Earl Galitz

From David S. I just read in the May issue of THE LEVANT of Earl's passing. I was shocked and deeply saddened. I knew he was ill: I had phoned him early last year to find out how he was feeling but he only told me about the neuropathies: I wasn't aware of his other chemo side-effects. I first met Earl circa 1982 at a stamp show at the Adams Mark hotel in the outskirts of Philadelphia. I was a new collector of Ladino material and this short eye-glassed attorney came up to me to find out what I had been buying st dealer booths. I thought that intrusive but I would later appreciate Earl's curiosity. He mentioned something about speaking Bulgarian & visiting his sister. I only wanted to escape from this unsolicited companion. Who knew that I keep running into Earl over the next 30 years? My relationship with Earl remained philatelic -mostly from various Ottoman club meetings held at larger shows; and then as a purchaser of some material he'd put up for sale on Ebay. I was never a close friend: more of an acquaintance but an admirer nonetheless. I greatly admired Earl: he was a specialist's specialist. I admired that he could read Bulgarian (hence its Cyrillic script). His in-depth knowledge of the esoterica surrounding pre (and) WW1 Bulgarian troop movements & military post offices was evidenced by the esteem in which he was held by the in-country Bulgarian philatelic community. I benefited when he was willing to sell an item related to Sephardic Jews (e.g. Postal communications written in Ladino). Earl salvaged for me a postal card written in Bulgarian by a Sephardic Jew from the now submerged island of Ada Kaleh. Only Earl would have recognized such an item. I will miss Earl's erudition. It was precise and highly relevant & important to me. I admired that he could focus so intently on Bulgariana while having so many parallel and disparate interests of equal intensity. Earl was a "character" is the most complimentary sense. Whenever anyone mentioned Earl it was accompanied by "..and Marisa..". You made his great life-adventure possible with your support. My condolences on your loss.