Robert Gelman, 1923-2017

Bob Gelman, beloved husband of Jane for 67 years, proud father of Alan, Nancy, Susan, and Andy, and adoring grandparent of Stephanie, Noah, Adam, Jamie, Ben, Zacky, Jakey, and Sophie, passed away peacefully on the morning of 27 Aug 2017 at the age of 94. A child of immigrants, Bob grew up playing stickball in the streets of Brooklyn, studied physics at City College and Columbia University, taught at Champlain College in Plattsburgh, and served his country during World War II and after, when he built machines to compute missile trajectories, and later in his work at the Environmental Protection Agency. Bob was a gentle, careful man who loved life, a fiercely liberal Democrat who delighted in puns and the English language, music, tennis, and, above all, his family.

61 thoughts on “Robert Gelman, 1923-2017

  1. Stickball. I think there are a lot of differences between the 2nd generation post-Ellis Island and the 3rd. But I think one similarity is the psychic power of stickball to frame our nostalgia. I mean yeah, my friends and I hit balls in the street with whatever stick-like object we had handy and ran back and forth. But that was more like when I went to a show at CBGB in 2005… just not the same thing. Because now you are on a Little League team with real uniforms and a nice field; and now the spot you gotta go to hear the new thing is some warehouse in downtown LA.

    But they all played stickball when it mattered. And whatever it gave them – I honestly don’t know – it mattered a lot. Enough that they bequeathed it to us – the game and the scenery if not the experience (which I expect was un-bequeathable to a world outside 1930s Brooklyn or Newark). To the extent that our lives matter, it is probably mostly about what we leave of ourselves in the people we loved and who loved us. Looks like your dad left a lot of good in the world.

    Sad to hear about your loss. Best wishes to you and yours in this sad time. At least he got stickball in his life. From what I understand, it was like the single most important development in sporting history until Sandy Koufax.

  2. Wow 94 is a great life. I hope he had good health and that you were able to enjoy each other. It takes a while to get over losing you dad. Enjoy the opportunity to reflect and all the emotions the memories call up.

  3. My sincere condolences.

    Parents are special — my father was a gentle man who flew as a navigator in the WWII Pacific, was part of the occupying forces in Japan, saw the aftermath of Hiroshima, volunteered in a Japanese kindergarten-equivalent for the duration of his tour, returned to the U.S. Odd jobs for a bit, then married my mother in 1949. (I was born in 1950.) Air Force Reserves for years — retired as Lt. Colonel. My parents were married until his death in 2000, after her paralyzing stroke the previous Spring. Once he realized she would never be able to come home, he gave up.

    He taught me the names of the stars from his navigation charts, square roots by hand around our kitchen/homework table, to read as a passion-not a chore, to be forthright and stand against both overt evil and decaying-into-evil, to look for the truth relentlessly, but with respect for others.

    He welcomed my Indian wife and my adopted Korean daughter with open arms in the midst of white-bread America. He cherished my younger sisters.

    We are both blessed to have had such men as our fathers.

  4. He was born the same year as my oldest fist cousin, who also served his country during World War II — as a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force, and was killed in action when he was shot down during a mission over Germany in 1944.

  5. I am sorry hear about your loss. Losing father is one of the biggest event in one’s life. I am glad he lived a good life and left great legacy. May he rest in peace.

  6. Dear Andrew,

    My deepest sympathy to you and all the family members whom your father had influenced and impressed so wonderfully for many years in many places.

    Sincerely,
    Hiro

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