2024-04-17
This biography/memoir focuses on the life of a civic-minded New Jersey dentist.
In this wide-ranging book, Katherine Batsis pays tribute to her husband, Andrew, who was born in Brooklyn in 1941. His family moved to New Jersey, and he graduated from that state’s College of Medicine and Dentistry in 1967. The same year, he married the author. Andrew became a member of Kiwanis International in 1971. He was a dentist for 35 years and a longtime Kiwanis enthusiast. He attended numerous conventions and served in many ways, including as a trustee of Kiwanis International and as the leader of the Key Club for high school students for six years. Andrew, who died in 2005, loved gardening, music, baseball, and photography. This volume is divided into three main parts, with the first section providing a transcript of the speeches delivered and letters read at his memorial service. Friends, family, employees, and fellow Kiwanis members all spoke about his kindness. The second part offers a collection of anecdotes in mostly chronological order about Andrew and the author. The work recounts that Andrew looked like Santa Claus to children (“His round face housed two sparkling blue eyes and a nicely trimmed white beard, moustache, and hairline. His rounded belly shook when he laughed whole-heartedly”). Andrew often delivered gifts to reinforce the resemblance. This section is the longest of the three and is mostly from the author’s perspective, though she has provided letters solicited from friends. The third part presents a short history of Kiwanis International and an account of Andrew’s involvement in that civic organization. The meticulous book also offers condolence letters from Kiwanis members in this section. Intriguing and useful appendices feature favorite recipes, including for the Greek pastry finikia, and family photographs. The author has compiled a moving tribute to her husband, dedicating half of the proceeds from the sale of the volume to the New Jersey Kiwanis Foundation. This highly personal, well-organized work will mostly appeal to Andrew’s family, friends, patients, and colleagues, who will relish reading the richly detailed anecdotes and discovering more about his private life. Readers who did not know Andrew may enjoy learning about a remarkable man’s life, family, and civic organizations in New Jersey.
A touching, idiosyncratic collection of stories, recipes, and photos documenting a man’s life.
