Joe Paterno Public Viewing Ends Early

Stephen Molitierno was one of the last to view Joe Paterno’s closed casket at a public viewing Wednesday, emerging from Pasquerilla Spiritual Center shortly before noon.

He drove in from his home in Pittsburgh this morning, slightly surprised traffic wasn’t bad, jumped in line back at the Borland Building and waited what he said seemed like 90 minutes to pay final respects to Paterno, who passed away Sunday and will be buried Wednesday afternoon.

“How do you not show up for something like this?” said Molitierno, Class of ’77, who recently retired from IBM after spending 30 years with the company in Washington, D.C. 

Paterno’s viewing ended at 11:30 a.m., 22.5 hours after the public was first allowed to enter. (The building closed between about 11 p.m. Tuesday and roughly 8 a.m. Wednesday.)

The viewing Wednesday was scheduled to end at noon, but the family requested it end early, university police said. Police said they did not tell people to leave but cautioned that they may not be allowed to enter once they reached the doors.

An officer at the front entrance of Pasquerilla said he did not hear of any incidents from anyone upset they could not attend the viewing. An estimated total of 27,000 visitors passed through to pay final respects at Tuesday’s viewing, according to staff at the facility. Thousands more paid tribute Wednesday, though no estimates are available at this time.

Soon after Molitierno walked out, former wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo, one of the last of the honorary guards standing by Paterno’s casket, exited.

At one point during the viewing, Cefalo was approached by Ki-Jana Carter.

“Mind if I take over for you?” Carter asked him.

“Yeah, but I want you to stand next to me.”

Cefalo will speak at Thursday’s memorial service at the Bryce Jordan Center.

“The interview I gave to the lettermen was about what’s Joe’s legacy,” Cefalo said. “And the answer is, his legacy is us. Generations of these young people from coal mines and steel towns. It’s not 409 wins. It’s not two national championships and it isn’t five-time coach of the year.

“It’s us.”

A private funeral will start at 2 p.m. at Pasquerilla and will be followed by a procession through campus and downtown State College at 3 p.m. The burial is private.

Related content

• StateCollege.com’s Joe Paterno news page

• StateCollege.com’s Penn State news page