Joel Butman (1910-1994) aged 83
Saturday morning 7/2/2025: Founded in 1859, the 350-acre Rosehill Cemetery is the largest—and one of the older—cemeteries in the city of Chicago.
I biked for 4 hours on my Saturday morning maiden rip to the impressive Rosehill Cemetery. Perfect weather this morning and I have a wealth of exploring ahead of me at this one.
Oscar Ferdinand Mayer (March 29, 1859 – March 11, 1955) was a German American who founded the processed-meat firm Oscar Mayer that bears his name.
He started a butcher and sausage-making shop of his own, when he was 24 years old, with his brothers Gottfried and Max. Five years later, the proprietor who owned the store refused to renew Mayer’s lease, hoping that he could profit from Mayer’s business success. Pushed out on his own, Mayer bought a property and constructed a two-story building for his business and family. In 1887 he married Louise Greiner, originally from Munich, and their only son, Oscar G. Mayer Sr. was born in that building.
With the company’s continued growth, it became a sponsor of such events as polka bands and the German exhibition at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The company had grown to 43 employees in 1900, offering meat delivered across the city of Chicago and its suburbs. Capitalizing on an industry trend, in 1904 the company started using its own brands for its meat products and was one of the earliest participants in the Food Safety and Inspection Service, created under the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906, to verify the contents of its products. By the time of his death, the business named after himself had grown to 9,000 employees, with facilities in Davenport, Iowa; Los Angeles; Madison, Wisconsin; and Philadelphia.
After being ill for six weeks, he died in his sleep on March 11, 1955, at age 95, at his home, 5727 North Sheridan Road, in Chicago, with his son and successor Oscar G. Mayer Sr. and his three daughters at his bedside. His wife died in 1931.
Robert N. Mayer, PhD, who was the founder and president of the Hulda B. & Maurice L. Rothschild Foundation, has died, and the senior care community mourns the loss of one of its greatest advocates.
Mayer was best known as a philanthropist, thought leader and tireless advocate for eldercare reform and was a highly sought-after speaker on issues related to philanthropy, aging and healthcare design.
His work with the Rothschild Foundation included eight national regulatory task forces and a wide range of initiatives seeking to improve the quality of life and to enhance the experience of residents, patients and families in long-term care communities.
He served as a presenter, panelist and moderator for conferences sponsored by the Pioneer network, LeadingAge, Grantmakers in Health, Grantmakers in Aging and the American Society on Aging, among others.
Jessica Edwards returns 7/3/2025 for the MKULTRASOUND PodCast
A little love from Raquel and Razz and its very much appreciated
Update from Dan Milligan 7/15/2025:
The more complicated life becomes, the harder it is to know exactly what to say…or when to say it. With that in mind, I recognize that this post is probably way overdue. And that’s on me. But, better late than never, I suppose.
It has now been over 2 years since my friend Matthew Lee Clark suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke. The string of events that led up to the stroke seemed horrible at the time, but in retrospect, they were nothing compared to what he and his family have been through since.
There’s no need to go through all of the details here…there are far too many chapters to the saga to relate in a simple social media post. However, I do occasionally hear from friends of his who are genuinely curious about how he’s doing. Those people clearly love and care about him, and they deserve answers. So, it’s time for an update. And I will honor Matt by keeping it brutally honest.
Matt has been living in a skilled nursing facility in Austin, TX for over a year now. He was previously living in a place that was NOT good, but we successfully got him moved out of there, into a place that is much, MUCH better. This took several months of hard work, but it’s abundantly clear that it was worth it in the end.
Immediately following the stroke, Matt was receiving a lot of therapy, both for his mind and his body. He was making great strides, and the doctors were extremely optimistic about his chances for recovery. Unfortunately, at the end of that year, the insurance he had ran out, and the vast majority of that therapy came to a complete standstill. And at that point, things started declining quickly. Which brings us to now.
The stroke left his left side almost completely paralyzed, and that is still the case today. But his condition is much worse than before, because his muscles have atrophied so much over the past 2 years. At the moment, he is unable to do almost anything without assistance, including leaving his bed, getting dressed, etc. And, to be perfectly honest, it seems like things will be this way from now on.
Mentally, Matt is truly struggling. After the stroke, he was having a difficult time telling the difference between dreams, memories, and the present day. And as time has progressed, that has only gotten worse. Let’s just call it what it is….for the most part, he has lost touch with reality.
I love Matt like a brother, so I can say things exactly like they are. Matt has always had a questionable relationship with the truth. But these days, it seems as if 95% of the things he talks about are completely in his head. Conspiracy theory sorts of things. Things that are very, VERY real to him, but are completely fictional. Obviously, this has made communicating with him much more difficult lately.
But. For better or worse, his personality is still very much as it always was. He still has the same sense of humor, and he’s still the giant pain-in-the-ass he’s always been 
We got Matt a cell phone last year, which has helped for remaining in touch with him. Unfortunately, he can’t text, or email, or anything like that…but he CAN make and receive phone calls, if you’re so inclined. (If anyone out there wants his number, feel free to send me a message, and I’ll get it to you.)
Caveat: Matt has no real concept of time at this point, so if he DOES have your number, he very well may call multiple times a day, or at very strange hours. You’ve been warned.
For those are curious to know how they can help, there are a couple of ways. I keep a separate account for Matt, where I put all the money we raised from the sales of the EP by The Human Element. We can ALWAYS use additional funds for him.
And secondly, Matt loves his sugar, and so we also order snack food to be delivered to his room. If you’d like to know how to donate money towards the costs of his care, or if you’d like a list of things he likes, and/or the info on the easiest way to send him a care package, just hit me up.
So, there you have it. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as of July 15, 2025.
As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to reach out to me.
Love to you all-
D
I truly miss my long Sunday afternoons with Matthew
I’ve had these put away for 30 years and finally there is some value to them. Luckily I bought 2 sets of all 4.
STAGE MAGAZINE Oct 1990
Columbus, OH – 05/31/1992