Allen Edelist, 1950 – 2018

Sad details • appeal to help family

You may have seen an online appeal, posted by one George Schiffner, that seeks to raise money for the family of our late friend Allen ‘One-Eye’ Edelist.

You may also have thought it looked like a scam!

But very sadly … it’s not.

BtP has just had a call from Al’s widow, Pat, who’s explained some of the background.

George Schiffner is her cousin, and he set up the ‘GoFundMe’ page because Pat and her daughter Sydney are now facing bankruptcy … in Pat’s words, ‘living from paycheque to paycheque’ (she’s teaching Pilates, and Sydney has got some clerical work).

It seems that One-Eye was a man whose irrepressible generosity was latterly not matched by his bank-balance; no wonder we’ve seen him at so few Procol shows since the huge economic downturn struck.

Pat has inherited, in her own words, ‘a big financial mess’. They’ve closed Allen’s company, and are facing a colossal bill for back taxes. They will be obliged to downsize but that won’t solve the problems. ‘Everything’s upside-down,’ as Pat puts it.

Allen kept this unhappy state of affairs to himself; perhaps he was waiting for an upswing in the economy … but the stress was getting to him and congestive heart failure was the sad – yet with hindsight not surprising – end to the story.

He had no life insurance.

‘Beyond the Pale’ is publishing these frank details with Pat Edelist’s permission; our intention is to remove any uncertainty that may have lingered in people’s minds about the authenticity of the ‘GoFundMe’ campaign. The wording is genuinely the family's (and the 'Prochol' and 'Harem' typos have been corrected!).

Now you know who started it, and why it is so urgently needed.

If you agree that A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed, you’ll find the Pat Edelist Benefit Campaign by clicking here. (You'll see the names of fellow-fans who have already contributed)

Illustration: Allen and Pat in the early days

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