Newark Life Spring/Summer 2023

Newark Life Spring/Summer 2023

Letter from the Editor:

Newark’s new Chief of Police was born to serve, and Newark Life is very pleased to present a profile of Mark Farrall in this edition. Farrall was tapped as the city’s new top cop earlier this year, and he brings extensive law enforcement experience to his new role with the police department, and we talked to him about some of his plans.

Major updates are underway at Delaware Park. Writer Ken Mammarella provides details about Delaware Park’s $10 million investment that includes extensive redecorating from ceiling to the floor and a new game layout that will give players more room.

Greg Mamula has spent the last two decades in collegiate coaching, and now he is bringing that knowledge to his newest role as the head baseball coach at the University of Delaware. Writer Richard L. Gaw talked to Mamula about his love for the game, which extends back into his childhood.

We also highlight The Delaware Dirt Destroyers, a group of individuals who use mountain biking to simultaneously build their bodies, minds and characters.

Since it first opened last Spring, Hamilton’s on Main has earned a reputation for its eclectic menu, its ambience and its unwavering commitment to create a quality dining experience. Recently, Newark Life met with owners Jeremiah and Anthony Brooks to discuss palates, passions and their idea of one great dinner party.

In his story, “Iron, a hill and a park: The long heritage of Iron Hill, Delaware,” writer and local historian Gene Pisasale takes a look one important element of Delaware history.

This edition of Newark Life also features a story about how some students in the University of Delaware’s art conservation program care for artifacts—and save history. The University of Delaware runs one of only six undergraduate art conservation programs in the United States.

We hope that you enjoy these stories. We’re already hard at work planning the next edition of Newark Life, which will arrive later in 2023.

Cover design: Tricia Hoadley

Cover photo: Jim Coarse

Mark Farrall was bor

By Drewe Phinny Contributing Writer

When it comes to law enforcement, Mark Farrall has pretty much done it all—from the SWAT team to Public Information Officer to Deputy City Manager to Newark Chief of Police.

All of these positions come with different skills sets that display a complex understanding of how to discover, deter or rehabilitate those who violate the rules and norms of society. On one hand, law enforcement is pretty heady stuff, while on the other, the details are just important as the concepts.

For instance, Farrall explained how traffic accidents are just as significant as high- risk arrest warrants.

“There’s a lot of science involved,” he explained. “When an officer shows up at a crash scene and there are two or three mangled cars, witnesses, etc., it’s up to the investigating officer to kind of put the pieces back together, figure out what happened and whether there’s been a violation of the law.

“Our officers in the traffic unit go to collision reconstruction school, and that is a very intensive series of three, two-week classes with lots of math and physics. They learn the ins and outs of advanced collision investigation. When they complete that class, they receive a certification in collision reconstruction. That’s just one example of the specialized training that we get.”

For Farrall, who officially became the Chief of Police of

the Newark Police Department on Feb. 1, service to the community has been a family business for as long as he can remember.

“My father was fire chief at Aetna for many years and has served with the fire department for decades,” he explained. “So, from a young age, I saw his involvement in the community. My brother had worked for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and retired several years ago, and I kind of followed in their footsteps.”

Farrall’s varied job descriptions, which could appear to be very disparate, actually were a natural progression of his accumulated skills on the job. He explained, “It wasn’t necessarily intentional. In the department, I was afforded a lot of opportunities with the promotions I had. What’s nice about our police department is that we’re small enough that everybody knows everybody and it feels like a family, but we’re large enough that we have a lot of opportunities available to our officers, which is one of the things that makes them more well-rounded.

“For example, if they go into the criminal division, they won’t stay in for the remainder of their careers. After five years, they’ll get transferred out of that unit and somebody else will be moved in. The idea is to transfer all their knowledge back from the criminal division to the patrol division. Then they can pass along what they learned to the officers on the patrol shift. That way, everybody becomes more well-rounded.”

This continuous switching of jobs in different divisions is one of the more important points of focus in the recruitment

Newark’s new police chief has stayed true to his goal of helping the community during his career in law enforcement

rn to serve

campaign, which is considered one of the most important aspects of the Newark Police Department. In fact, when asked about the department’s biggest challenge, Farrall’s answer was quick and decisive — recruitment.

“That’s our highest priority — recruiting new officers,” he said. “We are about 20 percent down in our staffing right now.”

That’s 15 positions from their authorized strength of 77 officers.

In order to address these personnel needs, the department has hired a company to come in and provide assistance in ramping up efforts to fill the necessary positions.

“We’re developing some high-quality video production to highlight the agency and its opportunities, Farrall said. “Our agency is top-notch and we follow all of the best practices in law enforcement.” The series of videos is available by clicking on https://joinnewarkpd.com/.

Farrall said, “Our agency is top-notch and we follow all the best practices in law enforcement.”

The challenge is to get the word out to what is a limited pool of applicants. Currently, the number of people looking to get into the profession is limited, so there are incentives that help to increase the attractiveness of the jobs. Another motivating factor is instruction.

“We will train you,” Farrell said. “We will also take officers that are certified. We have a few of them right now. Two are in training who were previous officers from Baltimore City. Another came from New York…also one who came from the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office. We will send them to a police academy, either the Delaware State Police or the New Castle County Police.”

Over the past few years, in communities large and small across the U.S., there has been what could be called an elephant in the room with respect to the public’s relationship with law enforcement. Farrell was eager to address the issue, and explain how effective the department has been in strengthening its relationship with the community.

“Despite all of the negative incidents and publicity for law enforcement, we in Newark, have not experienced that,” he said.

The reason? Policies and procedures are in place, along with rigorous background investigations conducted on potential applicants.

Farrall explained, “We hold our officers to such a high standard that when all the protests were happening around the summer of 2020, we had a number of protests in Newark, but the people weren’t protesting our agency. They just wanted to have their voices heard on law enforcement in general, and they actually thanked us for the free speech.

“In fact, the police marched with the demonstrators to show their support and we allowed them to have their voices heard. And our community continues to support us because we have not seen those incidents or challenges in our community because of the caliber of officers that we have.”

