18 November, 2024 7 7 Comments

The Magic of Planting Trees

November 18, 2024 By 7 Comments

Community Greening at a recent tree giveaway.

I’ve been fascinated by Community Greening for a long time now.

I drive by one of their projects on Lake Ida Road every day. The trees they planted brighten up what was once a bleak stretch of asphalt.

Community Greening is a Delray Beach based nonprofit that has a simple but profound mission: plant trees, build community.

The organization engages and educates the community about the benefits of those trees and in some food insecure neighborhoods—and we have them— they plant fruit trees that become a source of nutrition for residents.

It’s an elegant model that serves an important need. Most cities in our area suffer from an insufficient tree canopy. The U.S. Forest Service recommends a canopy that covers 30-40 percent of the area, Palm Beach County has about a 20 percent canopy.

The lack of a robust canopy creates “heat islands” that impact the environment. In some cases, temperatures can be 10 degrees higher if the canopy is insufficient.

Enter Community Greening. In its 8-year existence, the nonprofit has planted some 18,000 trees.

But the organization is also about strengthening a community’s roots.

Community Greening is a convener.

Volunteers gather to plant the trees and that’s when the magic happens. People of all ages work together to build a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing community.

The Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation is proud to partner with Community Greening. We recently granted the organization $50,000 which will be used to support Community Greening’s nursery operations and to help build a classroom at the nursery that can be used for meetings and education.

Community Greening’s mission spoke to our desire to build community.

We also like that the group collaborates with local organizations such as the EJS Project by giving young leaders an opportunity to volunteer and to learn.

Sometimes it’s these simple acts that make a profound difference.

If that sounds hokey– so be it.

We live in crazy times. We’re awash in division, we bathe in lies and I’m afraid that we’ve grown numb to it all.

In a noisy world, we long for signal. We need to seek clarity, we must create and strive to nurture beauty.

And sometimes you find that clarity in simple acts of community.

Gathering as neighbors.

Planting trees.

Educating people.

These acts speak to us.

Our communities need conveners and leaders such as Community Greening.

They believe that by engaging volunteers and like-minded community partners that they can improve our environment, create more sustainable neighborhoods and strengthen society.

That last sentence comes from their website: www.communitygreening.org.

I invite you to check it out, get involved and support these local leaders. On a personal note, I am deeply impressed by the quiet leadership of co-founder and Executive Director Mark Cassini and Community’s Greening’s Operations Director Adriene Tynes. Co-founder Emeritus Matt Shipley is a special leader as well.

We are thrilled to do our part to support this special group.

 

11 November, 2024 6 6 Comments

The Romance of Journalism

November 11, 2024 By 6 Comments

Jeff Pearlman’s podcast is a love letter to writers.

I have a famous namesake.

Jeff Pearlman spells his last name with an “a” but there have been a few times where we’ve been mistaken for each other.

Jeff and I both write. He successfully, me not so much.

The “other” Jeff is a New York Times bestselling author who has had his work made into an HBO series “Winning Time” which tells the story of the NBA’s “showtime” Lakers. Me, I’ve been on local TV, despite having a face for radio.

Jeff and I know each other. He reached out a few years back when he ran for local office in New York.

I think he wanted to know if I had any left-over campaign signs. Anyway, we struck up a friendship and Jeff interviewed me for his series called “Quaz” (don’t ask me what it means). The Quaz covers a range of people from John Oates (the quiet half of Hall & Oates) and ESPN anchor Linda Cohn (my childhood friend and big sister of a close friend) to business leaders and girlfriends of the Kevin Arnold character on the Wonder Years. Let’s just say it’s an eclectic and fun collection. I’m proud to be a part of the canon. Here’s a link: https://jeffpearlman.com/2016/03/01/jeff-perlman/

Anyway, these days Jeff is doing a lot of things from writing his next bestseller, a bio of Tupac Shakur, to building a Tik Tok following (over 200,000 followers) and hosting a beautiful podcast called “Two Writers Slinging Yang.”

Rarely can you describe a podcast as being beautiful, but “Two Writers Slinging Yang” is a warm tribute to journalism and journalists. What I love about it is that Jeff features those who toil in the trenches. We see plenty of “celebrity” journalists on cable TV and other podcasts, but Jeff shines a spotlight on the journalists who rarely get (nor seek) shout-outs.

Examples include Scott Agness, a beat writer who covers the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever and Sarah Leach, a crusading editor of the Holland Sentinel who was wrongly fired by the evil corporate overlords who have put a nail in the coffin of local journalism throughout our land.

Jeff describes “Two Writers” as a labor of love, a chance to celebrate writers he admires.

My favorite recent episode is an interview with a young journalist named Sam Pausman, a writer/photographer for The Wrangell (Alaska) Sentinel. Sam relocated 4,284 miles from Maine to rural Alaska to take his first journalism job for a weekly paper in a town of 2,000 people.

The podcast focuses on Sam’s efforts to connect with people he doesn’t know in a community he doesn’t know in a place far, far from home.

Sam’s an earnest young reporter, dogged and sincere in his desire to learn his beat and serve his readers.

Sam doesn’t own a car, lives over a bar/restaurant and does it all—including schlepping papers and learning to love the local cuisine.

I was swept away by his story, and I related to large parts of it. I too moved (1,321.1 miles) to take a job at a newspaper soon after college. I too worked hard to connect with people I didn’t know in a community I didn’t know.

I also schlepped papers at my first full-time newspaper job from the officers of the Valley News in Vestal N.Y. to the post office after we spent hours putting mailing labels on the front page over pizzas with my co-workers in a musty room in an old school. I never had more fun.

At the time, I felt journalism was a calling. My calling. I’ve since had a few others. But I look back at those old newspaper days with great fondness. I saw myself in Sam and thanks to Jeff Pearlman I got to meet him via Spotify.

I think about my old newspaper days often. I worked in newsrooms brimming with characters. They were smart, creative, sarcastic, funny and tough. They taught me so much.

In the newsroom of the old South Florida Newspaper Network I remember the presidential election of 1992, when Bill Clinton was elected. I worked near two old scribes—Syd Magill and Al Kaufman who had seen it all. If the young reporters said something stupid—as we were prone to do—they corrected us. Syd with a smile and a pat on the back. Al with a cutting remark. I adored them both.

For the life of me, I can’t remember what happened to Syd. I just know that he left the paper before I did. But I do remember the day that Al was laid off, by the same corporate B.S. that Jeff Pearlman often laments on his podcast.

