Friday October 14th, 2011 - St. Charles, IL If there has been one consistently worthwhile pursuit I’ve been involved in in my life, it has been teaching comedy classes. Performing it is a thrill, but teaching has a whole other set of benefits that consistently pay me back way more than I give. I never get tired of it. The biggest reward has been the long list of wonderful people who I probably wouldn’t have even met much less befriended had I not taught these classes, and that list continues to grow each year. Zanies classes alone have had over 2000 students since 1995, and there have been other classes in other places besides those. I’m lucky to have been able to do it. I always try my best to give every student way more than they pay for, but they give me way more in return than I ever give them. The satisfaction of seeing someone have fun on stage or get a chance to cross something off their bucket list brings smiles to all our faces. Of all the students I’ve ever taught, one that truly stands out is Hugh Neary. It’s a long list of some pretty special souls, but Hugh was in a class by himself. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY put forth an all out effort like Hugh Neary. He was an inspiration and still is. I wish I could say Hugh had the most raw talent or was the most naturally gifted student in class, but that’s not the case at all and that’s what made him so special. I’ll bet he took my class at least half a dozen times, and I tried my best to give him personal attention and encourage him to stay with it. He loved everything about comedy, and dove in head first. Sometimes he’d get up on stage in class and lose his place or forget a joke, but his level of commitment was higher than anyone I’ve ever seen. Wow, what a passion he had for it and to me that’s good enough. He truly gave his best every time he stepped on that stage. Where Hugh really shined brightest was his participation in class. He was ALWAYS on time, and would watch every other student in all of his classes, and offer tips and hints for them that were dead on. He probably could have taught the class, even though he wasn’t a great natural performer himself. It’s like a baseball manager that wasn’t a big time player. Hugh would always show up to class graduations to support the other students, and he’d always congratulate them after the show and beamed with pride right along with them. He was a wonderful human being, and I told him he was welcome in my classes at any time. Hugh Neary was born on October 14, 1975. He passed away on November 20, 2005 and not only do I still miss him, everyone who was ever in a class with him misses him dearly as well. Hugh was simply the best, and everyone loved him. I still do, and want him to be remembered forever so I’m creating an award for outstanding effort called ‘The Hughie‘. The idea came from my friend Joey Callahan, another solid human being and comedian from Philadelphia. He knew Hugh from passing through town and suggested I create this award, so I am. Hughie taught me way more than I ever taught him. He was a giant soul.
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