Senior Viewpoint

This is my personal list of the movie films that I recommend for both entertainment and content value.

1. Casablanca. An insight into foreign policy during the World War II era.

2. Yankee Doodle Dandy. A biography of the famed songwriter and playright, George M. Cohan, during the World War I era.

3. Pride of the Yankees. The true story about, Lou Gehrig, a great athlete and person.

4. Gunga Din. Based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling, with superb acting about the British empire in India.

5. Gone With The Wind. A historical drama about the challenges during the Civil War.

6. Animal Crackers. The Marx Brothers at their zany best.

7. Tora Tora. The events leading up to World War II, and the attack of Pearl Harbor.

8. Citizen Kane. The rise and fall of a giant .

9. Inherit The Wind. Clarence Darrow portrayed as the lawyer who defended a teacher accused of teaching the theory of evolution.

10. Young Man With a Horn. Kirk Douglas is a very talented musician seeking fame and fortune.

I have always been a motion picture fan and have many other favorites.

Relax and see a movie.

The recent retirement buzz about Packer football hero, Brett Favre, reminds me that retirement is not easy.

For some people retirement is well planned and is very fulfulling and for other people retirement is not well planned and leaves a void in their life.

For Brett Favre, retirement had been on his agenda for some time and each time the subject came up he changed his mind.

But, this year he made it very clear to the national media and expressed his emotional inner feelings and made it final.

The Green Bay Packer front office completely relied on Brett's final decision and went ahead and drafted 2 talented college Quarterbacks. By naming Aaron Rodgers the starting signal caller it became time to move on.

Some Packer fans held out hope that their hero would somehow return, regain his old form, and lead the Packers to a Super Bowl championship.

Brett and his agent know what his contract says. Both are well aware that the Packers are moving on and do not want to repeat the agony of Bart Starr playing beyond his physical limitations.

I have been a Green Bay Packer fan since as a youth when my parents took me to State Fair Park, where I saw such greats as Don Hutson, Johnny Blood, Buckets Goldenberg, Arnie Herber and Cecil Isbell.

The odds are against Brett returning and winning the Super Bowl so let us move on with 3 talented quarterbacks and a very good team.

The Green Bay Packers are a team with a proud tradition that has a chance to challenge the contenders, even without Brett, and have the opportunity to once again become a dominant force.

Lou Gehrig , New York Yankee first baseman, in 17 seasons, had a lifetime slugging percentage of .632, a record 23 grand slam home runs and 4 home runs in one game. With an amazing lifetime batting average of .340 and his 493 lifetime home runs and 4 home runs in one game, he never reached the $80,000 annual salary of Babe Ruth.

Gehrig's top salary was $39,000 per season and he never negotiated, it is said, and never had an agent. Lou simply accepted what was offered and he was grateful for it.

Lou was not a natural baseball player, his first organized sport was football, but his never ending practice sessions made him the greatest first baseman in baseball history.

During his career the Yankees won the American League pennant and the World Series 3 times.

Lou played with colds, fevers, lumbago, concussions and fractured bones while setting his iron man records, and he had at least 5 more productive seasons left in him when tradegy struck home.

It was on May 2, 1939 when Lou told Yankee manager, Joe McCarthy,to take him out of the game because he could not help the team anymore. Lou, himself, conceded that his once super athletic body could not function anymore.

Later into that last game , alone in the dugout, he wept and the streak ended at 2,130 consecutive games.

The disease that paralyzed him was diagnosed as amyothropic lateral sclerosis, and he became the victim of the incurable disease with 2 years to live.

Lou Gehrig never considered himself a hero, but his records included 6 all star games and most valuable player 4 times, with an all time World Series batting average of .361 and 10 home runs in 7 World Series, more than enough to have him inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

In his farewell speech in Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, before a capacity crowd, there was not a dry eye,when he said,"when you have a Father and a Mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body---it's a blessing. When you have a Wife who has been  a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed---that's the finest I know. So I close in sayting that I may have had a tough break but I have an awful lot to live for".

It all began while at Columbia University, N.Y., in 1923 a baseball scout saw him play and signed Lou to a contract with the New York Yankees with a bonus estimated at $500. Lou played in the minor leagues for part of that season when the Yankee parent team called him up to be their first baseman for an injured Wally Pipp. That was the start for Lou of what would lead to13 consecutive years and 2,130 consecutive games earning him the title of "Iron Man of Baseball".

Lou Gehrig was always a gentleman, very shy and quiet, and was nice to everyone. He was extremely patient with the kids who swarmed around him for his autograph, and was know to disappear at times only to be found coaching, umpiring or playing on a sandlot baseball field with some kids.

