I have been losing weight for almost my entire life. At nine months of age, as amply demonstrated in this photo, I weighed 38 pounds and was put on my first diet consisting primarily of bananas. No kidding. Right at the gateway into my oral stage, my mother put me on bananas.
I was 2 years old on the street in Philadelphia, the city in which I was born. From the looks of this photo, the diet seems to have worked.
I am 3 years old in this photo and weigh 37 pounds, 1 pound less than I weighed at 9 months.
In 1943, our family moved from Philadelphia to Wilmington, Delaware. We lived on Thompson Place, a small street just one block long. This photo shows our gang. I am in the first row on the left. Others counter-clockwise are Mary Anne McGinnis, Elaine (Bunny) McGinnis, Betty Ann Hutchinson, Diane Sklut, Donna Swift, Janet Matthis, Marylou Matthis, and Ellen Day
Here is another photo of the Thompson Place gang. I am in the first row on the right. The rest clockwise are Donna Swift, Mary Anne McGinnis, Jimmy Erisman, and Betty Ann Hutchinson
1943 - Swimming With My Cousin Charlotte Weinstock
1945 - 7 years old and happy (at least for the moment),
1945 - A pick-up baseball game. I am the umpire, standing behind the unidentified catcher. In front of him are Noel Jablow and then Eric Heimann
1947 - 10 years old with a lot of hair although unkempt.
1945 - This is the Harlan Elementary School Safty Patrol. I am in the first row, 9th from the left.
1948 - This is the Harlan Elementary School 6th grade Composite. I am in the fifth row from the top, third person from the right.
1950 - I was 12 years old, in 7th Grade, and attending Warner Junior High School. As will be seen in some of the following photos, I played many sports, but football was not available at that school. Three years later, I would be playing varsity football at P. S. duPont High School.
1950 - 13 years old celebrating my Bar Mitzva. I attended and went to Hebrew School at Beth Shalom Synagogue, then at 18th and Washington Streets in Wilmington.
1950 - Warner Junior High School Basketball team. I am the fifth from the right in the bottom row. The names of those in the picture are listed on the top right.
1951 - Warner Jr. High track team. I am in the top row., second from the right
1952 - This is the Warner Junior High School 9th Grade composite. I am in the 2nd row below the name of the school, 3rd from the left.
In 1952, I apparently began focusing on my own style and image.
In 1952, I made the P. S. duPont High School Varsity Football team. I am in the top row, 3rd from the left.
1952 - My first formal dance, with whom I accompanied Stefanie Ballin.
1952 - At a dance with Dale Goldberg.
1953 - At a dance , this time with Marilyn Schlaifman
1953- PS duPont Track Team. I am in the top row, second from the right.
1953 - P. S. duPont High School football team. I am in the top row, 3rd from the right.
1953 - At a dance with Leona Blam
1954 - This is the Beth Shalom Synagogue confirmation class. I am in the top row, 5th from the left.
1954âThis photo was taken during a P. S. DuPont football game against Brown Vocational High School. I intercepted a pass and was in front, running 81 yards for a touchdown, the first score of the game, which we won 25-0.
1954 - PS DuPont Football team. That year, my senior year, I was finally a starter. I am in the second row, 6th from the right.
1954 - At a dance with Phyllis Weiner.
1955 - Maxine Liebman was my first girlfriend, and our relationship lasted about a year. Here we are, fooling around at a dance.
1956 - I spent much of my early life at the Wilmington Jewish Community Center (JCC) initially called the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM & YWHA). I attended the Day Camp for many years as a child. During high school, I worked in the office at night, answering the phone and responding to questions. The JCC had a park-like facility with a swimming pool on the city's outskirts. There, I was a Day Camp counselor, a locker room attendant, and a lifeguard. This photo from the summer of 1956 was of the Day Camp Staff. I am in the top row in the center.
1956 - My most serious relationship during high school and college, lasting a little over 2 years, was with Judy Goldstein. I also enjoyed a close relationship with members of her family. In this dance photo are Judy's parents, Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Goldstein, her sister Debbie, and Debbie's husband, Sid Stein.
1957 - At another dance with Judy Goldstein
In 1958, in jeopardy of flunking out of college and losing my student draft deferment, I joined the Marine Corps Reserves to avoid being drafted. This is a photo of my training platoon at Paris Island. I am in the third row (including the drill instructors) at the extreme right. If you look carefully, you will see above the pocket of every recruit, except for me (unless the hat of the recruit obscures it), is a medal awarded to each for shooting their rifle well enough to qualify. This required 180 points. I was the only one who failed to qualify, scoring only 179. Shooting well was the top priority in boot camp, and the drill instructors had a bet with the drill instructors of another training platoon about which would shoot better. Our drill instructors lost because every recruit in the other platoon qualified. You can imagine what life was like for me for the remainder of my stay at Paris Island.
