PAUL HABER STORIES

INTRODUCTION

Although I had read and heard about the intriguing and controversial subject of this book for years, I only met Paul Haber in 1983, at the USHA Nationals in Houston, Texas.  Haber was being inducted into the Handball Hall of Fame and I was a player in the Nationals tournament held in conjunction with that induction ceremony.  Haber’s pain wracked body and years of hard living dictated that his championship handball days were now memories.  His appetite for booze however had not waned.  I found him and his loyal doubles partner, Paul Armando Morlos, in the hotel bar long after the banquet ceremony, still celebrating.

Years later, Paul asked me to write his story. I was awkwardly flattered.  He knew his life was an extraordinary journey not without some very messy details.  He really wanted to share his experiences; his joys and his sorrows.  He wanted it all out there for everyone to see, “the good, the bad and the ugly,” as he put it.

Paul’s early childhood and dysfunctional family life became the “ugly” aspect of this otherwise, serendipitous venture.   I had uncovered something that Paul probably never would have revealed, even to me, as close as we became.  I was faced with a moral, if not ethical dilemma—to tell all or not.

If the reader is offended by my candor, I apologize.  Perhaps, shedding light on some of Paul’s issues may provide a more charitable view by his detractors, and also endear him even more by his friends and admirers.    

The Paul Haber Story is a dramatic narrative account based on his life. Details of settings, descriptions and characterizations occassionaly required altering to protect identities and privacy.  In some instances, I employed the technique of re-created dialogue, based on the recollections of interviewees, especially in scenes taking place several years ago.

Enjoy.