Patient of the Week – Brookelynn Hunt

By St. Jude
October 24, 2009

Brookelynn Hunt

2 years old

Diagnosis:

Brookelynn was found to suffer from atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) in August 2007.

Brookelynn’s Story:

For a week, 13-month-old Brookelynn was off balance and sick to her stomach. Her parents, Christy and Richard, took her to the pediatrician, who said Brookelynn had an ear infection. But two days later, when Richard noticed little Brookelynn’s hand shaking, he felt something more was afflicting his daughter. He was in the process of driving her to the hospital when Brookelynn’s hand shaking turned into something much more serious: a seizure, which caused her to lose movement on her left side.

At the hospital, an MRI revealed a tumor on the right side of Brookelynn’s head. Doctors suspected ATRT. Brookelynn was immediately flown to a local children’s hospital, where surgeons removed 100 percent of the tumor. But doctors wanted to wait six weeks before starting treatment. Christy and Richard were ill at ease with the doctors recommendation, and started searching for alternative options. Their search led them to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude staff advised Brookelynn’s family not to wait six weeks, as ATRT is a fast-growing cancer. St. Jude, they said, could see her immediately. “We left that night,” Christy said. “We literally packed up and left right then.”

At St. Jude:

Brookelynn underwent four months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. She regained strength and movement on her left side. After she returned home, Brookelynn received oral chemotherapy. She visits St. Jude every six months for checkups.

“St. Jude is such a wonderful place,” Christy said. The family especially appreciated the housing provided to St. Jude families. “We stayed at the Target House for almost seven months,” she said. “It meant a lot. There was so much we didn’t have to worry about – the meals, Brookelynn’s care. It took a lot of stress off of us.”

Christy and Richard are most thankful for what St. Jude has given them—their daughter. “She’s still here with us,” Christy said. “She’s doing really well.” Brookelynn, who became a big sister over the summer, is a sweet little girl who loves animals and her baby dolls.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

Source St. Jude

Soldier of the Week – Army Pfc. David Hutchinson

By David Hogberg
Investor’s Business Daily
October 23, 2009

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

Army Pfc. David Hutchinson landed in Afghanistan on May 16, 2008.

It would be a short deployment.

On his fifth day a grenade wounded him — but not before he killed five terrorists and helped secure the safety of 16 fellow soldiers.

A year later he received the Silver Star for bravery. The Pentagon says he’s just the fifth Army reservist so honored.

Hutchinson was born in 1987 in Humble, Texas. He joined the Army Reserve when he was 18, joining his family’s long line in uniform.

“There was a strong sense of patriotism in the family,” Hutchinson told IBD. “That was instilled in me from the get-go.”

His grandfather, uncle and a few cousins all joined the military, mostly in the Air Force.

Hutchinson had a simple reason for not going that route: “I’m not a big fan of flying.”

Hutchinson is with the 420th Engineer Brigade. Not that he does much engineering. He mostly trains for brigade security. This involves providing safe transport for VIPs.

On the morning of May 21, 2008, members of the brigade’s security detail were in a convoy of four Humvees driving through the mountains of Afghanistan.

Riding Shotgun

Hutchinson was in the third Humvee manning the MK-19, a machine gun that fires 40 mm grenades. “We wanted to know what it was like on that route before we had to drive it with somebody important,” he said.

The ambush came at 11 a.m. as the convoy moved up a small mountain.

“Just about the time that all four trucks got into the pass, the front truck opened up with its 50-caliber machine gun,” Hutchinson said. “At that point I couldn’t see anything, I could just hear the shooting at the front. I immediately started looking around, and two or three seconds later I saw several insurgents pop up on the right side of the convoy, which was my sector of fire.”

Roughly 20 of the enemy attacked the convoy with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-fired grenades. From 200 feet away terrorist snipers tried to riddle the convoy.

Hutchinson was in the Humvee’s turret and opened up with his MK-19. Despite the crash of battle, he aimed methodically. “There were several positions I could see fire coming from, so it was a matter of assessing which position had the most fire coming from it,” he said.

A machine gun nest at the top of a hill, from which the terrorists were firing a Russian-made PKM, gave the enemy fire superiority. Other terrorists were popping up from the nest, firing AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades.

