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On Sunday, I went to the memorial service for Leon Despres (I wrote about his passing here. It was held at KAM Isaiah Israel, which I had forgotten was designed by Despres' father-in-law, the well-known Chicago architect, Alfred S. Alschuler. Among the eulogists were Abner Mikva, who represented Hyde Park in the state legislature and Congress, and was later a Justice of the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C (and who, but for bad timing and Republican presidents, would likely have been named to the U.S. Supreme Court); Don Rose, political consultant extraordinaire; and Despres' law partner, Tom Geoghegan, a labor lawyer and author. They talked about Despres' work as a labor lawyer, thorn in the side of the establishment, civil libertarian and civil rights activist, a man who made Hyde Park the kind of neighborhood that attracted the likes of Barack Obama. Someone said he made it possible for us to have "the first president of the United States whose home abuts a reform synagogue"! (Slight error - it's actually across the street.)
The most moving eulogy, however, came from a woman who was a close family friend, and who eloquently described the seventy-five year love affair between Leon and his wife, Marian. They met as teen-agers, married in their early '20s, and were together until her death at age 97. It's true that one could hardly think of one without the other.
I'd parked a few blocks away from the synagogue, figuring (rightly) that the place would be crowded, and so stopped on the way back to take a few photographs of another neighborhood architectural gem, Frank Lloyd Wright's Heller House:
In the evening, I went to the Checkerboard to hear Dee Alexander, who was having a CD release party. The joint was jumpin'! I couldn't park in the lot, which is unusual. Probably partly due to the crowd at the Checkerboard, but also because Dixie Kitchen is closing so a lot of folks are going for one last johnnycake. I stayed later than I intended, but that was okay, because she was great, so was the band, and I had a lot of fun. They announced the date for the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. It will be September 26. I'm looking forward to that, as always.
Last Italian class of the session was yesterday. She's just doing a six-week review over the summer, and I've decided to take a break so that I can enjoy the summer (if we ever get any warm weather!)
Got the results of my medical tests. Mammogram was normal, and while my bad cholesterol is a bit high, the doctor says it's just a matter of watching my diet, and besides, I've got plenty of the good cholesterol. So that's all good.
The most moving eulogy, however, came from a woman who was a close family friend, and who eloquently described the seventy-five year love affair between Leon and his wife, Marian. They met as teen-agers, married in their early '20s, and were together until her death at age 97. It's true that one could hardly think of one without the other.
I'd parked a few blocks away from the synagogue, figuring (rightly) that the place would be crowded, and so stopped on the way back to take a few photographs of another neighborhood architectural gem, Frank Lloyd Wright's Heller House:
In the evening, I went to the Checkerboard to hear Dee Alexander, who was having a CD release party. The joint was jumpin'! I couldn't park in the lot, which is unusual. Probably partly due to the crowd at the Checkerboard, but also because Dixie Kitchen is closing so a lot of folks are going for one last johnnycake. I stayed later than I intended, but that was okay, because she was great, so was the band, and I had a lot of fun. They announced the date for the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. It will be September 26. I'm looking forward to that, as always.
Last Italian class of the session was yesterday. She's just doing a six-week review over the summer, and I've decided to take a break so that I can enjoy the summer (if we ever get any warm weather!)
Got the results of my medical tests. Mammogram was normal, and while my bad cholesterol is a bit high, the doctor says it's just a matter of watching my diet, and besides, I've got plenty of the good cholesterol. So that's all good.
