Gerald Cohen made it possible for me to move to New York. I am eternally grateful.
Gerry was the co-founder and CEO of Information Builders. He gave me a job as a marketing writer, paid for me to move to New York City, and put me up in the company’s apartment at 34th Street and 1st Avenue. Other people paved the way for me to make the big leap, but it was Gerry who made it real. And welcoming. But not easy. I had to work for it, and there were obstacles, but I had a good salary, work that suited me, and friendly colleagues. I met my future husband the first day on the job.
I had only been to the city twice before, three times if you count the time I flew through JFK to Tel Aviv. I didn’t know anyone there. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going, but I was ready, and on July 3, 1998, I packed up a month’s worth of clothes and my cat Brownie, rented a car, and drove in a heatwave from St. Louis to my new home high in the sky on the 21st floor of the Rivergate apartments on the East River. On July 6, I walked into the offices on the 27th floor of 2 Penn Plaza, and I had arrived.
The fact that Information Builders--Gerry--hired me at all has always amazed me, and it amazes me even more now than it did then. I had a Ph.D. in English and 2 years’ experience in corporate writing, and had written letters to Gerry and other leaders in the company explaining that I wanted them to hire me full-time and move me to New York. Surprisingly, they did.
Ever since I heard of Gerry’s death, I’ve been wondering why, and I think part of the reason was that what was a big salary to me was nothing to him, and he could afford to give me a shot. I clearly wanted the job and was enthusiastic and skilled, so why not? But I also think that Gerry liked people, not just me, but people who put themselves out there. Plus his company was growing and at an inflection point, and I brought an outside perspective and had a lot of energy. Mostly, though, it was just Gerry being Gerry. He was brilliant, funny, unpredictable, unconventional, and unique. Idiosyncratic. Stubborn. He had his own way of doing things, and would let others play around the edges, but kept his stamp on everything. I’ve come to appreciate those qualities more over time. He was both creative and practical and loved the software, the company, the people who worked there, and the customers and what they did with the software.
Gerry and his partners built a company that was a family. I worked there from July 1998 to October 2002, and I still feel like I work there--in the way that you can move far away from your family, but they are always family.
My favorite memory of him was going to see Rocky Horror Picture Show on Broadway with Terry Cosentino from ibi and Gerry and his wife Pam, and watching the looks of delight on their faces. Working at ibi was fun, and the fun started at the top.
Thank you, Gerry, for opening New York City to me, for creating a company like Information Builders, and for all you have done for so many people. Your legacy continues in all of us.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-cohen&pid=197257686
https://www.ibi.com/blog/frank-vella/gerald-d-cohen-1935-2020/
