THANK YOU LETTER EXCERPTS

***It's been great having soooooo many people send me thank you notes throughout these writing years.  Here is a sample of them, starting with the oldest:

  “Dear Jeff, Even though I am told you will still be writing for…, I wanted to take the time to thank you for your efforts for me during the last two years. 

     “I have always appreciated your well-written, accurate stories and your reliability in always making your deadline.  But even more than that, I am grateful for your kind expressions of gratitude towards me, particularly the letter you wrote about a year ago that I found flattering and touching.

     “Good luck to you in the future, and in the meantime, I look forward to seeing more of your first-rate copy in our papers."  

“Dear Jeff, I was pleased to read the articles about… Actually, I was impressed to read how well you wrote; especially based on the inane answers I gave you. 

     “The articles were morale boosters for the team members and most probably were slipped into ten scrapbooks where they will be re-read fondly through many years.  Writing well is truly a gift!

     “Jenny and her mother were elated with your feature story.  It will be sent to several colleges with the hope of enhancing her scholarship bids.  

     “I look forward to talking with you again.  You are such a positive man in person and on paper.”  

 "Dear Jeff, Thank you for the nice write-up about  Elizabeth.  We are pleased that your focus appears not on making celebrities out of a few, but on giving recognition to a diverse group of young people." 

“Dear Jeff, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful press given to…with the five articles. When you said you’d be up all night writing, I had no idea until I read the… It was great!

    “I want you to know that you did an outstanding job.  

Sometimes the rewards of our efforts are so few and far between that I wanted to write and let you know that, ‘YOU’VE DONE A SUPER JOB!’ "

     
  “Dear Jeff, On behalf of…, we would like to thank you for the fantastic articles you wrote about…  We appreciate all the time you spent covering our events and the great humor you displayed in your coverage.  We look forward to seeing you at more of our events in the future."

“Dear Editor, I just read the articles about Julie in today’s paper and felt the same excitement and commitment that I get each time I talk with Julie.  Jeff Greenberg did a superb job of capturing and communicating Julie, her dedication and her quiet excitement.

     “Thanks for presenting such interesting, well-written articles.  I hope all your readers are enjoying them half as much as we at...are!" 

 “Dear Jeff, On behalf of Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co., (and the 18 company teams that participated in the Co-Ed Softball Invitational), thank you for your generous coverage.  You were delightful to work with and your reporting was really upbeat in addition to being accurate--always a sign of a good reporter.  I hope we’ll have the opportunity to work together in the future.  Sincerely, Robyn H. Frankel, Hershenhorn-Frankel Public Relations.”

“Dear Jeff,  I’d like to thank you for the coverage of our third annual… RBG & Company Co-Ed Softball Invitational for charity.  Through the generosity of our participating clients, we raised over $7,400 on behalf of the Ronald McDonald House.  Hopefully, your articles will make the public more aware of this worthy cause.  Sincerely, Rubin, Brown, Gornstein & Co.  Certified Public Accountants

“Jeff, This is just a short note to congratulate you on the terrific stories you wrote about… They really captured what the entire event is about and certainly reflected the long, arduous hours you spent at John Burroughs working on it.  Just terrific, and everyone involved—Camp Wyman, Christian Health, all the children at Camp…really appreciate it.  Best, Don Burnes, Don Burnes & Associates, P.R.”

"Dear Jeffry, Congratulations on your being named editor of MSLaneous.  I hope the group knows how lucky it is to have you.  I also know that this publication will benefit from and reflect the talent and time you will give it. .  Best of luck to you, and all good wishes, too!  Executive Director, American Mensa Ltd, Brooklyn, NY.”

“Mr. Greenberg, It has been a pleasure getting to know you over the past few years.  Truly, I am grateful for all that you have done for me.  Your love and dedication to your work has been evident.  Furthermore, you do a very nice job of it all.  Thank you for the articles and all that you have done. May G-d richly bless you and your family."

“Dear Mr. Greenberg, I want to thank you for the wonderful article you wrote about Jason.  Your articles are always well-written, perceptive and interesting.  Apparently, your column is very widely read because we have heard from an unbelievable number of people who called to tell us about the article."

