Stanley Feld M.D., FACP,MACE

On Halloween Cecelia and I
flew to Denver. We wanted to share Halloween with our granddaughter.

They do trick or treat up big
in Boulder. Everyone was in costume. We wanted to share her thrill of trick or
treating. It was so cold and windy that Cecelia and I lasted less than an hour.

Sabrina lasted two and a half
hours. She was dressed as a ninja. I was dressed as a Boston Red Sox player.
Cecelia wore a fancy mask.

Friday night Cecelia had an
exhibit opening with reception at Artwork Network Gallery in Denver. Brad, Amy,
Dan Laura and Sabrina came to the show. Cecelia and her art were eloquent.

Friday night was a beautiful
fall night in Denver. It was Gallery Walk Night in the Denver Arts District.
Hundreds of people turned out for Cecelia’s show.

Cecelia was there from 5-9pm.
The rest of us went to the Smokehouse at 8pm. When they dropped me off at 9pm
the gallery was still packed. 

We were in the car and back
to Boulder at about 9:45 pm. The gallery was still going strong.

Daniel and I were out of his
house at 7:30 am for our annual Father/Son weekend.

Daniel and I and Brad and I
usually go on one weekend a year. We usually fly to some city and bond with
each other. We do more talking and eating than anything else.

One activity is required. We
must work out each morning first thing.

This year Brad and I are
going to Blytheville,Arkansas, the town of his
birth, when Cecelia and I were in the

Air Force. I must say we have
been warned by people that Blytheville is not much these
days. We are ignoring everyone.

This year because of Dan’s
schedule, we went to Denver. It was Cecelia’s idea.

Our first stop was Zaidy’s in
the Cherry Creek shopping area. The parking lot was packed at 8:3am.  

Zaidy’s was a pretty good
deli. We shared a pastrami and egg white omelet with an order of potato latkes.
My mother and Cecelia make better potato latkes. The sour pickles were very
good.

We talked and talked for over
an hour at the table. It was then warm enough to go outside. As a Dallasite, I
am not used to being 35 degrees on November 2.

After breakfast we then walked
the shopping area all the while talking about the meaning of life.

It was about noon and time to
check into the Hyatt at the convention center.

We got our room early. Our
goal was to walk and continue our conversation. We were off to Larimer Square. At about one o’clock neither of us felt hungry after the Zaidy's
breakfast so we did not go for a big lunch.

I wanted to take Dan to the
Clyfford Still museum. He had not been there yet. Cecelia and I went to the
Clyfford Still museum with Todd Siler when it just opened. It is a gem. It my
book it is one of the best museums in the country.

The museum sits in the shadow
of the Denver Art Museum. The DAM is about 10 times larger than the Clyfford
Still Museum. Everyone knows size does not matter. Clyfford Still was a genius.
It is hard to understand his genius when most museums have only one Still. The
piece is usually out of context. This exhibition is still a blockbuster even
though many of the paintings were different the second time around.

Daniel and I walked back to
the hotel after the museum. We had an early dinner at John Elway’s. We walked
another mile and a half to the restaurant. We split the steak at Elway’s and
then walked and talked to the Pepsi Center where the Denver Avalanche was playing
the Montreal Canadians. We had great seats.  

I am not a big hockey fan but
I had a great time for 2 of the 3 periods.

I was 10 pm and we had to
leave before all the ice cream parlors closed. We walked back toward the hotel
looking for ice cream. We finally found a café, diner, and coffee shop about
two blocks from the Hyatt. We did not know what we were getting our selves
into. However the place made a great hot fudge sundae.

It was so good we decided to
have breakfast there on Sunday. FAT chance. We got there at 8:30am. There was a
one and one half hour wait for breakfast in a downtown café, diner, and coffee
shop on a Sunday morning. Where did all the people come from?

We went back to the Hyatt and
had breakfast in the three quarters empty hotel dinning room.

