Sports
Hero? No, Real One As a student at C. W. Post on Long Island, C
dreamed of becoming a major league pitcher. He went further than
most, landing a couple of tryouts, but did not make a team. Instead,
Mr. Stajk, 46, the nephew of a firefighter, fulfilled another boyhood
ambition, and would have celebrated his 20th anniversary with the
Fire Department of New York early next year. "He used to say, `I
could retire but Mom, I love my job,'"said his mother, Marge Stajk.
A bachelor, Mr. Stajk had an oceanfront condo in Long Beach, on
Long Island, and often went cycling and running on the Boardwalk.
He was also a trivia buff and a caricaturist. "There are not a
lot of people in this world who have as many passions as my brother," said
a sister, Jean Somerville. Mr. Stajk, who was called Bro around
the firehouse, always worked on holidays, his family said, so that
firefighters with children could have the day off. And unlike many
single people, Mr. Stajk did not mind cooking for himself, his
mother said. On Sept. 10, she could tell from a receipt lying on
his kitchen counter, he made himself a beef stew. Enough for the
next night's meal was in the refrigerator.
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