Political Quotes

“Award-winning journalist Bill Handleman, 62, of the Asbury Park Press, tragically passed away yesterday after a long bout with cancer. A family man and a humanitarian with a great big heart and incisive wit, Bill is survived by his dear wife Judy, his three children, his mom, extended family, and a boatload of friends. And allow me to extend our deepest condolences to the family and to let them know that our prayers are with them during this very, very difficult time. Mr. Speaker, to know Bill Handleman in person or through his prolific pen is to respect and admire his innate goodness, his generosity, and good humor. For years, Bill's news beat was sports, and he especially liked the ponies. He was a four-time sportswriter of the year, in 1992, 2002, 2003, and 2005. Asbury Park Press staff writer Shannon Mullen writes in today's edition, however, that ``Bill soon discovered that he much preferred writing about everyday struggles of ordinary people rather than the coddled multimillionaire athletes he dealt with on the sports beat.'' Bill had an extraordinary penchant for a compelling subject matter and consistently turned the seemingly mundane, especially those who were left out and left behind, into compelling human interest stories. The Press's Shannon Mullen again summed it up well: ``Bill Handleman was a gifted storyteller. His writing style was direct, witty, and spare.…”