North Shore Towers Courier n August 2013 17 STANLEY FELDSTEIN A Dentist & Much More The dictionary describes a Renaissance man as a person with a broad range of interests in the arts and sciences, and that is a perfect description of Dr. Stanley Feldstein. Art collecting, astronomy and African safaris are just a few of his interests and talents....and those are just the ones beginning with the letter “A”. His fertile mind goes all the way to zoology. “As a kid, I was always interested in fixing things. People were amazed at my finger dexterity. I wanted to go into some field of medicine and was attracted to dentistry. I also welcomed challenges, and so the idea of competing for a seat at the prestigious Brooklyn Tech rather than my neighborhood high school appealed to me. I got in and graduated in the Class of 1947. I went on to CCNY Uptown and graduated in 1951, magna cum laude and earned a New York State medical scholarship. Getting into NYU Dental School was not difficult because I was a scholarship winner. Paying the expenses was the hard part. I worked summers to raise the needed funds, sometimes a waiter at the Flagler hotel in the Catskills, sometimes as a Good Humor man selling ice cream on city streets. A friend of mine introduced me to his sister, the pretty Selma Dorfman, at a House Plan party. In 1951, just before entering dental school, we were married at the Deluxe Palace on Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville and honeymooned at the Nevele hotel. Our first apartment was a third floor walk-up on East 94th Street and Willmore in East Flatbush with a monthly rent of $51,” he said. Soon he was Captain Stanley Feldstein in the Air Force serving as a dentist. Upon discharge he opened an office in two rooms of a private house on Jewel Avenue in Flushing. Eventually he took over the rest of the building and bought it. This became a three man practice with a staff of ten. Eventually his son, Michael, became a dentist and joined the practice. It is now run by Dr. Michael Feldstein and his partner. “Our hygienists, receptionists, x-ray technicians and others have been with us for decades. We are like one large extended family. Our patient list spans three generations. It’s a referral practice. We never advertised but grew by word of mouth,” Feldstein said. In 1970 he joined a poker game that met each week in the back room of a famous art gallery. The owner offered advice on how to identify promising artists. Stanley took his tips seriously and always surveyed the inventory before each week’s game. Soon the “Hold’em Poker Fund” was formed and paintings were bought and sold by the card players. The group made money and Stanley acquired some valuable art. By this time, his family included daughter Adrianne, now a physician with the Kaiser-Permanente Group in Oregon and a mother of two. Son Michael lives in Roslyn with his wife and two children. Throughout his practice Feldstein was interested in the latest techniques. In the 1980s he pioneered in the field of dental implants. He also became active in professional associations rising to leadership positions in the Queens County, Greater New York and New York State Dental Societies. After buying a winter residence at the Woodfield in Boca Raton, Feldstein and his wife became active in the Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILIR). They enjoyed taking courses and soon Feldstein was giving courses in science, especially astronomy, a life-long interest. His “Big Bang Theory” course is very popular. Both in Florida and North Shore Towers – where the Feldsteins moved in 1997 – he is a regular at the fitness center and the golf course. For many years he was a member of the Shelter Rock Tennis Club, and he also enjoys playing bridge, pinochle and poker. He enjoyed riding his brother’s Harley in the 1940s until Selma convinced him it wasn’t a safe hobby for a new dentist and prospective father. In 1985 he went on an African safari to Kenya where he got up close to lions chasing a wildebeest and got some great photos. Friends always love stopping in at the Feldsteins before venturing out to a restaurant because of Stanley’s prowess as a mixologist. He is famous for his mixed drinks, especially the margarita. But he is more famous as a raconteur, host, and cheerful friend. “Bottoms up, Stanley.” By FRED CHERNOW
NST082013
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