Message Board Posting
Jerry Baba
Jerry Baba
Message Board Posting Jerry Baba |
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Hi Lowellites,
Believe or Not...I am going to my 50th class reunion next month. Dr. Michael Gospe was one of my classmates. I want to share emails that I exchanged with Dr. Mike and my family.
Jerry
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On Sep 27, 2006, at 5:43 PM, Jerry and Carol Baba wrote:
Dr. Gospe,
I am very familiar with the Gospe name. I believe you were in the Fall class of '56. I was in the Spring class.
I am sure you are the son of the original Dr. Gospe. You know that he was the doctor who delivered me at Mt. Zion hospital in 1937. My mother who is still living still speaks of him. She will be 91 years old next month.
Looking forward to seeing everyone. This is the first class reunion I have ever attended.
Jerry Baba
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on 9/28/06 10:15 AM, J. Michael Gospe at mgospe@sonic.net wrote:
Jerry,
It is gratifying and amazing how often my Dad's name comes up in a conversation. It also surprises me how many people our age know the name of who delivered them whereas the younger generation could care less. By the way, are you any relation to George Baba. George delivered two of our children. He was a class mate of my father and a wonderful man.
See you at the reunion.
Mike
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On Sep 28, 2006, at 12:41 PM, Jerry and Carol Baba wrote:
Dr. Gospe,
Wow, that's amazing! Dr. George Baba was my uncle. He passed away about 8 years ago. His wife, Masako, was also a doctor and has also passed away 2 years ago. I had no idea that Dr. George (we in the family always called him "Dr. George") delivered two of your children.
Over the years, I too have met many people who were delivered by or were patients of Dr. George. Again, amazing!
My cousin, Dr. Georgia Baba (their daughter), is a physician at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City.
There is much more I would like to share with you concerning your father.
I told you that he delivered me when I was born. He also delivered my sister. After WWII he delivered my younger brother.
As you probably know, Japanese people were in concentration camps during WWII. After the war, your father did not charge my parents a penny for delivering my youngest brother because he was aware that people of Japanese descent were just about broke. He also came over to our house and told my father to put on a suit and tie and come with him. Your father took him down to see a friend and told him to hire my father. So because of your father, my father got his first job after the war.
Furthermore, your father gave my father money (according to my mother) so that my dad could start a business.
I talked to my mother and she said she remembers your mother. She also remembers meeting you when you were just a young child. Though a generation has passed, I will always be grateful to the Gospe family.
I have searched all over the house trying to find our yearbook and I can't find it. Boy, I am looking forward to our class reunion and meeting you again, I am sure it will be a great affair.
Jerry
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on 9/28/06 2:26 PM, J. Michael Gospe at mgospe@sonic.net wrote:
Dear Jerry,
Your letter made my day!!! I have forwarded it to my two brothers (both physicians) and my five children. I must admit, I ran through a kleenex reading the letter. Sid was a powerful figure and it is wonderful to see how he impacted others.
George meant a great deal to my wife and I. When we were having our second child, we lived in San Francisco and arranged to have the baby in Redwood City (half way between George's office and our home. We delivered at 2 A.M. and I recall worrying for a moment that I might have to deliver our baby since I was the only doctor in the hospital for about a half hour.
I am enclosing a copy of a short story that I recently wrote. I am putting together 20 stories about my medical career, especially for my children and grandchildren. I changed the names of everyone outside of the family, but left George's name intact because I thought of him as part of the family. Since I may be submitting the story for contests (I am privately publishing the collection for the family), please let me know if you have an objection to that and I will alter his name as well.
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Dr. Gospe,
You Doctor, are a Gospe. Do not alter a thing! As far as I am concerned, you can do anything you want. Dr. George would be proud to be a part of your story. Your story is wonderfully written as well as being beautiful with such emotion. I am going to forward a copy to Dr. Georgia and the rest of the Baba family.
Your father, the original Dr. Gospe, (I cannot refer to him as Sid and I never knew his first name anyway) did touch the lives of many.
Thank you for sharing,
Jerry
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