Going Above and Beyond

Thank you kindly

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Every single day we have the opportunity to be kind. It’s one of the many choices we get the chance to make each morning. These acts are at times simple, like saying hello to a stranger or complimenting a friend’s haircut. Sometimes they are random, such as paying for the coffee purchased by the car behind you at the drive-thru or deciding to pick up trash in front of your neighbor’s house. These things are easy to do. They don’t take much effort. But the acts of kindness that are most special are those that go above and beyond what is necessary. Such was the case last Saturday when a well-known Altoona native went out of his way to brighten the day of my 87-year-old uncle from Cleveland.

For the past 32 years, Mike Luciano has given a master class in kindness—maybe more than anyone I have met since moving to Central Pennsylvania 22 years ago. Luce owns and operates a popular bar/restaurant known as Mike’s Court that has been a favorite spot in Altoona since 1992. It is officially referred to as a neighborhood bar, but the people who frequent it hail from pretty much everywhere imaginable.

First-timers are always pleasantly surprised with what can only be described as a unique, throw-back, slice-of-Americana dining experience. On most days Mike personally greets his customers once they are seated. His bar is a cozy little place that is covered in wall-to-wall paraphernalia, with the main focus being on local, college, and professional sports. Every first-time diner is required to sign a basketball, and one can only assume at this point Mike has at least 25,000 signatures—of which I am proud to say a couple dozen of them are from friends and family who have visited me over the years.

Mike was a gritty point guard in his prime who boasted a running hook shot that was second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s in accuracy—this is even more impressive because Mike stands at about five-foot three. His love of both sports and people has created the best dining experience in the state, if not the country, and the formula he has employed for over three decades is quite simple: Be kind.

Today you see those two words plastered everywhere, whether on posters, shirts, coffee mugs, and any assortment of other merchandise. We are constantly being reminded to “Be Kind.” Luckily, for those of us who live in the 814 area code, we don’t need to purchase these little social prompts. Nope. There is a remarkable individual who demonstrates this every day over at 1908 5th Avenue in the Fairview section of town.

For over 20 years I have seen first-hand the kindnesses carried out by this husband and father of four. Whether it’s bringing food to someone who just lost a family member, giving gift certificates to regulars for their birthdays or retirements, keeping candy next to the entrance for neighborhood kids, handing out shirts—thousands of them—with varying Mike’s Court logos, sponsoring youth and adult sports teams, donating food or gift cards for fundraisers, or giving everyone a Mike’s Court calendar and notepad during the holidays.

But as we all know, kindness is so much more than donating money. Kindness is giving of your time, truly listening, showing empathy, and being there for people—things that Mike Luciano does not only better, but more often than most. All it takes is one visit to his place of business to understand that Mike’s true business is being there for anybody and everybody who walks through his door.

Last Saturday my Uncle Leo and Cousin Marty came to town for a graduation party I was throwing for two of my girls on Sunday. There may be no bigger fan of Mike’s Roast Beef sandwich than my Dad’s older brother. He has made sure to stop in every time he visits over the last 22 years, and each time he does, Mike goes out of his way to make my uncle feel welcome.

For the last few of my uncle’s visits, Luce has been on vacation or out of town. We still go to get the beef, but he enjoys visiting with Mike more than the renowned menu item. Knowing this, even though he was closed, last Saturday my good friend opened up his restaurant for my uncle, made him his famous sandwich, and sat next to him as he devoured the spectacular combination of beef, cheese, horseradish, peppers, and onions. All I could think as this tremendous human being visited with the senior member of our family was, Who does this? Well, Mike does.

Kindness is not a behavior we are born with. Rather, it’s taught to us from a young age by our parents. Luce comes by this most admirable of traits honestly. Before they were called home to their heavenly reward, Jim and Rita Luciano taught their son how to properly treat his fellow man. It’s a lesson that has impacted thousands of lives for the better. Mike’s dad was very fond of a certain expression. It’s one that Luce decided to put on the back of his famous tee-shirts not long after his father passed away. The three words perfectly summarize what most, if not all of the people who know him or have been on the receiving end of his generosity would certainly echo:

-Tommy O’Sionnach