Daniel and I checked out of
the hotel and drove to the Denver Museum of Art to meet the girls for the exhibit
Court
to Café: Three Centuries of French Masterworks from the Wadsworth Atheneum  and Passport to
Paris .

Passport to Paris was much better than Court to Café but all
five of us had a good time.

 No one was hungry at 1pm. We drove back to Boulder and had a
small bite at Chili’s.

 The weekend with Daniel was a roaring success.

 Sunday night we met Brad and Amy for dinner at Mateo’s in
Boulder.

 Cecelia and I love being with our kids.

 I cannot tell you how lucky we feel.

The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone

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  Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP, MACE

 Every year Brad and I spend a
weekend in some city just walking around bonding with each other. We try to
solve the world’s problems. We talk about everything from life in the present
to life in the future.

 It is truly a great
experience for me. I learn more from him than he learns from me. Our roles are
reversed at this stage of life. He is now my mentor.

 Last week he expressed
interest in going to visit his place of birth, Blytheville Arkansas, for our
2014 weekend.

 I have many wonderful stories
about Blytheville Air Force Base and its 851^st Medical Division. My
first is:

  Drafted
Into The Air Force 1965

 On February 13, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson
authorized Rolling Thunder, the sustained bombing of North Vietnam. With
Rolling Thunder, the Vietnam War officially escalated.

Even though I received a Berry Plan exemption to complete my
Internal Medicine training, I was drafted to active duty when the war escalated.

My orders said to report to Blytheville Air Force Base
Hospital, 851^st Medical Group on July 1,1965.

I found out who to protest to. The Major General I spoke to
in Washington said, “Sorry son, America is at war.”

Cecelia was pregnant with our first son, Brad. He kicked for the first time in Smokey Mountain National Park. Cecelia screamed and I almost went off the road.

Physicians practicing
at the hospital found out through the grapevine that I was going to be
stationed in Blytheville, Arkansas. Many just looked as if they pitied me for
my bad luck.

Stanley Gittleson M.D. a practicing pediatrician at the
hospital, came up to me in the hall one day and said he heard I was going to be
stationed at Blytheville Air Force Base in Arkansas. I said, “Yes.”

He said,

My
roommate at Cornell University came from Blytheville, Arkansas. His parents
lived there because his father was a civil engineer who had a government
contract to build the Bayous along the Mississippi River from St Louis to 200
miles south of Memphis.

 Jerry Cohen was brought up in Blytheville. His
father sent him east to his alma mata, Cornell for college and graduate school.
Jerry wanted to become a civil engineer and join his father’s construction company.

At
Cornell Jerry met a girl from New London Connecticut. After graduate school Jerry
and Huddy married.  Jerry convinced Huddy
to move to Blytheville, Arkansas.”

Stanley Gittleson said “They
are two great people. They will welcome you and Cecelia to Blytheville.

Just call him up and say, “ Gittleson sent you.”

 
Cecelia and I were nervous about going to Blytheville,
Arkansas. We were two kids who grew up on the streets of New York. We had never
traveled anywhere except to the Catskill Mountains in New York State during our
familys’ summer vacations.

We were immediately relieved to know all we had to do was
call and say “Gittleson sent us.”

It was exactly what I did the first afternoon we got there.
Jerry said in his charming southern accent, “Why don’t you guys come over to the house tonight for dinner.”

Jerry, Huddy and their two girls took us in as family
immediately. They were at our side during Cecelia’s pregnancy. Huddy was right
there at the Air Force Base Hospital as we waited for Brad’s birth on December
1, 1965.

As it turned out, Blytheville Arkansas was a great
experience  that neither of us will
forget.

I look forward to visiting Blytheville with Brad in 2014. We
will stay in Memphis for the weekend.

  The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.



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Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

July 4th 2013

July 4^th should conjure up
feelings of liberty, freedom, and patriotism. It is a celebration of the birth of the United States of
America. 