Seeing Al pack up his desk and say goodbye to a career he loved hit all of us hard. Shortly thereafter I decided to leave of my own volition to start my own publication and become an entrepreneur. I wanted to control my own fate, even though being on your own is a lonely, hard and risky choice.

I have no regrets, but more than a few scars. I was a lucky one—it worked out for me. It didn’t for many of my old colleagues, one of whom ended up living in a car in a Boca parking lot. I met him for a cup of coffee one day, having not known about his rough road since we parted years before. He showed up with a broken arm—someone had reached into his car window and tried to rob him. He fought back and broke a bone.

“Jeff,” he said. “I can’t afford to lose what little I have. I have nothing more to lose.”

Those words stung. He offered to sell me his autographed photo of Muhammad Ali. “The Greatest” had come to Deerfield Beach back in the day and I remember when my colleague went out on that assignment. I was jealous, I wanted to meet Ali.

Of course, I didn’t want to buy his prized possession. And he turned down my offer to help. I never saw him again and I don’t know what happened to him, but I think about him—a lot.

If you’ve been in journalism in recent times, you saw the best and the worst of this important but often maligned profession.

My namesake Jeff Pearlman shares it all. He shines a spotlight on the people doing great work and the people who have been bruised by this business.

A guy like Sam Pausman, talented, sincere and courageous deserves success. I hope he finds it. We need journalists. They are not the enemy of the people; they are the shining lights of Democracy.

 

 

 

 

4 November, 2024 2 2 Comments

Decisions

November 4, 2024 By 2 Comments

There’s too much “pluribus” and not enough “unum” these days.

I heard that line listening to a podcast that featured documentarian Ken Burns last week and it left an impression.
As we head to the polls tomorrow, we do so as a divided nation. Healthy debate is just that, healthy. But what we are experiencing is division and that’s something different.
Division weakens, unity strengthens.
There are consequences to consider and I’m afraid we aren’t thinking this through.
Niall Ferguson, the provocative Scottish historian, predicts that America will lose Cold War 2.0 against China because we are divided and that the world will pine for the time when American power shaped the world.
Let’s hope that day doesn’t come.  But we are at risk. As Abe Lincoln famously said: “a house divided against itself will not stand.” So if we don’t find a way to unite or at least reconcile we risk opening the door to some really bad actors.
This strives to be a hyper local blog and a space for personal reflection, so I won’t belabor the point other than to note that “story” plays a big role in destiny.
What’s  our narrative? As a city, as a county as a state and as a nation?
It’s an important question. Good stories inspire, sad stories drag us down.
Are we the All America City? The Village by the Sea? The city that can solve any problem or the one that is mired in dysfunction?
Is Palm Beach County “Wall Street South”? Or something else.
Is Florida, paradise or Floriduh? Is America the shining city on the hill or a divided mess?
It’s our choice.
All of it.
We shape our destiny if we choose to.
Our voice is our vote.
Odds and ends
Mayo Research
The Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation is supporting Alzheimer’s research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and Jacksonville.
Last week, we caught up with our friends at the Mayo Clinic who were in town to share some promising results including a non-invasive test for Alzheimer’s that does not require a procedure to extract fluid or a costly scan.
It was exciting to hear the news. For the first time ever, there is a drug that can be taken to alter the course of the disease. It’s not a cure, but it buys some time. The infusion actually removes amyloid plaque which causes Alzheimer’s.
The disease is a plague on families and society. Any ray of light is good news.
But I was struck by the fact that the average age in which people are diagnosed is 65. That’s young, younger than I thought.
We remain committed to doing our part as a philanthropy to help researchers cure this terrible disease. We are supporting an effort at Florida Atlantic to help families affected by Alzheimer’s and we are funding a researcher at the Max Planck Florida Research Institute who is doing remarkable work.
We are in this for the long haul but hopefully we will see progress in the short term.
A Local Treasure
On a much lighter note, I feel compelled to give a shout out to J & J Seafood, an Atlantic Avenue staple.
The food is just fantastic, the service always awesome and it’s a great place to take a friend to have a conversation. It feels like home.
It’s good to see J & J survive and thrive in a crowded, challenging and competitive landscape. J & J’s presence makes our city a warmer place.
Making a Mark
Congratulations also to the Pulte Family Foundation which is doing some great work providing housing for adults with developmental challenges.
The Boca-based foundation is doing amazing things. They’ve been extremely supportive and generous with advice as we grow our Foundation. They’ve become a role model for our work and we are deeply appreciative of their friendship.
A Good Life, A Big Loss
Finally, we mourn the loss of a beloved friend.  Richard Hasner  passed last week.
Richard and his wonderful brothers Lloyd and Jay have left their mark on Delray and beyond through decades of community involvement. Their company, Castle Florida, has been one of the most prominent general contractors in our region for more than 50 years. Their work is everywhere—residential, commercial you name it. Over five decades, Richard and his family built more than 6,000 homes, numerous office buildings, medical offices, restaurants and retail locations.
With an unparalleled work ethic, Richard went on to become an owner and President of Castle Florida.
I’ve enjoyed running into the Hasner’s at their favorite lunch spots over the years. Most recently, we’ve seen each other regularly at Granger’s.
Richard was always kind, always quick with a joke and always smiling. I will miss him very much.
He was a mensch in a world that sorely needs more people like him. May his memory be a blessing.
28 October, 2024 6 6 Comments

Conscience & Catalysts

October 28, 2024 By 6 Comments

Margaret Chase Smith and Joe McCarthy as portrayed on the Portland Stage.

I saw a play in Portland Maine recently, and I can’t stop thinking about it.

The best art is like that. It won’t leave you alone.

“Conscience” by Joe DiPietro tells the story of the battle between Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith and the notorious Senator Joe McCarthy.

It’s a riveting history. But it’s also sadly relevant today.

“Conscience”  shows us how a brave Senator– the first woman to serve in both the House and the Senate– stood up to a demagogue who gleefully ruined lives through disinformation, lies and bullying.

Back then it was the fear of communism. Today you can take your pick of things used to whip up fear and emotion.

Predictably, politicians in the McCarthy era valued their careers over their country and the truth.  They despised McCarthy but they wouldn’t stand up to him for fear of losing their seats.

This is how real and lasting damage occurs. When we look the other way, when we wait for others to do something or when we give our assent through our silence or just as bad join in and spread more lies.

Injury occurs when we support those who exhibit abhorrent behavior.

Margaret Chase Smith did none of those things. She spoke truth to power. Her conscience wouldn’t let her be silent.

I learned a lot about our history and our present during those two hours at the Portland Stage, a gorgeous old theater with a rich history of producing landmark works.