1958 - This photo was taken after I finished my six months of active duty in the Marine Corps.
1958 - At a dance with Vivian Silverman
1959 - Looking pretty serious.
1959 - Members of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity at the University of Delaware. I am in the second row, second from the right.
The 1959 composite of the members of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity.. I am in the second row from the top at the extreme right.
The 1960 composite of the members of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity shows me in the top row, third from the left.
1960 - This is a portrait of me when I got my bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware.
In 1962, I married Judi Wuntch whom I met two years before during an orientation session at New York University's Graduate School of Social Work where we were both beginning its master's degree program.
This was 1970 while I was in the doctoral program at the University of Chicago. I was a little late but did adopt the fashion of the 60s.
1970 - University of Chicago PhD ceremony with ex-wife, Judi
1970 - University of Chicago PhD ceremony with my mother and father, Ida and Jack Aronowitz.
1970 - Unsuccessfully trying to burn the computer printouts from my completed dissertation.
1972 with my son Jeffrey.
1975 - In the five years between the Ph.D. graduation and this photograph, I moved to Massachusetts to take a position as Associate Director of Boston Children's Service Association. Its Director, Chuck Bates, was offered the position of Director of Public Welfare for the State of Ohio. He asked if I would like to come along, and I accepted a position as his Deputy. The Governor for whom we worked lost his reelection campaign, and three levels of the Welfare Bureaucracy were kicked out. Chuck became the Commissioner of Social Services for Westchester County, New York, and I became the Deputy Commissioner. It was while I held that position that this photograph was taken.
After losing my job at the Ohio Department of Public Welfare, it seemed as if I had lost not only my job but also my identity. I turned to crafts to respond to people who said to me "What do you do?" My first effort was needlepoint. My initial project was a family tree seen on the left of this photo, incorporating the objects displayed on the right, both of which were related to fertility.
Here is a closeup of the needlepoint family tree
After needlepoint, I turned to Macrame, which I found more satisfying because it allowed me to move around as I was creating an object. This was one of my first attempts, a plant hanger which we put in our stairwell in our first house in Westchester County, New York when we moved there a few months after I lost my job in Ohio, and got a new one in Westchester.
An early piece of macrame sculpture
I was particularly fond of this piece of macrame sculpture created a few months after the plant hanger. It now hangs in my office at our home in East Taghkanic, New York.
In 1978, three years after becoming the Deputy Commissioner of Social Service, I applied to become the Commissioner of Community Mental Health for Westchester County (New York). I was successful, and this portrait was taken during my first year in that position.
1980 - With Scott at his Bar Mitzva.
In 1980, I attended my first P. S. DuPont High School Reunion. In one of my memoirs, I explained that since I did very badly in high school and didn't think my subsequent achievements measured up to others in my class, invitations to high school reunions, were as welcome as jury notices. Class reunions occurred every five years. I skipped the first four, but by the 25th reunion, a Ph.D., a high-profile job, and the effects of a very successful diet seemed finally to warrant an appearance. I am on the top row, 2nd from the right.
1980 - At the Young Adult Institute's annual meeting dinner, I must have said something my now ex-wife Judi didn't appreciate.
1982 - This photo shows me running a half marathon in New Hampshire only four months after I began running in earnest. Running at a moderate speed, I rarely fatigued, but it took a toll on my legs, I developed bursitis, had to stop running, and never got back to it. I don't know if there was any connection, but 23 years later, I had to have both knees replaced.
1982 - Presenting a Proclamation
1982 - I scheduled a gathering to review and celebrate the history of the Westchester County mental health system. In this photo, I am Introducing former Commissioners of mental health.
1982 - Here I am giving a speech. I did a lot of public speaking during my 10 years as Commissioner of Community Mental Health. I was always uncomfortable before starting because of a truly horrendous experience I had giving a presentation at the beginning of my career.
1982 - This is a photograph of the Westchester County, New York Government Cabinet. I am in the first row on the extreme right.
