"In the autumn of 2003, I met Al at a photo department in Sequim, WA. He helped me with converting a photo into a Christmas card. I recognized his Brooklyn accent but didn't mention it. Later that same afternoon we ran into each other in the store's parking lot. Then I asked him if he liked Woody Allen's humor. He stated that he did and that Woody and he had grown up only a few blocks apart and had attended the same PS school, though Woody preceded him by a few years. We began going through some of the monologues and jokes of Woody and several other comedians of the 50's and 60's whom we remembered so well.
That began a 14-year friendship that was bonded with our love of humor as well as our mutual feelings of being fortunate to be born when we were. Life seemed more simple or at least less complex back then. We would often dine at various eateries on the Olympic Peninsula. Lanza's Ristorante in Port Townsend was one of his favorites.
Over the years phone calls and emails kept the link strong in our friendship as well. On my visit to Sequim last September, Al. my wife Joyce, and I had a nice meal at the Paradise Restaurant. I insisted on paying for his dinner as I would not be there on December 1st for his birthday. He relented, and I am so glad he did. SHALOM, DEAR ALFRED!
- Fred Antonelli, Springfield, IL"