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Abad financial investment more than two decades ago left Mezey in search of extra income .
The Seton Hall University graduate worked for some ma�or American corporations after he left the Army in1��� . In the late 1��0s , helost his �ob . That left him “ �oundering for awhile .” After some “ bad �obs ,” he invested in aprint shop franchise that eventually failed . He lost his savings and almost lost the Pines Lake home inWayne he shared with his wife , Marilyn , and their two children .
“ I needed to make some extra cash ,” Mezey says . Sohetook lots of odd �obs , including umpiring baseball and softball games and driving alimousine , and in 1��� he began to run the time clock for Wayne Hills High School basketball games .
While he was managing the clock during agame , Joe Ascolese , the athletic director at the time , and Margaret �oherty , the trainer , asked him also to make the pregame announcements and call out players ’ names as they ran onto
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the court . Mezey took the assignment seriously and wrote ascript with notes on how to pronounce the names . He saved that first script and keeps it in his black briefcase .
He was asuccess , and the �ob was his after that , followed byare�uest that he announce football games , too . That ’ s when he met Sheppard , the venerable announcer for the Yankees and the
�E�EY �RE�ARIN� �� ANN��NCE AHI�H SCH��L �����ALL �A�E �E�WEEN WAYNE HILLS AND �ASSAIC �ALLEY�
football �iants .
Still alimo driver at that time , Mezey was hired to drive agroup from North Jersey to aYankees game in the Bronx . There hebought aticket and went into the stadium . Listening toSheppard gave him an idea �toask him for advice on his new announcing gig . Heapproached asecurity officer and told him of his plan . The officer talked to Sheppard , who came out to meet with Mezey . The two talked for about 10 minutes .
“ He says to me , �It ’ snot about you� don ’ t make itabout yourself . It ’ sabout them ,’” Mezey says of the players . “ He also told me to speak distinctly and clearly .”
Around the same time , Mezey found apermanent �ob with the Passaic County Prosecutor ’ s�ffice as avictim and witness advocate , a�ob that was “ very rewarding ” but dealt with the “ dark side of life� murder , rape , child abuse .” At that time he gave up the odd �obs except the announcer gig . He retired from the Prosecutor ’ s�ffice �ob last year .
@ waynemagazine WAYNE MAGAZINE SPRING 2023
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