Clifton Merchant Magazine - May 2019 by Clifton Merchant Magazine

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Clifton is a city that salutes its veterans, and on Memorial Day, especially those killed in service to our nation. From the impressive post-World War I monument that anchors Memorial Park, to the iconic Avenue of Flags numbering more than 2,000 surrounding City Hall on holidays, and finally to the parades, Clifton remembers. Clifton Merchant Magazine, throughout its history, has reflected the city’s spirit in its many stories of veterans. Every May, we publish a roll call of some 300 Cliftonites killed in action. This month, we share stories of the first Clifton service members who died during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. That is followed with bios and even street addresses, originally published in May, 1946, of Cliftonites who were killed during WWII. While every veteran’s story is valued, we trust the stories of these brave men represent all who gave their lives and pay tribute to their service. Honor the Fallen this Memorial Day. 4

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

World War I: Birtie Zanetti Serving his second tour of duty, U.S. Navy Coxswain Birtie Zanetti, 24, was aboard the USS President Lincoln when he was killed on May 31, 1918, after the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-90. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Zanetti of 45 Knapp Ave., he was the first Cliftonite to die in WWI—about two months after the U.S. entered “the war to end all wars.” Before enlisting, Zanetti worked as a machinist at Forstmann & Huffman Mill in Botany Village. A steamship that functioned as a troop transport, the USS President Lincoln was returning to the U.S. after completing its last of five successful runs across the Atlantic, delivering more than 23,000 troops in its voyage. Aboard at the time of attack were more than 700 men, including wounded soldiers. After the President Lincoln reached supposed safe waters, she was hit by three U-90 torpedoes. Zanetti and 25 other servicemen were killed. The remaining sailors and soldiers abandoned ship in lifeboats and were rescued by two American destroyers. The President Lincoln was the largest U.S. Naval vessel to be lost in WWI, one of 30 ships sunk by the U-90. Back in Clifton—to accommodate the large crowd gathered to pay tribute to Zanetti—an outdoor Mass was held June 9 across the street from Sacred Heart Church. Along with many dignitaries, in attendance was the city’s famous Wessingtons Athletic Club, where Zanetti was a member. Sacred Heart’s Father Felix Sandri eulogized Zanetti, telling how the Clifton sailor saved two men, one who was swept overboard. At the conclusion of the eulogy, Sandri picked up the American flag and pressed it to his lips, saying it was “the star of hope to all the Allies and would bring victory to them.” At the time, the priest had six nephews fighting in the war.

Sailor Birtie Zanetti killed aboard the USS Lincoln on May 31, 1918, and USN Chief Joseph Sperling, killed aboard the USS Curtiss on Dec. 7, 1941.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

World War II: Joseph Sperling U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Joseph Sperling, Clifton’s first casualty of World War II, was also the first to die in action from Passaic County. Sperling, 35, died aboard the USS Curtiss during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. The son of Mrs. Mary Sperling who lived at 30 Richardson St., Sperling had served in the Navy for 17 years and had just been married the year before. Of the 2,403 killed at Pearl Harbor, 21 died aboard the USS Curtiss which functioned as a seaplane tender, supporting aviation operations. The Curtiss was a relatively new ship, having been put into commission in Philadelphia on April 20, 1940. “We took a thousand-pound armor-piercing bomb that went through four decks before it blew up and a Japanese plane crashed us,” Sperling’s good friend and shipmate Everett A. Swanson told the Delaware County Daily Times in 2011. Though badly wounded, the Curtiss stayed afloat and served throughout WW II. Joseph Sperling hailed from one of the oldest families in the Athenia section. A city park is named in his honor. Korean War: Donald W. “Billy” Frost The first from Clifton to die in Korea, U.S. Army Private First Class Donald William Frost—known as “Billy” to his Army buddies—was an original member of the 29th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. Consisting of mostly inexperienced new arrivals, the 27th was rushed into battle at the start of

First Lt. William H. Kuller is remembered annually by his cousin Bill Frisch at services at the Athenia Veterans Post at 2 pm every Memorial Day.

Like many cities, Clifton has honored its veterans by naming streets in their honor. An example is Kuller Rd., named for USMC First Lt. William H. Kuller, killed in action in Korea, July 8, 1951. “There are about 30 streets in Clifton named for fallen veterans,” said Keith Oakley, Avenue of the Flags coordinator. Soon Clifton will use more of its roadways to honor its fallen. “Clifton will begin placing makers for soldiers killed in action above street signs,” said Oakley, the project’s lead. “It will include the name, branch of service, rank and the city’s logo. We’ll place them on the street sign nearest where they lived and begin with soldiers lost in WWI.”

