| Sue Paterno (right) will continue to donate money from Joe Paterno’s pension back to local charities such as the Special Olympics. |
Joe Paterno and his wife spent years helping to raise funds to expand the Patte Library, Penn State’s university campus. When all was done, the Paternos fueled enough energy to help raise $13.5 million to build an additional wing on to the library, which bears the Paterno name to this day. As reported Tuesday by the Associated Press, the Paterno family will receive pension payments in the amount of $13.4 million from Penn State over the course of the coming years, and the family is already prepared to donate a portion back to university-related and local charities.
This should come as little surprise, of course. During his career Joe Paterno donated plenty of money back to the community and university, in addition to the money he donated to the school for the library. The Paternos have always been humble people, as you could probably tell by the looks of Joa Pa’s home when compared to the mansions of some other coaches. Sure, perhaps Paterno made a fraction of what the elite coaches receive from other schools, but perhaps that is the point here. Paterno was never about making top dollar. Instead he and his family were about donating money to better benefit others.
How else would you explain $4 million and counting in donations to the university, the Special Olympics, THON and more? Former Board Chairman at Sheetz, a regional chain of gas station convenience shops, Buddy Casado said the Paternos were among the most active supporters of the Special Olympics.
“The time that they give is unbelievable – behind the scenes and all the effort – they’re always there for us – for the athletes,” Casado said in an interview for WeAreCentralPA.com. He continued, “The Sheetz family has been involved with Special Olympics for 20 years. I have seen many supporters come and go over that time, but Joe and Sue their commitment has been unwavering for decades.”
Just because Joe is no longer around, does not mean the support form the family will end.
When the initial pension payment of $10.1 million (the remainder will be paid over the next two years) is received by Sue Paterno, Joe Pa’s widow, it should not take long for the Paterno family to make good on their stated commitment to donate $1.5 million to charity.
It is what Joe would have wanted, of course.
Let’s quickly break down Joe Paterno’s pension for a moment, Darren Rovell style…
Joe Paterno earned a pension of a reported $13.4 million since being hired by Penn State as an assistant head coach under Rip Engle in 1950. Paterno earned $600.35 on his pension for every day he was employed. Paterno coached for 42,240 game minutes in his career, netting him $317.23 for every minute he served as an assistant or head coach at Penn State.
Now, please supply me with your headline suggestions for this article while I find a nearby Sheetz so I can grab a Shmuffin…
Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast and managing editor of Nittany Lion’s Den. Follow Kevin on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