It is not just another holiday from work,
but a celebration of those who have gone before us to ensure our freedoms.

“Americans should remember as they celebrate July
4^th that it is also called Independence Day for a reason. 
It should not be lost during the barbecues, fireworks celebrations, concerts,
and parades that this holiday was established to reflect on the meaning of
freedom and personal rights.” 

The New York
Times wrote an insipid editorial about July 4^th

“Every Ordinary Fourth by THE
EDITORIAL BOARD

“Do we, as
a nation, eat more hot dogs on July Fourth than any other day of the year? What
about potato salad and deviled eggs? Are there still legions of children
hand-cranking ice cream, watching the pale gray slurry of rock salt and ice
with appalling impatience while the grown-ups stand by recalling their own
apprenticeship at the crank?”

The
words liberty, freedom, and
patriotism as a description of the meaning of America
do not occur once in the editorial.

What
is wrong with the New York Times? What is happening to America? We must wake up
soon before our freedoms are lost.

The Fourth of July is more than a day of
celebration and remembrance; it is another opportunity to say thank you and be
thankful for our freedom.

This
is especially true of our medical freedom and the impingement of that freedom
with Obamacare.

 
 

Parade Photo July 4, 2013

The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone

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Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

St. Patrick’s Day is my birthday. This St. Patricks’s day was my 75^th
birthday.

A little background has to be presented before I talk about the
phenomenal birthday party my wife Cecelia threw for me in the Eilan Hotel Resort and
Spa in San Antonio.

When I was three years old my mother took me to the New York City Fifth
Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade. She sewed a kelly green jump suit for me to
wear.

When we got to the Parade she told me all those people were marching to
celebrate my birthday. This happened every year until I was six. I finally
caught on.

She celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with me  the rest of her life. After I
moved out of the house she would call at 6.30 am every St. Patrick’s Day and
sing Happy Birthday to me.

My sister-in-law took over after my mother’s death. I get a chill up my
spine every time Cindy does it. She never misses a beat.

Cecelia sent me this as a little extra birthday present.

"Stan,

I helped fund Doug and Telisha's new CD with a donation through
Kickstarter.

Here it
is, FOR YOU, their personal video. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! "

"Hi Cecelia,

Here is a link to Stanley's special video telegram:

 
http://youtu.be/oVpj4_mODnY

Sincerely,

Telisha"

I started my practice of Clinical Endocrinology in the summer of 1970.
At the beginning of March 1971 I bought a kelly green wool blazer to wear while
seeing patients on my birthday. If March 17^th landed on a Sunday I
carried out the ritual on Monday. If it landed on Saturday I wore my jacket on
Friday.

It was lots of fun. After a few years the same patients made an appointment
to see me on my birthday.

After a while more people than I could see in one day wanted an
appointment on that day. Some of the people made appointment a year in advance
so they would have the slot.

I think they had more fun than I had. Patients started bringing me St.
Patrick’s Day clothing. They brought in green ties, sweaters, vests, leprechaun
shoes and hats of all shapes and sizes.

I had so much stuff and so many patients that wanted to have an
appointment on my birthday that I extended the celebration to two days and
started wearing a different costume each day.

My birthday has been a glorious day. This year Cecelia wrote to her
entire email list and asked them to say something about me. She has not given the album to me yet because she has not finished it and the notes keep coming in.

She said many of the notes made her cry and she
is sure they will make me cry.

Brad put his note to me in his blog. It made me cry. I remember all
of it.

Cecelia and I drove down to San Antonio on Wednesday March 13^th. We thought it would be fun to drive. It was a mistake. I-35 is still a mess between Waco and San Antonio after all these years.

I would be remiss if I did not put some of my outfits into this blog.

Arriving at Eilan Hotel Resort and Spa

 I wore this soccer shirt to dinner at La Fonda with Brad and Amy.

