A Late In Life Burst Of Creativity — Part V
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By Seth H. Bramson
As noted in our immediately previous column, we stated that we would bring our readers up to date on the five books which followed the Homestead Centennial history.
From there we moved on to the Surfside history, in Arcadia’s “Images of Modern America” series, for which the Surfside Town Council so graciously bestowed the Key to the Town upon me, an honor for which I am forever grateful, loving that little town the way I do and having had so many friends who lived there for so long, including my Beach High classmate, Ricky Neross. The history of business on Miami Beach, written for our friends and the wonderful people at the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce then followed and the history of Broward County in Arcadia’s Postcard History Series came next. That book, incidentally, received a major honor, being named the Broward County Book of the Year by the Broward County Historical Commission, a unit of the Broward County Commission, at Broward Pioneer Days, which was held at Davie’s City Hall.
“So what followed?” you ask. And the answer is two biographies of two absolutely incredible men plus the first ever history of the Florida East Coast Railway in glorious, living color and more on that in a moment.
Over several years of attending the “Typhoon Legends” group, a gathering of, at the time, primarily Miami Beach High Typhoons (those who graduated in 1960 or earlier) I got to know and became quite cordial with one of the most famous names in the history of jurisprudence in Florida, Beach High and University of Miami undergraduate and law school graduate Gerald Kogan. Eventually it became evident that a biography of that great man needed to be written and late last year “From Brooklyn to Biscayne Bay and on to Tallahassee: The Remarkable Story of Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald Kogan” was published by Marc-Martin Publishing in Hallandale Beach. More on the Chief Justice in a moment, but first a word (or more) about Marc-Martin Publishing.
Marc-Martin is and has been, for no few years, the publisher of most of the magnificent full-color photograph books that visitors can purchase at the various national parks, along with the published by Marc-Martin panoramas, large color postcards and other photo-related items sold in the park’s gift shops.
For some years, Myrna and I were active as volunteers at Miami Jewish Home and Hospital at Douglas Gardens and it was there I met Albert Barg and Jeff Weisberg, the principals at Marc-Martin and they, at the time, the official photographers for, among other institutions, Jackson Hospital System, Mt. Sinai, the Jewish Home, Hebrew Home for the Aged and many others. Over several years we developed a warm and cordial relationship and I became a fervent admirer of their stunningly superb work. Eventually, with the opportunity to author Justice Kogan’s biography came the opportunity to speak with Albert and Jeffrey regarding that book. Suffice to say, they excitedly and enthusiastically agree that the project was “right up their alley.” Not only was it but it led to the publication of the next biography (of which you will learn more next time!) and what looks to be the opportunity for them to publish the upcoming history of Miami Beach High and the Miami Beach schools, and, along with the second biography and the Florida East Coast Railway in color book, we will also discuss what’s coming up at our next get-together.
Before closing, though, and as promised, a bit more on Justice Kogan’s biography with the note that that book is the first ever biography of a Florida judge or Supreme Court Justice. (The story of the murder of Palm Beach County Judge Chillingsworth and his wife is not a biography, but, rather, a murder mystery and story.)
Justice Gerald Kogan was and is “one of a kind,” moving from graduating simultaneously from both UM undergraduate and law school to going into the Army and then to work for the Dade County State Attorney’s office and eventually becoming that office’s chief prosecutor, his name interwoven with such famous cases as Black Tuna, Monkey Morales, the Candace Mossler and Melvin Lane Powers murder trial and many, many more. Eventually he would be elected to a judgeship and from the Dade County Circuit Court was moved to the State Supreme Court without a stop at the appellate level.
The book is 256 pages and to show what kind of a person the Justice is, it should be noted that there is no profit to be made from that book: all proceeds above the cost of production are donated to the Karen Kogan Lyda Memorial Fund for Ovarian Cancer at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and the first page in the book has Karen’s picture with that statement prominently placed thereon.
Even though we certainly love doing this and sharing “all this good stuff” with you, we do have an allotted amount of space although Mr. Berkwitt has been very generous and lenient with us in often allowing us “free rein,” but we don’t want to take advantage so will close by letting you know that next column we will tell you about another great man who was a World War II hero who survived not only the Battle of the Bulge but German POW Stalag 4B. He is not only still with us but is as “full of piss and vinegar” as ever, getting younger and younger and now only 96 years old, so you will meet Bernard (“Barney”) Mayrsohn next time. We will also tell you about the FEC color book and then—I promise—get started with the discussion of what is coming up.
After that we will then move into Greater Miami history, which I think you will all continue to enjoy. So, and as always, be—and stay—well and please don’t hesitate to not only share Mr. Berkwitt’s Ringside Report website with your friends but get them to also share the site, same at no cost or charge. Till then, and as we say in South Florida, “thank you for not shooting—and have a MIAMI NICE day!”
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