In a three-hour window, an estimated 10,000 members of the public passed through Pasquerilla Spiritual Center to pay their respects to Joe Paterno, according to a staff member at the on-campus religious center.
He was not aware of any estimate for the total number of people to attend Tuesday’s viewing.
Paterno’s family held a private viewing from 9-9:45 a.m., Pasquerilla staff said. At 10 a.m., current members of the football team and staff paid tribute, followed by hundreds of former lettermen and former staff, including Mike McQueary.
The public viewing was scheduled for 1-11 p.m. A Pasquerilla staff member said there have been discussions about the viewing running through the night until noon Wednesday. He went on to say that decision ultimately rests with the Paterno family.
As of 5 p.m., the line for the public viewing seemed to be dwindling. Earlier, it stretched down Curtin Road to Shortlidge Road.
A second public viewing is scheduled from 8 a.m.-noon Wednesday, followed by a private funeral service at 2 p.m.
Around 3 p.m. Wednesday, a funeral procession will leave Pasquerilla and travel down Curtin Road past Beaver Stadium. The procession will then turn right onto Porter Road and turn right onto College Avenue, heading west through downtown State College.
The burial is private.
Thursday, “A Memorial for Joe” is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center. There are no more tickets available. More than 10,000 tickets were distributed in seven minutes after they became available, according to Penn State. The event will be televised by the Big Ten Network and streamed live at BTN.com.
Penn State said Beaver Stadium was not an option for the public memorial service because the stadium had been winterized with no running water and facilities were shut down.
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