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2008: The year in names

It's that time of year again. Time now for the Daily News' end-of-the-year editorial-page poem, written, as always, by former deputy editorial-page editor Don Harrison.

<b>2008 As We Saw It:</b> On Oct. 3, Abington High School students show their support for President-elect Barack Obama.
<b>2008 As We Saw It:</b> On Oct. 3, Abington High School students show their support for President-elect Barack Obama.Read more

It's that time of year again. Time now for the

Daily News' end-of-the-year editorial-page poem, written, as always, by former deputy editorial-page editor Don Harrison.

- The Editors

'HAPPY NEW YEAR," shouts this Voice from the Past!

Can the Phillies-Obama euphoria last,

As the curs-ed economy makes us choose

Between books and bucks? Now, names in the news:

Season's greetings to Mayor Nutter,

To every dedicated Mummers Strutter,

To our governor, ex-mayor Ed Rendell,

Vanguard's John Bogle, Patti LaBelle,

Lawrence Summers (to D.C. he's goin'),

Chairman of Everything David L. Cohen,

Lynne Abraham (are you really retiring?),

Paul Levy, Jerry Mondesire. Ring

Out wild bells for Arlen Specter,

Vikram Dewan, the zoo's director,

Kal Rudman, Peter Liacouras,

Vince Fumo (boy, have you got tsuris!),

The Mattlemans, Herman and Marciene,

Ex-mayors Street and Goode and Green,

Drexel's "Taki" Papadakis,

Bill Marrazzo, Manny Stamatakis,

Sam Katz, Sinatra-phile Sid Mark,

Mr. New Year's Eve (we mean Dick Clark),

Restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Neil Stein,

Brad Lidge and the Phillies (you guys did fine),

Teach our Iggles, Sixers and Flyers the way

They, too, might be champs. Hip-hip-hooray

For Jerry Blavat, the beloved Geator,

Ralph Roberts' son Brian, Comcast's leader,

Sister Scullion, Robert Venturi,

Camille Paglia, Jeffrey Lurie,

To the cops and firefighters, each a hero,

The Philly Pops with Peter Nero,

Larry Magid, Bilal Qayyum,

Jane Pepper, whose world's always in bloom,

Charles Dutoit and the "Village Band,"

Penn prexy Amy Gutmann and

Temple chief Ann Weaver Hart,

Gail Harrity at the Museum of Art,

Sidney Kimmel, Upper Darby's Tina Fey,

Cecelia Yep, Sonny Hill, Tom Knox, Gene Shay,

Gary Graffman, Jack Wolgin. Falalalala

To Congressfolks Schwartz, Brady, Fattah,

And City Council (prez Anna Verna). Hosanna

To Pat Croce, Mark Segal, Lola Falana,

Kenny Gamble, Will Smith, Tom Muldoon,

Dodo Hamilton, Jimmy Tayoun,

Bill Cosby, Lance Haver, Tom Paine Cronin,

Rita Addessa, Angel Ortiz, Sylvester Stallone. In

'09, our best to Andre Watts, Chuck Peruto,

Ray Perelman, Marwan Kreidie, Susanna Foo. So,

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

For His Eminence Cardinal Justin Rigali,

Jane Golden, whose murals adorn our town,

Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Myers Brown,

Seventy chief Zack Stalberg (our ex-boss),

David Girard-diCarlo, of course,

Teddy Pendergrass, Happy Fernandez. Yo,

The Franklin's Wint (where'd the "Institute" go?)

Dennis Alter, Joe Torsella,

M. Night Shyamalan, Salome Thomas-El. A

Toast to Siobhan Riordan, of the Free Librar-ee,

Camille Barnett, John Dougherty,

South Street's Isaiah Zagar, Doctor J,

Nick DeBenedictis, Pat Gillespie, Bill Gray,

Arlene Ackerman, the School District's super,

C.B. Kimmins, Donna Cooper,

Lily Yeh, Dick Sprague, Mike DiBerardinis,

Dwight Evans, Gerry Lenfest, Alba Martinez,

Dawn Staley, Charles Pizzi, Rosemarie Greco,

Author Lorene Cary, Judge Phyllis Beck. O,

Joy to the world and especially our nation,

To Rebecca Rimel of the Pew Foundation,

Shelly Yanoff, Ron Rubin, Kevin Bacon.

What a joyful noise we're makin'!

Ring out the old, ring in the new

With Georges Perrier, Joe Zuritsky, too,

Stephanie Naidoff, Joseph Neubauer,

Donna Gentile O'Donnell, Nora Dowd Eisenhower.

Feather Houstoun, lawyer Tom Kline,

A chorus, then, of "Auld Lang Syne"

To all named here and those we missed

(Sorry you didn't make the list.)

Yes, times are tough, but be of good cheer -

'09 has got to be a better year. *

Don Harrison's New Year's poem has been a tradition for most of the years since he joined the Daily News in 1982. Since "taking the buyout" in 2001, he's been editor of Milestones, the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging's newspaper. E-mail him at donharrison@att.net.