NEW YORK - Jeff Gluck was asked to remember his late father. He said three things that spoke volumes. That he was a hard worker. That work was at the top of his list. And, that he worked until the day he died.

But, Emanuel Gluck, 65, who died of a heart attack last May 12 at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital in Manhattan, was much more than just another working stiff. The Milford, Connecticut resident had taught graphic-arts and served as a middle-school principal throughout parts of the tri-state area. Through his second job, as a stadium concessionaire for more than half a century, he would evolve into one of the more beloved figures at the ballpark.

“He took pride in the fact that he worked 50 Opening Days at the Stadium. For him, it was the most amazing job,” recalled Jeff, 35, who is a partner at a prestigious midtown accounting firm. “He had the gift of gab. To realize how many people he touched in those years is amazing.”

Manny –who, as the senior vendor, was issued Badge No. 1- had one other claim to fame. The New York Yankees have thrown three perfect games [Don Larsen against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, David Wells vs. the Minnesota Twins in 1998 and David Cone vs. the Montreal Expos in 1999; the latter was thrown on Yogi Berra Day, with Larsen in attendance] and Gluck was at each one of them.

“He used to tell me, ‘I don’t have a ticket stub to prove it, but I probably have a pay stub somewhere’.”

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“As a child, he was a huge American League fan –the Yankees, in particular,” Jeff explained. “He’d go with Spencer Ross, the broadcaster, to the hotels in Manhattan to get autographs of players. Every autograph in his collection was on a baseball card. The funny thing was that he didn’t have one National League player because he only collected American League cards.”

In 1955, he applied for a position with the Harry M. Stevens Company, which had distributed Yankee concessions dating back to the ballpark’s opening in 1923. At first, he sold peanuts and hot dogs in the upper decks; he was promoted to beer and soda, and graduated to programs and souvenirs, which is considered the signature assignment.

Then, he was given the Gate C stand at Shea Stadium. Such a choice location, which is based on tenure, allowed him to generate maximum commissions.

“As the years passed, he became a Met fan. When Shea opened in 1964, he began to work there also –he was at the Main Gate. I bonded with him most at Met games. I worked there almost every weekend. One of his favorite moments was during the Mets’ 1986 season. That was an amazing run.”

Gluck paused and looked back to those days. “The best part of being at Shea was seeing him. Even if was just shouting to him between the field and loge levels.” By then, my parents had split up, so I didn’t have the opportunity to see him everyday.

Ironically, it was Super Bowl XL which put their relationship in perspective. “When I was 12, he had taken me to Super Bowl XVI, which was the last time before this year that it was played in Detroit.

“I’ll never forget it. It was Joe Montana’s first Super Bowl. There was a terrible ice storm and my father had slipped on the ice coming in. He had a huge raspberry because of the fall, but didn’t complain. He knew I was enjoying the game.

“Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks [in Detroit], I thought about him a lot that day.”

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But, to be Manny Gluck’s son was to experience the best and worst of times.

“I don’t think anyone could ever challenge his work ethic,” Jeff said. “He would leave the house at 5:00 in the morning to be at school for 6:15, only to get home from the Stadium by 11:30 pm.

“Part of it was to supplement his income. There was a lot of money to be made, even if everyone was paid on commission. He did very well. He was the most tenured guy –the No. 1 man in the Union. There were incentives for guys who had longevity. So, for him, it was worth it.

“But, I do think there was passion behind it. My Dad enjoyed what he was doing –especially meeting people.”

And they enjoyed him. Through his work at Shea Stadium, he associated with senior umpires Doug Harvey, John McSherry and Harry Wendelstedt.

Once, he surprised Jeff with tickets to the 1992 World Series in Atlanta. “I was here, at the Firm, for a month. He called me up and said, ‘I’m flying down for the game. You wanna go?’ ‘I can’t. I’m working.’ ‘C’mon,’ his father persuaded, ‘the game [against the Toronto Blue Jays] is Saturday night. We’ll fly out on Friday.’

“So, here I am, taking a personal day three weeks into my career. My father knew the Controller of Major League Baseball, who arranged things. ‘Manny,’ the contact said, ‘here are two tickets for you and your son. ‘You’re gonna be sitting next to my father and me, so don’t sell ‘em.’

“Now, we’re sitting in the 4th row, directly behind home plate. Behind us were NL President Frank Robinson and AL President Dr. Bobby Brown. As we were about to sit down, Robinson said, ‘Manny, what are you doing here?’

“The people next to us asked, ‘Who is this guy? Does he work for someone?’ And my Dad said, ‘I work for the Mets’.”

It hardly mattered where he worked. Nearly everyone knew him.

Billy Crystal, a devout Yankee fan –though he owns a stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks- would greet Gluck by name. And comedian Robert Klein, during an appearance on the YES network’s CenterStage, acknowledged Gluck as a friend.

Then, there was the saga of Ron Scott, who was a back-up goalie for the New York Rangers in the late 1980s. “At my father’s funeral,” recounted Gluck, “he told me about the day he got called up from Binghamton. Ron invited everyone he knew to the game.

“My Dad and his wife were there and, as they waited in the lower lobby of Madison Square Garden, between the locker rooms, more people recognized him than Ron."

“You don’t know how devastating that was," the goalie said. "It was my first day in the NHL and I was so excited. But, all I heard was, ‘Manny, how are ya?’”

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“His job at the ballpark gave us many things we wouldn’t have had otherwise. It allowed us the opportunity to live a life and style that my parents wanted to lead.”

In the process, Jeff learned the value of a dollar from “the smartest guy I ever met. He was very quick with the math –and he had to be.”

But, while the additional income was beneficial, the long hours away from the house were not.

“You try to be dedicated to what you do,” Gluck said in retrospect, “but you must also have time for family. And, in that regard, it did cause a strain in our life. So, it was a double-edged sword.”

In trying to provide for his family, Jeff’s parents split up. “I think,” said Jeff, “that my mom wanted more than he could give. She wasn’t really interested in the Stadium. But, he had been there for so many years that it just became part of his life. Then, he met someone there that shared a more common ground with him.”

Still, while the elder Gluck had a lion’s share of thrills at the ballpark, his proudest moments were those that Jeff and his two older siblings [brother David and sister Fran] had rewarded him with. Each of the three has a college education –which was funded through vending positions at the ballpark- and is succeeding in their respective careers.

Small wonder. At four years of age, they were already doing first grade math.

“When I memorialized him, I said that we all learned different things from him. He had a passion for work, which each of his children have. We all work very hard for a living. In turn, I hope we taught him how to love his family and his grandkids a little bit. It’s terrible that he won’t be part of their lives.

“There’s not a day in the last year that passed without me thinking of him; it has been very tough. My oldest son is only four, so none of my kids will really be able to appreciate him, or his humor.

“Maybe, because I’m busy with work and the kids, it doesn’t cross my mind as much. There are some good things going on with the Firm, and I was just made a partner. These are the things I wanted to share with him and, now, I won’t be able to.

“That’s the emptiness I know.”

But, Jeff Gluck also knows the good times. And, as another baseball season approaches, the days with his father are now appreciated more than ever.