Aside from a few brushes with fame (and who doesn’t have those these days), I have led an ordinary life. I grew up in suburban Detroit, went away to college, moved to San Francisco, got married and later divorced, and worked for a living like everyone else. I am now middle aged, remarried, and still reside in California. This page sketches the story of my recent life. For me, these autobiographical passages are an exercise in memory. They are also a search for understanding. I doubt any of our lives have lasting meaning. But still, I aspire to remember, and create. © 2024 Thomas Gladysz
Passages (growing up) | Passages (college years) | Passages (California dreamin’)
A Chance Encounter: An interesting encounter happened while I was working at Book Passage, this time at its San Francisco store in the Ferry Building. Once, I was wandering around the historic building during my lunch break. It was usually crowded, with people coming and going, as the Ferry Building was not only a busy shopping destination with a number of boutique stores, but also a local transportation hub. There I was, rambling around, when I spotted a face in the crowd – a face I literally hadn’t seen in more than 20 years. I approached and said “Aren’t you Boogie Bob?” Back in college, I had seen Bob Baldori (aka “Boogie Bob,” once of the legendary garage band The Woolies) play a million times at Rick’s American Cafe in East Lansing, Michigan. Baldori played blues and boogie woogie piano there nearly every Sunday night, and preferring not to study, I seldom missed him. He is truly gifted, and a great entertainer. A quarter of a century later, I recognized Baldori while he was passing through SF with an even more legendary boogie woogie pianist, Bob Seeley, whose left-hand like God I surely shook. That’s how this picture came to be. Since then, I have been fortunate to hear Seeley play three or four times at the San Francisco International Boogie Woogie Festival. He is a great player. (8-15-2021)