Courtesy photos

Mark Farrall was chosen to lead the Newark Police Department as Chief of Police effective Feb. 1, 2023.

Mark Farrall

Continued from Page 11

Farrall added that he couldn’t be more proud of how the officers handled themselves.

“We see these incidents around the country and what is so heartbreaking to me is we see the impact this anti-police sentiment is having on our officers,” he said. “Personally, it’s upsetting, knowing the character of the officers the way I do. What’s unfortunate is those incidents, although isolated, tend to paint the entire profession with a broad brush. But at the same time, we continue to hold ourselves to a high standard of professionalism.”

In fact, most of the things that local residents were demanding were already being done by the Newark Police Department.

The Newark Police Department was the first agency in Delaware to implement a fair and impartial policing program, which developed into what is currently known as Implicit Bias Training.

“That’s basically understanding bias can have an impact on what we perceive and on our actions,” Farrall said. “Our Implicit Bias Training developed into a partnership with the Anti- Defamation League, and they are hoping to use the program they developed with us as a national framework

to teach law enforcement across the country.”

Another program that helps guide the moral structure of the department is called Active Bystander for Law Enforcement (ABLE). The point of focus here is that officers have a duty to intervene if they see a co-worker doing something inappropriate, such as improper use of force, etc.

“Our officers have a duty to intervene to stop that from happening,” he said. “It takes a lot of courage and our officers are well-trained to do that. We don’t have that kind of conduct often but it’s important to continually drive home the point of why that is so important.”

Farrall also touted the Crisis Intervention Training efforts which constitute a week-long program in partnership with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It’s a five-

A lifelong Newark resident, Mark Farrall is a graduate of Newark High School and the University of Delaware.

day course which is designed to recognize and assist those who are having mental health challenges. Some of the key points include how to talk to people and how to de-escalate situations.

“That is so critical because it’s such an important part of our job,” Farrall said. “A high percentage of the calls we get are people having mental health issues. We’re expanding that program. It’s a challenge. We’re getting as many officers into that program as we can.”

Farrall emphasized that although they are trained to deal with these tasks, they are not mental health clinicians.

He said, “Sometimes you’ll see unfortunate situations around the country where they are faced with situations that are really out of their wheelhouse, but there’s nobody else to call, so we feel it’s important that we train our officers as best we can to deal with these situations.”

As challenging as the mental health issues are, Farrall is optimistic about some of the current progress that is

being made. “There are programs that are working, either through health agencies or law enforcement where they have people who are responders, who are not police, but who are well-trained in the mental health field.” Some of these programs are gaining momentum, just not on a national level yet.

“A sub-category of recruiting,” Farrall said, “is diversity, and the more diversity we have in our department, the more it will lead us to providing better service to our community. So the more people we have with various backgrounds and cultures, the better lens that we will be able to view issues from. We look to continue to build on that.”

Farrall cited the close relationship with the Newark chapter of the NAACP, which is led by President Freeman Williams.

“Our collaboration with them allows us to solicit their feedback on ways to improve our diversity within our agency,” Farrall said. “Their input is invaluable.”

“...the more diversity we have in our department, the more it will lead us to providing better service to our community.”

The Dirt Destr

Mountain bikers build their bodies, minds and characters

Mountain bikers build their bodies, minds and characters

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

When he joined the Delaware Dirt Destroyers, Xaven Monsalud wanted to learn more about mountain biking. He also wanted to make friends who shared his interest in the sport.

“It’s been fantastic,” the Redding Middle eighth-grader said of two seasons of racing and adventuring with the

team. “It’s not only a biking team, but a family. We’ve developed close bonds. I recommend it. You need to experience it.”

On their website, https://dedirt.com, the Dirt Destroyers say that they “empower youth through mountain biking,” and demonstrate a commitment to “developing strong bodies, minds and characters.”

By making, repairing and improving trails and learning

Continued on Page 18

Scotty Roberts, founder of the Delaware Interscholastic Cycling League, leads a group.

royers

Spring/Summer 2023

Photos courtesy of the Delaware Dirt Destroyers “It doesn’t get any easier, just muddier!” the Delaware Dirt Destroyers caption this photo of Xaven Monsalud on their Instagram. “Mother Nature made sure to make things interesting.”

The Dirt Destroyers

Continued from Page 16

how to deal with wild animals they may encounter along the trail, members also learn about becoming stewards of the land and its wildlife.

By taking classes, they learn about safety and maintenance for two-wheeled vehicles, which are critical lessons that they should apply later in life with fourwheeled vehicles.

And by listening to coaches, they learn about heeding voices of authority and following rules.

“X has matured,” said his father, Herb, who got him out racing on a bike when he was 4. “It’s his passion. For 1½ years, he hasn’t been playing video games.”

For a while, father and son enjoyed riding together –until X got too good.

A first for the First State

The Delaware Dirt Destroyers were founded in 2019 as the first Delaware team in the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.

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The starting line, with all the riders ready to pedal hard.

The Dirt Destroyers

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Their home base is White Clay Creek State Park and the adjacent Middle Run Valley Natural Area, which together host Delaware’s most popular mountain biking trails, said Jim Martin, a freelance bike mechanic and a Dirt Destroyers coach.

Urban Promise in Wilmington – a nonprofit that espouses many of the same beliefs on how a sport can be more than a sport, under a “community in Christ” umbrella – fields another team, he said.

Martin, who lives in Milford, is forming a Southern Delaware team. This “composite” team will be named by members, and the trend is for boldness, judging by Pennsylvania teams: the Hellbenders in Southern Chester County, the Rattlers in York, the Hammers in Danville and the Delco Revolution.

The Delaware Interscholastic Cycling League also wants to create a team in central Delaware.

Youth in grades six-12 (public, private and homeschools) are eligible. There are no tryouts, and only basic riding skills are required. (For more details, visit https:// delwaremtb.org.)

The costs and the calendar

The Dirt Destroyers website breaks down the costs of participation: $50 team fee, $55-$75 for the required team jersey, $220 for for season registration and $45$100 for events registration.

