BRONX WEEKLY S www.BXTimes.com eptember 1, 2019 10
Longtime civic president, CB 10 member Bob Kurz, 77
Kurz in 2016 at the SHCA’s pie-eating contest, part of the organization’s annual summer
olympics. Photo courtesy of the Schuyler Hill Civic Association
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A beloved Throggs Neck community
activist passed away recently.
Longtime Schuyler Hill Civic
Association president and Community
Board 10 member Robert
Kurz passed away on Friday, August
16. He was 77.
Born in 1941, Bob lived on Pennyfi
eld Avenue and Fern Place for
50 years, not far from the SHCA’s
waterfront clubhouse located at
Mitchell Place.
After graduating from City
College he taught printing and
woodworking at an Eastchester
school for 30 years.Bob held many
popular events as president of the
Schuyler Hill Civic Association,
including holiday parties and the
organization’s annual Summer
Olympics and beach cleanups Labor
Day beach closing competitions.
The summer olympics included
running and swimming
races, hula hoop challenges, potato
sack and three-legged races,
egg throwing, cupcake decorating,
pie eating and watermelon
eating contests. He was the SHCA
president for 30 years.
It was not uncommon to fi nd
him at Restaurant Depot or various
box stores purchasing the
supplies and food items for the upcoming
weekend activities.
During his presidency, the biggest
threat to the club’s existence
came when the city started to dramatically
escalate property tax
on not-for-profi t beach clubs. To
counter this drastic revenue challenge
he reversed the club’s declining
membership by scouting
out new members from adjoining
communities that did not have the
amnities that SHCA had to offer
and almost single-handedly, relying
on a small army of volunteers,
turned the off-season party room
rentals into a booming incomegenerating
resource.
“He was well loved by the
neighborhood - he would give you
the shirt off his back,” said Anthony
Romeo, vice president of
the Schuyler Hill Civic Association,
who knew Kurz for two decades.
“He was instrumental in
the success of the (Schuyler Hill)
Civic Association, and just a great
man.”
“He is was such a loving - such
a caring individual,” said Laurie
Conception, who was one of
Kurz’ best friends. He loved the
(SHCA) as much as anything - he
made improving the association
his mission. He was also a great
neighbor and always strived to
make his community better.”
“Bob was a steady infl uence
on the community board,” said
Joseph Russo, CB10 chairman,
who knew Kurz for 15 years.
“This is a major loss for the community
- and he will be missed
greatly.”
“He loved everybody in the
community - he just wanted everyone
to have a good time and
be happy,” said Marie Christian,
volunteer at the Schuyler Hill
Civic Association.
Bob’s physical health had
deteriorated over the past fi ve
years and he required an electric
scooter to get from place-toplace.
Bob’s wake was held at Schuyler
Hill Funeral Home. Visitations
took place on Tuesday and
the service was held on Wednesday,
August 21. He was interred
at St. Raymond’s Cemetery.
Thursday, August 22 would have
marked Bob’s 78th birthday. He
is survived by his two daughters,
Debbie and Michelle. Bob’s wife,
Rosemary, passed away in 2018.
Bronx fi lmmaker hits a home run with ‘Bottom of the 9th’
BY ALEX MITCHELL
A Bronx fi lmmaker hit some record
numbers this summer with his new baseball
fi lm, ‘Bottom of the 9th.’
Arthur Avenue’s own Robert Bruzio
wrote the new fi lm while doing much of the
production work on the baseball drama as
well.
It stars Joe Manganiello and his wife,
‘Modern Family’ star Sophia Vergara
throughout the story of redemption, second
chances and baseball, but the movie
features another A-lister as well, the
Bronx.
His independent project, which popped
up to the top sports movie on iTunes in
July, follows the story of Sonny Stano, a
Bronx baseball prodigy who’s career was
cut short after getting in a street fi ght and
doing prison time as a teenager.
After 17-years behind bars, Sonny
returns to his home borough where he
reunites with his love interest, Angela
Ramirez. An opportunity arises where
he gets one fi nal crack at a shot in the big
leagues by trying out for a New York Yankees
affi liate team.
Bruzio’s personally touching plot
caught the eye of Manganiello, who said he
was deeply affected by the screenplay.
“He had to produce and star in this fi lm,
and aided with casting, including the selection
of the fi lm’s love interest, Sofi a Vergara,”
said a representative for the fi lm.
Meanwhile, Bruzio’s interest in writing
the fi lm came from his own upbringing
on Arthur Avenue. He had witnessed
a family member essentially endure the
same hardships as Sonny.
“To me it’s a story of second chances
and that means a lot to a lot of people,” he
said.
“I also wanted to include as much of
the Bronx as I could on this, because it’s
a borough that’s starting to get a second
chance,” Bruzio added, mentioning how
much of his Belmont roots are refl ected
in the fi lm.
He and his fellow producers that previously
worked on fi lms in the Rocky franchise
shot much of ‘Bottom of the 9th,’ on
and around Arthur Avenue’s famed ‘Little
Italy’.
One spot on the block that they fi lmed
in was Catania’s Pizzeria and Café, a
place that Bruzio’s family has owned for
some generations back. He recommends
the mini calzones, which make a cameo
in the fi lm.
In addition to the Arthur Avenue Retail
Market and the storefronts in the
city’s downtown Little Italy, of course
East 161st Street made its way into the
fi lm as well.
“Growing up I loved the Yankees so
of course they had to put the team in the
fi lm,” Bruzio said.
He and the crew decided to fi lm near
Stan’s and Billy’s Sports bars in addition
to many other notable Bronx bomber
spots around River Avenue.
Bottom of the 9th isn’t the only home
run that Bruzio has been working on this
year, though.
He’s also working on a documentary
about the Teitel Brothers’ journey to success
as Jewish merchants on Arthur Avenue,
so keep an eye out for that.
Robert Bruzio on the set of ‘Bottom of the 9th.’ Robert Bruzio
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