away from the program, he should've thought about the children, and he should've put those children above everything else, including the football program.

I just hope we can in years coming move on and build the university reputation and football program again to the hihest standards, all while never forgetting the innocent children involved and the way too much power caused this mess. As long as we move forward, and never forget those things I think psu will be fine...


Fuck you sandusky

 

[fatdaddycool]

FDC

Ive thought about it a lot. I am as perplexed as everyone as to the thought process of any of the individuals involved. As far as joepa, yes he should have retired 10 years prior imo as far as the coaching aspect goes. He was not able to relate to the new generation in any way possible. he would of done the univeristy good to retire years ago.

As far as sandusky and his relationship, I am not sure. I am sure they spoke about it. I also think sandusky explained the situation much differently then what it really was, like any criminal does. I think joe expected things to go much differently, and felt like it would vanish in a couple of years. I have no doubt that joe knew more then what he would like people to believe. "Horsing around in the shower"...I don't care how you interpret it, its disgusting to any degree.....

He was a man I looked up to very much. Now, I just pray noone ever has the type of power he did at psu, because we have seen how to much power, mixed with the wrong people in the wrong environment can make anyone do stupid things.

Like I said, as part of the penn state family, I am no more responsible then anyone else here. But I do think the punishment was fair, and understand why it was done. I just hate seeing all of the other people involved with the program for the past 15 years forgotten about and punished for the actons of a few. That being said, they are not victims. The only victims were those children involved. That is why I said I am totally ok with the punishments.

Joepa should've done so much more, in many different spots.....he should've walked away from the program, he should've thought about the children, and he should've put those children above everything else, including the football program.

I just hope we can in years coming move on and build the university reputation and football program again to the hihest standards, all while never forgetting the innocent children involved and the way too much power caused this mess. As long as we move forward, and never forget those things I think psu will be fine...


Fuck you sandusky

First of all thank you for your honesty and candor, and for replying of course.
I have to agree with you on pretty much everything. I do think Joe wanted to believe his friend Sandusky and as we now know Sandusky took advantage of everything and everyone he could. While I don't have a real feeling on whether or not the sanctions were justified I would have liked to have seen a bit more done about the awareness of the subject in the future.
I would actually like to see Penn State come out of this an even better university with a better social awareness that things go wrong when we lose touch. Definitely agree about the real victims of this mess.
I am assuming that Sandusky lied to joepa for the most part and tried to cover it up a great deal. I also think that maybe joepa didn't know for sure the extent of what was going on but I would also have to assume he had an inkling or an idea of it.
I wonder what joepa's legacy would have looked like today had he retired in 2002. ya know. Assuming that all this would have come out like it did at the time that it did.


Again, sorry about all this for you and the rest of the alums, what a kick in the nads man.

 

[ripken8]

FDC

Ive thought about it a lot. I am as perplexed as everyone as to the thought process of any of the individuals involved. As far as joepa, yes he should have retired 10 years prior imo as far as the coaching aspect goes. He was not able to relate to the new generation in any way possible. he would of done the univeristy good to retire years ago.

As far as sandusky and his relationship, I am not sure. I am sure they spoke about it. I also think sandusky explained the situation much differently then what it really was, like any criminal does. I think joe expected things to go much differently, and felt like it would vanish in a couple of years. I have no doubt that joe knew more then what he would like people to believe. "Horsing around in the shower"...I don't care how you interpret it, its disgusting to any degree.....

He was a man I looked up to very much. Now, I just pray noone ever has the type of power he did at psu, because we have seen how to much power, mixed with the wrong people in the wrong environment can make anyone do stupid things.

Like I said, as part of the penn state family, I am no more responsible then anyone else here. But I do think the punishment was fair, and understand why it was done. I just hate seeing all of the other people involved with the program for the past 15 years forgotten about and punished for the actons of a few. That being said, they are not victims. The only victims were those children involved. That is why I said I am totally ok with the punishments.

Joepa should've done so much more, in many different spots.....he should've walked away from the program, he should've thought about the children, and he should've put those children above everything else, including the football program.

I just hope we can in years coming move on and build the university reputation and football program again to the hihest standards, all while never forgetting the innocent children involved and the way too much power caused this mess. As long as we move forward, and never forget those things I think psu will be fine...


Fuck you sandusky

Very well said addict. :toast: