That’s what happened to Eva Bombeck when her father, Matt, joined his siblings, Andy and Betsy, for a nostalgic trip to 162 Cushwa Drive in Centerville, where the family lived down the street from Phil Donahue. CBS correspondent Mo Rocca was on hand to record the moment.
Eva, 13, said she loves the annual University of Dayton-sponsored writers workshop that bears her grandmother’s name, because “it gives me a chance to know my grandmother better.” Eva was born seven months after the death of the beloved humorist in 1996.
“Even with all her books and all her fame, I learned that she still took care of my dad and uncle and aunt,” Eva said. “She was still like a normal mom.”
Eva was intrigued also with the recalled tidbit that her grandmother would take notes using any available surface, from a gum wrapper to her white purse.
Rocca observed, “After three columns and 1,800 words, Erma exploded into national syndication. Clearly, she was striking more deeply than comic relief; she was speaking to people in a profound way.”
CBS producer Mary Teel said the taped segment is planned for broadcast on Mother’s Day:
“It was great going back to the house with the Bombeck kids and seeing it was exactly like it was 40 years ago, with kids riding bikes and playing baseball.”
Life isn’t as carefree for the Bombeck children as it was back then, of course. Both of Erma’s sons have suffered, like her, from kidney disease. Andy underwent a successful transplant with a kidney donated from his wife, Shari; now Matt is on the transplant list awaiting a donor. He’s optimistic when he sees how well his brother is doing. Since the transplant, Andy and Shari have adopted Michael, now 3, who was born in Guatemala.
Rocca asked about the family’s most memorable Mother’s Day, and after some discussion it was unanimous: the one that everyone forgot.
Observed Teel, “Apparently Erma always told them not to make a fuss about Mother’s Day, but at the end of the day, she cried. They never forgot Mother’s Day again.”
Clearly, writers and fellow humorists have never forgotten Erma. Her name was invoked frequently during the three-day wordfest that concluded Saturday, April 17, and marked its tenth anniversary year having attracted some 350 writers from across the country.
One of this year’s presenters, syndicated columnist Tracy Beckerman, caught the attention of the CBS Sunday Morning folks with her inspiring story: She came to the workshop in 2006 with a single print outlet; today her “Lost in Suburbia” column runs in 400 newspapers.
“I came here knowing nothing about nothing, and I left here feeling so juiced,” she told her audience.
In her witty keynote address, Gail Collins, former editorial page editor of The New York Times, promised to "connect Erma Bombeck with the history of American women beginning with Jamestown." She did just that, noting that Bombeck was not only funny, but in her own way revolutionary when she told the women of America: "If the oven doesn't catch on fire today, you can clean it tomorrow."
"Fox & Friends" co-anchor Steve Doocy delivered personal messages to the Bombeck family from colleagues who worked with Erma, including Geraldo Rivera and producer Woody Fraser, who hired Erma for a guest spot on "Good Morning America."
“Erma was the funniest woman I ever met, except you,” Fraser texted Doocy. “Above everything else Erma loved her husband Bill and her family. Erma is somebody I still miss.”
As writer after writer lauded Erma’s lasting impact, the newest generation of Bombecks bonded with one another. In the midst of the proceedings, Michael crawled under a banquet table to climb onto the lap of his cousin Eva.
It was a moving sight — and, one couldn’t help suspecting, the part of her legacy Erma would have loved best.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2209 or mmccarty@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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