The passing
of Joe Paterno this week has exposed the complexity in the rhetoric of tragedy.
While there are still undertones of anger and disapproval surrounding the end
of Joe’s career, this week focused more on the sadness of his departure from
this life, and the joy he created in the lives of so many others. From the
thousands upon thousands of students, alumni, and fans that paid their respects
in the last few days at the vigil, viewing, and the funeral procession through
state college, it’s become apparent that JoePa was much more than a football
coach to so many.
The complexity of the emotions that
stem from his passing, however, was most evident to me as I sat in my living
room watching the Joe Paterno memorial in the BJC. There was the still present
feeling of resentment towards the Board of Trustees. Phil Knight, co-founder of
Nike, stated that “if there is a villain in this tragedy it is in the
investigation, not in the response of Joe Paterno,” and continued to
rhetorically ask, “Who is the real trustee at Penn State University?” After
which statements, he received a standing ovation from the audience. In a
similar vain, Jay Paterno told the audience “Joe Paterno left this world with a
clear conscience.” Although the references to the scandal were limited, a few
of the speakers still felt the need to address them; to tell the audience and
the world that JoePa is not the villain the media had made him to be before his
passing.
Most prevalent, of course, were the
overtones of sadness and grievance for the loss of such a great man. The
University has lost their idol and continues to grapple with how to move
forward from such a loss. Speakers often found themselves needing to pause to
breathe and regroup, the cameras frequently cut to the grieving family as they
held each other, and each video montage played a song that reminded us of what
we have lost. Most surprisingly, however, was the undertone of joy – joy for
Joe’s life, for his contributions, for his dedication, whether direct or
indirect, to every student on this campus. As one of the speakers said, “the
greatness and the legacy of Joe Paterno lies within each of us.” The light in
all of this is that, although he is gone physically, he lives on eternally
through each and every one of us.
That’s the rhetoric of tragedy and
of loss isn’t it? A confused, jumbled, rollercoaster of words and emotions.
There’s no right way and no wrong way to go about grieving. But, if you ask me,
the Penn State community has handled the passing of Joe Paterno with a measure
of great dignity, respect, and grace in light of the disparaging eyes of the
rest of the world. The rhetoric since his passing has been based on mutual
support, mutual respect, mutual shock, and mutual love for JoePa and his
family. As he created a team on the football field year after year, he created
the team that is this great Penn State University.
Jay Paterno's final words to his father, Joe:
"Dad, you won. You did all you could do. You've done enough. We all love you; you've won. You can go home now." - RIP Joseph Vincent Patero, 12/21/1926-1/22/2012. Legends never die.
