I did my best in compiling the “Feckless” series, but inevitably, fell short of the mark here and there. I’m posting these corrections/clarifications because…in hindsight, I wish I’d done more.
Feckless: Errata
Feckless: Keith Eckel – During my research, I was presented sharply conflicting opinions of Eckel. One source characterized him as a “bloviating fool.” Another disagreed vehemently, insisting that he is a “bloviating jackass.” After viewing videos of Eckel’s boardroom speeches, I was unable to form my own conclusion, as Eckel made an excellent case for both sides. Therefore, I chose not to use either source.
ChiTownLion pointed out that “Eckel + FSS = FECKLESS.” Perfect! I am mortified to have missed that.
Also, I failed to mention that: You can’t spell “rat scum” without “Surma”…”sucker lion” without “Erickson”… “heinie zit” without “Hintz”…and “harbor seal turd” without “Broadhurst”…but I believe those omissions were for the best.
Feckless: David Joyner – I stated that Joyner was retained in a newly created position, serving long enough to qualify for his state pension, without properly reviewing my source for the comment. A discussion ensued among others in the thread, without clear resolution. My original statement was well-intentioned. Some posters did provide sources that supported its accuracy. All indications are that it was at least very close to the truth. Nonetheless, I’ll retract the statement and amend it to: “Every cent spent on Dave Joyner, from the time he stepped in as AD at Penn State until he left the newly created position in 2014, was a complete waste of university resources, and any future gain he reaped or might have reaped as a result was unwarranted, and an unnecessary burden to all of the taxpayers in the Commonwealth.” I apologize for any error.
Feckless: Keith Masser – The Masser installment marked my first use of any variation of the word “fester” in the series. While you may think the absence of “fester” in the earlier “Feckless: David Joyner” installment was an egregious oversight, I was proud of my restraint.
Feckless: Anne Riley – During the editing process, I clipped a passage and failed to adequately replace it, clouding one of my points. Connorpozlee: Thank you for your post #27 in the thread (directed to simons96), effectively cleaning that up for me. The rest of you: Don’t go searching for it to see what I’m talking about; just pretend I got it right in the first place.
Feckless: Mark Dambly – Tom McAndrew posted “What you stated is not inaccurate, but it could lead some to draw the wrong conclusion. John Hanger was Governor Wolf’s non-voting representative on the BOT. Hanger’s bigger job within the Wolf administration was as the Secretary for Policy & Planning. He resigned from his Secretary position, and also from the BOT position.” Tom was correct, so I edited the post for improved clarity, and did 25 pushups as penance.
Feckless: Carl Shaffer – LafayetteBear posted in response: “My issue with your use of the term [feckless] is that, while it applies, I do not think it is strong enough. IMO, the word suggests irresponsibility and incompetence rather than malign character and sociopathic disposition, which are qualities a lot of these Trustees have displayed. A more damning adjective would seem appropriate for them. And for the method of their selection.” LB – You got way ahead of me there. (See “Feckless: Edward Hintz.) And don’t call me “Barry.”
Feckless: The President (Part 1: Graham Spanier) – Citing both pluses and minuses for Spanier, I suspected I would be hit from both sides. I was correct. I’ll respond here to some of the comments:
91Joe95 – “I disagree with his inclusion in this series;” BobPSU92 – “I don’t think Spanier belongs on the feckless list.” Spanier was included in the examination because he was one of the 32 voting trustees who were in the snapshot at 11/5/11. At the end of the two-part installment, I agreed that I wouldn’t call him “feckless” based on the information I have available. At least Bob WAS. NOT. OUTRAGED. I appreciate that. And it should be noted that 91Joe95 deserves the credit/blame for this series in the first place, suggesting in an earlier post that the individual misdeeds of this group should be chronicled.
JoeDidntKnow – “So what if he wanted to keep this in house.” This observation was not intended to slant either positive or negative. It was purely an objective opinion, based on research.
Aoshiro – “I don’t think this is reasonable.” Aoshiro mentioned racial strife at Penn State at the time, and the fact that “people running large institutions have to prioritize things,” finishing up with “It’s completely dishonest to discuss the decision-making process that spring without acknowledging the climate on campus at the time.” All good points, though I think “dishonest” is a bit harsh. There’s plenty more I don’t know…and never will know about the decision making process. I acknowledged that there’s more I’d like to hear from Spanier. And I did settle on “not feckless.”
psu1969a – “I believe you are all wet. Paragraph 2 has a lot of fiction. Stopped reading at that point.” First…a lot of people believe I’m all wet, so I’ll just go ahead and admit to that. I apologize for any unwelcome moisture. As to the second part of the complaint…the entire intent of paragraph 2 boils down to: 1) “I see good and bad in Spanier.” (fact; I do see both. For those who see all good or all bad, we’ll just have to disagree.); 2) “I think he should have spoken to McQueary.” (fact; I do think that, and I acknowledged there might be a good reason, beyond my being all wet, why he shouldn’t have: “Maybe I’m missing something.”); and 3) “The president has final authority over the VP of Finance and the Athletic Director.” (fact; He does.) It’s just a darn shame that psu1969a missed the Pulitzer-worthy genius that followed that crappy second paragraph.
