{"id":711,"date":"2021-11-11T15:19:44","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T21:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/?p=711"},"modified":"2021-11-11T15:19:44","modified_gmt":"2021-11-11T21:19:44","slug":"steve-goodman-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/steve-goodman-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Goodman memories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Robin Pendergrast, November 2021<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For WMTH friends, alumni and listeners everywhere\u2026and for the past 60 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maine East High School, Park Ridge, Illinois probably March or April, 1963.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost done. Four years of fun, learning, trying to stay out of trouble and meeting and developing friendships that would last forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Goodman was funny, talented , tiny and not a classmate\u2026I believe 2 years younger\u2026a sophomore. Then Maine East ( Maine ) had around 3600 students I think. Actually not sure, but a fabulous school to most and a place to spend a day for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me, a mediocre student, always looking for fun, a wannabe football player but still termed a jock, lots of great friends and I thought of some special teachers and coaches also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK enough of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Goodman and I connected at the then fledgling radio station, WMTH-FM. 88.5. Up until the station was created we didn\u2019t know each other but then fast friends and both enjoying our company and our nonstop ability to have fun, hide in the radio station and as it turned out do some pretty creative work on the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sports was our real connection and Steve I think like being connected with me and the football team and the sports department. Let\u2019s remember Steve was barely 5 feet tall, but an amazing musician ( guitar of course ), singer and songwriter. Little did we know that a few years later our Steve would be internationally known and followed for this talent. And yes he would \u201d entertain \u201d during the early WMTH years, usually in the Maine studio entertaining a few friends or just me. The guitar was always with him\u2026that guitar seemed bigger than Steve but he handled it well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those radio days were ours. Sports, play by play of basketball and football and Steve was the color announcer and was hysterical. I guess I was the straight guy and he would constantly come up with player or game observations that sometimes were so funny I had a tough time following the game or doing the play by play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Steve was a knowledgeable sports addict and tempered his colorful comments with \u201d boy I think we need a touchdown\u2026at a basketball game\u201d. or something even more
off course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maine East was located in Park Ridge, Illinois . As many know, a predominantly WASP community ( all white ) filled the hallways of Maine East High School. But then a token contingent from Niles and Morton Grove of students and families of the Jewish faith. No problem to me or most\u2026these were friends and good guys and gals. But don\u2019t kid yourself anti-Semitism and racism were on the radar in Park Ridge and Maine then and maybe even today 6 decades later. Who knows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve ( and maybe others ) became the subject of anti-Semitic taunts, then even bullying and comments that were inappropriate at best. Steve was above all that. The Stump as I would sometimes call him just ignored the comments and periodically confronted by the folks that stood for everything bad\u2026 and in some cases \u201d The Greasers \u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One day in the WMTH studio, Steve and I were listening to an interview with basketball coach Bernie Brady when he stopped the tape and said to me \u201d why do students hate Jews ? \u201d . Uhh ? He then told me about the constant verbal ( anti -Semitic abuse ) he received on a record basis in the hallways and after school and well everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wondered if other Jewish students were getting the same harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then ( and now ) I was upset\u2026pissed is the correct term I believe. These remarks and anti-Semitic confrontations had no place. Steve didn\u2019t deserve this at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My turn. I took it upon myself to confront these folks either as individuals or a group and said to knock it off \u201d now \u201c\u2026no more\u2026stop it. No more\u2026or \u201d they \u201d would answer to some every happy friends of mine ( and Steve\u2019s ). At first Steve was not a where of my confronting the \u201d bullies \u201c, sometimes along with a few of my friends. At times these connects became confrontational, but eventually after a few threats and verbal \u201d presentations \u201d the remarks stopped completely. Maybe us , maybe something else.
Hell I don\u2019t know. Move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Steve and others all is well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now this situation for me gets interesting. One day while sitting in a class, maybe in April, a office messenger came in and handed a note to the teacher. He reads, looks up and says \u201d Robin, there is someone in the counselor\u2019s office that would like to see you now \u201c. Oh boy what now? I thought the end of the senior year and everything was well OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So off I went books in hand down to the office adjacent to that huge stairway that went up to the library and tower of the school. I walked in, was going to sit down and a staff member directed me to the open door. I walked in and there sitting ( 2 ) and one standing were 3 men dressed in blue, administrative type suits. I thought I knew one but the others\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They asked me to sit down, and the standing chap said \u201d thanks for coming down\u2026we\u2019ll only be a minute \u201d I said nothing and wondered what the _ _ _ _ _ is going on ? Small talk about the end of the senior year., what school are you headed to etc. Then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201d We understand there has been an issue with a friend of yours ( Steve ) and some other students making inappropriate remarks \u201c. Absolutely I said. More than inappropriate but wrong and hurtful. Then they asked about the role that I took in preventing this from happening any more to Steve, potential confrontations and the danger of this \u201d getting out of control \u201d or possibly worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I get it. But I assured them that the anti-Semitic problem toward Steve had been taken care of. Resolved. But why all of this meeting and talking. Then there was some in hindsight references to finishing high school. moving on without any disruption. Hmm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the closer was ( after about 20 minutes ) \u201d we need to encourage you to not say anything about this incident to anyone\u2026anymore or if at all \u201d And a few more casual references to not repeating any of the your attempts to stop the harassing of Steve. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201d We don\u2019t want to have anything disrupt the end of your term \u2026you senior year \u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t quite get it other than I was uncomfortable and the door opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing was ever said to my parents, friends, classmates, teachers, girlfriend Kathie\u2026nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Footnote: Author Clay Eals wrote a fabulous biography of Steve Goodman\u2019s life and in Chapter 3 wrote about my radio station relationship with Steve that evolved in to much more over the years. Clay also qualified in the book STEVE GOODMAN FACING THE MUSIC some of the difficulties Steve and others faced as \u201d token \u201d Jews in Maine East High School. The above essentially a cover-up situation has never been revealed\u2026until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why now ? Why not ? Overt hatred towards minorities, towards Jews, towards indigenous groups is out of control or maybe really coming to the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Goodman died at the all to young age of 39 of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Goodman a classmate, a fun friend, a dedicated Chicago Cubs fan to his dying days, a world class entertainer and musician\u2026a good guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve I stand for you today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robin Pendergrast \/ Maine East High School \/ Class of 63<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Robin Pendergrast, November 2021 For WMTH friends, alumni and listeners everywhere\u2026and for the past 60 years. Maine East High School, Park Ridge, Illinois probably March or April, 1963. Almost done. Four years of fun, learning, trying to stay out of trouble and meeting and developing friendships that would last forever. Steve Goodman was funny,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":714,"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711\/revisions\/714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wmthalumni.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}