Reflections by Blaine McCarty, NFCC's Senior Manager of Brand Strategy
I never met Daniel Sperling.
But recently, I sat across from people who loved him, and within minutes, I understood something about the kind of person he was.
They called him “an institution.”
An institution around Roswell, up and down Canton Street. Someone everyone seemed to know, who also knew everyone. A regular at Wednesday night trivia at Lucky’s. A man whose dog, Everleigh, was apparently nearly as recognizable as he was.
But what stayed with me wasn’t where Daniel went or how many people knew his name.
It was how they talked about him.
They spoke with absolute conviction about his kindness. Daniel had a way of inviting everyone in. He was inclusive in the truest sense of the word; warm, open and genuinely interested in the people he met. Everyone had the potential to become a friend.
One person put it beautifully: “Anyone who ever met Daniel was left better for it.”
I’ve thought about that sentence a lot since sitting across that table.
Daniel passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. In his honor, his wife, Kim, and the community he built came together to celebrate his life and continue something that mattered to him: giving back. NFCC was fortunate to be one of the organizations Daniel cared about, and his friends chose to make a gift in his memory.
I work in marketing and communications, so I spend a lot of time thinking about what community means.
Sometimes we make it complicated.
But listening to Daniel’s friends reminded me that building community can be remarkably simple and still create a profound sense of connection and belonging.
Welcome people. Be interested in them. Make room at the table. Have fun. Be kind. Leave people a little better than you found them.
I never had the opportunity to meet Daniel.
Still, I left that conversation inspired by him.
Maybe that’s what it truly means to become an institution in your community. Your presence becomes so meaningful that even when you’re no longer physically there, the way you made people feel continues moving through the people who knew you.
Daniel’s community is still carrying that forward.
And now, in a small way, so will I.