Last month, my dear friend Tracy and her spouse, Rabbi Lisa Edwards, from L.A. were visiting D.C. Shortly after they left, I found a photo of Albert Einstein (AE) taken when he was on Long Island. I emailed it to Tracy and asked if the other person were one of her relatives. Not quite. He was the proprietor of a local store and the grandfather of one of Tracy's cousin Jeff's best friends.
Apparently Einstein knew a LOT about physics and was an "eager sailor, but not a very good one," and he loved to sail in the bay off the L.I. coast where Tracy's family home sits. I've heard the AE stories from Tracy and her family--about how "Aunt Connie and Betsey Jenkins helped pull AE's sailboat off the shore after he'd beached it." Tracy contacted her cousin Jeff about the photo, and he told this wonderful story about AE and his friend's grandfather:
That's David Rothman, who owned Rothman's Variety Store in Southold.
There's a famous story about Einstein coming in and asking for sundials.
After some confusion, it turned out he was seeking sandals. Al was an
eager sailor, though not a good one. You may recall the stories of Aunt Connie
and Betty J... pulling him off the shore when he ran aground.
There he would be, contemplating the universe, with his head in a paper bag.
(In addition to sandals, he lacked a hat, so he would tame his wild locks
in a paper bag cinched with a rubber band. Imagine finding the smartest human
on the planet aground with his head in a bag.)
David Rothman's grandson, Ron, is a buddy of mine and a fellow guitarist.
He now runs Rothman's, and sells vintage guitars there, as well as sundries.
I buy guitar strings from him, and recently bought a guitar too.
I have a few more Einstein stories from my years as the newspaper guy out here,
What a handsome gent he was! Great photo, too. I can see how "sandal" would sound like "sundial" in someone with a German accent. Thanks for the post...Like your other stuff too. Lennox is such a little doll baby! Even like the crossword.
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keep looking. Jack is gorgeous, too.
DeleteWonderful picture and anecdotes.
ReplyDeleteCannot wait to show Einstein-in-shorts to spouse who insists of wearing them in his dotage. Everywhere. When summer over. Wondering if there is still more to learn about AE, extraordinary man and so conflicted.
ReplyDeleteCareful - you'll start a new fad of wearing paper bags for hats!
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I think it's ingenious!! I'm sure he wanted to keep the salt water spray away from his hair. The rubber band sounds uncomfortable, but you'd need something to keep the bag on your head if you were sailing!! hard to find one small enough nowadays....some paper bags come with twisted paper handles, though. you could hook them over your ears??
DeleteNaomi, did you know that AE was considering a second career as a disc jockey?
ReplyDeleteHe invoked the help of a friend to choose a DJ name, who said
" 'e will be MC-squared" ;-)
Here's "one more" story from Jeff:
ReplyDeleteOkay, one more. When Al was in residence on Nassau Point in 1939, two of his colleagues at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study were growing ever more fearful that Nazi Germany might develop a nuclear bomb first, unless someone of clout persuaded the US government to get on it pronto. The obvious choice: Einstein. So Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner ventured from Princeton hoping to find Herr Professor. The problem: Neither spoke much English. They recalled that Al had said he would be in Something-ogue way out on Long Island for the summer. So they drove east and stopped in Patchogue, reportedly driving around town shouting out the windows, "Professor Einstein!" No luck, so they soldiered on, finally arriving in Cutchogue, where they tried the same tactic. Eventually a boy (allegedly with a fishing pole over his shoulder) said he knew where AE lived, because his father delivered mail there. So the boy hopped in the car and directed them. Einstein served tea and agreed to write the letter to FDR, sent on Aug. 2, 1939 (10 years TO THE DAY before the day of my birth, BTW). The above was pieced together over several years from local lore, so may be somewhat mythic, but does have a ring to it. And some who believes that the nuclear option was, in fact, the only way out feel that boy with the fishing pole helped save the free world.
He had rather nice legs and trim ankles. My husband wears shorts mostly. He also has nice legs and is a scientist to boot.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with those mathematicians/scientista and their nice legs & ankles? I suppose we'll hear from Stu shortly that he has the same! Don't think he wears shorts all the time, though, cuz of his motorcycling activities. I just love it that he loved to sail, even if he wasn't very good at it. Give him points for that!!
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Stu's math jokes, that is.....
ReplyDeleteOkay, M.E., it is time to write a play about Albert E. Pick up Stu's fact(oid) on the disk jockey interest (all Beethoven, all the time), mix in Long Island beaches--there is so much here Princeton too. Think we have many episodes for a radio series.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this, and laughing. You have a vivid imagination, Naomi. You write it!!
ReplyDeleteWow! I haven't seen TracyandLisa (It seemed to be all one word) since . . . forever! Next time you have contact with them, say "Hi" from me. :-)
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