Priya Morgenstern (PM), Ken Morgenstern (KM), and Bhavani Jaroff (BJ)
PM: I’m Priya Morgenstern.
KM: Excuse me. Can you raise the volume?
PM: I can raise my volume.
KM: Yes, louder. Yeah.
PM: Okay, let me turn the dial. I’m going to be interviewing my father today, and I’ll be interviewing him with my sister, Bhavani.
PM: Dad, why don’t you say your name and how old you are?
KM: I’m Ken Morgenstern. I’m – I think 81.
PM: That’s right.
KM: Is that right?
PM: Yes. Mr. MORGANSTERN: Okay.
BJ: All right, dad, I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions.
KM: All right.
BJ: And you’ll answer them the best you can from your memory. You came out here to New York and then somehow you met mom.
KM: I’m met her in New York?
BJ: Yup. You did.
KM: Don’t remember how, when. Mom would have remembered.
BJ: She would have remembered, yeah.
PM: Our mom passed away about four and a half years ago. Do you recall dating her?
KM: Oh yeah. I remember dating her. She was a sexy gal.
BJ: She was. Let’s talk about your kids a little bit.
KM: We had four kids. Is that the right number?
PM: Yes, it is.
KM: Good. They were great.
BJ: Who are they?
KM: You, who else?
BJ: Priya, Bhavani…Priya, Bhavani, and there’s a man in there. (Soundbite of laughter) David, Dad.
KM: David, yeah.
BJ: David is not going to be too happy with you when he listens to this, Dad? (Soundbite of laughter) Who was the best kid?
KM: David.
BJ: He was actually the best kid. No, he definitely was.
KM: He was.
PM: And you see us all a lot still, right, Dad? Dad?
KM: What?
BJ: Priya was asking if you still see us a lot?
PM: See you a lot?
BJ: Yeah. Are we in your life?
KM: Sure. What are you talking about?
BJ: We’re just asking you a question. You know, what’s your life like now, Dad?
KM: Oh, it’s a wonderful life. I get up in the morning. Go to sleep at night. And in between – three meals. (Soundbite of laughter)
KM: What’s wrong with that?
PM: It’s a nice thing that is so easy to make you happy, Dad.
KM: I’m very much like I think my father.
PM: Mm-hmm.
KM: He was an easygoing guy. People used to call him Happy Harry. And I had a lot of his characteristics, I think.
PM: Dad, was there anything that you wish you had gotten in life that you didn’t get?
KM: Anything that I wish I have gotten in life?
PM: Yeah.
PM: I’m sitting here thinking I have no regrets on anything. The important thing is I have a family that I love. And they’re loving people. That’s the biggest thing that you leave as a…
BJ: Legacy.
KM: Legacy, yeah.
BJ: I want to tell you, Dad, that I’ve always considered you my guru and teacher.
KM: Well, thank you.
PM: I would say the same.
BJ: You’ve been a role model for all of your family. People are constantly saying to us how lucky you are to have all of us, and I turn to them and say we are because of him. You’ve created such love around you and we want to be with you.
KM: Thank you, honey. That’s awfully nice to hear.
BJ: It’s the truth.
PM: I love you, Dad.