Art – “Being totally unprepared for a possible media firestorm is unforgivable. There is no evidence that Spanier attempted to do anything beforehand. Had he done so and the trustees overruled him, then he bears no responsibility. As it was he was whacked by a runaway train that he could have seen coming.” These comments were directed to Aoshiro, but I’ll comment anyway: I respect that point of view.
Feckless: The President (Part 2: Rodney Erickson) – I erroneously stated that “I’ll be playing racquetball tonight, before settling in to watch the Olympics.” I believed the statement to be true at the time, but later in the day, my racquetball opponent canceled. I regret the error. I also regret my association with a low-life who can’t get it together for a simple racquetball match.
Feckless: John Surma – Sproul requested “a Garban version [of “Feckless”], in case I missed it.” The McAndrew Board’s auditor, JmmyW, posted links to all installments in the series in the “Feckless: Edward Hintz” thread on 8/17/16.
Nittany Ned2 posted: “Not sure I understand the significance of the Ron Coder Jr and Sr paragraph?” Not sure I do either, NN. Purely informational. Almost deleted it, but decided to let it stand. A lot of bodies swirling around with Sandusky/TSM connections around that time. Ron, Jr.? Probably wouldn’t have mentioned it. Ron, Sr., an early executive director of TSM with a Christopher Lee/Anne Riley connection? Thought it might be of interest to State College locals, if no one else.
Feckless: Tom Corbett – I stated: “As a result, let’s call it a ‘network,’ has scooped [Kathleen Kane] up and held her captive in an empty mayonnaise jar with nothing but a twig, a leaf, and two tiny air holes in the lid.” Kathleen Kane was not actually held captive in a mayonnaise jar. And an “empty” mayonnaise jar, by definition, cannot have a twig and a leaf inside. Or Kathleen Kane, for that matter. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
Feckless: Edward Hintz – Diego Badman posted: “I’d like one more unless I missed it somewhere: Cynthia Baldwin. Can you tee it up one more time, BHF?” I’m sorry, DB. This whole process took a lot out of me; I used up my last bit of energy on the sprint to the tape. We’ll just have to go on loving her.
SR/BHF
Feckless: Errata
Feckless: Keith Eckel – During my research, I was presented sharply conflicting opinions of Eckel. One source characterized him as a “bloviating fool.” Another disagreed vehemently, insisting that he is a “bloviating jackass.” After viewing videos of Eckel’s boardroom speeches, I was unable to form my own conclusion, as Eckel made an excellent case for both sides. Therefore, I chose not to use either source.
ChiTownLion pointed out that “Eckel + FSS = FECKLESS.” Perfect! I am mortified to have missed that.
Also, I failed to mention that: You can’t spell “rat scum” without “Surma”…”sucker lion” without “Erickson”… “heinie zit” without “Hintz”…and “harbor seal turd” without “Broadhurst”…but I believe those omissions were for the best.
Feckless: David Joyner – I stated that Joyner was retained in a newly created position, serving long enough to qualify for his state pension, without properly reviewing my source for the comment. A discussion ensued among others in the thread, without clear resolution. My original statement was well-intentioned. Some posters did provide sources that supported its accuracy. All indications are that it was at least very close to the truth. Nonetheless, I’ll retract the statement and amend it to: “Every cent spent on Dave Joyner, from the time he stepped in as AD at Penn State until he left the newly created position in 2014, was a complete waste of university resources, and any future gain he reaped or might have reaped as a result was unwarranted, and an unnecessary burden to all of the taxpayers in the Commonwealth.” I apologize for any error.
Feckless: Keith Masser – The Masser installment marked my first use of any variation of the word “fester” in the series. While you may think the absence of “fester” in the earlier “Feckless: David Joyner” installment was an egregious oversight, I was proud of my restraint.
Feckless: Anne Riley – During the editing process, I clipped a passage and failed to adequately replace it, clouding one of my points. Connorpozlee: Thank you for your post #27 in the thread (directed to simons96), effectively cleaning that up for me. The rest of you: Don’t go searching for it to see what I’m talking about; just pretend I got it right in the first place.
Feckless: Mark Dambly – Tom McAndrew posted “What you stated is not inaccurate, but it could lead some to draw the wrong conclusion. John Hanger was Governor Wolf’s non-voting representative on the BOT. Hanger’s bigger job within the Wolf administration was as the Secretary for Policy & Planning. He resigned from his Secretary position, and also from the BOT position.” Tom was correct, so I edited the post for improved clarity, and did 25 pushups as penance.
