Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno will be buried Wednesday, and his family has scheduled three days of public memorial events this week.

Paterno died Sunday at age 85, less than three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

In a schedule released by a family spokesman, the first public viewing will be held Tuesday, a 10-hour session starting at 1 p.m. at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus.

Another viewing will take place for four hours Wednesday starting at 8 a.m. A private funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. that day.

Finally, a memorial service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Jordan Center, the basketball arena next to Beaver Stadium.

A CAMPUS MOURNS

Thousands of Penn State students and others held a solemn candlelight vigil outside the university's administration building to honor former football coach Joe Paterno.

The hospital says Paterno was surrounded by family members, who have requested privacy.

Glenn Carson
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Listen to Kevin Williams interview with Penn State's Glenn Carson of Manahawkin about Joe Paterno. Kevin interviewed Glenn on WOBM's Topic A program as word of Paterno's death was breaking.

 

 

The gathering was held outside Old Main on Sunday night, several hours after Paterno died of lung cancer at a hospital. Some former Penn State players were among those who spoke, including Oakland Raiders offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski. He says when he thinks back on Paterno's legacy, "the events of the last two months won't even cross my mind."

It's the first of what will be many events to honor the longtime coach. School officials say they are working on plans to commemorate his life and career.

At PSU, tension over ouster, then grief for Joe Pa

 

State College Reacts To News Of Joe Paterno's Death
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Anguished by an unthinkable scandal that shook a university and tarnished its proud football program,
many in the Penn State community rallied around a common cause.

They mourned coach Joe Paterno's dismissal and questioned the motives of school leaders who pushed out Paterno in November in the wake of child sex abuse charges against a retired assistant coach.

Alumni, fans and students already racked by emotions were jolted by a much greater loss when Paterno died Sunday of lung cancer at age 85 -- and the grieving process again could be complicated following two tense months that often had the Paterno family and the school at odds.

Former defensive end Jack Crawford said the scandal overshadowed Paterno's entire body of work and his dedication both on and off the field to Penn State.

Experts: Paterno's death won't stop court cases

 

State College Reacts To News Of Joe Paterno's Death
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Penn State football coach Joe Paterno would have been a dramatic witness at the upcoming trials of his former assistant and two university officials.

But legal experts say his death will have little effect on the criminal and civil cases stemming from the Penn State child-sex scandal.

Duquesne University law professor Nicholas Cafardi says one case will now focus on what graduate assistant Mike McQueary told university officials charged with perjury and failing to report child abuse.

He says Paterno's death removes the distraction of what Paterno did or failed to do.

The 85-year-old Paterno died Sunday, two months after former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged with molesting 10 boys.

Paterno's brief grand jury testimony cannot be used at trial, because defense lawyers never got to cross-examine him.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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