Scene Around

This Scene Around is dedicated to "Yours Truly" Gloria Yousha, who passed away Nov. 18, 2022.

Gloria Yousha started working at the Heritage in April 1980. That was 15 years before I became her editor. Her first column on April 4, 1980, began: "How do you spell kvelling? (quevelling? kuvelling?) Whichever way it's spelled, it most certainly applies to proud parents SHARON and GEORGE BERGER, whose son EMERY, age 12,spelled his way correctly all the way to Seminole County Finals of the National Spelling Bee contest, finishing in a tie for second place!"

Instead of listing local readers' accomplishments or events, she brought a personal touch to every column and she made Scene Around, page 9, the go-to-first page to see who she wrote about each week. She covered everything - from students who made the honor society or graduated, couples celebrating anniversaries and weddings. The Hadassah Beautiful Home Tours and the annual Super Bowl party, hosted by the Bermans. She even wrote about the local resident spotted having breakfast at Howard Johnsons with Prime Minister Menachem Begin's personal secretary.

Orignially, the column's header was "On the Sunny Side of Scene Around," and Gloria certainly was sunny. When I started as editor, there were no computers. Gloria would come into the office on Tuesdays, lay prostrate on the floor of her little office and write her column in long hand.

Before she became The Heritage's famous columnist, she was a singer for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra for many years. She toured nationally and internationally and was the headline singer at the Citrus Club in Orlando for eight years. She often sang us a few lines from a song while she was in the office. And one year she sang Happy Birthday to publisher Jeff Gaeser like Marilyn Monroe sang to JFK (oh yes, she was a flirt!).

She and I often had lunch together and she always made quick friends with the restaurant staff and folks sitting around us. (She once crooned a few lines with a patron sitting at the next table in TooJays).

Gloria was proud to be Jewish, from Brooklyn, and a Democrat. But she was also proud to pack a Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum. She carried it in her purse and would proudly whip it out - which she did once at a Heritage Holiday party at an Olive Garden restaurant.

Gloria was born June 14, 1936, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Alex and Sally Golub. She was an incredibly loving wife to Irving, who she was wed to for 55 years until his death; loving mother to David (Jolene), Steven (Jessica), and Ron; and grandmother of Zachary and Willow, who she was so proud of and often wrote about in her column. She was also an active member of the Greater Orlando Jewish community since moving to Winter Park in 1964.

Here are treats from her column over the years. Enjoy!

From 1986

"Mazel tov department...

"Congratulations to SAM and BETTY LEONARD of Orlando, who became great-grandparents for the very first time when SHAYNE LEE ALBERTSON was born... Baby Shayne is the daughter of Sam and Betty's grandchildren, BRIAN and CARYN ALBERTSON ... The proud grandparents are PHYLLIS and ED ENGLANDER.

Gloria loved writing poems and began many columns with her originals. "Remember good old high school days/ Way back when we were young?/ The fun, the fads (the jerks, the cads)/ The kids we 'hung among?'"

That poem was a lead in to a piece about MORRIS and HELEN KRAVETSKY who attended the High School in Israel Adult Program.

And who cared about the Super Bowl? Gloria was interested in one big party that was the talk of the town.

"A super party to watch the Super Bowl...

Every year, RON and MARILYN BERMAN open their beautiful home to their friends on Super Bowl Sunday. They accommodate their many guests with large screen viewing, platters of food and fabulous desserts. (All the cheesecake your little heart could desire). True, others have such celebrations on this special day, but the Bermans go one step further. Their guests are greeted with a genuine cheerleading exhibition as they arrive. The cute cheerleader is their youngest, JENNIFER, who displayed more talent than the shapely Chicago Honey Bears and the rotund Refrigeretes all rolled into one. Rah, rah, rah ... at a-way Jennifer!"

Gloria, as we know, was a professional singer. She shared her Jazz singing talent with many people, including residents and staff at Park Lake Health Care Center for a Mother's Day program back in 1986.

