I
n 1964, Bruce Rits Gilbert saw Th e Beatles play at the
Milwaukee Arena.

It was the type of show that might have sparked a lifetime
of obsession, a sold-out show that opened with “Twist and Shout”
and ended with a cover of “Long Tall Sally.” Tickets topped out
at about $5, and it was the fi rst and last time that the band ever
played in Gilbert’s hometown. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine
that show fueling a lifetime of Beatlemania for Gilbert.

But Gilbert, 67, escaped mostly unscathed that day (more
Beatle-appreciator than maniac). Instead, a musician of a diff er-
ent sort — someone a little quieter, a little weirder, a little funnier
and a whole lot more country — caught his attention. From the
fi rst time Gilbert heard the singer-songwriter John Prine’s music
in 1973, he was hooked.

“I’ve had dalliances with a whole lot of other singer-songwrit-
ers and groups and the like,” Gilbert said. “But John Prine has
always been my favorite. I’ve seen him a whole lot of times, and
he’s just a remarkable musician.”
From Milwaukee to his current home in Penn Valley, and
through a decades-long career as a lawyer, a marriage, the task
of raising three daughters and now, a pandemic, Gilbert has held
Prine close and spread the word about his music far and wide.

Voted Best Audiologist
on The Main Line
Since 2007!
Meet BARRIE SZEMLER
Boo Rits and The Missing Years perform at the Bryn Mawr Twilight
Concerts. From left: Nick Gunty, Bruce Rits Gilbert and Matt Lyons
Photo by Nick Penney
During the pandemic, Gilbert started two Prine-related proj-
ects: a self-published tribute book called “John Prine: One Song
At a Time” that serves as a comprehensive introduction to Prine
and his music, and the appropriately-titled John Prine Album
Club, where newly isolated family members would gather once a
week via Zoom to discuss another Prine record.

“It was a really nice way for us to honor and remember John
Prine and his music,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert grew up outside of Milwaukee, and attended the
University of Wisconsin–Madison before heading to the now-de-
funct Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C. He met his
wife, Andrea, the longtime president of Bryn Mawr Hospital,
during his undergraduate years, and they’ll celebrate their 40th
wedding anniversary this August.

Gilbert spent more than 20 years as general counsel for
Universal Health Services in King of Prussia, and spent the last
few years working for smaller health care startups. As his legal
career wound down, Gilbert found himself with lots of time on
Model SHE’S CALLED SIMPSON HOUSE HOME SINCE 2018
By the time she took up residence in Simpson House in 2018, Barrie
Szemler had already lived on two continents and experienced a rich
and varied career.

In addition to being a wife and mother, Barrie worked at the Loyola
University Library, taught ballroom dancing, hosted a radio show in
Chicago and worked as a model, appearing in TV commercials.

How has she managed to age so well? She credits a happy marriage
and learning to think things through before making decisions. Plus,
she says, “It helps to have good genes.”
Call us today at 215-372-8665, or visit SimpsonHouse.org/GL-BS
to see for yourself why Barrie and so many other worldly people
choose Simpson House for retirement living.

2101 Belmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131
SimpsonHouse.org/GL-BS • 215-372-8665
See Musical, Page 14
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM THE GOOD LIFE
MAY 6, 2021
13