 Thursday Daniel, Laura and Sabrina arrived. We explored the new end of the Riverwalk before dinner. 

Doesn't Daniel look great? 

Dinner was wonderful at Il Sogno Tratoria at the Pearl Brewery 

Friday's Outfit

 Charlie and Cindy arrive.

Dinner at Boudros on the Riverwalk

All dessed up for Saturday  

They dyed the San Antonio River green for my birthday.

They did it in Chicago,too. My birthday is a great day.

My fabulous and beautiful wife and I before dinner at Sustenio at the Eilan Hotel

Brad, Amy and I before the birthday dinner.

My cake. Do not let the green fool you. It is solid chocolate

Brad, Stan and Dan with the most wonderful person in my world, Cecelia.

I wish to thank Cecelia publicly for creating this fabulous weekend. 

I love you

Stan

The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.



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Stanley
Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

Cecelia and I are
approaching our 50^th wedding anniversary. We were married on June
16,1963.

Our first date was on March
31,1959. March 31^st has been a magical day for me.

I had my Bar Mitzvah on March
31^st even though my birthday is March 17th.   

Cecelia
and I became engaged on March 31^st. 

I all began with my Aunt
Anna. My aunt Anna was a friend of Cecelia’s mother. Aunt Anna met Cecelia. She
liked her. She told Cecelia’s mother she had the perfect boy for Cecelia.

Cecelia did not need to be
introduced to any boys. At 16^1/2 years old she was already a
beautiful woman.

Aunt Anna was a persistent
woman. She bothered my brother Charlie at least 3 times a week for months to
call Cecelia and take her out.

My brother was a senior in
high school. He played on the high school’s basketball and baseball team. He
was a big man on campus. In addition to all of that he had a steady girlfriend.

He had no time or interest
in taking Cecelia out.

My family lived in a small
three story attached two bedroom house. My brother and I shared a bedroom. One
night he asked me to help him get Aunt Anna off his back.

He asked me to take Cecelia
out.

I said sure. I made a date
to take her out for pizza on a Wednesday night. I took her to the Pizza Parlor
on Boston Post Road and Gun Hill Road in the Bronx. The Pizza Parlor is gone
now.

Years later I found out that
she was not impressed with the pizza. She was impressed with my father’s baby
blue 1959 Pontiac Bonnieville convertible and its gigantic fins.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1959-PONTIAC-BONNEVILLE-CONVERTIBLE-BLUE-1-18-DIECAST-CAR-MODEL-BY-SUNSTAR-/140604420397

I fell in love with Cecelia
at first sight.

She was beautiful in her
blue button down shirt and jeans. She was very intelligent. She had many
interests. She was a great conversationalist.

I dated many girls in high
school and college. I was never as impressed as I was by the brightness of this
woman. As my father would say, “I was smitten”.

Cecelia was going to High
School of Music and Art. We had many of the same interests.

At Columbia College I was a
pre-med with a concentrates in chemistry and fine art.

Columbia College was my first
exposure to fine art and its history. At that point Cecelia knew as much or
more about the arts than I did.

Her élan blew me away.

When I got home that night I
told my brother I thought I would be marrying Cecelia.

He looked at me as though I
was nuts. We then turned the light off and went to sleep.

The rest is history. Cecelia
and I have had a wonderful trip through life together. We have always had mutual
respect for each other. We have grown in life together by cultivating mutual
interests. We have supported each other’s dreams.

Cecelia has always been my
heroine. I know I have always been her hero.

We raised two sons, Daniel
and Brad. When I think about it, they are a combination of both of us in
different proportions.

Daniel and Brad are fine men
and dedicated husbands. Both are married to wonderful women.  Cecelia and I are very proud of them.

As Cecelia and I approach
our 50^th wedding anniversary with a great family, I can only think
of the corny phrase my mother used
over and over again when she was alive and the family was together,

“My cup runneth over”.

