In a release made by his family to the Associated Press this morning, Joe Paterno's death was confirmed. He was 85.
Monday was a day that we all feared was looming, but didn’t want to admit. We were scared to think what a society without Joe Paterno would be like. Well, friends, alumni, and fans, today, January 23rd, marks the first day of that post-Joe Paterno world.
At the opening of Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Governor Tom Corbett addressed his fellow board members and the public on hand. Corbett commended the Penn State student body for its positivity since early November.
THON announced that Canning Weekend #4 will occur the weekend of February 3-5, a week earlier than originally scheduled. The decision was made to "give more students, such as dancers and Committee Members, the opportunity to participate if they so choose," according to the release from THON.
He's gone now, but Joe Paterno's impact on this world may never fully be realized. One day, my kids will have Joe Paterno to thank for being a part of making them who they are -- because he will always be a part of me. People will debate his legacy for the rest of time, but I know the real heart of Joe Paterno.
Thank you Coach. I will forever be in your debt.
We all knew this day would come, as it will for all of us, and we knew that day seemed near as Coach Paterno's cancer and subsequent treatments appeared in the news. Yet, none of us truly know how to react to the loss of a man whose impact we cannot measure, a man that we knew so well yet barely knew at all.