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the war. Many had not fired their weapons, and none had been trained in hand-to-hand combat. On July 27, 1950, the 27th was ambushed by North Korean troops near the South Korean village of Hadong and many of its command staff were killed. Of the 925 troops in the battle, a third were killed, 100 captured or missing and nearly 100 more wounded. Like others, Frost went missing after the ambush but returned to duty and was reassigned to the 27th Infantry Regiment on Sept. 6. He was later killed in action on Nov. 16, 1950, during the “Battle of Battle Mountain,” a month-long Alfred Pino, USMC killed in action in Vietnam in 1967 and Miengagement that took place on and around the chael Tarlavsky was killed in action in Iraq in 2004. Sobuk-san mountain area in South Korea. Born in Passaic on October 29, 1928, Frost Quang Tri province. He just was 20 years old. Born lived in Clifton with his parents Helen and Orrie Frost, in Paterson on December 13, 1946, Pino moved to and older brother, Orrie Jr. He is buried in the Beverly Clifton when he was about 6. His family lived on both National Cemetery in Beverly, N.J. Park Slope and Lockwood Place. Pino graduated Clifton High School in 1965 and worked at the Food Fair Vietnam War: Alfred Pino in Verona before enlisting in the Marines in January Marine Corp Lance Corporal Alfred Pino was the 1966. first Cliftonite who died in action in Vietnam. He gave Pino was a true patriot who yearned to serve his his life in service to our nation on March 16, 1967, in county.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

“Freddie wanted to join the Navy beTarlavsky’s family said he always wanted to be cause our father served with that branch a soldier. during World War II,” said his younger As his sister Elina said to the Star-Ledger, brother David Pino. “He couldn’t get in so to get him to finish his dinner, his grandhe decided to join the Marines.” mother would tell him, “The only way Pino loved sports and participated to be a soldier is you have to eat to be in Clifton’s football and Little League big and strong.” programs. He also had a younger sisHis family had immigrated to ter, Linda, who was 11 years old America from Latvia when Miat the time of Pino’s death. chael was 5, setting in New OrAfter Pino went through basic leans. They moved to Clifton in training, he arrived in Vietnam in 1986. July 1966 and was assigned to the An Eagle Scout, Tarlavsky was 1st Battalion of the 9th Division as a Clifton High School graduate Tarlavsky was the captain of the a machine gunner. and captain of the Mustangs swim CHS swim team in 1992. After his tour of duty, he planned team. to marry Loretta Russo, who lived on Rollins Ave. He attended Rutgers on a ROTC scholarship and Pino died in a mortar barrage on Khe Sanh Hill 861, earned a degree in exercise science. where many brave Marines lost their lives. His death At 5’7”, Tarlavsky was solid muscle and relished was announced at St. Paul’s Church on Palm Sunday, physical challenges. He loved SCUBA diving, rock March 19, 1967. He was buried at Holy Sepulcher climbing and triathlons. Cemetery in Totowa. A newspaper story after his death tells of him deciding to run the New York City Marathon and completIraq War: Michael Tarlavsky ing the 26.2-mile course—without ever training for it. Clifton’s final hero to be killed in action died during Tarlavsky enlisted in the Army in 1996 and comthe Iraq War on Aug. 12, 2004. pleted Special Forces, qualifying in 2001. U.S. Army Capt. Michael Y. Tarlavsky, a detachAfter his death, Tarlavsky was awarded the Silver ment commander with 1st Battalion, 5th Special ForcStar for distinguishing himself “when his unit came es Group, was killed in the city of Najaf when his unit under small arms fire and grenade attack in Najaf, Iraq. came under attack by grenade and small arms fire. “His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, Tarlavsky, 30, was on his second tour of duty for without regard for his own life, were in keeping with Operation Iraqi Freedom and had also served in Afthe highest traditions of military service and reflect ghanistan. Married in 2002 to wife Tricia, the couple great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United had a 10-month-old son, Joseph Michael. States Army.”

