Victoria A Baird's Comments

My name is Ron Kooper.  was looking at you photos and the class picture of Class 3-3/1962 are you in it? If you are what was the teachers name. I moved to Bayside after the third grade. Moved to Rochester, New York in 1968.

Hi Vicky, Wanted to drop you a note to say hi. Sounds like things are going well for you. Is the photo of the three soccer playing kids your kids? How did you like UConn? I live in CT now so we are often reading about what is going on at UConn--which has been a lot, lately. My husband used to work on Wall St. and we lived down in BPC. Adrienne

Hi Vicky,

Sorry I did not write back sooner. That's some story of your accomplishments on Wall Street! Hope you and your family are well.

I am married for 32 years to Jill Braunstein, a neighbor of yours on 72nd Ave. We have two sons, one married and living near Chicago. We are going to be grandparents end of August. Don't feel that old but it's a long way back to PS 164.

All our best!

Jill and Jeff

P.S. While I am writing here I am scalping the ES. I think it started from losing all my baseball cards to Alan Zylbert when I was 8.

Wow. You've been amazing. I made a little bit of money on Bob Diamond. When Barclays was getting whacked and it was trading at 4, he came out and said that they were going to beat. Nobody believed him. I figured he couldn't lie so I went long . Anyway, my email is tradertiv@yahoo.com. Keep in touch. Andy P.S. are you ok? Were you friends with Bruce Berkowitz? I've been in touch with him down here and had dinner with him a couple of months ago. I think he was your year.

I had 2 year sp, they didn't want me there for 3 years. How was the reunion?
Are you still trading? Its funny, even though I was never on the bond side, my first trading position was with a company called MKI, i think about 20 years ago, which was primarily a bond house. I had no clue what i was doing then, its amazing they gave me money to trade back then.

Campbell was a blur. I was only there for 2 years and its where I learned to do as little work as possible that would still enable me to get over a 90 in the class. Friendly sounds familiar but I can't say for sure, what did he teach?

You look great by the way, probably could still win Miss Flamingo.

Did you have Skala at Campbells also?

Hey. Forgive me but i was eavesdropping on your messages with Pete M and you mentioned Mrs. Penn. I remember her well I started out as the worst typist in the world in her class and she had me stand up one day and she really made fun of me, and it burned me inside really bad. At the same time, I had Mr. Skala who assigned all that crazy homework and reports. So i spent Christmas Vacation in 7th grade typing out like 10 extra credit reports for Skala and teaching myself to type. I came back after christmas break and was typing 60 wpm and freaked her out.

Probably one of my biggest accomplishments.

vickie,
nice talking to you last night. i am glad you posted all the class pictures. we were not in the same kindergarten - you were in afternoon i was in morning. the "flamingo" pics are priceless. talk again soon - maybe stop over in connecticut when you get there.
peter

vickie - wonder if there is such a thing as a Queens accent? brooklyn for sure and Long Island...it is embarassing how much i remember about every aspect of every person i ever met. having said that, do not remember you having much of an accent, very slight ny if at all. my mother grew up in Scarsdale in the 30's so had a neutral accent which prob influenced mine. i'll call you on the cell. my regular email is: estherwasmydog@yahoo.com and i'm in front of the computer half my life...haha
peter

Yes, I think I do. I believe we were in the 6th grade together. Not sure if you went to Parsons or Campbell after that. This is a great site, just got link a few weeks ago. Looks like many of you have been on to it for over a year. I had lost touch with everyone when I went off to college as my folks left the NYC area and my breaks, etc spent in Washington, DC. Used to hang out with Elliot Levine, Jeff Marcus, Ken Plotnik, Jeff Ebner, Rusty Siegel, Stew Koenig, Bob Benezera, etc. All folks I have seen since high school. Been living in Conn since 1986, saw you went to UCONN. Are you still on Wall Street? Did you go to reunion? I did not, usually don't do those things. Stay in touch.
Regards, Marty

Great pics - U R quite the archivist.

