In
one of my first articles, Somerville 101 – a primer, I mentioned our
beloved family doctor, Harry Goldenberg, MD. A lot of my childhood
friends were also patients of Dr Goldenberg. Thanks to the world wide
web, my article was recently read by the doctor's son, Ralph, who sent
me a very warm e-mail. Soon after that, his brother Jon also e-mailed
me a nice message.

The following are the recollections of Ralph
and Jon Goldenberg and myself. Grandson Michael also chimed in with
emotional memories of Harry, as he called him. The story you are about
to read is a collaboration of sorts dedicated to Doctor Harry
Goldenberg. I basically re-printed the touching e-mails I received from
the doctor's family members.

I remember the Doctor as a gentle
smiling man who spoke in an even, pleasant tone. He always made us feel
comfortable and he had a very calming effect on us. He used to show up
at our house at all hours, no matter what the weather was. He would
often give my family free samples of vitamins and other medicines.

I
recall an old photo of a younger Dr Goldenberg that hung in his office.
He was dressed in white along with some of his colleagues. I always got
a kick out of that photograph. When I was in St Clements, a couple of
times I went directly to his office at 771 Broadway because I felt sick
and didn't want to go to school (read-sick of school). He always talked
to me for a while and I would end up going to school anyways. Doctor
Goldenberg was an important part of my family and a role model that I
still hold dear to this day.

Ralph gave me the following short biography:

"Harry
was born on October 31, 1907. He was the first-born of three children
and the only son of Eastern European immigrant parents. As you might
imagine, he was the favored child, and he did not disappoint. He was an
exceptionally bright student, graduating Somerville High at the age of
16. He went on to Boston University for his undergraduate degree, and
then Tufts University School of Medicine where he got his MD in 1931.
During his years at these universities he made a number of life-long
friends.

Because his parents, Samuel and Esther, were not well
off, he worked his way through college and medical school. One of the
jobs he liked to tell us about was his work for Bushway Ice Cream as a
bookkeeper and ice cream taster! And ice cream always remained one of
his favorite foods.

Harry spent a lot of time helping run
Samuel's Cigar Store during these years. Harry loved children and wound
up specializing in pediatrics, as you must know.

When World War
II broke out, Harry decided to suspend his medical practice and enlist
in the Army as a Captain (doctors could do that rather than wait to be
drafted at a lesser rank). He spent about three years overseas, ran a
field hospital, and participated in the D-Day Invasion, as a Major.
When the war was over, Harry quickly restarted his medical practice,
renting space at 257 Broadway in Somerville and then 771 Broadway,
which my parents bought in 1947. In the ensuing years he devoted
himself to his patients, his family, and his friends."

Ralph's brother Jon adds this:

"My
father was among the last of a vanishing breed of doctors who truly
cared for their patients. He was a pediatrician, but he had many
patients who came to him as adults because they valued his advice, both
medical and practical. The setting may have been Somerville, but he was
a country doctor. The day before he died he was seeing patients until
the sun had gone down."

Harry's grandson Michael donates some of his beloved memories:

"It
is amazing how just the thought of 'Harry' can bring tears to my eyes.
To this day I miss him and feel cheated that he left us too soon. I
have always told those in my life who were not fortunate enough to know
him what a great man I believed him to have been. Having spent 16 years
of my adult life living in the Boston area, I constantly came into
contact with people who knew or were treated by Dr Harry Goldenberg.
Others told of one of the last doctors to make house calls.

The
most common story would be of stopping by his office to say hello and
spending an hour or two chatting. In particular I would like to share
the story of my father's cousin (by marriage) – Richard Mingolelli, who
owned Dick's Auto Body in Somerville. I used to go by his shop to talk
and he told me of being an Italian marrying into a Jewish family during
less tolerant times. He also told me of the hours spent at my
grandfather's office and of how my grandfather was the first to accept
him and make him feel welcome. Harry just had a way with people that
made them feel good. Perhaps that is why he became a physician.

As
a young boy, I used to look forward to our visits to Massachusetts to
see my grandparents – even though I knew that meant I was likely
getting a shot in the arm! Harry was the only doctor I have ever had
who made me look forward to getting a needle in my arm. Somehow it just
didn't hurt when he did it. Other fond memories I have are of the man
who always brought a fresh loaf of bread home from Lyndell's Bakery
after work or of the man who would get down on the floor to wrestle
with his grandchildren even though the very act was incredibly painful
due to his arthritis.

My grandfather – Doctor, Soldier,
Gentleman, Friend, Boxer, Husband, Father and Grandfather – it is
amazing how much respect he earned, deserved and could command. And yet
he still insisted that his grandchildren call him "Harry" rather than
sir or granddad."

I would like to thank Ralph, Jon and Michael
Goldenberg for adding some wonderful facts and details to my memory of
one of the first positive influences in my life. The family doctor is a
breed that has just about vanished. Thankfully the loving memories I
have of Doctor Harry Goldenberg will stay with me forever.