# Happy belated 80th birthday, Joe Pa!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 27, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716 "2006-12-27T04:30:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716/1 "2006-12-27T04:30:57Z")

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[Mr. Penn State, Joe Pa turned 80 on the 21st](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06355/747801-143.stm). I salute Joe Paterno because he’s one of the folks in college sports who has the priorities right-he’s about building young men more than winning games. He chugs along, shrugging off his detractors, and gets the job done, causing me fondly remember educators in my own past who made an impression owing to their convictions.

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**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716/2 "2006-12-27T05:34:02Z")

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I think Joe PA is the reason you never hear of recruiting scandals or crap at PSU. The man is old school, salt of the Earth. And a regular Joe (no pun…) Be a shame when he is gone. ☹

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**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716/3 "2006-12-27T07:16:59Z")

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Penn State’s library, Pattee Library, is now known as Pattee-Paterno Library thanks to a million-dollar gift from JoePa. The man has his priorities right.

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**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716/4 "2006-12-27T13:08:17Z")

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Whatever issues I have with Penn State, and whatever issues I have with Paterno, I can’t fault him for his character.

Robin

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**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-belated-80th-birthday-joe-pa/385716/5 "2006-12-27T16:49:35Z")

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Despite my hatred for football-mania, there’s barely a book I open that doesn’t have a ‘Donated by Joe Paterno’ faceplate inside it. And the football players that I have had in my classes have been (well, 2 out of the 3) good students and fairly dedicated getting a good grade.