Sep 28, 2012

Are you, your brother's keeper?

 Editor's note: My neighbor, Adolph Enthoven,  has since passed away. ( UT Dallas Mourns Accounting Expert ) He died on  Mar. 15 as a result of complications from his fall and UTD will have a memorial service for him on Apr. 24th. I've been asked to say a few words since I was his neighbor. As I wrote last year in the below blog, I guess I wasn't much of a neighbor...but perhaps it's a way for Adolph to continue teaching certain lessons even in the afterlife....


Today I had a message on the recorder from a woman at nearby University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). There was some anxiety in her voice yet she was determined to find some needed help. She said she was the assistant to a professor who happens to be a neighbor of mine....She was concerned about his well being and asked if I could help her.

Adolph, my neighbor, has lived in his home for over 25 years. He does in fact teach at UTD, but I couldn't tell you what subject. He has been our neighbor on two different occasions. but I couldn't tell you his last name  I've known the man for some time...and yet, as I said, I am ashamed to say I knew very little about him. .Previously, we lived two doors away from him  and since then,  we have moved back to the neighborhood. .... now he lives only 7 or 8 doors away.  Adolph is part of the 28 home owner membership in our Home Owner's Association. He is quiet but friendly. He is distant, yet gracious. In all of these years, I have never seen any visitors at his home. He minds his own business and we mind ours.

Anyone who has been around me actually knows that I know too much about their lives. It's not that I'm being nosy, I guess it just goes back to my newspaperin' days...Get the facts.....Yet, I know little of Adolph

But today, I had to enter into his world.

For years, I would see him push a manual lawn mower, the old kind without an engine as he labored to mow his lawn. I remember when we were two doors down I had offered to mow his yard but he was content with his method. A month or two ago, some workers in the neighborhood found Adolph slumped in his yard. They alerted a neighbor and the firemen came and revived him. The firemen also finished mowing his yard.



Donna, the assistant, was concerned because she had not heard from Adolph. for two days. He had gone home sick on Tuesday and said he would call on Wednesday and let her know how he was doing. He never called. Today, Thursday, she tried to call him again like she had done the day before....nothing.....no emails, no phone calls. She became very concerned and yet as we had discussed on the phone, she knows he is a very private person and although she has worked for him for 15 years, she knew which lines she could and couldn't cross. But as I said, she was determined.

Apparently Adolph had our phone number either as an emergency contact, although we barely know him or it could be the assistant had our number since Pattye, my wife,  is president of the HOA. Regardless, I returned the call. She asked if I could go and check on him.

I have to be honest.....I knew what I would find. I knew I would find his body and I would be frightened.I knew I would do whatever had to be done if he was still alive...but I was scared as hell.

I saw two newspapers in the driveway. I saw a mailbox full of mail..I knew what I would find next. I was ashamed I hadn't noticed these things earlier.

I knocked and then banged on the door..I hollered his name. I checked the windows....I noticed the AC wasn't running and yet it was 94 degrees. Adolph is known to be frugal... I prayed that he hadn't suffered a heat stroke by not keeping his house cool.

I knew I had to call the police and get in the house. They came as soon as they could and after several minutes of questions and phone calls...they broke open the door.

Adolph was in there. He was on the floor upstairs where he had lain for 2 days..... .But he was breathing. Paramedics arrived immediately and Adolph was taken to the local hospital..... I'll see him tomorrow.

I felt some shame because I hadn't been a better neighbor. I hadn't noticed the papers in his driveway. I felt blessed that I had been asked to check on him and was able to help in some little way to save his life. Although I had failed miserably at being my brother's keeper, I resolved to do better in the future.

If you've gotten to this point in this story, then I'll ask you to do one thing for me...for your neighbors sake, take a little time and check on them....none of us have such a busy day or a crowded schedule that we can't just call a neighbor, knock on a door and see how they are doing.

Growing up this was just the norm. We knew our neighbors. We took care of each other. We were our brother's keeper. Now our 8-foot fences separate our homes. Our lives have become private. We ask for nothing, we expect nothing. That's not right...Sometimes people need our care and watchful eye.

Thanks for listening.