assorted comments

[Landau, James]

I have a first cousin (born in the 1930's) who is named Major Landau.
In his case the first name is simply an anglicization of the
long-established Jewish given name "Mayer" which (according to "Little
Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life", biblio cite on request) was
originally Hebrew for "Giver of Light", a title bestowed on a famous
rabbi (who I have never otherwise heard of).

In my Basic Training company there was an unliked goof-off whose last
name was "Sergeant" (I forget the spelling).  A standing joke in the
company was that he was such a dud that he had been demoted from
"Private Sergeant" to "Private Private".

Dr. Gray: your first name of "Wilson" places you in a long tradition of
famous people who have family names for given names, a tradition long
antedating "Robinson Crusoe".  Just think of Dewitt Clinton, Franklin D.
Roosevelt (also Franklin Pierce), Tyrus "Ty" Cobb, Irving Berlin.  At
least you were spared the fate of Morgan Freeman, whose parents seem to
have been unaware that they named him after Morgan le Fey.

    - Jim Landau

      

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