vickie - i was supposed to go to Campbel tool, but if you feel like reading some of my postings and chronology, we moved to the North Shore of LI just before 6th grade graduation. black teacher in 1965-1966 was radical. i made SP but they threatened that they wouldn't let me in because of my behavoir (which mostly involved making fun of Mrs. Teicher who was Gulkin's replacement after his heart-attack/6th grade. so you were the only 1965 attendee? i should have come esp since i was in almost all your classes. in that anecdote i related about you being chosen most popular - if i didn't say so, before, i was miffed at not being chosen, i was sort of popular, but you were the most well-liked by force (i.e. "bossy") personality but obviously other positive things. well, i looked at the postings by Howard Godman (whom i had a fight with on this site a few months ago) and mostly i'm glad i didn't go because i see there was a DJ providing enterainment (which i hate being a live musician/peroformer albeit semi-professional). hey i'm performing at a fancy garden party tour in Stamford (speaking of Conn) on the 18th...but...enough of how talented and opinionated i am - tell me about the reunion. my airplane is a "4-place" (i.e. 4-seater) but the backseat really is only for smaller people or kids...i go as far as Florida, but usally just the northeast...it is the last fancy thing i bought before i "dropped-out" and became a hippie again...well, i can't see what you wrote here so cannot reply point-for-point, but i am an excellent typist (100wpm) so can just free associate and check back later. you rode in a fancy helicopter to AC? i imagine it was one of the perks of the job when you were on Wall Street...i landed in AC a few years ago...i like southern jersey...
peter

Hey, hey. Thanks for the compliment. I have a few pictures on there so don't know which one you liked, but again, thanks. I knew there was no one from our class going. Actually out of the whole list I only recognized three names. As long as everyone had fun that is all that counts. I still speak to a lot of people from 164, Parsons and Jamaica. There is a reunion of all the people from Vleigh Place where I grew up and Parsons Jr. High too in August and I am coning up for it. Some of these people I have not seen in 40 years. I am really excited about it. Some of them live here in S. Floirda and I speak to them and see them often. Tell me more about you.

Hi Vickie - How was the reunion. I hope you represented the class of 1965. We all were depending on you. Love your beach club photos. Regards, Stew

Hi, Vicki. Don't know if you would remember me. Alan Harris ring a bell? We were in the same fourth grade class, the picture you posted. I am the only one in the cross tie, but at least I wore a white shirt, not like Harold Lily. I still speak to a few people in that picture.

Its great you got back to me. I remember your sister as well, I remember her always being with MicheleG by the schoolyard.

I was hoping to get up from Florida for the reunion but I'm not going to be able to make it. Kind of bummed. Ironically enough, I went the trader route also, but s&p futures and options as opposed to bonds for you. I guess the poker games by the park when we were kids had their influence.

Hi Vicki,

Thanks so much for writing. Sorry it took so long to respond but I haven't checked the site lately. I guess from reading the comments on your page I'm not the first to confess I had a crush on you back then!! Your story is truly amazing and to hear your daughter is at Sloan is a remarkable coincidence. She probably knows a friend of my daughters (Eric Sherman) who is being treated for leukemia and having a pretty tough course. I'm sure she is one of the very kind nurses that makes his life bearable. Anyway he is in remission again and we are all hopeful. Have her give me a call or maybe if you are around sometime we can all have a coffee. Sorry to hear about your marital travails, how you managed is really quite amazing. Abuse can be so sinister and I'm sure difficult to extricate yourself from especially when trying to raise a child. It's hard enough when all goes well. I did not kno about your sister but so wonderful your daughter and her namesake is helping with kids with leukemia. It is one of the disease I see at Sloan where great strides have been made. I myself am working mostly on breast cancer but the hope is that some of the same strategies will work on a wide variety of cancers.

So I also had a Tom and Jerry connection. Paul Simon was my babysitter on 70th road (he lived a few doors down). He used to play guitar for me and little did I know I was in the presence of one of the great American songwriters. His parents and mine were good friends and stayed in touch over the years. My Dad even called in once to Larry King Live when Paul was on and reminded him on the air of the time when some of the kids on the block lifted some money from our cookie jar. Larry asked my Dad who he was and when he said Sam Benezra, Paul said "Sam, how are the boys!" Great moment.

So my wife Jill is an artist and we have raised 3 great kids; oldest Noah (21) at BU studying film, Stella (18) on to Tufts U. next year interested in theater and little Oliver (14) first year in high school and seesm to be more interested in girls tan anything else (although he is quite talented in math and science).

So anyway, so nice getting in touch again. Drop another line if you get a chance. With best regards, Robert

Vicki,

I don't know if you remember this, but when i was like 6 and hanging out at 164, with all the older kids, you used to spend some time with me and watch out for me a little. I guess enough time has passed to let you know i had a crush on you 46 years ago.