OTHER TOP LEDE PARAGRAPHS

***In addition to a decent number of my full articles posted here, this is a smattering of ledes from a variety of my other writing works over the past several years:

     "Few people can deny that Bob Gibson's childhood set the tone for his fabulous baseball career.  He had to overcome the adversities of rickets, a heart murmur, pneumonia and the Omaha ghetto."

     "When in doubt, get a second opinion.  In _______'s case, that decision had far greater ramifications than simply accepting a friend's movie critique or a garage estimate for an auto repair."

     "Hitch your wagon to a star.  Highly celebrated 19th century poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson offered that advice to those among us who constantly strive to make their greatest aspirations a reality."

     "It's been nearly three weeks since Mardi Gras, but ______ hosted a two-hour extravaganza last Friday that was reminiscent of that New Orleans spectacle.  Instead of hurling trinkets from parade floats..."

     "In the movie classic, It's a Wonderful Life, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, is privy to discover what life would have been like for his loved ones if he had never been born.  Imagine how different things would have been for..."

     "The American Association of Variable Star Observers is for astronomy fanatics who help locate and study those stars that continually vary in magnitude, or brightness."

     "For years, The Reader's Digest has solicited contributions for its 'Laughter is the Best Medicine' section.  Thanks for her astuteness in the ..."

     "Back in 218 BC, Hannibal crossed the Alps to do battle with the Romans.  Due to the animal's remarkable agility and light-footedness, the Carthaginian general and his troops rode elephants on their mountain trek.  In Saturday's State 4A quarterfinal game, Hannibal High School was able to ruin _________' season without employing any massive animals..."

       "Thanks to his decision to 'kick the habit' three years ago, _________ was really smoking Sunday.  The ________ resident out-kicked and out-pedaled nearly the entire field in the St. Louis biathlon in Forest Park."

         "A century and a half ago, throngs of Seminole, Cherokee and other Indian tribes were driven out of Florida and forced to relocate.  On the way to Oklahoma on what became known as The Trail of Tears, Princess Otakian died near Cape Girardeau.  Last Sunday's VP Fair Run was equally tearful for three Southeast Missouri Otakian students.  But only tears of joy streamed from the eyes of that trio."

          "To many city dwellers, the thought of meandering through a forest might conjure up memories of Dorothy's ordeals in The Wizard of Oz or nightmares of an axe-wielding Jason from Friday the 13th.  But that's hardly the attitude assumed by San Francisco native ________.  The Clayton resident has become almost as much at home in the woods as Henry David Thoreau."

     "Harry Houdini has long been recognized as the undisputed king of escapes.  Although most noted for his 1912 extrication from the 'water torture cell,' he was also known for successfully challenging audiences from around the world to construct traps from which he could not escape."

        "Were it not for Roadside America, the Appalachian Trail hamlet of Shartlesville, PA would exist in virtual obscurity.  But that charming indoor display of indoor miniatures depicts what the United States has embodied since its pioneer days--the significance of small town America and the achievement of its citizens.  The same American dream that lured former President Harry S. Truman from his Lamar birthplace seems to be alive and well in the heart of fellow Missourian _________."

        "While the likelihood of a hurricane forming in February is extremely rare, the possibility of that same hurricane force storm striking Missouri simply does not exist...or so we thought..."

         "When the Australian team is present, fellow water skiers often think that they're in 'Neville Neville Land.'  The husband-wife duo of Mick and Karen Neville each captured an individual event at last Sunday's Michelob Dry Water Ski tour finals at Creve Coeur Lake."

          "There were ghastly groans and grimaces, and bulging biceps amid the struggle and strain.  Yes, the neck veins were popping last weekend in the Grande Concourse Ballroom of the Stouffer Concourse Hotel.  An appropriate T-shirt read, 'World's Strongest Athletes' as 80 competitors battled, lifted and sweated for individual titles in 11 weight classes at the Men's American Drug-Free Power Association's National championships."

     "_________ is living proof that small-town beginnings don't inhibit big-time success.  ________ spent the first 30 years of his life in the small towns of Keytesville, Fayette, Higbee and Salisbury.  The total population of those four towns added together is roughly 5,000.  On June 30th this year, the book will close on ________'s long career in education.  Those pages include 29 years with the Parkway School District--the largest suburban school district in Missouri with more than 6,500 students in its four high schools alone."

