Skip to Content
  • Browse
  • Past Issues
  • Search

Arts and Letters

Wagner History

Wagner News

Inside Sports

Alumni Stories

Obituaries

Alumni Events

From the President

Feature Stories
Winter 2022
Winter 2021
Fall 2021
Summer 2019
Winter 2018–19
Summer 2018
Fall 2017
Summer 2017
Fall 2016
Winter 2015-16
Summer 2015
Fall 2014
Winter 2013-14
Summer 2013
Fall 2012
Summer 2012
Fall 2011
Summer 2011
Fall 2010
Summer 2010
Fall 2009
Summer 2009
Fall 2008
Summer 2008

Edward J. Nitkewicz ’86: A Dream Reformed

SHARE
PRINT
BACK TO TOP
Edward J. Nitkewicz ’86: A Dream Reformed
History Maker Paul Zindel ’58 M’62 H’71
Bridget Herrmann ’05: Music Maven

I fell in love at the age of seven.

It was 1971, and in June of that year my father brought me to my very first professional baseball game at Shea Stadium. A few weeks later, my uncle took me and my two cousins to a double header at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. I saw Tom Seaver pitch, Duffy Dyer catch, and Willie Mays bat. I witnessed Thurman Munsun block a runner trying to score from second base and Bobby Murcer hit a home run into the bleachers. Never before had I laid my eyes upon grass so green or skies so blue. Soon, no white tee shirt in my wardrobe was safe. A black marker helped me convert every one into a Mets jersey.

Years came and went. In high school, I accepted the reality that I was not a very good baseball player. But I never lost my love of the game. I could not wait to share my passion for baseball with my children.

It is said that people plan and God laughs, not at us or our misfortune, but at our adherence to the notion of what we believe will make us happy.

My beautiful son was born in 1998. My wife and I were on our way to building the family we dreamed about, but there were signs that things would not always be as planned. In the delivery room, Edward was not immediately responsive. After he reached 18 months, his verbal skills began to decrease. By the time Edward reached age 2, we were advised that he suffered from autism.

As I learned more about autism, I accepted that my son may not have friends. I understood that Edward would probably not go to college. And my dream of buying my son a baseball mitt was dashed. I grieved the loss of the child I planned to raise and the father I planned to be.

In 2007, I learned that a group of parents had organized a baseball program for children with special needs. On the field, I saw children with Down syndrome and autism wearing baseball uniforms and holding baseball gloves. Parents stood by to keep their children on task. And miraculously, the task was playing baseball. Edward participated for the remainder of the season.

Since then, I have become Coach Ed for a group of wonderful athletes in South Huntington. There are no outs. There are no errors. The last batter of each inning hits a home run and victoriously does their own unique home run trot. The joy in their eyes is surpassed only by the tears of joy in their parents' eyes.

I love my son and I love baseball. I learned a valuable lesson these past few years. Sometimes dreams aren't dashed. They are merely delayed and reformed. I will never forget the day I shopped for a baseball glove for my son. I said then, with tears in my eyes, “Today, I bought a mitt.” I trust that God laughed.

Edward J. Nitkewicz '86 is a senior attorney at the Sanders Law Firm in New York City, where he specializes in personal injury cases. He is also an education law attorney and parent advocate for families with children who have special needs.

Summer 2011

  • Alumni Stories
  • parenting
SHARE
PRINT

Related Stories

image description

Mother Knows Best?

Jan 02, 2013 Today as much as ever, mothers and motherhood are categories to be reckoned with in political debates.
CLASS NOTES
OBITUARIES
CONTACT US

LATEST NEWS

image description

Songfest: Then and Now

For almost 70 years, Songfest has been one of the biggest events on campus. What …

image description

Heroines of the Holocaust

This June, a Wagner College symposium on “Heroines of the Holocaust” brought 50 scholars from …

image description

History Makers: Kinsey Casey ’02

Kinsey Casey ’02 was destined for a life in public service. And no wonder: Her …

image description

Uncommon Lives: Julie Hassett ’08

Julie Hassett ’08 is a body-paint, hair, makeup and cosmetic prosthetics artist who has done …

  • About the Magazine
  • Give to Wagner
  • Wagner Newsroom
  • Wagner Home
FOLLOW US

© 2023 All Rights Reserved