I have gone to the 21 Club many times over the decades. My
great uncle, Bill Dewar, a former Judge in New York, hung out there with a
buddy, Henry Miller, his childhood friend from Brooklyn, through the 20s and
30s.
I was last there a year ago last July and I met Lorenzo Robinson again. He
passed away recently so I thought I would comment on my experience with him. Lorenzo
Robinson was an elegant person[1].
He was the men’s room attendant at 21, but unlike many other societies we often
overlook position and do see the person. It was early, I was there with a
longtime friend, my wife and his friend, and my friend had returned to New York
to reminisce and we started at the 21.
I went to the men's room and there was Lorenzo, smile on his
face, a warm greeting. It was early so we struck up a conversation. Lorenzo was
articulate and we discussed discreetly the humanity he had experienced. I
remarked of my history in the 21 Club and he regaled me with his. He was a true
gentleman. I often wondered of the many tales hidden in Lorenzo’s memory.
You see, there is a class of people, by job not by any human
trait, who are often considered by many as invisible, the invisible people. We often do not seem
them. They hide in plain sight. They are the men’s room attendants, the
receptionist, the guard, the secretary, the waiter, the mailman, the UPS guy. We
never know their name, we never speak with them.
Yet they may know many secrets in our lives. What
conversations happened in front of Lorenzo? What secrets was he privy to? The
current discussions on monitoring massive data files is nothing compared to the
Lorenzos of the world. They are the smartest and most efficient intelligence gatherers
in the universe, yet all too often ignored. Lorenzo know the many strengths and
weaknesses of humans. If I were to hire someone I would have used Lorenzo as
the final judge, for the true nature of a human is often revealed by how they
deal with the invisible people.
It is sad to hear of Lorenzo’s passing. He was a wonderful
person to listen to and always had a smile. He will be missed. It is also a
passing of a generation.
The above note was given to me by Lorenzo a year ago. I found it in a suit pocket just a few weeks ago, about the time of his passing. I had meant to follow up, to bring my grandson in to meet Lorenzo, but alas it is too late. I will have to do just with memories, and this note.
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