The man, the myth, the legend…

Bay Ridge lost another treasure, David Forsyth, a Bay Ridge icon who brought a smile to everyone he met and always left them laughing... he will be sorely missed. David passed away on Friday, August 7. He was an actors actor, and once starred off-Broadway with Brian Dennehy. He told countless anecdotes, my favorite being the sidewalk encounter he had with Dustin Hoffman. Forsyth was a charter member of Narrows Community Theater and served as their first president from 1971-1973. David was very proud of NCT and well he should be. He was in dozens of productions over the years, and more recently he would always bring the house down before the show even started when he introduced the plays at St. Patrick’s. His wake was a testament to his dedication to his family and friends and the art of performing that he loved so much. Hundreds of mourners, most with their own special remembrance of David were there to share these wonderful stories. His ‘last’ performance, at St. Patrick’s Church for his funeral mass, was to a full house. Father Gerard Sauer gave the homily in true theater-style jargon and began with a joke, in honor of the lead actor. “He loved a good joke.” said Father Gerard; and we loved hearing them, especially from him.

Theatre in the ‘not so rough’…

Last week I went to see a reading of a brand new play that took place at the distinguished Manhattan Theatre Club. Written by local theater maven Michael Coluccio (pictured here at reading), who founded Sts. Simon and Jude Theater in Gravesend, it is a play dealing with priests, seminarians, laymen and plain old regular folk, all looking for some sort of redemption. During this initial reading, Michael was able to secure some of his talented friends from various other Broadway shows to perform. The story is topical and very well written. This was the first full reading of his play called Ordained, and is the first step in the process of getting this play to a theatre near you. You will definitely be hearing more about this very soon.

Matt Long Enters and Completes Lake Placid Ironman

New York City Firefighter Matthew Long was part of the 2009 Ironman Lake Placid Triathalon which took place on Sunday July 26. That means Matt swam 2.4 miles in Mirror Lake, biked 112 miles through the Adirondack Mountains, and ran the 26.2 miles through those same mountains. Matt entered this Ironman, his second, with his group, the I Will Foundation, with fellow Bay Ridge-ite Jonathan Rohl who entered for the first time. Matt’s first Ironman was in 2005, before his near-death injury when he was struck by a bus in Manhattan during the illegal NYC transit strike. At the time of that injury, Matt was given a one percent chance of survival. Since that time, and after many pints of blood, numerous surgeries and strenuous physical therapy, Matt has run a NYC Marathon in 2008 and now, competed in an Ironman Triathalon. This is an amazing story of heart, and determination, and hope. Matthew Long is an inspiration to all who know him, and especially those who don’t, who he has touched through his wonderful foundation with his courage, and his incredible strength of character. Congratulations to you Matt, and your I Will Foundation, and to all who competed in this most arduous event. For more information check www.iwillfoundation.com

Congratulations JR…

My friend and Bay Ridge runner Jonathan Rohl (seen here with Matt Long) was part of the I Will Foundation entourage that competed with Matt in his quest for the Ironman Triathalon in Lake Placid on July 26. It was JR’s first attempt at this swimming, biking and running endurance test of strength and stamina, and he passed with flying colors. His time was 11:06 and he was 244th out of the 2,258 that started the event. Jonathan is a graduate of prestigious Regis High School and the University of Scranton, graduating with degrees in International Language/Business in 2001. He can be seen running through the streets of Bay Ridge in preparation for the NYC Marathon in November and the Boston Marathon in April. During last years Boston Marathon, JR had his best marathon time to date, 2:57, which to me is absolutely incredible. Nicely done, buddy…

Sometime on Friday, I caught the HBO series “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” already in progress and was watching a story about former Oakland Raider Barret Robbins and his battle with a bipolar disorder. The next segment on the show was about a young lacrosse player and the malignant brain tumor that was detected by her doctor at the tender age of nine. It was a story I knew all to well, after meeting this feisty teenager last year at Poly Prep. The story goes like this… Jaclyn Murphy was diagnosed and had that brain tumor removed on March 30, 2004. Chemotherapy and radiation followed the operation because the tumor they removed was malignant and life threatening. Each day on their way to the treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan, they passed a poster on the wall depicting a women’s lacrosse team, and her dad, Denis Murphy, pointed to that image and said to his daughter, “that’s going to be you one day.” Little did either of them know, that Jaclyn’s lacrosse coach had a friend who coached the Northwestern University’s women’s college squad and had told her all about Jaclyn and her condition. Within days, Jaclyn had all sorts of Northwestern Lacrosse gear and autographed pictures and sticks from the entire team. Jaclyn had her dad drive her to a game when the team came to the east coast to play at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. Dad did, and an incredible relationship had begun. Jaclyn attended as many games as she could and was in the stands when the team won their first NCAA Championship in 2004. They have won every year since. She is quite the ‘good luck charm’. The foundation she and her dad have started is called Friends of Jaclyn, and is all about love, support and friendship. So far, they have over 100 college sports teams covering 17 different sports and one high school lacrosse team (Poly Preps Girls). They pair off recently diagnosed pediatric brain tumor patients and a school sports program. That team “adopts” the child and the results are extraordinary. That is how I met this amazing young lady; her and her dad were introducing the Poly team to their ‘adopted younger sister’, Lily Langbein. It was one of the most incredible moments I have ever witnessed. I got to chat with Jaclyn, whose courage, relentless spirit and joy for life are an inspiration to those who know her. She is captivating, and her enthusiasm is contagious. The Poly team, the only high school program thus far, is coached by Anni Zukauskas, who says of her team, “I have a very special team here at Poly Prep, and they have gone above and beyond to become a part of this foundation.” This charitable organization was created to raise public awareness about pediatric brain tumors. Funds are used to offset medical expenses for children who are diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer and donations are made to other charities specifically related to pediatric brain cancer. For more information on this wonderful foundation go to www.friendsofjaclyn.org