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| Anthony Amabile |
Does the saying better late than never apply to obituaries?
I hadn't heard from a friend in a while and today I found out why: he died last October. Not a shock (he was 84) but nevertheless am sad. So, in case he stills reads my blog from the clouds, I wanted to give him a shout out to say good-bye, and that I will miss him.
Tony Amabile was 79 when we were introduced through a mutual friend. After a long and successful career as an award-winning reporter for The Hudson Dispatch and later its city editor, Jersey City Division, and political columnist for The Hudson Reporter, his brain was still firing on all pistons and he wanted to blog. But, you know Tony was Old School and not familiar with blogging tools. So, when he was introduced to me as a walking archive of Hudson County political history, I was glad to help him.
That's how Tony became my computer student. He would show up for a lesson all dapper, ready to learn the mechanics of blogging, then spend most of lesson time kibbutzing. For what he lacked in computer skills, he more than made up for with superbly entertaining tales from Hoboken's political archives: delicious gossip, feuds, folklore, unearthing long-buried bodies. Tony was really funny, really intelligent, one of the sharpest people I've ever met. And Old School; he looked at me like I was some exotic bird when I rebuffed offers for gifts or payment for my time. Oh yeah, he did buy my daughter a subscription to Cat Fancy magazine for Christmas.
So after his 2014 move to Florida, he still kept up with Hudson County politics and stayed in touch. Still sharp and funny as ever. In his own words (email):
Happy New Year (Rosh
Hashanah). Please inquire on your website if Beth Mason atoned for all her
sins.
Enjoy, tony amabile
Nancy: hope all is well
and that you'll be returning to the wars real soon. I miss your blog. Keep those fires
burning. Good luck and if you need anything, please call upon me.
Love you baby, Tony
Love you baby, Tony
Tell your friend Jen to have someone investigate the "questions for [redacted]" posted in the remarks section today on GA. You'll find that he took no sick days or leave to attend classes and there were never any monies deposited in the city treasury for the rental of the Multi Center.
Yes, still in Florida and doing well. Yes, I posted as Computer Student and I'm following Hoboken politics. Crazy isn't the word for it, it's insane. feel sorry for Ravi getting stuck with this loser council but he's got to hire a pit bull p.r. guy who can disembowel these lunatics one by one. If I was local I'd offer him my services.
Meanwhile, stay well and keep killing those nuts.
Meanwhile, stay well and keep killing those nuts.
Tony, I am sorry that I didn't know you were dead. Nobody told me! You probably laughed at that one. Well, I so enjoyed knowing you, for a short time. Wherever you are, I doubt you are resting but wish you peace. And a computer!
With love,
Your Computer Teacher
Something I have always liked about this blog for which it never gets its due - these "non-partisan" relationships. All these folks who aren't whatever is considered middle-of-the-fairway reform, but who are part of the endlessly fascinating story of Hoboken and Hudson county, like all those side characters in a Dickens novel.
ReplyDeleteYour former peers never really placed much value on talking to Ron, or Perry, or Al, or Mr Drip-Drip, or Stick, or not-Stempler, or Uvula or a long list of others. It was always us-against-them in the glory days of Hoboken blogging.
But life is too short to be painted into a corner with some small subset of humanity being on the "approved list."
Godspeed, Mr Amabile.