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One of the benefits of having you own web site is you can write about whatever you want, if you are so inclined. Today I am so inclined. Rather than starting off with something about Chicago Cubs icon Ernie Banks receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony Wednesday, I am writing about someone else.
Margaret and Bruno Lambert.
Rather than commenting about Chicago Bulls starting guard Jimmy Butler missing the team’s road trip that begins Thursday at Denver because of an injury (turf toe), I am writing about someone else.
Rather than having concerns about driving traffic to a web site and putting a recognizable name in a headline, I am writing about someone else.
That someone else is Bruno Lambert. The name is far less familiar than the usual names you find in this space. The lack of familiarity makes him no less significant in the grand scheme of things. Certainly as far as I’m concerned.
Dr. Bruno Lambert, born 10/2/1910 in Andernach, Rhineland, Germany, died peacefully in his sleep, at his home, on November 14, 2013, age 103. Beloved husband of Margaret Bergmann Lambert for more than 75 years; loving father of Glenn and Gary Lambert; devoted father-in-law of Martha Cronin Lambert; adoring grandfather of Molly and Ben Lambert. Cherished brother of the late Alfred and Hannah Lambert. Also survived by sister-in-law Elfriede Lambert, and nieces and nephews from both the Lambert and Bergmann families.
As a young man, he escaped Nazi Germany, where his parents and other relatives ultimately died in the Holocaust. Having emigrated to New York, he married and attained his medical degree. Immediately upon becoming an American citizen, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, returning to Europe as a medical officer, taking part in the Battle of the Bulge, and being among the first Allied soldiers to cross the Rhine, close to the place of his birth. For his heroism in battle, he was awarded the Bronze Star and other citations. After the war, he established his medical practice in Ridgewood, Queens, where he worked as a devoted family physician for decades, compassionately caring for thousands of patients and continuing to make house calls well into his 80s. He retired as a respected and much-loved internist, continuing to consult and prescribe into his 90s.
Services will take place Sunday, November 24 at 12:00 p.m. at Schwarz Brothers-Jeffer Funeral home, 114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills. Contributions in memory of Dr. Lambert may be made to Doctors Without Borders, https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/tribute.cfm.
That is the email I received this week from Margaret Lambert. She is my friend.
That is the obituary for Dr. Bruno Lambert. He was my friend.
Margaret Lambert was Gretel Bergmann when she was a high jumper for Germany.
We went from strangers to friends over a lovely lunch in their home one afternoon several years ago. I was there mainly to chat with Margaret. The two were born in Germany and were athletes. Margaret — Gretel Bergmann was her name before marriage — was the more successful of the two. She was good enough to make the German Olympic team. But she was not part of the team for the 1936 Games in Berlin. The reason for Gretel not being on the team: being a Jew. Even after the International Olympic Committee had received assurances from the Nazi regime of no discrimination against Jews — and even after the U.S. Olympic team had embarked on its voyage across the ocean to Germany — she was denied the opportunity to participate.
Her story was chronicled in the HBO program “Hitler’s Pawn” in 2004 and in the 2009 German movie “Berlin 36.” Bruno’s story was interesting as well, as his obituary suggests.
The Bruno I knew was not the handsome, young athlete who swept Gretel off her feet and ultimately became a successful doctor in America. The Bruno I knew was a distinguished, still good-looking gentleman whose mind was as sharp as could be. Someone who could recall the dark days of Germany in the 1930s; someone who just as easily could chat about contemporary topics, whether politics or sports. One of the joys of my life was watching baseball with him in the den of the Lamberts’ home with Bruno offering his perspective on the teams and the players.
The Bruno I knew had more than a trace of a German accent in his voice, a certain twinkle in his eye and a definite joy in his heart. Certainly he had endured tough times but you never would know if by his delightful demeanor.
On a subsequent visit to see the Lamberts, my wife accompanied me. I won’t say that he was something of a jovial flirt, and I won’t say that he wasn’t. What I will say is he was a wonderful human being, a man full of life’s experiences and full of life.
As sad as I am that Bruno Lambert has died, I am happy to have known him and never will forget him. The world was better for having him a part of it. Ask his former patients. Ask his friends and neighbors. Ask his family. They will be glad to tell you.
And so will I.
Goodbye, Bruno. We will miss you.
All of a sudden, an Illinois high school football playoff game featuring a team from a town many never heard of a week ago is of interest to more than merely that team’s town. Such is the case with Washington High (12-0), which plays at Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (12-0) on Nov. 23 (Saturday).
CSN’s Jen Lada will be on the sidelines for Washington High’s game Saturday,
Washington is the town torn apart Sunday by a tornado. Comcast SportsNet will go out of its usual coverage area to televise the contest beginning at 1 p.m. Central time with a 1 a.m. replay.
“In the aftermath of Sunday’s devastating tornadoes in the town of Washington and throughout numerous areas of central Illinois, Comcast SportsNet will utilize this opportunity to not only present what promises to be an excellent preps football playoff matchup between two standout teams, but also to provide our viewers with vital Red Cross donation information to help make a difference in the lives of those affected by this tragic occurrence,” CSN president James J. Corno said.
CSN’s Jen Lada will be the sideline reporter providing intereviews with Washington coaches, administrators, players and fans during the game. CSN’s Kelly Crull will have a report from Washington for Thursday’s 10 p.m. edition of “SportsNet Central.”
Because of the football game, CSN is adjusting replay times for IHSA volleyball championships:
Class 1A: Keith Country Day vs. Stewardson-Strasburg (3:30 p.m.)
Class 2A: Immaculate Conception vs. Edwards County (4:45)
Class 3A: St. Francis vs. LaSalle-Peru (7)
Class 4A: Mother McAuley vs. Benet (8:15)
Well, as long as we’re talking about media-related programming, a reminder that “Sport & Torts” with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris has its weekly episode Thursday at noon Central time on Talkzone.com. The guests for the Nov. 21 show are Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Hannah. For those unable to tune in for the program and/or those who want an encore of the highly acclaimed show (well, it is held in such regard in the Spada and Harris households, as well as reportedly elsewhere), the interviews will be available later in the day via podcast at Talkzone.com.
Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the exemplary efforts of the editorial and video departments at elliottharris.com):
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