Herbie The Clown
HEROES AMONG US
Start Clowning Around for Good
How Herb Modelevsky, M.D. turned into Herbie the Clown
by Terri Marie
I first met Herb at one of the San Clemente Toastmasters clubs.
He was the area governor. Nice, warm man. I knew he had
been a pediatrician for 35 years in Anaheim at the
Children Hospital and Martin Luther Hospital but I had
no idea that he was a clown until someone mentioned
his clown act and how that came about.
Go back to his 60th birthday. His wife Loretta gave him
a surprise party. Herb walked into a room filled with clowns
of every size and shape. His present was a certificate for
Under the Big Top, a clown school, to get his clown degree.
Eight weeks later, Herb the doctor transformed
into "Herbie the Clown."
Herb always loved clowns from the time his dad took him
to the circus where he could watch all the clowns.
"As a clown you can be in parades, you can go to charity
functions with children or the elderly, people of all ages.
You can be as silly as you want to be and no one cares
because you're except from all the ideas that society impinges
upon you about how to act nice. We're nice, but we're
goofy too." He admires the clown personae.
"Clowns give permission. They are a projection of yourself.
The person entering that figure of a clown is forgiving.
We can create an environment that is very meaningful.
You're laughing with the clown at your own inadequacies."
Herbie is an unusual clown because he is also an M.D.
Inspired by his hero, his uncle Aaron, a country doctor.
Herb went on the rounds with him in Arkansas.
"I just loved the way he handled people. We went moonlight
fishing and he'd tell me all about these things he was doing
and I said, 'I like that. I want to do that.'
That's where I got interested in medicine."
The doctor and the clown blend together very nicely,
especially visiting with the children who are ill.
"There are a lot of things in medicine that you could
consider heroic, like saving someone's life, but that's
a team affect. I think that's the key to anything you do in life,"
Herb says. Sometimes Herbie would entertain a young
patient at their birthday party. They would look over at
him and say, "That's my doctor! That clown is my doctor!"
Herb says, "You are theirs in that moment, completely
fixating on them. They are the center of your attention.
It makes them feel very important. There's an inner glow
that we look for." As a doctor, Herb understands the anxiety,
the fear, the pain, the uncertainty, and especially the
relevance of another person who cares, of someone willing
to take an afternoon and share it with them. "We hope
that the makeup and the costume and the magic that we
create allow them to enter that realm of fantasy. That's a
very comfortable place to be, especially when you're sick."
The meeting ground of clown and audience is acceptance
and understanding. When Herbie enters a new patient's room
he asks questions.
It's a wonderful example of how to treat children who are ill.
"Hi. "Can I come in?"
"Wow! You've got a great room!"
"Can I sit on your bed?"
"Can we roll a ball to each other?"
"Would you like to see my pictures that I brought?"
"Can you color? Would you help me color this picture?"
"Are you afraid of balloons? You're not? Great!
Can I make you a balloon animal?"
And there's no harm in saying, "I don't know."
"How did you do that?" I don't know?"
"Am I gonna get better?" I don't know, but I hope so."
Herbie is a friend. Through the gift of diversion, using stories,
magic and imaginary friends, Herbie creates the bond that
opens the door for potential healing. "A clown has to be a
wonderful listener. Being a sharer of an experience, changes
you every time," say Herb.
One of his most inspiring visits was walking through the
corridors of the hospital, on the way to the children's unit.
Herb and two other clowns passed through the adult
oncology unit and went by a door. Herb peeked inside.
The patient was semi-sleeping and the nurse said,
"You can't go in there. That patient's too sick." Herb said,
"Really?" As they were going to leave the doorway the
person in the bed opened their eyes, saw the clowns and
waved them inside. Herb fondly remembers, "We all three
went inside. We exchanged names and lo and behold,
this patient had been a clown with Barnum and Baily
Ringling Brothers, a real professional clown!
About an hour and a half later, we left that room.
She was feeling great. We were feeling wonderful.
I think we did more for her that day than the IV.
And I loved that patient.
I learned a lot from her and I hope she got some fun from us."
Does Herb know what it's like to be alone and isolated,
like those who are ill often are? He says, "One of the
loneliest occupations is to be a janitor. I know from
experience because when I was in college I was a janitor.
I found myself walking down hallways cleaning. No one
would stop and say 'Hello. How are you?' You're sort of
insignificant, like that speck of dirt that you're cleaning up,
so I've always made it a point when I see a janitor to say
'Hi. How are you doing?'"
Being a clown gave Herb a lesson he feels he could not have
learned in any other way - the permission to be different.
Herb looks to create in the children he visits an acceptance
of differences. "A person who looks different could be a
wonderful friend, could be a sharer of your life's experiences."
When he is with well children he gives them an episode
in their lives that they're not going to see anywhere else.
"Clowns in appearance and mannerisms are unique."
Of the three types of clowns, Herb is an Auguste
(pronounced "awe goost") clown, a middle of the road clown.
The "white clown" is the king of clowns. They never get
water in their face. They never step on a banana. They're
always doing that to someone else. But the white clown
can be frightening because of the stark white makeup.
