Wednesday, April 25, 2012
A good obituary
I love reading the obituaries in the New York Times. So often, they are a history lesson in some area unknown to me, unraveled through a single life.
Yesterday, though, the life unspooled in print was one that I knew-- Bernard Rapoport. You can check out the full piece here, including this heart of the matter:
Mr. Rapoport was just as interested in the people working at El Conquistador, his favorite restaurant in Waco, as he was in presidents and power brokers, said Ms. Rapoport, his granddaughter. “Every waitress got a lecture on why they should be in school,” she said.
One evening last year at El Conquistador, Mr. Rapoport asked a young family over to his table to chat. Before leaving, he invited Michael Aguilar, then 8, to visit his office. Michael did, showing up in his Cub Scout uniform and bearing a notepad to interview Mr. Rapoport for a scout project.
Mr. Rapoport told him that “no one’s better than him,” recalled his mother, Maria Aguilar. He also told Michael to read five books a month and report back to him, but Mr. Rapoport died before the follow-up visit could be arranged....
Hundreds of people showed up for a memorial service on April 11 in Waco: business executives, politicians and educators. And Michael Aguilar, who wore his Cub Scout uniform.
Yesterday, though, the life unspooled in print was one that I knew-- Bernard Rapoport. You can check out the full piece here, including this heart of the matter:
Mr. Rapoport was just as interested in the people working at El Conquistador, his favorite restaurant in Waco, as he was in presidents and power brokers, said Ms. Rapoport, his granddaughter. “Every waitress got a lecture on why they should be in school,” she said.
One evening last year at El Conquistador, Mr. Rapoport asked a young family over to his table to chat. Before leaving, he invited Michael Aguilar, then 8, to visit his office. Michael did, showing up in his Cub Scout uniform and bearing a notepad to interview Mr. Rapoport for a scout project.
Mr. Rapoport told him that “no one’s better than him,” recalled his mother, Maria Aguilar. He also told Michael to read five books a month and report back to him, but Mr. Rapoport died before the follow-up visit could be arranged....
Hundreds of people showed up for a memorial service on April 11 in Waco: business executives, politicians and educators. And Michael Aguilar, who wore his Cub Scout uniform.
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What a wonderful tribute to B!
I wish he were here to talk to a friend of my daughter's, who just dropped out of school to wait tables at the age of 13. She needs a little "El Conquistador" treatment.
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I wish he were here to talk to a friend of my daughter's, who just dropped out of school to wait tables at the age of 13. She needs a little "El Conquistador" treatment.
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