Later in life when the dreaded disease ravaged his powerful body he worked out to the limit of his endurance trying to continue his baseball career while his strength rapidly deteriorated.

During most of his days with the Yankees he was completely overshadowed by the compelling figure of George Herman Ruth, The Babe. It is said that Lou and Babe although they hit back to back in the lineup, Lou no.3 and Babe no. 4, were not good friends even though their team was winning championships and world series.

Then came the trade and virtual retirement of Babe Ruth and Lou was named Team Captain in a new era that saw Joe Dimaggio emerge and the "Bronx Bombers" were born. That team even made fans forget the infamous "Murderers Row" led by the one and only Babe Ruth.

Lou Gehrig was a poor boy who conquered life's handicaps, never thought of himself as someone special, was brave and gallient to the end when at age 38 his life was over. He never wore a hat, a vest or overcoat until his dutiful wife, Eleanor, insisted. He was not a drinker a troublemaker or a publicity seeker, and was devoted to his mother and his wife.

The Baseball statistics that led him to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. , were and some still are out of the reach of any player today.

His lifetime batting average of .340 over 17 years in todays market would certainly earn him more money than Lou could ever imagine. In 13 seasons Gehrig averaged 147 runs batted in a season, a fete that neither Aaron, Mantle or Mays never reached, even in one season.

My boyhood hero and my adult baseball hero has been and now is the great LOU GEHRIG.

As a youth I read the book "LOU GEHRIG, A QUIET HERO", by Author Frank Graham, and I saw the movie "Pride of the Yamlees".

My interest in Lou Gehrig became a burning desire to learn more and more about the "Iron Man of Baseball".

Over the years I have collected Lou Gehrig memorabillia and cherish my collection.

Henry Louis Gehrig was born in New York City on June 19,1903 and died on June 2, 1941 in Riverdale, New York. His playing height was 6' and weight was 200 lbs. He grew up the son of immigrant parents who could hardly make ends meet and after graduation from high school where he excelled in sports, he enrolled in Columbia University to study engineering.Instead of becoming an engineer as his devoted and hard working mother wanted, while at Columbia he was a success in football as a scholarship fullback. He went out for for the baseball team as a pitcher and first baseman and attracted the attention of sports fans and professional scouts.

His parents, Heinrich Gehrig and Christina Fack were not destined to become wealthy. His father was mostly out of work and not in good health, and his mother was his inspiration and his companion (at one time she traveled with the team and was the unofficial chef), and she was his best fan.

Lou married Eleanor Twitchel, a socialite from Chicago where he met her while playing there, and she became the love of his life and was with him at the end.                

It was on July 4, 1939 at Yankee Stadium where Lou made his famous speech on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day, when he said,"Some people will say I had a bad break but today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth". There are many other versions of that speech when Lou was forced to retire because of a then little known disease now called "Lou Gehrig Disease".

May , 2008, was a special month for me.

1. Final recovery from eye surgery.

2. Presentation from common counsel and mayor at city hall of a resolution for service as municipal judge.

3. Presentation from Wis. Bar Association as a 50 year emeritus attorney at law.

4. Recognition at Elmbrook Baptist church as a public servant and Korean War veteran.

5. Appointment by Chief District Judge as a Reserve Municipal Judge.

6.Appointment by my American Legion Post as their legal counsel.

My sincere appreciation to all those who made this possible and to my physician whose skill allowed me to return to the private practice of law.And finally a vacation which was delayed 2 months.

RJSTEINBERGLAW@AOL.COm

262-784-7741

A few years ago my wife, Kathy, and I went on a trip to Paris, France, and we signed up for a tour bus to Normandy, a small village where the invasion of Europe took place during World War II.

After a long 3 1/2 hour drive we reached our much anticipated destination. First, there was a walking tour in two small buildings which contained souveniers and exhibits of the military and the invasion plan.

We were reminded that the Allied forces came from many different countries, including England, Australia, Canada and Poland.

We then went on a walking tour towards Omaha Beach where the troops landed. High above the beach there were remains of enemy bunkers and we had a vivid impression of how well fortified the enemy was when the Allied forces landed.

We were given permission to collect sand from Omaha Beach and I proudly did and have the precious reminder in a glass jar.

The most emotional experience was to visit the endless rows of graves where our heroes from that brutal invasion now rest peacefully.

Kathy and I wanted to pray and honor these heroes with our own personal tribute, so we each chose a grave and on our knees we kissed each chosen headstone to represent all of them and prayed.

