10/13/2025
Alfred Phillips turns 100 yrs old!
Al was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1925. At an early age Al had a love for baseball. He tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was offered a contract, but his duty to serve his country called. He served in World War ll in the Army Tank Corp. He taught expert gunnery, tank tactics, map reading, counterintelligence and readjusting soldiers to civilian life. He later got a contract and played shortstop for the Boston Braves, but his career was cut short due to a war injury.
Disappointment turned to opportunity. He shifted gears using the GI Bill and got his master’s degree from Columbia University. With additional degrees in speech, hearing and language pathology, he went on to be the Superintendent of Schools in upstate New York. Al created, implemented and supervised numerous programs for special education students through our school district. He established one of the first programs in the country teaching migrant workers' children how to read, ensuring every student, regardless of their background, the opportunity to learn and succeed.
He met the love of his life, Lorraine Lapidus, in Brooklyn at age 11; they both had a love of music. As children growing up in the Depression, Al bought the records, and Lorraine had the record player. Rumor has it they stayed together for the record collection. Al and Lorraine later helped arrange music venues for local jazz musicians to perform. They were instrumental in the formation of the New York City Jazz Society and got to know many of the great jazz musicians of the time. They married and moved to upstate New York and started a family.
They loved family ski trips, family cruises, and always hearing live music of any kind.
After Al and Lorraine retired, they fulfilled their lifelong dream of owning a house on the ocean in Topsail Island, North Carolina. They later moved to Cape Coral, Florida, and finally Ventura in 1989. Al and Lorraine were married for over 50 years till her passing in 2006. Al has been a Ventura Townhouse resident for 10 years.
