Tag: Frank Lautenberg
Posted on Mon Jan 26, 2004 at 11:08:09 PM EST
Tags: Frank Lautenberg (all tags)
Our hearty congratulations to New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg who got married this weekend at the age of 81.
I was quite surprised to learn in reading the article that the new Mrs. Lautenberg is Bonnie S. Englebardt who is "in her 50's." I spent a week at a health spa with Bonnie, and her mother and sister Carol, in the early 1980's. I saw her a few times after, and remember when her husband Hank died of an unexpected heart attack at the young age of 40. I remember Bonnie's mother being appalled at my career, particularly my defense of persons accused of drug crimes. She thought drug dealers deserved the death penalty. I stayed good friends with Bonnie's sister Carol for a number of years, but lost touch a long time ago.
Bonnie was pretty, vivacious and fun.
Mr. Lautenberg, back at work in his Newark office on Monday, recalled in an interview that he and Ms. Englebardt first met in the late 80's when she traveled to Washington with a citizens group to lobby members of the Senate for support for Israel. She followed up that visit with a thank-you card and a note telling the senator that she was recently widowed and asking if he knew of any "interesting'' men who might be nice dinner dates.
"I put that card in my pocket, and about five months later, I called her,'' he recalled. "We went out, and I don't know whether she found me interesting, but here we are 16 years later.''
I'm glad for the newly married couple and wish them much happiness.
