At Eugene's funeral, his brother John gave the eulogy. I recall John's voice as he reminded those present that Eugene loved debate and discussion, especially around the dinner table. Paraphrasing here, I recall John saying, "But you had to follow the rules! You had to be prepared to build and defend your argument!"
Now on looking over these St. Luke's Newsletters, we can discern one source of EJZ's conviction in these matters. Father Walter L. Tomiak was Director of the PYC and the Debate Coach.
So here were kids in this working-class neighborhood learning the art and the discipline of rhetorical debate. All of this was supported by voluntary contributions by households and individuals. No one was forced to contribute; no one would be turned away from taking part or listening in.
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