“To me, it was very obvious that one position had the most amount of fire coming from it, so I focused my firepower on that spot,” said Hutchinson. “Once that was destroyed, I started assessing other spots that had fire coming from them, and I adjusted and fired at those positions.”

By all accounts his MK-19 shots were the main reason the Americans held the terrorists’ ambush at bay, letting the convoy move out of the line of fire. He was so effective, the enemy turned its focus on him.

The terrorist barrage hit him hard, with Hutchinson’s fellow soldiers later counting 100 bullet marks in the turret.

Hutchinson answered with his own onslaught for a few minutes. He emptied an entire can of ammunition before two grenades struck his Humvee. The force of the blast knocked him out of the turret and into the crew compartment. Shrapnel had gashed his right leg.

“When I landed down in the truck, I couldn’t feel my legs,” he recalled. “Actually, I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. At that point, I couldn’t get back in the turret.”

Hutchinson had landed in the lap of 1st Sgt. David Gusberry, who was in the rear passenger seat. As the private rolled over, he saw that Gusberry was seriously injured.

“His entire face was covered in blood, his armor was covered in blood,” Hutchinson said. “Since I couldn’t get back up into the turret, obviously the next best thing I could do was treat his wounds and try to control the bleeding as best I could.”

Gusberry, who was scanning for the enemy and improvised explosive devices that day, recalls Hutchinson’s cool.

“He never panicked. He did his job, then worked on my injuries,” said Gusberry. “He stayed by me to make sure I didn’t go into shock.”

As the attack subsided, the convoy moved out of the mountain pass and met up with a medical helicopter. Hutchinson refused treatment, insisting that the medics tend only to Gusberry. As injured soldiers must be secured on a stretcher before getting on a helicopter, Hutchinson’s decision shortened the time the chopper spent on the ground.

Hutchinson credits his training, which he received at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, from a couple of sergeants first class, Jimmy Snell and Robert Parsons.

“They told us at the beginning that the training would be long and hard, 14 to 16 hour days,” Hutchinson said. “But if we stuck it out, we’d be part of the security detail.”

The training involved practicing ambush scenarios in which Hutchinson and his fellow soldiers were outnumbered six-to-one.

“That taught us to not freak out, that there was always a way to get out of those situations,” he said. “That hard and very realistic training they put us through contributed to everyone coming out of the situation (in Afghanistan) alive.”

Gusberry says training really took with Hutchinson. Why? “His can-do attitude,” said the first sergeant.

Since returning from Afghanistan, Hutchinson, 22, has been promoted to specialist along with landing more medals: a Purple Heart, an Army Achievement Medal and an Army Good Conduct Medal.

He also is recovering from his wounds. For that he thanks the medics on the ground, plus the doctors, nurses and physical therapists at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. “They are all top-notch,” Hutchinson said. “It’s very obvious they know what they are doing.”

Step By Step

“I can walk for longer distances without a cane,” he said. “I’m also getting back the ability to jog, and May was the first month I had gotten back on a bicycle in over a year.”

Gusberry is also making his way back, although he suffers from partial blindness and will be medically discharged from the Army in a few months. “It could have been a lot worse,” he said.

As Hutchinson heals between Reserve jobs, he works as a retail sales consultant for AT&T . He could be called back to Afghanistan as soon as he’s made a full recovery. He sounds ready to help: “One of the things I noticed while I was there were the people building their own freeways. A lot of the roads are just dirt and hard rock. It was actually inspiring to see these asphalt roads being built, making travel between various cities that much faster.”

Source: Investors

Officer of the Week – Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer

 
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer
Shield 22403
ESS-7
11/22/2001

Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer
Shield 22403
ESS-7

Within the tight fraternity of the New York City Police Department is an even tighter fraternity ‹ the 25 men, from officers to lieutenants, who wear the blue jerseys of the department’s lacrosse team. Ronny Kloepfer, 39, a sniper with the Emergency Service Unit, was their leader. He was founder, coach and midfielder of the six-year-old team, which had a 4-2 record in the annual charity game against its arch-rival, the New York City Fire Department.

