Shul kids would always ask me when he would be coming to town, and when he did they would be rewarded with conversation and a personal story. One youngster asked if he could write him and they began a long correspondence.
My favorite piece of Shmuel Kunda memorabilia is the one-of-a-kind supper plate we have on top of the other plates in the kitchen. The face of the plate, which my brother-in-law drew some 35-years ago, shows our young daughter wearing a baseball uniform, her cap tilted off-center, holding a large baseball bat and an oversized fielder’s glove while standing in front of a ballpark.
I’ve been staring at the plate a lot lately. It’s a reminder of the good times we had and the joy he brought into people’s lives.
Irwin Cohen headed a national baseball publication for five years before moving
to a big league front office position where he earned a World Series ring. The author, a columnist, lecturer and president emeritus of one of Detroit’s leading shuls, can be reached in his dugout at [email protected]. His column appears the second week of each month.
