Essay

Dad's second life

By Rob Schwarts

In his lifetime, my father was many things. He was a university professor who was adored by his students. He was a man who pioneered low-cost mental health care in the Boston area. He was an accomplished academic who wrote a groundbreaking book on mental hospitals. He was a beloved father and family man who also had many valued friends.

One thing he was not was world famous.

Thus it is a rather strange experience for me that now, years after his death, my father is known internationally and has become something of an icon. How did this happen?

After a very healthy life my dad, Morrie Schwartz, developed ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) at age 75. Dad, always in touch with his feelings, started talking and writing about what it was like to be dying. Speaking on this taboo subject garnered him much attention and pretty soon he appeared on "Nightline'' with Ted Koppel, a famous news program in the U.S. An old and favorite student named Mitch Albom saw this program and contacted my father. They ended up meeting every week and Mitch penned the book "Tuesdays with Morrie."

The book, surprisingly, jumped to the top of the best-seller list, where it stayed for more than five years. Those in publishing have described "Tuesdays with Morrie'' as the best-selling memoir of all time, with more than 12 million copies in print. It's been translated into more than 20 languages, including Japanese. There was also a TV movie that won an Emmy for Jack Lemmon and has been shown on Japanese TV many times.

Naturally I am overjoyed that so many people are interested in my father's wisdom but the whole phenomenon puts me in an unusual position. My father's story is very emotional and many people are moved by it. These people end up feeling very close to my dad. Many have burst into tears when they found out who my father was, even though they had never met him.

For me, this is wonderful but also strange. These people don't really know my father, yet they feel so close to him. Occasionally they misunderstand or misperceive who my father was. I have to try and respect people's feelings while correcting their misperceptions about him and protecting my treasured feelings for him.

Also, many stories about my dad have become common knowledge. Yet these stories are also my personal memories. It is very important for me to separate these two, and cherish my direct and private recollections that can never be felt by anyone else.

My dad's posthumous fame is both wonderful and challenging for me, but the more people his words have helped the more I rejoice in it.

Shukan ST: July 4, 2008

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