STATE COLLEGE, Pa.The second day of a public viewing for Joe Paterno began early on Wednesday. To accommodate a long line that formed outside the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Penn State Universitys campus, officials opened the doors about 30 minutes ahead of time, allowing people to begin paying their respects around 7:30 a.m.
Campus police estimated that more than 27,000 peopleincluding current and former players, coaches, family, students and the publicpaid their respects to Paterno on Tuesday, the first day of the viewing. Paterno, who was 85, passed away on Sunday about two and a half months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
The viewing on Wednesday is scheduled to end at noon. It will be followed by a private service for friends at family at the Pasquerilla Center at 2 p.m. According to a press release issued by the university, Paternos funeral procession will begin at 3 p.m. and wind its way through campus. From the statement:
The procession will leave the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, turn left onto Curtin Road near the Pattee-Paterno Library and travel Curtin Road past Beaver Stadium. The procession will then turn right onto Porter Road and turn right onto College Avenue, heading west through downtown State College. The burial is private.
On Thursday at 2 p.m. there will be a public event called A Memorial for Joe held at the Bryce Jordan Center near Beaver Stadium. Tickets are sold out. University officials did not officially cancel classes for Thursday, but they did issue a statement on the school web site permitting students to attend the memorial in lieu of class that day.
"University Faculty Senate policy on class attendance fittingly affirms that students may opt to miss a class meeting due to unavoidable circumstances such as family emergency or religious observance," the school said on its website. "The memorial service is well within the intent of these provisions. For many students, the memorial will provide a positive opportunity to express grief and reinforce their understanding that they are members of a caring community."
Theyre treating him as a family member for the whole campus, said a reporter for the school paper, which he was.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com