What is in a name?

Soon after I moved to this area I was invited by a friend to join a breakfast group of Jewish seniors who met at The Kirkland Pancake House.

Among them was Danny Rich, a quite affable and verbose participant in all discussions.

In the course of things of things it was revealed that Danny was a Catholic of Italian descent'

The question was how did he get affiliated with that group.

Coming to America his family had Americanized their name from Ricci to Rich.

This caused dating problems in college where Italian Catholic girls avoided dating him assuming from his name that he was Jewish and not wanting to risk a serious relationship outside of their community.

Jewish girls would date him drawing back for the same reason when they found his backround.

This situation seemed to prevail with male friends so he moved mainly with Jewish groups.

He did find a nice Italian American Catholic girl to marry.

I write this as I just discovered that Danny, the outgoing guy, has passed away.

Hi Tech Dental

Went to the Endodentist today for surgery.

While in the chair for an hour, I was thinking of my father.

In the days before dental equipment makers acknowledged that the heat from the drilling caused most of the pain and added a waterspray and asperator to the process tooth repair was an ordeal.

Adding a coolant alowed the dentist to use a high speed drill that helped both the dentist and the patient and eliminated the unsightly and unsanitary "spit bowl".

After one of my first trips to the office I asked Dad why the radio played so loud. He assured me that it was so
the waiting patients could not hear the guy in the chair screaming.

On a more serious note Dad told me about his memories of dental care in his boyhood. It was non existant. The only fallback he had for a toothache was topoke a hole in the ticking of his mattress and make a small wad of the cotton filling and place it in the cavity

From Steve's Bar Mitzvah, my children, Jeanie, Jeanie's family and myself.

Dad loved B movies.

In the days when guests came to our home and lit up their cigars and pipes and before home air condition became popular dad's asthma would force him to leave the house and head for the air conditioned Roxy theater.

Often he would apply lines from a movie to a situation.

In one movie the beloved coach of a small college football team was being honored after another loosing season.

The college president praised the long service of the man and in the course of his speech presented the venerable mentor a suitcase.

As he left the mike he wispered, you are going to need this. You are fired!

The Godfather had his, "I made an offer he couldn't refuse."

Dad's euphemism was, "He was handed a suitcase."