23 YEARS (established June of 2000).

MUD - Men with Unfulfilled Desires Doing things that one couldn’t do because of work. The name seemed inappropriate and was changed to MEL.

Only four members - Ron Emmerman, Mort Greenberg, Steve Avery, and Bill Gurolnik, President for our first 22 years. By June 2002, membership had grown to 50; within 10 years, membership had reached 100. In 2023 we have 155 members.

Northbrook JCC

$25.00

Bass fishing in Cadiz Kentucky On that trip, one of the guys caught his ear on the fishing hook. That same member, upon his return home, was rushed to the hospital for a heart bypass; luckily it did not happen on the trip.

We volunteered to organize the library at Cabrini Green. And we engaged in a lot of social and charitable events.

Chicago Tribune, July 24, 2002: * "I used to love spending my husband's month of summer vacation together every year. But then he was home all the time and I felt crowded," lamented one wife, who asked to remain anonymous. * "I was used to getting up at 7:00 each morning and doing all my housework before running around with my own activities. But when he retired, I couldn't make the bed or run a vacuum because he'd be sleeping. He also wanted me to be with him all the time.” * "Suddenly I felt like he was always under foot, and I told him it was time for us to renegotiate our time and space--and that he was to find some activities of his own."

A very early member, retired Rabbi Alan Bregman, asked a key question at one meeting, ”Are you having as much trouble in retirement as I am having?” As a result of this simple question, a portion of each monthly meeting became devoted to the frank discussion of topics that men were not used to talking about. This evolved into “The Bregman Hour," an “Hour of Trust,” where personal problems and issues were openly shared. This kind of frank discussion became a unique characteristic of MEL. Later, with the passing of Melman, psychologist, Jack Grossman, we changed the name to the “Bregman-Grossman Hour.”

Clearly, the idea upon which MEL was founded was based on a real need. Four other groups followed: 1) GEL: Gentlemen Enjoying Leisure / 2) SEL: Seniors Enjoying Leisure / 3) HOGS: Happy Old Guys / 4) SAM: Senior Adult Men. Within what is termed “The Five Families” there are over 800 members and there are some subsidiary chapters in Arizona that include permanent and snowbird members. Leaders of these five groups regularly meet and share ideas.