A long trip and several hours of waiting in line was a small price to pay for the chance to say goodbye to their hero. Watch video
Ed Hoffman saw Joe Paterno lead Penn State onto the football field more times than perhaps anyone else living in the Lehigh Valley, but on Tuesday he wasn't able to make it to University Park, Pa., to pay his respects to the legendary coach, who died Sunday.
The 86-year-old Northampton man, who graduated from Penn State in 1950 and has been a season-ticket holder with seats on the 20-yard line throughout the decades since, was home caring for his wife, Shirley, who was ill and in the hospital.
So his son did what his father couldn't do.
Tom Hoffman, 52, of Bethlehem, joined the more than 1,000 people who as of Tuesday afternoon were lined up outside Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on campus to attend a viewing for Paterno.
With Tom Hoffman was his wife, Diane, 51.
The couple decided Monday night to make the trek from the Lehigh Valley to Happy Valley.
"It wasn't about football," Tom Hoffman said of Paterno. "It was about the kids. It was about helping them learn. It was about making men out of them."
The Hoffmans were at least 50 yards deep in the line leading into the viewing, but were still ahead of hundreds of others, including several from the Lehigh Valley who said the nearly six-hour round-trip drive and several hours of waiting in line were a small price to pay for the chance to say goodbye to their hero.
The front of the line
Among those who claimed a spot in the line early was Peter Kurecian, 57, of Hellertown. Kurecian, a Freedom High School graduate who is also a proud Penn State alumnus, was the 15th person to show up at the entrance.
"It's something I really felt I needed to do," said Kurecian, a season ticket holder since 1972 whose son, Max, is currently a sophomore at Penn State.
Kurecian drove up to State College, Pa., by himself on Monday night and got in line at 9:45 Tuesday morning.
"It's like a pilgrimage," he said before the doors opened.
Kurecian, who works for Lehigh Valley Dairy, choked up while talking about Paterno. Kurecian ran several hotels in the State College area in the 1980s and would often help make arrangements for players' parents through Paterno's secretary. He had an opportunity to meet Paterno face-to-face on a few occasions.
"There was just an aura about him," he said.
After the viewing, Kurecian said he felt the brief time he had to stand before the closed casket of Paterno made the whole trip worthwhile.
Like Kurecian, George Barkman, 72, of Weisenberg Township, also made his "pilgrimage" alone. His relationship with Penn State and Paterno is similar to that of many others in the Lehigh Valley. He was simply a fan who respected the coach and rooted for the team mostly by watching them play on television.
"There's never going to be any guys like Joe -- ever," Barkman said. "I think he was honest. His players loved him because he was honest."
Memories shared during wait
Barkman was toward the back of the line as of 1 p.m., but there were few indications of impatience. People mostly spoke quietly among themselves. There were obvious signs of eavesdropping; someone would be chatting with someone else about a Paterno memory and draw smiles from others in the vicinity.
The ages, attires and hometowns of the fans varied greatly. The several dozen who were with Kurecian at the front of the line hailed from Pittsburgh, Scranton, Philadelphia and elsewhere.
Middle-aged men decked out in business suits stood next to college-aged women wearing sweatpants and Uggs. A family from Harrisburg surrounded an elderly man in a wheelchair. His shoulders were draped with a blanket and a Penn State ball cap covered his head.
Linda Arnowitt wore a Penn State sweatshirt with a Nittany Lion pin affixed to her chest. Arnowitt also drove alone from the Lehigh Valley to State College.
The 59-year-old Coopersburg woman, who graduated in 1974 from Penn State, said she's held Paterno in the highest regard ever since tutoring one of Paterno's players in the early 1970s for a political science class.
"He always thanked us for doing that kind of stuff," said Arnowitt, adding the coach autographed several photos for her. "He appreciated anything anybody did."
Marriage stands tests
Arnowitt's husband, Bob Hosier, was an Easton Area High School football standout in the late 1960s, but never shared the same passion for Penn State as his wife, she said. Arnowitt joked that she didn't even bother asking him to join her on today's trip.
But his lack of interest in the team hasn't swayed Arnowitt from being a regular at Beaver Stadium over the years. She and a group of friends are season ticket holders who rarely miss home games.
She recalled one game when she yelled down to Paterno from the stands and asked him for a picture. The coach not only turned around, but he struck a pose.
Tom Hoffman said many of his fondest memories of watching Paterno are family memories. The tradition his father created has made family reunions a common occurrence, at least on certain Saturdays in the fall at Beaver Stadium.
He said he hopes those reunions will continue this coming fall, even though Paterno won't be there.
Asked how long they plan to keep their season tickets, Diane Hoffman simply responded: "As long as we can afford it."