Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Leonard Nimoy passed away this morning. You may think of him as Mr. Spock from the Star Trek series, but I knew him in a very different way.
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Long ago, circa 1985, I was living in an apartment building in the Sherman Oaks section of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. Nimoy had purchased the building just a few months earlier so that his parents would come out from the east coast to live in California. They had lived in Boston for many years and he wanted them closer to him and to his children, Adam and Julie. His children were my age and accompanied their father to visit their grandparents regularly. He had completely remodeled two of the apartments to create a much larger unit for his parents, Max and Dora. They were already quite elderly and spoke mostly Yiddish and Russian, so I seldom saw or heard them during the year I lived there.
But my relationship with Leonard went much deeper. One Sunday afternoon he came out to the pool area and asked me if I could explain to him how I used the laundry area. Not understanding what he meant, we walked over to the area where the washers and dryers were and I told him how they worked. He laughed, and told me that he understood that part, but wanted to know the details of how the tenants were using this area, and what could be done to improve it. I knew that his parents did not use the laundry room, so I inquired as to why he was doing this.
He then explained to me in great detail the responsibility he felt came along with owning an apartment building. He wanted each of us to feel welcomed and comfortable, no matter how long we chose to live there. I told him that sounded very logical, like something Spock would say, and we both had a good laugh about that.
During the next several months he and I discussed many things, including his marriage, which was coming to an end. He and Sandra, who passed away in 2011, had been married for more than thirty years, had raised two children, and were now friends and roommates. He longed for more, but that relationship was not to be revived. He asked me what I thought about this and I told him that he deserved to be happy and to find someone new to love. I also told him that it had been my experience that you must wait one full year between relationships if they are to be given any chance at success.
A year or so later they divorced, amicably, and a year later he met Susan. They married a year or so after that and were still together at the time of his death, just hours ago as of this writing (February 27, 2015). This is the first time I have ever shared this story with another living soul, out of respect to him and his family.
I’m not yet sure what lessons are to be learned from Leonard Nimoy’s life, but I am sure I will be giving it lots of thought in the days and weeks to come. For now, I leave you with his last public words, posted on Twitter just a few days ago – “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP.” Live long and prosper, Leonard, and thank you for touching my life.
Note: Leonard did a guest appearance (voiceover) on The Big Bang Theory show and here is the link to the video of the scene from that episode. I believe you will enjoy it, even if you have seen it before. The cast paid tribute to him at the end of this week’s show.
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Thanks Connie for sharing your wonderful story. Loved Star Trek with all the great characters, scripts and story-lines.
Jack Marriott recently posted…Nine Simple Networking Tips
Jack, I was not a Star Trek fan when it was originally on television. It was only later on, when the program went into syndication that I began to follow the story line. Thanks so much for your comment.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Thank you for sharing your story. I met a lot of Star Trek cast over the years, going to conventions, but he was the one person I never got to meet. Very touching story and it shows the mettle of the man; I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
Mitch Mitchell recently posted…Idolatry; Scary For Leaders And Managers
Thanks for stopping by, Mitch. He was a gentle soul. The way he cared for his parents was very touching, and I’m sure it impacted the way I cared for my own mother as she got on in years.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Mitch, I, like you, met many of the Star Trek cast members (from both old and new shows) over the years as I attended conventions, but Mr. Nimoy was one I missed and had so hoped to meet.
Mr. Spock was one of my favorites! (I, also, liked Michael Dorn (‘Worf’) (who I did get to meet), and Brent Spiner (‘Data’) (one I’d still like to met, but don’t think will ever happen as he rarely, if ever, goes to the conventions!)
Connie, I loved your story and your personal connection to Mr. Nimoy! That’s awesome! He had a very full life and was a wonderful actor, director, and artist. (And I learned recently that he also was a poet and singer.) My favorite Star Trek movies where the ones Leonard directed!
Cindi,
Yes, he was indeed a talented man. Thank you for stopping by.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Thanks for sharing such a Wonderful story about such a Wonderful person.He’ll be sadly missed but Never forgotten.
Jill, I completely agree with you; the special people in our lives will never be forgotten. Thank you for stopping by.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Thank you Connie. Those are special memories, and they give a human side to someone very famous. Thank you for sharing that with all of us.
Cheryl Major recently posted…Easy healthy meals…it’s not that hard!
You are most welcome, Cheryl. Thanks for stopping by.
Connie
Touching story Connie. It’s always nice to get to see the behind the scenes view of the person inside the celebrity from someone who actually knew them as a person instead of a celebrity. Thanks for sharing.
I have a couple of friends how have had relationships like yours with celebrities, and I’ve always thought how cool that would be.
The only “celebrities” I’m currently connected with are a bunch of dead presidents…in my wallet! 😉
Thanks for sharing and remind me to show you the “original” version of LLAP that was then “toned down for television” – it’s a visual joke, so I’ll have to show you in person some time!
Hey Brad,
I’d love to ‘see’ that version. Perhaps I’ll see you in Atlanta next week.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
I wasn’t an avid trekkie but no-one could escape from that character. I loved that he was able to work on the new films and found a whole new slew of fans.
Thank you for sharing your story, which shows just what a great gentleman he was.
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Hi Victoria – Thanks so very much for your comment.
Connie
What lovely memories Connie, thank you for sharing them with us. He’s always come across as a sweet and gentle guy, despite some of his roles, and a great advocate for science. I don’t know whether the advocacy was a paid role or a passion, but he did it with grace and dignity.
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Sarah – I never thought about his work in the science community. Thank you so much for bringing that to our attention.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Connie that is such an awesome memory. I had heard the he was an exceptionally kind man. I am glad that you had the opportunity to know him. Thank you for sharing that personal story.
And thank you, Donald, for your thoughtful comment.
Connie
Connie Ragen Green recently posted…Leonard Nimoy: Live Long And Prosper
Love this story Connie. What a caring, kind, giving man he was. I watched him for years on the original Star Trek series and the subsequent films. He was so accomplished in many fields.
His LLAP hand sign will be with us for years.
Makes me smile just thinking about him and his impact and legacy.
Enjoyed your blog post.
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