I Married An Einstein

Really? Seriously. My mother-in-law's maiden name is Einstein. Gudula Einstein Amerikaner. Now nearing ninety, Gudula lived in Stuttgart, Germany until 1939. Is she related to the Albert Einstein? "Probably," she says. Gudula is almost 90 and sees no reason to care about this issue. She is more interested in going to the 99 Cent Store. I say: what about all those Baby Einstein royalties?! Think of all the 99 Cent tzotchkes we could buy! Alas, we have no genealogy studies or DNA to prove any connection. Certainly my husband is bright and witty. Our sons agree, but when they looked at their S.A.T. scores, they immediately knew the math gene did not survive the lengthy genetic journey. I am a descendant of Russian, Swedish and Hungarian peasants. On my side our biggest claim to fame is my Uncle Eddie Leonard who was a champion featherweight boxer for a few years and later became a nightclub entrepreneur and owner of the now defunct, but formerly famous chain of Washington, D.C. "Eddie Leonard" sandwich shops. More on Uncle Eddie another time. The subs were great, by the way.

I believe that I do have probable cause to believe I did marry an Einstein. We have been married almost 30 years, and I did not marry my husband because of this "relativity." I was unaware of any possible connection. The name "Amerikaner" was enough for a newlywed to deal with; I never even asked his mother's maiden name. I fell in love with Erik because of chemistry; not physics. And I am still wild over his terrific sense of humor, warmth and gentle nature. (I don't believe any of these traits are part of Albert's personality profile.) However, several years ago I came upon a photo of Einstein in his 20's; about the same age as my husband when we met. I gasped. OMG! It was the same face. My husband is a high school teacher (no, not physics) and even his students remarked on the uncanny resemblance. They discovered similar photos when they were doing research on Einstein, Albert. They are here so you can judge for yourself.

My husband does collect Einstein books, pictures and even the occasional Einstein bobblehead (my personal favorite). Fame is fleeting, especially when it's not yours. How has the possibility of maybe perhaps having Einstein for a distant relative changed my life? Not much. But every time I see one of those Baby Einstein books, I rack up a psychic "Ka-ching!" You can't blame me for trying.