Officer Kloepfer, who played for Seewanaka High School and then Adelphi University, somehow fit the team into a schedule that included his elite police position, a side job as a contractor and the demands of a young family. His wife, Dawn, and three children Jaime, 11; Taylor, 9; and Casey, 5 were always on the sidelines, as Officer Kloepfer was when his two daughters played their games. Casey was still too young, Mrs. Kloepfer said, but had his own stick from the day he was born.

From March to May, the team practiced two or three times a week, from 5 to 7 p.m., at an abandoned junior high school near Officer Kloepfer’s home in Franklin Square, N.Y. Now that he is gone, three teammates will run the team, a task Officer Kloepfer managed alone. “We don’t know how he did it,” said Detective Craig Carson. “We took him for granted almost.”

– The New York Times 11/22/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Alexander Rogov a Man of Courage

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
October. 21, 2009

Editor’s Note: There are a lot of God’s special children in this world that you need your help. After reading this article, it doesn’t make you want to get involved we don’t know what would.

We hope you will enjoy the story below:

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

By Special Olympics
October 19, 2009

Alexander Rogov had to face the reality of not achieving his dream because of an injury at the World Winter Games, but had the courage and spirit to support his teammates.

When Special Olympics Russia’s Alexander Rogov learned he was going to compete as a speed skater in the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games he thought of one thing – winning a medal.

On the first day of preliminaries for the 333-meter speed skating event Rogov fell to the ice on the third and final lap with a tear in his Achilles tendon. He courageously got back to his feet and was able to make it across the finish line, but it would be the last time he would wear his speed skates at these World Games. After traveling from his small town an hour outside of St. Petersburg, all the way to Idaho, his dreams of winning a medal in his first World Winter Games were over – on the eve of his 18th birthday.

“I was very disappointed,” Rogov said through an interpreter. “Winning a medal was the thing I wanted to do the most at the Games.”

As he underwent a successful surgery to repair the tendon, word of Rogov’s story spread throughout the community of athletes, coaches, volunteers and staff at the World Games. By the time he was back in his hotel room recovering, Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver had heard of Rogov’s story and visited him.

He told Shriver that it was difficult to remain in his room while his friends and fellow athletes competed in their own events. “It was very hard not to compete,” said Rogov. “But my teammates were very supportive and gave me updates of how our team did and who won medals.”

“He is a very good teammate, always willing to help out with equipment or whatever was needed,” said Alexey Shumilovsky, a friend and teammate of Rogov. “Our team missed him because he is a very good skater and probably would have won a medal for Special Olympics Russia.”

Shortly before the Closing Ceremony on 13 February, Rogov said he still had not told his family back in Russia about his injury. He thought his older brother and sister and his parents would be sad for him so he wanted to wait until he could tell them in person that he was not able to win a medal, so he can comfort them and tell them it is okay and not to be sad.

“I still had a lot of fun,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to being with my teammates for the Closing Ceremony. But if I had one wish it would be that I was able to win a medal.”

At the Closing Ceremony, Rogov received a big surprise when during his opening remarks, Shriver retold Rogov’s story of determination and courage. He called Rogov out on the stage to stand next to him, and Rogov made his way to the podium on his crutches, his foot in a walking boot. Shriver then told a packed house at the Idaho Centre in Nampa about a young man who traveled so far in hopes of living a dream, only to have to face the reality of not achieving that dream.

“I’ve talked to many skaters who told me that when you have an injury to your Achilles you’re lucky to be strong enough to walk anytime soon,” Shriver said. “Well, Alexander Rogov embodied the Special Olympics spirit of determination to overcome all odds when not only did he get back on his feet after falling, but he finished his race. He crossed the finish line, and while he did not win, he fulfilled the Special Olympics athlete oath by being brave in the attempt.”

Shriver gestured to the crowd, saying, “With all of your approval, what I’d like to do now is award Alex an honorary gold medal for bravery.  What do you think?”

The answer was unanimous as the crowd rose to its feet in booming cheers and thunderous applause and a young man’s dream was realized with a beaming smile and the glimmer of gold.

