Kenny Foon

Happy Birthday Bob and Carol!

So let me begin at the beginning. I was sitting in the middle of a gigantic lecture hall at the University of Michigan and in walks my best friend Bob who sees me and begins to climb over 20 rows to sit with me. Young Carol notices this crazed teenager climbing over rows of seats like a chimanzee and many years later after they were married she admitted to me she fell in love with him on the spot and thought to herself "I'm going to marry that boy". Carol, correct me if I don't have this 100% accurate but I think it's close to the truth. Well, needless to say she did marry that boy and produced two amazing children from that union.

I have way too many Bob stories to share in this first gloss effort. Bob and I have been best friends since childhood where we first met at Camp Tamakwa. Bob was a little roly poly kid back then and I'll never forget when he returned one summer to Tamakwa after missing the previious summer to go to Israel. He came into camp having grown 6 inches in height and was slender and handsome. It was a new Bobby Deutsch. All of a sudden the stuck up Tamakwa girls took notice of the new slenderized Bobby Deutsch and it was a free for all. Bob was one happy camper that summer.

Bob and I more or less grew up in each others homes. We went to Cass Tech for two years together before he moved to Bloomfield. We've been together through the best and worse times. We've been canoe tripping in Algonquin Park one week every summer together for the past 25 years (plus or minus a few summers because of family issues). Perhaps the worst family situation was when Carol was ill in Saratoga and I went to be with Bob when Carol was in the ICU. Carol was sedated on a respirator .Comedy is sometimes born from tragedy. Bob wanted me there not just for company but for my medical advice and for me to hopefully tell him that Carol will be fine and boost his spirits .Bob, his brother-in-law and I went to the bedside to see Carol and I "lost it". Tears were flowing and I couldn't say anything. Long after Carol's recovery Bob told me that at the moment I broke down he turned to his brother-in-law and whispered "I think we're in big trouble".

I'll stop here and I just want to say how much I cherish our friendship. You are two of the finest people I have ever known and I feel privileged that you consider me a friend.

Happy 60th

Love,

Kenny