Ephraim (a.k.a Fred) Friedman was born 16 December, 1932 in San Francisco to Clara Friedman and Morris Friedman (of the San Francisco Friedmans). Although both of his parents had the last name of Friedman, they were not related through the Friedman surname.
Fred was named after his great grandfather, Ephraim Friedman from Kopaigorod. His father died in 1942 when he was ten years old. He had two half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Rebecca Maltzer (Samuel and Joseph Friedman). His mother Clara remarried to Samuel Goldenberg in 1946, but then divorced him in 1947. In 1949 Fred graduated from Lowell High School where, according to the yearbook, he coached math for 3 1/2 years and majored in Math, science, German, English and history.
Fred died suddenly at the age of 20 of Polio Encephalitis. At the time, his mother Clara was in and out of severe depression over the death of her husband and was at times hospitalized. Fred died on 15 August, 1952 in San Francisco.
Dear Uncle Sam:
I didn’t write any sooner because I was making plans for my vacation. I probably will leave for Los Angeles Sunday the seventeenth of August. I believe I shall take mother s car with me. Pertaining to the payment of room and board, Sam and Dora are just charging me for what it cost them to feed me; which I can take care of myself. I am just about ready to go to work now and only have a half hour to get there. Please give my regards to everyone and send my love to mother. Tell her she will receive a letter from me in the next few days. The reason I wasn’t sure if my vacation is that I was planning to go to Salt Lake City, Utah to watch the car races on the Salt Lake flats. I am still not sure if I am going there or not after my trip to LA.
Your nephew
Fred
