My Dad passed away when I was eight. By the time I was a teenager, I wondered, who was that guy?

I made my questions known widely enough, and a family friend, someone who knew my Dad and knew my Mom and knew my stepdad George decided to get me some answers. He contacted two dozen or so friends of Wesley Hall, and pulled together a collection of their letters. My Dad loved Duke Ellington and would watch him whenever he played in Chicago, staying up all night. He listened to country music and represented country music stars in his legal work. And on and on. An invaluable recollection for a boy too young to know or remember.

What a fine idea! What thoughtful execution. I was honored. The person responsible was Prentice Marshall, a judge in Illinois, resident of Florida in a later life, always a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan. A tall, skinny guy I remember with reddish hair maybe? Definitely a big generous spirit and sense of humor.

Pren passed away this week. I read through a few of his obituaries, SunTimes, Daytona Beach News-Journal, NYTimes (reg. required), and I found he was thoughtful and ethical in other contexts as well. A fellow admirer of Clarence Darrow.

Mom was going to his funeral, she reported that he left strict instructions on the five guys he wanted to have give speeches, and the music that was to play at his memorial service. As someone with a lifelong dedication to the Chicago Cubs, and who would only have left being a judge to be commissioner of baseball, he asked they play "take me out to the ball game."