Both Memorial Day and the anniversary of D Day is a time to reflect and remember the military heroes who sacrificed their lives so that future generation may be safe and enjoy the freedoms we are so fortunate to have.

Now that we have heard from all the candidates for President none of them have taken a meaningful stand on two important

 issues for senior citizens.

1. Crime. This includes felonies, misdemeanors, and local ordinance violations. Drugs and alcohol is on the rise for both adults

and juveniles. Some will say that statistics prove that crime is decreasing, but some statistics are the product of those who have

a special interest in the numbers. Not all crimes are reported as such or are degraded by those who report them, and not all

those who commit crimes are caught or arrested.

2. Social Security benefits. Senior citizens who qualify for benefits have paid income taxes and the government taxes them

again on retirement benefits. This is not fair to those who have worked hard their entire lifetime the enjoy financial stability

while in retirement.

My research show that formal local government in the Brookfield area started in 1846 when Waukesha County was split off from Milwaukee County, and the Town of Brookfield was created. Prior to this time Brookfield was referred to as the "Milwaukee Woods".

After 1853 , when the first railroad depot was built, Brookfield was often referred to as "Brookfield Junction." In 1867, a second and larger depot was built at the present site. At that time Brookfield consisted of many small farms, and beautiful green fields criss-crossed by many brooks and streams were served by dirt roads. The area was joined by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad, which also connected the area to points west, such as Waukesha and Watertown.

Brookfield remained primarily a quiet farm community, although there were some subdivions of lands in the 1930s and 1940s. After World War II there was a rapid growth in population and in 1954 the City of Brookfield was created with the incorporation of 16 square miles of town land. The Mayor-Council form of government was chosen because it was thought to be the most democratic and closer to the people. Franklin Wirth was elected the first Mayor.

The City was divided into 5 wards , now called districts with two Aldermen elected to represent each ward, forming a 10 person Council. In 1960 the City was redistricted and 7 districts were created resulting in the 14 person Council.

The vision of our forefathers was that the City of Brookfield would be governed by ELECTED officials who are chosen by the people, the city residents. Should a city-manager or similar type of government be formed it has to be done by the electorate in a referendum vote with a reasonable time before the vote for public debate and written notice to the residents explaining both the pros and cons of such a drastic change in our government

The City of Brookfield residents deserve "Open Government" because it is their tax dollars that finance our government and its employees.

By the way, what ever happened to the LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, who sponsored public debate for public office and were a great service to our community ?

When I moved to the City of Brookfield 35 years ago I was impressed with the friendly greetiing from the welcome wagon host who made me feel wanted as part of the community. Today there is no official welcome from the city, and yet a new commercial business is welcomed with a well publicized ribbon cuting ceremony.

And so the old and time tested tratition of starting out as a newcomer who is made comfortable upon arrival has faded into the past.

Thats the way it was.

Mayor Wirth was most deserving of having Wirth Park named after him. Mayor Wirth preserved open green spaces and the true style of suburban living, with some horses, cows and farms in an atmosphere of Hometown America.

Thats the way it was.

Mayor Mitchell also was most deserving of having Mitchell Park named after him, and he represented a gradual transition of modern and careful progress. Residents were involved in social activities during his tenure such as the Mitchell golf outing and dinner at Brookfield Hills and his annual Christmas party at his home, both of which were very popular events.

.Under both Mayor Wirth and Mayor Mitchell there was personal contact and a friendly community spirit.

Thats the way it was.

The major political issue in 1974 was the future development of condominiums, and residents voted them out because of their fear that property values would be harmed. My how times have changed.

Community leaders like Rolland Ruby wanted to keep the City of Brookfield united around a concentrated area. Thus Ruby Isle was born.

Gone are the places where people could meet and greet each other and keep up to date with the local issues and topics of the day. 

Some of the hometown places were Judges' Beyond The Reef (Calhoun and North), Karters (now the Grecian Inn), Ciros and Phillips Pharmacy at Ruby Aisle (now Walgreens) with a real soda fountain.

Thats the way it was.

We still have the best hometown to live in and the future is bright if the pace of progress slows down and gives us a chance to catch our breath. 

My blog is named Senior Viewpoint and as a senior citizen the subject matters that I write about come from my experiences, memories and lessons well learned.

With the presence of the computer, internet, ipod, cell phone and all the other modern communication devises, as a senior citizen I see the world in a different perspective than those fortunate to be younger.

My gratitude to BrookfieldNOW.com for including me in this new era and method of exchanign ideas.