Owen Loof is a Vietnam veteran, retired from two strikingly different careers. First was a twenty-seven-year tenure at the New York City Transit Authority as what is now titled a station agent. While still working for NYC Transit, he earned a master’s degree in history from St. John’s University. When Loof retired from that post, armed with his pension and degree, Loof moved to Hawaii with his wife, Peggy. While job searching, miraculously through happenstance, he found himself hired as an American history teacher at Damien Memorial School in the Kalihi section of Honolulu. After twelve years living in idyllic Hawaii, life took an unexpected turn. Peggy passed away. So, he crossed back over the Pacific, and made his way back to his oceanside hometown, Rockaway Beach, New York, to be closer to his two daughters and grandchild. Rockaway will always be home.

Title by Owen Loof

  • The Brooklyn Prep Years

    Released: July 2022

    Genre: Biography

    Owen Loof—a.k.a. The Best Dressed Man in Rockaway—is known for his show-stopping attire, vibrant personality, and suave dancing with the ladies. When out on the town, his drive is to always make people smile and spread his zeal for life.

    However, the larger-than-life persona that The Best Dressed Man is known for today was a long time in the making. The seed that bore fruit maturing to that unbeatable personality was sown at Brooklyn Preparatory High School. Since then, the metamorphosis was accelerated by pivotal life experiences, and once the sparkling outfits were added—voilà! It was the final touch that fashioned the man we know today—one of amiability, style, and grace.

    Here you will read the stories of Loof’s high school days that relay the shenanigans, the friendships, the teachers, and the individual whose influence propelled the journey forward to The Best Dressed Man. So, sit back and laugh along with Loof and his partners in crime as they slapstick their way through four unforgettable years.