Lunching with Legends

   There’s a saying that goes: From little things big things grow.
   In this case, the little thing was an idea by Bernie Gordon to organize a reunion luncheon for retired scrap executives like himself in South Florida.
   Gordon, formerly head of Gordon Waste Co. Inc. and half owner of Super Salvage Inc., enlisted the help of his wife, Doris, and two other couples: Max and Charlotte Bluestone, previously with Bluestone Metal Co. and Nicroloy Co., and Al Rosen and Bobbye Oberman-Rosen, widow of Scrap Age founder and publisher Mush Oberman.
   “When we began to plan this event, we figured maybe 30 to 35 people would come,” Bernie recalls. So he reserved the North Terrace room of Pete’s Restaurant in Boca Raton, Fla.
   Then “word got out, and it spread like wildfire,” he says. Within a week, he had 65 reservations, “so the restaurant had to give us a larger room that could accommodate 80 people.”
Two days later, he had 95 reservations, which meant he had to upgrade the luncheon space once again to the Grande Terrace, where the event was ultimately held.
All of a sudden, Bernie’s little idea had become a big affair. “We never had any idea it would be this magnitude,” he marvels.
In truth, he shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, his lunch was a historic, novel occasion, one that gave the many retired scrap execs in South Florida—always a sociable bunch—the chance to reconnect with old friends and recapture, if briefly, the camaraderie they enjoyed while attending ISIS, NARI (or NAWMD or NASMI), or ReMA meetings in the past.
   Thursday, March 23—the date of the luncheon—was a typical brilliant spring day in South Florida. Not too hot, not too cold, and—more important—not too humid. As the attendees arrived, they greeted each other like long-lost friends (which many of them were), with hugs, handshakes, kisses, and slaps on the back. Most came from nearby communities such as Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Lauderhill. Many called themselves “snowbirds”—fair-weather residents who escape to South Florida in the fall and return to points north in the spring and summer.
   A few attendees, however, came from afar, with the record going to Irving Sternoff of Sternoff Metals Corp. and wife Minnie, who traveled from Seattle for the event. “I wouldn’t have missed this event for anything in the world,” he says. “For me, it’s almost as exciting as going to a national ISIS convention—and we went for about 38 years.”
   Everyone spent the first hour registering, getting reacquainted, talking golf (and children, grandchildren, health matters, and industry stories), organizing and posing for photo and video opps, making jokes (“This guy is smiling because he’s no longer in the scrap business,” one retiree jested).
   Then Bernie, master of ceremonies for the event, called the group to their seats. After thanking his wife, the Bluestones, and the Rosens for helping organize the event, he recounted how the lunch came to be and noted that ReMA sent its best wishes in the form of a proclamation from ReMA President Robin Wiener:
   The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries recognizes a unique occasion as retired members of ReMA and its predecessor organizations assemble in Boca Raton, Florida, on Thursday, March 23, 2000, to renew acquaintances and friendships and enjoy a time of good cheer and fellowship. ReMA is grateful for the many years of service represented by these industry veterans and wishes them continued good health and long life.
   As lunch was served, Bernie asked for a show of hands on whether the luncheon should become an annual event. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor. He then invited anyone and everyone to take the podium and tell a story, offer well-wishes, whatever they wanted.
   One of the first was Ben Ettleman of Davis Industries Inc., who began by voicing his support for repeating the lunch next year. “We ought to have this every year because who knows how many of us will be here the following year,” he said. Then he talked about the recent ReMA convention in Las Vegas, the gala tribute at the convention for Herschel Cutler, ISRI’s senior adviser, and the e-commerce revolution occurring in the scrap industry.
   Len Kaminker of RKJK Trading Co. Inc. followed, recounting one of his scrap industry experiences and concluding, “I always say one thing: There’s no greater business than the scrap business—the friendships, the loyalties, the integrity, and the honesty. Their word was their bond. There were no gimmicks and no games.”
   Other speakers included Fred Berman of Berman Brothers Iron & Metal Co. Inc. and a past president of ISIS (for his story, see the sidebar above), as well as Herman Hillman of Coatesville Scrap Iron & Metal Co. Inc., and Irving Sternoff.
Following the impromptu speeches, dessert, and coffee, the mingling continued as the event wound down. The last hurrah was a group shot of the attendees—actually, two group shots as the attendees were divided into two smaller groups for best photographic results.
   Then, seemingly before it began, the luncheon was over. As people filed out, they thanked the organizers and praised the event, calling it “delightful” and “a magnificent affair.” Many said they were already looking forward to next year.
   Bernie couldn’t help but be thrilled by the unexpected success of his first—but probably not last—reunion lunch for retired scrap execs. “Being together, renewing acquaintances, and swapping old stories was going to be our agenda,” he said. In retrospect, his luncheon certainly accomplished that. But it did so much more. And it proved once again the truth behind the saying that big things truly can grow from little things. 