1985 - Another speaking engagement
In 1985, I was appointed General Campaign Chairman of the United Way of Westchester. This is a copy of a newspaper article about a United Way event. I was told that I was the first public official in the United States to be the General Chairman of any United Way Campaign. It turns out I suffered from the honor. As Chairman of both the Campaign and Commissioner of Community Mental Health, I attended virtually non-stop annual meetings and fundraising events, all of them with plenty of food. I gained 20 pounds during that single year.
1985 - This is a photo taken at a benefit for a non-profit agency within the mental health system. Dancing with me is Juleen O'Callaghan, a woman with whom I was seriously involved for almost 4 years.
1985 - With my daughter Cami at her birthday party.
1985 - With my sons Scott and Jeff at the University of Delaware, which Scott was attending at the time.
1985 - I worked with Chuck Bates at the Boston Children's Service Association, the Ohio Department of Public Welfare, and the Westchester County (NY) Department of Social Services.
1985âThis was my best macrame sculpture, created for an art show. It was 96 inches wide, too wide to keep at our house, so I donated it to Four Winds, a local psychiatric hospital.
In 1986, I met my future wife, Linda Piester. This is a photo of us at Coney Island shortly after we met.
1987 - Scott and I grew beards at the same time. Scott captioned this shot "Hairy Fellas."
1987 - Talking with Carol Zaccara at the wedding of Juleen O'Callahan and Ray Flannigan.
1988âKen Wapnick was an essential participant in the birth, editing, and teaching of A Course in Miracles, a psychological spirituality I have been practicing since 1984. He was my first teacher, and I continue to learn from his books, workshops, and other recordings. Ken died on December 27, 2013, but his impact on my life continues.
1989 - Scott and I fooling around.
1989 - Thanksgiving dinner. From left to right are Jeff, Lisa, Linda, me, Cami, and Scott.
1990 - The P.S. duPont 35th Reunion. I'm in the top row, 5th from the right.
1990 - Backing up Dominick Chianese on my harmonica at one of his gigs in Manhattan. Dominick may be recognized as Uncle Junior in The Sopranos.
In June 1991, Linda and I got married. Here is a wedding portrait.
Here is a wedding picture of Linda and my family. My mother is sitting in front. Behind her, to our right, are my daughters, Lisa and Cami, and to our left, are my sons, Jeffrey and Scott.
Walking through Prospect Park in Brooklyn on our wedding day.
In 1992, my cousin Jerry Shotz and I organized the first-ever Shotz Family Reunion., which took place at Jerry's house. I was responsible for creating the family tree, which was printed on continuous dot-matrix paper and measured 54 feet. Lucky for us, Jerry's living room was big enough to accommodate it, and family members got an unobstructed view of their branch. In this photo, I am in the top row, the sixth person from the left. Linda is in the next row down by my right arm.
1994 - Very Contemplative
2000 - P.S. duPont 45th High School Reunion. I am in the 4th Row, second from the left.
2002 - On a horse in Vermont.
2005 - PS duPont 50th High School Reunion. I am in the 4th Row, 6th from the right.
2006 - Toasting my daughter Lisa at her 40th birthday party.
2006 - Very contemplative
2006 - With my Progeny. I am top row center. Others, clockwise, are Jeffrey, Cami, Lisa, and Scott.
2007 - Pretty stiff and, I'm afraid, rather pompous.
2009 - Reunion of my father's family, descendants of Aaron Aronowitz. 1st Row, left to right: me, Michael Friedwald, Lindsey Ezykowich, Lauren Friedwald, and Amanda Ezykowich. 2nd Row left to right: Susan Friedwald, Lisa Lawler, David Aronowitz, Alan Aronowitz, Cami Aronowitz, and Jane Ezykowich. Top Row, left to right: Bert Auerbach, Richard Friedwald, Ashley Aronowitz, Phillip Aronowitz, Bob Ezykowich, Shiela Aronowitz, Jeffrey Aronowitz, and Scott Aronowitz.
2009âWith my Progeny. From left to right are Scott, Jeffrey, Lisa, Cami, and me.
2009 - With Linda on a trip to Vermont.
2010 - On the Cyclone in Coney Island. I'm in the back with Sarah Medina, Linda's second cousin-once removed. Jeffrey is in front. The faces tell all.
2010 - With my Progeny. From left to right are Cami, me, Jeffrey, Lisa, and Scott.
