In Memorium:
Sheldon Ross
My brother, Shelly, passed away recently, but his love for Brooklyn Tech never died. Tech, for him, was a wondrous experience; a coming of age brought about by an atmosphere of integrity and honor, exemplified by our school and our teachers.
Shelly went on to become a music teacher for ‘special ed’ children. I know that he was inspired by our Tech band director, Mr. Herman Garter. I’m sure my brother would have wanted to give tribute to Mr Garter himself, and to all the wonderful teachers from our shared experiences.
A heartfelt “Thank You” from us both, to the teachers and their families, for providing the foundation for a bright promising future. You are in a class by yourselves; a teacher’s teacher.
Here is a poem that I composed for my brother, shortly before his passing. It’s about a teacher who taught me. A brother. I hope Mrs. Kaufman would be proud.

Bike Trip!
by
Neil Ross

Three years older he than me,
Three brothers we will always be,
We rode together on our bikes,
(I started out on his trike),
All my things,
His 'hand-me-downs',
They still were his,
It made him frown.

"An adventure we will take today,
We're riding to Far Rockaway!",
There a damsel he'll meet someday,
But not today.

Brooklyn's sidewalks are often wide,
With space enough for passerby,
Ring your bell to let them know,
Around the tree sometimes you'll go.

He took the point,
We followed close,
"Don't cross the street,
Let him go first",
"I'm not sure, I think it's fun",
"First let him show us how it's done".

Stop for provisions we must take,
Quite a voyage we do make,
A secret mission we spy the land,
Milk and honey have we at hand.

We followed the trail and found the park,
"Now lock your bikes it's quite a walk!"
For water fountain we must stop,
And Monkey Bars and sliding ponds.

Bikes with fenders are a plus,
Puddles fly through as we must,
"Check your tires keep them filled,
Watch the gravel, you'll take a spill!"

A circle of a quarter mile,
Flat and smooth it takes a while,
Pump your pedals on that track,
"His girlfriend told him he was fat!"

In the distance we could see,
The bridge that crossed the open sea,
"We will have to make it back by dark!”
"You must be brave and come with me”