It was a very lucky first date.

 The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.



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Stanley
Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

As
a Columbia College student in the late 1950’s I worked in a Catskill Mountain
hotel resort as a waiter during the summers to earn money for college tuition
and expenses.

My
college tuition was $450 per semester.

I
had a great job in a wonderful adult only hideaway hotel at the end of a
winding country road. The tips were great. I was able to earn enough to pay for
college tuition and some expenses each year.

Even
in 1957 college kids did stupid things. The hotel was usually closed after
Labor Day until the first week in June each year. I always started the first
week in June.

The
Catskill Mountains are a winter wonderland at Christmas time. Only Grossinger’s
Hotel was open and had winter activities.

 The owner of my hotel decided to open the hotel
Thanksgiving and the last two weeks in December. In 1957 New York City was
beginning to close down the last two weeks in December. The owner felt she
could fill the hotel even though winter activities were not yet in abundance in
the Catskill Mountains.

She
figured she could fill the hotel up by providing enough on activities at the
hotel for the guests.

She
was right.

The
fall semester at Columbia College was over. My finals were finished. Spring
Semester would start January 16^th.

The
owner invited me to work those two weeks. I jumped at the opportunity despite
the protests of my parents. The only bad thing was I did not own a car. I did
not look forward to taking the Greyhound Bus to Woodbourne New York.

I
called around to a few of my friends who worked with me in the summer. Freddie
W. had just gotten a car. He volunteered to drive me and two other friends. We
were to pay for the gas.

I
thought Freddie was great. We left New York City on December 17^th
1956. It was an uneventful trip on a beautiful sunny cold day.

The
hotel was gorgeous it the snow.  The snow
emphasized its architectural beauty.

My
waiting tables were full. The entertainment and activities were spectacular.
Christmas Eve and New Years Eve were a knockout. Some guest had already made
reservations for next year.  

The
guest left after lunch New Years Day. We all cleaned up the dinning room and
our serving stations and prepared to leave.

It
was a cloudy cold day with snow and ice on the ground. I wanted to stay over
until January 2^nd. Freddie said he couldn’t. He had a date that
evening. I couldn’t figure that out because we didn’t leave until 3.30 p.m. He
had to have another reason.

About
half way to New York City we encountered a snowstorm. The roads at that time
were back roads, not highways.  

My
father’s advice that was burned into my head about driving in snow was to  “Drive
slowly in a snow storm. Try not to hit the brakes. Downshift and turn into a
skid.”

The
roads were very slippery. Freddie was cautious. However, he was a little less
cautious than I would have been.  

I
did not say anything because I knew Freddie would never listen.

We
came to a bend in the road. We could not see anything beyond the bend. The
visibility was poor because of the heavy snow.

I
felt like telling him to stop until we could see a little better. I knew he
wouldn’t listen. I kept my mouth shut.

As
we turned the bend, we started going down a steep slippery hill. It was too
late to stop and wait.

Freddie
downshifted. The car did not hold. We were sliding downhill. The car was
picking up speed as it skidded.

At
that point it looked like everything was in slow motion.

There
was a steep drop off on each side of this two-lane road. I could see Freddie
was becoming nervous. The last thing I wanted to give him was advice.

 I could see him starting to move his foot toward
the brake pedal. We were almost at the bottom of the hill.

I
yelled. Freddie, “no brake and turn into
the skid.”  Somehow he listened to me
and gently turned into the skid.

In
seconds we were at the bottom of the hill and on a flat road. We were safe!

The
remaining drive was uneventful but slow. It snowed like crazy all the way into
New York City.

We
were shaken. Freddie dropped me off at my house.

As
soon as I walked through the front door of my house my father asked how much money
I made in tips during the two weeks of work.

My
mother noticed how shaken I was. I was white. She came over and hugged her
nineteen year old. She wished me a Happy New Year and told me she loved me.
Then she asked why I was so shaken.

