Abq Jew is Marc Yellin, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, years before the Dodgers left for the Coast.

Cutting to the Chase

During his long career, Marc worked for Itel, Fairchild, Lucent, and other companies that either were acquired or went out of business – in CA, NJ, and NY.

At the height of his career – when he was younger and cared more – Marc was a Project Manager for Intel.

Later, he became the Co-Manager of the Department of Redundancy Department at Wazzup Industries.

Then, while on staff at DOA Pharmaceuticals, Marc added one word – “Repeat” – to the instructions to “Wash & Rinse” on DOA’s shampoo bottles. Shampoo sales doubled, allowing Marc and Perri; their daughter; and their greyhound, Henry – to move to Albuquerque’s Upper West Side in July 2010.

After Brooklyn

At the age of 5, Marc & his family left Brooklyn for Valley Stream, Long Island. In 1962, just before Marc’s Bar Mitzvah, they all moved to Sunnyvale, California, about 50 miles south of San Francisco – when the area was known for its orchards, years before it became Silicon Valley.

In the early 1970’s, Marc’s parents lived in Ashkelon, Israel, while Marc attended the Technion – the Israel Institute of Technology – in Haifa.

The family returned to California, and Marc received a B.S. in Engineering & Applied Science from UCLA in 1972.

No Future?

Seeing no future in engineering and high-tech, Marc left California and went back to his New York roots in 1974. He married the former Perri Kronrot in 1976.

After years of study at the Jewish Theological Seminary, including two semesters in the Mechina (Preparatory) Program of their Rabbinical School, Marc received an M.A. in Education in 1978.

Seeing no employment possibilities in Jewish education, Marc read the first edition of the now classic career guide What Color is Your Parachute?. He returned to what had, by then, become Silicon Valley, and became a technical writer (see Cutting to the Chase).

All in the Family

Marc’s son, a film editor for The Rachael Ray Show, remains in New York, with his beautiful wife, a doctor, and Abq Jew’s first grandchild. Marc’s daughter intends to be graduated from Boston University, majoring in Psychology.

Perri is and will always be an artist, now specializing in mosaics and jewelry. And there’s a new greyhound in the family, Belle.

Where Does the Time Go?

In his youth, Marc (on banjo) formed and performed with the Motherhood & Apple Pie Skiffle Band, a local (Sunnyvale) sensation. More recently, Marc played with the old-time group Standing Water.

Marc spends his time on AbqJew.com, his website; and AbqJew.net, his blog.

He is no help around the house whatsoever, and has no visual memory – he often does not recognize people he has already met, including his own family.

Marc continues to play the bluegrass banjo, although not very well.