Making Whoopie

The Watch

Marcie and I were married September 12, 1948 and we went to live with her parents. I could not find a job so we decided to use my last year of eligibility under the G.I. Bill and get a Masters’ at Johns Hopkins University. All school expenses were paid and we were given $105.00 monthly for living expenses. That is what we had. We were poor! We helped in Sam Hoffman’s business, Marcie helped in the house, I looked for a job and went to school. We discussed the matter continuously and as the year wore on, Kenmar Food Market was conceived. We borrowed $5,000.00 from my parents and bought the store in early August, 1949. Risa, Marcie and I moved in upstairs from the store on September 12, 1949, on our first wedding anniversary. Our bureau consisted or empty orange crates and we slept on a spring and mattress on the floor. We had no refrigerator; our food was kept in the walk-in box in the store.

We did well. I had experience as a meat cutter pre-war and my Bachelors’ degree was in Business. We were able to pay our parents within the year. Marcie did not drive so she would place Risa in baby carriage and walk in the neighborhood when she got the opportunity. One year soon after, she decided to buy an anniversary gift for me. She walked down to Richmond Brothers, a jewelry store where she had previously worked and bought Seiko wristwatch which probably cost the grand sum of at least $30.00. I don’t know where she got the money; probably the cash register. We had a very loose security system. I treasured that watch through the years and only wore it on special occasions.

Flash forward to September, 2015. I made an emergency medical trip to Baltimore and stayed with Dorathy and Arnold. The watch promptly died and I borrowed one of Arnold’s. He promised to replace the battery, but was told that the watch needed a complete overhaul. So, when I returned to Florida, I left the watch with him.

Several weeks ago I received a small package in the mail. Inside in a soft purple sack was the watch, alive and ticking. Arnold had it refurbished; it was alive and well. I decided to save it for special occasions. And then I thought, “ I am 91 years old. Every day is a special occasion.” I wear it every day and it is the only one I wear.

Substance and Procedure

There are two parts to religion; substance and procedure. Substance includes, but it not limited to how we treat our fellow persons, how we do business, etc. You [Lauren] and my other grandchildren and children and great-grandchildren have learned much substance from those who came before them. Procedure is the actions we take to bring substance to our thoughts. As I grow older, I find that procedure is so much less important than substance.

Groundhog Day

Today is Marcie’s birthday. She was born February 2, 1927. She would be 89 years old.
We were married on September 12, 1948. We were married 64 years, 5 months and 19 days.
This year Marcie’s Yahrtzeit falls on March 3^rd, according to the Hebrew lunar calendar.
On the evening of March 2^nd, I will light a Yahrtzeit candle and chant El Moleh Rachamim and Kaddish.

Family Matters

The accompanying photos were taken on the Hebrew Orthodox Memorial Society Cemetery, 5820 German Hill Road, Baltimore Maryland 21222 (by Larry, who else?) and are the monuments of family members.

Dora, Chana Leibe and Manye (nee Rissin) were sisters. Manye married Simon Malkin who migrated from the Ukraine in the early 20^th century. He established a hardware store at Pratt and Central Avenue in Baltimore and sponsored Dora and her children. Dora’s husband, Konstantine Golberg     (for whom I am named) owned and operated a bakery in the Ukraine. Early one morning while making deliveries, (remember Tevye, in Fiddler?) a mishap occurred. Konstantine contracted pneumonia and died at an early age. With Manye’s assistance, Dora and her four children came to Baltimore in 1914 and established residence on the third floor of the hardware store. William, age 16 worked in the hardware store and supported the family. Dora begat Sophie, William, Goldie and David.

Manye and Simon begat Phyllis, who married Eli (Ginny) Paul and Sarah married Harry Spritz, a dentist.

Chana Leibe begat two daughters, Sonia and Lizzie.

Sonia married Nathan Janoff and begat Harry, Jesse, Louie, Gloria and Betty. Harry was an Optometrist and married ( I don’t remember who) and moved to Danville, Illinois. Jessee married Ruth Owings, who died young  ( they are both buried on the Beth Jacob Cemetery in Finksburg) and worked in his Father-in-law’s business. Louie was a night club entertainer and constantly moved around. Gloria married Robert Snyder who owned Snyder’s Cleaners on Liberty Road. Betty married Nolan Chipman, a lawyer.