Herb didn't see himself as the third type of clown either,
the "tramp clown," because he said that is not his character,
sad and despondent. Herb says the Auguste clown is not
frightening at all because he is very accepting,
wants to be happy and have fun.
"Clowns have a prism that they look through," Herb states.
"Using his eyes as a magic prism, the clown takes in reality,
filters out all the ill and menace, leaving kindness, tolerance
and goodness. I think that the most effective expression to
keep inside you is that you always lead with your heart.
There's no way that you can be a clown unless you lead with
that look that says 'I care about you.'"
And perhaps behind every great clown is a great wife.
Herb quotes Loretta, his wife, who is another of his heroes
because of all the volunteerism she does. "Those who step in
front of you and do not want to go along with what you're doing,
and are negative, tell them to get out of the way while you do it."
This doctor's advice. "Don't say, 'Oh, I wish I could be like that
person.' Just be the person you are.
And if you like a particular endeavor do it!"
What does Herbie the clown say when he's leaving the room.
"I never say goodbye. I never say so long.
What I say is "To be continued..."
What you can learn from Herbie
Be a friend. Use mutual admiration, praise, and acceptance.
Herbie feels no one should ever be without hope.
Be non-judgmental and accept differences. "Everyone that
a clown interacts with must be felt to be important. Someone
who is different could become a great friend," Herbie says.
"The children always want to know what's real on a clown.
'Is your nose real?' 'Do you really have feet that big?'"
Create a new reality. Use fantasy and magic. Every
experience with a clown is a fresh one. Herbie tells of a
time when he visited a girl named Mica. Mica means "twinkle"
so Herb said Mica, mica parva stella" which means "Twinkle,
twinkle little star." Herbie told Mica that when she went outside
with her mother and looked up in the sky, she would see that star
named after her and it would be the brightest star in the whole sky.
Be persistent. Herbie says, "If you don't laugh at the first
thing I do, I've gotta try something else. If that doesn't
make you laugh, I'm gonna try something else."
Like Herbie keep trying until you find something that works
to connect with people.
Be open to surprises. One of Herbs biggest delights in life
is being Herbie the Clown. That wouldn't have happened if
he had said. "Oh that's too silly! I'm too old or too young.
I don't have time." A surprise party opened the door to a whole
new way of life for Herb the doctor.
And my favorite:
Use the power of laughter. One of Herbie's favorite quotes,
"Laughter is a tranquilizer that has no ill effect,
so use a lot of it. We're all too serious."
So go out and start clowning around! Doctor's orders.
Terri Marie
Herobookonline.com
heroesamongus.blogspot.com
Start Clowning Around for Good
How Herb Modelevsky, M.D. turned into Herbie the Clown
by Terri Marie
I first met Herb at one of the San Clemente Toastmasters clubs.
He was the area governor. Nice, warm man. I knew he had
been a pediatrician for 35 years in Anaheim at the
Children Hospital and Martin Luther Hospital but I had
no idea that he was a clown until someone mentioned
his clown act and how that came about.
Go back to his 60th birthday. His wife Loretta gave him
a surprise party. Herb walked into a room filled with clowns
of every size and shape. His present was a certificate for
Under the Big Top, a clown school, to get his clown degree.
Eight weeks later, Herb the doctor transformed
into "Herbie the Clown."
Herb always loved clowns from the time his dad took him
to the circus where he could watch all the clowns.
"As a clown you can be in parades, you can go to charity
functions with children or the elderly, people of all ages.
You can be as silly as you want to be and no one cares
because you're except from all the ideas that society impinges
upon you about how to act nice. We're nice, but we're
goofy too." He admires the clown personae.
"Clowns give permission. They are a projection of yourself.
The person entering that figure of a clown is forgiving.
We can create an environment that is very meaningful.
You're laughing with the clown at your own inadequacies."
Herbie is an unusual clown because he is also an M.D.
Inspired by his hero, his uncle Aaron, a country doctor.
Herb went on the rounds with him in Arkansas.
"I just loved the way he handled people. We went moonlight
fishing and he'd tell me all about these things he was doing
and I said, 'I like that. I want to do that.'
That's where I got interested in medicine."
The doctor and the clown blend together very nicely,
especially visiting with the children who are ill.
"There are a lot of things in medicine that you could
consider heroic, like saving someone's life, but that's
a team affect. I think that's the key to anything you do in life,"
Herb says. Sometimes Herbie would entertain a young
patient at their birthday party. They would look over at
him and say, "That's my doctor! That clown is my doctor!"
Herb says, "You are theirs in that moment, completely
fixating on them. They are the center of your attention.
It makes them feel very important. There's an inner glow
that we look for." As a doctor, Herb understands the anxiety,
the fear, the pain, the uncertainty, and especially the
relevance of another person who cares, of someone willing
to take an afternoon and share it with them. "We hope
that the makeup and the costume and the magic that we
create allow them to enter that realm of fantasy. That's a
very comfortable place to be, especially when you're sick."
The meeting ground of clown and audience is acceptance
and understanding. When Herbie enters a new patient's room
he asks questions.
It's a wonderful example of how to treat children who are ill.
"Hi. "Can I come in?"
