Sandy Greenberg and his college roommate made a covenant 60-some years ago: If either was ever in real need, the other would have his back.
They were a couple of Jewish kids from upstate and downstate â Greenberg from Buffalo, his roommate from Queens â who hit it off from the moment they met as freshmen. Each would go on to landmark careers. And each has the other to thank for that.
When Greenberg went blind, in his junior year, his family begged him not to return to Columbia University. Amid the mad bustle of New York, they thought he would be hit by a bus or fall down a manhole. Greenberg believed he had no choice but to stay home in Buffalo, give up his full academic scholarship, and live a life of less.