Bernie and I became friends six years ago when my work starting the LIC Community Boathouse brought me into the Newtown Creek Alliance. His urban nature photos brought us closer and often inspired Nature Calendar (the photo above helped to inspire this more challenging entry). He also reveled in our working waterfront heritage. He was a crusty Queens guy with a deep sentimentality in the best way, and he had a fine eye. He was kind and intelligent. His natural (or was it hard won?) skepticism never stopped him from supporting the most idealistic endeavors and over-the-horizon dreams. How else could he love a Superfund Site, the creek, as evidenced by this gallery?
a
Many times I threatened/promised to spend a day canoeing the creek with him. He brushed the offer away with a laugh, saying that canoes were for the young — he wasn’t too old to canoe by any means. I’m very saddened that won’t happen. If you’re reading this and worry you’re too old to get out on the water this way, please get in touch with your local community boathouse and learn how happily wrong you are.
a
Joyful adventures in nature to you, in the company of friends.
nice recollection, Erik. and another beautiful Ente photo I’ve never seen. WOW that one should be printed en masse and sold to benefit Newtown Creek Alliance. I would definitely buy one… my heart goes out to his family… he was so generous with his work to so many, many efforts…
I never met Bernie, but do remember his love for the creek through emails always inviting others to discover the creek with him.
I was shocked when I saw this earlier today and had no idea of his illness. I became friends with Bernie 15-20 years ago when I contacted him about his photo-op event at the Cross-Harbor Railroad in Brooklyn and was in contact ever since.
The last time I saw Bernie was at last year’s annual tugboat event when he was standing on the control house of a tug taking pics of the ‘tug shoves’ and I was inspired to photograph him doing it. I kiddingly teased him that I shot his essential self in action. Little did I know how little I knew.
My sympathy goes to his family – he’ll be missed by all of us.
It reinforces my quest to do as much as I can as soon as I can.
Bernie affected many upstate here in the Finger Lakes Wine Country and Southern Tier. When here on business, he would contact me: And in the off hours what did we do? We would take more photographs. He loved his large 4×5 format camera. Nature and railroads were subjects for years up here – and the “best” diners. He will be missed.
Ah Bernie’s photos! I love how the tributes to him keep his art alive. How vibrant his work is!
that is truly a great foto, and typically bernie. thanks, eric.
In 1963 Bernie and I were in Mrs. Maxim’s typing class when JFK was shot. At that time Bernie was known as Ente Aircraft, having folded an airplane out of every page of the NY Times and thrown them all in class. Later in high school we were separated out among thousands of students and 3 shifts. Decades and the century passed. Then in 2006 an astonishing musical chain reaction occured…Pete Best to Felix Cabrera to Jimmy Vivino and there at the end was…Bernie !!!
What followed….barrages of wacky 5:30am e-mails with garage tunes, tugboat and sunrise in Secaucus photos….Al Kooper’s 65th birthday at BB King’s…many Felix and Jimmy shows….excursions under the romantic Bayonne Bridge…walking across the GW Bridge (I had my eyes closed)..our combined music and yearbook photo shoot shows in Pawling, listening to his Zacherley adventures,..reunions with Russell Sage friends…meeting Joanna and Emma… So much left to do, enjoy and remember. He wanted so badly to get me out of the Boondocks and make me a New Yorker again. Off Candlewood Lake and onto… Newtown Creek? I’m glad we got to talk with him that one last time at the hospital when it was still possible for him to do so.