R.I.P. Burt Bienstock

RIP. He knew his stuff like said before.

 

So sorry to hear this news. Always enjoyed reading Burt's posts and his opinions. I recall his having seen Rocky Marciano train from a distance of about three feet, and having shaken hands with Jack Johnson. I asked him several questions about his experiences and he always answered graciously and with wisdom. He will certainly be missed!

RIP Burt. God bless.

 

It makes me wish we had a more formal sendoff when this kind of thing happened. RIP, double B.

I conversed quite a bit with Red, and had no idea he passed. Or, if I did, my brain just completely failed on me about it. Which is also possible. I met him on another site that I posted on for a little while, and stopped, and figured he was still posting over there instead of here. At least as I remember it. So sorry to hear it. It's the only excuse he has for not responding to my bump of his Ottke thread though. I hope he knows that I now forgive him. And will forgive him if he doesn't respond to my next bump of it. Which is slated for June.

 

BE, you had no way of knowing RC had passed. (I'll PM you about how I found this out later.) As his online "brother," I can promise he always automatically pre-forgave you.

RC and I exchanged a number of PM quips about you, and he always admired you as one of the very best of the very best. About you, he'd definitely plagiarize the catch phrase from character actor Jonathan Goldsmith's classic "The Most Interesting Man in the World" Dos Equis beer ads and advise you to "STAY FUNNY, MY FRIEND!" (Goldsmith was a real life friend of Fernando Lamas, and based that character on Fernando, whose ashes Goldsmith scattered from his sailboat after Fernando's 1982 death from pancreatic cancer.)

As I already mentioned about Burt, it was indeed on another site where he took the opportunity to engineer his own formal sendoff on a tribute thread dedicated to him. He continued checking in for a couple months after his final post, but left for good on June 6, 2016 there. Burt last posted here on December 23, 2016 and left for good on January 14, 2017.

 

These kind words about my uncle moved me to tears. Today is Uncle Burts birthday and I am touched beyond words by this forum. Uncle Burt was an amazing, funny and unbelievably intelligent individual. Throughout my life, I was always inspired by the way he would entertain and delight those around him. When I was young, he would tell a variety of scary stories that he would seemingly contrive on a moment's notice. He had a list of jokes with more lines than the dictionary, he was very serious about making people smile and laugh. While one of his greatest passions in life was entertaining those around him, this did not take away from what a cerebral and passionate man he was. It is fascinating to think that he was around for all of my life, but he was already 71 when I was born. This did not inhibit his uncanny ability to recall historical facts and as many of you have seen, fight tooth and nail to defend his opinions. Uncle Burt had many interests, while boxing was his primary love, he became a deep fan of wrestling through my career as a high school wrestler. He attended every single match I ever wrestled and would bring a pair of binoculars to make sure he wouldn't miss anything. I feel a great sense of happiness in knowing that this gave him something to look forward to for almost a decade. It excited him to see someone he cared about so deeply competing in a combat sport. Win or lose, he was just happy to be there and immerse himself with an incredible community of people. He was an honorary member of the team and became somewhat of a celebrity at the matches. I always felt a sense of guilt for not continuing the sport in college. I do however feel a sense of relief in seeing how this forum impacted my uncle. Many at his age would never attempt to learn how to use a computer but he would not be stopped. He was still sharp as a tack and wanted nothing more than to explore the world and interact with the people and things that he loved. He quickly joined this forum and made a name for himself as a knowledgeable, passionate, and kind human being. He loved boxing, he loved this forum, and he loved debating/discussing with you.

Thank you for being his friend, challenging him, and most importantly for the kind words. He will always live on through the people whose hearts he has touched. Uncle Burt is my hero and I carry his memory with me proudly.

 

Thank you for sharing, Anthony!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to share this with us.

Your uncle touched and enlightened us all. I’m quite sure that every time I saw that he had posted on a thread that I’d go check it out to soak in his wisdom.

My condolences to you and your family for your loss, but more than that my heart is warmed by the time you — and we, virtually — got to spend with him.

If this forum had a Hall of Fame for posters, I have no doubt he’d be unanimous on the first ballot.

Best wishes.

 

If we were on Facebook, this would be one of the very few times I'd unironically heart emoji a post. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I'd do it.

 

RIP Burt, we are losing many people around here, 97 is very good though, respect Burt !

 

97. Wow. Had to be for the fights he claimed - and did indeed - witness. No substitute for contributors like that. Me and Burt were often on the same page with our appreciation of Dempsey and other golden oldies. He brought the passion and the knowledge. A killer combo. Condolences to all who knew him and were close.