FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 1, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 79
VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
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Remarkably, I had the pleasure
this past week of
being with three incredible
men: my teenage idol, the
still handsome sexy Robert
Wagner; then the newly-appreciated
former President George
W. Bush; and finally my local
hero, Jimmy Kaloidis, who
(with George Makos) successfully
operates the iconic Terrace on
the Park in Queens.
Just over the city line in Great
Neck, Regina Keller Gil founded
and serves as executive director
of the Gold Coast International
Film Festival, an outgrowth of
her Gold Coast Arts Center. We
had met through mutual friend
Hy Hochberg, a 35-year advertiser
of his former Queens Wines
and Liquor Store in Ridgewood,
and Regina’s biggest fan.
I became a fan too after I visited
her remarkable center off
Middle Neck Road and saw her
offering of acting, art and music
classes open to everyone independent
of their ability to pay
for the professionally run classes.
Last year, she created an award
and at the center’s annual gala
recognizing an actor who has
impacted the film industry.
Last year, Princess Jasmine, the
daughter of the late great Rita
Hayworth, received the award
on behalf of her mother, who
had died of complications of
Alzheimer’s disease. The princess
has made Alzheimer’s awareness
her lifetime cause.
Last week, Regina’s group honored
one of the longest performing
actors (70 years), my teenage
idol Robert Wagner. He came
with his wife Jill St. John, who
was the first James Bond girl.
She still looks fabulous. She
wore a purple silk suit with a
huge pave diamond bow pin on
her lapel and amethyst and diamond
earrings. The colors perfectly
complemented her red
hair.
A week of great men
But for me, it was a night to
touch and be touched by Robert
Wagner. You can see him on my
favorite TV show NCIS but if
you go to Turner Classics you’ll
also find him in films from the
1950s onward. In person, he
looks as handsome as his pictures
and was very warm, friendly
and at ease with me as he talked
about his being on the front
cover of the November issue of
the Long Island Press.
It was a truly magical night!
Then on Thursday I was honored
to join the audience at the
Tilles Center at LIU to hear former
President Bush being interviewed
by former Congressman
Steve Israel.
He made the audience laugh
multiple times when he made
fun of himself about his wife,
Laura who did not attend. He
says his greatest pleasure is reading,
and suggested that the audience
read Churchill’s book about
how the great British prime minister
turned to
painting as a
hobby.
Bush read
that book,
and decided to
take up painting
in his post-presidential
years. He now
devotes two hours of
each day as an artist,
and his work
has been showcased
across the country.
The former president talked
with great pride about his portraits
of 98 veterans. He cherished
the time he spent with
each of them.
Of course, the talk focused on
the current discord in the country,
but Bush reminded us that
we lived through tough times in
the past — including the Civil
War, the Vietnam War and the
assassinations of President John
F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. and Senator Robert
Kennedy. Bush boldly suggested
that each of us can bring back
civility and reason, and that our
country is great because we vote
and can change everything.
He also talked about recognizing
Acts of Kindness because he
has seen so much of it himself.
That reinvigorated me to
begin a series about acts of kindness
in our newspapers across
Long Island, New York City and
Westchester County. If you know
anyone who has shown acts of
kindness — from volunteering
at local charities, to even something
as simple as putting up the
chairs every Sunday at church —
please email me at vschneps@
gmail.com.
Each person makes a difference
in our world. Let me know
who you are!
To finish off the week, the
wonderful Jimmy Kaloidis and
his wife Georgia celebrated,as he
has done for years, his “Name
Day”with an over the
gala at Terrace
the Park.
The abundant,
superb
and overflowing
food —
from sushi, to
pig, to steak,
to seafood —
filled us all. I
was thrilled
the band and
spirited dancing
with people throwing
dollars on the
dance floor for
Jimmy’s wonderfully
successful Greek school, the
Dimitrios & Georgia Kaloidis
Parochial School, in Bay Ridge,
Brooklyn.
Kaloidis came to America
penniless and got a job as a
dishwasher in a Greek diner. He
worked feverishly for years with
little sleep to ensure his success.
Today, he is deserving of the
Horatio Alger award for achieving
enormous success as part of
a dining and real estate empire
that includes Terrace on the Park
and the Georgia Diner, while
also giving back to his communities.
It was my honor to help such a
powerful and kind man celebrate
his Name Day. He shows Acts of
Kindness everyday. Do you?
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Robert Wagner along with Regina Keller Gil, sculptor Edwina Sandys and Wagner’s wife, Jill St. John
Former President George W. Bush chats with former Congressman Steve Israel
Jimmy Kaloidis celebrated
his Name Day at Terrace on
the Park
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