John McKean leads a training session.

Riders need their own mountain bike ($500-$600, Martin suggested) and are required to wear a helmet ($60) and closed-toe shoes. Gloves ($15-$20) and sunglasses are strongly recommended. Since equity is another do-good element that’s part of the league, teams find a way to financially help “anybody who wants to ride but can’t afford it,” Martin said. The season begins in July and August, with the Dirt Destroyers conducting two sessions a week on improving all sorts of skills. Coaches get training in things like first aid, CPR and child trafficking. All those skills are important for families to know “their children are safe under our watch,” Martin said.

The Dirt Destroyers’ season concludes in September and October with competitive races and adventures that have included visits to Pennsylvania parks for swimming and camping.

With Delaware ridership growing, the national association has explored Lums Pond and Fort du Pont for possible weekend events in the First State.

Continued on Page 22

Delaware Dirt Destroyers Coach Jim Martin conducts a maintenance clinic in Middle Run Valley.

The Dirt Destroyers

Continued from Page 21 Continued from Page 21

Giving back to the sport, and the trails

Martin said that he got involved as a coach because he wanted to “give back to the sport that has given me so much.” Here’s what he has been given and wants to give out: fitness, camaraderie, friendship and the joy of being outdoors.

Of course, many sports and clubs build young people’s bodies and minds while they have fun.

But mountain biking also involves creating, maintaining and improving where they play. Molly Kaplan, the Dirt Destroyers’ captain for the last two years, was named a captain in the National Interscholastic Cycling Association’s Teen Trail Corps. The award came from four commitments – titled speak, serve, ride and respect – on biking, trails and the environment.

Continued on Page 24

Molly Kaplan, outgoing captain of the Dirt Destroyers, gives the thumbs-up signal before a weekend at the Blue Mountain Resort.

The Dirt Destroyers

Continued from Page 22 Continued from Page 22

In cooperation with the Delaware Trail Spinners, the Destroyers have built logovers that challenge riders on the trail; filled in trenches; created ramps for bridges and re-channeled stormwater. Kaplan graduates from Kennett High School this year and plans to join the mountain biking team at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she plans to study political science.

This summer, she might coach the Dirt Destroyers, a group that she appreciates for its small size and tight relationships. “It inspired me to try more things and be out there,” she said – even after she had a concussion early on. Leadership and other skills developed through the Dirt Destroyers “have improved me for the better.”

Continued on Page 26

Ryland Carden takes part in trail maintenance, which is part of the identity of the Dirt Destroyers.

The Dirt Destroyers

Continued from Page 24

‘Something all of us can do’

“I remember when I was new on the team,” she wrote on the national association’s website. “My lack of skills and knowledge made me nervous. And being a girl on a male-dominated team was almost as intimidating as being new. Because of this, I always encourage new riders during drills and rides. I always make the effort to talk to everyone on the team and cheer everyone on during their races. I know how much this can mean to people and it makes our team closer.”

Dirt Destroyers coach Dan Fitzpatrick, a mechanical engineer at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, appreciates the technology behind the racing: Riders wear tags so that their times can be electronically tracked.

“Girls rock,” Hope Martin’s helmet proclaims. John Kuhl is ready to start.

He has been biking since high school. Buying a better bike in 2019 got him out a lot more.

And he got involved with the Dirt Destroyers when his son Rowan, a student at Shue-Medill, became friends with team member Max Oreper and got a new bike for Christmas in 2021. “It gave him something to focus on, a steady activity, a good outdoor experience,” Fitzpatrick said.

He praised the Dirt Destroyers for being about not just biking, but also being about team building, socialization, fun games and patience. “It’s a huge range of skills.”

And maybe his 9-year-old son Asher will also join the team when he’s old enough. “It’s something all of us can do,” Fitzpatrick said.

Friendships – like the one between Rowan Fitzpatrick and Max Oreper – grow among Dirt Destroyers members.

All photos by Ken Mammarella

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

Delaware Park is investing $10 million to update its casino, including rearranging slot machines to give players more room, adding baccarat and high-limit blackjack tables, creating a noodle bar and redecorating from the ceiling to the floor. A random sampling of patrons on a spring morning show that the work is paying off.

“I’ve won more with this new look,” said Wanda, a resident of Maryland’s Harford County while enjoying the slots with her sister, Patsy.

“It’s a cleaner look,” said Patsy. “I want to play better.”

“I love the carpet,” said Marlene, a Newark resident. “It makes me feel great.”

“The biggest enhancement for us is the new game layout,” said Jennifer Oberle-Howard, director of advertising and public relations. “Following the trend to move away from linear slot bank configuration, we now have pods in the shape of diamonds, squares, footballs and rounds, allowing extra space and comfort for our guests. Additionally, newer themes are being added on a regular basis including Aristocrat’s Jackpot Carnival and Light & Wonder’s highly anticipated game, Dragon.

“We are adding four Macau-style baccarat tables featuring Dragon Bonus and five Treasure bonus bets plus two highlimit blackjack tables.”

Good luck at Foo Noodle Bar

The number of slot machines is going from 1,902 at the end of 2022 to about 1,800 when the rearrangement is completed, Oberle-Howard said, adding that the casino has an internal app for finding machines.

“Guests can ask any slot attendant or Player Rewards Club representative to reference the electronic machine list if they are looking for a particular machine that may have moved,” she said.

The Foo Noodle Bar will replace some office space near the high-stakes area. Foo is the Chinese character for “good luck,” said Paul Heretakis, the Las Vegas architect hired to design the new look. It will have “high bar-style seating, and offerings will include bar type food also,” Oberle-Howard said.

“Besides a fresh new look, the High Limit Bar will be accessible from all sides, have more seating capacity, offer bar-top slots and poker machines,” she said.

Work also involves rebranding, from Casino at Delaware Park to Delaware Park Casino & Racing.

The construction began in January and is planned to end in July, hopefully by the Fourth, she said.

