It was a gift from an elderly couple. He was a WW II veteran in his 90’s and had been one of my patients not long before I retired. I kept a ukulele in my office and at the end of an appointment I would play it briefly for patients if they asked about it. This couple particularly enjoyed it, and one day he stated that he had an old ukulele, which had been restored by a friend, that he wanted to give me.
I smiled and thanked him, but was a little concerned; I shouldn’t really be accepting gifts from patients, but did not want to deny their kindness. I was worried; some vintage brand-name ukuleles can be quite valuable which would make them inappropriate to accept from a patient.
A few weeks later his wife saw me in the hall and announced that she had the ukulele. She brought it to my office; I was delighted by the sight of it and relieved that it had not been an expensive gift. From the book, The Art of Vintage Ukuleles, pictured above with the gift ukulele, I learned that it was a banjo ukulele, most likely made in the 1920’s or 1930’s by a manufacturer that had not stamped or written its name on it. Hence they are called no name banjo ukuleles.
I treasure this little uke for the memory of that couple and enjoy playing it from time to time. I do not feel bad about bending the rules and accepting this gift from the heart; its worth far exceeds its monetary value.
#ukuele #banjoukulele #veteran #gift
Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 