Feckless: Carl Shaffer – LafayetteBear posted in response: “My issue with your use of the term [feckless] is that, while it applies, I do not think it is strong enough. IMO, the word suggests irresponsibility and incompetence rather than malign character and sociopathic disposition, which are qualities a lot of these Trustees have displayed. A more damning adjective would seem appropriate for them. And for the method of their selection.” LB – You got way ahead of me there. (See “Feckless: Edward Hintz.) And don’t call me “Barry.”
Feckless: The President (Part 1: Graham Spanier) – Citing both pluses and minuses for Spanier, I suspected I would be hit from both sides. I was correct. I’ll respond here to some of the comments:
91Joe95 – “I disagree with his inclusion in this series;” BobPSU92 – “I don’t think Spanier belongs on the feckless list.” Spanier was included in the examination because he was one of the 32 voting trustees who were in the snapshot at 11/5/11. At the end of the two-part installment, I agreed that I wouldn’t call him “feckless” based on the information I have available. At least Bob WAS. NOT. OUTRAGED. I appreciate that. And it should be noted that 91Joe95 deserves the credit/blame for this series in the first place, suggesting in an earlier post that the individual misdeeds of this group should be chronicled.
JoeDidntKnow – “So what if he wanted to keep this in house.” This observation was not intended to slant either positive or negative. It was purely an objective opinion, based on research.
Aoshiro – “I don’t think this is reasonable.” Aoshiro mentioned racial strife at Penn State at the time, and the fact that “people running large institutions have to prioritize things,” finishing up with “It’s completely dishonest to discuss the decision-making process that spring without acknowledging the climate on campus at the time.” All good points, though I think “dishonest” is a bit harsh. There’s plenty more I don’t know…and never will know about the decision making process. I acknowledged that there’s more I’d like to hear from Spanier. And I did settle on “not feckless.”
psu1969a – “I believe you are all wet. Paragraph 2 has a lot of fiction. Stopped reading at that point.” First…a lot of people believe I’m all wet, so I’ll just go ahead and admit to that. I apologize for any unwelcome moisture. As to the second part of the complaint…the entire intent of paragraph 2 boils down to: 1) “I see good and bad in Spanier.” (fact; I do see both. For those who see all good or all bad, we’ll just have to disagree.); 2) “I think he should have spoken to McQueary.” (fact; I do think that, and I acknowledged there might be a good reason, beyond my being all wet, why he shouldn’t have: “Maybe I’m missing something.”); and 3) “The president has final authority over the VP of Finance and the Athletic Director.” (fact; He does.) It’s just a darn shame that psu1969a missed the Pulitzer-worthy genius that followed that crappy second paragraph.
Art – “Being totally unprepared for a possible media firestorm is unforgivable. There is no evidence that Spanier attempted to do anything beforehand. Had he done so and the trustees overruled him, then he bears no responsibility. As it was he was whacked by a runaway train that he could have seen coming.” These comments were directed to Aoshiro, but I’ll comment anyway: I respect that point of view.
Feckless: The President (Part 2: Rodney Erickson) – I erroneously stated that “I’ll be playing racquetball tonight, before settling in to watch the Olympics.” I believed the statement to be true at the time, but later in the day, my racquetball opponent canceled. I regret the error. I also regret my association with a low-life who can’t get it together for a simple racquetball match.
Feckless: John Surma – Sproul requested “a Garban version [of “Feckless”], in case I missed it.” The McAndrew Board’s auditor, JmmyW, posted links to all installments in the series in the “Feckless: Edward Hintz” thread on 8/17/16.
Nittany Ned2 posted: “Not sure I understand the significance of the Ron Coder Jr and Sr paragraph?” Not sure I do either, NN. Purely informational. Almost deleted it, but decided to let it stand. A lot of bodies swirling around with Sandusky/TSM connections around that time. Ron, Jr.? Probably wouldn’t have mentioned it. Ron, Sr., an early executive director of TSM with a Christopher Lee/Anne Riley connection? Thought it might be of interest to State College locals, if no one else.
Feckless: Tom Corbett – I stated: “As a result, let’s call it a ‘network,’ has scooped [Kathleen Kane] up and held her captive in an empty mayonnaise jar with nothing but a twig, a leaf, and two tiny air holes in the lid.” Kathleen Kane was not actually held captive in a mayonnaise jar. And an “empty” mayonnaise jar, by definition, cannot have a twig and a leaf inside. Or Kathleen Kane, for that matter. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.
Feckless: Edward Hintz – Diego Badman posted: “I’d like one more unless I missed it somewhere: Cynthia Baldwin. Can you tee it up one more time, BHF?” I’m sorry, DB. This whole process took a lot out of me; I used up my last bit of energy on the sprint to the tape. We’ll just have to go on loving her.
SR/BHF
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