Recovering journalist

The Oct. 25 edition of the New York Times had a picture of the well-known ABC journalist Bob Woodruff, now 46, who was wounded in Iraq in January 2006, but who looked well after a long hospitalization.

He was in Iraq and was severely wounded when a roadside bomb exploded, pocking his brain with shrapnel and other debris, almost killing him.

He still struggles to find the right word, at times, but he has returned to work full time as a correspondent for ABC news programs, including “World News” and “Nightline.” In the spring he was in China, and two weeks ago he was in Angola for an ABC documentary about Chinese influences around the world.

I think he is remarkable.

The most visible reminder of his wounds is a small dent near his left temple. His wavy brown hair on the left side of his head conceals a plastic shell the size of a small coconut that helps protect his brain, in place of a portion of skull he lost in the attack.

He had embarked on an unofficial second career, as a voice and fundraiser for wounded soldiers, particularly those with severe head injuries. On Nov. 7, Bruce Springsteen, Robin Williams, Conan O’Brien and Lewis Black will appear at a charity concert for wounded soldiers at Town Hall in Manhattan. The principal beneficiary is the Bob Woodruff Family Fund, which Mr. Woodruff began with his wife Lee and brother David.

The article tells much more about the fund, and I expect we will be reading more about its success.

Enticing luncheon

A luncheon and forum for family and friends of residents of the Barron Center was held Oct. 23. The luncheon was excellent, including rice and vegetable soup, salad rolls filled with egg salad, crabmeat salad, and tuna, and cole slaw. A delicious dessert was baked apple crisp with whipped topping.

The forum topic, on physical, cccupational and speech and recreational therapies, was introduced by Tonya Heskett, and she and her committee members answered questions. It was a helpful meeting, and we all were well fed, too.

Fascinating obituary

The Oct. 23 Boston Globe gave readers many interesting facts about Massachusetts’ oldest practicing lawyer, Reuben Landau, who passed away at the age of 103. Still active at the age of 100, he continued to review documents in his home a few hours each day.

At his 80th reunion and the commencement ceremony at the Boston University School of Law, when he was 102, he walked to the podium, where he was to speak, without a cane. He had no hearing aids or eyeglasses, but he sometimes kept a pair sitting atop his bald head. He said, “I only wear them to keep the dust out of my eyes.”

Although longevity runs in his family, no one was as long lived as Mr. Landau. His mother lived to 100, and three siblings made it into their 90s. Mr. Landau, who went by the nickname Ruby, did not view his advanced age as an accomplishment worth boasting about. “I don’t take any pride in the age,” he told the New York Times in 2004. “What did I do? To be proud of it, I’d have to be able to attribute it to something I did.” Nevertheless, he enthusiastically took part in BU’s New England Centenarian Study, appearing on news programs and CNN.

“He was kind of our celebrity,” said Dr. Thomas Peris, director of the study. “As the oldest living practicing lawyer and just being so sharp and such a sage, he was great for reporters and for promoting this notion of healthy aging. It was always such a pleasure to go visit him, and it was remarkable how incredibly sharp he was, until the end of his life.”

It was a pleasure to read about him, too.

The article said, too, that six of the eight Landau siblings became lawyers, and the other two “called themselves black sheep,” Mr. Landau told Bostonia, the BU alumni quarterly, in 2005. His son said that the seventh was a psychiatrist,and the eighth, an accountant. “Since that generation, there are six more Landau lawyers, of which I am one,” said his son.

Tempting dip

We are approaching the holiday season, and this recipe for a dip to serve holiday guests is a good one.

HOT SHRIMP DIP

1 8 ounce. package of cream cheese

1 can of cream of potato soup

1 can of small shrimp

1/2 teaspoon horseradish

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

1/3 cup slivered almonds

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Mix cream cheese and soup. Add shrimp, onions, horseradish, salt and pepper. Spread one half of the shrimp mixture into the bottom of a buttered deep-dish pie pan. Sprinkle with almonds and half of the grated cheese. Add the remaining shrimp mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

This is great with crackers or potato chips. It is best when served hot.