||||"Poppa Cougar"
Remembering
Leslie Mark Mayerson
July 1945 - January 1981
By Paul Kottler and Bruce Hulman
PAUL KOTTLER’S RECOLLECTIONS OF LESLIE M. MAYERSON
The world is a truly strange place to live in. It seems so big and yet it so small. There are such an infinite number of things to think about and yet, sometimes the same thought occurs to many people simultaneously. Last month, Bruce Hulman emailed me that he was thinking of writing his next article about Les Mayerson. I wrote back that it was quite a coincidence, since I too was thinking of writing about Les. We were trying to decide who should write what, when, lo and behold, Sam Kurtz publishes his article about Les and the Jefferson School basketball team. Bruce and I decided then, that since he was on all of our minds, maybe you guys were thinking of him too, and we decided to add our thoughts to Sam’s. So here goes.
When I started Jefferson school kindergarten in 1950, I met a lot of kids who would be in my life for many years. Among others were Phyllis Benkel, Linda Weine, Joel Goldman, and Leslie Brody.
Now, Les lived nearby, on Kumler, and as it was on my way home, it was only natural to walk with him to his house as I made my way to mine (as you may remember, school buses had not yet been invented, so even 5 year olds were expected to hoof it home). Over the course of a couple of million of these walks, Les and I became good friends. A couple of years later, his dad having died, his mom remarried and Les sported the name of his stepfather, Al Mayerson.
Les and I spent many a night at each other’s house. We learned to play basketball and football, and to watch sports on TV together. I remember when his dad gave him his football jersey from high school. Les was excited as can be and wore it for days. At that time, seeing Les’s delight, I decided that if I ever had a football jersey I would be sure to save it for my kids. (I did, and they could not have cared less. I told you life was funny).
One day Les’s dad, who owned a deli at Forest Park, piled us in the car and said he was taking us to see the greatest new thing in food. We drove up Salem were we walked up to an outdoor window and ordered a bag full of burgers from Burger Chef (burger, fries and a coke for 45 cents). When you stop and think about how amazing the prices were; a burger for 15 cents, but no place to eat it and no one to bring it to you. What an idea (I was sure it would never catch on).
Sometime around third grade, we finally got big enough to wildly fling a basketball ten feet into the air. We all got immediately addicted to basketball. Les’s neighbor, two doors down was Larry Patterson. Larry had a court, with lights, and a basket on an actual pole, away from the house so you didn’t have to finish a lay-up by crashing into a brick wall. Larry’s house became the center of the universe for the Jefferson school boys and stayed that way all through high school. Everyone played there, Neff, McCoppin, Stockstill, Tim March, Me, Jeff Udis, Sam Kurtz, Joel Goldman, everyone in the neighborhood. In the winter we shoveled snow to play. In the summer we played in the evenings, after it cooled down. Of course, Les and Larry were the central figures, having the home court advantage and all. Larry’s dad was in the scrap iron business, so we had weights to lift made from weird junkyard pieces. When the CW coaches taught us about isometric contractions, Les built apparati from scrap iron. We played and worked out there constantly.
Place your cursor over a picture for Name and Position Played
In high school, Les and I were members of Phi Epsilon, a fraternity for Jewish boys. Phi Epsilon was organized primarily for social purposes but many friendships developed which remain today. During this period of our lives, Les and I worked out, played basketball at the YMCA on weekends, and had many a late night poker game. After a couple of years I quit running with the Phi Epsilon crowd and Les and I took different paths in our social lives. However, we were on the football team together and stayed good friends. Les was an all-city guard. Les was the most driven guy I ever knew. Before every game, while we were dressing, you could hear him in a stall puking his guts out. He was so afraid of failure that it made him physically ill. Then he would pull himself together and play a great football game.
I never saw either Les or Larry after graduation. When I heard, years later of Les’s suicide, I was stunned. Then several years later, when Larry took the same path, I was doubly stricken. I often wonder what led them to end their lives. I wonder if they knew how many friends they had, and how fondly they would be remembered many years later. I wonder if they had known if it would have made a difference. I know that I remember them both fondly and often, and wish that things had turned out better for both of them. Life can be hard sometimes but it’s all we’ve got. Oh well, I guess this just proves my point about what a strange world this is.
