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Mel Quote: A car is a hole in the ground you through money in.
Mel Quote: Don't matter how you're dressed, its the sound of the money in your pocket that counts.
Mel Quote: Invest in Real Estate, if you live long enough it will pay the biggest return.
Mel Quote: (In response to whatever gift he gets for his birthday) “Just What I Always Wanted.”
Mel Quote: (In response to getting a tee shirt that says “Just What I Always Wanted.” Mel: “I’m Speechless.”
Mel Story: “As a kid, I was an avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan. No one was a bigger fan than me. At one of the games, I saw that fans for both teams screaming for their team to win. That’s when I realized it didn’t matter who won and that I was such a schmuck for wasting time with all of this. So that’s why I don’t follow sports - it’s a waste of time.”
Mel Quote: (On watching any sports game) “Who gives a shit.”
When my Dad was the Director of Pharmacy at UCI hospital, young pharmacists would ask him if there was a secret to Good Health. They heard he had a lot to say on the subject. When they asked, he would call them over and whispered in their ear, "Never get Old."
Mel karlin, Renaissance Man- my Dad in addition to being a talented pharmacist, philosopher, and business man, he was a carpenter extraordinaire. He would make gorgeous benches, shelves, and cabinents. My mother would always fill them before they where finished. My Dad never gave up trying to keep up with Mom's schmatas, because he loved her and knew she wouldn't change from being the amazing bargain shopper that she was. my hero-Patricia
Bob from Austin I am very glad to have had a chance to get to know Mel during my visits with Patricia to California and look forward to learning more about him. I really enjoyed sitting and chatting with him at the dining room table telling jokes and sharing life experiences. The pigeon joke is one of my favorites, Mel. I have added it to my repertoire. Thank you, Mel.
My dad really loves music. He was the first audiophile I ever met. I would watch him meticulously clean every reord he put on his state of the art turntable. the sound the machine produced was wonderful." Well honey, he said, this is what happens when you take good care of your things" After destroying most of my collectable 60s albums by using them as coasters for drinks, I can now appreciate my Dad's words of wisdom.
If you are ever in the “H” section of the Harbor, say hello to Toothless Tom. He’s the crusty old salt who lives on his boat moored next to mine. “TT” as I called him, was once a philosophy professor who studied Plato and Aristotle. He now lives on his boat with his dog called “Fish.” When I mentioned that some friends at our club had recently lost loved ones, he told me the following story. I don’t know if the story is true, or just the ramblings of a crazy old man. I’ll let you decide.
TT said in a soft voice, “I think of the sea as the great Lost and Found. When I was lad, no more than 5, I spotted my first body floating by my grandfather’s sailboat. I wondered why a man would be floating so far out at sea with no boat in sight. How boring, I thought, just floating around doing nothing. As we passed by, he gave us a wink and a nod. I was so scared I couldn’t respond, and we sailed way.”
TT continued with a big toothless grin, “About a week later I saw my second and third body floating in the same area, about half way between Newport and Avalon. I figured it must have been a popular spot for drifting bodies. I wondered, did they fall off boats? Get caught in a rip tide? Or do they just float around like driftwood? I never found out. Over the years I must have seen a 100 bodies. Some wore bathing suits. Some wore business suits. I once saw a clown. They would often say ‘good day’ or just nod, and I’d do the same. ”
TT scratched his head, like he was trying to remember the details. Then he said, “It was a foggy day in June and the waves were pushing us around like a toy boat in a bathtub when a large swell crashed over our port side and with it landed Mal, who moments before, was just another floating body. He smiled and said, “Va den, you do vat ya gots to do.” And so, over the next 50 years Mal stayed aboard, off and on. I say, off and on because from time to time he would fall overboard with a crashing wave, or he would just go out for a swim and we would not see him for weeks or even months on end.”
The old philosopher added, “Mal was not the only body that occasionally washed aboard. I can remember Tim and Dodd, Bruce and Joe, Mal’s wife Bonnie, Ray, Tony and Dee. Some stayed for years, others would stay for a while and then fall overboard, sometimes returning, sometimes never to be seen again. Amongst all the others, Mal stood out. He was always there when you needed a helping hand. He would tell stories and make everyone laugh. A few months ago Mal fell overboard again, and in the days that followed, he would return with the occasional wave. A few hours here, a few hours there, and once again, he would wash out to sea. It seemed that once aboard he no longer had the strength to hold on, and he wouldn’t or couldn’t stay for long. I knew that the smallest wave would take him out, and I knew the next time he wouldn’t be returning.”
