Teach
12-29-2007, 07:42 PM
During the mid-1950s, I could often be found in front of our family’s black-and-white Zenith TV. I must have watched dozens of shows each week: Ed Sullivan, "Uncle Miltie," (Milton Berle), "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, and a host of others. Yet one my favorites was called: "I Led Three Lives." The show was based on the life experiences of Herbert Philbrick, a New Hampshire native who worked for a Boston advertising firm. You see Philbrick was not only a businessman and father of six children, but he was also a man who infiltrated the Communist Party of America and later served as an agent for the FBI.
Well, as I look back at my life of six-and-one-half decades, I too have led three lives. I'm sure no one is interested in making a movie about my three lives, at least not yet.
Before I discuss my three "lives," I will say that for the most part they have never became intertwined. Sociologists would say they existed in "logic-tight compartments". There were imaginary walls and barriers erected between each. In fact, I took great pains to keep it that way.
Let’s see, I have been a husband and father; I’ve been a high school social studies teacher; and I’ve been a degenerate gambler. But, where do I start? Well, let’s begin with the teaching career. When I was a boy I liked school. I know that may sound strange to some, but I enjoyed reading and learning about various subjects. After I graduated high school, I decided that I would become a teacher. Because history was my favorite subject, I became a history teacher. As mentioned, I made a special effort not to let anyone know, especially my colleagues, that I liked to gamble.
I recall on one occasion, this English teacher who taught next door had just come back from Atlantic City. She was telling me about the slots and table games she had played. I recall she said she had stayed at the Claridge. In any event, I played the dunce. Like I know nothin’.
The kids in school would sometimes ask me about my hobbies and interests. They’d say Mr. L (that’s what they called me), "What do you like to do when you’re not teaching." I’d say, "I like to read." If I were being perfectly candid I would have said, "I like to read The Daily Racing Form and harness racing programs and publications." I’d tell them that "as a history teacher, I liked to read about and collect pictures of early presidents and statesmen, particularly George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. I’d tell them that Ben Franklin was my favorite." I, of course, did this with tongue in cheek. I don’t recall if anyone ever caught on.
Oh, I’ll recall one aside that could have cost me my career. No moral turpitude, just a slip-of-the-tongue. One night several years ago, a couple former college buddies were in town on business. We took in a Boston Bruins hockey game at the old Boston Garden and then headed over to Beantowns’s Union Oyster House for some shellfish and suds. I got home about two in the morning. I was up four hours later to get ready to teach school. I was tempted to call in sick that day, but it was Friday, a payday, and I needed the cash for my weekend gambling exploits.
Anyway, when I arrived in school that morning I was on automatic pilot. My first class was a bunch of lower level history students. I remember we were discussing the French and Indian War. I recall that we were talking about how Gen. Braddock and his British troops were ambushed by the French and their Indian allies as they marched toward Ft. Duquesne. I mentioned that some of the Indians had scalped British soldiers. One of the kids raises his hand and asks,"Mr. L., what’s scalping?" Without thinking and being in another world, I blurted out, "That’s when they cut off their fornicating heads." Only I didn’t use the word fornicating. I used the more common colloquial expression. You know the one with four letters. You’d think that these kids had just seen "Casper, The Friendly Ghost." They looked at each other. "What’d he say?" They couldn’t believe their ears. Prim and proper Mr. L. No way. Thankfully, nothing was ever said. If that had been an Advanced Placement group, my arse would have been grass.
As for gambling, I started in elementary school playing penny-ante poker down a friend’s cellar.
Later, when I was in high school, I’d go to the harness races. I was initially a $2 bettor, but, with time, that escalated. I gambled in college. In fact I almost blew my tuition money. There was no harness action so I went to a dog track in Revere, MA called Wonderland Park. I was down over $150 (a lot of money in the early 1960s). I remember I put $20 on the nose of a dog called Cherry Toast. I remember it was a 3/8ths race. The dog broke second and collared the front runner in the stretch. She paid about $16 to win. I had bailed. Whew!
In the years that followed, I visited just about every harness racing track on the East Coast. Some of which don’t exist anymore like Hinsdale, Roosevelt, Liberty Bell, and Brandywine. I was such a degenerate that one summer I did a three-track "trifecta." Sort of like a triathalon without the biking, swimming and running. In my case, a friend and I left my Long Island apartment and visited Belmont for their early races, then headed across Staten Island for Freehold. We capped off the day by spending the evening at Brandywine in Delaware.
In recent years, I’ve also visited casinos. Several visits to Las Vegas; a trip to Atlantic City; Casino du Montreal; and the Caribbean. Remember the show "Paladin" (Richard Boone): "Have Gun Will Travel." My motto: "Have Credit Card, Will Gamble."
Lastly, I’ve been married...hard to believe, going on forty years. My wife’s been a saint to put up with me. She never realized what she was getting into. I kept matters pretty much under wraps when we were dating and when we were initially married. I also kept my gambling from my kids (now adults with families of their own) for many years. They learned when they were in high school that their Daddy likes to gamble. Today, they’ll say: Mommie went shopping; Daddy went to the track.
Oh, by the way, thankfully, neither my wife nor my kids like to gamble. My wife’s idea of gambling is to watch an item in a department store to see if it gets marked down, and then get there (preferably when the doors open) to see if she can be the first one to buy it.
