JERRY SIEGEL:
PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR and
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT
BY FRED CHERNOW
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in the South Bronx. My neighborhood
was mostly Irish and Italian. We were one
of the few Jewish residents. Years later, because
of criminal activity and drugs, it was known
as Fort Apache. It was depicted on TV and
the movies with that name. My father worked
as an accountant at the Adler Milk Company.
My mother was a stay-at-home Mom.
WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL?
I attended P.S. 65 on Cypress Ave. Because
the local high schools were not high achieving,
my parents encouraged me to take the
competitive entrance exam for Stuyvesant
High School, which was in Manhattan. I was
accepted and left my house every day at 7 a.m.
and took the IRT train to school. In winter,
it was dark by the time I got home, since I
worked after as a delivery boy.
Upon graduation, I went to City College
downtown and studied accounting at the urging
of my father. Soon, I realized accounting
was not for me. I took a required psychology
course and was fascinated with the possibilities
which could follow such a major.
The area of Industrial Psychology, including
working with large companies, interested me.
I worked part-time at Equitable Life while
pursuing a Master’s Degree at NYU. This led
to further study and a Ph. D. in Industrial
Psychology. Along the way, I did vocational
guidance counseling and psychological testing.
Soon, I was part of a think tank at Riverside
Research Institute and worked on government
contracts in the field.
WHAT CAME NEXT?
I became a Professor at City College of
New York for thirty wonderful years. I was
chairman of the psychology department and
promoted to Dean of the Social Science
Division uptown before retiring in 2001.
DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY?
Yes, I married Marion Dachinger in 1956.
We have two children, Wayne and Terri, and
four grandchildren. Marion was a Nassau
County Probation Officer before she passed
away in 2013.
Our first apartment was on Avenue U and
East 3rd Street in Brooklyn; then we moved to
Kew Gardens in Queens. In 1965, we moved
to Oyster Bay and loved that house for 49
years.
After moving to NST, I started dating Ronnie
Buchbinder. We’ve known each other for
more than fifty years and have now become
close friends. Ronnie has family living in Israel
and we’ve visited them three times… always
impressed with their family and the country.
WHEN DID YOU COME
TO NORTH SHORE TOWERS?
I moved here in 2014. I didn’t know anybody
living here. I joined the Men’s Club,
which opened me up to many activities.
Besides playing poker once a week with a
great group of guys, I go with them on trips,
hear speakers, play bingo, and do lots of fun
things.
I was encouraged to take an active role in
planning different programs. Soon, I became
the chairman of the events committee and
have planned a variety of activities. Our
membership has grown and so has participation
in these events, like going to ball
games, museums and the race track, as well
as Karaoke night, game shows and an annual
dinner dance at the Swan Club in Roslyn.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR OTHER LEISURE
ACTIVITIES?
I’m an avid reader, especially non-fiction
and biographies. I also enjoy reading the work
of popular fiction authors like David Baldacci
and John Grisham. My favored format is traditional
hardcover books and enjoy getting
many of them from our NST Library, located
in the Arcade. I like the feel of a real book.
I’m not a fan of reading on tablets. But I do
enjoy reading and sending email, and surfing
the Internet. I just finished “Cell” by Robin
Cook, who creates a world with no physicians,
just apps—a very exciting read. I also enjoy
watching sporting events.
DO YOU MISS COLLEGE TEACHING?
I do miss the intellectual exchange and
working with young people. But I am constantly
reminded of my teaching days. Just
a month ago, I was having a sandwich at a
local diner when an attractive young lady sat
a table just a few feet from mine. She stared
at me and finally spoke. “Is your first name,
Jerry?” she asked. When I nodded, “Yes”
she exclaimed, “Oh, my God, you’re Jerry
Siegel—Dr. Jerry Siegel from City College.”
It turned out she’s the daughter of one of
my Florida friends, who I have not seen in
years. Years ago, he asked me to counsel his
daughter who was not sure about her future.
After a few sessions with me, she enrolled in
CCNY and got her undergraduate degree in
Psychology and later completed her Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology. She is currently a practicing
Clinical Psychologist in Great Neck and
very successful. She made my day!
Awarded Ph. D. from NYU in 1963
Marion and Jerry in 2006
“I moved to North Shore Towers in 2014 and really didn’t know anyone living here.
Early on, I met Jerry Gilbert, a terrific guy, who, sadly, has since passed away. He suggested
I join the NST Men’s Club. One of their activities he suggested, which appealed to me,
was their weekly Poker game. He described it as a “friendly” game. The first four weeks
I played, I lost money consistently. I sensed it might be a set up. And so, I asked him,
‘Don’t you give a new member a break?’ I obviously learned something about the game
and managed to win the next two weeks and felt a lot better about the Men’s Club.” I
enjoy the camaraderie of the club and love living at NST.
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ July 2017