An Association Story
In his turn at the microphone, Fred Berman offered the following tale about “some of the problems of running a trade association,” recalling an experience from his term as ISIS president in the early 1970s:
  “You may not recall exactly the sequence of events between the time ISIS separated itself from Mr. [Bill] Story, our executive director, and the time Dr. Herschel Cutler came to work for us. There was a period in there of a few months. I was president, Bernie Landau was vice president, and we were looking for an executive director. Herschel Cutler was working for the trade association as a transportation consultant. We liked Hersch, but we weren’t sure, so we decided to do some interviewing. We wanted someone who had some experience in Washington, in government preferably, and we started getting resumes. We’d fly to Washington and meet at the Crystal City Marriott.
   “One day we were interviewing a man whose resume was beautiful. He had worked on Capitol Hill for about 20 years in different positions, though he wasn’t explicit about what he did. When he came in, he made a nice appearance, he had a nice speaking voice—all the things you might look for. We finally got down to it and asked, ‘Just exactly what do you do there?’ And he said, ‘To be exact about it, I’m the elevator operator.’
   “Well, we didn’t hire the elevator operator, but we did hire Dr. Herschel Cutler, and it proceeded from there.”
—Kent Kiser

Who Was There
Nathan Addlestone, Daniel & Barbara Allen, Stuart & Sharon Allen, Sol & Doris Beaver, Fred & Sylvia Berman, Max & Charlotte Bluestone, Hy & Skippy Caplan, Mort Caplan, Lila Chapin, Wilbur & Mary Jean Cohen, Burton & Norma Davis, Ben & Evelyn Ettleman, Larry & Ida Fiegleman, Marge Gold, Bernie & Doris Gordon, Ned Greenberg, Molly Harbor, Herman & Evelyn Hillman, Edwin “Buddy” Jacobson, Len & Hannah Kaminker, Bob Kaplan, Albert & Rhoda Kaufman, Dave & Beth Klionsky, Howard & Joyce Knofsky, Norman & Sylvia Kudan, Lou & Jane Levene, Herb & Joyce Liebowitz,  Cary May, David Miller, Karl & Elaine Mono, Harry Nistell, Seymour & Esther Padnos, Frederick & Rhoda Rapaport, Bernie & Helene Reiben, Jack & Muriel Reingold, Alfred & Bobbye Rosen, Seymour & Naomi Roth, Melvin & Jean Ruben, Dorothy Russ, Oscar & Ethel Schulman, Sidney & Ronnie Schwartz, Bensel & Ruth Selis, Jack & Molly Sherr, Jo Simon, Mickey & Irene Solomon, Ike & Shirley Stein, Irving & Minnie Sternoff, Harry Turkel, Jack & Sheila Usdin, Harold & Bette WallaceAl & Shirley Wein, Charles & Ruth Weitzman, Norman & Jane Weltman, Carl Zimble