Source: Special Olympics

Grade 2 Science

By Natalie Smith
October 20, 2009

Budding scientists learn fundamental concepts and gain appreciation for our natural resources

In second grade, your grandchildren continue to learn about scientific concepts primarily through observation. Textbooks typically divide the year into separate units on life science, earth science, and physical science; teachers use simple experiments to build on earlier lessons. In life science, children discover ways to describe the similarities and differences between people, plants, and animals. They also study simple life cycles to learn how organisms grow and change. In earth science, students learn more about how people use our planet’s most important natural resources, including water. They also learn about Earth’s place in the solar system, and why the planet has day and night and different seasons. In physical science, children throw themselves into hands-on lessons on matter in its various states, learning, for example, to measure mass with a balance scale, and volume with a measuring cup. They also explore forces such as wind, gravity, and sound. By the end of the year, your grandchildren should have an understanding of scientific investigation, and know how to use simple equipment, such as rulers and timers, to gather data.

The Age of Dinosaurs. As part of their study of earth science, second-graders often learn about how fossils, especially those of dinosaurs, provide evidence of animals that lived long ago. Studying these fossils is usually not controversial, but in communities where advocates of “intelligent design” theories are clamoring for changes in the local science curriculum, textbooks’ statements about concepts such as how long ago dinosaurs lived can spark heated debates.

• Guide your grandchildren on a tour through nature with Jim Arnosky’s Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats (Aladdin, 2007). Arnosky was a naturalist before he became an author. His fact-filled, colorful pages introduce grandchildren to the many different environments that wildlife can inhabit.
• Early-elementary students should understand that every plant and animal can cause changes to its environment – some for good, some not. Wendy Pfeffer’s Wiggling Worms at Work (HarperTrophy, 2003) illustrates this concept as it examines the critical role worms play in the natural world.
• Children in second grade will discover how animals, including humans, depend on natural resources like trees. How do the actions of humans have an impact on trees? Patricia Lauber’s Be a Friend to Trees (HarperTrophy, 1994) explores these ideas, and suggests ways to conserve this important natural resource.
• Second-graders will learn more about the power of gravity and its relationship to weight. It is a common misconception among kids (and many parents and grandparents) that heavier objects will fall faster than lighter objects. For a demonstration that proves this is incorrect, invite your grandchildren to the computer to watch an astronaut on the Apollo 15 mission drop a feather and a hammer on the Moon from the same height at the same time. For simple gravity experiments kids can perform here on Earth, with your help, read Vicki Cobb’s I Fall Down (HarperCollins, 2004).

Putting Animals in Their Place. Take your grandchildren to the zoo, and ask them to identify different creatures and tell you which animal group each belongs to, and what type of habitat it lives in.

Changes Matter. Show your grandchildren how to grow a rock: First, mix approximately two cups of hot water in a bowl with about four cups of sugar. Then tie one end of a string to the middle of a craft stick or pencil, and lay the stick across the top of the bowl, with the string hanging into the sugar mixture. Finally, cut the string so it touches the bottom of the cup. Once the mixture has cooled, have your grandchild take it home. Tell them to observe the string every day for a week and record what happens.

The Shadows Know. Take your grandchild outside on a sunny day. With a piece of chalk, trace his or her shadow onto the sidewalk. Write the time next to the shadow, then have your grandchild make a prediction about how the shadow will change later in the day. In a few hours, come back and test the hypothesis.

Editor’s Note: Natalie Smith is an assistant editor at Scholastic News Edition 4 and a freelance writer based in New York City.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Grandparants

National Zoo – Tokay Gecko

By FNZ
October 20, 2009

Taxonomy
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus/species: Gekko gecko

Description
With a length of around 14 inches (35 cm), tokay geckoes are one of the largest geckoes alive today . The body of a tokay is cylindrical, squat, and somewhat flattened on the upper side. The limbs are well-defined and uniformly developed. The head is large and set off from the neck, and they have large, prominent eyes with vertically-slit pupils. The eyelids of these animals are fused together and transparent. They also have a pineal body or “third eye” on the top of their head, which is believed to coordinate their activity with light conditions. The ears can be seen on the outside of the gecko as small holes on both sides of the head. It is possible to see straight through the head of these geckoes through their ears. Their toes that have fine setae on them, allowing them to cling to vertical and over-hanging surfaces and move at fast speeds.

