Last week I attended the funeral of one of my best friends, John Adler. Most people knew John as a U.S. Congressman from 2008 – 10 and prior to that a New Jersey State Senator for 17 years. He appeared to be on a first name basis with everyone in New Jersey. He was everything we could wish for in a public servant. Intelligent, caring, honest, dedicated, and humble.
People from all walks of life attended the funeral. Coincidentally, my wife and I walked out of the memorial service next to Olympic hero Carl Lewis, who grew up in the same part of New Jersey, and came to admire John.
I interact with Senators and Members of Congress on a regular basis. I don’t understand how they derive enjoyment from what they do. Yet John visibly loved representing his constituents and performing his duties. He was an articulate, polished, hilarious public speaking machine. John lived in his office to save money and traveled home to his wife and four sons as soon as he could every week. He was a loyal Democrat who could work across the aisle, as well as differ with his party on principle on occasion.
I am proud of John for all of the above, but none of that has anything to do with why his death has had such an impact on his circle of close friends. He was an even better husband, father and friend than he was a politician.
We and the Adlers are two of six families of law school friends who go on vacation together every other year bringing many, if not all, of our collective 18 children along with us. It is a recurring, happy Big Chill that dates back to the mid-1990′s. There is nothing we prize more highly.
As a long time friend, I’ve come to believe that John was genetically incapable of speaking five consecutive sentences without being funny. He was funny about everything. In a group of strong personalities (surprise!), John was a constant source of amusement. I looked forward to every interaction with him for 30 years (after the very first one while we were at rival colleges, which degenerated into a mild verbal altercation, two years before we found ourselves in the same law school class). One vivid memory from the first year of law school is of John walking around our classroom on top of the desks parodying one of our professors by giving a spontaneous and hilarious lecture on entrapment.
Add to the mix between the Adlers and the Goldsteins that both of our families are full of Philadelphia sports fanatics and the four parents are members of the (unofficial) 1000+ hour club of people who frequent the sidelines of youth soccer fields, and there was no shortage of conversation or levity.
We will miss John enormously. The Vacation Gang will never be quite the same again. Our thoughts and prayers are with Shelley and the boys during this very difficult time.
A wonderful tribute to a man I covered and respected…
Thank you Tripp, he will definitely be remembered and missed.
I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. Your article was very moving, it is obvious you two were close. God Bless
Thank you so much for your kind words, Kelly. It really means a lot.
Dear Mr. Goldstein,
I am sorry for your loss. You have a great Guardian Angel looking out for you.
Sheila
Thank you for your condolences, Sheila.
Adam — thanks for a wonderful tribute to the great person that we all knew and loved. John was my law firm partner and close friend for 10 years, and your 5 sentence comment is absolutely correct. But John also had an incredible ability to infuse you with his own optimism — an ability which he used frequently when my son was diagnosed with leukemia. He absolutely refused to allow me to wallow in doubt or pity — instead buoying my confidence that my son Sam (the same age as Jeff) would get through his 3 1/2 years of treatment and would be fine. Which he was.
John was one of a kind. We miss him terribly, and feel heartbroken for the loss felt by Shelley and the boys.
I share your sympathy, Doug and thank you for the wonderfully kind words about an equally wonderful man. Your description of John is a testament to how great of a person he was to those around him. He will definitely missed.
Adam-
While surfing the RCL website, I happened upon your blog post about Congressman Adler. It takes courage for you, a CEO of a large company, to take the time to write about your friendship. It was moving. I was very impressed, not only with the many achievements of Congressman Adler but with your ability to write about it so eloquently. I haven’t met you but you seem that you are a mensch.
This is one more reason I am excited about my upcoming inagural cruise on Oasis in May. With people like you in charge, I’ll be more than happy to support Royal Caribbean.
Thank you Alan for your warm words, we truly appreciate all of the support we are getting from our readers. I truly appreciate your kind words and sincerity, and we’re looking forward to seeing you onboard this May. Oasis of the Seas is an excellent ship to begin your cruising experience with.
Adam, you are one of the main reasons that RCL is such a caring company, it all starts at the top. My condolences on your loss.
Thank you for your condolences, Helen. I really appreciate your kind words.