Late 1980, as a young Deputy Sheriff. I received a call of a burglary in progress at a home in Rancho Mirage, California. Upon my arrival, I took a 16-year-old boy into custody. During the interview of the suspect, a second location was disclosed where he and another suspect "trashed" a residence located in the Presidential Estates area, also located in Rancho Mirage.

Later that day, I went to the second home to make contact with the victim. While walking through this home, I was contacted by an elderly man, who identified himself as Lew Kerner (he lived a few doors down from this damaged home).

After talking to Mr. Kerner, and showing him the house (which was trashed), he invited me to his home for some lunch. Having a reputation for not turning down a free lunch, especially on a Deputy Sheriff's salary, I accepted. When I entered Mr. Kerner's study, what I saw was a total surprise.

All over the walls were pictures of Mr. Kerner with famous people on an international scale. For example, just to the right of the door was a large bronze-colored 5-inch round medal. Next to the medal was a picture of the Pope hanging this medal around Mr. Kerner's neck. Mr. Kerner saw me looking at the picture and said, "not bad for a Jewish boy." I did not understand what he meant, but I said not bad for anyone. Next to the photo and medal was a large glass display case that was 6' by 6' by 12' long, with all types of trophies and awards. What caught my eye was a small china cup and saucer. The cup had a blue anchor on it. Behind the cup was a photo of a man that I did not recognize, and Mr. Kerner had hair and was a lot younger. The photo shows Mr. Kerner and this older man setting on the bow of a large ship. I asked who the man was. Mr. Kerner told me of his meeting with this man during a business deal. The man gave him the cup and saucer as a momento of their meeting. He told me the man's name was Aristotle Onassis (who later married Jackie Kennedy).

I then saw a newspaper clipping next to a large plate. The plate was from the US Marine Corps addressed to Mr. Kerner. The newspaper article was of President Carter, a man in a wheel chair, his wife, and Mr. Kerner. Then I looked closer at the photo and saw that the man in the wheel chair had on the Congressional Medal of Honor. Mr. Kerner had returned with a sandwich and a soda and told me to set and eat. I asked him about the man in the newspaper clipping. Lew told me his story: he took a year off and collected depositions from Americans and Japanese soldiers to support the story of how the man in the wheel chair, while a young Marine and wounded, did not allow a Japanese force to take his position. However, because of what this Marine did was close to the end of WWII, all medals were terminated, regardless of the acts of heroism. Lew told me how he convinced President Carter that it was in the best interest of the US, and the Marine Corps to give this marine the Medal of Honor.

For the next few years, Lew and I became good friends. I always took his advice and was never given a"Red Herring". One thing that Lew was very passionate about was convincing me I was too smart to be a cop, and that I should start my own business. I would help Lew and some of his friends with private investigations and found that I had a gift of being able to talk to people, respect fully, gaining their trust.

After several year of pestering me, and Lew was a master at pestering, I took the State of California exam in 1983 and received my California Private Investigator's License. When I showed it to Lew, I felt that I was handing my first report card to my dad. Lew was pleased and told me to get to work. We talked about running a business, but I did not have a name for my business yet. Then I remembered how Lew would tell his friends that I was, "as good as gold" when it came to investigations.

At first I thought about naming my company "Gold Investigations," but it did not ring true. Lew introduced me to his Rabbi. I asked the Rabbi what is the Hebrew word for "gold"? He told me, "Zahav." After I learned how to say the word and spell the word, I named my business Zahav Investigations after Mr. Lew Kerner. A man who showed me that courage is not about being afraid, and not letting fear rule your life and your actions. A man that taught me to treat people with compassion and love. And, finally that the trust of a friend is one of the most important virtues a man could have. These "Golden Nuggets" I have passed on to anyone who will listen. As a Christian, I'm very proud to have known Mr. Lew Kerner and to his honor use a Hebrew word as the name of my business. I will always remember his gentle smile in 1983 when I told him the name of my new private investigation business.