I’ve always believed that each and every one of us is shaped and defined, not only by his or her own personal actions, but by those who’ve influenced, educated and – ultimately – inspired them throughout their individual lifetimes.

As a guitarist and musician, my influences are fairly easy to spot, musical geniuses with names like Clapton, Hendrix and Vaughan, to name just a few.

As a writer, however, there’s one particular individual, who goes by the name of Andy Rooney, who’s single-handedly helped me on my way to becoming the columnist and journalist I am today, such as it stands.

On Sunday, Mr. Rooney gave his final “official” broadcast for the long-running news institution that is 60 Minutes, and it was with no small amount of regret that I watched the notorious curmudgeon sign-off for the last time. In many ways, he’s unknowingly been a mentor to me throughout my first two years as an Evening Sun reporter, particularly when it comes to this, my weekly column.

What can I say? Whenever I’m having trouble coming up with something interesting to write, whether it be controversial, humorous or even silly, I always ask myself the same question ... what would Andy Rooney say?