Eric was, perhaps, the very definition of "Rennaisance Man." He did so many interesting things and went so many interesting places and met so many interesting people in his life. When you have a few minutes, do check him out. It's really fun. Goodbye, good friend and maybe, continued cosmic voyages?
I met Eric when he was in my fifth grade class at Ravinia School; his parents had just moved to that area. That year the movie Goldfinger came out and was all the rage. He put on a Goldfinger puppet play with puppets (with his mother's assistance) that could have been used on PBS. The play was was inventive, creative, fabulous. He was a great guy.--Hilary Frooman
It was so sad to hear about Eric's passing. When Deb and I went to the 50th High School Reunion we heard this booming voice across the room saying "Dave Seremek!!!". It was Eric calling out to me!
We reminisced about the distant past and he made it seem like it was yesterday. He remembered these little stories about us that had been long forgotten by me. It was so good to see him!
What I so admired in Eric was his open mindedness about the world, even on contentious subjects. In the last 10 years or so, we interacted thru social media but he struck me as a compassionate and creative thinker with many talents.
I did know Eric at HPHS because we both took 4 years of German with Herr Schilgen. For this class in our final year, we had to do a 20-minute speech in German but Eric's "speech" was the most creative in the class. He chose a topic on great pianists and he did it on a piano playing clips from some of the great piano pieces from past and present. His performance was truly in the category of a virtuoso.
As with many of you, I first met Eric when all the fifth grade classes were invited to see the puppet parody of Goldfinger. I don't know if it was his first theatrical venture, but it was definitely the harbinger of things to come.
We went in and out of each other's lives several times. Each time, I learned something new and surprising about him. Eric had a uniquely curious mind, as well as a knack for creating worlds, whether he was rebuilding player pianos and Victrolas, stage managing a play, or creating user experiences online.
His superpower -- and also his kryptonite -- was his empathy. I think it was probably congenital, and nurtured by his parents, but also sharpened by the tragedies of the Holocaust and Viet Nam.
I am profoundly grateful to have known him and regretful of the opportunities I missed to have known him better. His FatDux magnet will continue to remind me of him every time I open my refrigerator.
My friendship with Eric was among the happiest memories of my youth. We were both supersmart, creative nerds...which was personally rewarding if socially challenging. I remember how he learned to restore player pianos, and played a mean ragtime piano himself. I remember the car he bought in high school was a used hearse...although I don't recall ever riding in it, either in front or in back. I hope he is entertaining the crowd still in the afterlife.
Jay Leopold
Eric was, perhaps, the very definition of "Rennaisance Man." He did so many interesting things and went so many interesting places and met so many interesting people in his life. When you have a few minutes, do check him out. It's really fun. Goodbye, good friend and maybe, continued cosmic voyages?
Hilary Frooman
I met Eric when he was in my fifth grade class at Ravinia School; his parents had just moved to that area. That year the movie Goldfinger came out and was all the rage. He put on a Goldfinger puppet play with puppets (with his mother's assistance) that could have been used on PBS. The play was was inventive, creative, fabulous. He was a great guy.--Hilary Frooman
David Seremek
It was so sad to hear about Eric's passing. When Deb and I went to the 50th High School Reunion we heard this booming voice across the room saying "Dave Seremek!!!". It was Eric calling out to me!
We reminisced about the distant past and he made it seem like it was yesterday. He remembered these little stories about us that had been long forgotten by me. It was so good to see him!
We will miss you. Rest in peace Eric🙏
Gary Fields
What I so admired in Eric was his open mindedness about the world, even on contentious subjects. In the last 10 years or so, we interacted thru social media but he struck me as a compassionate and creative thinker with many talents.
I did know Eric at HPHS because we both took 4 years of German with Herr Schilgen. For this class in our final year, we had to do a 20-minute speech in German but Eric's "speech" was the most creative in the class. He chose a topic on great pianists and he did it on a piano playing clips from some of the great piano pieces from past and present. His performance was truly in the category of a virtuoso.
Deborah Krupp (Ketai)
As with many of you, I first met Eric when all the fifth grade classes were invited to see the puppet parody of Goldfinger. I don't know if it was his first theatrical venture, but it was definitely the harbinger of things to come.
We went in and out of each other's lives several times. Each time, I learned something new and surprising about him. Eric had a uniquely curious mind, as well as a knack for creating worlds, whether he was rebuilding player pianos and Victrolas, stage managing a play, or creating user experiences online.
His superpower -- and also his kryptonite -- was his empathy. I think it was probably congenital, and nurtured by his parents, but also sharpened by the tragedies of the Holocaust and Viet Nam.
I am profoundly grateful to have known him and regretful of the opportunities I missed to have known him better. His FatDux magnet will continue to remind me of him every time I open my refrigerator.
Jeffery Lyle Segal
My friendship with Eric was among the happiest memories of my youth. We were both supersmart, creative nerds...which was personally rewarding if socially challenging. I remember how he learned to restore player pianos, and played a mean ragtime piano himself. I remember the car he bought in high school was a used hearse...although I don't recall ever riding in it, either in front or in back. I hope he is entertaining the crowd still in the afterlife.