By Paul Marboe, GoPSUsports.com Student Writer

Paul Marboe is a freshman student who interns with the Penn State Athletic Communications office.  He has lived in State College throughout his life, and offers a local view of Coach Paterno.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Joe Paterno will be remembered by many people for 409 wins, five undefeated seasons, and two National Championships.  For those that have lived in State College or attended Penn State, that is just the start.  Joe Paterno was about more than football.  He was about integrity, loyalty, character, and humility.  Paterno was about education, charity, and community.  He was about being a good family man.  Joe Paterno was a man that everyone in the community knew and loved.

In talking to a friend of mine in the days after Joe Paterno passed away, we decided that losing Joe was like losing a grandfather, even to those of us who never met him.  Growing up in State College, Paterno was a model for us of how to do things the right way and with great passion.  We grew up learning about Paterno's values of integrity, loyalty, character, and humility, epitomized by the phrase, "Success with Honor".   Those were core values for everyone in our community and ones that everyone wanted to live by.  Joe Paterno was a hero to us and someone that we looked up to as how to live our lives the right way.

The events of this week have been a very nice tribute to the man that Joe Paterno was.  The candlelight vigil, organized by students, showed what he meant to Penn State.  Students came together to mourn, but also to say thanks to the man who had given so much to our university.  After the vigil on the Old Main lawn, we all proceeded to walk to the Paterno Statue.  On our walk, we approached Beaver Stadium, with the magnificent glow that surrounded it. The scene was amazing with how it lit up the sky and the town.  On the video board was the single picture of Joe smiling with his arms crossed, and under were the words "Joseph Vincent Paterno 1926-2012".  The walk ended at the statue, where many paid their respects, including a "We Are...Penn State" chant.

The simplicity of the viewing made it very special. We all heard about how Joe was just a simple, normal guy.  By sticking to his values, he created a life that many admired. A former and current player, representing the generations of people that Coach Paterno had influenced, flanked the closed casket.

On Wednesday, thousands of people lined the streets to "Guide Joe Home".  This showed the closeness and togetherness of the Penn State community.  This represented one of Joe's best traits, his ability to bring people together.  Throughout his coaching career, Paterno brought together players from many different races and backgrounds with the goal of creating a team - a team where no one was bigger than the team and every player would proudly represent Penn State.

The public memorial left many speechless.  It was a very moving event filled with great speakers.  Through all of the stories and the speeches, everything that I had heard about Joe Paterno, when I was a kid, was reinforced.  Though it is impossible to put a number on how many lives Paterno had touched, it was clear that Joe had touched each of these speakers in his own unique way.  No two speakers shared the same story or the same reason for why Joe was so special.

Joe Paterno's influence is spread across generations of the State College community.  Growing up, I learned about the true character of Joe Paterno.  Everyone in State College has a "Joe" story, my family included.  In the 1960's, my grandparents lived in an apartment building on East McCormick Avenue.  Joe, then an assistant coach, and his wife, Sue, lived in a townhouse on Old Boalsburg Road.  On Sundays, a few men in the neighborhood, including my grandfather and Joe Paterno, would gather in a vacant lot on Pugh Street and play football.  To me, this represents the simple man that Paterno wanted to be known as. An assistant at a good football program and on Sundays, he just wanted to play football with the other men.  My parents grew up in State College, attending games in the 1960s and 1970s as kids and seeing the values and successes that Paterno brought to Penn State.  My parents and I have attended almost every home game since I was about 4 years old, because we admire the example that Joe Paterno set for Penn State, college football, and college athletics.

Growing up, I always heard about Joe Paterno, the community man.  The guy who lived in a simple home, drove a simple car, and walked to work every day.  I heard about the family man that he was. That he always had great love for his children and his wife.  I heard about how he would routinely be seen walking around State College and Penn State and took an interest in many people.  In over 60 years, he met a lot of people and touched a lot of lives.  The difference with Joe Paterno was that no matter how big his accomplishments were he never made himself bigger than anyone else in the community.  It seemed like any spotlight even made him a little uncomfortable.  Everyone in our town admired his humility.  State College is a small town with a close community and Joe was part of that community.

As Paterno's legend grew, so did his charity works.  My aunt has Down's syndrome.  When she was younger, she participated in the Pennsylvania Special Olympics, an organization that Joe and Sue Paterno have dedicated much of their lives to.  The organization gives disabled youth and adults an opportunity to compete and enjoy themselves and have fun.  This was a cause that Joe and Sue strongly supported.  My aunt does not watch football. When the news broke that Joe was diagnosed with lung cancer, she was very upset.  She prayed for Joe every day that he would get better and recover.  This was not because of Joe Paterno, the football coach, but because Joe and Sue had given so much to an organization that she enjoyed being a part of.

Joe Paterno's contribution to Penn State is immeasurable.  His belief in education and bettering oneself allowed him to push for the growth of the university and State College.  Along with the growth, came the academic reputation and educational experience that the university offers today.  A lot of national interest that Penn State receives is due to the success of Joe Paterno's Grand Experiment and the values that he brought to this school.

While coaching football is not all that Joe Paterno will be known for in the State College community, it is a huge part of his legend.  Winning the right way, "Success with Honor", and with the right people, was what made Paterno a special coach.  Joe Paterno's Grand Experiment revolutionized what it meant to be a student-athlete.  All Penn State athletic programs follow the standard that Paterno set.  Everyone in the community admires the quality people that Paterno produced through his program. We admired how much Paterno cared about the person that each player was.  Joe changed many lives with his encouragement and values.  Paterno's loyalty and passion for his school and his players will never be matched in college athletics.  The Penn State football tradition, led by Coach Paterno, was made unique by how success was achieved.

This week, the State College and Penn State community lost a very important person in Joe Paterno.  We lost a man that touched everyone in our community.  We lost a man that provided everyone with their own story and memory.  I never met Coach Paterno, but always looked up to him as a role model and hero.  He set an example for all of us in how to live our lives with values and passion.  Though Joe Paterno has passed away, it is important to carry on the values that he lived by and taught us.