Sitting in the dark I got swept up in the drama marveling at the performances, the story, the brilliant writing. There is nothing like live theatre.

And when the show ended, all we wanted to do was talk about what we had just seen and how it relates to the world we live in today.

It’s a dreadful time in America. It really is. So much anxiety. So much vitriol. So many lies and half-truths. So much hatred. You can feel it in the air. You can taste it and it’s bitter. We are no longer united and it feels awful.

According to a recent poll cited by the Aspen Institute, 58 percent of Americans believe our best years are behind us.

That’s a staggering and depressing statistic because America has always been focused on and excited about the future. A future we were leading with optimism.

Both parties embraced the future: “It’s morning in America.” “Hope and Change.”

Now we “lead” with words like “vermin” and “unhinged.”

We’ve lost faith in our institutions. We’ve lost faith in each other.

We lack leaders and as a result we are at risk of wrecking a remarkable country.

Both sides of the divide don’t agree on much these days, but we seem to agree that we are broken, polarized and at risk.

The author Frank Bruni calls it a crisis of confidence—a disease of pessimism in a country built on optimism. Bruni calls it a “violent rupture of our national psyche.”

Indeed.

Which is why “Conscience” the play resonates so deeply. We long to see our leaders stand for something.

Watching Margaret Chase Smith take on Joe McCarthy was gratifying.

Every bully has it coming. Every bully is driven by fear. And every bully will take your lunch money until you stand your ground and say no more.

Those that stand up to bullies pay a price. Their noses get bloodied, but their causes are noble and at the end of the day history treats them kindly. That should matter.

Nobody remembers the sycophants. Nobody.

But they remember those who stand up for what’s right.  We remember those whose conscience drives them to do the right thing. We call it character. We call it integrity. We long for these heroes. They make all the difference.

Nobody remembers the sycophants. Nobody.

We do however remember the monsters—they should serve as cautionary tales not to be repeated. And we remember the heroes and heroines—those who stand for something. Those who lead with love and courage.

Those with conscience.

Catalysts

The Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation honored two community heroes last week at a luncheon at the wonderful Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton.

We officially presented the “Catalyst Award” to Ted Hoskinson of Roots and Wings and Julia Kadel of the Miracle League. The award is in honor of our late founder.

Mr. DeSantis was a catalyst. He made good things happen and he led with generosity and courage.

The award is loosely modeled on the MacArthur Foundation “genius grant.”  Like that award, you can’t apply for our prize, your work speaks for itself. Foundation staff and the board honor two people a year with a no-strings cash award and a luncheon celebrating their achievements. We also gather the two dozen organizations we are supporting to honor their work in our community.

It’s a fun and meaningful afternoon. We’ve seen our grantees walk out with new friends and collaborators and it gives us great pleasure to see these relationships form. We have a great community, and we have great people who devote their lives to helping others.

In my view, these are the real leaders in our world. Running a nonprofit is infinitely harder than running a business. I’ve been involved with both and while business is tough and complex, nonprofit work is loaded with complications and nuance. But the best nonprofits lead with love. They make miracles happen.

So, when you gather these special people together it’s magical. You can feel the power in the room, and you can’t help but be moved by the compassion they have for others.

We support organizations that are swinging for the fences.

We do this because that’s what our founder Mr. DeSantis did.

When I got involved in his world in 2008, our world was falling apart. The financial crisis was threatening to sink the economy. I had no idea that Carl would be the force he would become in my life. But when he recruited me to help with a beverage company he had discovered—a small but promising brand named Celsius—he exuded optimism about the future. He made all of us in his universe believe that we could conquer the world and slay the giants who were around every corner waiting to smack us down.

I found an email Carl sent me from back then; when I decided to listen to my heart and take a chance on this guy.

“I’m not in this for Cracker Jack prizes,” he wrote about Celsius. “This is going to be big.”

And years later—after all sorts of adversity—it was.

Carl believed. Always.

That’s what we look for in our Catalyst Award winners and our nonprofit partners.

There’s Mark Sauer—a retired executive who ran MLB and NHL teams—who “retired” to Delray Beach and decided to change the lives of impoverished children through Bound for College.

There’s Erin Hogan who runs Her Second Chance in Boca Raton, giving women in recovery the chance to learn skills and rebuild their lives.

We just welcomed Lynne Kunins and the magnificent team at FLIPANY to our Foundation family.

FLIPANY feeds thousands of nutritious meals to kids and seniors at scores of sites throughout South Florida while teaching them about health, fitness and how to cook healthy. Lynne is a social entrepreneur who overcame addiction, poverty, hunger and attempted suicide with physical fitness and nutrition. She’s an inspiration. A community builder. She’s been doing this for 20 years and she wants to take this nationwide. I have no doubt she will.

The night after our Catalyst Lunch, we went to the Kravis Center for a FLIPANY event called “Chef’s Up Front.” Talented chefs from throughout our region gathered to raise funds for FLIPANY’s many programs. It was heartening to see the love and passion in the room. Food and nutrition connect us as people.

When we visited two sites to see FLIPANY serve nutritious meals to hungry and poor children, many of them from immigrant communities, I was struck by the beauty of this simple act. There are people who villainize others and there are those who love others. Most of us walk by and pretend that we don’t see what’s right in front of our eyes–that’s a violent act too in so many ways. I know which group I want to belong to. I know which group I want to help.

Which brings me to this year’s Catalysts.

Julia Kadel and Ted Hoskinson are personal heroes of mine and many others. For 20 years Julia and her husband Jeff and their army of volunteers have built community by enabling children of all abilities to play our national pastime. My goodness, baseball is a beautiful game. They call their effort the Miracle League and indeed it is a miracle. The love they have for community is miraculous and powerful.

Ted’s Roots and Wings honors teachers and helps children become good readers. Ted and his team are changing lives. If you can’t read, you can’t succeed. Ted’s mission is to leave no child behind. It’s a beautiful way to spend a life.

I can go on. And I will because our Foundation has only just begun.

I invite you to join us. I write this hoping that you will find a way to help heal a broken world. Please transcend the ugliness of the present moment by getting involved in activities that build a better future.

Unity over division, love over hate, generosity over greed, truth over lies. Light not darkness.

Julia Kadel is a 2024 Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation Catalyst Award winner.

Ted Hoskinson 2024 Catalyst Award Winner.

 

 

 

21 October, 2024 5 5 Comments

A Sentence Can Change Your Life

October 21, 2024 By 5 Comments

Brett Favre recently revealed a Parkinson’s diagnosis during Congressional testimony.

