Do You Know - Manny Lewis - August 2022
Updated: Aug 8, 2022
MANNY LEWIS is the originator and chairman of our streamers. He spent the first
18 years of his life in the Bronx, N.Y., playing stickball and touch football in the streets,
just as the other city kids. He attended school in New York City and graduated from
Dewitt Clinton High School and went on to CCNY for one and a half years. Then a lifechanging experience happened. He had a life-long love of airplanes and he learned
of a way in which he could become a pilot. He joined the Air Force and after a challenging
two-year training program, he was awarded his wings and an Officer’s commission.
After some additional training, he became a fighter pilot and was assigned to his first
fighter squadron in Goldsboro, North Carolina. This turned out to be very important
because a young lady named Ruby Handley lived there. He met Ruby on a blind date
and after five months, they were married. While in Goldsboro, their first daughter,
Vanessa, was born.
After serving a year long tour in Korea without his family, Manny decided to leave the
Air Force and return to school. He attended North Carolina State and received a degree in Nuclear Engineering with high honors. In order to support the family, Ruby taught Physical Education and Biology in the school system. After Manny graduated, the family moved to Schenectady, New York where Manny accepted a job doing research, development and design of nuclear reactors for submarines and aircraft carriers. Early in his career he received an MS degree in nuclear materials from RPI and later, became manager of several different engineering groups.
Two other daughters, Sharon and Hope were born while they lived in Schenectady. Manny retired in 1995 and returned to aviation, becoming a flight instructor and built two airplanes in which he and Ruby were able to fly all over the country.
They were fortunate to be able to take 25 trips through Europe, Asia and North Africa.
Manny and Ruby moved to Century Village in 2012 joined the Temple a couple of years
later and the rest is history. We are very lucky to have Manny and Ruby involved in many facets of our temple.