Ira Serkes

The Bronx And Newcastle Carol and I eloped to St. Thomas, were married on the veranda of the Hotel 1829 by the Rabbi of the 2nd oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere. The restaurant manager and cocktail waitress were our witnesses. We called my mom on a pay phone right afterwards, and she was thrilled she didn’t have to go shopping for a dress. We’ve been married over 30 years … or as my friend John Pinto would say “over 30 years of marital bliss” I grew up in the Pelham Parkway neighborhood in The Bronx. For pocket money I was a delivery boy for Max Anshen’s Health Food store on White Plains Road, and Abe Rosenberg’s Kosher Butcher on Lydig Avenue. NYC had great schools which fast-tracked good students. I was able to skip 8th grade and follow in the footsteps of Steve Pincus and applied (and was accepted) to The Bronx High School Of Science. I could go to any college I ...