JGA SEPT-OCT 08 - The Jewish Georgian

September-October 2008 THE JEWISH GEORGIAN Page 43
Marshall “Bud” Mantler, last of the great characters
By Lyons Joel
Webster defines “character” as follows:
“the particular qualities that make a person
or thing different from others; strength and
originality in a person’s nature; a person’s
good reputation; an eccentric or amusing
person.”
Bud Mantler was living proof that Mr.
Webster knew what he was talking about,
because Bud was truly a character.
THE BEGINNING
Marshall Mantler was born October 18,
1918, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He
received his B.S. from UCLA—how a New
York/Connecticut boy got to California is
another story, one that is not really
known—and then attended Columbia
University Law School in New York. He
enlisted in the Army in 1941 and was commissioned
at Ft. Benning in 1942.
OLD BLOOD AND GUTS AND HIS
TRUSTED AIDE
Bud had an outstanding military career,
attaining the rank of major while serving in
the Third Army as the aide to the late
General George Patton, affectionately
known as “old blood and guts.” Patton was
uncontrollable, the anti-bureaucrat—what
he accomplished made the rest of the Army
look incompetent, almost irrelevant. Patton
broke Army regulations and a dozen laws to
accomplish the mission.
Captain Mantler (2nd from left) with
General Patton (center)
Captain Mantler (left) and General
Patton (center)
Patton and Mantler were a match made
in heaven—or hell. They thought alike and
reacted in the same unorthodox way.
Patton, an expert in armored warfare,
campaigned brilliantly in Africa, France,
Belgium, Germany, Sicily, Austria, and
Czechoslovakia, bringing Germany to her
knees.
Patton moved his troops so fast (sometimes
against orders) that he outran his supply
support, which couldn’t keep up. Many
times, while reluctantly waiting for them to
catch up, he would send his trusted aide
Marshall into a nearby city to make the
“arrangements” for the troops’ necessities—usually
cigarettes and whiskey, with a
little candy and wine—no questions asked.
Third Army waiting for supplies
Bud was one of the key men in the
inner circle of the historic wartime conferences
among Allied commanders, including
Generals Montgomery and de Gaulle,
Winston Churchill, and Franklin Roosevelt.
He was actively involved in the liberation
of several concentration camps, including
Buchenwald and Dachau. Mantler was also
in active combat and seriously wounded in
action. He received the Bronze Star and the
highest medal conferred by the French
Government, the highly coveted Croix de
Guerre.
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE STAN-
DARD CLUB
Upon completion of his military career,
Bud moved to Atlanta, where he and three
of his buddies, Ben Frankel, Bud Weiss, and
Murray Eisner, moved into the cottage
behind the house of renowned pianist and
teacher Carolyn Oettinger.
Every Saturday night, this “crew”
could be found at the bar of the old
Standard Club on Ponce de Leon—usually
making the most noise and having the best
time of anyone there.
Mantler said, “The Atlanta boys really
hated us because we took their women.”
And that they did—all marrying Atlanta
girls. And just to rub it in a little more, their
sidekick Janice Oettinger married an exserviceman
from Pittsburgh, Jacob (Jack)
Rothschild, rabbi of The Temple.
NAWCAS, FAME AND SUCCESS
Bud was appointed executive director
of the National Association of Women’s and
Children’s Apparel Salesmen. At the time,
salesmen who represented manufacturers
were independent agents, with no benefits
and very little security. It didn’t take long
for Mantler to go into action. He went to
Washington to urge Congress to help obtain
health and life insurance for these agents.
He was well respected by senators and congress
members.
Bud also established a pension fund for
the salesmen, which he managed in order to
avoid paying the fees charged by the socalled
“experts” (Mantler’s words). It
became extremely successful and provided
members with retirement security and
peace of mind. He continually worked diligently
for the good of the salesmen until he
retired. He was known as “the salesman’s
salesman.”
NEIGHBOR...OR INVADER?
Babs and Bud were living in a townhouse
on Moores Mill next door to a lady
from New York who had a few noisy disagreements
with her neighbors; so Bud was
ecstatic when his friends Mimi and Alan
Gould bought the lady’s house.
On the day the Goulds moved in, Bud
was there to greet them. In the middle of the
move, with the movers arranging couches,
rugs, and such, here comes Bud through the
front door with a hose, taking it through the
house to the back yard, and spraying weed
killer. Bud told Alan that the woman had a
yard full of weeds, and not only were they
an eyesore, they were creeping into his garden.
At that moment, the hose connection
came apart in the living room. Bud, seeing
the shock on Alan’s face, put his arm
around him, and said not to worry, he had a
guy who could vacuum the water, clean the
carpet, and make it look new...and he was
cheap! Alan said, “Yeah, thanks a lot!”
Bud’s reply? “You’re welcome!”
This was just the beginning. According
to the Goulds, Bud would barge in at any
hour, open the fridge, and take out a beer or
two. Alan had to start buying beer by the
case. Bud, true to his word, grew a garden
for the Goulds. He would come into the
Goulds’ house unannounced and start
preparing one of his French recipes for dinner.
He always had one of his beautiful
orchids in their living room.
When Alan reminisces about his neighbor,
he shakes his head and says, “Neighbor
or invader? I don’t know,” and his eyes
begin to tear.
REMEMBRANCES AND ORCHIDS
Bud Mantler passed away in April this
year. His daughters, Sophie Joel and Marci
Ford, had a memorial service at Sophie’s
home to honor their father. Over 100 of his
fans showed up in Sophie’s garden to pay
their respects.
Former Mayor Sam Massell worked
for Bud in his first job out of college. He
thanked Bud for firing him, sending him
over to Sam Goldberg and into a fabulous
real estate and political career. Cecil
Alexander congratulated Bud on his choice
of wives. Bert Epstein remembered “the
man in action on business trips.” Alan Joel
spoke about becoming a son-in-law. Janice
Rothschild Blumberg remembered the good
old days. And so it went, until everyone had
a chance to remember—and in the greenhouse
overlooking the back yard was a
room full of orchids.
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE. Alex Khiyayev (pictured with Scoutmaster Josiah
V. Benator and his mother Lyubov Niktalova), a senior at Druid Hills
High School, recently earned the Eagle Badge, the highest rank a Boy
Scout can earn. Alex is
the 42nd scout in Troup
73, sponsored by
Congregation Or
VeShalom, to earn the
Eagle Badge. Alex's
Eagle project benefited
DeKalb County's
Briarwood Park. He and
his peer group cleared
and mulched an old 90foot
trail, added two
benches, and planted
azaleas along the trail.
Troop 73 meets each
Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. at Congregation Or VeShalom. Contact
Scoutmaster Josiah Benator at 404-634-2137 for more information.