Four words that change your life: “you have Parkinson’s Disease.” 

Football great Brett Favre heard those four words recently. In Favre’s case, he links his diagnosis to the multitude of concussions he suffered during a long and storied NFL career. There’s a price to pay for glory. A price to pay for the riches–and the hits–he received.  

A day before Favre’s disclosure during a Congressional hearing, a report was released that found that a third of former professional football players believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) , a degenerative brain disease that cannot be diagnosed in living people.  

According to CNN, findings from the Boston University CTE Center suggest that playing football might increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. 

 

Using data from a large online survey sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, researchers found that participants who had a history of playing organized tackle football were 61% more likely to report a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis or “parkinsonism”, an umbrella term for symptoms like tremors and rigidity that cause movement problems, compared with those who played other organized sports. 

 

The report, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, also found that participants who played football at higher levels — professionally or in college — were nearly three times as likely to have Parkinson’s or parkinsonism compared with those who played at the youth or high school levels. 

But you don’t have to be a football player to get Parkinson’s. I know. Parkinson’s has touched my family and ever since we heard those four words our lives have been forever altered.  

I wake up thinking about Parkinson’s and I go to sleep thinking about Parkinson’s. 

Don’t get me wrong, my family and I are fortunate and have a wonderful life. Those four words will not get in the way of being grateful for all that we’ve been given and all that we’ve worked for. 

But those four words–and it could be a variation, ”you have breast cancer” or “you have heart disease”—change things. For me personally, “you have Covid and pneumonia” (5 words) changed my life –and nearly took my life–in 2020.  

Time becomes more precious. Doctor’s visits are no longer routine, long term plans are no longer as certain. 

Serious diagnoses have a way of focusing the mind. They reorder priorities, they cannot be ignored. 

Still, I’ve learned that mindset is important. 

There’s a quote that I think about often and want to share. I’ve found it helpful, and I hope you do too. 

“An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you”- Goi Nasu 

We try not to let the water get inside us. But sometimes the boat springs a leak. Sometimes we “go there” and that can make for some dark moments. We just can’t stay there.  

We have to cling to hope and when hope fades we always have faith.  

The Cafe On Main

My play “The Cafe on Main” was performed on stage yesterday before a sold-out house at the magnificent Delray Beach Playhouse.

Words cannot describe the feeling of sitting in an audience and watching talented actors bring your words and vision to life. Under the outstanding direction of Marianne Regan, the cast crushed it. They are so talented, so caring, and so generous. I’m at a loss to describe the feeling other than to say I’ve been bitten by the drama bug and I want to write more stories for the stage.

Writing can be a lonely exercise. You sit in front of a blank screen and struggle to make sense of the world. Then you hit send and have no idea how your words are received. I’m thankful for those of you who share your feedback about this blog with me; your insights shape me but I don’t see your faces, I can’t tell if my words are landing.

But getting that feedback in real time is a whole other experience. Watching a director and actors add to your vision and make it better than you could imagine is magical.

I’m grateful to the Delray Beach Playhouse for giving new playwrights an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to shine. They have created a safe place for creativity to blossom and I can honestly say the experience has changed my life. I’ve spoken to a few of my fellow playwrights and they share that gratitude. The Delray Beach Playhouse is a gem. The talent here is off the charts–I was just blown away by the acting, direction and staging of these new plays. So was the audience—whew!

I have a few ideas for future works cooking in my brain. It’s good to know that my local playhouse appreciates dreamers like me. My heart is full.

 

14 October, 2024 10 10 Comments

The Magic of Theater, The Magic of Trying

October 14, 2024 By 10 Comments


A few months back, I wrote about a New Play Festival sponsored by the wonderful Delray Beach Playhouse.

I’ve been a writer longer than I can remember, but I’ve never written a play. I have two screenplays sitting in a drawer, but writing for the stage is not something that I ever had the nerve to try. Until now.
 Last year,  I wrote a short play entitled “The Cafe on Main”, and answered a call for submissions for the New Play Festival. My short work was one of 10 chosen, a surprising but wonderful development that has literally changed my life.
I cannot express the joy that I feel hearing my words acted out by talented actors who breathe life into the characters and find nuances in the play that I never knew existed.
The Cafe on Main is a place where  love is given a second and sometimes third chance, says the description in the playbill.
The action takes place in an imaginary cafe in my hometown of Stony Brook, NY.
Stony Brook is kind of a magical place and growing up on the north shore of Long Island in the 70s and early 80s was an idyllic experience for me and most of my friends.
Stony Brook was a village, intimate and cozy, but close enough to New York City that we benefited from the energy and opportunities of the Big Apple.
Now 1970s NYC was a little different. There was crime and grime, graffiti and garbage. We had the Son of Sam, the Bronx was literally burning and my hero John Lennon was gunned down outside the Dakota building.
But we had Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson, the Knicks, Rangers, Big East basketball, Tom Seaver and Joe Namath too.
It was all a short ride away on the Long Island Railroad.
But home was quiet and safe. It was pretty and suburban. But far. from boring. My hometown has a rich history going back to the Revolutionary War. Washington really did sleep here..so did his Setauket spies.
All of these images went through my mind when I sat down with an empty page and imagined a quaint, cozy Café overlooking the Village Green in picturesque Stony Brook.
Truth be told, my home for the last 37 years also was on my mind. The proprietor of my imaginary cafe was modeled—loosely—on my dear friend Fran Marincola, owner of Caffe Luna Rosa a Delray institution. If you know Fran, and most around these parts do, you understand that he’s a rich character. I had plenty of material to mine.
The New Play Festival features short plays and my original version of “Cafe” is a full blown production. To qualify, I had to cut characters and with the help of our magnificent director Marianne Regan, we pared down the back story of the proprietor.
Someday, I will tell his story in full.
We cast the five parts in July and I was floored by the talent that came to read for the 10 plays.
The directors ask the playwrights to draw up their wish list and I was thrilled when I landed my top picks for four of the five roles.
The wildcard was a young actress whom I liked but didn’t list as a top choice. Turns out she had to drop out and the role was recast with Diane Tyminski, an amazing actress of local note who happens to be from Long Island.
At rehearsals, she blew us away with her grasp of the character and the milieu.
Ahh rehearsals..this is where my life changed where I caught the theater bug and happily succumbed to the bliss of live theater.
The cast, Sergio Fuenzalida , Diane, Shelly Pittleman, Nancy Ferraro and Peter Salzer are extraordinary.
There was an immediate palpable bond among them and the chemistry was off the charts.
Watching them run the scenes and find the characters was not only fascinating it was moving.
There’s nothing like hearing your words come to life. It’s simply intoxicating.
Admittedly, I don’t have a frame of reference. It’s my first play. But I also saw the cast with tears in their eyes. They were as swept away as I was.
Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. But it was real and so I asked what they were feeling and they shared.
Going into rehearsals I was concerned that the actors wouldn’t connect with the material.
Was it good enough to engage them?
Now I was concerned that the initial emotion would be lost with more run throughs.
This is where the director comes in.
I had heard that Marianne Regan was good. Now I was seeing just how good she was. She knew what buttons to push, how to make the story move and she also knew not to over rehearse our talented cast.
And so the magic they captured was intact.
Leaving the theater after rehearsals I felt buoyant. I felt like you do when you discover a new love—excited, eager to share with my wife and friends and far less nervous for opening day.  (The Festival is October 19-20 at 2 pm, my play runs Sunday. For tickets visit delrayplayhouse.org, they are expected to sell out).
Of course, I’m still a little nervous but I sure have confidence in this cast and director. I’m in good hands.
I don’t want this feeling to end.
Writing can be a lonely endeavor.  It’s just you and the empty page sometimes joined by an inner critic, a chorus of doubt and these characters you imagine and try mightily to bring to life.
But this is the payoff. The chance to collaborate with talented people. The opportunity to share with an audience longing to be taken someplace different.
I realize how rare this is. How lucky I am. And I am grateful.
What a magnificent gift this historic old playhouse on Lake Ida gives to 10 writers a year. The actors too. There is so much talent waiting to be seen.
We are all enriched when there’s an outlet. It’s a noisy, often chaotic world. Monster hurricanes, divisive politics, so much coming at us at once and all the time.
To step into a theater and watch actors bring a story to life is a valuable gift.
I hope you will make it a point to visit and support the Delray Playhouse. It’s a charming place. A gem. And I hope you’ll try something new like I did. You never know where it might lead.
You never know if trying will better your life. It has mine.
7 October, 2024 3 3 Comments

