A Self-made Woman Where did you grow up? I was born in Brooklyn to Ruth and Sam Wilkens. We then moved to East Rockaway where I attended the Lynbrook schools. My family owned the Ross Bicycle Company and we enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle. I did have to make a choice after high school: attend Syracuse University or get my own car and go to Hofstra. I chose the car and became an Art History major. What was significant about 1968? By that time I was divorced and a single parent living at home with my son. I earned a master’s degree in art education and taught at Amityville Junior High School for a year; then the Roosevelt High School for several years, all while juggling a full time job, carrying 12 credits at night and caring for my son. What was next? I wanted a change, to get out of my parents’ house and start over. I remarried and moved to Tampa, Florida. Once there I got a real estate broker’s license and taught Humanities at a junior college at night. After a few years, I moved back to New York and worked for the family business while caring for my two children. After a few years my family sold the Ross Bicycle business. It was gone and I was truly on my own. Where did you live in New York? I wanted to be in Nassau County. They had just built North Shore Towers on the Queens border. It seemed like the perfect place for me. By now I was a twice-divorced mother with two boys, Russell and Corey. There was just one apartment left in Building One. I grabbed it. It was the best investment I ever made. My kids had a great time growing up here and they are still in contact with friends they made at NST. Without a job and with two sons I went back to school and got another master’s degree, this time in finance from Adelphi. Another very wise decision. What was your career like? After graduating I got a job at Shearson/ American Express and taught at Adelphi at night to support my family. It was a struggle, but my boys were thriving and I was on a career track in finance. I became a successful financial consultant and ultimately Senior Vice President. Financial planning was a perfect “fit” for me. I was making money and had job satisfaction. And for the first time… just one job! You mentioned, “wanting to give back”. What did you mean by that? In my free time I joined several organizations and raised money for charities. In 2006, the American Heart Association named me a “Go For Red” honoree at a luncheon in New York, while in Los Angeles, Kirk Douglas received the same award. In 2008, I received a major honor: the Achiever’s Award from the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women, an honor previously given to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. For 15 years, I was an officer at the Lake Success Jewish Center. During my 35 years at NST, I was elected to the Board of Directors and served on every committee. This is my home and I love it! In an article written about me it said: “She’s an example of a woman who was flat broke, no alimony, no nothing who said, ‘I can and did it.’” You started your own business with Morgan Stanley which is doing very well. What’s important to you now? It was my good fortune to meet a wonderful man, Dr. Stanley Goldsmith. He’s truly ‘one of a kind’ and we are enjoying life together. Family is my Number One priority. My son Russell and his wife Lori live in Syosset with their two children. They are truly unbelievable. Corey, who has been my partner at Morgan Stanley for 15 years, lives in Plainview with his wife Joanne and their three remarkable children. It’s been quite a journey. By FRED CHERNOW JUDY LEV: I caught up with this energetic resident of Building One as she moved through the arcade in her characteristic long-legged, golf course stride. She wears many hats: successful stock broker and financial planner, NST activist, involved mother and grandmother. 4 North Shore Towers Courier n January 2015
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