Lizzie married Philip Peril who owned a hardware store in the 4800 block of Park Heights Avenue. She begat Selma, a Registered Nurse and Annabelle, a legal secretary. Selma married Leon Hillman ( who died young) and begat Alan and Barry. Annabelle married Henry Caplan and was childless.
William’s descendants will note that that William’s brother, David died at age 92, Dora, Sophie and Goldie lived into their middle and late 80;s, William died at age 80 and Esther, William’s wife died at 90 years of age, indicating a long-life gene.

Engagements

When I was notified that Natalie and Alex became engaged, I was reminded how Marcie and I became engaged. Marcie was living at home with her parents. Late one Sunday morning I came to her house and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was awake but still in bed. I sat on the side of the bed and said, “Marce, I think that we should get married. What do you think?” She replied, “Okay” and that was that! She was 21 and I was 23. What did we know?!

Appointments

Yesterday I went to the auto dealership to get some maintenance work done. (Of course I had a coupon; two, in fact). When the service writer asked if I had an appointment, I replied, “Son, I’m 90 years old. I don’t make appointments anymore.”

Something Good

A man walks into a Catholic Church and into the confessional. He blurts out, “I had sex with my wife six times yesterday”. The priest says, “ I notice That you are wearing a Star of David. Are you Jewish?” The man replies, ‘Yes, I am.” The priest says, “ You are Jewish and you are in a Catholic Church confessional telling me that you had sex with your wife six times, which is not a sin. Why are you telling me this?’ I HAD to tell someone,” the man replied.

So, if something great or even good happened to you and you want to tell someone, like you started a new job that you love, or you sold a Sherpa, or one of my great grandchildren made the Honor Roll, or you closed the sale of a prime property, send me an e-mail and tell me about it. I love to hear when something good happens to one of my family. IT MAKES MY WHOLE DAY.

It is difficult to determine where to go if you do not know where you have been

One hundred years ago, William Golberg landed at Locust Point in Baltimore, after sailing from Hamburg, Germany. He came with his mother, Dora and three siblings, Sophie, Goldie and David. It was necessary that immigrants be sponsored by someone living in the United States and the Golbergs were sponsored by Simon and Manye Malkin.  Manye was Dora’s sister.

The Malkins had previously immigrated and established a hardware store at Pratt and Central Avenue. William was the man of the Family; his father, Constantine died earlier in the Ukraine. The Golbergs lived on the third floor above the hardware store and William worked in the store to support the family. He was 16 years old; only Sophie was older.

The Malkins were called Uncle Malkin and Tante Manye. Tante is Yiddish for aunt and fetter is Yiddish for uncle. I have no idea why we did not call him Fetter Simon. They had two daughters; Sarah, who was adopted and Phyllis. Sarah married Harry Shpritz, a dentist and had two children, Gloria and Norton. Phyllis married Eli (Ginny) Paul and had one daughter. Ginny Paul was an accomplished softball player and played second base for a world championship team sponsored by Jack Pollack, a political Baltimore 4^th District leader. The hardware store relocated to Liberty Height Avenue and was renamed the Liberty Paint and Hardware. Ginny Paul worked in the hardware store and it existed until his retirement.

William had a house built at 3326 Ingleside Avenue and married Esther Poloway in 1924. Dora and Sophie and Goldie moved in with the newlyweds. William worked for the Independent Lock Company until his retirement in 1963. Kenneth arrived in March, 1925, Ruth in June, 1929 and Marvin Bennett in January 1931.

Birth

I am so excited! I would like to announce the birth of a ………………………………TOMATO!!!!!!!!!!! Three weeks ago, I went to Home Depot and bought two planters, two bags of topsoil and two six inch tomato plants. My Aide, Mariana and I planted them along with some miniature pepper plants that she grew from seeds. The tomato plants are about a foot and a half high. Today she noticed a tomato the size of a marble, had appeared. I have a long way to go to recoup the $67.00 that I spent at Home Depot.

Tradition

TRADITION, TRADITION!

I believe that tradition is the glue that binds race, religion, culture and family together. No matter how secular a Jew may become, there is usually a Bris (if male, of course), a Bnei Mitzvoh and a Jewish funeral. Traditions may change depending how mores change. I'm big on tradition. I gave Aunt Molli and Uncle Larry my gold wedding band and asked them to be the keeper and supply it for use in all future weddings in the family. As Jewish tradition dictates, it is the one that I put on her forefinger 65 years ago.

