The year was 1953 when I first visited Ocean Beach Fire Island. My twin sister, Pat, and I spent a weekend here and danced the night away. I spotted a lovely "older" woman on the dance floor and fueled by a couple of vodka tonics, I asked her to dance. I should say, I cut in on her and her husband. She wasn't surprised and kissed me. Enough said. After that, Pat and I always headed to the Grove and Duffy's for dancing.

What a wonderful place to be! Girls could dance with girls, and boys with boys! If the local police were prowling about, we'd break into line dancing or the boys would grab a gal and start fox-trotting. I longed to live there - how romantic! Candlelight dinners! (very few cottages had electricity then ) Stolen kisses under the stars! But I was earning a trifle working in the publicity office of the theatrical impresario Sol Hurok and couldn't afford to rent.

I had studied dance in the ‘40s and ‘50s and I knew the work of Graham, Alwin Nikolais, Geoffrey Holder, and Jose Limon – and that got me my job. When I wasn't typing press releases I sprinted from theatre to theatre on opening nights tobe sure the Dean of American dance critics, John Martin, (N.Y. Times) and Walter Terry (N.Y. Herald Tribune) had their aisle seats.

That’s when I met Maggie MacCorkle. But she worked next door and I decided to spend six weeks in Europe so I rarely saw her. Then for the next few years I worked in various public relations firms and went off again to Europe. Coming back forPat’s wedding, I was offered a job in a new concert management firm – and there was Maggie. That was it.

We spent the next 17 years together. At first we decided to build a summer house in the Hamptons – but we thought better of it and went back to the Grove, bought a lot on Sea Walk and built the house I live in now. The Grove was home to quite a distinguished group back then and we spent most weekends with them. Natalie Danesi and Janet Flanner (when she wasn't in Paris writing for The New Yorker), Kay Guinness, Allan Prescott, Ray Mann , Arthur Brill -- a coterie of madcap theatrical types who had discovered the charm of the Grove back in the 40's and 50's.

I was on the Arts Project board then, and the co-founder Helen Ely liked me and wouldn't let me resign. For company, I begged dear Panzi to join me which he did to "shut me up." It was a hard job but we had fun. In the early seventies, Maggie and I carried around a huge thermometer to raise money for the Dunes Fund. When a horrific storm hit and everyone was ordered to evacuate, we spent the night with the Hesters in Sayville but hired a launch to take us back to the beach the next morning. After the storm, we collected over $500 -- a windfall 30 years ago!

During the 60's, we witnessed so much gay harassment by the local police, and sometimes arrests. Jim Fallon and Helen and Howard Ely put up bail for these guys. Those were scary times but we banded together. I cherish those memories -- Dickie Addison, Dicky Martini, Susie and Teri, our wickedly funny glamour girls.

I joined Columbia Artists Management in 1960, and became an associate to one of the most dynamic, creative men I ever met in my career. I admired and truly loved this wonderful, remarkably gentle man who did not know I was gay. Chris was an extraordinary mentor and boss who spoke fluent Russian, so we had quite a roster of Russian musicians, orchestras, and soloists. These were exciting times for us and I was never happier. We could be found at least twice a week "scouting" for different kind of talent at The Electric Circus and the Beacon Theatre.

Our dear Brenda, Chris' assistant, went along and we slept through some of the concerts because of the heavy pot smoking around us.

Then my world collapsed. Chris was in Moscow negotiating to bring the Bolshoi Ballet to the U.S. when he was found to have a malignant brain tumor. Within six month at age 43, he was dead.

I picked up the mantle, traveling by bus cross-country with Moiseyev Dance Company, Kirov Ballet and many ethnic instrumental groups. We had two defections while on tour, and then the famous defection of Alexander Godunov, star of the Bolshoi. These were politically dangerous times. Maggie and I were sprayed with tear gas but could never identify the non-Russians who did it. Despite all, I loved my job and was grateful to be surrounded by music.

In Cherry Grove, I worked on the CGPOA/CAI Boards several times from Wally Forstell to Roland Michely and Charlie Isola and now with Diane Romano. I'm a member of the Save Our Community House Committee and I'm a walk captain and have been for a number of years. Last September I was a member of the Arts Project Nominating Committee.

I've had a glorious ride and my journey hasn't ended. Hopefully, I can continue to be part of our wonderful community and help raise money to restore, renovate and expand our beloved Community House.Now is the time for the next generation to step forward and join hands with us in preserving our legacy.