Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/01/29

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Subject: [Leica] My father
From: pklein at 2alpha.net (Peter Klein)
Date: Sun Jan 29 20:14:10 2006

You haven't heard from me in a while, and here's why.  My dad, Milton Klein 
passed away on Sunday, Jan. 22.   The funeral was Thursday.

These were the two pictures that stood by the guest book at his funeral.

Dad in 1951, photo by my Mom, Bolsey B2, Kodachrome:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/EmMiltHoneymoon/20MiltCar

Dad in late 2004, photo by me, M6TTL and V/C 50/1.5 Nokton, Tri-X:
http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/family/06Milt.htm

Dad was born in 1917 and grew up in the East Bronx, the son of poor eastern 
European Jewish immigrants.  His father was a tailor who had little 
understanding of the world beyond his job.  Dad was different from the rest 
of his family.  When his father gave him money to fix a hole in his shoe, 
Dad put cardboard in his shoe and used the money to buy books.  No one else 
in my father's immediate family went to college.  His two brothers and 
sister worked as a postal worker, a cab driver and transit worker, and a 
secretary.  My father went on to earn a bachelor's in chemical engineering 
from City College of NY, then a master's in mathematics and a PhD in 
physics from NYU.

He worked for the U.S. Census, then at Langley air base in Virginia during 
WWII.  His work on aerodynamics was considered important enough that he was 
in and out of the military in six days, and reassigned to his old job.  He 
later taught at NYU, worked for General Electric and a couple of small 
companies, then spent most of the rest of his career as a civilian 
scientist for the U.S. Air Force in the Boston area.

After he retired, one of his greatest pleasures was to sit in an easy chair 
with the New York Times Book Review and a book of advanced math in his lap, 
alternately reading about books and doing calculations that interested 
him.  He also loved classical music, particularly chamber music.

--Peter


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