I
told her and my father what happened. I immediately saw that my father wanted
to take back his first question. The money was meaningless.

I
told them tomorrow I was going to spend every penny I made on the best hi fi
set could find. I said I thank god I am alive!

They
both understood and approved.

Life
is inches. It must be remembered. I promised myself that I would have to
remember that I must enjoy every moment I am alive.  I believe I have.

  The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.

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Stanley
Feld M.D, FACP,

Two weeks ago
after I wrote “A Tribute To Jack Feld”, I received a bunch of requests to write
about the upcoming Chautaugua we had scheduled at the Aspen Institute for this
year’s Feld Men’s Trip.

Left to Right: Daniel, Stan, Kenny,
Jon, Brad in front and Charlie. There was no room on the rock for Brad so he
was pushed off.

Our private
Chitaugua took place August 23rd-26^th. Each of the 6 of us had 2-3
hours to talk about anything we wanted. During that time there would be
discussions and reactions to the ideas each of us presented.

My brother,
Charlie Feld, requested that he go first and that I be the cleanup presenter.

I figured
that was good because I would try to pull everyone’s ideas together.

Charlie
distributed statistics about the United States for the last 70 years.  There are many categories that can be compared
such as population, the unemployment rate, the national debt and the baseball
standings.

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1942.html

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1952.html

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1962.html

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1972.html

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1982.html

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1992.html

 

http://www.infoplease.com/year/2002.html

The only
thing that remained stable was that on August 23 of each decade the New York
Yankees were in first place in their league or division.

The major
point that was made was there has always been uncertainty and change in the
world.

Technological
change has accelerated social, political and economic change.

PC’s are 30
years old. Smart phones are 12 years old. Our son’s kids don’t know what a
typewriter is. Imagine the rate of change in the next ten years.

We did a
lot of imagining.

We
concluded that change is not random. Technological change has stimulated innovation,
which in turn stimulated more innovation.

Leadership
evolves, and initiatives are started. The ability to change and progress lies
with Americans’ individual freedom.

The U.S.
constitution gives Americans these freedoms. We must protect these freedoms.

My son,
Brad Feld, was next. Brad is in the midst of creating a “Start Up
Revolution.”  

He just
finished a book called” Start Up Communities, Building an Entrepreneurial
Ecosystem in Your City.”

Brad spoke
about the value of entrepreneurial ecosystems. He outlined how networking can increase
the efficiency of all organizations.

He stated
that society is in the process of changing from a hierarchical society to a
networked society. Hierarchical society was an invention of the industrial
revolution. The networked society is an outgrowth of the Digital society as we
progress through the  Electronic
Revolution.

He also
spoke about the importance of social networking to communities and the vital
need for mentees to become mentors in their community.

The
community should become a non-zero sum community to enhance innovation in the
community. Community meet-ups are vital to enhancing entrepreneurial
ecosystems.

For more
details, buy his book. I think it is great even if I am his father.

The level
of the discussion of the first two sessions overwhelmed me. In fact the
discussions spilled over well into dinner.

Jon Feld
was up next. Jon talked about the mechanism for being great at something. First
you have to have a passion for the activity. Then it takes 20,000 hours of
intense practice. Sometimes putting in your 20,000 hours does not result in
greatness.

Daniel Feld
is missing because he is taking the picture. Jon  is speaking and Charlie, Brad, Kenny and Stan  are listening.

He gave us
examples. The discussion then went to kids and their inability to be exposed to
multiple activities because of the intensity of competition.

The lack of
concentration on one activity puts them too far behind children who have perfect
one activity.

The
examples given were basketball, baseball, piano, orchestra playing, dancing, singing
or acting.

The
children of today must concentrate on becoming expert in one activity and make
the grade in middle school or high school.

I remember
being perfect in nothing but exposed to everything. I wanted my boys to have
the same exposure. It worked.

