3 BRONX WEEKLY August 2, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Regis Philbin: The Bronx’s very own
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Regis Philbin, better known as
the hardest working man in show
business and a man who also holds
the world record for most hours on
TV, has passed away at the age of
88 last Friday.
Philbin started his life as an
everyday kid from the Bronx on
Tuesday, August 25, 1931. His prolifi
c personality was put on display
as the host of ABC’s morning
show, “Regis and Kelly” along
with the thrilling quiz program
“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”
in addition to many more broadcast
appearances.
He grew up in northwest Morris
Park by Cruger and Bronxdale
Avenues, an intersection that was
co-named for the television sensation
of the past two centuries.
Philbin was even quoted referencing
the Bronx while reminiscing
on the start of his career one
time.
“You know, I never knew if I
had any talent when I started in
this business. My fi rst job was being
a page at ‘The Tonight Show.’ I
saw Jack Paar come out one night
and sit on the edge of his desk
and talk about what he’d done the
night before. I thought, ‘I can do
that!’ I used to do that on a street
corner in the Bronx with all my
buddies.”
Before he played tennis and
earned a sociology degree from
the University of Notre Dame in
the early 1950s, his Catholic school
tenure began on the Grand Concourse
at Cardinal Hayes High
School in the south Bronx in the
class of 1949.
Philbin had such pride in his
alma mater that he covered renovation
costs for the Cardinal Hayes
auditorium in the late 1990s, a
venue now named after the iconic
personality, according to Bronx
Borough Historian, Lloyd Ultan.
It was also around that time
when Philbin was one of the inaugural
inductees to the Bronx
Walk of Fame in 1997 — his plaque
placed right next to Cardinal
Hayes on the Grand Concourse at
E. 153rd Street.
Philbin even attended the formal
unveiling at the Bronx Ball
that year, according to the Bronx
Tourism Council.
Locally, Philbin’s memory was
honored by Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr. as one of the
borough’s most notable success
stories.
“Today we mourn the loss of
Bronxite Regis Philbin. Regis may
have been one of the most recognizable
media personalities of our
time, but he never forgot his roots
and was in the fi rst class of inductees
honored on the Bronx Walk of
Fame in 1997,” said Diaz on Twitter.
Governor Andrew Cuomo,
too, made note of Philbin’s Bronx
roots.
“New York lost a TV legend today.
Bronx born and raised, Regis
Philbin greeted us for years with
our morning coffee and at night after
dinner.
His humor and enthusiasm
touched millions of Americans.
My heart goes out to Joy and his
loved ones.”
Philbin was also remembered
fondly throughout the media
world by the many friends he had
made in the business.
“REGIS. There will never be
another,” said his former cohost
Kathie Lee Gifford.
After Philbin’s passing, his
family released a statement expressing
gratitude for all the time
they had spent together.
“His family and friends are forever
grateful for the time we got to
spend with him – for his warmth,
his legendary sense of humor, and
his singular ability to make every
day into something worth talking
about,” the statement said. “We
thank his fans and admirers for
their incredible support over his
60-year career and ask for privacy
as we mourn his loss.”
FILE PHOTO: Television host Regis Philbin blows a kiss goodbye during his fi nal
show of “Live With Regis and Kelly” in New York, November 18, 2011. After nearly
three decades hosting the show that became “Live With Regis and Kelly”, Philbin
stepped down Friday with a few well wishes to his colleagues and fans. REUTERS/
Brendan McDermid/File Photo
City Islanders, pols want water safety
Water Safety Committee writes letter asking NYPD to enforce stricter rules
BY JASON COHEN
With the recent deaths of two
men on jet skis near City Island and
another fatality in 2018, residents
and elected offi cials are urging the
city and NYPD for more enforcement.
On July 21, the Water Safety
Committee of the City Island Civic
Association submitted a letter to
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea
about the issues in the water near
City Island. Chair of the committee
John Sheridan spoke with the
Bronx Times about the ongoing issues
that have been affecting the
community.
Sheridan explained that these
aren’t new issues but rather ones
that have been plaguing shorefront
neighborhoods for years. The
late night boat and jet ski activity
has not only affected City Island,
but also the nearby communities
of Edgewater, Locust Point, Country
Club and Spencer Estates. The
Bronx is the only borough without
a dedicated harbor patrol and after
8 p.m. there is no police presence in
the area.
The letter pointed out a variety
of illegal activities that usually
take place in the waterway, including
the operation of boats and jet
skis with no registration numbers
or names, lewd public behavior, underage
drinking and the use and
sale of drugs.
“This open defi ance of the law
and any semblance of acceptable,
neighborly-like behavior has been
going on for four years now,” the letter
said. “We need that permanent
station, Commissioner Shea.”
Sheridan commended Captain
Fraser of the 45th Precinct, members
of Community Board 10 and
Councilmen Mark Gjonaj and Fernando
Cabrera, who helped to make
the case for the inclusion of funding
for a permanent harbor patrol station
in the Bronx as well as funding
for additional NCO type positions
for harbor patrol a part of this
year’s annual budget. But with the
recent arrival of COVID-19, that legislation
has stalled.
Sheridan said that he hopes the
letter, advocacy from the offi cials
and the recent deaths will help
change things.
“How many more people have to
die before legislation that has been
before the City Council for a year now
is passed?” Sheridan said. “Do innocent
swimmers have to die? Do innocent
children learning to sail have to
die?”
On July 27, NYPD’s Harbor Patrol
held a conference call that included
members of the City Island Civic’s
Water Safety Committee, representatives
from Edgewater Civic Association
as well as from Spencer Estates
Civic Association and elected offi -
cials Gjonaj and Assemblyman Michael
Benedetto.
Reggie Johnson, chief of staff for
Gjonaj, told the Bronx Times that the
councilman is still trying to get the
legislation passed but in the meantime,
he is focused on making waterways
safe for Bronx residents.
Gjonaj has asked the NYPD how
many boats there are, the number of
personnel on staff and what is their
response time to an incident.
“Although there are clearly budget
restrictions, I think there are
things we can do,” Johnson said.
“There is a responsibility of the city
to protect the people when they’re using
it the water.”
Benedetto shared the councilman’s
concerns. He said having a
dedicated patrol in the Bronx isn’t
necessary as long as the people who
are supposed to patrol the area are
doing their job.
He also stressed that people need
“to be good citizens on the water.”
Jet skis should not be fl ying at high
speeds late at night. If people followed
common sense laws, some of these accidents
could be avoided.
The assemblyman noted people on
the boats should not be throwing loud
parties that disturb their neighbors.
“We might not have a dock in the
Bronx, but there are patrols that take
care of our area,” Benedetto said.
“I’m more concerned with does NYC
put enough money into maintaining
adequate patrols.”
Councilman Mark Gjonaj and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto want changes to
the water in the Bronx. File photo
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