Naming names.

ALLAN COHEN (JOURNALIST AND adjunct professor at C.W. Post); Groucho Marx; Liz Taub (Freeport High School student, class of '78); Barbara Bertaccini (Freeport High School English teacher); Oscar Wilde (Irish writer); Neil Simon (American playwright); Terry Hayes (coach); Rick Rosenthal (Hollywood producer); Mary Lou Retton (Olympic gymnast); Ricky Jay (magician); Fred (you know who you are); "Uncle Buck" (John Candy's character in John Hughes' movie by the same name); Rifka, Jacob, and Isabelle (wife, son, and daughter, respectively).

These are but a few of the people who have made a difference in my life. Some I've met firsthand; others have influenced me from afar. …