Nathaniel J. Friedman

1936 - 2021

September 5, 1936 - June 6, 2021 Nate Friedman was born, September 5, 1936 (the year Fracisco Franco Bahamode, el Cauidillo de Dios, regresa a Melillo a comenzar la guerra civil, the Spanish Civil War.Between September 5, 1936 and the date of his death, June 6, 2021, Nate lived up to the words of President (T.) Roosevelt, who wrote, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."Having moved in 1946 with his parents (Bernard, nee Barish 1896-1961 and Dorothy Rabinowitz, 1904-2001) and siblings, Marvin and Saralee, to Los Angeles, he graduated from Le Conte Jr. High, Beverly Hill High School 1953, USC 1957 and Southwestern Law School 1962.He took the California State Bar exam in February 1962 and reasonably certain he had been successful in the endeavor (he was), and with a stipend from his recently deceased father, Nate took off on a classic tour of Europe and Israel, while awaiting three months distant, the formal Bar Exam results.Then followed a decade of various areas of law practice, primarily representing defendants in criminal cases.With the need to make a living, Nate settled down to full time law practice, to the delight of his first wife, Judy.After Barton was born, a second child, Bonnie, came along in 1974 and today is Mrs. Angus Clark of Maplewood, New Jersey, along with her husband, Angus, and Nate's beautiful grand-daughter, Lily.On the theory that if life deals you lemons, make lemonade, Nate moved in to medical malpractice, fully understanding medicine's intersection with law and politics.Specifically, birth injured babies, wrongful life and various other specialties where it is necessary to clean up the mess of doctors and hospitals, the next 40 years brought victories (and defeats) in trials, arbitration's and in settlements with high dollar cases. In 2004, Nate hired a paralegal, Tatiana Fraijo, who remained his rock - to his last day. Considering that Nate had a dozen or more secretaries and paralegals over more than 55 years.In visiting Poland, Hungary and Czech-o-Slovakia with his friend Bonnie Goodman, two things stood out. In Auschwitz, now a tourist attraction, especially with Holocaust survivors, was the smell of burnt woods (this, 61 years after the Holocaust) was still palpable. The wood fires had been used to burn Jewish bodies after the chimneys and gas chambers had done their thing. In 2006, Nate made his final trip to "Mitteleuropa" with Rabbi Dennis Eisner's Wilshire Blvd., Temple tour (which House of Worship Nate joined in 1968, and remained a member until his death).ivors, was the smell of burnt wood (this, 61 years after the Holocaust) was still palpable. The wood fires had been used to burn Jewish bodies after the chimneys and gas chambers had done their thing.Not that Nate was all work and no play. After his multiple successes, he purchased interests in a number of thoroughbred race horses, as racing had been a passion of his since high school days. In 2012, Nate authored a book, "Medical Malpractice in the 21st Century" which, was well-received in the legal community. Until the pandemic of 2019-2021, Nate lived with Darlene his second wife. They were married in 1994 and divorced in 2001, only to "click" the second time around, in 2011.On March 28, 2021, Darlene died. Nate was devastated and never fully recovered from the blow and died on June 6, 2021, as "collateral damage" of the pandemic caused to the world.Not only was Darlene Nate's best friend, but because of her 30 years in medicine was a virtual colleague in reviewing Nate's medical malpractice cases. In closing, Nate wanted the world to heed the words of the great mid 20th century Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, who wrote:"Go not gentle into this good night, but rage, rage against the coming of the dawn." And so Nate did, for three score years and more. But inevitably, the dawn comes with all its conflict, controversies and strife. It seemed better to surrender to the new day, and seek the peace provided by William Shakespeare in the closing lines of "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.""Good night sweet prince, and may flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest."