The last unfinished novel by Charles Dickens was the “Mystery of Edwin Drood” Maybe not a masterpiece like David Copperfield or Oliver Twist.
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But in this instance, a mystery of a very steady and solid high school amigo at Flatbush’s Midwood High School and Wingate Field basket ball hard courts on Avenue K and East 16th Street..
His name was Gerry Ringelheim and he died prematurely. He was a letterman for coach Barney Chen’s varsity, coming off the bench.
With Eddie Joachim, they had a chemistry, unlike any two teammates and classmates we had the gift of knowing, during those basketball forays in Flatbush at venues in the intra mural league, contesting those hoops and nets..
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Barbra Striesand’s manager of 50 years, was part of that mix. Downstairs in the Flatbush gym, off Coney Island Avenue and Avenue I. The Gremlins, the Comets, and Marty Erlichman’svintage five.
But above all was Gerry Ringelheim….after all the years……wars Buck Rogers Flash Gordon, (Pluto) Cyber Space, “as time gone by”, his down to earth steadfastness like the shade trees on the side streets, off Avenue ‘J’ and Bedford Avenue..
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When we last saw him in practice: warm-up drills in the Midwood High School gym, he shared his playmaking gist withStan Rubin, Howie Goldman (transferee to Hollywood High)Jay Sablow.
“Honest Bill Rosenblatt , Howie Weisglass were part of his basketball afficiandos, the aforementioned Eddie Joachim.Along with the “Commish”, Marv Glauberman.
Wearing their golden uniforms, the weekly intra mural games…Ocean Avenue between ‘K’ and ‘L’ …the ‘East MidwoodJewish Center.’
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Where is Clint Eastwood aka “Dirty Harry” when we need him?
July 14,2015. The City that never sleeps., some70 years after the “Mystery of Gerry Ringelheim”
