April 19 - Thursday "The Family Circle is Unbroken"

A few phone calls to the retirement home where our father's long lost cousin, Louis Lazar now resides appeared to insure that we would not be allowed to visit him as we had hoped. A round of phone tag between the desk and his apartment put him off as he tried to understand what was going on. He finally told the desk that he "wasn't much of a greeter," so he didn't want any visitors, and was in fact "flat on his back" this morning and didn't feel well enough to entertain.

It was just the scenario I had feared. Louis is 94 years old and has lived in a retirement community for many years. Our connection to him is tenuous at best. When I had first discovered his existence late last summer I attempted a phone call which he ended by hanging up. I then wrote him and laid out our family lines. He was reluctant to contact me, but he had been persuaded by his housekeeper to make the call. I was floored when weeks after sending the letter I heard him say, "Hello Nancy, this is Louis. But you can call me Bud."

And that is exactly what he said to me once again on my cell phone shortly after we arrived at his retirement home. We had been making headway with the wonderful attendant at the desk and had planned to leave some pictures of the family with her. Louis had been given my phone number and made the decision to call me:

I replied, "Yes, it's me, Bud. Remember me?"

Where are you?

I'm down in the lobby.

Are you here in California?

Yes I'm in the lobby of your building!

You are! Well... I guess you'll have to come up and see me then.

I'd love to. I'm here with my sister. She wants to meet you too.

Your are! Well... I'm not much of a greeter. Why don't I come down and get you.

If you feel like it.

I just have to put on a sweater and I'll come down.

OK see you in a few minutes!

Minutes later, a tall man with spindly legs wearing a red sweater came down the hall and I knew instantly it was our long lost relative, Louis (Bud) Lazar. He is one of two cousins that my father never knew because his father and Louis' father had parted ways in the early 1920's. The reason for this has been one of the mysteries of this research.

Louis (Bud) reminded both Deb and me of my youngest brother Russ. He has the same quick humor and wit. Bud worked in the printing industry all his life and seemed to be very mechanically inclined like our brother. He was very gregarious and funny most of the time. He said that his father, also a Louis, was a real fighter, and would "take you on, if you got in his way." I had articles from his father's time as a boxer in 1906 which improved his memory on that subject.

Unfortunately he couldn't always place the people of his past and didn't seem to want to talk much about his family, but we got to see a few pictures on the wall left by relatives and a Happy Birthday note written by a grandchild. In the end we were satisfied with making the family connection, which was very strong, and leaving the mysteries to simmer for now.

After our goodbyes we met up with our cousin, Dr. Thomas Baer, who unfortunately missed the meeting with Louis owing to the difficulties we had getting it arranged. He took us on a wonderful tour of Stanford University. It's hard to describe seeing for yourself what an accomplished person our cousin has become. And he is not the only exceptional family member in the Lazar line (including the coming generation). I won't go into all the flattering details except to say he has fulfilled the ideal to do something worthwhile with your talents.

After visiting his lab and office we walked the campus which is stunning. A huge cathedral anchors one side of a Spanish style plaza which reminded me of pictures I've seen of the old missions along California's coast. After the walking tour we had a wonderful lunch and got caught up on 50 years of history. Later, after a rest at the hotel, we were back out for another long conversation over dinner with Tom's wife Bobbi and another cousin, Bill Baer who happened to be in the state on business with his firm.

Bill and Tom had some interesting documents on the patents of our grandfather, William T. Lazar, showing that he was still at work developing the paper towel machine for interleaving tissue paper in 1920. (These were new to me and I will have to follow up on them in my work on the paper case.) We showed them a book that was published by the Zellerbach Paper Company referencing the Lazar's paper towel factory and several old pictures of the family. The night went by too quickly, but we had to end our visit. Tom was leaving on business in the morning and Bill had appointments, so that was our last time together. Deb and I were so grateful for the generosity and congeniality of the family we were able to meet with there in Palo Alto. Thanks you guys.

We left the hotel in the morning after a great night's sleep not knowing where we would be staying that night. On the way into San Francisco, our route to the Bancroft Library in Berkeley where some documents were being held for us to view, Deb made a call to an old friend whom she had just uncovered in a dark region of her memory.

Hi Linda, it's Debbie, Debbie Lazar. Do you remember me?

Ummm...

We were great friends. Back in Putney... I mean Brattleboro. Our kids were the same age. I remember we really hit it off back then. Barry my husband and Dan, they were friends too.

Well, I can't quite place you but what's going on?

Oh I'm in California. Driving into San Francisco right now actually, with my sister. We are on a fact-finding tour of the places our great grandfather lived and worked.

I see...

We are going to be in Berkeley today and I remembered you moved there and thought I'd look you up. (Deb continued to explain the mission to the library and our plans for the day.)

So, you're going to the Bancroft? Where are you staying tonight?

We don't have any place lined up yet.

Why don't you come here when you're done. You can stay with us tonight. Let's have dinner together too, Ok?

That's sounds great! We'll see you later then.

After an exchange of information and numbers Deb hung up the phone and we were riding on a cloud. It wasn't that we didn't have a hotel because we could always figure that out, but it was extra nice to be invited to stay with friends, even very old ones that couldn't quite place us, and right near the place where we would be ending the day. Now we could concentrate on the business at hand, reading and copying the contents of a carton of documents from the Zellerbach Paper Company files (SERIES 7.7: NATIONAL PAPER PRODUCTS COMPANY, 1914-1936) labeled "Lazar Case."