01 Dec 40 under 40 Class of 2010: I’m in!
As editor of Long Island Business News, I watched for years as professionals across all fields, all of whom had packed together lifetimes of achievements in less than four decades, were singled out by the paper as 40 people under 40 most likely to bear the torches of Long Island leaders past and present.
Once named to the 40 under 40, awardees are almost expected to take ownership of the region’s future and push it in the right direction. Take a look at the list of previous honorees and you’ll see that many have embraced that challenge.
In my years at LIBN, I had quietly hoped that one day I would do enough good, help enough people and display enough promise to have my name even be considered by the selection committee.
With my name thrown in by an amazing friend, this year they considered me. And to my utter surprised, I was selected to be in the Class of 2010.
I’m still having a hard time believing it’s true, in large part because I don’t feel equal to the honor. But as it sinks in, I’m reminded of the mentors, friends and colleagues who have at times encouraged and cajoled me into action, and at times advised restraint when necessary. The list is long, but they include my parents and grandparents, best bud Dominick Miserandino, Stony Brook Journalism School Undergraduate Director and former Newsday columnist Paul Schreiber, LIBN Publisher John Kominicki, Energeia Partnership leaders Paul Tonna and Nancy Englehardt and my Class of 2007 colleagues, and Press Club of Long Island board members over the last 10 years.
But most of all, I thank my wife, Angela, whose love and support has been unwavering and whose patience as I’ve thrown out crazy ideas and spent many nights away on causes dear to me is, remarkably, still intact.
Thank you all. I”ll do my best to continue striving to live up to your examples.
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