Spirit of Central New York

Paul: The “Spirit of CNY” is here to  recognize local heroes, activities, businesses, and more. From outdoor adventure  to Main Street, CNY embodies every part of the American experience. Join us while we explore all that Central New York has to offer.

When you came to Syracuse for the first  time, had you ever been here before?

Don: Never been to Syracuse. Only heard about  it. Heard about it from my brother who showed me an article in 1980 or ’79. I was a freshman in  high school. Showed me an article that Syracuse was building a dome.

Paul: Sure.

Don: And we never even heard of a dome. I can’t  remember who else had a dome at the time.

Paul: It made national, international news. It  sure did. You’re moving back to Syracuse.

Don: Yes.

Paul: Back to what was home in your teens and early 20s. Yeah.

Don: And it’s a different experience completely for me. And what’s also different is for, and  I dare I say for fans, because anyone who knows me is a fan. They’re a Syracuse football fan.

Paul: Yeah, Syracuse football, they are. We love our orange, and there’s just no other way to say  it. This community is impacted by how you can tell the mood on Monday what happened on Sunday.

Don: Exactly.

Paul: What are you doing now? Where  do you spend most of…? Where does Don McPherson spend most of his time?

Don: I spend most of my time with students and with folks who are trying to prevent  different forms of men’s violence against women and promoting what I call aspirational  masculinity. So, I’m everywhere. I travel the country. So, having a home is important.  Having a home base is important.

Paul: For me, it’s a bit of a homecoming too.  I went to SUNY Oswego, we loved it, but truly, this was where we went to concerts, and we  would come to games. And I remember going to the game in ’87 and watching you play a couple  times and the season of all seasons. Yeah, this was our sister city, or really our main  city. So, for us as a firm to come here and start engaging with the community, we’re  excited. You know, I come here quite often. We’re forming an office and lawyers here, but it  just feels like part of my life that I remember in my teens and 20s. So it’s a similar story.

Don: There’s a reason why I’ve come back after all these years, is that this does feel like home.

Paul: Yeah, I mentioned earlier that, you know, we are now, as a law firm, we’re here, we’re in  Central New York. And one of the things we do is we give back to the community. We ingratiate  ourselves in community. We see where the need is and try to fill it. And when you and I talked,  we talked about kicking off the thing, “Spirit of Central New York,” “Spirit of CNY.” And this is  kind of our kickoff version of that, but what we do moving forward, it’ll be a lot different.

Don: We’re gonna explore all the nooks and crannies of Central New York, of Syracuse,  and find those community organizations and  businesses that support the lifeblood of the  town, and get to know some people and…

Paul: Love it. Some are hidden gems and  some are ones that everyone already knows,  but maybe we find out something a  little bit different about…

Don: What make ’em tick. Exactly.

Paul: What makes ’em tick. Yeah. Because every organization survives on some kind of a rhythm,  some individual or group who has that momentum, and, you know, has the love of what they do. It’s  true in a law firm, and it’s true on a football team. It’s true in your organizations that you  support. You know, there’s so many, you know, businesses that stuck around and some that are now  starting out. And the theme is, you know, how can  maybe just help highlight them a little bit.

Don: Yeah, when people ask me, you know, why I moved back here, why here? We’re gonna  find out. We’re gonna find all the reasons why this is such a great community, and…

Paul: So, if you guys like the idea of  this “Spirit of CNY,” just sort of like  us or contact us. Give us the name of a  business. Don’s open to, you know,  listening and seeing what you got,  and maybe we can make the story about your  business, and I think that’d be pretty cool.