In Praise of Delray Citizens

October 7, 2024 By 3 Comments

Sometimes you can’t feel an earthquake, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Recently– and quietly– a local earthquake of sorts took place when Delray Citizens for Delray Police, an amazing organization that has supported the Delray Beach Police Department skillfully for 33 years, announced a change in leadership.

Perry Don Francisco, co-founder and longtime leader of Delray Citizens, passed the torch to another civic superstar Chuck Halberg.

That’s a big deal on so many levels.

First, Perry is an amazing guy. He has done so much for the Delray Beach Police Department and Delray itself over the years that there are no words to describe the scope of his impact. He’s done great stuff quietly and without fanfare. He has touched countless lives over a long period of time.

The best description of Perry that I ever heard came from a gentleman named Joe Dragon, who used to be Delray’s Assistant Parks Director. After an awards ceremony, Mr. Dragon stood in front of the City Commission and said: “If Perry Don Francisco didn’t exist, we’d have to invent him. Because I can’t imagine this place without him.”

Indeed.  I can’t either.

And truth be told, I can’t imagine my life without his friendship. I’m sure I’m only one of dozens and dozens who feel this way.
Perry is an institution.

He was the guy who helped to put Delray on the national map as the owner of the venerable Boston’s on the Beach restaurant. I remember going to Atlanta in 2001 when Delray Beach successfully landed its second All America City Award. On a break, I took a long walk around the city wearing a Boston’s t-shirt. No fewer than four people—I kid you not—stopped me to say they’d been there. One guy said he used to work there. Boston’s in those days made an impression. The restaurant also made the news, especially when teams from Beantown made the playoffs and TV crews came to visit so they could interview fans.

I always felt that Boston’s was “Delray’s place.” I knew people who got engaged there and others who celebrated landmark birthdays at “the joint” to borrow a Perry phrase. Candidates (including yours truly) held election night parties there because we believed that the place  was magic. It was. Oh, if that building could talk it could tell stories for years.

Perry and his dedicated team created that magic. He was Delray’s host. The best ever.

He’d work all day and all night and show up the next morning for an early meeting at the Delray Chamber of Commerce, always dressed well, always fresh faced and always with keen insights and a desire to help.

Perry has been essential to this town. How blessed we’ve been to have him all these years.

As he passes the torch to Mr. Halberg, we say thanks. We know he won’t be going very far.

Aside from his service on numerous boards, his quiet generosity and ability to solve all sorts of problems, Perry helped shape Delray Citizens into a national model for what a “police support organization” should look and feel like.

He was organized, meticulous, kept amazing records and always found time to minister to the needs of officers and their families. Along the way, he made friends, put out fires, solved problems and raised a ton of money to fund items not in the city’s budget. He got the community involved as well with an annual banquet honoring officers for their service. He kept retirees engaged, involved the fire department, held an annual Labor Day Challenge that provided friendly competition on the beach with neighboring departments, sent the kids of officers to college via scholarships and helped to organize a golf event at DelAire with a bunch of amazing citizens.

When I spoke recently with Mr. Halberg, the new head of Delray Citizens, he shared how much he respected Perry’s leadership and stewardship of the organization. These are some big shoes to fill, but Chuck himself is a whirlwind of charitable deeds. The organization is in good hands, Perry would have it no other way.

So, let’s raise a glass (or whatever is nearby) and toast the best friend Delray has ever had. Perry may live next door in some city (I can’t recall the name right now) but he’s ours. Thank goodness.

 

A word on Helene

If you live in Boca-Delray chances are you know someone who lives/vacations or has ties to Western North Carolina.

There are so many bonds between South Florida and the beautiful towns in and around Asheville.

I’ve been reading heartbreaking tales from friends who got hit by Hurricane Helene. They find their lives, towns, businesses and world turned upside down. It’s crushing.

As one friend put it, we humans think we can tame the Earth, but we can’t. The same place that we love can take us away in a torrent of wind and rain.

The number that stood out to me is the report that the storm dumped 40 trillion gallons of water. That’s how much rain fell on the southeast during that terrible storm and another that preceded it.

Enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys stadium 51 times. Enough to fill more than 60 million Olympic size pools. Some scientists say the 40 trillion-gallon figure may be an understatement.

While the stats are stunning, the human toll is staggering.

I saw this on a real estate blog I enjoy. I don’t mean to scare you, but this could be us someday.

“A week ago, Asheville seemed to have it all.

It was one of the fastest-growing cities in the country with a vibrant arts scene and booming tourism industry. It drew retirees and remote workers who wanted to escape to the mountains, and it was seen as one of the best places to go to avoid the perils of climate change.

