Samuel Handelman

From Bob

MEMORIES I HAVE OF DAD

OUR SUMMER RITUAL

For me, August was always family time. It was also Dad's time to be away from the office and spend time with his children 24/7. Starting when I was 6 or 7, and continuing through the
next 12 or so years, Dad wanted to go to Madison and then Union Pier. Those were great days. Every day we had lunch and dinner as a family with simple but great food. There was never a lot to do but spend time with each other. Trips to Michigan City for shopping were an occasion.

I can remember Dad taking us to a movie in Painsville one year and still remember seeing "The Man Who Knew Too Much" in Michigan City. I also remember a trip when he took Garry, Frank, and me to Geneva to see "Shane." Dad seemed to like that movie. Dad always seemed to be extremely happy, smiling and involved with whatever was at hand. Who can forget when he decided to surprise Mom with the Mustang purchase for her 50th birthday?

ON MY COLLEGE GRADUATION

When I graduated from Miami in 1963, Mom and Dad came to Oxford. I was the first to graduate and the experience was new. I remember Mom and Dad staying in a university
dormitory with bunk beds. Dad slept in the upper bunk and Mom slept in the lower. They were both mildly amused but no complaints. We had a great time that weekend.

MOM AND DAD COMING BACK FROM FLORIDA

In the early '70s, Mom and Dad starting visiting Florida regularly, always by car. I remember a lovely lunch in Columbus while they were en route back in mid-spring in 1974. Dad was tanned and fit and just happy to be with Mom. He never minded driving. I think he preferred to have the opportunity to be in the car, to be able to spend time with Mom. On a similar note, who can forget our "caravan" to Union Pier? It seems hard to believe that we got the entire family into those wagons with all that clothing and equipment. I knew that I had finally come of age when Dad finally consented to let me drive. He never had any reservations and never really complained, except of course to say, "Watch your speed." On getting my driver's license.

David's memory of Dad teaching me to drive shows how Dad could change. When I was 15, Dad's approach to my coming of age as a driver was to avoid the subject. He never wanted to discuss it. Ira was my secret teacher. He would take Uncle Ed's old DeSoto with the push buttons for gearing out to some semi-rural area and let me drive. When I finally turned 16 and got my license, Dad seemed almost surprised. He reluctantly let me drive but I could tell he was not entirely persuaded that this was a good idea. Like lots of things, Dad quickly adjusted.

ON HENRY WALLACE

I remember Dad took me to the Hollenden Hotel downtown to hear Henry Wallace speak when he was running for President in 1948. Dad was an imposing figure (as always) and I remember the serious nature of the crowd that afternoon -- I think it was on a Sunday. Dad always seemed to be pleased to have his children with him and proud to introduce us.

DAD ON BIRTHDAYS

There was no tradition more important to Dad than honoring a birthday. He wanted each birthday to be important for his children and his wife. The only one that didn't seem important to Dad was his own. His tradition of writing cards and omposing sonnets was entirely in keeping with his celebrating his family. He always put work into the occasion whether it was the meal, the dessert, the gift, or the sonnet.

He was a wonderful father.

From David

SEA and SKI

I have this memory of dad when he was a travelling salesman for Sea and Ski products in about 1956 or 1957. Is that the name of the company or one of the products he sold? I remember that he used the storage room in the left hand corner of the basement for many of his products. I particularly remember jars of cream and that for several years afterward these jars were around the house.

I imagine some of you know more about the circumstances about why it all happened and I am sure that it was a difficult time for Mom and Dad. From my perspective I don't remember a big impact on our family lives during that year, except that Dad travelled a bit and we had those products around. I remember using Sea and Ski in the summer for years.

DAD HITS A HOME RUN

When I was about nine or ten years old there was a father-son baseball game at Coventry School. I imagine it was spring or summer. Dad participated, somewhat reluctantly I recall, and when he came to bat he hit left-handed and proceeded to hit a home run over the short right field fence onto Washington Blvd. I thought that was pretty cool.

DAD GOLFS

I recall that at Union Pier we occasionally went golfing and we had a few sets of clubs. I remember golfing with dad and he hit right-handed but I could be wrong about that. I also remember going to Highland Heights Golf Course in Warrensville and golfing a couple of times. I am not sure why he took up golfing because he did not seem to have his heart in it. Maybe Mom thought it would be a good activity. I do remember that we had those clubs in the garage for years.
As for me I golfed here a few times but I was terrible. I sort of liked being outdoors but it seemed like it took about a week to play 18 holes. Losing several balls and taking 150 strokes tends to make the game drag. Maybe I did not have my heart in it either.

DAD TEACHES DAVID TO DRIVE

Dad taught me to drive at Union Pier in 1965. He taught me on the 1963 Dodge Wagon. It was green with a stick-shift on the column. We used back roads in the area as I practised with the clutch. He was reasonably patient as a teacher. He was also patient when I crashed the Mustang and 1967 Dodge wagon. We would just take the car down to John Williams. I swear Dad almost liked having a reason to take his cars there, even the 1961 Renault Gordini which was only replaced as the crummiest car ever built when the Yugo came on the scene.

DAD BARBECUES

We had one of those black round charcoal grills that we kept in the garage. Dad occasionally grilled on it. I would haul it out of the garage and fill it with charcoal and we then used about 16 ounces of lighter fluid to get the damn thing going. When Dad came home from work he grilled the burgers or chuck steaks. A couple of times we used it in the fall when it was cold. We thought we were cutting edge by grilling in the cold weather. (But I don't think the words "cutting edge" were in use at that time.) Then the grill would go back into garage where it would rust out and be replaced the next year.

From Garry

PICNICS AT FOREST HILLS PARK

We used to go for picnics over at Forest Hills Park. Dad would make some kind of lemondade in a very large thermos (1 gallon, I recall), and we would usually picnic near the reservoir in the lower part of the park. There were some very tall shade trees near the bridge that connects the lower park with the upper park. We would run around and explore the old carriage house, and then play catch. We did this several times every summer. In the winter, we used the hill in the lower park for sledding, it was absolutely terrific. From the crest of the hill, you could see all the
way to the lake.