It's one of the best nights of the year. Easily one of my favorites.
Why? Because it's exceedingly rare for someone who does what I do for a living to sit in a room of more than 600 people, all of whom are saying nice things about the newspaper.
So how is it that I managed to miss last night's annual Partners in Education Celebration? Well, I had a pretty important prior commitment. I accompanied my wife to the annual Chester County Relay for Life Cancer Survivors Dinner.
She's given up a lot for my newspaper career over the years. I think I owed her this one.
In the meantime, I'm sure it was a bittersweet night at the Drexelbrook.
That's because I was not the only one who was not there.
John Unangst, the longtime CEO of Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union and the driving force behind the Partners in Education Celebration, passed away earlier this year.
He was inducted posthumously into the Hi-Q Hall of Honor.
McCarthy, the longtime quizmaster of Hi-Q, was honored as he hang up his microphone, retiring after being the face of Hi-Q for 39 years.
I missed the opportunity to congratulate the All-Delco Hi-Q kids and the winners of this year's Excellence in Teaching Awards.
But mostly I missed the opportunity to talk to John, the remember once again the visit to my office more than a decade ago that set the All-Delco Hi-Q team in motion.
I'll tell that story in my Monday print column.
I was not there last night, but a little bit of my heart was. And the All-Delco Hi-Q team, which John, Harry Jamison and I cooked up, is testament to John's giant legacy.
Rest well, friend.
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