Here is Sal the cool best man next to me the nervous groom at my 1996 wedding. Sal and I met at our very first day at Princeton in September 1983. We were each nervously scanning the crowded Wilson College welcome reception in our new high-powered surroundings when we saw each other, shook hands, and that, it seemed, was it for life. Even though he was a Yankees fan (this Jersey boy was diehard Mets), there were so many ways Sal showed kindness and solidarity and helped me grow over the years.
I've been remembering the bachelor's party Sal organized for me a couple nights before this photo was taken -- a trip out to Hagerstown, MD to see their AA baseball farm team play. Sal supplied the cigars (it was 1996, after all) and beers, and we led our little tribe in hearty baseball cheering on a beautiful summer evening. Of course, at the 7th inning stretch, Sal had gotten the team to congratulate me on my upcoming wedding on the scoreboard and PA system. That was classic Sal, and I can still see the smile on his face when it all worked and I had to stand up to acknowledge the whole little ballpark cheering my upcoming nuptials. I'm really going to miss him, and my heart goes out to Chrissy, his kids, Bernadette, and the whole family. He was really one of the great ones.