In less than 24 hours, all of that was shattered.

The scale of the devastation is unimaginable. Whole towns have been essentially erased from the map. Properties were swept up in the floodwaters and carried downstream.

The total economic loss and damage from Helene’s path could be up to $160B, according to an estimate from AccuWeather, approaching the $200B impact Hurricane Katrina wrought on New Orleans — one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.”

Sobering to say the least. As Hurricane Milton approaches the Florida coast please be vigilant and have a plan.

Here’s a link on ways to donate to help those impacted by Helene.

https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-10-01/hurricane-helene-donations-relief-western-north-carolina-blue-ridge-public-radio

Losses

This week we mourn the loss of two great contributors.

Land use attorney and civic volunteer Marty Perry has passed. Mr. Perry was an institution in Palm Beach County serving on a slew of boards that helped to shape our community. He will be missed.

Rev. Nancy Norman, who served as senior minister at Unity of Delray, passed unexpectedly Oct. 4. She was an amazing minister and lovely person who touched so many lives with her kindness.

We send our condolences to the Perry and Norman families.

 

 

 

30 September, 2024 6 6 Comments

The Choice

September 30, 2024 By 6 Comments

A friend of mine— who shall go nameless lest we boost his ego—took a plane trip recently.

He sat next to a rabbi, and they had a long conversation about politics and the world we live in.

It was a civil conversation. A friendly discussion despite their many differences, proof that such a thing is possible even in this charged environment we find ourselves living in.

Sometimes I feel we’re trapped, talking past each other, with views cemented in one camp or the other with each camp viewing the other as an existential threat.

It’s no fun.

But my friend said he enjoyed his conversation with the rabbi. I think they may have even exchanged phone numbers so they could stay in touch and continue the dialogue.

That’s a healthy development, I thought. But I was troubled by something my friend told me and I can’t stop thinking about it. The rabbi said my friend was too idealistic.

I have to think about that one.

Too idealistic; it’s kind like being too kind. Is there such a thing? And is idealism bad?

My friend’s mid-air meet-up with a rabbi got me thinking about a recent podcast I listened to that talked about the death of idealism. Comedian Trevor Noah was interviewing the best-selling author  Simon Sinek, who I think hangs the moon.

Mr. Sinek wrote the classic “Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action.”

It’s a classic book. A true must read.

Sinek defines the “Why” as your purpose, cause, or belief. It explains why your business or organization exists, but it’s also a good way to approach life. What’s your why?

Anyway, during the conversation with Noah, Simon Sinek shared that idealism seems to be getting lost and that many of today’s prominent leaders have adopted a hard-bitten approach to their work.

The comment made me think of the scene in the movie  “A Few Good Men” when the Jack Nicholson character, under intense questioning by a prosecutor played by Tom Cruise, says “you don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall.”

Well, that’s what I’m talking about; this notion that we live in a tough world where’s there’s no room for idealism. Indeed, idealism gets equated with naivete and that can be dangerous.

It’s a good argument. We live in a dangerous world, with lots of bad actors who do heinous things.

But I’m not ready to abandon idealism. I think we need more of it. Idealism provides a path forward. Consequently, cynicism or a belief that conditions can never change guarantee that they won’t.

Again, I turn to Simon Sinek:

“Pure pragmatism can’t imagine a bold future. Pure idealism can’t get anything done. It’s when the two cooperate that magic happens.”

Aha!

That’s it. We need a balance between dreams and reality. But we can’t abandon our dreams, we can’t forsake our ideals.

Sinek believes that many of our leaders have lost their idealism, that our leaders have stopped dreaming. He asks us to imagine what the world would look like if leaders dreamt about world peace. He says it sounds corny to say it out loud, because we are so far from that ideal and that’s sad isn’t it?

But if we think world peace is a corny idea, something is very wrong.

If we think that our nation cannot be united, it’s terribly sad and we resign ourselves to endless strife.

“Absent idealism,” Sinek says. “All we do is look for right or wrong. Absent idealism, we no longer see ourselves on the same team in pursuit of the dream. We see each other in opposition to me being right or you being wrong.”

Right about now the song “Imagine” is going through my head…”you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

I’m starting to believe that half the people reading this piece would say I’m corny and cheesy (guilty as charged and that extends to my taste in music, bring on the schmaltz) but like John Lennon said: “I’m not the only one.”

I believe in optimism—always.

I believe in idealism—always. Pragmatic idealism.

I’m sure the rabbi is a good man, learned and kind. But my understanding of our religion is that idealism and service is at its core. I understand, looking at the Middle East today and our own vicious politics, that it is hard to be an idealist in 2024. So hard.

But the key to a better future is to transcend. For any endeavor to be successful, we must transcend and get to a different place where other outcomes are at least possible.

I’m going to tell my friend to hang on to his idealism…cling to it like a buoy in rough seas. Make sure to be pragmatic but hang on to your dreams.

Don’t stop dreaming that things can be better. You may be a dreamer but you’re not the only one.

 

 

23 September, 2024 3 3 Comments

Looking at Boca…

September 23, 2024 By 3 Comments

From left, Mayor Singer, Boca Chamber President Troy McClellan and Councilman Andy Thomson.

Last week, I wrote about some of the amazing things happening in West Palm Beach.

I touched briefly on Boca Raton, but I realized that there is more to talk about when it comes to Boca.

It’s funny, when you’ve been the mayor of a neighboring city, people get antsy when you say something nice about another community. One time– way past my “sell by” date— I rode on a float with the Mayor of Lake Worth Beach in the Delray holiday parade.

On the float, I was given a t-shirt touting Lake Worth. It read something like this: “Lake Worth, Making Delray Nervous for 100 years.” I thought the message was cute and complimentary of Delray because it hints that our town is an ideal that others strive to match.

But apparently I hit a nerve and a local gadfly went after me on Facebook as if I defected to Cuba and declared my love for communism. Oh well…

As they say in NY…tough noogies. I like Lake Worth Beach. Always have, always will.

Anyway, Boca has been a friendly rival of Delray for years—with the emphasis on friendly.

Way back when, I debated then Boca Mayor Steven Abrams about the merits of both cities. We squared off in the atrium of a Boca office building and had a great time. The Boca News (rest in peace) even put us on the cover in boxing gear.

It’s always good when we can approach life with a sense of humor. National politicians should take note: just like Boca and Delray aren’t enemies, Americans shouldn’t be at war with each other either.

But let’s avoid the national mess and revisit Boca Raton, which is nearing its 100th birthday as a city in 2025.