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

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CLIFTONITES KILLED

DURING WWII “Someday, many years from now, in an era which we sincerely hope and pray shall be blessed with the tranquility and decency of peace, some human being, probing briefly the chronicle of our time, may chance upon these words.” That’s how writer Les Nash, Jr. opened the eight-section, 124-page War Record edition of the May 1, 1946, Clifton Leader. Some 73 years later, I happened upon a copy of that old newspaper while preparing for our annual Memorial Day salute to Our Honored Dead—those who died while in service. While today is not the tranquil and peaceful time Nash and his fellow citizens dreamed of, America is the great nation those World War II vets fought and died for over seven decades ago. Because of their service to our nation—and the supreme sacrifice by generations of Americans be-

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

fore and after them who died in wars defending our nation’s ideals—every May we remember the fallen with a roll call of their names. Over some 45 pages, you will read the list of the more than 300 Cliftonites who have perished in service to our country since World War I. This year, thanks to The Clifton Leader, a paper once published by Gus La Corte and his son Terry, we will learn more about those who died in WWII through bios about their lives, taken from that May 1, 1946, edition. Let us keep their memory eternal. Tom Hawrylko

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. The attack led to our nation’s formal entry into World War II the next day.

Flying Cadet Herman C. Adams, 23, only child of Mrs. Charles Tanis, 50 Althea St., died when his plane crashed at Columbus Field, Miss., Oct. 24, 1942.

QM 2/c Alfred Aiple, son of Alfred Aiple Sr. and husband of Madeline Aiple, 8 Englewood Rd., was reported missing aboard the submarine USS Bullhead, July 31, 1945, on a run from Australia through the Java sea. Subsequent developments led to the presumption that he died. R3/c Francis Alesso, son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Alesso, 52 Foster St., was killed in a plane crash in the South Pacific. He was a former student at Ohio University and a member of the Clifton Mystics.

Pfc. Carl Anderson, 25-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Verner Anderson, 536 Clifton Ave., was wounded in action in Belgium, March 5, 1945, and died three days later. A nationally known amateur bicyclist, he won the national all around cycle championship in 1943. Cpl. John Aspesi, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Aspesi of Harrison Pl., was reported as killed in action in Germany in Jan. 1945. A tank expert, he was a veteran of the North African campaign.

Pfc. Harold A. Baker, 31-year-old son of Arthur Baker, 171 Union Ave. A glider Infantryman with the famous 101st Airborne Division, he was killed on Jan. 13, 1945. He had been reported as missing in action on that date. He entered the service in May 1942 and had been overseas 19 months.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

S 1/c John W. Bogert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Bogert, 500 Piaget Ave., and husband of Betty Bogert, was killed in action on the submarine, Barbel.

Pfc. Albert Bertneskie, 23-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. William Bertneskie, 656 Main Ave., was the second son in the family to be killed in action during WWII. He was married to the former Adele Gurka. Pvt. Justus Belli, son of Anna Berezini, 110 Van Riper Ave., was killed in action while serving with the Army in the European Theater.

Cpl. Michael F. Barbero, 27-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Barbero, 47 Columbia Ave., was a crew chief on a C-17 transport, and overseas since Feb. 1945. Before the military, he was employed as an usher in the Clifton Theater and later with the Watson-Flagg Machine Co. in Paterson. He also sang under the name “Don Lewis” with Lou Noble’s band. S/Sgt. Matthew A. Bartnowski, 24-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Bartnowski, 123 Grove St., was killed. He was a radio operator on a B-24 Bomber.

S/Sgt. Joseph W. Bertneskie, 23-year-old brother of Albert Bertneskie, was killed in action in Italy while as a radio operator on a bombing plane. He had seven combat missions over enemy territory. A graduate of CHS, he had been in the Army for two years. Pfc. Lewis D. Cosmano, 142 Ackerman Ave., injured in France on Aug. 1, 1944, died of his wounds.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Memorial Day services on Main Ave. at 11am.

CPO Jos. Bartholomew Belli, 25-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse Belli, 271 Luddington Ave., was reported MIA on Feb. 16, 1943. Stationed at New London, Conn., he was survived by his parents and a sister, Cecila Sanson. A grad of School 10 and CHS, he was with the Coast Guard four years.

Sgt. Raymond Curley, the 19-year-old nephew of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Strickland, 148 East Third St., was killed in action in Europe. He received the Purple Heart and Silver Star Medals. He entered the service on May 17, 1943, went overseas in November of that year, took part in the invasion of France and was wounded on the beach on D-Day. Pvt. Walter Bobzin, brother of Theodore F. Bobzin, was killed in Germany after being among the first infantrymen to enter that country. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Bobzin of Union.

