Memories of Da' Bronx

Do ya remember growing up, living, or visiting the Bronx, or greater New York City area? African Americans and Latino Americans, particularly Puerto Rican immigration, social-political forces, as well as upheavals in the 1950s and 1960s, would change the Borough. This diverse demographic immigrant population infusion would contribute to the Salsa music movement and Hip-Hop origins. Unfortunately, later, crime and urban decay wrought by ethnic and racial tensions and poverty would forever stigmatize the Borough. Yet, for Barrio inhabitants, a day at Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo and Lion House, Orchard Beach, or simply a game of Stickball played on the expansive asphalt streetscape, would be reminisced on as treasured memories. Aromatic culinary scents of sofrito and sazon in the air, the Third Avenue EL train nearby, with its cars constantly careening and screeching their wheels, added to this ambiance, all the latter rekindles nostalgia for days gone by for many Bronxites.

This is a memoir of my experiences and recollections of the Bronx, with background information that complements the content and provides an appropriate historical setting and perspective for this snapshot in time. What follows is a non-fiction work divided into twelve chapters in addition to this Introduction. To many, the Bronx seemed to be at the epicenter of it all during the immediate Post-World War II period, especially during the decades of the 1950s and 1960s. Presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower made a presidential campaign visit to the Bronx during the fall of 1952, and eight years later, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy did the same. Pride about being a Bronxite was widely pervasive, especially around these visits. Diversity and multiculturism, as well as other extolling precedent-setting accomplishments, especially in sports, unique Art Deco and Architecture, a vibrant music scene, Latino American and African American ethnic food, and more, are just part of what the Bronx represents for many. Memories that Bronxites have shared about their experiences in the Bronx are numerous, but most revolve around some of the following attributes, which are expanded upon elsewhere in Chapters One through Twelve, the essence of which include: the sense of neighborhood—the close-knit Barrios (neighborhoods) in the Bronx, where everyone knew each other and possessed a keen sense of community and cohesiveness; enjoying the many exceptional, iconic parks and recreational facilities, such as the Bronx Zoo with its ornate, sculpted Elephant House, the New York Botanical Garden, and Van Cortlandt Park. The Author currently resides in Southwest Florida, enjoying travel and photography.

Jerry J. Marty, MD, MBA was born in the Bronx in 1948 at the former Lincoln Hospital, then, at the corner of 141st Street and Southern Boulevard. He resided at Simpson Street in the South Bronx until 1960, when the family moved to Queens, seeking a better quality of life and opportunities, then later, Long Island. Those early years were memorable as well as formative. Much later, he was to receive his medical degree in 1976 from Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan. Thereafter, he completed six postgraduate years of training at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Post Graduate Year one), Strong Memorial Hospital/University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York (Post Graduate Years two to three, and Post Graduate Years five to six), and, completed an additional year in Internal Medicine at Saint Joseph's University Hospital – VA Medical Center/Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska (Post Graduate Year four). A Visiting Fellowship in Clinical Cytology and Fine Needle Aspiration was undertaken during the fall of 1989 under world-renowned Dr. Torsten Lowhagen at the Karolinska Hospital and Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Dr, Marty currently resides in Southwest Florida, enjoying travel and photography.