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GLORIA BECK: Events Chairperson/Volunteer Extraordinaire BY FRED CHERNOW WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? I was born in Newark, N. J. and moved to Staten Island when I was three-years-old. I went to PS 17 and then Curtis H.S. When I’m in a group of contemporaries and high school comes up, I feel left out. Everybody recalls their years in a Brooklyn or Bronx High School. When I mention Curtis, it’s followed with blank looks and silence. Upon graduation, I went to NYU in downtown Manhattan and lived in the dorm. Those were the most enlightening years in my young life. It was a real eye-opener compared to bucolic Staten Island. I partook of as many activities I could afford. WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER GRADUATION? I continued to live in the city for a year and then returned to Staten Island. A year later, I was introduced to Howard Beck. We had a quick courtship. He lived in the Mount Eden part of The Bronx. We would meet in Manhattan for our dates. I took the ferry. After dinner or the theater, Howard would go back to Staten Island with me. His journey from Manhattan to Staten Island and back to The Bronx would take more than two hours each way. We described this period as our “Ferry-Tale” romance. He proposed after eight months, and we married one year after we met. We enjoyed a 53-year marriage as each other’s best friend. There’s no better feeling when you have a true and deep love for one another. He would always tell me, “You are my oxygen.” Aside from his love, he made me feel safe. WHERE DID YOU LIVE AFTER YOU MARRIED? Our first apartment was in Rego Park. When our daughter, Ilicia, was born, we moved to Forest Hills. After our son, Jeremy, came along we moved to Port Washington, where we lived for 38 years before coming to NST. Howard was a TV writer when we met. I was teaching at PS 50 on the Lower East Side. He wrote for Jackie Gleason, Martha Raye, Jimmy Durante and Jackie Leonard, to name a few. When most shows moved to the west coast, he entered the business world. He found his niche in the executive search field where he stayed for 25 years until his retirement. WHAT DID YOU DO? I was a stay-at-home mom for most of my married life. When my son was in high school, I went back to teaching, which I absolutely loved. By the time I retired in 2001, both my children were married and eventually I was blessed with three of the greatest joys in my life. My granddaughter, Lexie, will be starting college this year, and my twin grandsons, Max and Jared, are freshmen in high school. I get an enormous high when I’m with them. Lexie and I have dinner every Thursday. WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO NST? We moved to Building Two in 2009. It was a great decision. We made wonderful friends here, and when Howard passed away, they did not abandon me. We’re a tight group and always check up on one another. The 17th floor is like an extended family. I joined the fledgling NST Women’s Club when it was founded and soon found myself as its Programs/Events Co-Chair. My Hadassah ladies gave me the same job there. WHAT ELSE KEEPS YOU BUSY? Before moving here, I was involved with the Sid Jacobson JCC in Roslyn. I’m there 2 or 3 times a week where I serve as co-President for the Golden Girls, planning our monthly programs and our lunches. I also write a monthly newsletter for the Golden Girls and contribute to the JCC Newsletter, “The Senior Connection.” Also, I’m part of the Senior Advisory Council and plan for the yearly fundraiser. I partake in the Torah learning program and belong to the “Knitzvah” group, where we knit for people who receive infusion at St. Francis Hospital, VA hospitals and Cohen’s Children’s Hospital. The Yellow Rose Society (Alzheimer Programs) is another group I’m involved in. Keeping busy with worthwhile activities keeps me from focusing on the negatives life sometimes throws your way. I feel lucky I live here and try to enjoy all of the amenities. In my dictionary, if you look up the word “paradise,” right next to it is a picture of North Shore Towers. Shore thing Howard and Gloria Beck Growing up on Staten Island, Gloria Dorfman felt somewhat isolated from the big city, which she could see from her window. Attending NYU opened a whole new world for her. She went on to become a teacher, wife, mother and grandmother. She also became active in several philanthropic organizations. Because of her organizational abilities and boundless energy, each group turned to Gloria to handle special events. She is one of the most respected women at North Shore Towers. 4  NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER  ¢  May 2017


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