TT finished his story by saying, “And now, I still keep a lookout, not for Mal, but for other waterlogged bodies who may from time to time splash aboard. When they do, I’ll just say, “Va den, you do vat ya gots to do.”
Mel and Bonnie used to tell me about wanting to travel but felt restricted because of their dogs. Mel said he would love to have a trailer but would need a large vehicle for pulling. One day, to our surprise, he bought a large station wagon and a trailer so that they could take a great trip. They were excited to have their dogs with them as they finally took off on the road. Within a couple of hours the unexpected happened. The wagon broke down. They had to be towed home. Soon after they sold the trailer and abandoned any further road trips.
First memory that came to mind -- Mel was driving his daughter (and my best friend) Laurie and I home from somewhere, we were in high school at the time, and I was telling him all about one of my brilliant ideas. I will never forget him looking at me with that wonderful smile and twinkle in his eyes as he said "you're a real meschugas, you know that, Kim?" What a lovely man who will be so very missed.
At the age of seven, I became acquainted with Mel and Bonnie Karlin, my "second set of parents," and, according to Bonnie in later Christmas cards, my "other mom and dad." I feel fortunate and blessed to have had them through my younger years, and wish that I could tell them how much of a good influence they had on me as "second parents." Truly. Sometimes an Episcopalian needs some Jewish influence to get her act together!
Mel - and Bonnie as well - were key in my early music education. When they discovered that I did not know anything about "musicals," they looked upon me with abject pity. Then they sicced Laurie on me. She and I would sit at the end of the living room, by the grand piano, and play records of various musicals by the hour in their great big stereo cabinet. (Okay, maybe it wasn't so big, but I was only seven or eight, okay?) One afternoon, Laurie cued up "Fiddler on the Roof," and said to me, "watch what my dad does when he hears this music when he comes home."
A few minutes later, Mel, a big, important man carrying a briefcase, walked to the door. When he heard the music, he dropped the briefcase, threw his head back, raised his hands into the air, and did the "Tevye Swagger" across the living room. He never failed to do this routine every time he came home to this music, and it never failed to make Laurie and me giggle hysterically.
Does it get any better than that? Nope. That is how I will remember him.
Every time I would show Grandpa a new recording I would make with one of my bands, I would always get the same endearing response: "I love you, but this is not music". This of course would be followed by a lecture on how any music made after the 1950's, especially rock 'n' roll, was not "real" music.
Grandpa told my brothers and me a story about his high school gym class. When everyone was doing jumping jacks, Grandpa would just puting his arms up and down pretending he was jumping. After a while the teacher call on him, saying, "Melvin I know what you're up to. Keep goofing off like that and you won't amount to anything. What do you think you'll grow up to be, acting like that?" Grandpa responded, "A gym teacher."
I spent one intense and memorable year working for Mel at OCMC in 1973-74. I was there during the time of Ken Letcher and just before the purchase of the medical center by UCI. One of the first things that Mel told me was that he might not be the Director, but "he was really the one in charge" and that I should not forget that. Mel was constantly lecturing us about pharmacy and life. I listened intently to his wisdom. He made certain that I knew that I was "wet behind the ears". Well, I probably was and he loved to emphasize that with all of his pharmacy residents. I was one of the first few pharmacy residents at OCMC/UCI along with Dave Massey and Terry Haldiman. Mel instilled in me many life lessons that have stayed with me throughout my entire 35 year career in pharmacy. The annual week of opening the drug bids and going out to lunch daily with Mel was a real highlight. I experienced my first taste of Jewish deli with Mel. He loved to eat! I did keep in touch with Mel through the local pharmacy organizations, but regrettably, my career got busy and I did not continue to keep in close contact with him. I always enjoyed seeing Mel at the annual UCI pharmacy resident dinners. Dennis Ming would always give me a Mel update when I saw him. Mel left a big footprint to fill in the pharmacy world. He will be sorely missed. I regret that I could not attend the memorial for Mel last weekend. Hello to all of my former colleagues that might see this posting. Larry Lovett, Pharm.D. OCMC Pharmacy Resident 1973-74. rx4art@aol.com
16 comments:
Mel Quote: A car is a hole in the ground you through money in.
Mel Quote: Don't matter how you're dressed, its the sound of the money in your pocket that counts.
Mel Quote: Invest in Real Estate, if you live long enough it will pay the biggest return.
Mel Quote: (In response to whatever gift he gets for his birthday) “Just What I Always Wanted.”
