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Jeff Berkeley (aka Berkowitz), M.S., was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 12, 1955, to a
low-to-middle economic class stock brokerage clerk and his wife, both second generation Americans of European descent.
After moving to southern California in 1961, Jeff distinguished himself by winning awards for
mathematical excellence and becoming chess champion of his school. He majored in math/science in high school, graduating in 1972 with high honors, just before turning age 17.
He joined the U.S. Army shortly thereafter and served a tour of duty in Frankfurt, Germany. After returning home, honorably discharged in 1974, he started at California State University, Northridge, where he, thru 31 semesters, earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in physical education, and finally a master’s degree in physics in 1990.
It is during this last period (1988-90) he began producing fractals at the CSU Northridge Sun workstation laboratory.
Now comfortably retired, he taught high school and college chemistry, physics and mathematics in the general LA and Portland metro areas, both private and public, for forty years, teaching AP Calculus, AP and regular physics, AP and regular chemistry, AP statistics, physical science, Earth science, computer graphics, yearbook and general mathematics, top to bottom. It is estimated that over 10,000 students have successfully completed his courses.
Recently he left teaching physics and calculus at Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, CA, after his students set all-time school records for AP test success. His most recent position
was teaching honors chemistry, college prep chemistry, and honors calculus BC at New West Charter High School in Los Angeles, CA. He also sponsored the Christian, ski and chess clubs.
Gladly retired on his 65th birthday in June, 2021, he spends most of his time playing music, creating fractal art, and working on this news weblog, worldtalkfree.com.
He unfortunately divorced his first wife but raised five children, Zachary William, 33, Erol Rochelle, 27, Montana Pearl, 25, Xenon Alexander, 24, and Antimony Rose, 22 years old. He got remarried to his high school sweetheart seven years ago this past June.
He enjoys spending much of his free time playing music and currently plays bass guitar for a local Bullhead City, AZ rock and roll cover band called Whiptail (http://www.whiptailrocks.com), and has many years of experience with other local bands The Rockdown, Out of Order, The Go Katz (thegokatz.com), and Minus One. He is very happy to be playing out again and lucky to have revived his playing career with a new project of rockin’ geezers, and surprised to find and play at many of the local venues in Bullhead City, Kingman and Lake Havasu City, AZ.
Retired from playing softball (after a long career), he enjoys skiing, racquetball, stringed instruments, science, computer role-playing games, graphics/fractals, gardening, Shakespeare, Jethro Tull, Bible study, ice cream and puzzles of all kinds.
He can be reached at either fractali@www.lifesmith.com or at fractalier@aol.com or by writing to him at the Lifesmith address listed on the home page of the Lifesmith website. For anyone with a Gab fancy, reach him at simply Jeff Berkeley.