S/Sgt. Benjamin Boyko, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Boyko, 305 Hope Ave., was killed in the Pacific. In the Army for three years, he was previously employed with the Eureka Printing Co.

1st. Lt. Robert Doherty, 28-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Doherty, of 283 Second St. and owners of the Doherty Silk Co., was killed while serving with the Seventh Army in France. He was a veteran of the Anzio Beachhead where he was seriously wounded. He held the Purple Heart and Silver Star Medals. He was married to the former Johanna Franz, daughter of City Treasurer John Franz. S 1/c Joseph Peter Collura, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gaspar Collura of 40 Comfort Pl., served in the Navy, was killed in action in the Pacific on Jan. 18, 1944. Pvt. Stephen Blondek, husband of Mrs. Jean Blondek, 167 Mahar Ave., served with the infantry. He entered the service in Oct. 1943 and was also survived by his mother Agnes Blondek. He was one of the first soldiers to land in Southern France and took part in the battle for Rome.

S1/c Frank H. Barth, 21-year-old USCG son of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard C. Barth, 109 Speer Ave., died of fever Aug. 12, 1944, at the Marine Hospital, Galveston, Texas. He had been in service 19 months.

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Cadet Carl E. Bredahl, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Bredahl, 308 West First St., was killed in an auto accident on his way home to visit his parents. The 21-year-old cadet entered the Air Forces in April 1943, passing up a direct commission in the Air Corps o learn to fly and earn his commission. Before entering the Corps, he worked a year in the Middle East, Africa, Persia and India for the Douglas Aircraft Company. Cpl. Sam Bychek, 28-year-old husband of Hildegarde Bychek, 233 Dayton Ave., was killed while serving with a tank destroyer unit in France. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Bychek of Passaic.

Sylvester Cancellieri, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cancellieri, 2 Grace Ave., was killed when his bombing plane crashed on the south coast of Cuba in Feb. 1945. The plane was on a routine training flight. Born in Passaic, the 22-year-old soldier had lived in Clifton for 21 years. He was a graduate of CHS and School 10. He enlisted in the Air Corps on Aug. 24, 1943 while at the Newark College of Engineering.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Pfc. Joseph Carboy, 43, of 52 Gould St. was wounded in the Philippines, Jan. 6, 1942 and later returned to active duty. He was in the fighting when Corregidor fell on May 7, 1942, and was believed to have been taken prisoner or killed at the time. Subsequent searches after the liberation of the Philippines revealed no trace of him. Pvt. Harry A. Earnshaw, 22-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Lyle C. Earnshaw, 208 Lakeview Ave., was killed in France while attached to a mechanized calvary. He had seen action in the South Pacific, participating in the Aleutian campaign, in the battle of the Marshall Islands and in the D-Day invasion.

Cpl Steven Miskevich, 21, killed in a plane crash in Walla Walla, Wash. Lt. John W. Layton, 23, a navigator on a Liberator Bomber, was killed on his 74th bombing mission over France.

Pvt. Vernon J. Broseman, 28-year-old husband of the former Helen Duffy and son of Sadie Brosman, 134 Piaget Ave., was killed in Italy. Known to his friends as “Buddy,” he was wounded in Aug. 1944 and received the Purple Heart. Born in Clifton and a graduate of CHS, Broseman was an air raid warden in Zone 13 and an active member of the Lakeview Victory Club before he entered the service. One of the first to enter Rome, he was the holder of the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

1st Lt. Emil Chaplin, 26-year-old medical corps officer with the Army in Germany, was reported MIA on March 24, 1945, and believed to have died. The son of Pauline Chaplin, 10-12 Alyea Terr., he was an honor student at CHS, a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and a school teacher preparing for his master’s degree when he entered the Army in Feb. 1943.

Pfc. Harry Carline, husband of Eleanor Carline, was killed in action with the Marines in Okinawa. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Carline, 14 Mahar Ave. Carline joined the Marines four years before his death. Before entering the service, he was employed by the Botany Worsted Mills.

1st Lt. Edward P. Coury, 25-year-old Highland Ave. resident was reported MIA after a raid over Austria on March 31, 1945. The pilot of a P-38 Lightning fighter he was in the escort for President Roosevelt on the latter’s trip to Yalta. He made his home with his sister, Helen Hardin.

Pvt. John Bulyn, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bulyn, 73 Center St., was killed in France. A grad of Clifton schools, he was employed by Manhattan Rubber before the service.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Cpl. Thomas Cominciotto, 21-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cominciotto, 56 Francis St., was killed on Dec. 7, 1944, serving with the Army Air Force operating over Leyte.

