With all the sudden media attention on the Centre region, I thought it would be appropriate to create a User's Guide (or cheat sheet) for the national media to help clarify a few things.
Geography
The town is State College.
The campus of Penn State is University Park.
College Park, on the other hand, is where the University of Maryland is located.
University City is in Philadelphia.
The courthouse is in Bellefonte, pronounced “bell font.” The “e” in the middle and end is silent.
We are located in Centre County. I don't know why it's spelled like that, it just is.
Although you’ll see it on t-shirts and bumper stickers, no one here calls it Happy Valley. It’s like calling New York “The Big Apple.”
Population
Like most towns, a few people have most of the money while the rest of us are middle class to upper middle class. For that reason, you'll see many of the same names on the benefactor lists of local charities. This does not mean that a relationship or conspiracy exists if Mr. Q gave money to both the Second Mile and American Red Cross. The same goes with volunteers. Many of the same people who volunteer their time at one organization do so at others.
The Second Mile was/is a legitimate organization dedicated to improving the welfare of children. It was run by good and decent people. It is sad that the good will of so many people has now been tarnished and that the children who need the programs of the Second Mile will no longer receive it.
People
Jerry Sandusky is (allegedly) an evil man. His name, however, is not Jeff (I'm talking to you, Reuters).
Joe Paterno was the head football coach at Penn State. He was not, however, the moral barometer for our town. Nobody walks around with “what would Joe do?” bracelets. He is just one man.
Final Note
This is a sex abuse scandal, not a sex scandal. Sex scandals happen between adults. Sex abuse, especially rape, is entirely different.
NBC news van spotted Tuesday, November 29, outside the Hampton Inn.
Might add College Station is in Texas, which is where Texas A&M is located, also, Penn is a different school than Penn State. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery true, Joe, as football coach, is not omnipresent, is not sheriff, and did not run the town.
And lastly for those who think Joe simply MUST have known something before 2002; news flash, most child predators operate in secrecy.