It’s drawn nationwide attention and controversy in recent days; the idea of adding the Paterno name at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Trustee Anthony Lubrano said, “Our proposal actually entails two components. The first would be Sue and Joe Paterno Day in the fall, at which time we'll unveil Paterno Field at Beaver Stadium.”
Lubrano is among those heading the push to further honor the Paterno family, but there's plenty of push back, even from the university administration.
“Quite frankly, the administration would prefer we take no action at this time. They don’t think it’s the right time for us to move forward with this.”
An underlying concern is stirring up memories of the Sandusky scandal, even though Joe Paterno was never charged, and prosecutors repeatedly said he didn’t do anything wrong. But, in the court of public opinion, thoughts continue to linger.
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Lubrano said, “We have to stop the fear mongering. This is the right thing to do and this is a teachable moment, so we actually meet our mission of teaching research and service.”
Lubrano, a man who knows about fundraising and public naming rights, with a Beaver Stadium renovation on the drawing board, said adding the Paterno name benefit fundraising.
“We’ve made that point, but I think we’re a long way from renovations. We still have to get through the process of understanding the options and the cost before we can be in a position where we make a decision.”
Lubrano denied working in secret on the project, saying he's been in communication with university leaders for several years, and even did his own opinion poll.
He said, “I went out on social media a few weeks back and I posed a question: ‘Is it time?’, and there were 30,000 responses. I never had anything like that. There might have been a handful who said no, but the rest of them were overwhelmingly in support.”
He adds that the push to further honor the Paternos will continue.
“So we need to stop with this self-guilt. At the end of the day, Joe and Sue Paterno have given more to this institution than any two people in my lifetime. They deserve to be recognized for it.”
At Friday’s Penn State trustee meeting, Lubrano first offered resolution to honor Paternos, but, after fellow trustee Jay Paterno spoke about reigniting the soul of Penn State, he suggested holding the resolution for a future date. Lubrano agreed, and withdrew the resolution.
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