Octogenarian author writes feel-good tales
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
By ELIZABETH ROMÁN
eroman@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - She laughs a lot, and she makes people around her
laugh too. She always tells her friends they're never too old to
fulfill their dreams and she definitely practices what she preaches.
At 85 Bernice Becker has been a teacher, a contestant in a beauty
pageant, a model and a writer and she is still finding new ways to
challenge herself.
She recently wrote a book called "Feel Good Stories," a collection
of stories about her life that she has complied over the past few
years.
"The idea for this book is that it's never too late for older people
to accomplish something," she said, "getting older doesn't mean not
living anymore."
She grew up in Brookline and then lived in different parts of
Connecticut and eventually settled in Westfield with her husband, Dr.
Harry Becker, and her daughters, Barbara and Diane. She was an
elementary school teacher for 32 years, 16 of those years at Juniper
Park School in Westfield.
"I didn't even start college until after I was married with one
daughter. But I've always had the attitude that I can do anything if I
try," Bernice said.
She had been taking a writing course with Sylvia Rosen for 10 years
at the Jewish Community Center and with the encouragement of her writer
friends and her family, especially her daughter Barbara who helped her
publish the book, she decided to write the stories she had been telling
to her students and friends orally for years.
"Everybody seemed to really enjoy the stories I told and laughed so much," she said.
Bernice starts out the book with the day of her birth and goes on to
tell stories about her life at different points. The stories are short
and simple.
"I wanted to make it an easy read especially for senior citizens," she said.
Spending way too much money on a pair of knee-high boots, her
pantyhose falling in front of a crowd in New York City, diets that
included drinking milk without the Hershey Syrup, and the myth of
kissing boys and becoming pregnant are the topics of just a few of her
stories.
One of her favorites is the story that describes her encounter with
Ezio Pinza, a well known Italian singer with careers in opera and on
Broadway and perhaps best known for his role in "South Pacific." The
story describes Becker's encounter with Pinza when he came to use the
phone in her house when his car broke down on the way to New York City.
"I just remember being dressed in something the cat dragged in and
not getting an autograph or something to prove to my husband and family
that he really was in my house," she said, laughing.
She became a model at 65 and in 2001 she was in the Ms. Golden Girl
Pageant at the Jewish Community Center in Springfield, proving that she
can still keep active. Her home, now at Reeds Landing in Springfield,
is full of photographs of her late husband and her children and
grandchildren, all of whom have supported her writing.
"I'm not a singer, I'm not a dancer but I can make people laugh. And
I hope everyone who reads the book will do just that," she said.
To purchase the book, call (877) 256-9385 or go to storiestofeelgood.com
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