In memory of a friend.

I didn't know what to blip on such a grey dismal day and I saw this across the room. It was given to me by a man I met while I was working at a Scottish University. He was visiting from the US and was a guest in my department. This toy was a gift from him and always represented his quirky humour and his jewish identity to me.

My first impression of him was of a very large teddy bear. He was around 6 foot 4 inches in height and bearded, wearing a cowboy hat. He was 73 years old at the time (1996). We became friends when he was admitted to a hospital near where I lived and he phoned me. They were very concerned for him and I think he was a little scared. I spent some hours with him where he told me many stories about his life.

As you can imagine, his appearance here was quite striking. He was warm and funny. In the hospital, he noticed that one of the doctors did not seem to be feeling great and got him talking. A friend of his had died that day. From then on, this doctor was devoted to him and even gave him a lift from Dundee to Edinburgh when time came for him to catch his flight. That is fairly typical of the effect he had on some people.

We kept in touch by email and letter for some years and then I lost touch with him when I came back to Glasgow. I looked him up online a few years ago and learned that he died not that long after our last correspondence at the age of 79. I'm glad I met him and have much of his writing that he sent to me as well as photos of his family.