It is with a heavy heart and shaky hand that this week's column is written ...

The Sudbury community lost one of its favourite sons this past week with the sudden passing of Gabe Guzzo, former Vice Principal at Lasalle Secondary School and Vice Principals' representative on the Executive of the S.D.S.S.A.A.

Guzzo, a member of countless number of committees, sub-committees, steering committees et al with high school sports, minor hockey and several other volunteer organizations, leaves a huge void in his absence and leaves the great number of people he touched over his volunteer and professional life wondering .... Why? Why him?

There are a least one thousand people more qualified than I to speak about Gabe's career and history of community and sports involvement in our area, and much has already been said about him and so well, I'd like to concentrate on some personal thoughts and recollections about whom by all accounts was quite simply a great man.

I first met Gabe as a player thrashing about the Sudbury minor hockey system and as these stories go some years would pass before our paths would cross again. On this next occasion, as a "green" and naive graduate from Laurentian University, I had an interview for the Executive Director's position with the S.M.H.A., the organization of which I had been a part for most of my young life.

Gabe, along with John MacDonald, then S.M.H.A. President, saw fit to hire me, and I found myself working for the next eight years to attempt to measure up to what I felt was their standard. In my experience, Gabe affected you that way -- you just didn't want to disappoint him. It's obvious to me now that Gabe demonstrated a confidence in me then that I dare say I didn't have in myself.

Fast forward to eight years later, being interviewed for my present position with Rainbow Board and there sat Gabe again, and again shortly thereafter I found myself in a new and exciting role, working alongside the person who in my mind was largely responsible for the very existence of my professional career.

In the short time I worked with Gabe on the Executive of the S.D.S.S.A.A., I began to look forward to those meetings where he would be present or more often, those that he would chair. These meetings were orderly, they were cordial, and even though the circumstances were very often tense, they were enjoyable. No one ran a meeting quite like Gabe.

I attended his retirement party a few years later, and marveled at the great number of people, from every possible background, young and old, who squeezed into the Caruso Club downstairs hall to pay tribute to him and honour his service to the Rainbow Board. The laughter, the respect and the love shown for Gabe that night epitomized the word "success" in my mind - he was indeed a role model for us all.

Scarcely one week ago, I attended an ice allocation meeting with Gabe who's most recent cause was to revitalize the stalled effort to build a multi-pad ice complex in Sudbury. He felt strongly about the need for such a facility and its potential benefits to ice-related user groups and to the economy of this region. As usual, he was right. The next story I read in The Star was about how the project was moving forward, despite discussions revolving around a single-tier government for the region. I could feel Gabe's presence in this story, though his name wasn't mentioned. The same could be said of many youth and sport-related initiatives in this city.

Had I known of his passing, I surely would have taken the time to let him know of the profound affect that he's had on my life and the standard, his standard, to which I will continue to strive from this day forward ... but, of course, of this we can never know.

So long, Gabe - I count myself amongst the great, great many whom will miss you terribly.

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