‘Let’s refresh the place’

Heretakis, owner of WESTAR Architects, started work on the project in October of 2021. “‘Let’s refresh the place,’” he recalls being told, and also being asked to make it “brighter, more comfortable, welcoming and warm.”

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The new carpet (left) is a dramatic difference from the old one.

State Line Liquors

Delaware Park

Continued from Page 29

The most dramatic visual change involves the carpeting, going from mute and small florals to bold and large abstracts. The overall color scheme is lighter and brighter, the feeling more modern.

Other visual changes include whitewashed walls (instead of brick), gray columns (instead of dark oak), silvery ceiling tiles (instead of gray), sconces (instead of chandeliers), red and white chairs around the gaming tables (instead of black chairs) and rebranded felt for table games.

The work also includes infrastructure upgrades, such as updating the air conditioning; improving the electrical and data needs for what Heretakis called “the latest and greatest” in slots; and upgrading lighting, with LEDs that are crisper and cheaper to power.

Finishing touches include some elements that reflect Delaware Park’s history as a racetrack. He said that means light fixtures with horseshoes, art inspired by the the track and photos of horses.

Popular with employees, too

The work covers the casino’s first floor and in the future might hit the second, Oberle-Howard said.

Delaware Park has a complicated schedule, or, rather, schedules. The slots are the first floor are open 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus continuously from 8 a.m. Thursdays to 4 a.m. Mondays. Oberle-Howard said that staffing issues mean that the second floor has more

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Gaming tables have new chairs and felt with the new brand: Delaware Park Casino & Racing.

Four Generations Family Owned & Operated. Since 1937.

Ranked #2 Best Beer Retailer in the USA by

Delaware Park

Continued from Page 30

limited hours: 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus continuously from 8 a.m. Thursdays to 3 a.m. Sundays.

Table games run 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus continuously from 10 a.m. Thursdays to 4 a.m. Mondays. Poker runs 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily. Sports bettering runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends. Simulcast horse racing runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Delaware Park Racetrack opened in 1937 (providing the name for its brewpub). It entered a new era in 1995 with video lottery terminals (legalese at the time for slot machines). Parlay sports betting started in 2009, followed by table games in 2010, online gaming within Delaware state lines in 2013 and full sports betting in 2018.

To learn more about Delaware Park Casino & Racing, visit https://delawarepark.com.

Renovations at Delaware Park include rearranging the slot machines and renovating the casino, from ceiling to flooring.

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

In the United States, there is a general line of regional demarcation that separates early-season baseball games played in moderate temperatures from those that get underway in a manner that turns a ballpark into a wind-blown icebox.

Delaware falls in the latter category.

As Delaware Blue Hens’ starter Bryce Greenly begins his warm-up tosses at Bob Hannah Stadium in Newark on the afternoon of March 31 against the College of Charleston, he does so before dozens of fans huddled in the Nanook of the North fashion of overcoats and blankets, who come prepared to see baseball through fabric.

Growing up in a dugout

When Johnny Ray was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 31, 1981 for Phil Garner, he became the teams’ second baseman for the next six-and-a-half seasons.

When measured purely by statistical analysis, there was very little about Ray’s career that could be categorized as

spectacular. At a time when baseball was becoming known less for its small ball strategy and more for its bombastic home runs (“Chicks dig the long ball”), the switch-hitter’s achievements on the diamond seemed carved from the culture of discipline, not from a Madison Avenue marketing campaign.

When he was a kid growing up in DuBois, Pennsylvania –about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh -- Greg Mamula carried one of Ray’s baseball cards in the back pocket of his Little League uniform. The connection and similarities to the ballplayer were natural: Mamula, like Ray, was a second baseman and also relatively small in stature. Like Ray, Mamula relied heavily on using the lost artifacts of the game: getting on base, putting the bat on the ball, hitting behind the runner and playing the field at a level of consistency that earned few headlines but protected leads and saved games.

DuBois was also where Mamula learned the game under the watchful eye of his father Larry, a long-time high school baseball coach. In the shadow of the Mamula family house, the boy would field ground ball after ground ball his father hit to him, and then join Larry at the high school, maintaining the high school’s field and serving as the team’s batboy.

Greg Mamula has spent the last two decades in collegiate coaching, and now he brings that knowledge to his newest role as the head baseball coach at the University of Delaware

Brett Lesher (center) is congratulated by his teammates after slugging a home run.

Mamula speaks with his players and coaches after an early-season victory.

The Lifer

The Lifer

“From that early age, I believed I was destined to do something in baseball, and by the time I was about ten, I had grown up in a dugout and wanted to do nothing but play baseball,” Mamula said. “I was fortunate that I grew up in a generation where we still played wiffleball in the backyard and pick-up football and basketball and rode bikes, but baseball was always my favorite.”

For Mamula, who began his first year as the new head baseball coach at the University of Delaware this season, his love of baseball has been a nearly life-long journey that took him from the ballfield at DuBois Area Senior High School to a four-year career at St. Bonaventure and then over the last two decades through the collegiate coaching ranks, with stops at Division II and Division I schools.

After beginning his coaching career as an assistant coach at Division II Shippensburg University from 1999-2001, Mamula served as an assistant coach at Delaware under long-time head coach Jim Sherman from 2002-06. During his five recruiting classes at UD, Mamula helped recruit 20 All-Conference players, two All-Americans, and saw 13 of his recruits later selected in the MLB Draft. He got his first head coaching job at West Chester University from 200709, where he guided the Golden Rams to an average of 41 wins per season, was named PSAC East Coach of the Year and Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2009, when WCU reached the D-II College World Series and finished the year ranked seventh in the nation.

Continued on Page 38

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Greg Mamula

After six years at the University of Cincinnati from 2010 to 2013, Mamula spent seven years at Florida Atlantic University (2016 to 2022), where during his tenure he saw the teams reach the NCAA Regional tournament three times and was named the 2019 Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year.

‘Delaware Baseball is surely in good hands’

“I had waited a long time for the opportunity to be a head coach again,” Mamula said.

