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Tina posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Uncle Lenny. Thank you for teaching me about so many life essentials..the Beatles, Pink Floyd, science, space, politics, science fiction, great pizza and wings, and humor. Although you didn’t get to travel the world, you understood it. Thank you for all the thoughtful things you did for me and your great nieces. Thank you for the cheese wheel Christmas. Thank you for teaching us that being yourself is the only option... so embrace it and share a laugh whenever you can. We miss you and somehow, I feel you are enjoying your journey..,even now. I love you, Mr. L. Your niece, Tina
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Mary DelPlato posted a condolence
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Lenny was a constant in our lives so very sad about losing his presence..his eccentric ways...his thoughtfulness of others...his little gifts out of the goodness of his heart...his intelligence...he will be missed dearly..RIP Lenny :(
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Jeff Resnick posted a condolence
Saturday, November 30, 2019
I first met Leonard when I was the instrumental music director at Genesee Community College in Batavia. I was planning a spring concert for the Jazz Ensemble, inviting all interested students to visit me and audition. Here is how I remember Lenny, as taken from a story I wrote about that audition in 1974:
Back at school, I must tell you about the final student to visit my office and ask to play in the band. In walked Leonard, a kooky kind of skinny little guy with thinning black hair, checked shirt, bow tie, striped pants, and a thick Italian accent. He was a real character, but a very likable one after the initial shock of meeting him wore off.
“So, What do you play, Lenny?” I asked, regretting my question before he even had a chance to answer it.
“Nuttin’. Naw, I don’t play an instrument, but I do have fun wit da synthesizer. Ever heard of dat before, Professor R?”
'Professor R'? Aww, man, I was starting to feel old. “No, Lenny, I can’t say I have. Tell me about it.”
Lenny consumed the next half hour explaining the technicalities and techniques of the synthesizer, the newest electronic phenomenon to invade the music world. Frankly, I was lost in the explanation, and told him so.
“Oh, dat’s okay, Professor R. I can just go get it from my car and play sumpin’ for you. Wait here, I be right back!”
A few minutes later, Lenny stumbled into my office with his mechanical black-box, eager to show me how it worked. He created the most unusual cacophony imaginable by plugging wires into all these little jacks on the front panel. My first thought was that Lenny was indeed a most unusual character. But then I thought to myself, ‘Hey, if I can find a place for Mike the violinist, I can certainly make a space for Lenny the synthesist!’ And that’s exactly what I did. I couldn’t have known it then, but our Spring Concert performance would make Lenny a living legend in the local community.
I communicated with Lenny a number of times over the years and I always admired his intelligence, not to mention sense of humor. I'll miss him. We all will.
Jeff