The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

For many years, one man and his wife forged a community tradition in

Newport Beach on the Fourth of July. The tradition ended two years ago

with the passing of Wolf Stern, a man who, more than most, knew and

cherished the meaning of Independence Day in America.

Stern and his wife, Ann, held a Fourth of July barbecue on the sands

of the Back Bay at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort. Every year,

another 100 hot dogs went on the grill. Another crate of soda, another

keg of beer, another 100 apple pies to serve to a guest list that started

with 50 friends and turned into a gathering of some 500 local residents

who knew that on the Fourth, their hot dog would be served by the Sterns.

Together they would all share the “all-American” apple pie as the

brilliant colors of independence infused the night sky over the radiant,

reflective and still waters of the Back Bay. The party died with Stern.

How appropriate to celebrate the life of a unique and patriotic American

on a day that meant so much to him.

It is regrettable that Stern is not here to share in these thoughts,

but it is one of the very special attributes of humankind to be able to

hold on to values, ideals and memories long after people have passed and

times have changed. Stern was not the most popular or beloved character

on the Orange Coast. He was, after all, a divorce attorney. And divorce

attorneys make plenty of enemies.

When I first began writing this column about 10 years ago, I met the

Sterns at a charity function, and I included the mention of their names

in my column. The morning the column ran in the newspaper, my phone rang.

A hysterical woman was crying and screaming in my ear demanding an

explanation of how I could possibly have a kind word to say about the man

who left her in dire straits as her husband’s representative in their

divorce.

I never mentioned the incident to Stern as I got to know him over the

years, and I only share it now because I realize that we are all

complicated souls, imperfect, uneven, unequal and none without a share of

sadness and trouble in our lives. Stern knew this so well. He also knew

that each of us can only be responsible for our own individual happiness

and that the best that we can do for one another is to be honest, direct

and caring whenever possible in any dealing with another human being.

The Fourth of July was important to Stern because he was a German-born

Jew who spent his teen years in a Nazi concentration camp. The Fourth was

important to Stern because, as a young man in America, he was able to put

himself through law school and build a career based on his own ability

and not overshadowed by a political system that denied him the right. The

Fourth was important to Stern because he found the love of a woman in

America who bore him children who grew to realize their full potential in

a land “with liberty and justice for all.”

Stern would divorce and then fall in love with his second love, Ann,

and together they would build a new life in a new direction, discovering

vastly new worlds. The Fourth of July was important to Stern because he

and Ann, a Lutheran, would discover the meaning of a different faith,

known as Bahai, and this path would change both of their lives as they

searched for meaning in a complicated world.

Stern would have been heartbroken by the tragedy of Sept. 11. Yet he

would have reminded us that only in America is it possible to protest

against the government and simultaneously earn a million-dollar fortune

in a business venture of your own creation. Only in America is it

possible to send your children to a fully paid-for public education and

vote to have your government also permit you to receive a school voucher

that would allow you to use tax dollars to send your child to an

alternative private school. Only in America might you find a minority

voice challenging the majority position on the inclusion of the phrase

“under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. In America, all voices are

heard.

Stern raised the flag higher than anyone else on July 4 because he

knew firsthand what it was like to be denied the freedom and liberty of

individual choice. The fireworks over the Back Bay may be gone on this

Fourth of July, but the Fourth is not just about fireworks. It’s not

about hot dogs and barbecues. It’s about the spirit of people. People

like Stern. People who know that what matters is keeping alive the

intangible spirit of freedom that is so much more than the right to live

in a certain fashion.

Stern was proud to be an American not just on the Fourth of July, but

every day. I stand in line behind him, and I know countless others in

this community, and every community in this nation, agree. America has

much to celebrate on this very special day. Keep thoughts of “and justice

for all” in your heart and in your mind, and upon your lips as you

express your beliefs. Our greatest freedom is the freedom of the mind. We

can think it. We can say it. We can live it.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.