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Times
Union (Albany, NY) By
Paul Grondahl; Staff writer ''You are worthwhile,'' Morse told the youngster, with a conviction that made Danzig believe in his own potential during his darkest hours. Those words lifted Danzig's spirits when they sagged and they spurred him to achieve success in his career in the newspaper industry, where he rose to publisher of the Times Union and vice president and general manager of newspapers for the Hearst Corp. in New York City, before his retirement three years ago. In a new collection of inspirational stories, ''Angel Threads'' (Frederick Fell Publishers, $14.95), written with collaborator Callie Rucker Oettinger, Danzig cites Morse as an early example of an angelos in his life. The Greek word means messenger. ''Beginning with Mae Morse, my life has been defined at every corner by the enlightening communication such messengers have delivered to me,'' he wrote. Danzig, 66, also described the influence of mentors at the Times Union five decades ago, where he got his start as an office boy in the circulation department. He credited the ''angel spirit'' of the newspaper's office manager, Margaret Mahoney, and described her as ''a vital thread of life in my personal tapestry.'' Mahoney encouraged Danzig saying, ''You are full of promise.'' That endorsement buoyed him as he rose in the Hearst Corp. Danzig also paid homage to Mahoney in his previous book, ''The Leader Within You,'' and invokes her name on the corporate lecture circuit, where he is a sought-after motivational speaker. Danzig praised other unsung heroes in his life, including Joel Salmon, groundskeeper at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, where Danzig worked for a summer as a teenager. ''Joel would give a little homily about the idea that all work has purpose, all work has dignity, and all work is worthwhile,'' Danzig wrote. He noted how Salmon ''wove his powerful message into my tapestry of values.'' Danzig, who spoke by phone from his home in South Orange, N.J., after returning recently from speaking engagements in St. Louis and Colorado, made no apologies for a belief in the existence of angels and their guidance and inspiration throughout his life. ''Some people might think it's hokey, but the purpose of this book is to touch people's spirits,'' he said. ''These stories cause people to reflect on their personal gifts and success and that's a good thing.'' He'll be back in the Capital Region, signing copies of ''Angel Threads'' at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Borders Books & Music in Colonie. Danzig is not alone in ''Angel Threads.'' For the book, he enlisted anecdotes and testimonials on the work of angels from author Stevan J. Thayer; Walter Anderson, editor of Parade magazine; psychotherapist and lecturer Doreen Virtue; and Susie Mantell, a stress-management consultant. Danzig got the idea for ''Angel Threads'' while attending a course led by Rabbi Susan Werke titled ''Rhythms of Jewish Life'' at a Jewish community center near his home. He'd signed up for the classes to learn more about the Jewish faith since his biological father was Jewish, but his mother was Roman Catholic and he was raised Catholic in the orphanages. In one session, Werke discussed the place of angels in Jewish teaching historically. At the same time, during a weekly hike and bagel stop with friends—most of whom happen to be Jewish -- Danzig mentioned the discussion of angels. Sherry Weintraub, wife of Danzig's close friend Steve Weintraub, tearfully recalled a psychic tapping into long-buried memories of her late brother Irving, who died at age 9. Weintraub had come to think of her deceased brother as an angel watching over her. ''I believe there was a reason Sherry sat next to me that day and told me her story,'' Danzig said. ''The Lord works in unusual ways and I considered this a message to me to do a book on angels.'' Danzig solicited thoughts on angels from friends, former business associates and authors he met on the lecture circuit. He got help from Oettinger in writing and arranging the manuscript. Danzig hopes ''Angel Threads'' builds on the success of his previous book, ''The Leader Within You,'' also published by Fell Publishers, which sold more than 35,000 copies in hardcover. It has recently been released in paperback and in foreign editions, including in China. Danzig has additional material on the tapestry-of-life theme that he'll include in a follow-up he's writing, titled ''Every Child Deserves a Champion ... Including You.'' Danzig gives all book royalties and profits as a motivational speaker (his lecture fee is $ 11,000) to the family charity he formed with his wife, Patricia Brady Danzig, a soprano who tours internationally. Their foundation, Professional Bi-Cultural Development, sponsors young musicians abroad and helps defray the cost of college tuition for children raised in foster care in the United States. ''We've had blessings I could never envision, and my passion in writing these books is not financial,'' Danzig said. Danzig also keeps busy teaching a course in self-confidence at The New School University in Manhattan and overseeing an internal development program for Hearst Corp. executives. Danzig, father of five and grandfather to two, recently celebrated the 100th birthday of his wife's mother, Lilly Brady, of Albany, whose story of traveling steerage class from Ireland to America is included in ''Angel Threads.'' |