[Englecturers] FW: My father

[Susan Brown]

Dear Susan and Katherine,

My father, Dr. Bernard Axelrod, passed away today at the age of 93. He died
from the complications of old age. He served in World War II, where he
liberated concentration camps and saw most of the flyers in his unit die in
combat missions. He was haunted by those memories until his death. He came
home to establish a medical practice and to treat tens of thousands of
patients over the next fifty years with top-quality care and compassion.
Medicare, which limited the income of some physicians, saved our family from
financial ruin, since it meant that my father would finally earn something
from all of the elderly patients he had previously been treating for free.
He had a devoted wife, Martha, and three children, two of whom became
professors while the third became an attorney. He lived a triumphant life.

I would be very grateful if you could distribute this email to the
department, including ladder faculty, lecturers, and grad students. I've
made my father an obsessive topic of my conversation for the last two years
when I've been caring for him, so I think many people would want to know the
news. Please ask people to send no flowers, but a prayer, if that is their
custom, or a good thought or a contribution to a favorite charity would be
appreciated.

Warm regards,

Steve

Steven Gould Axelrod
Professor of English
President, The Robert Lowell Society
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521
951 780 5653 (home phone)