Hi, this is Daniel Hellerstein. I just got off the phone
with you, and promised to send you an email recapping what
we said. So as you don't have to memorize stuff while
driving :)

This is the story:

My father, Earl Hellerstein, passed away on Monday, Sept. 9
after a year long battle with metastatic prostrate cancer.
It was a peaceful (and/or heavily sedated) death, in the
presence of his 5 children. He was 88 years old.

Earl dontated his body to Harvard Medical School (where he
taught throughout the 1960s), so there is no body to bury.
In addition, although Earl was profoundly influenced by his
Jewish ethnic identity, he was not a religious man.

We will be holding a memorial service on the evening of Oct
11 (the Sunday before Columbus day). It will take place at
the Museum of Science. It will be followed by a reception
at his house later that evening (in Newton), and by another
(sitting shiva style) brunch on Monday.

Our (the surviving children's) plan is that the Museum of
Science reception would be fairly informal, and by and
large consist of testimonials offered by family, friends,
and colleagues. We did this in 2005 for my mother, and it
worked well.

However, it would be good to have assistance; someone to
serve as a master of ceremony, and to offer a learned
Judaic perspective on the affair.

Hence my phone call to you. I understand it is a bit odd,
given that you didn't know the man. But perhaps it is not
so odd?

As you indicated in our phone call, your schedule may
preclude you from helping us. In which case, please do
recommend an alternative.

So, please do call me back next week. My cell phone number
is 301 928 0970. Actually, I will be in Boston next week
(helping clear up the estate and clean up the house), so
perhaps we could meet. The number at this house is 617 332
6399

Thanks you

Daniel Hellerstein

PS: Note that your name, as well as several others, was
given to me by Binyamin Biber, who is the rabbi for the
Machar congregation I am a member of here in the DC area
(where my children recieved their bnei mitzvah). Given
Earl's Harvard connection, I called you first.