     "The world famous London Bridge, built in the 1830's, spanned Great Britain's Thames River until the late 1960's.  It was then purchased by an American, dismantled stone by stone, shipped to the United States, and reassembled in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.  That same bridge to the past could be symbolic to __________'s bridge to the future."

   

Games For Cystic Fibrosis Gain Company Support

*****Of all the writing projects I have done, one of my very favorite was event coverage; especially charitable events.  Here is a three-article set of an event from many years ago:

     The Cystic Fibrosis Sports Challenge was like watching 33 company picnics converge in grand style.  But to the children who will benefit from Saturday’s event at John Burroughs School, life has been no picnic.

     In the spirit of Shakespearean contemporary Sir Francis Bacon, corporate St. Louis displayed their belief that “in charity, there is no excess.”   With the $500 entry fee and other donations, the event raised more than $25,000 to be used to further research at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Cardinal Glennon and the University of Missouri Medical Center.

     The generosity of National Food Stores, the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, Frito Lay and Continental Bakery was evident by the masses of food and liquid refreshment that was offered.

     But there were games to play.  Besides the standing long jump, five men and five women per team competed in the basketball shoot, the mile relay, the tug-of-war, the rubber raft relay and the slippery, treacherous obstacle course.

     Al Hrabosky was emcee of the event.  Although the former St. Louis Cardinal relief ace knows the rigors of athletic competition, he preferred to downplay that aspect of the proceedings.

     “Athletes depend so much on physical strengths, and often take their muscles for granted,” he said.  “I’ve never wanted people to idolize me for my pitching.  For these kids, even breathing is an everyday problem.”

     Cystic fibrosis is America’s No. 1 genetic killer of children and young adults.  Youngsters who develop the disease not only go through a daily series of painful medical treatments for their lung and digestive disorders, but most don’t live well beyond their teen years.

BUSINESS AS USUAL? 

CF BENEFIT LETS CORPORATE TYPES VENTURE INTO THE SPORTING LIFE

     Al Hrabosky knew it didn’t take a prophet to figure out what was in store for the participants in Saturday’s Cystic Fibrosis Sports Challenge at John Burroughs School.  Having been a top-flight athletic specimen in his younger days, “The Mad Hungarian” knows that weekly company softball outings accompanied by a few cases of beer rarely leaves it participants in prime physical condition.

     “This is kind of nice because you have a chance to embarrass yourselves,” announced Hrabosky, who emceed the event.  “Have a good time suffering the thrill of victory AND the agony of defeat!”

     Hrabosky must have been thinking of the obstacle course.  After crawling through a three-foot high and 15-foot long copper steel tunnel, participants had to dance through seven pairs of tires, over a balance beam, around cones then sprint 50 yards to the finish line.

     Sachs Electric Company of Chesterfield tied the University of Missouri-St. Louis for third place overall among 33 teams, but the obstacle course is one event that Jerry Diebling would like to forget.  The Ballwin resident dislocated his left shoulder after smashing it flush against the tunnel.

     Hal Colton, president of the Colton-Lester Corporation, a Chesterfield-based engineering consulting company, also failed to leave the course unscathed.  Colton hit the finish line, then slid on the wet turf and stumbled about 15 feet, scraping his arm on the asphalt parking lot.

     Meanwhile, fleet-footed Ricky Grady helped his Calgon Vestal Laboratories team to first place in their five-team flight.  He displayed style and grace—a rarity among corporate workers that day—in the obstacle course as well as in the mile relay and standing broad jump.  However, teamwork was the byword for a West County tandem in the rubber raft relay.

     “It was a jungle out there; especially since we started out using the wrong paddles,” said Brentwood’s Mike Bayer and teammate Rebecca Blasé of Glendale.  “It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

     While that duo led CyberTel to first place on that event, Rob Sandhaus of Chesterfield gives all the credit to teammate Ruth Oran for their part in Contel’s third place finish.  “It was just my partner making up for all my shortcomings,” he said.  “She was the steering force in all this.”

     Equally responsible for Contel’s finish was its competition—or lack of it—from Concordia Publishing House.  While Kirkwood’s Debbie Henrichs stroked valiantly on her team’s leg, teammate Cecil Harris had the little raft spinning in circles like an amusement park tilt-a-whirl.  In addition, as Harris said later of their complete tour of the pool, “I guess we decided to go our own route.”

