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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Help needed to deliver an overdue thank-you
I received the following comment and couldn't help thinking that while I'm off making merry with my family and neighbors, some of you nice people might be able to help out:
Mazeltov!!
Trep, I'm not sure why I am totally convinced that you and/or your readers can help me, but I am.
Totally.
Here in galut, it's almost Halloween. Every year at this time I remember the chesed of my long-ago neighbor, Arnie Berg. As kids, we would go trick-or-treating together, and one year I had to cut my participation short because of heel blisters. Back in the day, little-girl sox were notorious for working their way down into your shoes, and if you didn't keep tugging them up, you ended up with blisters. So that year I limped home, alone, very disappointed. Later that evening, Arnie showed up with an enormous bag of candy, which we split.
What a mensch! And davka, what a mensch the grown-up version of Arnie must be! Anyway, 60 years is way too long to go without letting him know that I haven't forgotten his kindness.
Trep, how do I find him? We lived in Chicago; in an apartment building on Courtland and went to Harriet Beecher Stowe elementary school. Any ideas?
Thanks.
Lynne
So what do you think? You can help this nice lady track down her friend and deliver a thank you that is 60 years overdue. Or you can click over and read Doonesbury. Your call.
Don't look at me. As you read this I'm dancing around in circles with a bunch of sweaty men.
Let me know how it turns out, mmmkay?
Posted by David Bogner on October 29, 2008 | Permalink
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Mazel tov to Gilad and the whole family. We have just started with the planning for sone number three's Bar Mitzvah a few months from now....
Posted by: westbankmama | Oct 29, 2008 4:08:44 PM
There's always classmates.com -- don't know if it'll help, but Harriet B. Stowe Elementary School has 978 members listed (from many various years, I'm sure).
You have to register to get the list, but stranger things have happened.
Posted by: Tanya | Oct 29, 2008 4:41:50 PM
Hee. This isn't him, is it? (I know the odds are really slim, but wouldn't that be hilarious?)
Posted by: Tanya | Oct 29, 2008 4:50:53 PM
Just checked the local community directory--nobody by that name.
Posted by: uberimma | Oct 29, 2008 6:28:35 PM
I found the same link that Tanya did. It looks like it may be a worthwhile lead. Lynne, if you're reading this, you can join Classmates.com for free and contact him there.
Good luck!
Posted by: Rahel | Oct 29, 2008 9:14:46 PM
Keep us updated if you can.
Posted by: Ilana-Davita | Oct 30, 2008 12:06:02 AM
RE your twitter comment:
Ever notice how some people say "what", not because they didn't hear you, but to give themselves time to formulate an answer? Annoying!
I always say "what?", and it is not because I want time to think. I hear the speech, say "what?", and at that moment, WHAT was said REGISTERS. I suspect that there is some very slight hearing processing disorder involved here, and that people who say "what" really didn't process yet what was heard.
Posted by: rickismom | Oct 30, 2008 12:51:24 AM
As you read this I'm dancing around in circles with a bunch of sweaty men.
You're one of Rabbi Pinky's talmedim? Kol hakavod!
Posted by: The Back of the Hill | Oct 30, 2008 2:17:46 AM
Intelius.com has an Arnold M Berg who is 68 and has lived in four cites in Illinois. They also list a few of his relatives, whom you might recognize. For a couple of dollars Intelius will provide his address & phone number, and a lot of other info.
Good luck!
Posted by: kurkevan | Oct 30, 2008 4:00:22 AM
Wow! You all are amazing!! Thank you sooooooooooooo much.
Trep -- toda raba for getting the proverbial ball rolling.
Westbankmama, Tanya, and Uberimma -- I went to classmates.com, found an Arnold Berg, and sent him an email.
Back of the Hill -- I went to intelius. I found the five Arnold Bergs but I did not recognize any of the relatives. Arnie's sister had an unusual name which did not appear on any of the lists.
I will certainly let you all know what happens.
Posted by: lynne | Oct 30, 2008 5:37:01 AM
Now that I've posted, I realize I connected the names with the posts below -- rather than the posts above -- the names. Which is why I've responded to comments some of you never made. Would you all please just sort it out among yourselves, and next time, hopefully, I'll get it right.
Posted by: lynne | Oct 30, 2008 5:42:23 AM
It seems you are on the path already to finding him, but in case you need more leads:
1- contact the high school directly and ask if they have a current address for him.
2- Find someone with a subscription to Lexus Nexus and have them do a people search for you.
3- Try Superpages.com (the yellow pages). It seems too obvious to work, but I've found many, many people this way and it's the simplest thing to try first.
Posted by: Sarah | Oct 30, 2008 12:18:11 PM
Toda raba! I found Arnie after all these years and we had a great conversation! Thanks to all. and Tanya -- your link actually WAS him! What are the odds?
Posted by: lynne | Nov 1, 2008 12:57:09 AM
Crazy! What a small world. I'm so excited and happy for you!
Posted by: Tanya | Nov 2, 2008 6:28:50 PM
Hello. Ironically I am looking for an old friend named Margaret M. Berg who had a much older brother named Arnold M. Berg. Margaret must be around 38-39 years old and Arnold must be around 70 years of age. Is there any chance they could be related?
Margaret and I met when she was living with her parents in Mundelein, IL.
Thank you.
Posted by: Amit | Mar 23, 2009 11:36:23 PM
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