Whether by choice or by chance, we all arrived in Rochester with a common purpose, to make life in our community a little better, a little more interesting, a little more enjoyable. To that end, we learn through the experiences of others; the collective wisdom. We all have stories to tell. The ones chosen here are no better than yours. They merely represent people you might know.
There are numerous athletes and broadcasters, because that is my realm. There are several musicians, because I find them fascinating. But we have politicians, a neurosurgeon, a police officer, a lawyer turned agent, a couple of decorated World War II veterans, a student well ahead of her time, and an usher. This isn't a cross section of Rochester's most famous. All of those in this book demonstrated a willingness to contribute in an open and honest way.
The basic question was simple. What has life taught you? Pat Duffy told me, "Everyone's biggest regret should be walking away from something that you didn't know you could succeed at." Fred Costello passed along advice from his dad. "You'll never look bad doing the right thing." Sam Fantauzzo claimed, "God never sleeps."
The answers to the questions of life and the paths we take to arrive at them are different. We share one thing. We're all 'Just Passing Through.'
Bill Pucko has been a Rochester television sportscaster for four decades. Just passing through is what he believed he was doing upon arrival in 1980. This is his second book.