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May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review June 1, 2007 / 15 Sivan, 5767

The last gentleman

By Paul Greenberg


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Here in Arkansas, where it everybody's either blood kin or a kissin' cousin, or at least went to the same school or comes from the same little town, there's no use trying to pretend we're something we're not. Small states, like small towns, are like that. There's no hiding on a small stage. Everybody's distinctive.


George H. Dunklin of Pine Bluff, Ark., who lived 89 full years, was more than a distinctive individual; he was a distinctive and, I fear, disappearing type: the gentleman.


Southerners have been debating about whether there's still a South probably from the first moment the South came to be recognized as a distinctive place. And for just as long, we've been wondering if we've seen the last of that vanishing breed, the gentleman. It's a kind of preoccupation in these latitudes, mourning the past even while it's still the present.


Walker Percy titled one of his novels The Last Gentleman, surely knowing how the phrase would resonate in this postmodern, post-gentleman world. George Dunklin could have been his model — if Mr. Percy's gentleman had been less censorious, and more … a gentleman.


Mr. Dunklin led a life rich in accomplishment. His contributions to his state and community were many — in business and banking, in economic development and philanthropy, and in sport. Especially one sport.


Naturally his game would be tennis — not the hot-shot, souped-up, McEnroe-ized facsimile of it played in these showy times, but the gentleman's game. George Dunklin's tennis could have been Bill Tilden's. It was played, of course, in tennis whites. In shirts that still had collars. (Something happened to tennis and the world when the game went garish. Something not very good.) Whatever surface he was playing on at the time, it might as well have been grass.


There was something ineffably of a lost world in George Dunklin's grace at the game. He was never satisfied with his serve, but his backhand was a wonder. To say he was an aggressive player would be too harsh. What he was, was tenacious. The man might be beaten on rare occasions, but he never gave up. What he had, always, was style.


It is simply impossible to picture George Dunklin arguing a line call, let alone throwing his racket across the court in a hissy fit. One might as well try to imagine him declining to lead a good cause in his town or state, especially if he could stay outside the limelight while doing it.


The man collected tennis records and honors aplenty — as many as good taste would allow. With his natural talent for the game, the trophies and titles were unavoidable. He was this state's men's champion a record nine times, and played in both the U.S. and French Open.


Somewhere along the line he won the Southwest, Mississippi Valley, Louisiana State and Tennessee Opens. As late as 1968, he made it to the semi-finals of the USTA National Seniors Tournament.


It says something — it says a lot — that, with all his victories on the court, it wasn't whether he won or lost that stays with those who got to watch him out there, whether in a tournament or on his family court, but how he played the game.


Mr. Dunklin was a gentleman on and off the courts. One felt assured just knowing he was around. His death would come after a long struggle, which he waged with his usual understated gallantry, taking thought only for others, especially Mrs. Dunklin, the lovely, ever courteous Lib. She would survive George by 10 days. They'd been married since 1949.


The news of George Dunklin's death brought a pang and a familiar question: Are there any gentlemen left?


Of course there are, and will be, because of the very admiration the George Dunklins inspire. Who wouldn't want to emulate such a man, such a gentleman? And that may have been his greatest contribution. His is a legacy of grace that will keep his always distinctive but never showy style alive. Which is one more reason his state, his town, his family and friends can be grateful for a life well played.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Send your comments by clicking here.

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© 2006 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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