Corbett, Most Trustees Not At Paterno Service

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett and most of the Penn State boards of trustees won't be at the Joe Paterno public memorial service at Penn State on Thursday.

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Corbett cancelled an appearance on Thursday in Langhorne, Pa., and said he would not sign a bill in the Philadelphia suburb to show his respect for Penn State alumni.

He also said he would not be at the Paterno memorial at Penn State because he didn't want to cause a distraction.

Corbett is also a member of the Penn State board of trustees as governor, and he played a role in the board's decision to fire Paterno, the long-time coach, in November in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.

A spokeswoman for the trustees also told the Harrisburg Patriot-News that only a handful of trustees will be at the memorial service, which starts at 2 p.m.

“Some board members chose to attend the memorial service and others chose not to for their own individual reasons,” the trustees said in a prepared statement. “All board members understand the pain and grief of the Paterno family and join with all Penn Staters to respect the great contributions Joe Paterno made to Penn State on and off the ballfield over many decades.”

School president Rodney Erickson will be at the memorial at the Jordan Center.

The Paterno family has said publicly at anyone is welcome at the public service.

On Thursday, myfoxphilly.com and Fox 29 will have live video at 2 p.m. of the public memorial service for Paterno at the Jordan Center at State College.

Tickets for the memorial service, which should last about two hours, were gone in 7 minutes on Tuesday.

The 85-year-old Paterno died Sunday of lung cancer. He had been ousted just days before learning of his diagnosis in November, forced out of his job in the wake of child sex-abuse charges against a former assistant.

This week, mourners are focusing on the full body of accomplishments and philanthropy compiled by Paterno over his 46-year tenure as the Nittany Lions' coach.