Hello:

We've been working on trying to obtain more information about this for some time so if this seems a little untimely, we hope you'll understand.

A tragedy struck the Macaluso family on Thursday Night, July 11. This is actually the second or third tragedy to happen to the Macaluso family in the past several years.

Mark Macaluso was one of the hobby's largest and oldest mail-order dealers. His involvement in the hobby began in the mid 1970s. Over the years, he acted as an advisor to various non-sport card manufacturers and produced several card series on his own under the name Fantasy Trading Card Company (F.T.C.C). Unfortunately, Mark passed away on Christmas Day in 1998 at the age of 48. He left behind wife Valerie and four children.

On July 11, the Macaluso family met another challenge. A fire in the middle of the night destroyed two-thirds of the family house. Nathaniel Macaluso (age 13), perished in the fire. This is just tremendously sad.

We've been trying to put some sort of fund together for the Macaluso family for some time. We have finally been able to make contact with a family relative and are asking all Card Talk members to consider giving the family any type of financial support you can offer. Financial contributions can be made to the Macaluso family through a benefit fund. Checks can be made out to St. Gregory's Church-Macaluso Benefit and set to:

Lisa Bulger
5204 Ridge Chapel Road
Marion, NY 14505

Please help if you can. NSU would like to thank Dino Frisella at Dart Flipcards for his help in contacting the Macaluso family.

Harris D. Toser
Non-Sport Update

Visit Non-Sport Update at www.nonsportupdate.com

Harris-

What a wonderful gesture! This is what it's all about....when someone suffers, everyone should come together to reach out and help.

The timing of this is very appropriate for me since this week (Friday) is the start of the Jewish New Year and what better way to start the New Year than by helping someone in need.

Thank you Harris for putting this together and Shanna Tovar to all my Jewish friends.

fran

What a terrible ordeal for the Macaluso family.
I have quite a few cards in my collection that I purchased from Mark at various shows. I never saw anyone walk away from his table without either the cards they needed or a lesson about them that they could use in the future. I know I received a healthy portion of both. The card hobby is a better place for his having been involved. My best wishes and prayers go out to his family.
I hope everyone who can send anything at all - even just the coin from a not bought pack or two -
will consider doing so. This is an opportunity to show what kind of stuff we "carders" are made of.

Find out what you like in life... and collect it!

Harris,
Appreciate you bringing us up to date on this...and thank you for whatever time/energy you've put in to helping set up the fund for the Macaluso's..

What an incredible walking nightmare for Val..

Like Mike, I encourage everyone to send in a donation..even if you never had the pleasure of meeting Mark or Val...or of being enriched by their merchandise and their wisdom...

Byrna

I'm there....Mark more then likely kept NS alove in the 80's when no-one lese was interested and he made his own sets..gotta admire that!
I'm sorry to hear another catastrophe has hit the family Too many and too young