I had the pleasure of attending a half-day CityLead leadership conference recently at Boca Raton Community Church. CityLead is a monthly event that attracts a wide variety of local leaders. Pastor Bill Mitchell has been leading this effort for a decade and it’s wonderful. Check it out, I promise you won’t regret it: https://citylead.com/boca/

Once a year, they do a half-day conference and I was finally able to attend as a guest of 4Kids of South Florida, a wonderful nonprofit that partners with the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation.

It was a great day with lots of highlights and lots of takeaways that I’m still processing.

But one segment I got right away.

It was a 15-minute panel featuring Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, City Councilman Andy Thomson and Boca Chamber CEO Troy McClellan.

In that short period of time, these three civic leaders touted why they love Boca Raton. They talked about the city’s business development efforts (39 publicly traded companies call Boca home), the quality of life, the fact that young people are flocking to the city for jobs (the median age of Boca is getting younger and is now 47) and how the city seems to have “aspiration” in its DNA. From Addison Mizner’s dream, to the brave soldiers who once called Boca home during World War II, from the IBM era to today’s thriving economy Boca Raton has it going on and these leaders were beaming with civic pride.

But they talked about the “soft stuff” too. Councilman Thomson spoke passionately about an effort to promote neighborliness and how he plans to work with homeowner associations and community organizations to encourage people to check in with their neighbors. Mayor Singer talked about the people who come to Boca and find ways to serve and engage. My friend Troy talked about community institutions such as the 75-year-old chamber, trusted nonprofits like the George Snow Scholarship Fund and the fact that even with 103,000 people Boca still feels like a community.

Pastor Mitchell noted that the speakers filled the air with positivity about Boca and never talked about the wonderful beaches, beautiful parks and A-rated schools. In other words, Boca has lots of good stuff.

I felt the civic pride and during a break I caught up with Mayor Singer. He was approached by several people who expressed their love of Boca, including one young woman who graduated from Boca High, went to the University of Florida and came home to work in advertising. She told the mayor she wanted to be the next generation of leadership in the city.

That short conversation captured everything—the holy grail of community building. You want young people to feel excited about their hometown. You want people to fall in love with a place and dedicate themselves to making it better.

Troy, Andy, Scott and Bill Mitchell all mentioned being stewards of their special city. They showed respect to past leaders who built an awesome place, and they saw their roles as making their city better.

Now I’m sure some don’t like growth; others can’t stand the traffic and still others lament the changes that have occurred. No place is perfect, and no place is perfect for everyone. But cities are not museums, they change, they evolve and if you work hard and are intentional they change for the better. But some things should never change: respect for the past, nurturing a sense of community, caring for others and creating opportunity for future generations.

What I saw at CityLead and what I know from watching and doing business in Boca for a long time is that it’s a strong city with lots of valuable assets and anchors. All those anchors and assets matter—the universities, the businesses, the parks, the beach, the schools, the nonprofits and the places of worship—but the most valuable resource is always the  people who call a place home.

People provide leadership, pride of place and aspiration.

Boca has it. And they appreciate what they have.

 

Mercury Morris

Dolphins great Mercury Morris died over the weekend at the age of 77.

Mr. Morris was a talented running back who won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins in the 70s and was on the team that had the “perfect season.”

Post football he had some legal issues that were eventually tossed and he became a well-traveled public speaker. As a rookie journalist in Binghamton N.Y. in the mid 80s, I had a chance to interview Mr. Morris when he visited Broome County Community College. He was my first “celebrity” interview and I was really nervous to meet him. In short order, I had a chance to meet and interview MASH actor Mike Farrell and Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy. Farrell was wonderful, Liddy was… let’s say… colorful. But Mercury Morris helped to put these interviews in perspective for me. I remember him as being kind, intelligent and determined to share his story with young people.

I am a football fan so that was common ground and I got to ask him about the famed back field he was part of alongside Jim Kiick and Larry Csonka.

I still have the “clip” from that interview and I used the piece as part of my collection of clips to apply for jobs in South Florida. I liked how the interview turned out and I figured that editors would me more interested in the NFL than my stories about whether there should be a solid waste facility in Vestal, N.Y. or rural Conklin.

Rest well Mercury and thanks for the memories. What a football player. He was electric.

 

16 September, 2024 4 4 Comments

Vision + Aspiration=Change

September 16, 2024 By 4 Comments

West Palm Beach

I took a tour of an apartment building in downtown West Palm Beach recently.

That may not sound too exciting, but it was.

From the top floor we had a beautiful panoramic view of the downtown. My guide was excitedly describing what was happening below. I was swept away by his enthusiasm.

To the north he noted the site of a proposed Vanderbilt University campus, a $300 million vision that includes training the next generation of tech engineers and business leaders.

To the east, he noted the presence of Palm Beach Atlantic University which has an ambitious plan to maximize the potential of its urban campus.

We saw several sites purchased by Stephen Ross, the visionary chair of Related Companies who’s leading the charge on Vanderbilt, investing in gleaming new office towers and building new residential projects on sites that are currently blighted with boarded up homes.

Ross is a real estate legend.

And at 83, he’s chosen West Palm Beach as the place to cement his legacy. He’s making a bet that West Palm will become the city in a region that’s already booming.

According to Bloomberg, Ross’ Related Cos. owns almost half the office stock in West Palm Beach’s downtown and he’s building more.

But the vision doesn’t stop at offices, hotels and residential towers. Ross has also signaled that he’s going to be a player in everything from schools to health care. He has stated that he hopes to make West Palm Beach “a model city for the country.”

It’s heady stuff.

But we’ve seen examples of this before.

On the west coast, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik is playing a major role in the growth of Tampa. We saw the vision of Wayne Huizenga shape Fort Lauderdale and Broward County. We are also witnessing the impact of entrepreneurs like Jorge Perez and Manny Medina in Miami. Their efforts have forever changed the trajectory of “the Magic City.”

So, what does this mean for those of us who call southern Palm Beach County home?

Well, certainly a rising tide lifts all boats so there will be benefits to the maturation of West Palm Beach.

But like any “renaissance” there will be winners and losers.

As noted before in this space, building and maintaining economies and cities is a complex endeavor with lots of moving parts. It’s part art and part science. There’s also a need for serendipity, which is always welcome, but can’t be counted on or plugged into a spreadsheet.

Never underestimate the magic. It may or may not visit, but it tends to be fleeting so you need to take be ready and take advantage of it when it arrives.

Still, there are also lots of unintended consequences when cities transform—some are happy, and some are not.

