In every persons life, there are mentors. They can be peers, family, teachers or people at work. In 1981, I was a fairly angry kid. I was 19, without a country and living in a then-tough DC. Rudderless, I wasnt able to fit in - with the university kids, Persian expat community or conservative DC scene. Then one night, with another kid called Danny Gershoni, I went to a place called Cagneys. Many of you from DC will recognize this name. It was DCs version of Spit (Boston), CBGB (NY) or Revival (Philly). Punk and New Wave was my thing then and Cagneys delivered the best vibe in DC in those early 80s. As we were leaving the place, on that cold night, we noticed a middle aged man outside in a confrontation with two much younger men. The middle aged man held his own, but nonetheless, we went to his help. Within a few seconds we had dispatched the two young men. Back then, I was big, strong and had a fairly nasty attitude to go with a decent right hook. I was quick to use these tools to defend myself or friends. The middle aged man thanked us, then told me my right hook was poor, and my fighting skills crap. I smiled. He smiled and offered Danny and I a job on the spot, a job that gave me a sense of belonging. I worked there for almost four years. The memories still keep me going... That middle aged man was Thomas J Keeley, known simply as Tommy. Tommy passed away a few days ago. For those of you in DC - you now who he was and his impact on the DC night life scene. Boxing legend, businessman, father, friend. I am proud my children got to meet Tommy a few years ago. He took my youngest, Kaylan Marzban downstairs one day and I could hear the boxing bag in action. Tommy was doing what he knew best...teaching us to be strong. Those of you from the Cagneys family and to the many that used to frequent the club, please join me in extending condolences to Tommys family. Tammy and Tony Keeley, I am thinking of you. RIP Tommy. I will forever be in debt to you.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 08:51:01 +0000
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