B J Jones is one of the folkiest name in the USA. If we were friends with a good ole boy, we would shorten his name to BJ. If we would characterize the friendliest last name in the U.S. it would be "Jones." The B.J Jones that has come to lead this Island is definitely central casting material and he plays the part well. Is he real? I don't know. It's a good trick, though.
Oh, I remember that meeting and how it signaled the end of RIOC as it was. Shinozaki was the last board member to prompt discussion at all, and he was fading. Then, Ben Fhala shook up the nirvana of board attendance. They didn't know what hit them and flipped. Kraut woke up and began spewing obscenities. The board chair turned red, and Polivy and Christian blinked like offended saints.
The first published article of mine published on Roosevelt Island noted David Kraut as "the smartest man on the Island." He tumbled slowly downhill after that, eaten alive by his own exaggerated self-esteem. Too bad, too. We could've used him.
Kramer barely needed to lift a finger with this crew. The touch of Hochul had damaged every skeletal system on the board that once kept it somewhat upright.
David, I knew David Kraut for many years, so the later meetings were harder for me to watch than I usually admit. He would sometimes reach for the old authority, the old certainty, and you could almost see him discovering that Albany had moved on without telling him. Eventually I stopped watching. Theo later reminded me that the uncomfortable room was precisely where the story had gone.
Honestly, I miss him. He was one of the few people with whom I could have a smart conversation about books. Last we had was about a new Phillip Roth book. I was never quite sure where, along the way, that we lost him. I think his intense loyalty to RIOC is what turned him.
B J Jones is one of the folkiest name in the USA. If we were friends with a good ole boy, we would shorten his name to BJ. If we would characterize the friendliest last name in the U.S. it would be "Jones." The B.J Jones that has come to lead this Island is definitely central casting material and he plays the part well. Is he real? I don't know. It's a good trick, though.
You may be onto something. I have occasionally wondered whether B.J. was assembled in Albany and sent over with very good manners.
Oh, I remember that meeting and how it signaled the end of RIOC as it was. Shinozaki was the last board member to prompt discussion at all, and he was fading. Then, Ben Fhala shook up the nirvana of board attendance. They didn't know what hit them and flipped. Kraut woke up and began spewing obscenities. The board chair turned red, and Polivy and Christian blinked like offended saints.
The first published article of mine published on Roosevelt Island noted David Kraut as "the smartest man on the Island." He tumbled slowly downhill after that, eaten alive by his own exaggerated self-esteem. Too bad, too. We could've used him.
Kramer barely needed to lift a finger with this crew. The touch of Hochul had damaged every skeletal system on the board that once kept it somewhat upright.
Nice summary, Eleanor, but sad in perspective.
David, I knew David Kraut for many years, so the later meetings were harder for me to watch than I usually admit. He would sometimes reach for the old authority, the old certainty, and you could almost see him discovering that Albany had moved on without telling him. Eventually I stopped watching. Theo later reminded me that the uncomfortable room was precisely where the story had gone.
Honestly, I miss him. He was one of the few people with whom I could have a smart conversation about books. Last we had was about a new Phillip Roth book. I was never quite sure where, along the way, that we lost him. I think his intense loyalty to RIOC is what turned him.