PLAYING IT WELL
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JACK O'LEARY PART II
by
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Jean, Terry, and I arose at 4:30 AM on Wednesday to prepare ourselves for what promised to be an extraordinary day in our lives. Nazarino picked us up at 6:30 AM and dropped us off at the Bronze Door at 6:45 AM. We were part of a small group of 38 people who attended Mass in the private Chapel of Pope John Paul II with the Pope officiating and several visiting clergy assisting including the Bishop of Freetown in Africa. (He had recently been in the headline news when he was kidnapped and held hostage by dissident elements in his country, Sierra Leone.) When we arrived at the bronze door they checked us in, kept us for a short time in the waiting room and then took us to the rear of the papal quarters where we took an elevator to the third floor (fourth floor in American parlance). We proceeded to a large reception room with a splendid chandelier and graced with works of art, sculpture, and furnishings. We were given a sheet with three hymns in English to be sung at the Mass and a Latin Mass book (which was returned). We were escorted to a small private Chapel which just about accommodated our small group. There were at least 20 readily recognizable clergy and nuns amongst the group; there may have been 4 or 5 attendees who were nuns in mufti. The Pope was frail, slow, and hunched over. The poor man was suffering from Parkinson's disease which was highly evident. He had to be admired for his ability to go on with his active daily routine in spite of his obvious frailties. Communion was given to all of the attendees, not by the Pope by one of his acolytes. After mass we lined up around the walls of a large reception room adjacent to the chapel where we awaited the Pope who upon his arrival greeted each of us individually while presenting each of us with a set of papally blessed rosary beads. I greeted Pope John Paul II with a handshake and bent to kiss his ring without genuflecting. I introduced myself as John O'Leary of New York, to which he quietly said, “God bless you.” Jean surprised us all when she said to the Pope, “I want to thank you, your Holiness, for all that you have done to destroy communism in the world.” The Pope replied, "Oh! American!” After greeting the guests, the Pope retired from the room. We had a brief opportunity to meet a few of the other attendees before escorting ourselves out of the building.
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About the Book
The story of a man who rose from poverty to become a successful engineer, elected and appointed government official and a much exhibited photographic artist. Part 1 opens with his early days on the streets of New York, his later service in the Navy during the Korean War, his 35 years in the aerospace industry, where he helped to put a man on the moon while playing a key role in assuring the national defense. Part 1 ends with his introduction to New York politics when he runs for Governor of the State of New York and is subsequently elected to lead the local Conservative Party in1972. Part 2 follows Jack's adventures through the end of the 20th century to the early years of the 21st including taking a moribund political party and raising it to become a key player in state and local politics. The book gives a unique insight into the complexities of New York politics and government.
About the Author
The author paints a vivid canvas of life on the streets of New York before and after World War II and gives a keen insight into state and local politics in New York at the close of the twentieth century and the start of the new century.