In 2010, I attended a meeting of the Brooklyn Committee of Transportation Alternatives, a safe streets advocacy organization in New York City. As requested, I wrote a letter to my local City Council member encouraging the development of a bike lane on Brooklyn's 5th Avenue. The letter was apparently impressive, and the next thing I knew, I had become Vice-Chair of the Committee. This led to increased activism, and TA decided to profile me in their magazine called Reclaim (Volume 17, #1). This is the portrait that accompanied the Profile. In 2011, they designated me their Volunteer of the Year.
2011 - A photo taken at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn by Transportation Alternatives.
2011 - 74 years old in my bicycle shirt.
2011âWe spent a few days during many summers with cousins in Ventnor, New Jersey, primarily at the homes of Jerry and Cathy Shotz. Unfortunately, the COVID crisis interrupted this 22-year tradition. This is a picture of Linda and me in Ventnor.
2012 - Until recently, Linda and I would spend some time luxuriating at Mohonk Mountain House, enjoying their world-class spa, terrific food, activities, and entertainment. This photo was taken in their ice skating rink. I obviously didn't mind getting pushed around by Linda.
2012 - At Lisa's Birthday Party
2013 - This photo was taken at Buttermilk Falls in Milton, New York
2013 - With other cyclists at a Prospect Park West Bike Path Celebration. I am in the first row on the left.
2013 - On a Transportation Alternatives-sponsored bike ride in Brooklyn.
2014 - In 2013, I heard about Carlos Menchaca, a promising candidate in my district for a seat on the New York City Council. I worked in his campaign, and after he won, I offered to volunteer in his office. I worked initially writing proposed legislation and eventually became the unsalaried Director of Legislative Affairs. When he ran for reelection, I was the initial Chair of the Campaign. I continued working with him until we left Brooklyn to live in Columbia County, New York. This photo was taken in 2014, showing those who worked for him then.
2016 - Here is the last of those staff photos.
2016 - 79 years old and still actively biking
2016 - Dressed for Halloween like my idol Yoda
2017 - Looking pretty good at 80 years of age
2018 - Previously, I showed you a photo of me playing my harmonica along with Dominic Chianese, a singer and actor who was best known for his role as Uncle Junior in the Sopranos TV show. I started playing the harmonica in 1986 when my future wife, Linda, was the Director of Activities for a nursing home in Westchester County, New York. Every week, Dominic led a sing-along for the residents. I came to the events and asked Dominic if I could play along. Even though I played atrociously, he graciously said I could and did so for most of the year. One evening, many years later, Linda and I heard him perform at a nightclub. At the end, when we greeted him, he said, "Gene, all I need is a good harmonica player." That's when I began taking lessons. Although I never got good enough to join his band, I played for nursing home residents in what Linda and I called Music and Memories. This photo was taken in 2018 when I was getting ready to go to one of our nursing home performances.
In July 2018, Linda and I moved from Brooklyn to East Taghkanic, New York, where Linda grew up. That's when I changed my identity from being an urban dweller through the slow process of becoming rural. The first time I drove the tractor we bought, I went over a large tree stump, and the tractor ended up on the stump, swaying like a seesaw. I had to call Lindaâs brother, Larry, who lives just up the hill from our house, to move it off the stump. This is a photo of me on the tractor. My friend Barry Schlecker once said he had never before heard the words "Jew" and "tractor" in the same sentence.
In 2021, I independently published a book of 45 brief memoirs titled Brief Memoirs: Slightly less than I want to tell and slightly more than you want to know.
2021 - P.S. duPont High School 66th Reunion. The reunions occurred every 5 years, but the 65th reunion scheduled for 2020 was canceled because of COVID. Therefore, the 2021 gathering, held the following year, was the 66th. I am in the 4th row, 4th from the left.
2021 - Strolling at Olana State Historical Site near Hudson, New York. (Photo by Rovika Rajkishun)
2022 - An undoctored photo of my reflection in a window through which I can see one of our maple trees. It looks as if I am part of the tree.
2022 - Tiny me standing by our solar panels
2022 - I was part of a writing collaborative that published a book entitled Travel Light and Other Explorations. This was an exciting but challenging project because of our very diverse writing styles, but we ended up with a delightful selection of poetry, essays, fiction, and memoirs. I contributed five memoirs to the book. Pictured from left to right are me, Phyllis Carito, Al Stumph, and Phil Palladino.
2022 - Reading part of a memoir, "The Freedom Ride," from our book, at the Chatham Public Library on October 15.
In 2022, I independently published a book with 20 more brief memoirs and 19 pieces of flash fiction (stories of 1,000 words or less}. I titled it The Fanciful and the Mostly True.
87 years old and kicking ass
