BOB BADER –
A Man Who Truly Gives Back
WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL?
I was born in September, 1924, at Coney Island
Hospital, Brooklyn, and was the fifth of five boys. I
went to kindergarten in a one-room school house
annex on Neptune Avenue. When my family
moved to the Bronx, I attended various schools.
World War II broke out during my senior year
in high school. Wanting to serve my country
as well as further my education, I took and
passed a test given by the War Department and
gained admission to a special training program.
I attended this select training program for 14
months, eight hours a day, six days per week.
At the completion of my arduous training I was
sent to the Air Force as a Specialist in maintaining
secret communications equipment. I was granted
G2 Top Security Clearance because of the secret
nature of my work. I was assigned to various Air
Force bases in the United States and the Pentagon,
as well as Mitchell Field on Long Island.
WHAT COME NEXT?
In 1946 I was discharged and began my 38
year career at AT&T. While there I continued
my engineering education by attending night
school at Pratt Institute and NYU. In 1950, I
received my Certificate of Engineering.
During my tenure at AT&T, I designed tele-communication
systems for sending, storing,
and receiving voice and data information for
all large commercial office buildings in New
York City that exceeded 1 to 4 million square
feet. This included the World Trade Center,
One and Two New York Plaza, 55 Water
Street, etc.
After retiring from AT&T in 1984, I part-nered
with two engineers and started BLS
Consulting, a firm that provided engineers to
AT&T, IBM, and other large companies. I also
trained engineers to advance their careers as
distribution designers and project managers.
DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY?
In 1951, I met and married my first wife,
Pearl. We set up housekeeping in the Bronx
and in 1954 moved to a home in New Hyde
Park where we raised a daughter and a son. I
am blessed with four grandchildren and four
great grandchildren.
After Pearl passed away, I met a
lovely lady named Helen Bruder
who happened to reside in NST.
In 1995, we married and lived
together for the next 25 years, until
her passing in October 2020. We
made NST our “summer home,”
spending the winters in Boca
Raton, Florida. I currently live in
the Towers year round. From this
marriage I am blessed to have a
beautiful extended family includ-ing
Helen's four children and two
grandchildren.
ARE YOU ACTIVE AT NST?
I have always been involved in my
community. I am a past president
of Temple Tikvah in New Hyde
Park, past president of Boca Lakes
Condominium Association, and
past president of the 10,000 mem-ber
Building Industry Consulting
Service international (BICSI).
For many years I served as an
active member of the NST Capital
Improvement and House and
Grounds Committees. With my wife
Helen, I chaired the Committee for bringing in
an affirmative vote for NST's Transfer Fee #1
(requiring a seller to pay 1% of the purchase
price to the NST Capital Reserve) and Transfer
Fee #2 (requiring the buyer to pay 1% to the
Capital Reserve). To date these Transfer Fees
have brought in $750,000 to $1,000,000 annu-ally
to our Reserve Fund.
We were also on the committees that passed
compulsory Country Club membership for new
residents and the No Smoking rule.
WHAT IS HELEN'S GIVING GARDEN?
Back in 1996, my wife Helen and her dear
friend Nelly Sachs of Building #1 formed
the North Shore Towers Garden Club. I
became involved and last year when, after
Helen passed away, I was asked to continue
leadership. It was then that I created Helen's
Giving Garden using four of the 64 garden
lots with the intent to “give back” and feed
the hungry at various local food banks. To
date, Helen's Giving Garden has produced
and donated well over 50 bags of seasonal
vegetables to these organizations. Credit goes
to the entire NST complex that has supported
this project.
(To read about what the Garden Club has
been up to lately, turn to pages 16 and 17 in
this issue. ~ Editor)
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR LEISURE
ACTIVITIES?
My favorite pastime, other than visiting my
family, is playing Bridge. I learned to play late
in life but had a wonderful teacher, my wife
Helen, who was a Life Master. Currently, I enjoy
playing Tuesday evenings at the NST Bridge
Club and weekly at my Temple.
At Helen's request I took up golf at the
ripe age of 71. We were longtime members of
the NST Country Club and enjoyed all their
activities.
I thoroughly enjoy living at the Towers. The
buildings and the grounds are well maintained.
Safety and security is a positive factor as well. I
feel truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful
community!
Bob Bader is truly a resident with many
diverse interests. He was trained by the War
Department, now the Department of Defense,
during World War II in secret communications.
And, he went on to a long and successful career
with AT&T and then trained engineers. He is
a prime example of a successful businessman
who feels compelled to “give back.”
Bob Bader
4 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ October 2021