When catalytic entrepreneurs with vision, guts, capital and smarts show up and decide to make a splash there’s sure to be a ripple effect.

We will most likely see job creation.

Hopefully, we will see increased philanthropy.

We will benefit in a myriad of ways from the newcomers who will be attracted to all the excitement.

For those of us already here, we may see and seize opportunities. But others will be left behind. And we need to be aware of the communities at risk.

Hopefully, these mavericks and those who follow in their wake will be creating a community in which our children will sense opportunity and want to come home after going away to college. I never felt it made any sense to spend billions on pre-K through university level education only to see our best and brightest leave because they don’t see opportunity here at home.

But there are downsides as well to transformational change.

We will need to be mindful of the environment and ensure that as we urbanize, we make sure to preserve open space. (Hey governor, leave the parks alone).

It’s good to see growth happening in the urban core of West Palm. It beats sprawl, which is bad for the environment and creates traffic.

We already struggle—mightily–with affordability. And as the county attracts investment above and beyond what Mr. Ross is doing, we are likely to see even more upward pressure on housing prices.

There will be a need to preserve neighborhoods from the threat of displacement and we must find a way to house our workforce. If your essential workers can’t afford to live here, you don’t have a community, you have a theme park for rich people. (I think I saw that phrase somewhere and  I agree with it.)

As a proud resident of Southern Palm Beach County, I applaud West Palm’s transformation. I’m rooting for that city and it’s Mayor Keith James. He’s a good guy.

But I also hope and expect that our neck of the woods will find its own path forward. We certainly have unlimited potential.

Boca Raton has a robust economic development program, a business-friendly City Council, an extraordinary Chamber of Commerce, an excellent research park, top tier office product, one of the best malls in the nation, FAU, Lynn University, Palm Beach State College, a world class resort, an airport and a Brightline station.

Boca is also pondering a new downtown government campus that could reinvigorate the area. Some council members are talking about the redevelopment of the campus as a billion dollar plus project. Then there’s the continued development of The Center for the Arts & Innovation at Mizner Park, an ambitious effort that has enormous upside potential. In addition, Boca is experiencing a residential housing boom with several multifamily projects working their way through the approval process.

As for Delray, when I think about the future my mind goes back to the city’s Cultural Plan which was done about 20 years ago.

In that plan, the consultant noted that Delray needed to find its place in the cultural landscape. It was recommended that the city not compete with West Palm’s Kravis Center or the Broward Center for the Performing Arts but rather carve its own niche by offering unique and intimate cultural opportunities. The larger point is you need to find your  positioning in the marketplace based on local sensibilities (and sensitivities, i.e. no tall buildings), what’s possible and perhaps what’s missing.

With West Palm and Palm Beach Gardens anchoring the northern part of the county and Boca off to the races, where does Delray fit in?

That’s the challenge and the opportunity. I do know that the best way to determine the path forward is to engage the community in a visioning process. It’s been a while since we’ve had one.

I also know that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. You can’t control the market, but you can shape your own destiny.

Thoughts…

Do you ever scroll social media when you are on a boring call?

I admit that I do, sometimes anyway.

That’s what I was doing last week when I came across a post from a former teacher of mine who announced that he had just lost his wife hours earlier to Alzheimer’s.

This was not just any teacher; this was my favorite teacher. I had him in 4th grade and incredibly we are still in touch although I haven’t seen him in person since 1973.

Back then, he was a young teacher just starting out. He left an impression on all of us. He stayed in touch with many of my classmates and a whole lot of other students he impacted during a career that saw him scale great heights as a principal and administrator.

I enjoy following his adventures on social media. Trips to great locations, ski vacations and family celebrations always with his beautiful wife alongside him.

Even though I never met her, I did feel I kind of knew her. She must have been awesome because my friend is very special.

I knew they met as teenagers. He went to her Sweet 16 and their first date was a Billy Joel show back when he was playing Long Island bars and bowling alleys. My friend’s wife went to school with Billy.

Over the years, we tried and failed to get together during my infrequent trips home to Long Island. It just never worked out. That saddens me, because I would really love to be in the same room with this special teacher and learn even more about his life. I can’t pinpoint the exact lessons he imparted when I was a kid, all I know is I learned a lot and had a good time.

It was around 4th grade that I fell in love with writing. I’m sure my teacher encouraged me, that’s what great teachers do.

I didn’t know my friend’s wife had Alzheimer’s. What an awful disease, you end up losing people twice. My heart aches for him and all those struggling with this disease.

 

Remembering Johnny Pun

Johnny Pun

Also on social media, I saw this post from the Delray Beach Police Department honoring Officer Johnny Pun on the 19th anniversary of his death. Johnny was a friend of mine. During my newspaper days, I rode with him many times on midnight warrant sweeps etc.

Johnny had an infectious smile, an expansive view of what a police officer can mean to a community and was a lot of fun to be around. Here’s what our PD said. It’s a beautiful tribute.

Honoring the Memory of Officer Jean “Johnny” Pun

This week, we take a moment to honor and remember a true hero, Officer Jean “Johnny” Pun, who tragically passed away on September 10, 2005, in an off-duty motor vehicle accident. Officer Pun was more than just a colleague; he was a cherished friend, a source of strength, and a leader within our community.

Officer Pun made an incredible impact in Delray Beach, especially in fostering connections between law enforcement and the city’s Haitian population and youth. His dedication to community policing and building trust with residents set him apart, creating a lasting bond that continues to inspire us today.

Officer “Johnny” Pun’s legacy is one of unity, love, and compassion—values that continue to guide us in serving this great community. We will forever carry his memory in our hearts.

9/11/

From Morning Brew: “Last week, New York officials revealed a sobering statistic: For the first time, more FDNY first responders have died from their exposure to toxins at Ground Zero (370) than were killed on the day of the attacks (343), including 28 in the past year. Union leaders are imploring Congress to extend funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, which runs out in 2028, through 2090, to ensure that every survivor can receive care.

The FDNY said urgency is needed before 9/11 fades from people’s memories: It soon plans to hire people born after Sept. 11, 2001.”

We must never forget.

And I don’t think we will.

On Sept. 11 I was at a meeting at FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine. Before we began our meeting, one of the participants asked us to pause to think about those we lost on that fateful day. He asked whether we knew anyone personally who perished in the attack. Three of the four meeting participants said they did lose someone they knew. I guess they call that “Six Degrees of Separation”.

We lost 3,000 plus people and yet our small group had personal connections. Very powerful indeed.

Michael Boyle, NYFD, your classmates will always remember you.

 

 

 

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