You won’t find a much more amazing or classy guy than my cousin Dr. Robert Naseef, who was recently honored by Variety – The Children’s Charity’s First Annual Autism Gala in my family’s hometown of Philly. Robert is a brilliant, caring man who, when his son Tariq was diagnosed with autism as a child twenty years ago, re-engineered his entire career to become a psychologist and potentially help Tariq and children like him cope with their conditions.

Robert is the good-looking fella above, standing next to another gala attendee. And here’s a shot of the award he received:

When the family heard about the event, we made an impromptu family reunion of it and gathered in Philly to honor Robert. So my parents, Uncle Greg, Great Uncle Donald, and my Great Aunt Marie and her entire brood (my cousins) all dusted off our finery and joined Robert on his big night. Here’s Uncle Donald, at left, and my dad, right, looking natty together:

Uncle Donald is a pretty interesting character: he played clarinet for the Philadelphia Orchestra for about 40 years. Nothing like donning a tux for the night with a guy who actually owns several, because he wore them to work most nights of the week for a long orchestra career! My Aunt Marguerite still plays harp for the Philly Orchestra, too.

And here’s a nice shot of Robert with his wife and Tariq’s stepmom Cindy Ariel:

South Philly Review ran an excellent profile of Robert in conjunction with the event. This quote from the article gives you a sense of the kind of quality guy Robert is (plus, it’s  guaranteed to make you tear up a little):

“When my son was born, I dreamed he would make a difference in the world,” Naseef said. “When he was diagnosed with autism, I thought that was all over. But the truth is, he does make a difference in the world, and he’s changed me. And through that I’ve been able to help others — so we both make a difference in the world.”

You said it, Robert! Congratulations on the award, and on a life well lived. You’re a credit to all of us!
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I neglected to give proper attribution to the photographer who contributed the shots above - my bad!

Thanks, Uncle Greg!

Be Good,

Don Montanaro

TradeKing CEO 

Folks, just wanted to share an email I just received from Robert on this post:

"Hi Don-

This is great and really touched me. My friend in the photo is Dan Gottlieb who is a psychologist and radio talk show host at WHYY in Philadelphia. His shows are pod-cast at http://www.whyy.org/91FM/voices.html. He is the author of Letters to Sam and Listening to the Heart.
Over 25 years ago, he left home an able bodied person and drove down the PA Turnpike. A wheel fell off the tractor trailer in front of him, and that accident resulted in Dan becoming a quadriplegic. His life and work in the Delaware Valley where he also writes a regular column for the Inquirer has inspired countless people. He has certainly helped me to develop my voice, and he is a dear friend.

best regards-
Robert"