Category: Heroes

Dan Nigro and a Lesson from 9/11

  |   Heroes

When he was a little boy, Dan Nigro wanted to be a firefighter. His father was a firefighter. Lots of other men in Bayside, Queens, where he grew up, were firefighters, too. So it just seemed natural that when he was twenty-one Dan Nigro joined the New York Fire Department. When I knew him, in the 1970s, he was starting to  »  Read More

Heroes and Inspiration

  |   Heroes

It was almost like an out-of-body experience. There, on the front of a greeting card was a quote from me. “We need heroes because they draw us on to become better versions of ourselves.” I wrote that as part of my old Monday Memo series. The title was “Risk, Romance, and Heroes,” and I wrote it  »  Read More

Cowboy Heroes

  |   Heroes

When I was little the arm of one of our living room chairs was as perfect a horse as a boy could want. From that perch I could ride the range with Hoppy and Roy and, less often, with Gene. I’d strap my trusty six-shooter to my side, ready to fight for good. I didn’t have far to fall and I had a good view of the  »  Read More