"Wow! You've got a great room!"
"Can I sit on your bed?"
"Can we roll a ball to each other?"
"Would you like to see my pictures that I brought?"
"Can you color? Would you help me color this picture?"
"Are you afraid of balloons? You're not? Great!
Can I make you a balloon animal?"
And there's no harm in saying, "I don't know."
"How did you do that?" I don't know?"
"Am I gonna get better?" I don't know, but I hope so."
Herbie is a friend. Through the gift of diversion, using stories,
magic and imaginary friends, Herbie creates the bond that
opens the door for potential healing. "A clown has to be a
wonderful listener. Being a sharer of an experience, changes
you every time," say Herb.
One of his most inspiring visits was walking through the
corridors of the hospital, on the way to the children's unit.
Herb and two other clowns passed through the adult
oncology unit and went by a door. Herb peeked inside.
The patient was semi-sleeping and the nurse said,
"You can't go in there. That patient's too sick." Herb said,
"Really?" As they were going to leave the doorway the
person in the bed opened their eyes, saw the clowns and
waved them inside. Herb fondly remembers, "We all three
went inside. We exchanged names and lo and behold,
this patient had been a clown with Barnum and Baily
Ringling Brothers, a real professional clown!
About an hour and a half later, we left that room.
She was feeling great. We were feeling wonderful.
I think we did more for her that day than the IV.
And I loved that patient.
I learned a lot from her and I hope she got some fun from us."
Does Herb know what it's like to be alone and isolated,
like those who are ill often are? He says, "One of the
loneliest occupations is to be a janitor. I know from
experience because when I was in college I was a janitor.
I found myself walking down hallways cleaning. No one
would stop and say 'Hello. How are you?' You're sort of
insignificant, like that speck of dirt that you're cleaning up,
so I've always made it a point when I see a janitor to say
'Hi. How are you doing?'"
Being a clown gave Herb a lesson he feels he could not have
learned in any other way - the permission to be different.
Herb looks to create in the children he visits an acceptance
of differences. "A person who looks different could be a
wonderful friend, could be a sharer of your life's experiences."
When he is with well children he gives them an episode
in their lives that they're not going to see anywhere else.
"Clowns in appearance and mannerisms are unique."
Of the three types of clowns, Herb is an Auguste
(pronounced "awe goost") clown, a middle of the road clown.
The "white clown" is the king of clowns. They never get
water in their face. They never step on a banana. They're
always doing that to someone else. But the white clown
can be frightening because of the stark white makeup.
Herb didn't see himself as the third type of clown either,
the "tramp clown," because he said that is not his character,
sad and despondent. Herb says the Auguste clown is not
frightening at all because he is very accepting,
wants to be happy and have fun.
"Clowns have a prism that they look through," Herb states.
"Using his eyes as a magic prism, the clown takes in reality,
filters out all the ill and menace, leaving kindness, tolerance
and goodness. I think that the most effective expression to
keep inside you is that you always lead with your heart.
There's no way that you can be a clown unless you lead with
that look that says 'I care about you.'"
And perhaps behind every great clown is a great wife.
Herb quotes Loretta, his wife, who is another of his heroes
because of all the volunteerism she does. "Those who step in
front of you and do not want to go along with what you're doing,
and are negative, tell them to get out of the way while you do it."
This doctor's advice. "Don't say, 'Oh, I wish I could be like that
person.' Just be the person you are.
And if you like a particular endeavor do it!"
What does Herbie the clown say when he's leaving the room.
"I never say goodbye. I never say so long.
What I say is "To be continued..."
What you can learn from Herbie
Be a friend. Use mutual admiration, praise, and acceptance.
Herbie feels no one should ever be without hope.
Be non-judgmental and accept differences. "Everyone that
a clown interacts with must be felt to be important. Someone
who is different could become a great friend," Herbie says.
"The children always want to know what's real on a clown.
'Is your nose real?' 'Do you really have feet that big?'"
Create a new reality. Use fantasy and magic. Every
experience with a clown is a fresh one. Herbie tells of a
time when he visited a girl named Mica. Mica means "twinkle"
so Herb said Mica, mica parva stella" which means "Twinkle,
twinkle little star." Herbie told Mica that when she went outside
with her mother and looked up in the sky, she would see that star
named after her and it would be the brightest star in the whole sky.
Be persistent. Herbie says, "If you don't laugh at the first
thing I do, I've gotta try something else. If that doesn't
make you laugh, I'm gonna try something else."
Like Herbie keep trying until you find something that works
to connect with people.
Be open to surprises. One of Herbs biggest delights in life
is being Herbie the Clown. That wouldn't have happened if
he had said. "Oh that's too silly! I'm too old or too young.
I don't have time." A surprise party opened the door to a whole
new way of life for Herb the doctor.
And my favorite:
Use the power of laughter. One of Herbie's favorite quotes,
"Laughter is a tranquilizer that has no ill effect,
so use a lot of it. We're all too serious."
So go out and start clowning around! Doctor's orders.
Terri Marie
Herobookonline.com
heroesamongus.blogspot.com
posted by Terri Marie at 4:47 PM
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