The Memoirs of Morton Lehrer

About the Book

(Excerpt from 'Joe'): In 1940, the Great Depression was still on. Jobs were very scarce and unemployed people fought one another whenever an opportunity arose. When I placed an ad in the Times seeking a messenger and asking for a written reply including education, experience, and salary desired, over a hundred people responded. From among the twenty, I selected for a personal interview was one Brooklyn College student who offered to work without a salary. He was hoping to learn a new trade, something other than his mother's candy store. His offer was too good to refuse and after a short interview, he was hired and was thrilled with a generous package of six dollars per week. At that time a subway ride was a nickel. A modest but ample lunch was only a quarter. At any rate, Joe Goldbaum became our first employee and stayed for over twenty-five years. Joe was not only a good employee who helped the company to grow and prosper, Joe became my own, my very own, personal genie.

About the Author

Mort Lehrer was a Brooklyn boy who went to James Madison High School. He lived most of his life in New York City and Bridgehampton, and later in Southbury, Connecticut and West Palm Beach, and he loved to travel. These memoirs take us through his school years and his time in the Marines. They tell of how he left medical school and started his own advertising business when his family lost everything during the Great Depression. These stories also chronicle the special friendships that provided the thread for his rich and varied life experiences.