Happy Birthday, Dadddy

Today is my father's birthday. I would call him to say "Happy Birthday" except he died on April 3, 1987 at age 72 or 75, depending on what document you look at. I still know my mother's birthday, my parents' anniversary and the date my mother died. Why do I remember these dates? This is completely useless information that remains etched into my brain, despite the fact that tons of other information I could really use is gone.

Zachary Solomon Schamis

My father is the number one person I would want to come back from the dead for a few days if that were a possibility. (George Harrison is a close second, but since I never knew George in person I'd choose my father. Still, imagine if George could just write one or two new songs!)

My father was a great guy who I never really knew very well, mostly because my mother drove a wedge between us for God knows what reasons. She died on November 20, 1981, so he and I had some time without her around to get to know one another.

He had beautiful blue eyes which unfortunately I did not inherit. He also had a great sense of humor, which I did.

His name was Zachary but everyone called him Zack. During his lifetime his name was special and thus very cool; he was the only "Zack" anyone knew. In fact, he died never meeting one other person named Zack. I named my son, who was born the same year he died, after him, but nowadays it seems like everyone and their brother is named Zack.