1st Sgt. James J. De Biase, 26-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Carmelo De Biase, 28 Sanford St., was killed while serving with General Patton’s Third Army in France. He was married to the former Fay Polizzi of Passaic and had been overseas since July 1944. F1/c Matthew Daniel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Daniels, 103 Ackerman Ave., had been in the Navy for 18 months and was killed in the Pacific. He was married to Emily Janck.

Passaic, met his death in Germany while serving as an armored car driver with General George J. Patton’s Third Army.

Pfc. Donald Freda, USMCR, who formerly resided with Mr. and Mrs. Fred Feiner, Mt. Prospect Ave., Allwood, was killed in action on Iwo Jima. He enlisted in the Marines almost two years before his death. He was the son of Mrs. Lydia Freda of Newark. Before going

to live with the Feiners, he resided with an uncle, William Kaestle, 55 Burlington Rd., Allwood.

Pfc. John Fusiak, 37, brother of William, 215 Speer Ave., was killed on Okinawa on May 14, 1945. He was born in Poland and moved to this country when a boy. His mother, when last heard from, was still in Poland. He had seen action before he was killed and had been wounded once.

Sgt. Paul A. Domino, 24-yearold son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Domino, 126 Highland Ave., was killed on Okinawa. Overseas since March 1944, he held five battle stars. Before the service, he was employed by Clifton Clothing Co. Sgt. Walter I. Dolginko, brother of Mrs. Helen Lewac, 67 East 9th St., died in Louisiana, Aug. 7, 1943.

Chief Petty Officer James Doland Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. James Doland, 423 Parkway, died in action while serving on the SS John Harvey, Dec. 3, 1944. GM1/c Thomas Joseph Dutton, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dutton, 97 Van Winkel Ave., was killed aboard the USS Bunker Hill attacked by Kamikaze planes.

Pvt. Salvatore J. Favata, son of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Favata, 312 Lexington Ave., died of cerebro-spinal meningitis Nov. 19, 1942, in Europe. He enlisted in the Army June 19, 1942. Pvt. Harold C. Ferris, Jr., husband of Mrs. Anna Dorrell Ferris, of 143 Union Ave., and son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Ferris, Sr., of

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Pfc. Charles Gash, 32, of 80 Harding Ave., was killed in action during the fighting on Leyte Island. Son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Gash of Delawanna, he went overseas in March 1944.

Pfc. Dominic Gianni, 24, of 25 Second St., was killed by a sniper while on guard duty with the 77th Division on Leyte. He had participated in the invasion of Guam and Leyte. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Patsy Gianni, 86 Ann St., Passaic.

T/Sgt. Karl Germelmann, husband of Mrs. Emma GerPilots aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier receive last minute instructions before takmelmann, 50 Clifton Ave., ing off to attack industrial, and military installations in Tokyo on Feb. 17, 1945. died in service at Ft. Devens, Lt. Leo Grossman, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Mass., in Aug. 1943. He had been in service for a year. Grossman, 214 Highland Ave., was reported as missThe 37 year-old was formerly employed at the Forsting in action and then reported as dead on the Feb. 17. man Woolen Company. He was survived by his wife, a He had to his credit 15 bombing missions over North daughter and his parents, who reside in Germany. Africa, Sicily and Italy. Pfc. Douglas Gleeson, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Gleeson, 12 East Eighth St., was killed on Christmas Day, 1944. He had been overseas for only two months at the time of his death. He was a graduate of CHS where he led the school orchestra and was noted for his trumpet playing. Sgt. Steven J. Gombocs, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Gombocs, 2 Arthur St., was killed in action at the Anzio Beachhead. He was a veteran of the North African Campaign and Sicily.

AMN 3/c Francis J. Gormley, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Gormley, 29 Fornelius Ave., was killed in the crash of a Navy plane in Monterey Bay, Calif., April 26, 1943. Cpl. Kermit W. Goss, 26, husband of Mrs. Mildred Goss, 6 Howd Ave., was wounded in action in Germany, March 13, 1943, and died of wounds the following day. He had been in the Army for over two years and overseas four months. He was the son of Mrs. Edna Goss, 122 Merselis Ave.

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Pfc. Joseph A. Guerra, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Guerra, 8 Harrison Pl., was killed in action in Germany. He went overseas in Sept. 1944 and fought in France, Belgium and Holland.

