BILL ISAACSON -
Saved by Fidel
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I was brought into this world by a midwife on
a couch in the living room off Fort Hamilton
Parkway in Brooklyn. My father told me I
would not wait for the doctor.
I graduated from P.S 208 and went on Tilden
High School, graduating in 1943. One of my
favorite teachers of Spanish was Sam Levinson,
a celebrated comedian. I was motivated by him
to become a teacher of Spanish myself.
I enjoyed writing songs for fun. Another
teacher saw one of my songs that I called,
“The More I See You.” He liked it, and while
I couldn’t read music, I sang the words and
melody for him. He was a pianist. He asked
for the paper with the lyrics on it, so I gave it
to him. He later told me he sold the song to
Johnny Mercer for $10. All the major singers
of the Big Band era recorded it. Perhaps you
remember it.
WHAT CAME NEXT?
After high school, I enrolled in Brooklyn
College but left as a freshman to join the Navy.
I saw service on three battleships, including the
USS Missouri, the aircraft carrier Enterprise,
and the baby carrier, the USS Guadalcanal. On
the Guadalcanal, we brought back to the U.S.
the first contingent of 500 former prisoners of
war. Actually 495 men, because 5 jumped overboard
on my watch in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean. I called the Officer of the Deck, hoisted
the “Man Overboard” flag, but we searched for
them unsuccessfully.
On discharge, I returned to Brooklyn College.
After earning my B.A. and M.A., I joined the faculty
of the Department of Romance Languages
where I served for 20 years. I worked as a
substitute teacher of Spanish in various NYC
high schools until I was appointed to Bayside
High School where I remained for 26 years.
I also taught conversational Spanish to middle
management at the Ford Motor Company,
to nurses at the Visiting Nurse Association and
to workers at the Bulova Watch Company.
DESCRIBE YOUR FAMILY LIFE.
In 1956 I married Sue Wachtel. She was a
“blind date” who my friend hooked me up with.
We spent 52 years of marital bliss in Bayside,
Jericho, and Hauppauge. Sadly, Sue passed
away on my birthday in 1980, leaving me a son,
Brian, and a daughter, Beth. Brian has his own
video business and Beth is a retired attorney.
I have one grandson, Justin. My family is scattered
from Astoria to Commack. Fortunately,
I am geographically located in the middle of
both my children.
WHAT HAPPENED ON NOVEMBER 1, 1950?
That was the day Oscar Collazo and fellow
Puerto Rican nationalists stormed the Blair
House where President Truman was staying
during construction at the White House
across the street. The Secret Service and
four White House police officers engaged in
a volley of fire with the perpetrators, leaving
one man killed, another dying, and two more
gravely injured. Luckily, the president avoided
assassination.
On that very same day I was a student at
the University of Havana. And on that day,
Fidel Castro called a strike at the University
of Havana in support of the struggle for the
independence of Puerto Rico. All students
and faculty were strictly forbidden to enter
the campus. I called my professor, who told
me to go to class. Two armed supporters of
the strike stopped me at gunpoint. When I
flashed my green American ID card, one of
them raised his gun to my head. Fortunately,
his companion nudged him with his elbow
and said, “No buscamos incidente.” (“We
are not looking for an incident.”) They then
escorted me to the sidewalk, still under pistol
guard, and told me I would be shot on
sight if I returned during the 72-hour strike.
When classes resumed I asked my professor
who those two men were. He said, “The one
who pointed his gun at your head was the
son of Oscar Collazo, the would-be assassin
of President Truman. The other was Fidel
Castro., vice president of the Student Union,
who called the strike.
The man called Fidel Castro had saved
my life.
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME NOW?
My favorite pastime at NST is “my group”
of some 20 colleagues who meet to celebrate
each other’s birthday at a restaurant selected
by the celebrant.
Now that I am fully retired, I am devoting
my remaining days to forming an organization
to be known as NEMT, which stands for
Non-Emergency Medical Transportation. We
will subsidize free transportation to and from
non-emergency medical appointments for
underprivileged children. If you are interested
in joining us, please email me at coleridge18y@
gmail.com. Thank you.
To his many friends at NST, Bill Isaacson
is referred to as, “Sharp as a tack while in his
mid-90s.” For 22 years he was a Professor
of English at Nassau Community College.
For 26 years he was a teacher of Spanish
and Chairman of the Foreign Language
Department at Bayside High School, as well
as serving as its interim Principal.
Bill with replica of the Puerto Rico Independence statue
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ August 2021
/gmail.com
