b'Vivian. She was a secretary at Baychester Houses.At the time, there was no career ladder for caretakers. It was a locked-in title. They couldnt take the maintenancetest. If it were not for 237, who knows what would have happened?In 1968, Local 237 negotiated with the Housing Authority to get training for the caretakers so we could climb theladder of success. It was called the Modernization Division. I was in the first class. It was on-the-job training. We traveledto projects all over the city, putting in stoves, fixing up apartments. The instructors were Housing superintendents.After four years we were eligible to take the civil service citywide maintenance exam. I came in Number One. As aveteran, I was entitled to extra points on the civil service exam, but I didnt need them. I used them later for the assistantsuperintendent exam. Once you had the citywide maintenance title, you could work anywhere schools, Police Depart-ment, Sanitation, anywhere. I chose housing because I had the background, its where I got all my training.If not for 237 we wouldnt have gotten the chance to become maintenance workers. Its how I was able to become asuperintendent.I was assigned as a resident maintenance man, a turnkey, to two six-story buildings with 110 apartments each inthe Bronx. The buildings werent part of projects. The federal government had these buildings throughout the city. I livedin and took care of a senior citizens building at 1020 College Avenue at 165th Street and also took care of 1100 Teller Avenue at 167th Street, which was mixed. The senior citizen building was a nice building, with its own community center.I got along well with them. People have to be able to trust you, because you have to go into their apartments, sometimeswhen they arent home. . Things got rough in the 60s and 70s, when the drug scene got big. Once, someone took a couple of BB shots at me.Another time I got called at 2 in the morning to go to check the elevatorsthere was an emergency. I had a dog, Gimlet.He was my partner, my Number One dog! Gimlet could smell drugs. I would stand on the landing and send Gimlet up.If he stopped and growled, I knew something was wrong. . I went to Management and Planning at 250 Broadway in the early 80s, when I was an assistant superintendent.Then a group of supers were fired or demoted because of a scandal involving contracts, and people in the central officewere sent into the field to replace them.I went to Twin Parks West off Webster Avenue in the Bronx. I was superintendent there at the time of that famousshootout between the sniper and the police in 1985. I brought the blueprints to locate the apartment the sniper was in,nearby entrances, and so on. It was deadly. I got commendations from Poppolizio, the chair of the Housing Authority, and from the Police Department.I retired in 1986, at age 56. I spent 29 years, nine months at the Housing Authority, and I enjoyed it.In the following years I ran a gamut of Housing complexes: Sites, city-owned property where services had to be maintained until a determination was made; Amsterdam Houses, Pink, Albany, Gowanus followed.In the interim, numerous changes were made and being made by Local 237. Their persistent effort brought aboutbetter conditions and a wage parity almost equal to outside labor.I must also commend the Authority for their helpful attitude towards employees. All employees who have the prideand determination could avail themselves of special courses given by the Authority to assist them in their efforts for advancement. I, speaking for myself, am extremely grateful to the Authority for the courses. They definitely are a stepping stone to attain promotional status.I was appointed Assistant Superintendent in 1975. As assistant super I served in Red Hook Houses. Two years later,in Gowanus Houses, as assistant and acting superintendent. I retired while at Vladeck Houses in 1980, with almost 20 years of service.Let me reiterate once more: The New York City Housing Authority, in conjunction with Teamsters Union Local 237,have been two major influences of my life.201 '