In my view
a one- dimensional exposure to activities can be stifling when a child reaches
adulthood.  

The
combination of a one-dimensional child exposed to fierce competitive stress can
burn out a child rapidly. If the parent is living through the child’s success
is can affect the parent/child relationship.

 “Kids are
people too.”

I reminded
the guys that my father said to me “I could do anything I wanted as long as I
became a doctor.”

Brad
reminded us all that I said to him, “he could do anything he wanted.”  I ended the sentence there and he appreciated
it.

The
discussion lasted a long while with lots of great ideas and opinions.

Kenny was
terrific. He analyzed the way he problem solves. He is very perceptive and very
optimistic. We discussed decision making in the context of reality vs. fantasy.

The
discussion became deeper and deeper as we progressed. This enhanced our bonding
with each other. Jon brought up the concept of the six of us being a tribe and
something special was happening here.

Daniel
asked us to define the meaning of charitable giving. Of the six of us Brad’s
concepts and methodology wins the prize. He and Amy have done a lot of thinking
about the concept. They have developed a well-designed plan for giving.

There were
many meaningful ideas presented.  We all
agreed that charity was a lousy word. The common denominator should be that
giving be self-satisfying.

I was the
cleanup hitter. I started off by saying a mentor somewhere along the line gave
my brother and me the thirst for lifelong learning. I have learned from this meeting
that we have somehow transmitted this thirst to all four boys.

 I also said
we all have to be involved in our community whether national or local.

 This
statement pressed my Repairing the Healthcare System button. My brother is a
fan of my concept.

 The boys
understand that the healthcare system is self-destructing. There is nothing
anyone can do because of the political irrationality of the day.

My point
was we should never stop trying.

This led to
the last question. Which character did each of us identify most with in “Atlas
Shrugged” and why?

I will leave
the answers for another time.

It was a
fascinating weekend. When I spoke to Cecelia during the weekend all I could say
was it was a phenomenal weekend as I was savoring the concepts discussed.

Wow. Same
time next year.

 My Brother
and I discussing the progress of the Chautaugua at breakfast.

The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone

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Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE

Every year the Feld men get together somewhere and talk about life. I have two sons, Brad and Daniel and my brother has two sons, Jon and Kenny.

All four are leaders.

My brother and I are very close. I came to Dallas in 1969. My brother and his wife followed one year later. Charlie was working at IBM’s corporate headquarters working up the corporate ladder. He requested a transfer to Dallas so our families could be together.

The first two boys are one year apart with Brad being the oldest. Daniel and Kenny followed three years later and are also one year apart.

This year we are going to have a personal chautauqua at the Aspen Institute. It will be a two day session where all six of us will have two one hour talks. The goal is to try to teach each other something.

There are no agenda and no published topics.

“Chautauqua ( /ʃəˈtɔːkwəu/ shə-TAW-kwə) was an adult education movement in the United States Lectures were the mainstay of the chautauqua.  The reform speech and the inspirational talk were the two main types of lecture until 1913.^[5] Later topics included current events, travel and stories, often with a comedic twist.”

The mission is to try to understand each others perception of the issues of the day, discuss present life experiences and our hopes for the future.

It is simply a bonding experience.

I am dedicating the Feld Men’s Group to my dad, Jack Feld.

My dad was never short of having opinions nor afraid to express them

He was a very intelligent man who was serious, pragmatic and passionate about his work and his ideas.

He was a victim of the depression as well as tragedies during the depression. His family was very rich prior the depression.

In fact he had a driver driving him to school every day. During the depression he parents got sick and died.

At 16 years old he had to leave Dewitt Clinton High School in the Bronx his junior year and go to work to support his three young sisters.  He started sweeping the floor in a small factory in downtown New York City. He ended up owning a very large factory in both New York City and Miami.

Jack Feld was a self taught man. He always had big ideas and was never afraid to express them or take risks. He had an uncanny ability to see around corners and recognize the next big thing.

