By Jeff Lipton
Adam Cohen and Jordan Satin, both 19, of Woodmere, and Jonah Richman, 18, of Woodsburgh, drowned on Aug. 12 in a heroic but failed effort to rescue a friend and fellow camp counselor, David Altschuler, 18, of Philadelphia, who had fallen into the rain-swollen waters of the Boquet River in the Adirondacks. The three young men called themselves the Baco Boys for their love of the camp they attended in Minerva, N.Y., first as campers and then as counselors.
In the days and weeks after their deaths, the emotional well-being of the Five Towns was in the able hands of Herb Ruben, executive director of the Peninsula Counseling Center, whose main offices are in Woodmere. Ruben was instrumental in setting up public forums, and made PCC counselors available to the community at large and to Hewlett-Woodmere School District counselors, teachers and administrators who were bracing for the emotional reaction of students returning from summer vacation.
One night meeting called by the PCC and school district officials at the Woodmere Middle School gave parents and teachers an opportunity to express their emotions. Parents were also given advice about what to tell their children who were attending college out of state and had no one to talk to about the tragedies. Ruben wrote a column that appeared in the Herald, entitled, When we encounter death. His soothing words were helpful to many.
Five Towners stopped Ruben on the street to thank him for the comfort brought by the meetings.
The tragedy represents an awareness of how life can be taken away in a moment-s notice, which is what happened to these three great kids, he says.
Ruben-s actions in the aftermath of the tragedies are a shining example of the work he has done for the past 45 years, since he first took over as executive director of the agency. Whether it be the Baco Boys tragedy, the crash of TWA Flight 800 seven years ago or a personal crisis a family has endured, Ruben has been there with his comforting voice, his understanding nature and his grief-counseling expertise. As a result of the work he has done for the community, he is the Nassau Herald-s Person of the Year for 2003.
In interviews, Ruben refuses to take any credit for his noble work. He usually passes it on to his able staff or the school districts with which he works. But he has demonstrated his ability to soothe a community and nurse it back to health, whether he-s at the forefront of a community-wide crisis or working beneath the media-s radar.
In my opinion, despite his low-key, unassuming manner, Herb Ruben is probably the most influential single individual in the community, said Burt Lewis, president of the PCC. Working quietly, behind the scenes, he inaugurates and administers services that touch every age, every ethnic background, every income level. Thousands of people seek PCC services each year.
The PCC recently celebrated its 90th anniversary. Founded by a group of concerned citizens who met in 1913 to determine which poor families would need help with food and clothing, the agency has assisted about 100,000 people since then. Currently it has five offices, two in Woodmere and one each in Hewlett, Lawrence and Lynbrook.
When Ruben became executive director 45 years ago, the PCC boasted a staff of four and a budget of $45,000. It has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and today it is the largest non-profit mental health center in Nassau County, providing services to 4,600 people per year. It has a budget of $6.4 million and a staff of 137, some 75 of whom are professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.
Under Ruben-s innovative leadership, the PCC runs seven programs for children and adolescents, 13 for adults and seven for seniors. During the past five decades, he has been the constant, the driving force for an agency that provides life-altering guidance and counseling services. He also has a private social-work practice in Hewlett.
When asked how he has managed to stay on top of his game for his 45 years at the agency, Ruben said, There-s always that challenge of knowing more can be done to help the community, or an individual family, get through rough times.
During his tenure, says Ruben, 78, who lives in Long Beach but is a former resident of Hewlett, several social changes have had a tremendous impact on family life. Many more women are going to work, drug use has increased to play a prominent role in society, and there is significantly more impulsive behavior. People tend to act out more and have become less civil, he said. All the while, Ruben and the PCC have had to keep up with the changes and react accordingly.
In 2003, in addition to the Baco Boys tragedy, the PCC helped the community deal with the emotions surrounding the war in Iraq. Several local families have had to send their sons and daughters into war, uncertain of whether they will ever see them again. The war in Iraq has created tremendous anxieties for all families, Ruben said.
We try to provide support for people who need it, he explained. We help them through the crisis and try to make them feel there is hope in life.
The PCC also took the lead after Sept. 11, 2001. During the past year, PCC saw the conclusion of a program it had instituted for families that had lost a parent in the terrorist attacks. Funded by a generous donation from a PCC supporter, the program arranged not only for counseling, but for day-to-day activities such as outings for children, in addition to tutoring and baby-sitting.
Above all, in 2003 Herb Ruben continued the work to which he has dedicated his professional and personal life helping people grow, said Lewis. His caring, compassionate leadership has made the Five Towns a better place.
