Last Updated 02/2024

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL
LAS VEGAS, NV

How fast time goes. After graduating from Queens College in 1971, I found my way to medical school, much to the surprise of the counselors at QC. I graduated with Honors (AOA) from New York Medical College in 1976, followed by an internship and residency in New York in Internal Medicine. But I saw the light and made my move to Ophthalmology. A decision that changed the course of my life and will never regret. That residency was at the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. Once again, a big decision to seek sunshine and opportunities in Florida. In 1981, I joined a practice in Fort Pierce, a smallish town and future burgeoning town of Port Saint Lucie. It was in Florida that I met my wife Kathy.

Kathy has had a career in nursing, but is now retired. We are still happily married.

Our family is a yours, mine and ours. My two sons, Terence and Brian, Kathy’s three kids, Randy, Douglas and Jason,, and our daughter Courtney. Together, we have a lot of grandkids.

My career in Ophthalmology spanned over 40 years, consisting of cataract surgery, anterior segment surgery, Lasik, and medical retina. My friends and coworkers thought I would never retire, since I enjoyed the practice of ophthalmology so much.

In 2022 I retired from active practice, but have maintained a sideline of performing expert witness consultations for various malpractice and civil cases. I take pride that I have kept my integrity in this field.

We like to travel, had vacation homes in Tennessee (where my wife came from) enjoy cruising, but also found our way to Las Vegas in the late 90’s. Our vacation home moved from Tennessee to Las Vegas, where coincidentally, Richie Schecter and Maddy had made their home.

So over the last twenty years we sold our Tennessee properties, and made Las Vegas our home away from home. We split our time from Florida, where grandparent responsibilities keep us busy to Las Vegas where we find enjoyment in visiting the wonders of our country, often times with the Schecters. Las Vegas provides endless opportunites for entertainment.

I am little bit of adrenaline junkie, and had scuba certification, private pilot license, and flown (with some top gun jocks) stunt planes upside down over the desert. I tried the Zero G plane, aka vomit comet, giving me the opportunity to be weightless, and board surfing on the Flowrider.

My goal, if “World View” ever gets off the ground is to take that balloon 110,000 feet up and get as close as I can to outer space and back. There is still a lot to see and do with my wife, kids and grandkids.

Last Updated 02/2024

NEW CITY, NY
DELRAY BEACH, FL

After graduating NYU Law School in 1969, Ruthann and I were married several weeks after the Bar Exam. We have now been married for 54 years, have three fully grown children and seven grandchildren, and have lived in New City in Rockland County, New York for 50 years. We now have a second home in Delray Beach, Florida where we are snowbirds. I am retired from The City University of New York, where I was General Counsel and Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs, and worked as an attorney for 35 years. Ruthann is also retired after careers as an interior designer and as a teacher in New York City, with degrees from Queens College and FIT.

Our daughter Gennifer is the executive director of a reform synagogue in Westchester County. She has two daughters: Lilith is 21, a junior at Geneseo (psychology); and Gaia is 20, a sophomore at Albany (biology). Our daughter Rebecca is a principal in Rockland County. She has three sons: Justin is 23 with a Masters in Finance from Buffalo now working in Manhattan; Andrew is 21, a senior at Stony Brook (physics); and Scott is 19, a sophomore at Scranton (education). Our nephew Eric is a sales executive with a New Jersey company producing nutraceuticals. He has two daughters: Sianna is 16, a junior and softball player at Nutley High School; and Selma is 13, a senior at Nutley Middle School and maybe future soccer star). We are fortunate to have our two daughters living within 10 minutes and then visiting us during February break in Florida.

While I am still a lawyer and educational consultant, I spend most of my time enjoying my family, friends, homes, sports, politics, and history. I am looking forward to becoming an octogenarian next year, even with all the aches and pains. While I am not able to run marathons anymore, I still get to enjoy walking and swimming. Ruthann has become an excellent maj jongg and canasta player. I get to play canasta and scrabble.

Last Updated 02/2024

BOCA RATON, FL

I'm married to Gail 54 years this June. After living and working in New York as an attorney . I am a founding partner of Wilens & Baker which is still in business. I do help out a little on certain matters that need my expertise.

In March of 2020, I went down to Boca Raton, planning on spending a couple of weeks until Covid was over. Needless to say, it never ended. I didn’t return to NY until the summer, to pack up our things and get rid of our apartment. I then retired and we returned to Boca Raton, after almost five decades as an attorney.

We live in Boca West Country Club and have time to do everything I was always too busy to do while working long hours.

We have two sons, David and Eric.

David, 46, lives in Glencoe, IL with his wife Betsy. David started out in investment banking, then got his MBA at Wharton and ended up at Lehman Bros. before the crash. He persevered in continuing on his goal in private equity and is now a managing partner in a major private equity firm specializing in real estate investments. He has three children, Ethan 14, Beatrice 12, and Josephine 10.

Eric, 43, lives in Boca Raton with his wife Jill. He has four children. Reef and Rainey, 15 year old twins and Brody, 9 and Ryan 6. After getting his degree in English literature, Eric went off to Paris to study culinary arts. Two years later he came back to the U.S. and ended up in South Florida working for Daniel Boulud. When he had his first children we started coming to Florida, and now its history. He is the owner and executive chef of Alley Cat Izakaya in Boca Raton, one of the preeminent restaurants in South Florida.

Gail and I are extremely proud of both sons, of what they have each accomplished in their careers and their lives as husbands and fathers.

I am extremely content living a life of retirement, with our new friends here in Boca West, old friends from New York scattered around the country, and Crane, Pront and Laskowitz, who live within five minutes of us.