Cpl. Samuel Guglielmo (Williams), son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Guglielmo of 227 Parker Ave., gave his life while serving with a motorized division in France. Born in Clifton, he attended School No. 12, CHS and entered the service in April 1941. He was known by his Americanized surname, Williams. Pfc. John W. Hallam, 24, husband of Mrs. Ethel Lugos Hallam, 116 Barkley Ave., and father of two children.was killed in Germany. He had been in the Army seven months and went overseas on January 1, 1945. T/5 Fred Hazekamp, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Hazekamp, 251 East First St., died as a result of wounds suffered while fighting in Belgium. His brother, George, saw action in France and was also wounded.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

German troops parade through Warsaw, Poland in Sept. 1939. At right, Japanese POW’s at Guam, with bowed heads after hearing Emperor Hirohito make announcement of Japan’s unconditional surrender on Aug. 15, 1945.

Pvt. James Henry, son of Mrs. Lillian Henry, 80 Union Ave., was killed in action in Italy while fighting against the Germans in July 1944.

Sgt. William A. Hadrys, 24, 185 Second St., was killed in Germany, April 13, 1945. He had returned to duty after recovering from wounds suffered in February. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Married to the former Miss Violet Willis, they had a daughter, Joan. His mother, Mrs. William Gee, resides at 275 DeMott Ave. and his father, William A. Hadrys owned a tavern in Athenia. S/Sgt. Peter Hellrigel, 42 E. Fourth St., was reported as missing in action on January 8, 1945, in Belgium. It was later revealed that he was killed in action on that day. He entered the service on April 13, 1943, and went overseas in August 1944. S 2/c Joseph J. Hoffer was killed in action aboard the USS destroyer Pringle, off Okinawa. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hoffer, 101 Clifton Ave., and an alumnus of St. Mary’s High School, Miller’s Business College and Seton Hall College.

Pfc. Roelof Holster, Jr., husband of Jean, 17 Fornelius Ave., was killed in action on Leyte Island in the Philippines. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Roelof Holster, 576 Paulison Ave., he had served in Hawaii and Guam. He was married to the former Miss Jean Kirchner.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Cpl. George M. Holmes, son of Mrs. Holmes, 186 Hazel St., was killed on the Western Front in Germany. Besides his mother, he was survived by a brother, who was wounded during the fighting in Germany. Sgt. Charles W. Hooyman, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hooyman, 18 Union Ave., was killed in the Philippines as a result of mistreatment at the hands of the Japanese. He was one of the defenders of Bataan and captured by the enemy when that bastion of American defense surrendered. Before entering the Army, he served as president of the Clifton Chapter of DeMolay. His brother Robert served as a bombardier and flew bombing missions against the Japanese. Pfc. Edward R. Hornbeck, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hornbeck, 209 Harding Ave., was killed in action by artillery fire during the attack on Iwo Jima. He had been with the Marine Corps for nearly two years, one overseas. Before enlisting, he was employed by Wright Aeronautical Corp. Pfc. Alex G. Hossack, 28, brother of Henry Hossack, 272 West 1st St., was killed in Belgium on Dec. 21, 1944, while serving with a machine gun crew. He entered in May 1942 and saw action in Africa, Sicily, Italy and France. He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hossack.

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Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Pfc. William Hromniak, USMCR, son of Frank Hromniak, 387 Lexington Ave., was killed in action during the assault on Iwo Jima. He was one of the first to land in the initial assault. Overseas since Sept. 1944, he joined the Marines in Aug. 1943. HA 1/c Robert C. Hubinger, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Hubinger, 205 East 4th St., was killed in the Pacific while serving with the Marines. In the Navy 18 months, he had gone overseas in Aug. 1944.

Lt. George J. Huemmer, 27, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Huemmer, 321 Colfax Ave., was killed in action in Germany on March 17, 1945. He had been in the service nearly three years and overseas 13 months. He was married to the former Miss Dorothy Van Dorn.

Sgt. Charles Hulyo, Jr., 26, son of Mr. and Mrs Charles Hulyo, 79 Huron Ave., was killed in action while serving with the Infantry on Guam. He entered the service one and a half years before he met his death. He was a graduate of School 13, Athenia, and Clifton High.

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Children of a suburb of London, who have been made homeless by the random bombs of the Nazi night raiders, waiting outside the wreckage of what was their home in Sept. 1940.

