Many Pennsylvania State University alumni would be hard-pressed to remember the name of the university president when they were students in the shadow of Mount Nittany.
They'd have an even tougher time recalling the name of their Econ101 professor or the two people who lived next door to them on the second floor of their dormatory.
None of them will forget Joe Paterno, and that goes far beyond the PSU family.
For decades Paterno, who would jog onto the field in his signature khaki's and blue blazer, serious eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses, epitomized the best of college football. He wasn't just a consistent winning coach, his soft-spoken, modest nature endeared him to football fans who were suspect of the bravado of others.
But, more than his performance on the field, Joe Paterno was an intrinsic part of Penn State, and Penn State was part of him.
He coached at only one school in his long career.
It was as if Paterno didn't consider himself an employee of Penn State, but rather a partner. While the university paid him millions of dollars over the course of his tenure, he and his wife gave millions back to the university.
In the terrible final weeks of his life, brought on by scandal and the cancer that ravaged him, he never once expressed anger or sought pity.
Some say we die the way we live. Paterno did just that, with dignity and grace.
Those who were fortunate enough to know him will carry those moments with them to their graves. Those who watched and admired him will call upon what they knew of him as lessons.