MITCH WENZEL COMPLETES EMPIRE STATE BUILDING CLIMB IN HONOR OF GREGG

February 05, 2006

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Grandsons make the grade(s) 

A phone call from Mitchell Wenzel made me realize how blessed we are to share time with our offspring.

On Tuesday, Wenzel, a resident of Monroe for almost 30 years, will participate in the annual run up the Empire State Building in memory of his son, Gregg David.

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Young Wenzel was 33 when he died in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 9, 2003, while working for the U.S. State Department "to protect our freedom," said Wenzel.

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Young Wenzel completed a run up the Empire State Building in 22 minutes in 1999. At the time, his father recalls saying, "It would be nice if we could do this together some day in the future."

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It wasn't meant to be.

Yet on Tuesday, when the senior Wenzel climbs the 86 floors and 1,576 steps for a total of 1,050 feet, he knows Gregg will be at his side. Participating with Wenzel will be his son-in-law George Liberopolous of Garden City.

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It will be a nostalgic event for the senior Wenzel, who no doubt will recall the time he and his son teamed for the Ironman Florida Triathlon in Panama City, Fla. The date was Nov. 4, 2000. A photograph showing the two crossing the finish line is a treasure.

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In the days since Gregg died, there has been comfort in knowing his memory lives on through things he loved.

The family has established annual scholarships, one in photography for a graduating senior at Monroe-Woodbury High School, another through the Monroe Temple Beth-El for Judaic Studies, and another through Chabad of Orange County for education.

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Gregg Wenzel's law Class of 1994 at the University of Miami School of Law has established an endowed scholarship fund in his name. The fund will be used to "assist students who have demonstrated a commitment to the highest standards of professionalism, recognize the value of public service, and have overcome great obstacles to acquire a legal education."

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For information, contact the father at 783-9032 or by e-mail at wenzel@frontiernet.net.

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