On the Jewish
calendar, today is the 10th anniversary of my father’s עליו השלום (may
he rest in peace) passing. Ordinarily, I would have gone to synagogue last evening
and this morning to recite kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer said
by mourners, but under the current circumstances I am pretty much confined to
quarters, so I thought I would write about him instead.
My parents were both
born in St. Louis in the 1920s, and spent their first 40 years there before
relocating for employment to West Hartford, Connecticut, to Huntington, Long
Island, and eventually to Clearwater, Florida. He retired in 1991 following a
40-year career in textiles used in healthcare and industrial applications, publishing
over 100 articles in clinical and trade journals. He received a purple heart
and bronze star for service in Okinawa during World War II.
I was able to find a
few examples of his work on line:
An increasing number of hospitals have
implemented programs that permit their operating room (OR) personnel to launder
their soiled "scrubs" at home. Not only have they not experienced an
increase in the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs), but they have
also found the policy to be financially rewarding. Whereas the Association of
periOper...
The disinfecting and cleansing properties of
chlorine bleach in high-temperature laundering formulations first was
demonstrated in 1938, and subsequently was found to be equally effective in
lower-temperature formulations that included modifications in the laundering
cycle. Until another well-documented bleaching additive becomes commercially
avail...
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I recall speaking at
his funeral but I was not able to find the text of that speech. What I did
find, though, was a song I wrote for my parents’ 50th wedding
anniversary in 1999. My mother עליה השלום was a huge baseball
fan, so I penned a song to “Take Me Out to
the Ball Game”:
The year was 1948
The
weekend of Labor Day.
Elaine had met a young man named Nate
He
called her up and he asked for a date.
Her
mom said “Go, you never know
Who
else you’ll happen to see.”
Though
it wasn’t quite a love at first site
The
next year they wed happily.
Before
too long the children came,
Each
was given a biblical name.
Joseph,
Rebecca, Deborah, and Ruth –
After
those four they thought they were through.
But
a fateful trip in ’64
To
a place called Lazy Lee’s.
The
following spring, Wendy was born
That
made seven the family.
Everclean
was the place Nate began
To
provide for his family.
But
rather than purses, his destiny
Was
the hospital uniform industry.
Sterilization
and surgical gowns
Helped
him earn his Ph.D.
But
when it came to the family’s clothes,
Elaine
tended to all the laundry!
Living
in the Belkin home
Had
its ups and its downs.
But
every year we would dread the day
When
those “boys of summer” began to play.
Elaine
was quite a loyal fan,
She
cheered for them year after year.
But
if the Cardinals were losing a game
It
was better if we didn’t hear!
All
their lives in St. Louis they’d lived,
In
’69 they had to move on.
West
Hartford, Connecticut was their new home
But
it wasn’t the last that the Belkins would roam.
Four
years later another move,
To
New York, but in ‘79
The
final move of Nate’s career
Brought
them down to this state of sunshine.
Along
the way three grandchildren came
Simmie
and Dina and Ben.
Two
now in college and one junior high,
My,
how quickly the time does fly.
We
hope you have enjoyed our song
Of
the Belkin family.
We’re
sure you’ll join us in wishing them
Happy
50th Anniversary!
Speaking of sports,
we learned yesterday that the annual Sarachek Basketball Tournament, in which
Joshua’s team, the Maimonides M-Cats, participated last year (see my post of 18
March 2019) and had been invited to come again, has now been cancelled. To be
honest, it was something of a relief because the tournament takes place at
Yeshiva University here in New York, and we were concerned about having the
family staying here at this point. But that relief pales next to the disappointment
of all those enthusiastic hoopsters and their families.
I spent some time
this morning trying to figure out the logistics of two medical appointments I
have next week, even going so far as to give the office for the one that has an
out-of-pocket charge my credit card information so that I do not have to spend
any more time in that small Manhattan office than necessary. Everything I
thought I had figured out how to handle now seems to involve new challenges.
Meanwhile, continue
to take care of yourselves and stay well!
Love,
Rebecca
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