Pfc. Arnold Hutton, 34, 84 Clinton Ave., was killed in action near St. Lo, France on Aug. 8, 1944. He was married to the former Miss Cornelia Slyboom, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Slyboom, of 57 Clinton Ave. He had been in the service over a year.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Gen. Douglas MacArthur wades ashore during initial landings at Leyte, P.I. in Oct. 1944. At right, American prisoners using improvised litters to carry comrades who, from the lack of food or water on the march from Bataan, fell along the road.

S 2/c John J. Hushler, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Hushler, 294 Harding Ave., was reported missing in the Pacific, March 28, 1945, and was believed to have died. A gunner on a PBF plane, he joined the Navy in 1942 and had been in the Asiatic Theatre.

turned to the US in 1946 and is buried in the Beverly National Cemetery, in Burlington County.

Pfc. Gregory Albert Jahn, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert G. Jahn, of 78 Washington Ave., was killed in Sicily on Aug. 11, 1943. He was a medical corpsman. A graduate of CHS, he was attending Lehigh University, where he was in his third year, when he entered the service in Sept. 1942.

2nd Lt. Gerhard K. Kaden, son of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Kaden, 38 Birchwood Terr., was killed in the crash of a four-engine bomber near March Field, Calif., in Oct. 1944. He joined the Air Corps in March 1943 after his graduation from Bloomfield High School.

Pfc. Peter Jacklin, 36, brother of Mrs. Mary Lazosky, 632 Van Houten Ave., was killed in action during the battle for Ormoc on Leyte Island. In the Army for three years, he served on Hawaii and Guam.

S/Sgt. John Janek, 22, son of Mrs. Sophie Janek, 52 Campbell Ave., was killed in action on Feb. 24, 1944. He enlisted in the Army, Oct. 7, 1942. He was an aerial gunner and completed nearly 50 combat missions during his nine months overseas.

Seaman Alfred David Jones, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred C. Jones, 36 Harrington Rd., Allwood, was serving with the 5th Marines as a Navy Hospital Apprentice First Class and was killed during the invasion of Pelileu on Sept. 29, 1944. His body was re-

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Staff Sgt. Andrew R. Kacmarik, paratrooper and gunnery sergeant with the Marines, died in the Pacific on Feb. 27. He had been seriously wounded on Guadalcanal in 1942. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Kacmarik, formerly lived at 907 Main Ave. He had been in the Marine Corps for six years and married to the former Miss Dorothy Krumbholz of Newark.

Cpl. John I. Kanyo, 29, of 118 Center St., was killed on Aug. 23, 1944, while serving with the Army Engineers in France. He was married to the former Miss Ruth Dill and in the service 18 months.

S/Sgt. Edwin T. Kalinka, son of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Kalinka, 58 Campbell Ave. was killed on an air raid over Holland. He had been reported missing in action, Dec. 6, 1944. He was awarded the Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster for his aerial exploits. continues on page 34

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Local Boys

Lost in Pacific

THAT’S ALL I’M SAYIN’

Cliftonites William (left) and Harold Weeks were killed aboard the USS Juneau on Nov. 13, 1942.

The Herald-News screamed of bad news in the Pacific. For three Clifton families, the story was more devastating.

The USS Juneau is known as the ill-fated WWII ship on which the five Sullivan brothers died. The ship’s sinking on Nov. 13, 1942, resulted in a change to military policy to prevent siblings from serving together. However, many other families with siblings shared the Sullivan’s family’s grief—including the Weeks family of Clifton. Killed in action aboard the Juneau were brothers William and Harold. Two other Cliftonites, Israel Rabkin and Peter Pagnillo, also died as a result of the ship’s sinking. Like Rabkin and Pagnillo, the story of Clifton’s Weeks brothers is one of bravery and sacrifice. Eldest brother William, 23 when he died, was born on Christmas Day in 1919; brother Harold came along two years later. They grew up at 35 William St. in Delawanna, graduating from School 8 and Clifton High. Both William and Harold were Boy Scouts and Herald-News paperboys, and attended St. Clare’s Church. When they got older, along with younger brother Richard, they went to work at U.S. Rubber Company in Passaic with their father. The Weeks brothers came from patriotic stock. Their grandfather, Francis J. Wynne, was a Navy veteran of

