Birth date: Oct 9, 1934 Death date: Apr 20, 2016
Sheldon W. Wigod, Ph.D., 81 of Lakewood died April 20, 2016. He is survived by his brother Gerald E. (Fran) of Detroit, MI and by good friends Keith Joseph, Len Ferrante, Damon Raub, Louis Giannetti, Charles Haddad, Narsina Jones, Read Obituary
I spent many a night at the New Mayfield watching all those wonderful movies. I loved Sheldon's introductions. He was so obviously in love with the medium he passed on all that enthusiasm to the audience. Those were very happy times and I still miss being able to see movies on a big screen as they should be. RIP, Sheldon.
I met Sheldon when he was a prof at Baldwin Wallace, went to the New Mayfield all the time, and before I moved to CA in 1984 would lunch with him at Its It deli in Lakewood. He encouraged my move with a quote from Tennessee Williams' Camino Real: Make voyages, attempt them: there is nothing else. I am sad he will never read my first novel in which he has a walk on.
Many of the movies that Sheldon showed at the New Mayfield I had only seen on TV. It was a great experience to see them on a big screen as they were meant to be shown; and a double treat to hear Sheldon’s wonderful introductions. Thank you Sheldon. I was always pleased and honored when he came into my Lee Road video store – I doubt that he really thought much of video but he came anyway.
That wonderful smile and the laugh that he had… On a weekend night a few years ago there was nothing better to do in Cleveland than gather a few friends and go to see Sheldon and his movies. ‘Mildred Pierce’ and Sheldon Wigod are synonymous to me.
A pizza in Little Italy and a double feature at the New Mayfield Theater with Sheldon's insightful and humorous commentary was the perfect evening. Thanks for the memories.
I met Sheldon while taking English 101 at Tri-C. In the initial class he mentioned both Bette Davis and Bob Dylan in the same sentence. As soon as the class ended I ran to the scheduling department to see if there were any other classes that Sheldon was teaching. It turned out that he was also teaching film appreciation at 7:00 PM that exact day. My last class concluded at 3:00, leaving me 4 hours to kill, as I lived to far away to drive home and return. It also made my day that started at 8:00 AM pretty lengthy. The decision to sign up for the film class changed my life. When I look at the books on my shelf, Sylvia Plath, Flannery O’Connor, Raymond Carver, and of course, The Sound and the Fury, or when I view the films Duck Soup, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, Modern Times, or A Streetcar Named Desire, just to name a few, I realize what an indelible impression he made on me, my tastes, my interests, and my life in general.
Sheldon loved to laugh. He taught me that laughter is one of the most intimate experiences that you can share. Like everyone who knew him, whittling down the slew of memorable moments to one anecdote is nearly impossible but here it goes…
Early on in our friendship I bought tickets to a charity auction held at the Rocky River Yacht Club. There were no seats available except at the center table that had Reserved prominently marked on a card. Sheldon directed me to sit there. There was a woman whom Sheldon later described as a Ruth Gordon wannabe holding court at the table and did not appreciate the both of us sitting there. She passive aggressively played with the Reserved Card and shot unfriendly looks our way.
I whispered to Sheldon that maybe we should move. “Did you pay for your tickets like everyone else?” “Yes.” I replied. “Is there any other place to sit?” “No.” “Then we’re staying right here.”
The auction began and Sheldon, being Sheldon, was quickly bored. “Do you think any of those paintings have microfilm in them like North by Northwest?” My laughter must have angered Ruth because she looked directly at us and commanded/requested in a loud voice, “Pardon me but I didn’t hear you.” Without missing a beat he repeated the question and Ruth Gordon, for the first time, laughed and smiled. “Oh, I love that movie.” In under a minute Sheldon was holding court and charmed every person at that table.
Mr. Chips: I thought I heard you say 'twas a pity, a pity I never had children. But you're wrong...I have...thousands of them...thousands of them...and all boys!
Good-bye Mr. Chips. You will always be loved and missed.
The Last Protégé from Tri-C
Other than my parents, Sheldon had the greatest influence on my life. From bringing donuts to the 8 A.M. Faulkner class to strutting his stuff on the Marting Hall Stage teaching Shakespeare. He was the best.
William Deibel
Berea, Ohio