Imagine Jacob, some two or three decades from now, telling his bride, as he puts that ring on her forefinger, "This is the ring that my great-grandfather Ken put on the forefinger of my great-grandmother Marcie nearly a century ago."

This being said, I believe that we should remember our loved ones with two dates; the secular one of their birth and the religious one of their death. That sort of ties their whole life together. So I remembered Grandma on her birthday, February 2nd and I will light a candle on the evening of February 22nd, the Hebrew date.

Life with Marcie

Today I received a DVD of Momma's funeral service. I listened carefully to the words of Rabbi Wohlberg, Alex and Amy. They talked about Momma, the kind of person she was. During our 65 years together, I never thought about that. We just lived our lives. I suppose it is like when you go on a trip or you go on vacation. Once you come home and think about it, you remember the enjoyment you had and you enjoy it over and over again. I cannot count the times that I have fondly remembered the trips we took to Israel, the many times we went to Chicago and Reno. I recall sneaking Emily to Burger King and sleeping in the motel office when we went to visit Lauren at camp. I remember taking Sheri and Lauren to Penn Dutch country to ride that old train from Intercourse to Paradise. So many memories and each one sweeter than when we actually did them.

So it is with our marriage; the great things, the good things and the not-so-good things. That first night we slept in the apartment over the store at 238 South Stricker Street, Risa in her carriage and Momma and I on a blanket on the floor; Larry and Arnold's bris in that same apartment. The move to 1512 McHenry Street when we outgrew the apartment with the birth of Marc and Phyllis. The trip to St. Agnes Hospital with Larry in my arms when he was hit by a car. The many meals Momma cooked and served at 1512 and thereafter. The fire at 1512. So many great, good and not-so-good things.

Now, sixty-five years later, our children are married and they have children of their own who have children. And then our other grandchildren will marry and have children. I have thought of some, not all, of the reasons that we have had such a good life and I will share them with you. Between Momma and I there was unconditional trust and loyalty. We knew that we could count on one another no matter what. We talked to one another, openly and candidly, and listened to what the other said. We were optimistic and had a positive attitude which gave us the strength to overcome the not-so-good things and obstacles that we encountered. We agreed that our primary goal was to raise good children and we certainly did that!

There will come a time when our grandchildren will marry. We hope that you find a mate such as Grandma and I found. In addition we wish you several other things. We wish that you have many children and grandchildren who actually like their siblings and cousins. We wish you enough wealth to accomplish what you want to accomplish and to live the life that you want to live. With these things Grandma and I know that you will lead wonderful lives, it worked for us!

When you find and marry your mate I may not be here to send you a card. I would like you to keep this writing and when that time comes, read it. And if I am here, I will write on the card, "See Life With Marcie."

– Addendum –
I wrote this at three o’clock in the morning but that is no excuse. How could I? How could I omit Lauren’s beautiful words at the funeral service. I am so sorry. I am so sorry.

Family Videos

Thanks to Marc for sharing these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdT27pSdsCI

Our Wedding

We were married on September 12, 1948, a hot, muggy day , at the Beth Jacob synagogue at Park Heights and Manhattan Avenue. At that time Beth Jacob consisted of a non air conditioned building which later became the gymnasium. It was so hot that the Chupah was moved out of doors to the lawn where the Beth Jacob sign now stands. The two fathers arranged the wedding; we were 21 and 23 years of age; what did we know? After we were pronounced man and wife, the rabbi, Uri Miller, said to us, “P’roo, oorvoo, oomeloo ess ha’aretz, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Well, we sure as hell tried, didn’t we?

My Father sang a song ‘Did You Ever go Fishin’ on a Hot Summer’s Day” to his grandchildren (my children) and I sang it to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I sang it to Jacob when we were in Baltimore for Rosh Hashanah last September. Perhaps Jacob will sing it to his grandchildren and great- grandchildren.

Advice

I learned much from my parents simply by observing them in their daily lives. But when I started my first job 70 years ago at Schreiber’s Food Market, my father gave me two pieces of advice. I pass them along to you knowing that many of you have put them into practice many times.

If something is worth doing, do it right, do a little more than is expected of you. 

This is particularly important and has brought me many rewards. About four months after I began working for the Department of Labor and Industry, I completed an investigation early and went to Annapolis to visit with friends that I had made when I worked in the Speaker’s office. And who do I bump into but the Deputy Commissioner. After I stammered an explanation, he told me that he was there about a piece of legislation which was stuck on the committee chairman’s desk. I invited him to come with me to the Speaker’s office where my friend, Grace Donald held sway. When I told her our problem, she picked up the phone, called the committee chairman and said, “The Speaker wants this bill on the floor for a vote tomorrow morning.” Guess who the Deputy Commissioner chose as Chief when the position came open!

