Re: Alan Benewitz (291 Views)
Posted by: MO (IP Logged)
Date: October 15, 2024 11:06AM
In April of 1997 while employed as the bugler at Delaware Park, I received a phone call from Alan asking me if I would like to work for TG as a trackman. He’d read the story of my pick 6 score in Andy Beyer’s book “Beyer On Speed” and thought I’d be a good fit for the company. I accepted his offer and this would begin our rather unique 27 year relationship - over the phone. I have met Alan only 2 times: once when he was giving a seminar at Delaware Park and I was his ride to and from the Amtrak station. Another was when I dropped into the office at Varick Street to meet the guys and put faces on the voices I was conversing with.
I did not ever want to get a phone call from Alan. This was laid out in the guiidelines when I was hired and it usually spelled trouble. I had screwed up somehow. And the times I needed to call the office were just as stressful. Alan was all business. There was no small talk involved. My calls to the office were usually to let Alan know that he screwed up my paycheck by paying me $100 too much. We would always square up the next week. This happened often enough that he eventually developed a sense of trust in me.
One day in 2016 I found myself in state prison for my landlord’s crime. (This is a story begging for a Hollywood screenwriter). My landlord had set me up by staging a robbery of my home, which led police to his marijuana growing operation in his garage on the property where I was renting a bungalow. The cops found it, contacted him and he said it was mine. I would spend the next 96 hours living my worst nightmare - in prison, blamed for something I did not do. I was 100% sure Alan would fire me. He surely didn’t need this BS going on with an employee he’d only met twice and only dealt with over the phone. But no. Alan did something I don’t think anyone else I have ever known would ever do for me. Alan bailed me out of jail over the internet.
My bail was $25,000 and he had to put up the standard 10%. I got out of prison, got a lawyer, got the charges dropped and I sued the landlord for the max AND got paid. (The SOB had to sell one of his other properties in order to pay me).
I then sent Alan a check for $3,000. It was the last $3,000 I had in my account. Upon receiving the check, Alan calls me and says “Mark, what’s this?” I replied, “That’s the bail money plus another $500 for helping me out.” He says “Mark, I don’t need the money.” I said “Well, you saved my ass and I wanted to thank you the only way I could.” (BTW, when you get your bail money back, you don’t. You get a percentage - in my case $1500.)
This opened up a new door for the two of us and we subsequently had a few more conversations I would describe as very friendly. There was a change in his demeanor and I liked that. He told me “this will all be water under the bridge one day and yeah, it sucks, but at least you will have a good story to tell.” We had a few more conversations as his health began to decline and he marveled at the relief he got from medical marijuana. That made me very happy.
I will never forget what Alan did for me and I will always be grateful to him for his kindness and generosity to me at my lowest moment. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and the crew at TG. RIP Alan.
I did not ever want to get a phone call from Alan. This was laid out in the guiidelines when I was hired and it usually spelled trouble. I had screwed up somehow. And the times I needed to call the office were just as stressful. Alan was all business. There was no small talk involved. My calls to the office were usually to let Alan know that he screwed up my paycheck by paying me $100 too much. We would always square up the next week. This happened often enough that he eventually developed a sense of trust in me.
One day in 2016 I found myself in state prison for my landlord’s crime. (This is a story begging for a Hollywood screenwriter). My landlord had set me up by staging a robbery of my home, which led police to his marijuana growing operation in his garage on the property where I was renting a bungalow. The cops found it, contacted him and he said it was mine. I would spend the next 96 hours living my worst nightmare - in prison, blamed for something I did not do. I was 100% sure Alan would fire me. He surely didn’t need this BS going on with an employee he’d only met twice and only dealt with over the phone. But no. Alan did something I don’t think anyone else I have ever known would ever do for me. Alan bailed me out of jail over the internet.
My bail was $25,000 and he had to put up the standard 10%. I got out of prison, got a lawyer, got the charges dropped and I sued the landlord for the max AND got paid. (The SOB had to sell one of his other properties in order to pay me).
I then sent Alan a check for $3,000. It was the last $3,000 I had in my account. Upon receiving the check, Alan calls me and says “Mark, what’s this?” I replied, “That’s the bail money plus another $500 for helping me out.” He says “Mark, I don’t need the money.” I said “Well, you saved my ass and I wanted to thank you the only way I could.” (BTW, when you get your bail money back, you don’t. You get a percentage - in my case $1500.)
This opened up a new door for the two of us and we subsequently had a few more conversations I would describe as very friendly. There was a change in his demeanor and I liked that. He told me “this will all be water under the bridge one day and yeah, it sucks, but at least you will have a good story to tell.” We had a few more conversations as his health began to decline and he marveled at the relief he got from medical marijuana. That made me very happy.
I will never forget what Alan did for me and I will always be grateful to him for his kindness and generosity to me at my lowest moment. My deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and the crew at TG. RIP Alan.
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