On a hot sunny day in August, probably sometime around the early 80’s, Glenn Thomas and I were walking on the boardwalk down at Coney Island. We had just played basketball at Manhattan Beach. As we held onto our Mongoose mountain bikes pushing them along, we were checking out the sights; on our way to Nathans for a hot dog.
We were walking closer to Surf avenue part of the boardwalk than the actual beach; there were hundreds of people going in both directions. Without giving it any thought, we noticed a few New York City police officers about 50 yards away by the sand tending to a matter on a bench. Then we heard a voice.
“FINAMORE, THEY TOOK ALL MY CLOTHES!”
As I looked a bit closer at the scene, it was Gerard Grayson.
Wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, I wondered to myself, how did he pick me out of the hundreds of people?
Despite Grayson’s embarrassing moment (and mine), Glenn and I kept walking; we figured New York’s finest had everything under control.
To this day Glenn and I wondered how Grayson lost his clothes and how he picked me out of the crowd?
Whatever happened to Gerard Grayson?
-Steve
Hoops135@hotmail.com
CONTAINER DIARIES 
jimmy vac said:
Sounds like a wager of sorts was onvolved….
Glenn Thomas said:
I remember that story as if it was yesterday. We were walking our bikes while cooling off on the boardwalk in Coney Island when we saw that commotion. I remember asking someone what had happened for the EMT guys were there and the person that was being treated was lying on one of those park benches at the front of the boardwalk while being surrounded by this massive crowd of people. As we got closer the person being treated decides to sit up. We see that it is none other than Gerard Grayson. We had to be at least 30-40 yards away. Gerard was obviously feeling no pain that day and had to be rescued out of the water for he almost drowned. It is true that he wasn’t wearing any clothes for the lifeguards must have wrapped him in a towel. After he yelled to you..”Finamore they took my clothes”
I remember you saying in a low tone something to the effect ”Out of all these people how did he recognize me from that far away?” I remember us being in shock and we laughed about that for a while! Gerard Grayson was an original to say the least. I remember back as kids in HN Mr. Mussa would laugh and say “Geeeeerrraaard Grayson!” for even back then people took notice of Gerard. Hopefully he turned out alright and is doing well these days.
Dave Potter said:
I don’t know Grayson but I remember it being a common occurrence at Coney Island that the the bigger boys would get in the water and remove the bathing suits of the littler ones. Poor kids would come out of the water crying, all shriveled up for the whole to see.