Some people called him crazy, some people called him Ern, some people called him Mike… but I just called him Dad.
He was one of a kind. A brilliant artist and industrial designer… a self employed father of five. He always had time for bed-time stories, kite flying, sailing and dinner dates with my Mom but he was a man of few words.
That worked well for us kids – no long lectures and no going on about what we didn’t need to hear. But when he spoke- we listened! He had the gift of saying so much in so few words. We respected that – as did his clients.
He was famous for posting professionally typed letters to his clients that were just one liners. He would call his secretary to dictate a letter. She would sit patiently while he composed that ONE LINE. Then he would say “Thank-you Marge…that’s fine”. I think my Dad was the original tweeter!
Here’s one of his “tweets” he sent to a client at Christies in 1967…
I have a damn good idea. Let’s meet at the Argonaut Club tomorrow morning at 6:00.
Ernest Orr
From a woman of too many words – I LOVE THAT!
