Dinners With Ruth

Totenberg relays how her father, Roman Totenberg, had had his violin stolen after a concert in Massachusetts decades earlier. His violin, which he had played in concerts across the world, was made by Antonio Stradivari and maintained immense sentimental and financial value. Totenberg recalls this incident as a “crushing loss” to her father and the whole family (246). Three years after her father’s passing, the FBI contacted Totenberg to tell her that they had recovered the stolen violin, which had been stolen by a violinist named Philip Johnson. Totenberg and her sisters were ecstatic to hear that the violin had been recovered. When the thief’s ex-wife threatened to claim the violin as her own, the sisters hired legal help and were eventually reunited with the instrument. Totenberg made sure she had exclusive access to the press release and wrote and presented her own story on the topic for NPR. She fondly recalls the press conference and her joy at seeing the beautiful 300-year-old violin again. Being reunited with her father’s violin helped Totenberg celebrate his life once again, reminding her of both of her parents in their prime and thus offering a joyful appreciation.