When Richie finishes a bridge demolition ahead of schedule so that the highway reopens ahead of schedule, who is called for the next bridge demolition? When Rachel comes to work ahead of schedule during a snow storm, what impression does this make on her supervisor? You can probably think of many instances in your experiences where this has occurred. I consider this advice among the best that my father gave to me.

In about five hours we will take off and be in Baltimore before five o’clock. I cannot tell you how excited we are to be seeing many of you in the next five days.

Patterns

It is amazing how we pattern our lives to live like our parents and grandparents. We observe their behavior, their traits, their ideals, discard that which we do not like and mimic those which we admire. There are traits that we do not admire yet we do not discard them. Often child abusers have been themselves abused and alcoholics have had an alcoholic parent. There are traits that we do not admire and do not mimic but later in our lifetimes, we come to the realization that they were correct.

My Father, William, was a strong individual with strong convictions. He insisted that I attend Baltimore Hebrew College after Bar Mitzvah. I did not have the basics for it and failed miserably after one year. He relented. He insisted that I attend University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. I hated it; did well, finished the year but I hated it. Therefore I did not insist that my children attend college and stay there. Fortunately, they all turned out well, very well. But I should have insisted. He was generous with his time and his material possessions. Family was very important to him and we had relatives living with us, at no cost to them, until I was 13 years old. My grandmother and two maiden aunts had to go so my father and Uncle Dave rented and apartment for them and later bought a duplex on Wylie Avenue for them. He insisted that we children contribute to the household. I did not get paid for cutting the grass! Sound familiar?

William was honest. During World War II, he was manager of the Baltimore branch of the Independent Lock Company which manufactured locks and keys. They were in very short supply during the war, and he was offered bribes to sell them more than they were entitled to. He did not and sold the products evenly. Many times he stopped at a hardware store on his way home to adjust a key cutting machine at no cost to the hardware store. He was active in his synagogue, first Petach Tikvah on Denmore Avenue and then Beth Jacob. He gave ten years as a volunteer to Bais Yaacov School for Girls on Greenspring Avenue. My Mother, Esther, volunteered at Sinai Hospital, first on Baltimore Street and then on Greenspring Avenue for many, many years. (Ask Harry Zemel). She rode three different streetcars to get to Baltimore Street.

Many lessons my parents taught me stick in my mind. “If you are going to do something, do it right. It is no easier if you do it wrong.” “Do a little more than the boss expects you to do.” “Do not say or do something if it does not accomplish anything and self-satisfaction is not an accomplishment.”

My parents were thrifty. They were able to spend their retirement years without seeking financial help from their children.

So look at your parents and grandparents. You will eventually be their age and have similar circumstances. You will have a pattern to guide you; to mimic or reject.

Choose wisely.

Cure for Depression

I was sitting at my desk very depressed. I had just had a very bad day. I was full of self-pity, feeling sorry for myself. “I am going to be eighty-six years old; what in hell have I accomplished in all those years?” I thought.

I began to straighten up my desk and found a large manila envelope bulging with old photographs. There was one of Larry and Arnold at their second birthday party in the kitchen behind the store at 238 South Stricker Street, their faces smeared with icing and a glazed look in their eyes from too much birthday cake. There was one of a twelve year old Risa sitting on the Wishing Well at Peter Pan Inn in Frederick. There was Momma fixing sandwiches at a picnic in Leakin Park. There was a photograph of a six year old Lauren with missing front teeth. I gathered them all up and walked out of the office past the sofa table holding all the photographs of the children, the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren and sat under the three pictures of Daniel’s and Debra’s Bnei Mitzvohs. I picked up the book that Sheri had made us for our sixtieth wedding anniversary and leafed through it. I then knew what I had accomplished in eighty-six years and my depression vanished.

Take a lot of pictures and videos of your children and grandchildren. Works better than Effexor for depression!

Career Path

It has come to my attention that there has been those in our family who have been ambivalent and uncertain when choosing a major in college and subsequently a career. I believe that most people “fall in” to a career or have one chosen them by their parents. I do not believe that many, at the age of twelve, say, “I want to be a doctor” and become a doctor. I do believe that the newborn whose father is the managing partner in a prestigious law firm will eventually become a member of that law firm. But for the rest of us, we “fall in.”