“When I made the decision to leave West Chester after three seasons to become an assistant at Cincinnati, I kept

believing that I would get an opportunity not only to be a Division I head coach, but a successful one.”

“We are extremely excited to have Greg join Delaware as our next head baseball coach,” said Chrissi Rawak, UD’s director of Athletics and Recreation Services. “He is a proven winner and a talented recruiter with strong connections to the East Coast. Equally as important, he is a terrific person and has been instrumental in developing young men in the classroom and on the field.”

“I’m very excited for Greg Mamula to be the next head coach of Delaware Baseball,” Sherman said of Mamula. “He is extremely hard-working and as committed a coach as I’ve ever had. Greg’s baseball knowledge is outstanding and he’s the complete package. He has a very calming personality and is a real players’ type of coach.

“Delaware Baseball is surely in good hands.”

Dominant and crafty, Greenly has not surrendered a single hit to Charleston over the first four innings, while being the beneficiary of offensive support. Second baseman Dan

Mamula takes over a baseball program that has had only two head coaches – Bob Hannah and Jim Sherman – since 1965.

Covino triples in the first and scores on Greenly’s sacrifice fly, and right fielder Brett Lesher crushes a three-run homer to left in the third that gives Greenly a 4-0 cushion. In the stands, behind parkas and glove-cupped hands, fans offer encouragement and strategy to the Blue Hen players and refer to them by their first names, as if they are members of the same family.

A culture of winning

Over the last 50 years of Blue Hens baseball, the program has become known for its many conference championships, its post-season appearances in the NCAA tournament, for the number of players (more than 80) who have been drafted by Major League teams and by the number of former Blue Hens (more than one dozen) who have played – and continue to play -- at the Major League level. Much the way the school’s football program was shaped and molded by the triumphant legacy begun by coaches Bill Murray, David Nelson and “Tubby” Raymond, the modern Blue Hen baseball program was constructed by head coaches Bob Hannah (1965-2000) and Sherman (2000-2022).

For most of the last decade, however, the program has hovered around the .500 mark and often finished in the middle of the pack in the Colonial Athletic Association.

It’s a fixable problem, Mamula said, pointing to two remedies: effective recruiting and finding players who truly love to play baseball.

“Winning breeds winning and confidence breeds confidence,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to dig deeper and find those players who wish to be a part of a winning program. I am trying to cultivate a culture of winning here, and

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Three Blue Hen teammates prepare to take the field.

Greg Mamula

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with my coaches, determine a method of restoring a program that has been relatively mediocre over the last several seasons.

“That’s the challenge – to take a group of players who are used to playing nothing better than .500 baseball and encouraging them to create a championship-level program.”

Over the long course of his collegiate coaching career, Mamula has had only one season without baseball. Following the 2015 season, Mamula and several coaches were terminated from the University of Cincinnati baseball program after the Bearcats compiled a 15-41 record. During that year away from the game, he frequently asked himself if the life he had chosen for himself when he was ten years old was truly what he wanted.

“I asked myself if I was really as passionate about the game as I thought I was, but after a year away, I was hungrier than ever to get back to the game,” he said. “Baseball has always been my passion, and nothing has ever distracted me from that love, and college baseball for me is like a drug and that is what brings me back to the University of Delaware – to embark on a constant challenge to see how good we as a program can get.”

Greenly departs after five innings of one-run pitching, as Mamula hands the ball to reliever Eli Atiya, who surrenders a solo homer in the eighth and little else. With one away in the sixth, Andrew Amato and Lesher draw walks, and both come around to score on a double by JJ Freeman, who then scores on a single by Covino to give the Blue Hens a 7-1 lead. Delaware tacks on three more runs in the eight for a 10-2 victory, moving their overall record to 11-14. On April 2, the team completes a three-game sweep of Charleston on a walk-off, bases-loaded single by pinch-hitter Eric Ludman. After the game, Mamula tells a reporter, “Our focus has been on getting better and growing as a baseball team and I think you’re seeing the signs of that. We’ve got a lot of guys who are pitching better and playing really good baseball and growing as a baseball team.”

To learn more about the University of Delaware baseball program, visit https://bluehens.com/sports/baseball.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Hamilton’s on Main: Hamilton’s on Main:

A rising star in Newark’s cuisine scene

Hamilton’s on Main in Newark last Spring, they did not aspire to eventually dominate the incredible rise landscape.

Rather, through hard work, hospitality and great with each broad stroke of their innovations move their restaurant forward while at the same time synergizing that energy with their neighboring colleagues.

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Photos

Hamilton’s on Main

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Hamilton’s on Main has taken the playbook of so many other new and exciting restaurants in this college town and – just like several of them -Fine Dining.”

locally sourced menu to Anthony’s rustic chic interior décor, Hamilton’s on Main represents what culinary and visual experience.

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Hamilton’s on Main

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Whether it’s a special celebration upstairs with family, a busy couple’s night out or an after-work burger and a beer with friends, Hamilton’s on Main is about inventing treasured moments for its guests. It is that delicious cocktail served at a bar that seems to have been lifted from a long-ago era. It is the delicacy of the Pork Wellington and the way the sherry cream sauce compliments the Seafood Newburg. It is the funky wall coverings and the comforting ease of a Sunday Brunch, served by those who arrive at the table with a smile.

that these moments – achieved in partnership with other restaurants in Newark – are the true rising stars of Hamilton’s on Main, and they always will be.

To learn more about Hamilton’s on Main, visit www.hamiltonsonmain.com.

|Newark Education| Saving history

Students in the University of Delaware’s art conservation program search for the story in each artifact

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

The objects included a grave marker, a wallet and a bust of a Supreme Court justice. Their tools included saliva, a scalpel and a reversible acrylic adhesive called Paraloid B-72.

And the tools were used on the objects only after extensive documentation and sensitive contemplation by the University of Delaware students in their art conservation internship class.

“We take care of artifacts so that we can take care of the people who created them,” said Nina Owczarek, their instructor.