Mel Quote: (In response to getting a tee shirt that says “Just What I Always Wanted.” Mel: “I’m Speechless.”
Mel Story: “As a kid, I was an avid Brooklyn Dodgers fan. No one was a bigger fan than me. At one of the games, I saw that fans for both teams screaming for their team to win. That’s when I realized it didn’t matter who won and that I was such a schmuck for wasting time with all of this. So that’s why I don’t follow sports - it’s a waste of time.”
Mel Quote: (On watching any sports game) “Who gives a shit.”
Dad, THE ANIMAL LOVER- Age 11-My Dad performed mouth to mouth CPR on our kitten to try and save its life---MY HERO, and true animal lover
When dealing with crisis-one of my Dad's favorite quotes is-- "Well, it beats a stick in the eye"
My Dad's favorite musical is -----Carousel
When my Dad was the Director of Pharmacy at UCI hospital, young pharmacists would ask him if there was a secret to Good Health. They heard he had a lot to say on the subject. When they asked, he would call them over and whispered in their ear, "Never get Old."
Mel karlin, Renaissance Man-
my Dad in addition to being a talented pharmacist, philosopher, and business man, he was a carpenter extraordinaire. He would make gorgeous benches, shelves, and cabinents. My mother would always fill them before they where finished. My Dad never gave up trying to keep up with Mom's schmatas, because he loved her and knew she wouldn't change from being the amazing bargain shopper that she was. my hero-Patricia
Bob from Austin
I am very glad to have had a chance to get to know Mel during my visits with Patricia to California and look forward to learning more about him. I really enjoyed sitting and chatting with him at the dining room table telling jokes and sharing life experiences. The pigeon joke is one of my favorites, Mel. I have added it to my repertoire. Thank you, Mel.
My dad really loves music. He was the first audiophile I ever met. I would watch him meticulously clean every reord he put on his state of the art turntable. the sound the machine produced was wonderful." Well honey, he said, this is what happens when you take good care of your things" After destroying most of my collectable 60s albums by using them as coasters for drinks, I can now appreciate my Dad's words of wisdom.
LOST AND FOUND
If you are ever in the “H” section of the Harbor, say hello to Toothless Tom. He’s the crusty old salt who lives on his boat moored next to mine. “TT” as I called him, was once a philosophy professor who studied Plato and Aristotle. He now lives on his boat with his dog called “Fish.” When I mentioned that some friends at our club had recently lost loved ones, he told me the following story. I don’t know if the story is true, or just the ramblings of a crazy old man. I’ll let you decide.
TT said in a soft voice, “I think of the sea as the great Lost and Found. When I was lad, no more than 5, I spotted my first body floating by my grandfather’s sailboat. I wondered why a man would be floating so far out at sea with no boat in sight. How boring, I thought, just floating around doing nothing. As we passed by, he gave us a wink and a nod. I was so scared I couldn’t respond, and we sailed way.”
TT continued with a big toothless grin, “About a week later I saw my second and third body floating in the same area, about half way between Newport and Avalon. I figured it must have been a popular spot for drifting bodies. I wondered, did they fall off boats? Get caught in a rip tide? Or do they just float around like driftwood? I never found out. Over the years I must have seen a 100 bodies. Some wore bathing suits. Some wore business suits. I once saw a clown. They would often say ‘good day’ or just nod, and I’d do the same. ”
TT scratched his head, like he was trying to remember the details. Then he said, “It was a foggy day in June and the waves were pushing us around like a toy boat in a bathtub when a large swell crashed over our port side and with it landed Mal, who moments before, was just another floating body. He smiled and said, “Va den, you do vat ya gots to do.” And so, over the next 50 years Mal stayed aboard, off and on. I say, off and on because from time to time he would fall overboard with a crashing wave, or he would just go out for a swim and we would not see him for weeks or even months on end.”
The old philosopher added, “Mal was not the only body that occasionally washed aboard. I can remember Tim and Dodd, Bruce and Joe, Mal’s wife Bonnie, Ray, Tony and Dee. Some stayed for years, others would stay for a while and then fall overboard, sometimes returning, sometimes never to be seen again. Amongst all the others, Mal stood out. He was always there when you needed a helping hand. He would tell stories and make everyone laugh. A few months ago Mal fell overboard again, and in the days that followed, he would return with the occasional wave. A few hours here, a few hours there, and once again, he would wash out to sea. It seemed that once aboard he no longer had the strength to hold on, and he wouldn’t or couldn’t stay for long. I knew that the smallest wave would take him out, and I knew the next time he wouldn’t be returning.”
