STAA

On Sunday a dear colleague of mine passed away at far too early an age. When I was 16 years old, Bill Gonillo was one of the first people I met in the broadcasting industry and by far and away the most humble.

I was a high school junior doing play-by-play for my high-school TV Station in East Haven Connecticut. I came acrosss Bill at one of the first events I ever covered. It was the Walter Camp Football Foundations Annual Basketball Game held at the New Haven Coliseum(now a pile of rubble.)

I met Bill there and always kept in contact throughout my teen years. Once, he even gave me a tour at News 12 Connecticut. This is where Bill would make his home for the next 12 years. I regret that over the past 5 or 6 years I had little contact with Bill. I came to New York and started working with Sirius and we lost contact. His passing is a reminder to me never to forget the people who helped me get my start in this world. People who believed in me when nobody else did. I started getting work and I forgot about the guy who gave me the confidence to go out and get that work.

Bill Gonillo never had a desire to go work in a large market and become big and famous. He did what he did because he loved it. I wish sometimes that I could say the same about myself.

Thanks a lot for that piece. It made me smile for a few minutes.