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"Stand-off on Melvina Street" * Steve, age 5 (?) and his father, Barney. |
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Birthday Party for Steve, age 8(?) * Clockwise around the table starting in the lower left: (only back of head visible) Scott Perlstein, cousin; Jerry Harvancik, a neighbor; (only top of head visible) Joey Reindle, neighbor; (leaning) Barney, father; (standing behind) Lester Posner, uncle, holding his son, Armand; (blowing candles) Steve; Becky, mother; (seated at the table) Coleman "Spike" Barkin, friend; Beverly, sister; Sandra Perlstein, cousin; (standing behind) Sylvia Walters, sister; and Jerry Perlstein, cousin. |
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"Lone Cowboy" * Steve on an excursion in the Far West. Photo taken by his father during a father-son exploration of Colorado and other Western States, 1967. |
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Steve in Madison, Wisconsin * |
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Steve surrounded by his sister and mother left to right, Sylvia, Steve, and Becky, 1974 * |
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Steve, 1978 * |
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Beverly (sister) and Steve, 2001 * |
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* Click on photos for larger images |
| NEW! Photos from a gathering of Steve and friends—Picnic 2003. |
| Welcome to the Web site of Steve Solochek—sports maven extraordinaire. Look further and you will find images and stories of a basketball-loving poet—a tender-hearted and fiercely-funny fellow with loyalties to friends and family that trace many years back.
This site was created by his friend Rick, with help from his sisters, Sylvia and Beverly—and welcomes contributions from other friends as well. Anyone with photos, stories, etc. may submit them to Born during WWII in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Becky and Barney Solochek, Steve enjoyed a classic bright boy's childhood. The much-adored only son in a household of mainly women, including mom, doting grandmother and two older sisters, he was the wit of the dinner table, bringing whoops of laughter each evening to the family circle with his story-telling and fast-paced, spontaneous humor. But his passion was sports. Slim, small and nimble, he mastered baseball, backyard handball and ping-pong and anything else that required quick reflexes and smart moves. Popular among his friends, he dominated classrooms and schoolyards. It was still as a pre-adolescent that he fell in love with basketball, shooting hoops night and day. He reached a pinnacle in high school when he creamed all the big guys he knew in shorts to become captain of his basketball team, and the object of desire of all the pretty girls. On court and off, Steve had all the right moves. Steve went to the University of Wisconsin in Madison—on a basketball scholarship—and eventually earned a bachelor's degree in English lit. He took his time about it, meanwhile mastering the game of chess and occasionally dipping into the magical literature of astrology. He was a creature of the '60's. For a while, he traveled, even living briefly on an Israeli kibbutz. In this country, he worked occasionally at jazz festivals in New York and New Orleans. Back at the university, he continued his adventures—some even on motorcycle. But in time, he found his metier in his love of words. Taking after his dad, Steve finally became a writer, with stories and poems appearing in campus publications. You will find some of his poems in the following pages. Later in his life, Steve met with misfortune when he was diagnosed with MS. Now a resident of the Milwaukee Jewish Home, Steve—still a looker after all these years—entertains as many pretty women as will let him. He values the visits of his friends, especially those like Sandy and Spike who come from out of town. The best time of Steve's year is basketball season, and when he actually gets out to see the Bucks play, he is a very happy man. |