4 North Shore Towers Courier n August 2015 JERRY PATTERSON United States Air Force Vet and Sailor Where did you grow up? I was born on what my mother described as a freezing cold winter night in Wrens, Georgia. Soon after that my parents moved the family to the Parkchester section of the Bronx where my father worked as a longshoreman and my mother was a skilled lace maker. My parents valued education and they taught me to read when I was 3 and my birthday gifts were always books. After high school I attended NYU. My parents helped with the tuition but I supplemented that by driving a taxi cab and working at Macy’s.. What did you do after college? Friends at NYU were telling me about the Air Force and how they provided advanced training and an opportunity to see the world. I joined the USAF and took my basic training in San Antonio, Texas. I got wonderful training in the area of computers that led to my successful civilian career as a Program Analyst. What was your Air Force experience like? San Antonio was very uncomfortable in the summer. Very hot with high winds and red sand blowing in your face. At that time the people also made me feel uncomfortable. My Caucasian buddies and I had a pass to go into downtown San Antonio. We decided to see a movie. Because I was with them we could not enter through the lobby. I would have to go in another door and sit in the Colored Section. My friends made a statement by joining me there. The training I received included work in computer systems design which proved invaluable. They also sent me to Japan which was very exciting. I did a lot of traveling within the country and learned to speak Japanese. After Japan I was sent to West over AFB in Massachusetts where I was promoted and had opportunities to visit New York on a weekend pass. Did you enjoy your work as a Program System Analyst? I did. It afforded me opportunities to travel and I received promotions when I moved from one major company to another. My work took me around the United States, Canada, and Europe. I spent many years in Cincinnati which was great and also in Toronto where I supervised a team of 35 as the General Manager of a computer software design team. What was special about Toronto, Canada? My firm had offices in New York and Toronto and I had to visit both sites. I was a little lonely during my stay in Toronto. The hotel magazine had an advertisement for a culinary course that was starting. I thought that would be a good way to meet some young women. It was...but they were all about to be married and wanted to cook for their husbands. I finished the course and have enjoyed cooking for myself and friends ever since. I particularly like Italian cuisine and am known for my lasagna. Do you still cook? I sure do. And I am not lazy about preparing food for myself. Some mornings I prepare eggs Benedict. Even though it’s just for me I make my own Hollandaise sauce. My favorite store for good ingredients is Fairway in nearby Douglaston. How do you spend your free time? I married and lived my wife at NST for a few years before getting a divorce. We enjoyed the many activities here. Now, I eat out 3 or 4 nights a week with friends. Louis in Port Washington is a favorite spot for dinner and I like Panera Bread for lunch. I enjoy watching spy films and joined the Mens’ Club. Their fishing outing was a lot of fun. I caught the second largest fluke. I served it to three other guys using my favorite recipe. The Gym is another amenity that I appreciate. For 18 years I shared ownership in a 32 foot sailboat, the Quiet Storm, that we kept in a Port Washington marina. It was great and we sailed to Atlantic City, Connecticut and Montauk. North Shore Towers has been a great source of pleasure for me and I treasure the many people I spend time with. Jerry Patterson moved into North Shore Towers soon after it was built when it was still a rental building. He’s been in the same apartment in Building One and claims to be one of the few “originals” in that building and the only one on his floor. “I’ve seen many changes here, and most for the better. I’ve lived most of my life here.”
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