I met Paul in the mid-seventiies when he came out for the CCNY Varsity Swim team I was coaching. He must have weighed about 120lbs and looked to be about 13 years old. He had no competitive swimming experience and very little muscle mass. His claim to fame was a senior life saving certificate...So we let him try out. He could swim and we had very small squad and would take swimmers for developement. So we gave him a chance to continue to work out with the team. I put him in the slow lane and he hung in there. Paul made his opportunity count. He trained every day, both in the pool and in the weight room. We trained at 6:00am and he showed up first. Soon Paul developed into a competitive swimmer. He volunteered to swim the tough events scoring points in the 200 fly, 400 IM and all the long distance events. All this from a guy whose diet consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Paul was a brilliant young man and soon was known for his ability to take splits for all our races and recite them from memory. We nick-named him "Sparky." He had such a passion for the sport and he became an outstanding student of swimming...But, as a college student, Paul would not take or attend classes that could not hold his interest and that failed to challenge him...no matter how we urged him. He would, however, attend enough classes to stay eligible for the swim team. I often wondered whether a few more years of eligibility would have forced him to get his degree.
Paul loved to help and when I was involved in the starting of a summer day camp for children in the South Bronx and East Harlem at Fordham University, he volunteered to run the swimming program. When I added a junior high school component to my elementary school in East Harlem Paul again volunteered to run our swim program.
I was not in close contact with Paul after I retired. We would hear from him and about him from time to time. The last time I had a chance to talk with Paul at length was a few years ago at a CCNY swim team reunion. We spent some time talking about the old days and he told me casually about his involvement in swimming. I was glad he was following his passion. However, it was not until I read Paul's Memory Book that I learned he had developed into a great coach, coaching young and old in a wide variety of venues throughout the city. He developed into a highly respected teacher, motivator and inspiration to those he coached. I am very proud of having shared in the evolution of this very special young man.
Paul's passing has left a void in our lives and he will be sorely missed by all those he touched. God Bless him.