"Before he was paralyzed, your dad was the coolest sumbitch on the planet."

He rose at 4 am every morning—unless he slept in, then he’d get up at 5 am. He smoked a pipe and Raleigh unfiltered cigarettes for over 50 years—until he had one lung removed due to cancer, then he quit—cold turkey. No patches, no Nicorette, no “support group.” He just took one long drag when I dropped him off at the hospital that morning for his operation and said, “Well, I guess that’s my last one.” I…

Coach Eddie Roberts…

My father is the greatest man I know. Books were never his forte, but he has the common sense and street smarts that every man needs that no book can ever teach you. He has come from a place

where hearing gunshots was not unusual; to a place where you can leave your

front door wide open without a second thought.

He grew up…

"If you could be anything, what would you be?"

I'm always proud of my answer to this question. Many people would, without hesitation, answer with such responses as "movie star", "millionaire", "quarterback for the Patriots", etc. However, my answer to this question trumps all of those. If I could be anything,…

This post was originally published on my blog http://joedegiorgio.wordpress.com/ on 12/22/09.

During this week of Christmas, in 2009, my grandfather will have been gone for nine years. He often crosses my mind now as his birthday is in October, and he passed away on December 20th.

My "pop", as I called him, was a tough but gentle man from Calabria, Italy, who didn't say much---but when he did speak, he…

FIrst a definition, a Father is any male that has properly functioning physiology and can do his part in the procreation process. A Dad is a man that gives selflessly to those he calls family.

Now my story...My Dad is a man's man. He shaves with a straight razor, he enjoys fishing, hunting, and cigars. He was a high school football star and can fix any problem you may have with any car. All these things my Dad loves, but they come second to his family,…

My father. Born in Hamilton in 1922, died in Mississauga in 1996. In the almost three quarters of a century that he lived, he saw the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Post War Boom, the Cold War, the end of the Cold War. At the beginning of his life, cars were a luxury, and carts pulled by horses still rumbled regularly through the streets of Hamilton. The sound of an aeroplane flying overhead was enough to make people run out of their houses and look up. He…

For my entry I present to you, gentlemen, my uncle Richard Williams. born in Nolensville, TN, May 1952.

For my entire life Ricky was a strong positive example of manliness. After the divorce of my parents, he was a rock-solid fixture in my and brothers' life. Although he never was…