Andy has lived through more technological change than most of us can imagine, from fax machines and car-mounted cell phones to FaceTime and AI chatbots that almost sound human. Looking back on his journey, Andy reflects on work, family, music, and the importance of adapting to a rapidly changing world.

Andrew(Andy) was born in New York City, NY. He lived there for about six years before moving to Long Island, where he spent most of his childhood. At 18, he moved to Boston, where he then spent the next 42 years of his life. Growing up, Andrew did many jobs all over the place, starting at the age of 12. He delivered newspapers, worked at a bingo hall, served at KFC, and even delivered pizzas! Starting work so young taught him responsibility and independence early in life.

Originally, Andy had always wanted to be a musician. He had a band, wrote songs, and was attending Berklee College of Music. However, he realized he wanted a more stable work-family life than being a musician could offer, and so he started working in communications. Andy managed sales and marketing, selling telephone systems to different businesses. “It’s crazy actually,” he says, “I saw communications completely change; from fax machines, to voicemail, to cell phones, to the internet, videos, FaceTime, all of it.”  Andy got to watch the whole thing develop and saw the start of devices most people today couldn’t live without. 

During COVID, Andrew was stuck working at home, like everyone else. He felt the urge to sell their house, and the perfect opportunity came when he made plans to go visit his son, daughter in law, and grandson in Ruby Hills. He sold his house, put everything in storage, and drove out across the country to spend the winter with his family. However, winter turned to spring, then summer, and they loved it so much. No one wanted to leave, so Andy went back to Boston, got rid of furniture, and permanently moved into Ruby. Since then, they have been happily living together.

Andy enjoys walking, cooking, and helping out around the house. He calls taking care of his grandchildren his ‘retirement job’ and babysits for them often. Andy also loves to travel, planning 2-3 overseas trips a year. Recently, he’s been going to lots of weddings in places like Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Mexico, and Pennsylvania. Just last summer, they traveled to France and Italy for three weeks and loved it. “It’s probably our favorite place we’ve traveled so far, “he says, “We loved the culture, the food, the art, the people, and everything about it.” Andy hopes to continue exploring the world for years to come. 

“Be educated. Know history, the world, and have knowledge about our past,” he says, “Know what you want to do and be, and try to achieve it. Don’t give up.”

If you ever see Andy on a walk around the neighborhood, don’t hesitate to say hi, and make a new friend!