TT finished his story by saying, “And now, I still keep a lookout, not for Mal, but for other waterlogged bodies who may from time to time splash aboard. When they do, I’ll just say, “Va den, you do vat ya gots to do.”
stan wolf remembers.....
Mel the "Traveling Man"
Mel and Bonnie used to tell me about wanting to travel but felt restricted because of their dogs. Mel said he would love to have a trailer but would need a large vehicle for pulling. One day, to our surprise, he bought a large station wagon and a trailer so that they could take a great trip. They were excited to have their dogs with them as they finally took off on the road. Within a couple of hours the unexpected happened. The wagon broke down. They had to be towed home. Soon after they sold the trailer and abandoned any further road trips.
First memory that came to mind -- Mel was driving his daughter (and my best friend) Laurie and I home from somewhere, we were in high school at the time, and I was telling him all about one of my brilliant ideas. I will never forget him looking at me with that wonderful smile and twinkle in his eyes as he said "you're a real meschugas, you know that, Kim?" What a lovely man who will be so very missed.
At the age of seven, I became acquainted with Mel and Bonnie Karlin, my "second set of parents," and, according to Bonnie
in later Christmas cards, my "other mom and dad." I feel fortunate and blessed to have had them through my younger years, and wish that I could tell them how much of a good influence they had on me as "second parents." Truly. Sometimes an Episcopalian needs some Jewish influence to get her act together!
Mel - and Bonnie as well - were key in my early music education. When they discovered that I did not know anything about "musicals," they looked upon me with abject pity. Then they sicced Laurie on me. She and I would sit at the end of the living room, by the grand piano, and play records of various musicals by the hour in their great big stereo cabinet. (Okay, maybe it wasn't so big, but I was only seven or eight, okay?) One afternoon, Laurie cued up "Fiddler on the Roof," and said to me, "watch what my dad does when he hears this music when he comes home."
A few minutes later, Mel, a big, important man carrying a briefcase, walked to the door. When he heard the music, he dropped the briefcase, threw his head back, raised his hands into the air, and did the "Tevye Swagger" across the living room. He never failed to do this routine every time he came home to this music, and it never failed to make Laurie and me giggle hysterically.
Does it get any better than that? Nope. That is how I will remember him.
Larry: Every Problem has a solution, and sometimes more than one.
Mel Responds: But sometimes the solution is the problem.
After a few years of repeating the above dialogue, it changed to this:
Larry: You know, every problem has a solution.
This time, with a twinkle in his eye, Mel Replies: What a putz; did you ever think, . . . you may be the problem?
Every time I would show Grandpa a new recording I would make with one of my bands, I would always get the same endearing response: "I love you, but this is not music". This of course would be followed by a lecture on how any music made after the 1950's, especially rock 'n' roll, was not "real" music.
Grandpa told my brothers and me a story about his high school gym class. When everyone was doing jumping jacks, Grandpa would just puting his arms up and down pretending he was jumping. After a while the teacher call on him, saying, "Melvin I know what you're up to. Keep goofing off like that and you won't amount to anything. What do you think you'll grow up to be, acting like that?"
Grandpa responded, "A gym teacher."
I spent one intense and memorable year working for Mel at OCMC in 1973-74. I was there during the time of Ken Letcher and just before the purchase of the medical center by UCI. One of the first things that Mel told me was that he might not be the Director, but "he was really the one in charge" and that I should not forget that. Mel was constantly lecturing us about pharmacy and life. I listened intently to his wisdom. He made certain that I knew that I was "wet behind the ears". Well, I probably was and he loved to emphasize that with all of his pharmacy residents. I was one of the first few pharmacy residents at OCMC/UCI along with Dave Massey and Terry Haldiman. Mel instilled in me many life lessons that have stayed with me throughout my entire 35 year career in pharmacy. The annual week of opening the drug bids and going out to lunch daily with Mel was a real highlight. I experienced my first taste of Jewish deli with Mel. He loved to eat! I did keep in touch with Mel through the local pharmacy organizations, but regrettably, my career got busy and I did not continue to keep in close contact with him. I always enjoyed seeing Mel at the annual UCI pharmacy resident dinners. Dennis Ming would always give me a Mel update when I saw him. Mel left a big footprint to fill in the pharmacy world. He will be sorely missed. I regret that I could not attend the memorial for Mel last weekend. Hello to all of my former colleagues that might see this posting. Larry Lovett, Pharm.D. OCMC Pharmacy Resident 1973-74. rx4art@aol.com
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