Let's jump to 1992

In one column Gloria wrote about a wedding and three anniversaries. Always unconventional in her writing, she started her column with "Could that man with the donkey be Juan Valdez?..."

"Since Juan is supposed to be Colombian, it was probably his cousin Carlos that Linda spotted in Costa Rica."

How in the world is that related to sharing news of the wedding of LINDA FLOWER and AL GROSS? Well, Gloria learned that Linda went to Costa Rica representing Orange County foreign language Spanish teachers.

"Al had to 'bachelor' it for 17 days while Linda went to Costa Rica... Linda explored the natural beauty of the countryside. She took field trips to volcanoes, Pacific beaches and saw the coffee beans growing in the mountains (and Carlos on his donkey, perhaps?)"

Gloria went on to share the news of three other anniversaries: JACK and Eleanor LEESON met on the job at a popular Brooklyn, N.Y. drugstore across from Erasmus Hall High School They fell in love and were married on July 27, 1943..."

Another loving union...

IRVING and TOBY WINNICK are celebrating 55 years of wedded bliss. They were married on July 31, 1937, on Irv's birthday. 'I was his birthday present,' Toby said.

And the final anniversary she talked about was "Yours Truly" [as she always referred to herself] and IRVING YOUSHA are marking our 32nd wedding anniversary on Aug. 3. We were married in 1960 at the Sephardic Center in Brooklyn. We met when we worked in the same Park Avenue building in Manhattan. Irv was back from Korea and attending City College of New York. I was a receptionist on the tenth floor. Warren, the elevator operator, introduced us and became a conduit for Irv to send me flowers and messages as we courted.

"The secret of our happy marriage? We give each other space...lots of space. Would you believe 3,000 miles of space? Because of today's economic climate, Irv lives and works in California while I remain here. The 'temporary' condition has lasted for almosts three years. But we didn't always have so much 'space' between us. We are the parents of three wonderful sons!"

Now from 1999...

"364 more shopping days...'

"Last night was the event I waited for all year. It has come and gone...and now I have 364 more shopping days to buy something special to wear for next year's event."

That's how Gloria introduced the annual Rishona-Massadah Hadassah's Beautiful Homes Tour gala.

"Although this year's gathering ... was more intimate than parties of previous years, I found the crowd to be more stylish, the home most lavish and the musicians the best ever!

The hosts of this intimate party, Gloria wrote, were RON and MARDI SHADER.

"My only complaint? I piled the delicious apricot chicken, meatballs, chopped liver, etc. on my plate when I arrived at the party but just had a minute to 'dig in' before I was asked to sing. When I was done, so was my plate... When AMIRA COHEN is the caterer, things like this shouldn't happen to me. Have you ever tasted Amira's apricot chicken? It's to die for ..."

It wasn't until years later that Gloria began to end her column with a joke.

"One for the road..." always brought a smile to my face. I don't know where she found all the jokes, but some people began sending her jokes and she would use them, always giving credit. Here is one that was in her in-box here at work. I don't know who sent it to her. If you recognize it, please let us know!

"Abraham called his son Jacob to give the bad news. 'Son, your mother and I are getting a divorce.'

"But Pop, you and Mom have been married 50 years. Why do you want a divorce? asked Jacob.

"Yup, 50 years of arguments and fights. I can't take it any more. I want my final years to be peaceful. I will not change my mind. Please tell your sister, Rachel."

Jacob called his sister Rachel and told her what his dad had said. "I will call them," she said. "They are not getting a divorce!"

Rachel called her parents and asked, "What is this nonsense about getting a divorce?"

"Our decision is final. We will not change our minds," Abraham replied.

"Dad don't do anything until we get there. We will be there in four daysl" Rachel said and hung up.

Abraham turned to his wife and said, "Well, Honey, we did it! The kids are coming for Chanukah and they are paying their own way!"

Heritage would like to revive the Scene Around column and is looking for a columnist who would be interested in the position. If you think this would be a great "gig" for you, please contact Christine DeSouza at 407-834-8787.