Monthly Archives: March 2011

At the beginning of my studies at Brooklyn College I took a course in European literature taught by a brilliant scholar who had translated major German poets and written expertly about the great Russian novelists.  Professor Carl Edgar Brown was … Continue reading →

Meanwhile, while attending school and working at Figaro, I was living on St. Mark’s place, less than a block from Tompkins Square Park, which is located between Avenues A and B.  At the time, Tompkins Square Park was one of … Continue reading →

At Café Figaro, besides the poker games on weekends, there was also the occasional field event.  One I will remember for the rest of my life was the Sunday we went horseback riding in Staten Island.  Much of Staten Island … Continue reading →

Besides Vera Lachman I had several other teachers at Brooklyn who became very dear to me, not only because of what they taught, but by what they seemed to find in me.  Without wanting to sound too modest, some thought … Continue reading →

All of the “visiting” teams at Annapolis slept in the Field House, which had beds, lockers, tables, etc. and were rather well furnished.  For team members of various sports on the East Coast, this meant a weekend of poker, interrupted … Continue reading →

Back at Brooklyn College things were going swimmingly, although I did leave the swimming team and joined the fencing team.  I knew nothing about fencing, but it looked like a lot of fun, more so than the constant boring practice … Continue reading →

After I’d worked at Figaro’s for a while I met M., the young man who was about to become my roommate.  The reason I’m not giving his full name is that last time I met him he was still alive … Continue reading →

Taking one or two years of science was a requirement at the college.  Biology was famous for the piglet we all had to dissect.  We did this in the lab in groups of two and most of us became quite … Continue reading →

Work at Figaro was only part-time.  The rest of the day was spent at Brooklyn College, where I had made a resolution to be a much more serious student.  And so it came to pass.  Unexpectedly I met some incredible … Continue reading →

Café Figaro, a coffee shop on the corner of MacDougal and Bleecker was a single, crowded room, wallpapered with yellowed-with-age copies of Le Figaro, a popular French newspaper, and dominated by a huge espresso machine at the back of the … Continue reading →