Political making of an old, white male !

[FROM BILL LIFKA - Lightly edited and published based on Bill's prior blanket approval. Bill is about nine years my senior. I too was born into a family that voted solid Democrat. FDR's photo hung with honor in my grandparent's kitchen. My Dad (but not my Mom) voted for Eisenhower, probably the first in my childhood family to make the switch. Ira Glickstein]

To my (adult) grandchildren:                                                        

Political making of an old, white male ! I’ll preface my forthcoming letters on the 2020 election with a few tales of how I became an old, white male, an identity hated by Democrats. Ironically, once I was young and a Democrat.

To See Ourselves as Others See Us (Part 6)

This posting is based on a talk I gave to The Villages Philosophy Club on 19 July 2019, plus supporting stuff from my Blogs and other sources.

PART 6 -  ACTIVE RETIREMENT IN THE VILLAGES, FLORIDA

RETIREMENT IN THE VILLAGES, FLORIDA

Vi and I have made many momentous decisions while raising our children and in our professional lives. Nearly all of them turned out very good, as if someone was watching over us and nudging us in the "right" direction.

In 2003, a couple years after retirement, we sold our home in Apalachin, NY and moved to The Villages, Florida. This turned out to be exactly the right thing to do at that time.

The Villages is known as "America's Favorite Retirement Home Town". There must be something in the water or the air, because, like almost all of our neighbors, we can't help saying "It's a beautiful day in The Villages" every chance we get. The photo montage below depicts our active retirement.

To See Ourselves as Others See Us (Part 5)

This posting is based on a talk I gave to The Villages Philosophy Club on 19 July 2019. plus supporting stuff from my Blogs and other sources.

PART 5 -  OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN NEW YORK AND  FLORIDA

CYCLING
As a kid in Brooklyn, I did lots of bicycling, most if it in traffic. Our motto was "In Brooklyn, cars gotta' look out for themselves!" 

As a child, my Dad taught me to ride on a bike we rented. He, my Mom, and I would occasionally go out riding on rental bikes. We lived in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, NY and sometimes rode along the Boardwalk between Brighton Beach and Coney Island (allowed early on Sunday mornings when there were few people). Other times, we rode to Sheepshead Bay and along a bike trail to Canarsie. 

The First Bike I Owned (1956)

In 1956, when I was in high school, my Uncle Harry, who worked at Macy's, arranged the purchase of a Raleigh "English Racer". We took it home on the subway because my Dad didn't have a car. 

To See Ourselves as Others See Us (Part 4)

This posting is based on a talk I gave to The Villages Philosophy Club on 19 July 2019. plus supporting stuff from my Blogs and other sources.

PART 4 - APPLE II AND IBM PC ROCK OUR WORLD

OUR APPLE II HOME COMPUTER

In 1978, I had been working for IBM Federal Systems for 13 years when an advertisement from a startup computer company appeared. It literally changed our world!

My wife and I paid almost $5,000 for this Apple II and two disk drives (the equivalent of around $20,000 in today's dollars). That purchase has paid off many times over!

To See Ourselves As Others See Us (Part 3)

This posting is based on a talk I gave to The Villages Philosophy Club on 19 July 2019. plus supporting stuff from my Blogs and other sources.

PART 3 - TOASTMASTERS AND MY EARLY CAREER AT IBM

MY IBM CAREER STARTS

IBM Federal Systems in Owego specialized in making digital computers that could stand the rigors of  use in military aircraft. At the time, virtually all airborne computers were of the analog type, so we were pioneers the new digital world. 

We were also responsible for integrating these digital computers into the Avionics ("aircraft electronics") Systems, connecting them and making them work seamlessly with the (mostly analog) sensors and controls and displays. 

After we won the Avionics integration contract for the Air Force/Navy A-7 D/E, I was the "cognizant engineer" responsible for the Head-Up Display (HUD) and the Moving Map. 

Our customer was Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), the airframe manufacturer, located in the Irving/Arlington area of Texas, between Dallas and Ft. Worth. How did I, a brash Brooklyn engineer get along with those Texans? Well, as I'll explain, it was rocky at first, but ended well. 

To See Ourselves As Others See Us (Part 2)

This posting is based on a talk I gave to The Villages Philosophy Club on 19 July 2019. plus supporting stuff from my Blogs and other sources.

PART 2 - MY CAREER, MARRIAGE, FLYING, AND OUR "GREEN ACRES" DAYS.


MY PROFESSIONAL WORKING LIFE STARTS
January 1961 - I graduated from the City College of New York (CCNY) with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. My first job was with the Norden Division of United Aircraft in Norwalk, Connecticut, close enough to my parent's home in Brooklyn so I could spend weekends there and continue to pursue my social life.

Defense contractors are known for their "hire and layoff" policies. They hire engineers in anticipation of contracts or when they get a contract and lay them off when the contract ends or business falls off. I was never laid off, but as I watched others leave I saw "the message on the wall".  

In 1963 I quit my first job and immediately started my second, this time at Lockheed Electronics in Plainfield, New Jersey, also close enough to Brooklyn such that I continued spending weekends with my parents and pursuing my social life there. I met my wife-to-be, Violet Stark, who had recently completed her Bachelors Degree in Chemistry at Brooklyn College. She got her first job working in the Chemistry Lab at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan, where she tested blood and other bodily fluids.

To See Ourselves as Others See Us (Part 1)

This posting is based on a talk I gave to The Villages Philosophy Club on 19 July 2019. plus supporting stuff from my Blogs and other sources.

PART 1 - MY MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY TAKE SHAPE IN MY COLLEGE DAYS

The title of my talk, To See Ourselves As Others See Us is the most memorable line from Robert Burns' 1786 ode To a Louse - On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet, At Church.