Michael at Lincoln Tunnel opening, 1945
"Arch Rival" George Horn and Omero wait it out at the Lincoln Tunnel (first tunnel) opening. Pics by legendary street-photographer Weegee (Life 1938)
George Horn and Omero consult with a police inspector minutes before their bout begins at the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (Life 1950)
Omero affixes flags to his radiator cap (Life 1950)
Many of the places Omero firsted were FDR's Public Works Programs that were coming to fruition.
Omero Catan first to vote in 1954 elections (Bergen Evening Record Nov 2, 1954)
(Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware Nov 15, 1963)
(The Saratogian Aug 28, 1970)
Michael Katen and M.L. Nestel standing before the Arthur Ravenal Jr. Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina on July 15, 2005, just hours until and they would go on to become the first members of the public to cross it.
After Omero wrapped up his firsting ventures, he had an entire second act to his life as a national shuffleboard champion. (Observer 1976) "Much like with the firsts, he latched onto a hobby and turned it into more of a vocation. Or really more like a full-time occupation," said Lyman. Omero believed shuffleboarding to be a great mode of relaxation, even having therapeutic powers. He wrote a book on shuffleboarding and personally delivered copies of it to many libraries both across the U.S. and around the world.To this day, one of Robert Lyman's prized possessions is the signed copy of the self-published book that Omero sent him. "There's no question that he was a bit of an obsessive," explained Lyman. "Aside from becoming Mr. First and a diehard shuffleboarder, Omero also had huge collections of things like rocks and four-leaf clovers."