A fond farewell to 2012 and the names that made news

ANOTHER YEAR! Can it really be

We're about to start 2-0-1-3?

We survived a Superstorm named Sandy,

Renamed Obama Yankee Doodle Dandy.

The Phils and Iggles let us down -

So who's on first in our hometown?

Happy New Year, Mayor Nutter,

And every New Year Mummers strutter;

You, too, Andy Reid, while you're still around,

Chief Charles Ramsey (keep us safe and sound),

Schools boss Bill Hite, please take a bow.

Bart Blatstein (it's YOUR Tower now).

Season's greetings, Ed Rendell,

Gamble and Huff, Jon Saidel,

The Streets, especially ex-mayor John,

Bernard Watson, the Zoo's V. Dewan

Happy new year, everyone -

Comcast's Robertses, father and son,

And David L. Cohen (he's everywhere),

Cardinal Chaput, Philly's Prince of Prayer,

U.S. Reps Brady, Schwartz, Fattah,

Paul Levy, Judge Gary Glazer, Jerry Mondesire,

City Council and its prez, Darrell Clarke,

Sam Katz, Sinatra fan Sid Mark,

Ex-mayors Wilson Goode, Bill Green,

The Mattlemans, Herm and Marciene,

Larry Magid; Phils fans (no time to panic);

Music lovers, meet new Maestro Yannick.

Hail, Penn's Amy Gutmann, Temple's John Fry,

Timothy Rub of the Museum up high,

Jerry Blavat (Hiya, Geator),

Johnny Doc (the union leader),

Dennis Alter, Stephen Starr. Yo,

Dick Sprague, David Girard-deCarlo,

Gerry Lenfest, Bill Marrazzo.

Leaving, Peter Nero? Say it's not so.

Rejoice, Sidney Kimmel, Tina Fey,

Sonny Hill, Georges Perrier,

Meryl Levitz, Phyllis Beck. O,

Joy to Jill Scott, Rosemarie Greco,

Derek Gillman of the Barnes, Bob Venturi,

Bilal Qayyum, Lynn Marks, Jeff Lurie,

Vanguard's John Bogle, Susanna Foo,

M. Night Shyamalan, Neil Oxman, too.

Season's greetings, folk maven Gene Shay,

Joseph Zuritsky. Hip hip hooray

For Joe Vignola, Celeste Zappala

Pedro Ramos, Cheri Honkala,

Boxer Bernard Hopkins, Joe Torsella,

Happy Fernandez, Patti LaBelle. A

Toast to Siobhan Riordan of the Free Libra-ree,

Nick DeBenedictis, Lana Felton-Ghee

Estelle Richman, Joseph Neubauer,

Mark Segal, Nora Dowd Eisenhower,

Seventy's Zack Stalberg, Andre Watts,

Dodo Hamilton (we owe you lots),

Mike DiBerardinis, Opera boss Dave Devan,

Sharon Pinkenson (from every film fan),

D.A. Seth Williams and Sheriff Jewell,

Marwan Kreidie, Neil Stein, Carl Singley. Who'll

Speak for Vince Fumo (stuck away in stir)?

Hi, muralist Jane Golden (big cheer for her),

Dennis Wint, Kal Rudman, Charles Pizzi

Controller Alan Butkovitz (his job isn't easy).

Hail, Ray Perelman (a public benefactor),

Terry Gillen, Ron Rubin, Will Smith (the actor),

Chef Jose Garces, Brian Tierney, John White,

Harris Steinberg, Dawn Staley. Let's party tonight,

Lily Yeh, Al Schmidt also Stephanie Singer,

John Gallery, Bill Cosby (time for a zinger),

Sister Scullion (rightfully admired),

Shelly Yanoff (have you really retired?)

Manny Stamatakis, Kevin Bacon,

SEPTA's Joe Casey (what route are we takin'?)

Judith Von Seldeneck, Helen Gym,

C.B. Kimmins (we can't forget him),

David Haas, Lance Haver, Blanche Ziszka,

Peter Liacouras (get well, we miss ya).

Mariana Chilton, Bob Cheetham - hosanna!

Likewise, Peter Benoliel, Lola Falana,

Jeremy Nowak, Henry Nicholas,

Hal Sorgenti, Judy Wicks. Is

Lawrence Summers celebrating?

Is Chris Matthews pontificating?

Does Mark Vetri keep all of us eating?

Donna Cooper, season's greeting.

Same goes for Gerry Lenfest, George Norcross

and Lew Katz, plus the rest of the folk who we now call "boss"

Many more names should be listed here,

But space is limited, I fear.

So, to Twenty-One-Two, we bid adieu.

Out there, to everyone of you,

A wonderful Twenty-One-Three,

From all at the News, and also from me.

- DON HARRISON