Providence High School scraps memorial to coach who died at 41 and puts a TV in its place

Talk about a slap in the face.A private Burbank prep school has ripped down a memorial honoring a coach who died of cancer at just 41 and replaced his photo and plaque with a flat screen TV.Paul Sutton spent 14 seasons at Providence High School, serving as athletic director, basketball coach, track coach and cross country coach from 1985 until his death in 1999.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story After Sutton died, Providence put up a photo and plaque in the gym foyer to honor the coach who had spent years at the school.Nearly three decades later, the tribute is gone.Sutton’s widow, Dana, reportedly said school officials told her the memorial was “no longer relevant for today’s students.”That did not exactly land softly.“Just embarrassing and shameful,” sports columnist Eric Sondheimer posted online.Another user ripped the school over the decision, calling it “a terrible look for Providence HS in Burbank.”“AD/Coach died at age 41 of cancer and @PHSburbank put a memorial up for him in 1999: they now tell his widow that the memorial is irrelevant and was removed,” the user wrote.“This is how we treat history, legacies, the past that made us?”The wall where Sutton’s photograph and plaque once hung has been cleared for a flat screen monitor intended for digital updates and announcements.The administration says the screen “better serves” the school community.For Sutton’s supporters, that explanation only makes the situation more galling.Sutton spent 14 seasons at Providence and wore a lot of hats.He was the athletic director and coached basketball, track and cross country.On the basketball court, he went 166 and 151 and won three Liberty League titles.Then came his final season.Sutton was battling severe health complications from colon c...