Letter writer’s legacy — he always made us smile
On Jan. 8, 2011, Flora Walker Spackman, of Calgary, wrote to the Herald to tell us: “I love to read Max Grinstein’s take on the news. His short-but-sweet letters to the editor make the Herald letters page fun to read. He is consistently hilarious! And spot on. Thanks for printing them.”
Sadly, there will be no more letters from Dr. Max Grinstein, who passed away Feb. 2 at the age of 99. His obituary, published in the Herald last Friday, said that he was an “avid reader of the Calgary Herald,” and in his later years, “nothing pleased him more than to pick up the paper and see his letter in print.”
Nothing pleased us more than publishing his letters, and we awaited them with anticipatory glee, just for the pleasure of watching Grinstein apply his rapierlike wit to the issues of the day and wrap it all up in one or two sentences. Grinstein composed his letters on a typewriter and mailed them in the oldfashioned way — and he was dashing off his delightful zingers well into his late 90s.
What better way to honour one of our favourite letter writers than by reprinting some of his best letters? Enjoy!
Re: “Wife unfazed by husband’s 15-year-old bride, court told,” Jan. 27, 2011.
I wonder whether the brave souls who would opt to embrace a polygamous lifestyle have seriously considered the dire consequences of living with multiple mothers-in-law.
Re: “Playboy Hefner proposes to 24-year-old Playmate,” Dec. 27, 2010.
What a frightening thought to have old age creep up on one at only 24.
Re: “Failed financier gets full parole,” Sept. 19, 2009.
It is many years since I learned to do simple arithmetic when our only calculators were our fingers and toes. I am just beginning to get the hang of the new math. Vincent Lacroix, convicted of swindling $115 million from 9,200 investors and sentenced to 121/2 years in prison in 2007 (shortened first to 81/2 years and then five years less a day in the Quebec Court of Appeal), will get to sleep in his own bed at home on Sept. 27. My Visa statement for $631.47 arrived the other day and I have just mailed Visa my cheque for $82.31 in full payment.
Re: “No, not quite like Joan,” Editorial, Aug. 12, 2009.
Patrizia D’Addario deserves all the criticism she is receiving (for her alleged affair with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi). The young lady causes uprisings wherever she goes.
Re: “Health reform lacking results,” March 29, 2009.
Just what do you mean by “lacking results”? I know of 50 Albertans who are feeling 25 per cent better.
Re: “Taft’s Stetson must be too tight,” Valerie Fortney, Opinion, Nov. 7, 2008.
Kevin Taft recently ar- rived in the legislature all rigged up in cowboy duds. If he is contemplating an encore, it might be fitting if he brought a small dachshund with him next time. I can see nothing wrong with his having to get a long little doggy.
Re: “Grit MP proposes Pierre Trudeau Day,” Oct. 20, 2007.
How about the first Friday the 13th of each year?
Re: “Uranus amazes astronomers as ring performs vanishing act,” Aug. 24, 2007, and “Housework helps curb cancer risk,” Aug. 23, 2007.
As it is common knowledge that the rings around Uranus are made of dust, it will be interesting and instructive to see whether there is a marked change in the incidence of endometrial and prostate cancer on that distant planet now.
Re: “Bulls batter runners at rodeo,” July 31, 2004.
Knocked senseless? Surely, a pre-existing condition.
Re: “Let the fat lady sing,” Editorial, March 10, 2004.
Opera is about voice. How true. But there is another compelling reason for allowing soprano Deborah Voigt to sing. If the fat lady doesn’t sing, how else will anyone know when it is time to go home?
Re: “Blue Jays also cashed in on lucrative federal sponsorship program,” Vance Rodewalt, Cartoon, June 11, 2002.
Vance Rodewalt’s cartoon about the federal grant to the Toronto Blue Jays was amusing. But, in all fairness, one should point out that there has not been a single serious threat to national unity from any Ontario separatist group since their baseball team received its grant.
Re: “The rating game,” July 28, 2001.
How interesting that, in 1976, a film was passed in Alberta as restricted adult with a nudity and “course-language” warning. I was wondering whether the course was still being offered and where one could sign up for it.
If laughter is truly the best medicine, then the last word belongs to letter writer Warren Hindle, who wrote us on Jan. 7, 2011, after reading Grinstein’s letter about Hugh Hefner’s 24-year-old bride: “The good Dr. Max Grinstein continues to contribute to the health of many.”
Thank you, Max Grinstein, for immeasurably brightening our pages, making us laugh, and for giving us the privilege of sharing you with Herald readers for so many years.