The Chairman of the Board

“You gotta love living, baby. Dying’s a pain in the ass.”

-Frank Sinatra

In addition to Ol' Blue Eyes, one of Sinatra's well known nicknames was Chairman of the Board. How classy is that?

Unfortunately, the origin of the epithet is not entirely clear. Some attribute the title to his founding of a record label, others say he earned it with his unreal combination of swagger and style and cool.

In any case, if the wolfpack had a chairman, Frank would be it.

His hit, New York, New York, was always one of my grandfather's favorite songs. When my grandfather was in a coma--just before his passing--I remember trying to make a mix tape of Sinatra to play in his hospital room. Since cds didn't exist yet, the final product wasn't exactly high sound quality. Nonetheless, my mom took the static ridden cassette to the hospital and played it for my Papa. I remember mom reporting back to me that she thought it helped; he seemed happier when the music was filling his small room.

I don't know if that is true; I'm sure it was just something she told me to make me feel better.  In any case, everytime I hear this song, I think of my Papa. If he was alive today, he'd be my favorite pack member.