The University runs one of only six undergraduate art conservation programs in the United States, said Madeline Hagerman, the program’s chair, and it’s the only one of them where all the instructors are experts in conservation (as contrasted to other museum skills).

There are only five graduate art conservation programs in the country, she said, and UD runs one of those, too, along with Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. UD is America’s only university with both undergraduate and graduate programs in art conservation.

“Why do we conserve objects?” Hagerman said. “Because they’re important to somebody.”

Much more than paintings

Art conservation is probably best known for its work on paintings, which have the frustrating tendencies for colors

Photo by Madeline Hagerman

From left, Kathleen Stamos, Caitlyn Stewart and Caroline Berger examine a 1920s wedding dress ensemble during a foundational preventive conservation course at UD. The dress was donated with shoes, gloves, a headdress and courtship letters between the bride and groom.

Photo by Madeline Hagerman Kate Knesek inpaints areas of loss on a plaster bust of Supreme Court Justice Fred M. Vinson.

to change by light or pollution and for surfaces to become marred by tiny cracks called craquelure. Despite these flaws, conservationists work on all sorts of objects, with all sorts of issues.

People in the field today are very attuned to respecting the cultures that created the objects. Is it appropriate for outsiders to investigate, clean and repair them? “It always starts with documentation,” Owczarek said, “so we know what we’re doing is done with thought and respect, without insulting a culture.” That lesson to think and analyze first was clear to the students in this class.

Here’s another question they need to answer: What period should the conservation aim for? Its creation, today – or some time in between?

The department regularly treats objects for several partners.

They include the New Castle Historical Society; the Iron Hill Science Center, near Newark; Wilmington Friends School in Alapocas; Central High School in Philadelphia; George Leader, of the Arch Street Project, a salvage archaeology project at the site of the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia’s burial ground; and Adam Fraccia of the Wye House Plantation, a 1792 plantation on Maryland’s Wye Island. The department plans in October to host an open house that will showcase the fascinating and delicate work. Details will be posted on www.artcons.udel.edu.

Art conservation has always been dominated by women, Hagerman said, tracing its history to the wives of archaeologists working on items found by their husbands and their crew.

Photo by Vicki Cassman Professor Jocelyn Alcántara-García teaches University of Delaware students in an art conservation class about the science of color.

Art conservation

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Art history + chemistry = art conservation

In 1971, the University of Delaware created its interdiscliplinary bachelor’s degree in art conversation, sponsored by the art history and chemistry departments. It was rethought a decade later and renamed technology of art and historic objects. A second rethink returned the original name. A modern sample curriculum of the degree includes at least a dozen courses in art conservation and five in chemistry, plus recommended courses in art, art history and anthropology. Students are encouraged to double-major or minor in related fields, such as chemistry, art history, anthropology, a foreign language, art or material culture studies.

“Name a discipline, and I can find how it’s connected,” Owczarek said.

Chemistry remains critical because conservationists need to understand what the object is made from in order to develop the best treatment.

“We’re affecting objects as little as possible,” Hagerman said, noting that starts with properly handling the spines of books, avoid using the handles of ceramic objects and wearing gloves whenever appropriate to do so.

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Photo by Aaron Morris

Lisa Clifford completes a chemical inventory of the Scientific Research and Analysis Lab at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Art conservation

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Conservation is about specific objects, Hagerman said, as contrasted to preservation, which includes the mechanics of deciding how objects are stored and displayed. Some seemingly mundane objects reveal important sto-

ries about the past, she said, and those stories are best told when they are conserved.

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Photo by Madeline Hagerman Yulimar Luna Colón assembles a 19th-century jardiniere during a ceramics conservation internship in Old College Hall.

Photo by Joyce Hill Stoner

Sydney Cole inpaints an area of loss on a Thai panel painting from the Walters Art Museum as part of a painting conservation internship with professor Joyce Hill Stoner at Winterthur Museum.

Art conservation

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Case studies

In recent class, Hannah Covel was examining a multicolored Berber wallet, and she had been working with art history professor Ikem S. Okoye on its heritage. There’s nothing known about its recent provenance, but microscopy determined it was made from goat or sheep leather.

She also showed off an earlier project: a shovel blade excavated from the Wye House, a plantation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her research determined that shovel blades were made in adult and child sizes (this was for an adult) and for different purposes (she’s not sure what kind this is). She used a scalpel and other tools to separate the pieces from the dirt it was found in. Then she used that special adhesive to glue together the largest pieces, stowed tiny remnants in a plastic bag and packed it all in a custom-made box.

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on Page 56

Photo by Madeline Hagerman Shi Kin Tan and Anne Clark treat ceramic objects in an internship.

Art conservation

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Sabrina Hetlinger was assessing a broken grave marker, from the Lelna culture, now in Nigeria. They stopped making the markers in the 1940s, she knew, and she also knew that she had all of the pieces, but she was still in the research stage and hadn’t determined the best way to repair it and return it to Philadelphia’s Central High.

Then there is that dirty and chipped plaster bust of Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, from the Supreme Court archives. Student Kate Knesek has been carefully cleaning it, starting with the gentlest tools: deionized water and cotton swabs. She moved up to tougher areas with saliva (the enzymes do wonders, and artificial saliva is a thing), ethanol, vinyl erasers and cosmetic sponges.

Along the way she was also inpainting damaged areas – using a color that doesn’t quite match, so that future conservationists know what’s original and what’s rehab.

To learn more about art conservation at the University of Delaware, visit: www.artcons.udel.edu.

Photo by Madeline Hagerman

Professor Nina Owczarek and Hannah Villines examine an ammonite fossil from the Iron Hill Science Center.

Photo by Madeline Hagerman Kaitlyn Cannizzo creates a fill for a 19thcentury book cover in the art conservation program’s senior capstone course.

Photo by Melissa Tedone Philip de Paola researched, tested and cooked 18th- and 19th- century ink recipes at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library to prepare for professor Melissa Tedone’s workshop.

Photo by Madeline Hagerman University of Delaware mascot YouDee tries his hand at ceramics conservation at a prospective student event on campus.

