Sue Paterno

Suzanne Pohland was born on February 14, 1940, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She studied English literature at Penn State University, where she met then-assistant coach Joe Paterno. Shortly after her graduation in 1962, Joe and Sue were married. She taught at a local school in Centre County, Pennsylvania, for a year before leaving to give birth to her first child.^[2]

Joe and Sue had 5 children together, including Jay.^[3]

Together, Joe and Sue Paterno donated millions of dollars to Penn State and to other charities, most notably, the Special Olympics.^[3][4][5]

In 2010, Sue Paterno led the charge to build a Catholic student faith center on the Penn State University Park campus.^[6] The Suzanne Pohland Paterno Catholic Student Faith Center opened in 2012.^[7]