Hello, Freeport,
As many of you know, I've been a lifeguard at the Freeport Recreation Center since the age of 16. I'm about to turn 30, so you do the math! During my many years, I've come across a lot of interesting patrons. One of them, however, stood out beyond the others: Gerson Sobel, a man who reached the astounding age of 104 before, earlier this year, passing away.
Gerson wasn't always the easiest patron for us lifeguards; he had a habit of swimming however he wanted to, sometimes against traffic! However, he was always a kind-hearted individual. I never got to know him too well, but I knew he was incredibly generous. More to the point, I knew he was an exceedingly strong soul. He swam competitively in the US Masters Swimming program well past the age of 100. In 2005, at the age of 95, he swam a 50 yard freestyle in 1:01. He was inducted into his team's hall-of-fame in 2012. He was a competitor, and he competed mostly against himself - my favorite kind of competition, in fact!
I don't want to sit here and say I knew the man so well, and that I could sing all of his praises. I certainly didn't, and I certainly can't. However, as much as I knew he could not live forever, he was a staple of the rec center for a long time. It felt like he'd always be there. When I heard of his passing, it made me pause to reflect. It made me consider just how much of an impact someone like him had on the world.
And it made me consider just how benevolent impact it was!
Farewell, Gerse.
Jesse Pohlman is the editor of The Weekly Freeporter, now celebrating it's 250th article!
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