ROSS FRIEDMAN

Ross Friedman is one of the people who make this neighborhood feel like home. From a young age, kids come to know him as our “Banjoman,” always spreading joy - whether it’s a friendly wave or a free concert at the pool for everyone to enjoy. Ross is the epitome of the neighbor we all hope for: kind, thoughtful, and genuinely interested in who you are and what you have to say. We are a better, brighter neighborhood because of him, and are honored to celebrate Ross as our Neighbor of the Month.

I grew up in suburban Chicago, and, after graduating from the University of Illinois, was teaching fifth grade there in 1976 when a friend invited me to his wedding in Memphis. His fiancée was from Atlanta, and he told me to bring my banjo as there was this cool chick coming from Atlanta who played guitar. Anyway, Teresa and I met and played a few songs at their rehearsal dinner, and, yada, yada, yada, we played some songs at the Hammond Hills pool last night. We are in a band that plays at retirement homes, church groups, and the farmers’ market, and the two of us often sit on a bench at Chastain or City Springs to entertain both ourselves and happy passers-by. Playing music for others brings us joy.

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We were one of several young couples who moved into the neighborhood in 1978, after one of Teresa’s friends with whom she taught at North Springs told us about it. We played tennis and swam at the Glenridge Forest pool at the end of Greenbriar - I believe it now is a refuge for coyotes and deer - until it closed in 1983, at which time I took my banjo to the Hammond Hills pool where I have been set up ever since in the corner under the oak tree, still hoping for a cabana bar.

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As our family grew to five in the 80’s we thought of moving on occasion, but we liked it here, and I thought knocking out some walls and expanding was easier than boxing up all the books, so we happily stayed put and expanded twice. Every spring I’d plant some azaleas or a flowering tree, in the fall I’d return the ones that didn’t make it (You gotta keep those receipts!), and our backyard after so many years has several beautiful spots. Our three children and four (soon to be five) grandchildren all live within a few miles, with daughter Stephanie Alterman and Joe living on Kayron. We understand we are blessed having our adult children so close. We currently share our home with Mr. Bingley, our golden doodle, whom I walk early each morning to avoid confrontations, as his friendly rambunctiousness is far stronger than my ability to control him.

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I loved teaching A.P. English at Milton High School for 27 years (neighbor Becky Neece was one of my students) and have taught dozens of adult literature classes at Osher Lifelong Learning at Emory since I retired. I realize my life mostly has been dependent upon teenagers, first as a teacher, and now as I am concerned if the lifeguards will show up to open the pool and that sad day when the pool closes as they will be leaving to go back to school.

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In addition to our several music jams and yoga classes each week, Teresa plays pickleball and I’ll do Zumba, though I can’t dance at all. Few people know—though I’m happy to tell them—that I was a baseball pitcher in high school, college, and in a men’s league until I was 36. Our front yard was a great place to play ball with my sons—who starred at Riverwood—and neighbor Tyler Thornburg, who went on to pitch for the Braves. It does my heart good to watch the constant ballgames on Emily and Brick’s front yard where all the kids gather. That’s what front yards are for.

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Now, while we are no longer one of the young couples, Teresa and I still walk through the neighborhood holding hands every day as we have for 47 years enjoying the new construction, selecting the “tree of the day” during fall and spring, waving to neighbors, and dodging the cut-throughs as we go. We have loved living in Glenridge/Hammond. Even without a cabana bar.