Mailbag - August 2024

A PHOTOGRAPHER’S LIFE Iconic photographs lining the hallway of Bob Gomel’s Memorial home reflect a prolific life behind the camera. (Photo: hartphoto.com)

Made our day, too 

How nice it was to connect with you [Joni] and Michael after too long a hiatus. Although 8 years have passed, I can never forget that wonderful story Behind the Lens [Behind the Lens: The life of a LIFE photographer by Cathy Gordon, Nov. 2016] you published about my career as a photojournalist for LIFE Magazine.

To repeat it once again [in the July 2024 issue] was extremely gratifying. Imagine my surprise when several people recognized me and came over to pay a compliment.

As an old cliche goes – “you made my day”!

Bob Gomel 

Editor’s note: As we wrote in our July 2024 issue, in the history of The Buzz, we have never reprinted an article, until now. Bob Gomel’s historical Life magazine images are timeless. So, it seemed fitting to revisit this beautifully written profile on renowned photographer Bob Gomel in the same issue as our annual photo contest. 

Star struck

I am a thirty-year resident of West University and have been a fan of The Buzz since it made its debut. Although I love all that I read in your magazine, my favorite writer is Cindy Gabriel. I just happened to see her walk past my table at a local restaurant and was so star struck, I had to reach out and touch her. I felt giddy inside and could not wait to tell her how much I loved her writing and how her stories always left me with a smile or at least a lesson to ponder. She was most gracious and actually entertained my infatuation for quite some time.

Meeting Cindy made my Friday night, well, she actually made my whole weekend. On second thought, I'm still talking about it! Bonus – I got to meet Stan the Man too! 

Debbie Gill 

Best of the book lists 

Cindy Burnett: I always catch your Buzz Reads in the West U magazine and want to thank you for seeking out the best books and revealing new and exciting authors that I wouldn’t otherwise learn about. You make the NYT Best Seller List (which recycles the same people endlessly) look like amateur hour compared to the writers you find and pass along to avid readers such as myself. I just finished Go As A River by Shelley Read, which was such a revelation. I was beginning to think that modern writers with real talent don’t exist anymore, but you are helping me to see that isn’t true. 

Carole Paul Vesely

From wordsmith to wordsmith

Cathy, I just saw your wonderful article in The Buzz [The Cunningham Chronicles: Neighborhood blacksmith to wordsmith by Cathy Gordon, July 2024]. You did a fabulous job! I’d be proud to have written something like that myself.  

Richard Cunningham

Missing the dining column

I’m a Bellaire resident and enjoy reading your magazine. I’ve noticed that in the past two or three issues of The Bellaire Buzz, Dai Huynh’s column on food [Chef’s Corner] has been absent. Is she on leave? It appears she’s still with The Buzz since her name appears as one of the staff writers in your masthead in the June 2024 issue. Her column often guided me to check out a restaurant and/or a chef that appeared in her article.  

Well, hoping to see her writing reappear in The Buzz before too long. Thanks.  

Raj Khadka 

Editor’s note: We were happy to hear from you, Raj, as we also love Dai’s dining columns and will take as much Dai as we can get! Thankfully, she continues to contribute to The Buzz, just not every month. Her most recent column, Greek Traditions, with Little Twists, in our July 2024 issue, featured Kriti Kitchen’s chef Mary Cuclis. If you missed it, or want to revisit past dining columns, see click here. 

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