Dear Friends:

In September, 2004 one of my closest friends, Dave Musikant, passed away after a long bout with brain cancer. In his memory, his friends have started the "Dave Musikant Positive for Life Foundation". If you will indulge me, I would like to tell you a little bit about my friend, Dave.

Dave was a lifelong resident of Bogota, New Jersey, a small community in Bergen County. Growing up, Dave was an exceptional athlete and became captain of his high school football and wrestling teams. Upon graduation, he entered Rutgers University where he starred as a varsity athlete on the Light Weight Football Team earning four letters and, once again, serving as team captain. While at Rutgers, Dave was also a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and served as President. During college Dave became an avid bodybuilder and won the title of "Mr. Jersey Shore". He was one of the strongest individuals, in both body and spirit, that I have ever met. Dave's positive attitude and genuine interest in everyone he met were key ingredients in his remarkable leadership abilities. Dave always had a kind word and good advice for everyone. His favorite phrase was "Carpe Diem". It was perfect because Dave seized each and every day.

After graduation, Dave became a sales trainer for The Guardian Life Insurance Company. This was a perfect job for Dave as he loved helping others achieve their goals.

Dave and I attended a NY Ranger game in December of 1996 when he started to complain that he was having trouble following the play. He confided that he had been having trouble with his eyes. On Christmas Eve, Dave had an eye doctor appointment thinking he might need glasses. The doctor looked into his eyes and knew immediately that something was wrong. He told Dave that he had a large tumor and that he was going to admit him to St. Vincent's hospital across the street. As you can imagine, Dave was in total shock and could not possibly comprehend how his life was about to change. Two days later, Dave had a large tumor removed from his brain. The tumor was sitting on his optic nerve and as a result of the operation Dave was left legally blind. The most amazing part of this story is that in the years that followed Dave often said that "the day I found out that I had a brain tumor was the greatest day of my life!" He felt that his illness allowed him to focus on what is really important: family, friends, relationships and "Living Your Dreams" and that it was a gift. He would often tell his friends that they too, would face their mortality but that they might not be as lucky as he was and have years to get their relationships in order the way he had. It was, and is, a very powerful perspective and one that not many of us get to have.

During his recuperation from the surgery, Dave started to think about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, however long that might be. He returned to work but he yearned for more. He wanted to help people achieve the clarity that facing death was giving him. He wanted to help people live each day as though it might be their last. Dave quit his job and started doing motivational speaking and started his own company, "Dave Musikant Seminars". Dave would speak to everyone he met about "Living Your Dreams Everyday" and not wasting a moment of your life on negative thoughts. Dave's passion became speaking to children with cancer and their families.

During the last year of his life Dave became concerned with local politics in his beloved hometown of Bogota. Dave had been a supporter of the Rock the Vote program in previous years but was not particularly interested in politics. His unconventional positions would not fit into any political party. Nonetheless, he mounted a 3rd party challenge to become mayor of his hometown. His unlikely candidacy (a blind man with cancer and no political background) caught the attention of Jesse Ventura's campaign manager who decided to advise Dave. Dave's candidacy caused quite a stir and an independent movie, "Anytown USA," was produced to chronicle the mayoral race in Bogota. The movie won an award at the New Jersey Film Festival. Dave's bid for office has a happy ending...he did not win, but he changed the way people were thinking and that is all he ever wanted to begin with.

Dave remains a positive force in the hundreds of lives that he touched and his family and friends are far richer for him being a part of our lives. I would like to have you help me write another chapter in the story of Dave's life by attending our golf outings and other fund raising events, and making his dream of helping others become a reality.

I hope to see you at an event soon.

Brian