The Almighty booked me into this world on May 25, 1930, where I landed at Brooklyn, New York. As a member of a struggling Jewish American family, my early life’s itinerary took me through the Great Depression and the Second World War. I received my diploma from Erasmus Hall High School in June, 1948.

My fascination with travel and tourism began in 1944, when for the first time, my parents took me on the "Wolverine", a "crack" train on the New York Central Railroad to Battle Creek, Michigan, to visit with my older brother, who was stationed at nearby Fort Custer. During our week’s sojourn, we made side trips to numerous nearby towns, which further stimulated my interest in tourism.

After graduation, I attended classes at Brooklyn College, then later at New York University, majoring in documentary film and video production. At that time, there were no courses in travel and tourism. I also spent two years in the U.S. Army (1953-1955) during the Korean War.

A fork in the road in my life’s journey occurred in 1956, when I took my first grand tour of Europe, where I had my first introduction to the post World War II overseas world. It was at this time when I decided to make travel and tourism as my life’s career. Upon returning, I took up several jobs to learn more about the inner workings of the industry. I typed European itineraries for Gateway Tours and trained and worked as a reservationist for Pan American World Airways in New York. In 1960, I took a job at American Express’ wholesale travel department, and not long thereafter, I was offered a position at their London Office. I accepted the job and began my "living abroad" experience in 1961.

For the next four years, I was exposed to the various aspects of overseas group travel, where I worked as a tour guide, tour escort, counter reservationist and administrator. During that time, I also worked at the Paris office, performing similar duties. In 1965, I returned home for the time had come for a change.

Early in 1966, another leg of my career journey commenced when I was hired as a reservationist for a company known as "Five Dollar A Day Tours", headed by Arthur Frommer. I was now being introduced into the world of budget travel, a new dimension from the previous realm of "unaffordable" travel. A year later, I was promoted to group travel manager, a position that I maintained for the next 20 years. Through those years, I was experiencing stark changes and innovative variations in the pattern of overseas travel. In 1967, the company, in cooperation with British Airways (which was then British Overseas Airways Corporation), the formation of another new concept of affordable travel was born. This was "off-season" travel, formerly considered "summertime only" to overseas destinations, in a program called the "London Show Tour".  A one week "package" cost only $230. per person, including hotel accommodations, continental breakfasts, 3 theatre tickets and air fare. It was an immediate success.

My job, as group department manager, was to promote and service ground arrangements for the growing market of student travel. At this time, colleges and some high schools were organizing study tours for school credit. Working in cooperation with British Airways, bargain priced tours to other destinations were created and marketed. I was responsible for setting up such programs by visiting destinations and working out sightseeing and hotel arrangements with local ground operators. By then, my travels had taken me to Pacific Rim countries of Asia, Russia (then the Soviet Union), Mexico, the Caribbean and other locations. When I returned back to the home office, my responsibilities covered the running of these programs for groups and individuals. By 1986, matters had changed, as travel patterns were taking on new directions, causing the old concepts to become threadbare through time. More too often, the success of earlier days can be a false decoy, a deception from much needed updating. Because of this, the original organization of which I was a part of, had wasted away and reduced its staff through "downsizing", which included the loss of my own position. Although saddened, I was grateful to have been a part of its earlier successes.

At this time, my mother passed away, and with these two losses, it was time to choose another fork in the road. Earlier, in 1977, I purchased a small summer cottage in Becket, Massachusetts, initially designed for summer weekend getaways. As my personal circumstances had now changed, it was now be time to end my "New York Days" and move permanently to the Berkshires.

In October of 1986, I pulled up stakes and left New York City for the last time, to claim the Berkshires as my new year-round home. I was not a stranger to the Berkshires. I was first introduced to this lovely area as early as 1957 when I attended my first concert at Tanglewood. With the exception of my sojourn in Europe, I visited the Berkshires on many weekends during the passing summers.  It's as if the little red cottage in Becket  was the signaling beacon of a lighthouse, directing me to come in from a storm.

My earlier relationship with the Berkshires began as a tourist, later to become a summer resident. These experiences were effective in understanding the nature of tourism in the area. During that time, I had witnessed many changes that were taking place. Now, as a full-time resident, I was able to take a position as a house guide at Naumkeag, where I gained much understanding of servicing visiting groups and individuals coming to the area. After selling my Becket cottage in 1987 and moving to Pittsfield, I took a summer job as museum interpreter at Hancock Shaker Village for two seasons, where I gained further insight....and for 14 years, I have been a dedicated volunteer usher at Tanglewood, welcoming and seating concert goers.

In 1997, I was hired by High Note Productions, a musical production company that performed Cabaret shows in the Berkshires for visiting senior groups. I first began as a telemarketer, and then graduated to coordinating group arrangements and guiding sightseeing tours for these groups. The job lasted until 2000, when history sadly repeated itself.  Once again, out of a job, but well ensconced with my past rewarding experiences, I formed my own business of being a tour guide and ground operator. Hence, ANIMACTIONS UNLIMITED.

I am proud and happy to mention that I became a member of the Berkshires Visitors Bureau, whose staff have been extremely helpful in getting organized, for which I thank them. I am further privileged to have received the Massachusetts' governor's hospitality award in 2004.

Since then, I have operated independently, communicating to travel agents, educational organizations and senior organizations to enjoy a successful beginning. Using my past as a guide, I am happy to continue the journey, helping others to enjoy theirs.