I had an academic scholarship to Rutgers, but it was not enough to reside on campus so for the first two years I commuted from home. Early in my junior year I tried out and made the Rutgers baseball team, eventually playing center field and pitching. The coach arranged a baseball scholarship, so I was able to live most of the last two years at the school, saving a daily three hour commute.

During the summer after graduation, at the Wonder Bar food concession on the Asbury oceanfront, I hired Gail, an 18 year old college sophomore beauty visiting from Philadelphia. After working together for 7 days we announced our soon-to- be wedding. In Sept. we went off to the Univ. of Pittsburgh, she to continue as an undergraduate, me to start medical school.

My senior year letter of recommendation was written by the no nonsense, very brilliant Jack Myers, M.D., Chief of Medicine and President of the Amer. Col. of Physicians. He wrote I probably was smart enough, but certainly had the compassion in my heart, to be a good doctor. I hope I’ve never let him down. Internship was in San Francisco and on arriving there, now with two babies, our old car fell apart. One year later we were off to a remote southwest Indian reservation, 45 miles to the closest small town, for a two year commitment as a doctor in the U.S. Public Health Service. I can’t remember so well the 200 babies I delivered, but I remember very well the two I lost. A doctor has his own private cemetery.

Then back to California for two more year’s specialty training and we had a 3rd child. I practiced Internal Medicine for almost 40 years, my wife working with me for most of the years and my daughter the last 17. I never sent a patient to a collection agency, never hassled anyone about a bill, made 3,000 house calls, volunteered for 12 years at our high school as the doctor and watched at least 200 doctor-in- attendance-required football games. I retired on the day of my 70th birthday.

I then