Ralph Shapiro

From Nyc Lower East Side to Nasa Satellite Operations Manager Ralph Shapiro

What was life like growing up on the Lower East Side of NYC during the Great Depression? Can you imagine it? For adults, of course, it was harsh; for a young boy like me, born in 1924, it was not as bad as you think. I actually had fun playing sports and games you probably never heard of. Learn about them. My vivid recollection paints a broad view of the Lower East Side for you to see what it was like: social activity, sports activity, bread lines, patriotism, politics, professional sports interest-compare it to your experiences. I was fortunate not to be hungry for food but hungry to experience the wonders of our country. Learn how I broke out of the Lower East Side shell. A college education was hardly a goal among the youth in my community, but I made it at a young age, graduating from the City College of NY at twenty. I had five industrial engineering jobs, hardly the experience that would prepare me to manage NASA satellites operations. It did not, but by a quirk, I became operations manager of a series of NASA weather satellites called Nimbus, research satellites that provided many benefits to society you would be interested in learning about. So why not also learn how satellites operate? I describe that in simple terms. Of course this book is my life story-my story of raising a family, having a productive career, paying back to society through volunteerism while keeping close to Judaism, and enjoying my senior years while still being productive at consulting work.