BRUCE HULMAN’S RECOLLECTIONS OF LESLIE M. MAYERSON
I came to know Les Mayerson when I was a sophomore at Colonel White. Les and I became members of Phi Epsilon fraternity. We were “pledges” together and I really did not spend much time with Les early on. But, as time passed and our pledging duties became paramount, Les and I got to know each other better. As pledges in Phi Epsilon you had to “generate revenue” for the fraternity. Phi Epsilon’s method of revenue generation was to go around the neighborhood and sell light bulbs. Other organizations generated the needed revenue by selling raffle tickets for a prize, but Phi Epsilon did it with light bulbs. So, you have these 15 year old kids going out selling light bulbs to friends, family and neighbors. Our fraternity meetings usually were sort of a controlled chaos in that “yours truly” still didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut when somebody else was talking and was always doing things for a laugh. Les rallied at my ridiculous humor and I guess he found some sense of ease in knowing me because I am “easy” and like to have fun.
I became aware of Les’s athletic prowess as a co-member in Phi Epsilon when Bob Klein and Les, along with John Wolfe would be talking about football practice and such. Bob Klein, as many of you may remember, was a determined soul (Hint: this is an understatement) and he worked out as hard as anybody at just being Bob Klein. Les was not as big as Bob or John Wolfe, but Les did not let his size deter him from what he thought he needed to do in football. To say that Les was “energized” would not do justice to how he handled life. Les was highly emotional and could fixate on that which he set his sights on. As I recall his mental acuity was very high in the areas of special interests.
Les and I socialized quite a bit during our junior year at Colonel White. We partook in card games…I just hung out because I couldn’t sit still long enough to play a hand. You all remember the weekend rituals; football or basketball games, going to see, listen to and dance to Huncie and the Entertainers on Gettysburg Avenue, Goody’s, Sam’s Pizza Cottage, Frisch’s, or Vic Cassano’s. Les and I did all those things together. During our senior year, Les and I continued our friendship and really “bonded” by going to the YMCA during the winter of 1963 to seriously lift weights. Les already could lift weights easily and I had to work at it. Les was a good lifting buddy and we worked out very hard at the YMCA. We used to have fun and just laugh and carry on. Les was trying to stay in shape and I was trying to get in shape.
When our class graduated from Colonel White, Les and I became roommates at the University of Cincinnati. Les was enrolled in liberal arts as was I. I can tell you that I really didn’t have the foggiest as to what I wanted to do and, as I recall, Les was interested in chemistry. I didn’t do well in college and dropped out. At that point, our lives separated. I ultimately finished my college at Ohio State and Les finished his college at Wittenberg University. During the college years; say the mid to late 1960’s, Les was dealing with personal emotional issues that were surfacing. When I was finishing my undergraduate degree in geology, I remember hearing about some of the personal difficulties that Les was having from mutual friends. I went to see Les and I sensed life was not too kind to him. It was like life was always a struggle for him and he had to work twice as hard as everybody else in order to achieve something. To me, it just wasn’t fair!
As the 1970’s passed, Les worked in the scrap business. He developed an understanding of various types of specialty metals. Our paths crossed again in the late 1970’s when he was living in Columbus, Ohio and I returned to Ohio State for yet another college degree; my civil engineering degree. This would have been around 1978-1979. During this time, Les met a lady who he wanted to marry. Her name was Jackie. Les found a lady who appreciated him for his considerate ways and could be of comfort to him when his emotions would rise. I thought Les was lucky to have found Jackie. During this time, Les and I would play handball at the Columbus YMCA and get together on the weekends. It was nice to do. I left Columbus after I graduated with my engineering degree and returned to Dayton. I would hear from Les from time to time but not with any consistency. Then, in late 1980, Les was undergoing some treatment for his depression or other emotional ailments. Sadly, Jackie called me in January 1981 to inform me that Les had committed suicide.
I cannot say much more to you other than to tell you that I feel that Les thought of me as one of his best friends toward the last days of his life. I do think about him from time to time and remember how we were in Phi Epsilon, at Colonel White and just generally as friends. Further, my memories of Les are with emphasis on the good times and how much we laughed and carried on, especially me. I am grateful to have known Les Mayerson and remember him with much affection.
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