Dear Editor:

All this talk about Joe Pa reminded me of an incident I had as police chief in East Penn Township many years ago.I received a call to respond to the Bake Oven Campground along Rt. 895. The owner had stopped a pickup truck that came driving into the campground at a high rate of speed (speed limit is 15 mph) drove through the park scattering stones and terrifying the residents.The owner blocked the exit in an effort to speak to the culprit; however, the culprit spun his tires and attempted to drive over the grass to go around the owner.At this point the owner got out of his pick up with a tire iron in his hand and yelled for his wife to call the police. Upon arrival I saw the owner arguing with the culprit who was trying to convince the owner that he was an important person. I asked the culprit to produce some identification, to which he stated. "Obviously, you don't know who I am!" I said, "No, but speak up so I get the spelling right on this citation!"He finally provided identification and said he played football for Joe Paterno. Big deal ... you still don't argue with a man with a tire iron! He then apologized to the owner, saying he made a wrong turn. After signing the citation he was allowed to leave ... at 15 mph!The owner of the campground asked, "So who was the big dude?" I told him to watch the game next time, you'll see him in the defense line!I wrote to Joe Paterno who responded that his men are taught to respect all people, on the field and off. Maybe he should have said, "I should've done more!"Sincerely,Richard M. GrossLehighton