They have soft, granular skin that feels velvety to the touch. The coloration of a tokay gecko is very important to its lifestyle. The skin is usually gray with several brownish-red to bright red spots and flecks but it has the ability to lighten or darken the coloring of its skin. They usually do so in order to blend in or to be less noticeable to other animals.

There are obvious male and female differences in the tokay gecko. The male is more brightly colored than the female and generally the male is slightly larger than the female. A conspicuous difference between the sexes is the small amount of swelling at the base of the tail of the male, due to the presence of the two hemipenes. Also, the males have visible preanal and femoral pores and postanal tubercules.

Tokay geckoes are solitary creatures. They encounter the opposite sex only during the breeding season. They defend their territory against intruders of the same species and of other species, ensuring less competition for food. The territory is generally guarded by males but is occasionally watched by the female. These geckoes can inflict severe bites if they are sufficiently threatened.

The nose is used for breathing and also for detecting scents. Scents are detected by the large number of sensory cells on a membrane in the nostrils. They are also detected by using the Jacobson’s organ. The tokay gecko uses its tongue to carry scent particles to Jacobson’s organ and “taste” the air.

They have folds of skin that prevent the animal from casting a shadow while resting on a tree. They open up the skin fold completely and this allows them to blend in with the tree bark.

An important characteristic of the tokay gecko is its ability to cast off its tail in defense and regenerate a new one. The part of the tail that has been cast off continues to move violently for several minutes until it slows down and stops, thus giving the gecko time to escape. The tail has several sections on it where it can break off. It takes about three weeks for these geckoes to completely regenerate a new tail although it is usually never as long as the original.

Calls of the tokay gecko are used for communication, finding members of the opposite sex during the breeding season, and as a means of defense (they emit a hissing or croaking noise when being attacked).

Tokay geckoes are nocturnal.

Distribution and Habitat
Tokay geckoes are found from northeast India to the Indo-Australian Archipelago.

The tokay gecko lives in tropical rainforests, on cliffs and trees, and as pets among human habitation. They are arboreal and cliff-dwelling. They can travel on floating debris to colonize tropical islands. Tokays form mutualistic relationships with humans in tropical areas — humans provide shelter and tokays provide insect extermination. They can be found doing just this at the Small Mammal House.

Diet in the Wild
Tokay geckoes are insectivorous.

Zoo Diet
In captivity, they usually feed on mealworms, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, pink mice, and locusts.

Reproduction
Around mating season, tokays release a liquid from their femoral pores that is thought to attract a mate or to make copulation easier. The femoral pores are located on the upper hind legs. The breeding season lasts about four to five months. Males copulate frequently with females, often grasping them with their mouths. During the breeding period, females lay eggs every month. In order to attract a mate, a male has a call that can be heard over a wide area. This loud “to-kay” sound is repeated multiple times; this sound gives these geckos their name. The male approaches the female from the rear, and they move side to side while he holds her in place with his teeth, biting her in the neck region.

The female looks for a laying site, and when she finds the right one, she affixes the small, hard-shelled, oval-shaped eggs to a solid foundation where they are guarded by both parents until they hatch. They “glue” their eggs on objects, walls, and packing crates, which has resulted in their being transported throughout the world, becoming established where food and climate are optimal.

Hatchlings are two to three inches (5 to 7.5 cm) long. Upon hatching, the young eat their outer covering of skin. They are sexually mature in about one year. Hatchlings are aggressive and readily bite, just like their parents.

Life Span
Unknown.

Status
There is no special status for tokay geckoes.

Fun Facts
Tokay geckoes eat pests such as cockroaches and locusts. In parts of Southeast Asia, tokay geckoes are regarded as harbingers of luck, good fortune, and fertility.

Source of Information
All or part of this information was provided by the Animal Diversity Web and Museum of Zoology of the University of Michigan.
It appears here with their permission. The original author of this information was Jaime Corl.

For more information, including references, see the Animal Diversity Web account for this species, here:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ site/ accounts/ information/ Gekko_gecko.html.

