A Lifetime in Black and White

My mom, my sister, and I are in the process of planning my dad's memorial service, which will take place on Sunday.

I'm feeling a bit of déjà vu because the last thing we planned together was his surprise 80th birthday party, back in April 2006.

For the party, Zach put together a gorgeous collage of old photos that spanned most of my dad's life. We brought it out for people to look at when we sat Shiva for the past few days, and we'll have it on display at the service this weekend.

I love looking at those photos. In one—a veritable mug shot—he seems to be channeling James Dean.


In another, he's a dapper Navy man who looks like Gene Kelly's understudy in On the Town.


One of my favorites is a photo from my parents' wedding, which took place just four months after they met on a blind date. My dad has a glint in his eye and an expression on his face that says, "Boy, did I luck out."


He sure did.