Yes, I truly have lived three lives. Yet, one of those "lives" has faded away. No, not the gambling. Heaven forbid. I retired from teaching a few years ago. At least I won’t have to ever again explain to my students what scalping is.
Well, as I look back at my life of six-and-one-half decades, I too have led three lives. I'm sure no one is interested in making a movie about my three lives, at least not yet.
Before I discuss my three "lives," I will say that for the most part they have never became intertwined. Sociologists would say they existed in "logic-tight compartments". There were imaginary walls and barriers erected between each. In fact, I took great pains to keep it that way.
Let’s see, I have been a husband and father; I’ve been a high school social studies teacher; and I’ve been a degenerate gambler. But, where do I start? Well, let’s begin with the teaching career. When I was a boy I liked school. I know that may sound strange to some, but I enjoyed reading and learning about various subjects. After I graduated high school, I decided that I would become a teacher. Because history was my favorite subject, I became a history teacher. As mentioned, I made a special effort not to let anyone know, especially my colleagues, that I liked to gamble.
I recall on one occasion, this English teacher who taught next door had just come back from Atlantic City. She was telling me about the slots and table games she had played. I recall she said she had stayed at the Claridge. In any event, I played the dunce. Like I know nothin’.
The kids in school would sometimes ask me about my hobbies and interests. They’d say Mr. L (that’s what they called me), "What do you like to do when you’re not teaching." I’d say, "I like to read." If I were being perfectly candid I would have said, "I like to read The Daily Racing Form and harness racing programs and publications." I’d tell them that "as a history teacher, I liked to read about and collect pictures of early presidents and statesmen, particularly George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. I’d tell them that Ben Franklin was my favorite." I, of course, did this with tongue in cheek. I don’t recall if anyone ever caught on.
Oh, I’ll recall one aside that could have cost me my career. No moral turpitude, just a slip-of-the-tongue. One night several years ago, a couple former college buddies were in town on business. We took in a Boston Bruins hockey game at the old Boston Garden and then headed over to Beantowns’s Union Oyster House for some shellfish and suds. I got home about two in the morning. I was up four hours later to get ready to teach school. I was tempted to call in sick that day, but it was Friday, a payday, and I needed the cash for my weekend gambling exploits.
Anyway, when I arrived in school that morning I was on automatic pilot. My first class was a bunch of lower level history students. I remember we were discussing the French and Indian War. I recall that we were talking about how Gen. Braddock and his British troops were ambushed by the French and their Indian allies as they marched toward Ft. Duquesne. I mentioned that some of the Indians had scalped British soldiers. One of the kids raises his hand and asks,"Mr. L., what’s scalping?" Without thinking and being in another world, I blurted out, "That’s when they cut off their fornicating heads." Only I didn’t use the word fornicating. I used the more common colloquial expression. You know the one with four letters. You’d think that these kids had just seen "Casper, The Friendly Ghost." They looked at each other. "What’d he say?" They couldn’t believe their ears. Prim and proper Mr. L. No way. Thankfully, nothing was ever said. If that had been an Advanced Placement group, my arse would have been grass.
As for gambling, I started in elementary school playing penny-ante poker down a friend’s cellar.
Later, when I was in high school, I’d go to the harness races. I was initially a $2 bettor, but, with time, that escalated. I gambled in college. In fact I almost blew my tuition money. There was no harness action so I went to a dog track in Revere, MA called Wonderland Park. I was down over $150 (a lot of money in the early 1960s). I remember I put $20 on the nose of a dog called Cherry Toast. I remember it was a 3/8ths race. The dog broke second and collared the front runner in the stretch. She paid about $16 to win. I had bailed. Whew!
In the years that followed, I visited just about every harness racing track on the East Coast. Some of which don’t exist anymore like Hinsdale, Roosevelt, Liberty Bell, and Brandywine. I was such a degenerate that one summer I did a three-track "trifecta." Sort of like a triathalon without the biking, swimming and running. In my case, a friend and I left my Long Island apartment and visited Belmont for their early races, then headed across Staten Island for Freehold. We capped off the day by spending the evening at Brandywine in Delaware.
In recent years, I’ve also visited casinos. Several visits to Las Vegas; a trip to Atlantic City; Casino du Montreal; and the Caribbean. Remember the show "Paladin" (Richard Boone): "Have Gun Will Travel." My motto: "Have Credit Card, Will Gamble."
Lastly, I’ve been married...hard to believe, going on forty years. My wife’s been a saint to put up with me. She never realized what she was getting into. I kept matters pretty much under wraps when we were dating and when we were initially married. I also kept my gambling from my kids (now adults with families of their own) for many years. They learned when they were in high school that their Daddy likes to gamble. Today, they’ll say: Mommie went shopping; Daddy went to the track.
Oh, by the way, thankfully, neither my wife nor my kids like to gamble. My wife’s idea of gambling is to watch an item in a department store to see if it gets marked down, and then get there (preferably when the doors open) to see if she can be the first one to buy it.
Yes, I truly have lived three lives. Yet, one of those "lives" has faded away. No, not the gambling. Heaven forbid. I retired from teaching a few years ago. At least I won’t have to ever again explain to my students what scalping is.