Source:  National Zoo

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

SOMER RENEE THOMPSON

Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Apr 5, 2002	Sex: Female
Missing Date: Oct 19, 2009	Race: White
Age Now: 7	Height: 3’5″ (104 cm)
Missing City: ORANGE PARK	Weight: 65 lbs (29 kg)
Missing State : FL	Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States	Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1133666
Circumstances: Both photos shown are of Somer. She was last seen walking near her school on the afternoon of October 19, 2009. Somer was last seen with her hair in a ponytail tied with a red bow, wearing a maroon sweat suit with a pink stripe, and a black tee shirt. She was carrying a purple Hannah Montana backpack and lunchbox. Somer has a large birthmark on her left shin.

Missing Kids                                  Recovered

Sheriff: Body Found Child Found in Landfill

Unidentified Body Found in Georgia Landfill

By Fox News
October 21, 2009

Editor’s Note: Please keep this family in your prayers. We hope it is not this child. The sad part is, if it is not than it is someone else child. And they too need your prayers too.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Investigators searching for a missing 7-year-old Florida girl said Wednesday that a girl’s body has been found in a Georgia landfill, though the body has yet to be identified.

Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler says the garbage at that landfill came from Orange Park, Florida, where Somer Thompson disappeared Monday while walking home from her school.

Florida authorities are going to the landfill to identify the body.

Somer’s mother, Dina Thompson, said earlier Wednesday that she assumes someone has her daughter. Police suspect foul play after first investigating whether she had fallen into something or had gotten lost. Thompson made an appeal to Somer’s possible abductors.

“Just drop her off somewhere. I don’t care if you ever get in trouble,” Thompson said. “I just want my baby back.”

SLIDESHOW: Somer Thompson Disappears on Walk Home From School.

Sheriff Beseler said investigators expanded the initial search area and interviewed about 75 known sex offenders in a five-square-mile radius. Teams of volunteers have walked arm-to-arm through the woods, and deputies have used helicopters and search dogs.

The girl vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, near Jacksonville. Since then, more than 100 Clay County deputies, law enforcement officers from neighboring counties, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have scoured a residential Orange Park neighborhood looking for Somer.

The investigation has produced more than 150 leads, but officials remain baffled as to her whereabouts.

Thompson said Somer was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn’t seen again.

Beseler said officers have determined that Somer’s disappearance is not connected to an event that happened in the area on Oct. 10, when three people reportedly tried and failed to lure a 5-year-old girl into a car.

“Investigators located that car and those individuals,” Beseler said. “We are confident that incident had nothing to do with Somer’s disappearance. But I can’t go into any further details about that until we finish our investigation.”

Clay County Public Information Officer Mary Justino said the persons of interest in that case came forward Tuesday when they heard about Somer’s disappearance.

Somer is white, 3 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 65 pounds. She has brown hair that was in a pony tail and was wearing a cranberry colored jumpsuit with pink stripes and a black T-shirt underneath. Her backpack is black with pink and white skulls and crossbones.

Her mother said she has an “odd-shaped” birth mark on her left shin.

People are encouraged to call the tip line at (877) 227-6911 with any additional information on the child’s whereabouts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click here to read more on this story from Myfoxorlando.com.

Source: Fox News

Firefighter of the week – Battalion Chief Battalion 9 Edward F. Geraghty

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
October 19, 2009

‘His Talent Was His Mind’

Several years ago, Battalion Chief Edward F. Geraghty was put in charge of the Fire Department’s training school on Randall’s Island. On his first day, he gave the new recruits a pep talk, telling them what he expected. After he was done, he turned around to find the school’s instructors staring strangely at him. “What did I do wrong?” he asked. One replied, “You’re not supposed to be nice, you’re supposed to scare the hell out of them.”

That would have been difficult for Chief Geraghty, said his wife, Mary. “I was married to Eddie for 17 years and I saw him in a bad mood twice.” Even last year, when her father became terminally ill and had to move in with them, when they found out their middle son, James, 12, had juvenile diabetes and when they had a fire in their house that displaced them for several weeks, he kept an optimistic outlook and his sense of humor. She said, “He would always say, `Life doesn’t get any better than this.’ ”

Chief Geraghty, 45, oversaw five firehouses on Manhattan’s West Side, all of which responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

Mrs. Geraghty used to go downstairs every morning and find her husband already reading and studying. “His talent was his mind,” she said. Now, when she rises, she sits at the bottom of the stairs as the sun comes up with a picture of him and tells him, “Good morning.”

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on March 10, 2002.

Source Legacy

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