Mailbag - July 2022

RETIREMENT DILEMMA Dr. Ben Portnoy ponders the future of his bow ties. (Photo: Aimee McCrory)

Neighborly ties

Great article [Bow Ties by Cindy Gabriel, May 2022]! I am 85 years old, and wear bow ties to church every Sunday and to any dress up affairs during the week. I am jealous of Dr. Portnoy, as I only have 30 ties to choose from. They are becoming hard to find in stores. If he wants to get rid of some, let me know! Thanks.

John Pickul

Editor’s note: Dr. Portnoy replied, “It would be a kick to know that a tie of mine was going to church.” When we asked Dr. Portnoy’s permission to include his humorous response (considering he had worn his bow ties to synagogue), he said: “Sure. I like the Mailbag. Times are tough, and The Buzz is a happy community publication.”

Bow ties in practice

I appreciated Ms. Gabriel’s article on Dr. Portnoy. I too have a collection of bow ties. I’m still in practice (more than 50 years) and I wear my hospital top with a scarf. Now I plan to restart my bow ties. Thank you, Ben!

Keep up the good work.

Jimmy D. Schmidt, MD

Editor’s note: We were delighted that Jimmy shared with us a copy of a typewritten letter on Hermes’ letterhead from 1989. He had ordered bow ties for himself as well as a scarf for his grandmother’s birthday – she was 103 that year. Jimmy noted that his grandmother lived to be 108 and was the oldest customer of Hermes.

Historical correction

Andria Frankfort – I love your column, [it’s] the first thing I read in The Buzz each month. In your story on reading WWII books [Summer reading 2022: A family tradition], you mention Bradley’s book on the six men who raised the flag in the iconic photograph, one of whom was Bradley’s father. This was determined to not be the case 70-something years later.

Navy Corpsman John Bradley’s (thought to be in the photograph) son James Bradley with writer Ron Powers wrote the 2000 Flags of Our Fathers book about the six flag raisers. The book concentrates on the three survivors of the six (again, two of these in error), and their travails after the flag raising event. Due to the success of Rosenthal’s photograph, the three men were sent home as heroes. Uncle Sam used them as a propaganda tool to raise more money and recruit men to enlist.

Two of the flag raisers in the book (including his father) were not in the photograph – these corrections were made in 2016 and 2019. James Bradley noted the errors in the Afterword of the book when they were discovered.

Dean Fisher

Editor’s note: Writer Andria Frankfort responded, “Thank you for emailing about the famous WW2 photo. I appreciate you reading so closely and sharing the updates with us!”

What’s for dinner?: Reservations

I loved your June 2022 article Going Vegan: What it’s really like [by Cheryl Ursin]! Your writing is delightfully light-hearted, accurate, beautifully written, and fun to read. For 33 years, I’ve joyfully been eating a rainbow of colorful plant foods, and I can relate to your journey.

As I was reading your article out loud to my husband, we both cracked up at your line my favorite thing to make for dinner remains reservations. Thank you for listing the local vegan restaurants, and thanks for the Red Beans & Rice recipe.

Congratulations to you and your husband, and bravo to you both for making this loving, life-affirming choice! Your vegan adventure will grow more amazing every year!

Lorelei de la Reza

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