Jeremiah and Anthony Brooks of Hamilton’s on Main

Photo by Jim Coarse Anthony, left, and Chef Jeremiah Brooks of Hamilton’s on Main.

Since it first opened last spring, Hamilton’s on Main has earned a reputation for its eclectic menu, its ambience and its unwavering commitment to create a quality dining experience. Recently, Newark Life met with owners Jeremiah and Anthony Brooks to discuss palates, passions and their idea of one great dinner party.

Newark Life: For several decades, Newark restaurants generally followed the directions that many college towns take: pub grub for the 18-24 demographic. In the past decade, however, visionaries like you are transforming the culinary scene in Newark with bold statements like Hamilton’s on Main. What inspired you to bring your vision to Newark? What possibilities did you see?

Jeremiah: What we noticed when we first visited Newark was that there was an ample amount of college-focused restaurants – bars and fast casuals and places for a quick bite. We also saw that there was a handful of fine dining establishments, so we saw it as an opportunity to fit within that culture. The demographic of the University of Delaware’s student body may not be our target, but they come largely from Long Island, southwest Connecticut and suburban New Jersey, where they have fingertip access to some of the finest restaurants in the world in New York City.

We saw a great opening for us to place something that was a bit more elevated for not only these students’ parents, but for the faculty and also the people of Newark who have a hunger for great food but have to travel to Wilmington or Philadelphia to find.

Here’s the flexibility that you are providing your guests: He or she can choose to spend a significant amount for a four-course meal, but you have created such a diverse menu that he or she doesn’t have to.

Anthony: That was one of the most important components on our journey -- to provide our customers with the opportunity to enjoy great food made from fresh ingredients and melded into a creative culinary experience without having to break the bank. We consider ourselves approachable fine dining – giving our guests the freedom to come as they are and not be afraid to take a journey through the menu and make the experience that they want to have.

every day elegance, you can have a special occasion evening, or you can “Tuesday Night” it.

A fine restaurant is not just about what it does to one’s palate, but what it does to the eyes, and Hamilton’s on Main is a taste of the visual. When you began imagining its décor, what did you wish to achieve, and how did you go about doing it?

Jeremiah: Anthony is the producer of this restaurant, and he sets the stage for me, leaving me to put the production on to match the environment he has created.

Anthony: For me, I never begin with a plan. Rather, the space evolves around me and tells me what will work and what will not. I believe in detail and creativity and eclecticism, and Hamilton’s on Main is a mix of everything, with a statement in every room and space.

Our world is all about Instagrammable moments now, and what we try to create is a world where a customer is enveloped not only by wonderful food but by a comfortable coziness without it being overwhelming.

Hamilton’s on Main is not your first collective rodeo. You owned Hamilton’s Tavern 1840 in Harper’s Ferry, West Va. What did you learn there that you have been able to apply here?

Jeremiah: Everything. The first space we had was an 18-seat dining room in a building built in 1840 with two cool patios overlooking Harper’s Ferry. It was very intimate, but the kitchen was eight feet by ten feet in size. Trying to create a 22-item menu with no cold storage demanded that everything we made was fresh.

Anthony: We were doing everything, and we learned that we can’t do everything. We learned that we have to surround ourselves with people to do our accounting and our marketing, so that we can focus on the guest experience, and maintain the building, the wine list and the menu.

What – or who – gave you the spark to pursue your passion?

Jeremiah: I cut my teeth as a self-taught chef. Alex and John Burley, two of our dearest friends, are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, and worked with me to help me hone in on my menu ideas and techniques such as plating in our Harper’s Ferry restaurant. They brought so much passion and shared so much information, and I love to learn, so I told them to tell me everything.

Jeremiah: If you want a burger, we have a great burger. If you want to enjoy a steak, we prepare the most amazing steaks to your liking. At Hamilton’s on Main, you can have Continued on Page 60

Newark Life Q & A

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They read me in on everything that they had learned, so that I was able to put it into practice for myself, just to be a better leader and be able to jump into the kitchen and take over and be able to confidently step in.

Anthony: As we were preparing to open Hamilton’s Tavern 1840, Jeremiah had curated our opening menu, and told me, “Anthony, I have to find a chef.” I looked at him and said, “You’ve been preparing this food in our kitchen for weeks in order to prepare our menu. You run the kitchen and I will run the front.”

Anthony, what did you see in Jeremiah that enabled you to place so much faith in his ability?

Anthony: When we met, Jeremiah was bartending and a restaurant manager, and I told him that he was working for people who did not appreciate what he was bringing to the table, and that he was destined for bigger things. To me, I could not stand by idly and see him get worn down. Hamilton’s on Main has become an opportunity for Jeremiah to live his best life.

Owning a restaurant is reminiscent of the movements of

a swan. There is what happens above water – the elegance, the hospitality, the gracious host. Then there is what happens beneath the water -- paddling furiously to make everything work seamlessly. How do you manage to do both at the same time?

Jeremiah: Anthony and I have said to our team, “This is our passion, and the passion is in the food, in the service, in the beverage and it must also be inside of you.” From day one, we tell our team that there is commitment, passion and trusting in that. There is no hubris or arrogance. When someone comes on board, I look to see how he or she absorbs the information that we give them and how they handle mistakes and how they recover from mistakes.

When everyone feels as if they have a voice in something, they naturally want to sing louder.

Anthony: Our team has genuinely become our family, and we would do anything for them, and vice versa. Everyone is committed and that’s partly a reflection of how we treat them.

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Newark Life Q & A

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Every restaurant, no matter the menu, atmosphere or culture, is on a constant search to find its niche. What’s yours?

Jeremiah: It’s been about listening and responding and listening and responding to what our guests are telling us. I have changed the menu several times and it took us about eight months, but we’ve determined that we’re about our approachability with sandwiches and shareable appetizers that are fun, and having an entrée menu that is about fine dining.

We are making interesting food from a variety of influences that allow people to come in and enjoy Thai one day and southern-influenced dishes the next. Hamilton’s on Main is everything, everywhere, all at once!

What is your favorite spot in Newark?

