Cha

These are the positings from the old message board !!

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Chuck Goldman

Cha

Post by Chuck Goldman »

Just like yesterday. Summer. Rest period. I'm eight or nine and Big Jeff has offered me a candy bar in return for a back rub. I climb on top of this humongous body and start with some karate chops, move on to the chills - crack the imaginary egg on the hair and move down slowly as if the yolk is dripping down the back, and finish with a deep rub,pulling serious pieces of blubber away from his skin. Jeffrey is groaning with delight, promising me another milky way if I meet him at the benches by the 15 yr.old baseball field before general swim...
After reading about Milton Berle recently and his impact on Jewish comedians and television, those of us who were entertained during Camp's golden era, circa 1968 - 1974, cannot help but make the connection. Big Jeff really was the central figure of characters not only including Moishe, Doc and Dusty on the "serious" side, but also that Sunday campfire crew that featured Fudgy, Mouse, Kenny, Ricky, Jingles, etc. The log was always superb; I especially looked forward to Jeopardy with Don Pardo and Jamaica Doody. And how about Jeffrey on music night, giving his all with hits like, "Food Glorious Food"...
Remember Jeff's love affair with Yaz? And I still call the Yankees the way he said, the "Yunkees"...By the way, that unforgettable summer when he went on his diet, he subsisted on a can of tuna for lunch every other day...It is so easy to visualize him at pre-lunch assembly at the top of the rocks and hearing that dominant laugh...What a bunch of misfits. We had our own borsht belt and we knew it couldn't get any better than that...One time as a 15 yr old CIT, Jeff took me into Wolfeboro and bought me a six pack of Schaeffer Beer (it's the one beer to have when you're having more than one) and potato chips, which we enjoyed on the bleachers under the stars on a hot July night...Thank you, Big Jeff - you helped make Camp Alton a perfect childhood for all of us.


cjgoldman@attbi.com
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