Letter to Joe - JoePa the Educator

(Written for facebook on 1/21/12 when rumors of Joe's health were circulating)

Roads closed to Joe's house. Students are assembling at his statue. I hate that he may be silenced and unable to clear his name. The media will get to sell papers and mutilate a good man's name, and he may never get to tell his story. It's wrong.I am so sad for this family.

He was an educator first. NOT a football coach. An educator. What he did for the University and the State of Pennsylvania ...is immeasurable, and should not be disrespected or denied. If you have no link to the school, you would assume it was about football, and you would be wrong. He was a real person. NOT untouchable. He walked the streets of the town, he insisted on tradition and emphasized education. He took less pay and donated to the university annually. He built a wing to the library. He participated in Thons. He believed that Penn State was the State, and he helped to see the University offer branch campuses that extend across the State and that are key employers for these communities. His team's revenue helped to give scholarships to THOUSANDS of student athletes. His graduation rate and his alumni that went pro are unchallenged.

To have met Joe Paterno once left a mark on you. I was a swimmer when I attended PSU, and one of our challenges was to run ALL the stairs of the stadium. It was daunting. My legs felt like jello and as I stared at my feet hoping I'd make it without fainting, I heard a voice yell, "WE ARE", I looked up and saw Joe. He cheered us on and we yelled back "PENN STATE" and picked our tired legs up with pride. He believed in us, so we believed.

He taught all of us lessons, not about football, but about loyalty, education and tenacity. If tonight is the last for Joe Paterno, I hope he feels the love of the State that he dedicated his life to. God Bless the Paterno family, My thoughts and prayers are with you. Joe's lessons live on. May you find peace in knowing that he lives on in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of alumni.

Stacy Olexy
Class of '96