"Milton Plesur, Bennett High School Class of 1944"

by John Dennis

I transferred to UB in the fall of 1981 and was assigned by the work-study program to meet and interview with a Dr. Milton Plesur. I mentioned this to my father, and he informed me that a Milton Plesur had been in his graduating class at Bennett High School in Buffalo in 1944.

I never knew how much that little bit of information would help me out.

On the agreed day, I went to meet Dr. Plesur in Ellicott Hall. I heard the laughter first, and when I reached my destination, I noticed that a couple of young female co-eds were in his small office. Getting to the door, I created a serious overcrowding situation.

"Who are you and why are you bothering me?" called this booming voice from eight feet away.

Feeling cocky for some unknown reason, I responded, "I am John Dennis, and you are Milton Plesur, Bennett High School class of 1944."

He didn't miss a beat. "Wise ass," he said, his face downtrodden and sad. The girls loved it.

I worked for Dr. Plesur for four semesters, and he treated me like the son he never had. Always a gentleman, he could tell stories for hours. My research was centered on collating the hundreds of interviews he had done with Hollywood and Broadway stars, big and small. I know he published several books on Jewish history and also wrote about popular culture, but I don't think the book he and I worked on ever got published.

I heard of his stroke or heart attack from a friend, who was also a student of his, in the Duty Free store on Porter Avenue on the way up to Canada. When he died, I was very sad that this brilliant light had been extinguished.

But it really hasn't. Thinking of Milton Plesur makes me smile. What a great man.