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COMMENTARY
Giving way to younger generation
Bombeck children and grandchildren continue to celebrate late writer
> Photos: Notables at workshop
> Video of Garrison Keillor
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Wouldn't you have loved to read Erma Bombeck's columns about being a grandparent?
Sadly, it wasn't to be. Both of her grandchildren were born after the beloved humorist's death on April 22, 1996.
The Bombeck family attended the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop last week. Clockwise (from top left) Mike Peters, Jackie Bombeck, Matt Bombeck, Andy Bombeck, Michael Bombeck, Shari Bombeck, Betsy Bombeck and Eva Bombeck.That's like missing Monet's "Water Lilies" period, or Tony Bennett's late-in-life comeback.
I was struck by the injustice of it all this past weekend as Bombeck's two grandchildren made their debut at the biannual Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. It was first held in 2000 as a onetime event to celebrate the Bombeck family's donations of Erma's papers to the University of Dayton. Enthusiastic attendees won't allow the event to die; this year's conference sold out in a record 77 hours. All three Bombeck children — Betsy, Andy and Matt — have attended every conference.
And, wouldn't you know, 11-year-old Eva Louise Bombeck — Matt's daughter — is an aspiring writer. (The middle name is the same as her celebrated grandmother's.)
Matt's wife Jackie found out she was pregnant with Eva the day Erma died.
Not long before she died, the ever-intuitive Erma asked her son, "Is Jackie pregnant?"
"Well, she might be," Matt replied.
Today that "might be" grandbaby is a delightful and well-spoken young lady who asked the most interesting question of the opening keynote speaker Garrison Keillor: "Did you like to write as a kid?"
Keillor lit up and replied he liked to write about animals that could talk. He also fessed up to decidedly Gothic influences: "I liked to write about women in white, carrying lanterns."
Eva's literary tastes are somewhat different. "I like to write fantasy and comedy," she said.
Keillor's speech contained plenty of his brilliant offbeat ramblings, but it was clearly tailored to the occasion. Political columns quickly become dated, he noted, "but so much of what Erma Bombeck wrote is as relevant today as it was 20, 30 years ago."
Bill Bombeck said the grandchildren would have provided plenty of column fodder for his late wife. "They would have provided renewed vigor for her," he said. "Our kids were late to marry, if they married at all. Not having grandkids was a disappointment to Erma. She used to ride the kids about that."
For the first time, Bombeck did not attend the conference. He stayed home in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife Carol because he was recovering from a fall. Or so he said. Maybe he just figured it was time for the younger generation to take over.
Michael Bombeck, not quite 2, ran around like he owned the place. Andy Bombeck and his wife Shari adopted Michael from Guatemala last year when he was six months old. "He has a charming approach to life, and he turns on the smile as if this is the way to gain friends and influence people," his grandfather chuckled.
Eva Bombeck came away more impressed than ever with her grandmother's ability to touch the lives of others. "She made people feel close to her," she said. "I wish I could have met her."
But Eva diligently attended workshop sessions and came away more determined than ever to pursue her chosen profession. "I feel inspired to keep writing, and to send in my writing," she said.
The workshop certainly fulfilled its mission with its youngest attendee, whose name just happens to be Bombeck.
I can't help feeling that Erma would have liked that.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2209 or mmccarty@DaytonDailyNews.com.