Anthony: On March 14, we partnered with Bing’s Bakery to feature their pies here. We have a pastry chef, but we love the people at Bing’s, because they treat us like family.

The two of you throw a dinner party. Who do you wish to invite around that table?

Jeremiah: I am going to choose the dearly departed Anthony Bourdain, because he truly understood the world. I would also love to invite the Italian chef Massimo Bottura, because I would love to sit across the table from this insanely gregarious and passionate person. My third person would be my grandfather, who passed away 17 years ago and never got to see any of this. He was my greatest supporter and was always the first on his feet championing me.

Anthony: I would invite Martha Stewart, for her creativity and making seemingly unattainable things and making them attainable to people through her vast network. I would also invite Jose Andres, because I have a lot of respect for what he does and admire his compassion for the world. Finally, we would invite our mothers.

What item can always be found in the Brooks refrigerator at home?

Anthony: As a joke this last Christmas, I brought Jeremiah a gallon of Frank’s red hot sauce, because he puts it on everything. There is also everything needed to place on a charcuterie board.

- Richard L. Gaw

Iron, a hill and a heritage of Iro n

By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer

Just south of Newark, Delaware stands a geographic feature which played a prominent role not only in America’s fight for independence, but also the industrial and cultural heritage of the region.

Iron Hill is west of Delaware Route 896 and south of Interstate 95, in the Pencader Hundred area, an outcropping of a weathered igneous intrusion of what is now called the

Iron Hill gabbro. Iron Hill is one of the tallest geographic sites in Delaware with a peak elevation of 328 feet. Gabbro is a dark green to black colored rock which contains plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene and olivine. The Iron Hill deposit also includes iron oxide in the form of hematite, goethite and limonite. It is these iron minerals which were mined more than three centuries ago that featured prominently in the history of the Diamond State.

Aside from many Quakers, there were thousands of Welsh Baptists who wanted to escape religious persecution in England in the late 17th century. They came to Delaware—and hearing of iron deposits southwest of what is today Newark, Welsh miners petitioned William Penn for tracts of land in the area.

In 1701, Penn granted them 30,000 acres, including the hill which they called “Pencader,” which means ‘the highest seat” in Welsh. These “Welsh tracts” became popular to new settlers, many of whom stayed to mine the local iron deposits. It wasn’t just miners who were interested.

In Delaware: A Bicentennial History, author Carol E. Hoffecker mentions other groups drawn to the region. Around the time of the 30,000-acre grant, 16 other Baptists from the Welsh counties of Pembroke and Caermarthen wanted to go to America as “church emigrants” to seek greater freedom. After an initial stay in Pennsylvania, they came south, settled near Iron Hill and started the first Baptist Church in Delaware, in a small structure called the Welsh Tract Church. The surviving church building was constructed in 1746 and is known today as the Welsh Tract

An early map of the Iron Hill area by John Montresor.

park: The long

Hill, Delaware

Old School Baptist Church.

Human activity in the area of Iron Hill goes back many centuries, well before Europeans arrived. Lenni-Lenape Indians used jasper from the site to make arrowheads. Iron Hill is not far from the border with Maryland and

Augustine Herman.

Hematite, a type of iron ore present at Iron Hill in Delaware.

The Welsh Tract Old School Baptist Church.

Iron Hill

Continued from Page 65 was first identified in print by Augustine Herman in 1670, labelled as “Yron Hill.” The Welsh miners who came in the early 1700s knew how to work the land. They quickly commenced open pit mining on the hill. Iron was important for making barrel staves, nails, tools and numerous other items. Iron Hill became an important source of ore for the forges which produced these items. George Washington considered the hill critical in doing a reconnaissance of the area. He climbed Iron Hill to observe enemy troop movements leading up to the Battle of Cooch’s Bridge on September 3, 1777. The Battle was more of a skirmish than a large-scale conflict. It was the only battle in Delaware during the Revolutionary War.

Mining continued on Iron Hill until the late 1800s, but demand for the relatively low-grade ore had been declining, making some of the extraction operations unprofitable. J.P. Whitaker

Iron Hill School No. 112C.

operated the last mine there, and he shipped the ore to Principio Furnace in Maryland for smelting and turning into final end products. Some of the mine workers, many of them African-Americans, remained in the area for decades after mining ceased. In 1923, Pierre S. du Pont funded construction of Iron Hill School No. 112C to educate their children. This is a one-room, wood-shingled schoolhouse, 24 feet by 48 feet, which served the area until schools were desegregated in 1965. Afterwards, the schoolhouse turned into the Iron Hill Museum, which held the collections of the Delaware Academy of Science from 1967 to 2016. The schoolhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. In the years following mining operations, local citizens wanted to use the land for a new pursuit— so they turned the area into a park. Iron Hill Park has several hiking trails, including the MasonDixon Trail, a playground, a disc golf course, a pavilion and a “bark park” for dog owners, along with historic sites. Within Iron Hill Park are the remnants of the Indian Jasper Mine, the Iron Hill Hand Dug Mine and the Whitaker Ore Pit. Visitors can also see an old still used to make bootleg liquor and a Revolutionary War era

A trail at Iron Hill Park.

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stone wall. Before you leave the park, stop in at the Iron Hill Science Center to view extensive exhibits of local flora and fauna as well as rock and mineral collections and fossil displays.

If you’re an outdoors enthusiast who carries a compass, take note. The iron deposits around the hill may slightly affect compass readings and influence your directions, but the park is still a great spot to hike or simply relax while surrounded by nature. Situated not far off of I-95 just north of Glasgow, Delaware, Iron Hill Park is a low-key, familyoriented place for adults and children to enjoy.

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His ten books focus mostly on the Chester County/mid-Atlantic region. Gene’s latest book is Forgotten Founding Fathers: Pennsylvania and Delaware in the American Revolution. His books are available on his website at www.GenePisasale.com and also on www.Amazon.com. Gene can be reached via e-mail at Gene@GenePisasale.com.

Rocks and minerals display, courtesy of the Iron Hill Science Center.