I wrote this column several months ago at the beginning of the Penn State investigation, so some of it's content will sound dated. But, periodically something will appear on the news regarding this monster and the question I ask is..."why do we keep giving this person the celebrity he does not deserve. Most recently he was labeled a ''prolific writer as he works on his second book, while in jail. He's prolific alright!! Prolific at ruining hundreds of lives!

500 Words

Disgusting, Despicable and Discouraging

I usually try to stay away from this type of column. It is easier to write about humorous or light-hearted topics. But this hasn't been necessarily a light-hearted week. The news has been filled with the evolving story coming out of Penn State University and the child abuse that went undetected. Maybe. Unnoticed. Maybe. But when discovered, unreported without a doubt. The truly sad part of these events are the young children who have lived with the experiences and I suspect fear, caused by an adult, a coach and someone in control.

The actions of the coach involved are truly disgusting at least. As I watched him paraded from location to location in news reports, dressed in suit and tie and smiling for the camera, I wonder what was going on in his sick and damaged mind . What kind of childhood did he experience that caused him do the things he did .Was he able to comprehend the emotional damage he inflicted on his victims. There are no excuses or explanations, although some will try.

But he will get his due, spending a major portion of the remainder of his life in prison, at public expense of course. No more nicely tailored suits now. Everything will be prison orange.

To allow something to remain hidden and buried for so long within the hallowed walls of such a famous institution speaks to what we value. Perhaps it speaks more to what we fear. A storied program, a legendary coach, and thousands of graduates are now scarred by the actions of one very sick individual and the inaction by those around him. How many students walked the campus during those years, unaware of what was occurring in the locker room and shower, where young boys, I suspect, with tears streaming down their faces, failed to understand what was really taking place. If those walking the campus had known, what would they have done?

At some level, it was reassuring that at least some began to put life in a context and understand that there is more to life than a football team and a coach. After the initial reaction of the students, the emotions of many shifted from anger and misunderstanding to one compassion and a better understanding of what really had taken place. The reality of life is that it could have been one of them or worse, their little brother.

Now, here comes the disturbing part. What happened at Penn State, where young children were sexually abused, takes place every day, someplace. It may take place at a local gym, a church, a family bedroom or the back seat of a car. It is one adult, in control, destroying the life and taking away the innocence of a young child, for a few brief minutes of pleasure. Perhaps it is someone establishing, in the child's mind, a new norm of 'acceptable' behavior.

As a school superintendent I remember the evening with such clarity when I received a phone call at home asking that I come to the high school as soon as possible. “There were some things I need to see.”

On a bulletin board, tucked away in the corner of a coach's office but out of general view, were pictures of students in varying degrees of dress and undress. On the floor were letters and notes to and from students, but one in particular caught my attention. The evening resulted in a phone call to the local police, a phone call to the student's parents and eventually a locker search.

What is discouraging and somewhat frightening for me is what we don't know. We are generally realistic in our view of life to know that these types of actions and behaviors occur, but we don't know why. Maybe we are just not willing to learn the real reasons why. It's just not a high priority on most people's radar, until something like this happens.