The spirit of Ben’s feelings regarding Joe and Sue Paterno are captured in the words of this letter, written in the days following Joe’s termination as head football coach, by long-time pillars of the State College community Paul and Maralyn Mazza.
Dear Joe and Sue,
We are writing to tell you that the people who love you have very long memories.
When we look back over the years, we do not see a mountain of Paterno kindnesses and accomplishments. We see entire mountain ranges of Paterno kindnesses and accomplishments.
Each mountain has a name. Family Values. Honorable Children and Grandchildren. Loyal Friends. Principled Conduct. Tireless Community Service. Two Lifetimes Of Charitable Giving. Uncounted Secret Kindnesses, Small and Large.
Models for Thousands of Football Coaches. Examples For Tens of Thousands of Players In Many Sports Besides Football. The Creation of the Penn State Brand All Over The World.
These kindnesses and accomplishments cannot and will not be erased by the events of the past week.
All the people who love you must now ask themselves two questions: Who are we? And what do we stand for? When we answer those questions, we must put our chins up, throw our shoulders back, and act like the people you have tried to help us become.
The young men on your football team did not expect these challenges but they can rise to meet these challenges. On the coming Saturdays, with the model of your leadership, they can show us who they are and what they stand for.
Keep your chin up. Throw your shoulders back. Our prayers are with you.
Even as Penn State’s football program will move on under new leadership, the tradition of pursuing excellence on the field, in the classroom and in life that embodies the Grand Experiment will continue to define what it means to be a Nittany Lion. That is the lasting gift of Joe Paterno. Our alma mater and its football team – like life – will go on, but as we go forward, we must not forget our mentors, our role models, our friends – the Paternos. How can we, as Penn Staters, preserve honor for ourselves without lovingly striving to restore the luster to Joe and Sue’s legacy? Franco Harris perhaps said it best: “Joe Paterno would stand up for every Penn Stater. Now it’s time we stand up for him.”
As a Trustee, Ben Novak will dedicate himself to restoring the honor of our friend Joe Paterno.
