Whenever i think of Mark Stolovitsky my face breaks into a smile.
He was my articling student when I was practising law.
Mark was a religious Jew who came from a mixed marriage.....well, not really. Not in the traditional meaning of "mixed marriage." His mother came from Westmount. His father from the immigrant side of Montreal - the East End (But, believe me, "that" is a mixed marriage!)
His dress code never changed. A 3-inch wide striped red and white T-shirt!
Mark did however have a sense of what was appropriate for the occasion.
Although I must say I was concerned when I asked him to go to the Suisse and German consulates
to get information needed for a brief I was writing to the federal government.
I had never seen him wear anything other than that 3-inch striped red and white T-shirt!
I had nothing to be concerned about.
He came in to the office on the day of the meetings wearing a gorgeous pinstriped suit.
(His Bar Mitzvah suit, he informed me!)
"Mark, you look smashing!" But then i tensed up. Something was missing.
"Mark, you're not wearing a tie!"
He pulled his tie out of his pocket. "I have a very large adams apple.
It's uncomfortable for me to wear a tie.
But not to worry. I'll put it on just before i go into the meetings!"
Mark always had a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a smile constantly on his lips.
So i shouldn't have been surprised when on the day of Queen Elizabeth's wedding,
in danced Mark with a bottle of wine to celebrate! (Kosher wine of course!)
I soon learnt that Mark was my secret weapon in negotiating with lawyers from top companies.
His dress code was something that had never been seen in any lawyer's office.
Frankly, I don't remember why the senior lawyer from the Royal Bank was in my office.
Usually, by rank, I should have been in his. But it was obvious he was out of his element.
He couldn't help blurting out, "Your office is bigger than the office of the President of the Bank!"
But the knockout punch for the Royal Bank's lawyer, was Mark.
While the Royal Bank lawyer was in the office, Mark Stolovitsky dropped into the office
to wish me "Gut Shabat." 3:30 afternoon was his usual quitting time on Friday to get home
in time for Friday evening Shabat services.
He was wearing his typical Friday afternoon attire: a dirty short sleeve white shirt.
The lawyer's face went deadly white!
I knew immediately what he was thinking!
"Mark must be a bloomin' genius. Otherwise he would never have been hired!
In fact, no one like Mark would even exist at the Royal Bank!"
The lawyer signed the papers and got out as quickly as he could!
I miss Mark! As an articling student, he lived every moment to its fullest,
with a wisdom and a know-how and a joy - which is priceless at any age!
Mark is now in Israel, teaching English to elementary age children Lucky children!
I wonder whether he's teaching wearing his red and white T-shirt!
