AskaNewYorker: Where are we right now?
Bruce: We are in East Williamsburg (emphasis on East).
AskaNewYorker: And who are you?
Bruce: I am Bruce Stuart Engel, born in Brooklyn, 1948. My company manufactures
frames for art. We also polish bronzes for a friend of mine who is a sculptor.
We do a few other things related to the art business. My grandfather was one
of the first licensed electricians in New York City, during World War I. He
graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. During WWI he was at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard wiring and helping out on the ships. During WWII my father
was in the 873rd, the first and the finest B29 Squadron; he was a radar mechanic.
Here I manufacture frames, etc, and I also do laser engraving. We do a lot of
gallery work, private collections, and some museum framing. Over here is where
we put the art in the frames, where we “fit” art. Worldwide Frames
of Brooklyn, New York.
AskaNewYorker: Any more family stories?
Bruce: My maternal uncle, Jules Portnoy, graduated from the United States Merchant
Marine Academy at Kings Point, Long Island. After World War II it was his job
to re-supply the Philippines. This is a piece from his post WWII days. This
sword or whatever it is (see photo, left).
AskaNewYorker: Who is this guy, here?
Bruce: That’s Butch. I found him outside the L train one morning, at
Lorimer and Devoe. He’s mine now! He’s my favorite little critter.
Some people think he’s a schnauzer, some people think he’s a schnoodle.
Someone the other day said a Fauve d Bretagne, a rare French dog. I don’t
know what the f!#@ he is. Butch! Go to bed! I have a cat, too, somewhere. This
all used to be Morgan the cat’s domain, but since Butch moved in, Morgan
goes up on the shelf all day. They have a certain level of détente, but
they don’t love each other. Look here, this is when I was admitted to
the New York State Bar Association, on 25 April 1973. I was admitted to the
bar to practice law in New York State. I haven’t paid my fees in awhile,
so I can’t really represent you. This over here was my graduation from
basic training. When you graduate basic training in the army they give you this
(see photo, left).
AskaNewYorker: Where’d you go to school?
Bruce: I went to P.S. 187, the marathon school in Queens. I grew up in Little
Neck, Queens. I went to JHS 67, the Louis Pasteur junior high school, I went
to Bayside High, Syracuse University, and then Brooklyn Law School. I graduated
Brooklyn Law School in 1972. I graduated college in ’68, my 2-S deferment
became a 1-A, and I decided to enlist in the United States Army National Guard.
AskaNewYorker: So you didn’t go to Vietnam?
Bruce: No, I went to the Bronx. (laughter) That’s where my National Guard
unit was, the Bronx. It wasn’t as safe as Vietnam.
AskaNewYorker: And you’re single?
Bruce: Yeah, I’m single. I was married once, to a French girl. Shh, don’t
tell anybody!
AskaNewYorker: What do you do in your spare time?
Bruce: I like to horseback ride, hike, I like to travel, I like to go kayaking.
Hiking, biking, sea kayaking, and travel and horseback riding. And I’m
very single. Very available. (more laughter)
AskaNewYorker: Interesting office you have here.
Bruce: I was going to clean it up today…but…UGH!
AskaNewYorker: What’s that thing over there?
Bruce: It’s a laser engraver. I can laser engrave and laser cut various
materials with it. Certain materials are manufactured for laser engraving, you
can also laser engrave wood. That Carpe Diem sign is laser engraved. I’m
going to laser engrave something for you, Kennedy Moore, for your wife’s
Valentine’s gift, if you can give me her name (this interview took place
on Feb. 11). I’ll engrave it in wood. So, this is a laser engraver. The
laser beams it to a mirror, to another mirror, then down through a lens, the
lens focuses it and that focus point right there where you see the little burning
is at 2200 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s just burning the wood. And that’s
laser engraving. Also called laser cutting.
AskaNewYorker: Anything else you want to tell us about yourself?
Bruce: I’m a very good tour guide of Manhattan, and Brooklyn and Queens.
I have a suggestion for all you people to get a break from the Big Apple. Go
to the Planting Fields Arboretum (www.plantingfields.org). It’s the best.
It’s on the north shore of Long Island. Great Gatsby country, 400 acres
of beautiful trees, 3 greenhouses, etc and so forth. When I was in Law School
I took a cacti and succulent course at the Planting Fields Arboretum. I like
succulent women. Thank you very much.