At 78 years old he bought out a company that had washing machines that stone washed jeans before stone washed jeans were fashionable.

Sometimes his timing was off but that never deterred him.  He would say , “All you have to do is hang around long enough and the world will catch up to you.”

Most of the time his timing was impeccable. He had a brilliant mathematical mind. He could figure out a price for an item and give a good deal to the buyer in seconds as well as figure his sizable net profit.

He was passionate about everything in a very quiet way. One of his passions was buying new automobiles.   

In 1935 he bought a Model T Ford for $320 dollars. He and my mother drove it for 11 years. He sold it through the classified section of the New York Post for $395 in 1946.

 I was in third grade and I understood that $395 was greater than $320 arithmetic  I did not know anything about inflation.

I asked my father why that guy would spend more for that 11 year old piece of junk than he paid for it new.

He said inflation. He explained how FDR devalued the dollar. He said World War II inflated prices even further. In retrospect it was a pretty good concept for an 8 year old to understand.

He then bought a 1946 Ford with a jump seat with the money he got for his 1936 Ford plus some.

One of the more attractive 1946 Ford models was the Super DeLuxe coupe sedan (also sometimes called the sedan coupe).

My father kept that car until Ford remodeled their cars in 1949. He traded it in for a 1949 dark red Ford convertible. Red was the only color the convertible came in.

http://youtu.be/G8aIYzm_1TY

 The You Tube describes the automotive revolution. My father spotted the revolution the moment Ford started delivering the new cars to the dealerships.

He kept the 1949 Ford convertible for 2 years.

Our family vacationed every year for two weeks in a hotel in the Catskill Mountains.

My father was bored after the first day of vacation. He had no work.

Everyday he went off to the dealerships in Monticello and Newburg New York. His excuse was to take a spin in his convertible. He also was dealing for a new car.

My mother said that it was really his way of going fishing.

In 1951 he caught a fish. He traded in the 1949 Ford convertible for a 1951 Ford convertible. The trade cost him $200.

http://youtu.be/tQ5aHKzrA8g

In 1953 he snagged an incredible looking 1953 Mercury. The red was a “cherry” red.

https://www.google.com/search?q=1953+Mercury+convertible&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

The trade in price was always favorable, if you knew how to negotiate. My father was great at negotiating.

He had some problems with his 1953 Merc’s universal joint. In the summer of 1955 while on vacation he traded it in for a 1955 Mercury convertible.

My dad had a knack for picking the classic cars of the future.

He was now on a roll. He had his dealerships all lined up. The next car he drove back to the hotel was a 1957 black Mercury convertible. I took a coupe of pictures of those cars then.

http://youtu.be/aK0yJgMXRmk

I was 19 years old and a junior at Columbia College at the time. This car got a WOW from me. It also got a WOW from the girls I dated.

My dad figured it was time for a change in 1959 with a son graduating from Columbia College and going to medical school.

He stepped it up a notch. He bought a baby blue (Columbia Colors) 1959 Pontiac Bonneville convertible with gigantic fins. The Mercury’s fins were nothing compared to the Bonneville’s fins.

He picked another classic car.

This is my lucky car. I drove this car on my first date with my wife Cecelia. The first date started us on a magnificent journey of knowing each other for 53 years and 49 years of marriage.

I did not know what my dad liked better the Mercury or the Mercury dealership but in 1961 he bought this black Mercury convertible.

I could go on and on. I present these cars as an example of my dad’s eye for spotting future classics. These perceptions applied to many areas of his life and work.

Some of his perceptions have rubbed off on my brother and me.

We now know that some of our perceptions have rubbed off on our sons. We are very proud of them.

As The Feld men are about to embark on the Annual Feld Men’s Trip  I had the urge to reminisce about my dad. He meant a lot to all of us.  

It reminds me how important it is to bond with your kids and your parents.

The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone

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