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High-spirited service for IMAC co-founder
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| | | Michael Rothbard. File photo/Craig Robins (click for larger version) | |
November 02, 2009 | 10:36 AM
As a fitting tribute to the man who knew how to bring the house down, over 300 people packed the Universalist Unitarian Fellowship on Monday afternoon to celebrate the life and legacy of Michael Rothbard, co-founder of Huntington's Intermedia Art Center, who died Friday at age 63.
Somber notes of a flute, harp and piano wafting through the chapel soon gave way to words of praise and joy for the man who presented an eclectic array of musical acts for a quarter century.
Tom Bensen, of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, led the audience in a rousing two-minute standing ovation for the man who helped bring about countless standing ovations at the former vaudeville theater on New York Avenue.
Despite Rothbard's impressive status in the Long Island arts community, he remained a down-to-earth figure in the minds of many.
"He was just Michael," the first speaker, Harlan Fischer, said. "How many impresarios would greet you in the lobby of their theater before every performance? ... How many impresarios would treat you as if you were visiting their own home, albeit with a 500-seat theater? … Because of all the things you are, there will never be
another you."
Kathie Bodily, Rothbard's partner in life and business, cajoled Cleo, the performing arts center's golden retriever mascot, to the podium to sit at her feet as she addressed the rapt standing-room-only crowd.
"He wanted you to know that he was grateful and I wanted you to know that this man was a treasure that will live in me forever," Bodily said. "He was compelling. He charmed me the way he charmed every single one of you."
Bodily told the story of how the couple met one evening when she and her fiancé had locked themselves out of their apartment during a heated argument. Going through a neighbor's apartment, she spotted Rothbard, who lay slumped on the sofa, faking exhaustion to get out of housework, which was anathema to him, Bodily said, and he lived up to a standard of "congenital laziness."
"He once told me in our video days that if he got his hands wet while he was doing the dishes, they would shrink and he would no longer be able to hit the buttons on the editing console and IMAC … would go out of business," she recalled. "I gave him a pass for creativity."
Theirs was a love story, with a twist, said Bodily. "We never married but we had one beautiful child and that was IMAC; and a second, which is Cleo. We became partners in every sense of the world. He was the public face, the front man, filled with ideas and dreams. And I was the can-do girl: the builder of dreams."
Bodily spoke of Rothbard's love for conversation and a morning ritual they called "the daily rant," whereby they covered all manner of topics.
Rothbard's last few days laid up in Huntington Hospital were spent chatting amiably with doctors, nurses and loved ones. "He shone in his last moments," Bodily said.
Through IMAC, the couple realized their dreams, though not without a struggle. "We could make it if we try," was their mantra in running the theater.
The difficult decision to close IMAC came about after a huge chunk of plaster fell from the decaying ceiling; they were consumed with worry that it could happen again and possibly maim or kill someone, Bodily said.
Once IMAC shuttered its doors four months ago, the couple spent every moment together, Bodily said, planning their future, which included writing a book about the IMAC experience, leading the creation of a world-class performing art center in Huntington; producing a summer music cruise series in Huntington Bay and consulting with organizations about presenting live music.
But their plans screeched to a halt when Rothbard suffered a heart attack last Tuesday, she said. At the hospital, Rothbard was told he had an abnormally enlarged heart, compounded by a cardiac infection.
"I also believe that he died a little bit of a broken heart, seeing what happened to our retarded baby," she said, referring to a term they used for their beloved IMAC.
Rothbard rallied for a few days but succumbed to a heart attack three days later.
"His indomitable spirit will remain in me and I'm sure it will remain in every one of you forever," Bodily said. "He would want you to remember him with joy for the tremendous gifts that he shared with all of us."
Calling him a maverick and mentor, Diana Cherryholmes, executive director of Huntington Arts Council, said Rothbard created this amazing living room that melded the creators of art with those who appreciated it.
Though the IMAC theater closed, IMAC the institution didn't end, Cherryholmes said. "Kathie, we're with you … to support you to make this dream a reality."
In Rothbard's memory, Bodily has started the Michael Rothbard Young Musicians Scholarship. Checks are payable to IMAC, 32 Crescent Drive, Huntington, NY 11743. "Know that you have been in the presence of someone who will never be forgotten," Bodily assured Rothbard's fans.
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