Larry was at loose ends when his friend, Arthur Lawrence, decided to sell his florist supply business. Larry was ready to “fall in.” When David’s friend, Michael Rombro, began his business supplying single dosage drugs to institutions and needed some to manage it, David “fell in.” Momma and I chose once and “fell in” once. Let me explain.

When I finished my work for a Masters degree in marketing and market research there was a recession and I could not find a suitable job. I knew how to cut meat and with my business education, we borrowed five thousand dollars and purchased the soon to be known Kenmar Food Market. It was a dingy, dark, old-fashioned mom and pop grocery at 238 South Stricker Street. We set to work modernizing the business. We cleaned up the place, purchased a self service refrigerated case and made the store semi self service. Business boomed and before long we had a major portion of the neighborhood business. We paid the loan even though Risa, Larry, Arnold, Marc and Phyllis arrived within the next four years. We purchased the building at 301 South Stricker Street and moved when the lease at 238 expired. We purchased new shelving and fixtures for 301 and when the tenant who lived in the room behind the store moved, we doubled the size of the store. Our sales circular each week drew in even more customers. The store bulged with merchandise, even to the point of hanging some from the ceiling. We purchased a house at 1512 McHenry Street and moved in 1953. We moved to Merville Avenue in 1959. We were busy, productive; life was good and interesting.

Then came the letdown. We had most of the business in the neighborhood. We even went so far as to look to purchase a larger store. But an examination of the records revealed that although the revenue was ten times that of the Kenmar Food Market, the headaches were also tenfold and the net profit was the same. There was no more challenge. I was bored.

Then came Charlie Oberman! Charlie was a detail man for a food broker. His job consisted of visiting food stores and convincing them to buy and feature the food products sold by his employer. As with most salesmen who came into the store, we became friends. Charlie’s brother was a chauffeur and go-fer for Congressman Samuel N. Friedel (D. Md. 5th Congressional District). Congressman Friedel and Delegate Marvin Mandel (D. Md. 5th Legislative District) were members of the Crosstown Democratic Club whose sole purpose was their election and re-election. It was in the early 1960s that Charlie Oberman introduced me to the Crosstown Democratic Club. I was fascinated! When the President, David Kramer was forced to resign because he became a Federal employee forbidden to be and officer of a political organization by the Hatch Act, I became President. Every office seeker came to the Crosstown and I introduced them. When Willy Don first ran for the Baltimore City Council, I introduced him. He later became Baltimore’s Mayor and Maryland’s Governor and Comptroller; William Donald Schaeffer. Benjy Cardin ran for the Maryland Legislature from the 5th District; he is now Senator Benjamin Cardin (D, Md.). I knew them all and they knew me. Pretty heady stuff for a thirty-some year old grocer from Stricker Street!

I asked Speaker Marvin Mandel if I could work during the 1965 Session of the General Assembly and spent the session working as Administrative Assistant to the Speaker. I learned so much about the operation of the Legislature and the State of Maryland. Even though Momma and I continued to operate the Kenmar Food Market, my boredom had vanished. When I decided that I wanted to work for the State of Maryland, Marvin Mandel steered me to Henry Miller, Commissioner of Labor and Industry. And when my job necessitated some legal knowledge, Momma encouraged me to go to law school at night, “Just take a couple of courses.” One course led to another and another and before I knew it, I was sworn in as an attorney in 1976.

It all started with Charlie Oberman; he was my “fall in.”

So do not despair. If it doesn’t come today, some day you will “fall in.”

The Engineer

My printer would not function. The green “E” for error appeared and the start button flashed red. I pushed all the buttons. Nothing! I checked the wires on the back; all tight and in place. It was obviously plugged in: the light was on. I opened the hatch to see if anything foreign was in there. Nothing! I wiggled the ink cartridges. They were in proper position. I am already thinking, “Who can I get to look at this thing?” I need the printer to write letters and address envelopes.

Sunday the newspaper came and I looked at the Office Depot and Staples ads. Printers are cheap; I can get a four-purpose machine for less than $60.00. I am thinking, “When Amy gets a chance I will ask her to go with me and buy one.”

This morning I got up and thought, “There is one last thing I can try.” I went into the office, stood in front of the printer and gave it a slap on the right side. It burped, gurgled, a page slid out and the red “E” light disappeared. It now functions.

Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.