     Michael Nobs didn’t know where he was going, either.  But he was a bit more successful at it.  The Webster Groves resident had his eyes closed as the front man who helped Sachs to a miraculous come-from-behind victory over EDM, Inc. in the tug-of-war semifinals.  Minutes later, Sachs was defeated in just five seconds by the Sports Challenge defending champions, Bangert Brothers Construction Company.

     But this year, Christian Health Services, representing Christian Hospitals Northeast and Northwest, emerged as the overall champs while Citicorp finished second despite (or perhaps because) only four males competed on its 10-person roster. 

     “Everyone’s really enjoying this, and it’s not an overly intense spirit of competition,” said Vice-President Harry Bangert, a Creve Coeur resident, whose team once again finished first in its six-team flight.  “We enjoyed competing last year, and were prepared to pass the title to another team.

     “The main thing is that everyone’s aware of the charity, and the highlight is watching the kids (with cystic fibrosis) come out at the end to give out the awards.”

     “I don’t know who thinks these things up, but it’s terrific and for a great cause,” said Denise Benedict, assistant reservations manager at the Sheraton Westport Hotel.  “If I have kids, I hope they’re nice and healthy.  But I’ll be coming here next year and every year after.”

CF PATIENT’S PLEASURE COMES IN TAKING LIFE BY THE HORNS

     Nearly 20 years ago, Barb DiBartolo gave birth to her first child.  Four years later, she learned that her son Tony had cystic fibrosis, a disease that damages the lungs and digestive system.

     “It was devastating,” DiBartolo said.  “I couldn’t believe it or trace it back anywhere in the family.  It’s one of the most devastating things in the world; especially since it was my first child, and he could have died.  It’s also very hard to tell a four-year-old that he has to have his chest beat on every day (postular drainage) and that he has to sleep in a mist tent every night.”

     DiBartolo also had to face aerosol treatment—accepting antibodies through a mask, and wasn’t able to associate with any kids who could even pass cold germs his way.

     But Barb DiBartolo, a Manchester resident, also has worked on her own disposition in handling the situation.  Luckily for her, she had her second child, Gina, a year before she learned of Tony’s condition.  Both parents must be carriers for a child to be born with CF, and there’s a one-in-four likelihood that the child will have the disease.

     “It’s been a challenge trying to give them equal attention,” DiBartolo said.  “He needs the extra attention, but she deserves it, too.  At times, she almost felt guilty that she didn’t have the disease.  But overall, everyone in the family has really pulled together just to cope.”

     DiBartolo has developed her own highly successful method of assessing the situation.

     “The biggest thing is a CF child has no control over his health,” she said.  “So, he needs to have more control over other areas of his life.  I let him do what he wants to do in life, and let him quit school early.  He passed the GED (high school equivalency test) and started junior college at the age of 17.  Kids with CF are usually extra bright, and he overcompensates by doing a lot of things.”

     Today, Tony works with computers at his father’s Duplicating Systems business in St. Louis.  In addition, he writes and records his own music.  His future and the futures of other CF patients look bright.

     In Tony’s case, his doctors mistakenly diagnosed him as suffering from some mysterious digestive problem.  Nowadays, the disease is usually detected in its infancy.

     “We have an optimistic future because they have made a lot of discoveries since then,” said Barb DiBartolo, who sells cellular phones for CyberTel.  “They used to think that exercise wasn’t good for cystic fibrosis patients.  But any exercise they can do to their ability helps just like exercise for healthy people.  Now, people are living into their 20s and beyond.

     “The disease never improves, but the goal is to hold it or keep it in check.  You have to keep a good attitude and have your mind in the right place.  It made me aware of how to spend time and to take each day at a time.  Tony’s attitude has been great and I think he’ll outlive most people around him”

    Researchers are now on the verge of knowing beforehand if a parent is among the one-in-18 people who carry the disease.

     “For 10 years, very little was done, but so much progress has been made lately,” DiBartolo said.  “Public awareness is so important.  They need to know about CF so that when volunteers come around, they’re likely to make donations.

     “This event (Corporate Games) is great because companies really help with their donations.  Although a lot of them don’t know exactly what CF is, I still appreciate them being here.  Some people with small children don’t think they’re going to live long, but they are!”