Luke Russert: Collaborating with a Kindred Spirit

Luke wrote the Foreword for my upcoming book. Here's how we connected.

I first “met” Luke Russert about fifteen years ago when we incorporated his dad’s well-known book, Big Russ & Me: Father & Son: Lessons in Life, into the senior English curriculum at Canisius High School. I’d crossed paths with Luke’s dad, Tim Russert – perhaps the most famous alumnus of CHS – on at least one occasion at an alumni event not long before his passing in 2008. I knew Luke only in the abstract, from reading his father’s reflections on the joys and challenges of being a dad.

When we switched to the new edition of the book in 2014, it included a new foreword by Luke. To read the perspectives of a son about his departed dad was a moving experience for me – particularly because by that time, Megan and I had a two-year-old son and an infant daughter. To read Tim’s work is a powerful experience for any parent. To read it as a father and as a son both of Buffalo and of Canisius High School was remarkable.

In 2018, I wrote the following blog post:

My seniors are in the middle of reading Big Russ & Me - Father and Son: Lessons of Life.

This past Friday, we had a Socratic Seminar focused on this prompt: “Consider the forces that fathers exert upon their sons; likewise, consider the forces that sons exert upon their fathers. Using examples from Russert's book (and, if you wish, from your own experience) offer your opinion as to which is the stronger net force.”

What a conversation! I was impressed by the level of insight and the range of perspectives, as I often am during these seminar discussions. But there was one observation that really floored me. To paraphrase this young man: “Sons teach fathers the things they need to know in order to teach their sons, later on.”

He went on to explain his thoughts. Essentially, he said, it is the experience of young fatherhood – that is, the early years of caring for infants and toddlers – that equips men with the qualities they need in order to serve as good models for their sons later in life. In this way, the force exerted is reciprocal – it eventually comes full circle.

Wow. Given that this student – only seventeen – is not a father himself, I think this is a pretty astute observation. It’s made me think about all the ways that the experience of raising three young kids alongside Megan has changed me. And I think my student is right. Maybe the years of young childhood are a forge in which the alloy of parenting is strengthened in preparation for the real trials to come in the years ahead, when my kids enter adolescence.

I guess I’ll let you know how that’s going in about ten years, if I can still assemble cogent thoughts.

Well, it hasn’t quite been ten years – only about six. So far, I can still assemble cogent thoughts. In fact, it’s easier now than it was then, because we’re done changing diapers, and we’re actually sleeping again.

Anyway, I had the chance to read Luke’s own book, Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself when it was released last year. I won’t reveal too much – I’ll just say that it offers a compelling travelogue coupled with a vulnerable account of a young man’s interior journey. In the course of his pilgrimage, it’s through exposure to the world that Luke gains the courage to excavate his own interior life. As readers, we get to accompany him as he confronts both the beauty and struggle that lie intertwined within the human heart. We navigate the varying terrain of grief and self-discovery, including landscapes of misery, joy, shame, catharsis, and redemption.

Upon finishing it, I found that I wanted to connect with this fellow traveler, this young man I’d known only as a prominent character in an important book I’d taught for years. Luke had played a role in so many of my classes, and been the subject of so many conversations with students over the years. It felt only natural, after reading his own account, to connect with the guy. And, of course, I also hoped he might take an interest in my own forthcoming book – I had no shame in acknowledging it would be a boon to me as a more-or-less unknown author to have him say a few words about it.

So with all this in mind, I reached out to Luke, with no expectations that I’d hear back. I was direct about my intentions from the start – I came right out and asked him if he’d be willing to help me by reviewing my work. I hoped he would appreciate my getting straight to the point, rather than burying my request in a bunch of patronizing baloney. I suspect some people might balk at the audacity of approaching a famous figure like that. I don’t, because celebrities or not, people are just people. Adults can make their own decisions. (In fact, I’d argue the more arrogant thing is to presume to know what someone else thinks, instead of having the humility to ask him or her.) So if Luke had shaken off my request, that would have been his prerogative. No big deal.

But he didn’t. In fact, it’s no surprise that I got a characteristically ‘Buffalo’ response. Celebrity status or not, Luke wrote back like an ordinary guy. We traded a few messages. He was quick to say thanks for my service as a teacher at the school so important to his dad and grandfather. We chatted a bit about the years we overlapped in the DC area – I’d been teaching at Georgetown Prep at the same time he attended St. Alban’s, just a few miles down Wisconsin Avenue. He asked me to send him the manuscript. And, within just a few days, he’d read it and offered this very affirming endorsement:

“It’s no secret that boys are falling behind in today’s America, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A Path to Manhood is a quick-paced, engaging read full of relatable vulnerability, critical thinking, and robust explanations of the universal values that truly matter. Paul Cumbo provides a masterful blueprint for raising and engaging the ‘emerging men’ of today for tomorrow.” 

- Luke Russert, Emmy Award Winning Journalist and Bestselling Author of Look for Me There

Months later, we got to meet briefly at a book signing in South Buffalo, and I approached him about writing a foreword for A Path to Manhood. Sure, he said. He’d love to. I’d just owe him a six-pack of Labatt Blue. Again, no big deal.

So, if you’re kind enough to give my book a read when it comes out next year, you’ll get a glimpse into Luke’s perspectives on it, too – the reflections of a kindred spirit who has certainly traveled a compelling and challenging path.

Meanwhile, I recommend checking out Luke’s book. You can find it here.