TONY RAPPAPORT
Successful Young Professional
Raised at NST
For those of us who have moved to North Shore Towers in our middle age or as seniors
it’s hard to to imagine growing up here as a child. Tony Rappaport did just that, moving
here with his parents at age 7, attending PS 186Q, Great Neck South High School and
Hofstra University. His roots at NST continue to run deep. After marrying Jacquelyn, the
couple moved into Building #3. His parents are still living here as well as his maternal and
paternal grandmothers.
He spends whatever leisure time a young, career involved, hands-on father has, at the
gym, the pool, and supporting charitable causes. In 2016 he was honored by the United
Jewish Appeal as well as being selected as one of Nassau County’s “40 Successful Young
Professionals Under 40.”
BY FRED CHERNOW
Photos courtesy of Tony Rappaport
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP AT NST?
When I was growing up in the la¬¬te ’80s,
the Towers was the place to be. I had friends
from different parts of New York City who
had a least one relative who lived here, so
I never had a shortage of visitors. I am still
close with many of them today. The community
was filled with professionals from
from diverse backgrounds, which made it
interesting. The women were attractive and
there were always parties and events which
made life exciting. My friends would love
coming here to use the many amenities and
thought I lived in a 5-star hotel. In many
ways it was.
The pool was my favorite spot. Back then
there was always music playing, whether it
was a DJ or Marty Fladell and his band. There
were even poolside fashion shows put on by
our vendors, like Pouran.
I would practice my pitching in the front
courtyard and then go down to the Arcade
for candy and video games. It was really a
kid-friendly place. Yellow school buses would
pick us up for school. The Tower residents
were like a big extended family, and we knew
most of the people even though there were
almost 3000 of them. It was a golden era for
young families.
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO REAL ESTATE
AS A CAREER?
Real estate was always a natural progression
for me because of my family. My father, Dennis,
was a well-known boxing promoter and real
estate speculator, who was well versed and
experienced in every aspect from financing
to speculation. Taking a listing was one of
his strong suits. I learned as an observer and
watched intently to find applications to my
own career. I started working for my mother,
Linda, after college. She’d been in business for
only 6 years and was already a huge success.
She became the on-site sales broker at NST.
It was informative to see different styles in
real time on strategy, marketing, branding,
and supply and demand factors. I found the
most important skill to be providing customer
service. I was fortunate to have learned from
each of my parents.
HOW IS WORK DIFFERENT IN MANHATTAN
FROM WORK HERE?
NST is more of a targeted audience today
and I feel most of the new residents have
their minds already set on coming here once
the kids leave for college. They no longer
require big homes with huge maintenance
expenses, such as landscaping, snow removal
and climbing stairs. The Towers provides a
full service community without ever having
to leave the complex. New residents take full
advantage of their new freedom by downsizing
into a city style apartment complex without
the traffic and constant construction of
Manhattan. Most have the ability to renovate
an apartment and still be ahead financially
after selling their house. They can take an
elevator to play on a manicured 18-hole
golf course, play tennis, swim, workout or
meet fiends for a meal. The city appeals to a
different clientele with deeper pockets who
are lucky enough to find an apartment in a
building which has what they are looking
for and is close to their work or the cultural
opportunities New York provides. The Towers
is more about lifestyle and people come here
to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
HOW HAS THE BIRTH OF YOUR SON,
TYLER, CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
Tyler has been the greatest gift of all; he is
my miracle man. Tyler was a Christmas 2016
baby who arrived 3 weeks early just to make
sure we never forgot to celebrate him. Tyler
has truly been a blessing to my family. This
Tony holding son Tyler with mom Jacqueline.
was especially true in the difficult times we
had to endure these recent years with the
loss of my Aunt Sheila, who became a NST
resident in her final years before passing.
At 6 months of age, Tyler was diagnosed
with dilated cardio myopathy, a condition
in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is
decreased, because its main pumping chamber
is enlarged and weakened at the same
time. We waited anxiously for 4 months at
the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for a
donor to help save our son’s life.
On September 10, we got the call that a
donor was found. Our first reaction was to
thank God and pray the difficult and delicate
18-hour surgery would go well without any
complications. It was a bittersweet moment
when we realized that for Tyler to get this
heart, someone had to lose their life. In
fact, the child who donated his heart to
Tyler saved 8 other lives by donating other
vital organs. We hope one day we can meet
the family to thank them in person. Tyler
changed the course of our lives, but in a
good way. I had just opened my own commercial
brokerage firm in Manhattan. But
due to the specialized aftercare Jacqueline
and I had to provide, I needed to be closer
to home. And so, I came back to working
with my mom at NST.
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ May 2018