Men's Club : : President's Message
Monthly Message from Men's Club President Marvin Mandel
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STORYTIME – Reprise (As a reminder, these are true (or semi- true) tales about people you probably know.)
Congregant X was raised on the East Coast in an upper middle class environment. Atypically for his Jewish upbringing, he was a hunter and often pursued deer and ducks with his father and uncles. During his fourth year in college he was drafted to serve in World War II. In recognition of his academic training and weaponry skill he was admitted to the officer training program. Based upon his battlefield accomplishments and the attrition of his peers, he rose in rank from 2nd lieutenant to major.
Upon returning home, Congregant X resumed his studies and earned a PhD in mathematics. He spent the next thirty years as a college professor. In the early 1950s, a childhood friend, a very successful local bookmaker requested X’s assistance. The bookie wanted to expand from taking local bets on The Numbers and baseball to college basketball and football. Congregant X would bring a scientific approach to setting point spreads so that the same amount of money would be bet on both sides of a game and The House would profit from the 10% vigorish paid by the loser. The enterprise proved very successful and established a booming branch office in Las Vegas.
Congregant X was a member of Temple Judea for a brief time in its early years. Completing the circle, his offspring, a rather private person, is currently a Temple Judea congregant.
Lady X is one of the most intellectually astute congregants in the fifty-six-year history of Temple Judea. A very gifted student, she excelled in all subjects. She was a few generations ahead of her time however because her favorite classes were mathematics and the sciences. Upon graduating from college Lady X followed the career path that was typical of the times – she became a teacher. Untypically, she taught geometry. Her professional career was very short-lived as she soon married a neighborhood guy and focused exclusively on raising her family.
Our heroine did not follow the rules. While the other young mothers sat together on park benches and gossiped or discussed current television shows while watching their toddlers play, Lady X sat by herself with a thermos of hot coffee and the Wall Street Journal. Introduced to investing by her father, she thrived on evaluating the numbers. As a fundamentals analyst, she studied profit margins and earnings growth. She was very good and enlarged the family’s monthly savings many fold.
In addition to being a valuable source of financial data, the Wall Street Journal introduced Lady X to Orange County, California and Leisure World. Raised in a Good Jewish Home that emphasized traditional values, immediately upon moving in, Lady X joined Temple Judea, became active in Jewish organizations and continued her philanthropy. By the way, she is still an active investor.
Arnold Miller for Marvin Mandel, President