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Dearest Dad

Tuesday, February 5th, 2002 at 11:45 AM Category: Meryl's Notes Blog No comments

Though, he has never been here, I just have to say, “Happy Birthday, Dad!” Here’s to wishing him many more happy and healthy years.

Dad is an average old-fashioned guy from Brooklyn, NY.

I credit him for my competitive streak and heavy participation in athletics while growing up. He played football at James Madison High where he earned a scholarship to, I believe, Syracuse. However, his dad and being the time it was, wanted him to stay home and help with the business.

Dad went to Brooklyn College for a year or so before learning he would be drafted in the Army or Marines. Instead, he voluntarily signed up for the US Air Force and that took him away from New York for good.

He worked in Japan and Korea during the Korean War. It was nothing like M*A*S*H for him since he was working in radio and communications. He told me the story of him waking up one day and putting on his helmet to go to the bathroom. BANG, he got shot in the helmet. Thank God, Dad had the good sense to put on a helmet to do a quick and ordinary task.

While in Asia, he jumped to six stripes from four. As soon as he returned to America, he was back at four stripes and gained something better, my mom. His last station was Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth.

Being the nice Jewish boy he was, he got plenty of dates with the local girls. At the time, Mom was a student a University of Texas (tu to us non-fans) and they saw each other during breaks. Dad went to Austin for Mom’s sorority formal.

Soon after, they got engaged and married on Thanksgiving in 1955, the year the Brooklyn Dodgers won the pennant. They lived in their first home for 40-something years before they got around to moving to Mom’s long-overdue dream home where they currently reside.