Thanks PB. I tell this story often. I came from a really bad neighborhood. We were all troublemakers and sort of like the Eastside Gang from the old TV shows. When I tell kids just starting out I tell them, "Find your Mr. Healy and change your stars. He is out there for you!!" The other person was Mr. Eisenberg. He was our computer teacher. We were the first school in NY to offer Computer Classes. I owe Mr. Eisenberg for where I got my computer love from. To think were I would be today if these two teachers and I did not cross paths.

I grew up in a very bad neighborhood with very bad friends. I was a troublemaker. So, very bad schooling experience as I was always in trouble. Sophomore year, LaSalle Academy, 2nd Ave and 2nd St, NYC. and Mr. Stoneface Healy and Geometry. I was know in the school as always in the pricipals office and my dad was getting tired of paying the bill for my less than stella achievement in the school. One day, Stoneface puts a graduate problem on the board and sez, who ever gets it, 10 point on the report card. Before he finished I had it. 15 blackboards and a mixed class with a lot of honor student in the chairs. All got it wrong except one. As Healy, Stoneface, got to my board he had to read it three times and finally went 'SHIT!!" told everyone to read chapter 5 and for me to get out in the hall. Everyone went 'Ooooo' as they thought I cheated and was about to get in trouble, again. He asks me and I tell him it was easy. He said he had problems with it the night before at home. Told me to meet him in the principals office at 3. The principal sees me at 3 and sez, Broderick, what did you do now. Healy finally comes along and drags me into the office. Tells the principal I am bored, put me in the advanced classes and he would take responsibility. The blood drained from the principals face. That one math problem and moment defined the rest of my life. Things came easy after that. I found all I had to do was pay attention. 4.0 in college. We do regents in NY, we were standing in the hall waiting for the grades to post. All my friends realized how much I changed and now the smart kids were talking to me. Healy come to post the Geometry Regents results. Sees me at the bottom of the stairs and tells me I F'd up. Everybody went 'Oooo' again. He sez I only got second highest in the state. I almost fainted. I ate 8 Barron's books cover to cover to get that.

So after this long and true story. I love math, I was a computer science major with a minor in math. It really meant, you took math from 8AM to 8PM in college. Funniest thing was where the physics teach said ALL formulas can be derived from F=MA and then proved it. Have forgotten it all. But I love math.