Well it’s another night. And I can talk about the 60’s. A lot happened for me between the ages of 7 and 17. They are very formative years for everyone. Immortality was a part of my being. There were no limits. I was going to be a Major League Baseball player or a politician or a lawyer like my Dad. And as the decade proceeded my future life did start to come into focus. And in many respects especially socially it was a very difficult period for me.
Up until 1967 we lived in Bethpage and I went to elementary school through sixth grade and then two years of junior high school, seventh and eight grade at Island Trees Junior High School. In August of 1967 we moved to Roslyn and I entered Roslyn High School in ninth grade and graduated from Roslyn High School four years later in 1971.
But let’s back up to the first part of I the 60’s. Big picture JFK and then in 1963 LBJ were the Presidents. Lots of social change was going on. It was the era of civil rights and the integration of our country. None of that effected me in school. Our district was pretty much 100% white. We had a few Latinos but no black students. In fact there were only about three or four Jewish kids in any of my k through 6 classes which usually numbered 36 kids per class. We were the minority. But I didn’t experience any anti semitism in elementary school. That didn’t come until junior high school.
I had a lot of friends and most lived right in my neighborhood and even on my street Dianne Street. I was always outside playing and always had something to do that kept me busy. I wasn’t a great student and always leaned towards social studies. I really didn’t like any other subjects.
I do remember that my fathers friends would ask me if I was going to be a lawyer like my Dad when I grew up. It became apparent to me at a very young age that there was something very special about my father’s job. It always seemed as if he was always helping someone. People would come to him with their problems. And many people always sought out his help and advise. This concept appealed to me. Helping was a good thing and from
as early as I could remember, I was very proud of what my Dad did for his job. As the 60’s progressed it became clear to me that I did want to be a lawyer when I grew up. I just didn’t know the academic commitment that was required and that I needed to be a much better student than I was.
To be continued..