the Spanish American War. Two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, William and Harold, engaged at the time, enlisted in the Navy. After going through boot camp in Newport, R.I., William was assigned to the USS Macomb. He later joined his brother aboard the Juneau, which operated in the Atlantic for four months before moving to the Pacific. Onboard the Juneau were 30 sets of brothers, including the five Sullivans from Waterloo, Iowa; four Rogers brothers from New Haven, Conn.; and the Weeks brothers from Clifton. Fortunately for the Rogers family, two siblings would transfer to another ship. The Juneau, an Atlanta-class light cruiser, supported three actions at Guadalcanal: the Buin-Fasi-Tonolai Raid; the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands; and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes called the Third Battle of Savo Island. During the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 1942, the Juneau and other American ships became engaged with a numerically superior Japanese naval force. During the battle, a Japanese submarine torpedo hit Juneau on her port side causing a dramatic list, halting her movement and forcing a withdrawal.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

The damaged Juneau left the GuaHis sister, Mary Weeks Ochipa, dalcanal area with five other American was just 14 at the time of her brothers’ ships. About nine hours later, she was death. “I was so upset that I didn’t go struck by a second torpedo, causing an to school for six months,” she said in a explosion that rapidly sunk the cruiser. 2007 interview. “We were only able to get three life But the Weeks were not the only rafts down,” remembered Eatontown’s Clifton family affected by the Juneau Frank Holmgren in 2007, the last livsinking. Israel Rabkin, 27, of 119 ing survivor. “I can’t even swim, so I Madeline Ave. was also killed. His parthought I was dead, but a life jacket got ents, Mr. and Mrs. Max Rabkin, owned around me somehow. I’m one of the the Rabkin Confectionary. “My mother luckiest men in the world.” and father seemed to just age overnight According to a 2017 article in World after hearing the news,” said Israel’s War II magazine, after the Juneau sank, sister, Hannah Gilbert, 16 at the time. Israel Rabkin of Madeline all were believed lost. However, 30 Rabkin, who graduated CHS in Ave. died aboard the Juneau, as did Peter Pagnillo. minutes later, an American B-17 flying 1934, liked to ride his motorcycle overhead spotted men in the sea. around town. In addition to Hannah, he “The B-17 radioed the commander of the flotilla, had two brothers, Hyman and Aaron. Captain Gilbert Hoover of the light cruiser Helena,” Peter Pagnillo, 24, was the fourth Clifton resident detailed the magazine, “who continued onward—perkilled aboard the Juneau. haps misunderstanding; perhaps not wanting to risk Born and raised in Paterson, Pagnillo moved to 43 more men. The aircraft circled again to drop supplies, Center St. six months before entering the service. He yet for several days the Navy did nothing to assist the was survived by his wife of one year. sailors.” About 100 of the nearly 700 men on board survived Enduring Legacy the sinking, but many of those sailors were killed by Because of the deaths of the five Sullivan brothers, sharks or the elements as they waited eight days in the the sinking of the Juneau remained in the public’s conopen ocean before being rescued. sciousness. Only 10 were left alive. The 1944 movie, The Fighting Sullivans, told the When Admiral William F. Halsey learned what hapstory of the brothers and the Juneau’s sinking. In the pened, he stripped Hoover of his command. movie, all five brothers die in an explosion; however, two perished after making it to the lifeboats, one by Incredible Loss shark. The film earned an Academy Award nomination The sinking of the Juneau made headlines across the for Best Original Motion Picture Story. country because all five Sullivan brothers had died. On The Juneau also made news again in 2018. IronicalJan. 11, 1943, Clifton’s William and Dorothy Weeks ly, in homage to the Sullivan brothers, she was found were notified of their sons’ deaths. on St. Patrick’s Day laying on the seafloor near the Sol“It was earth shaking for the family to have this hapomon Islands by an expedition funded by Microsoft pen,” said Robert Weeks, then 18 when his brothers co-founder, the late Paul Allen. died. But for Clifton, the story of the Juneau has remained Like his brothers, Robert enlisted in the service in since 1942—an apt illustration of why Memorial Day July 1942 after graduating from CHS. “My mother was is celebrated. against me going but my dad signed me up,” Weeks reAs the city does with all of its veterans, it will forevmembered. He spent 34 years in the Navy as a surface er remember the sacrifice by the Weeks brothers, Rabwarfare officer, retiring in 1976. kin and Pagnillo.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

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Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Champs Elysees, Paris, in the ‘Victory’ Parade on August 29, 1944.

1st Lt. Michael Kashey, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nasid Kashey, 49 Madeline Ave., was killed in action against the Japanese on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. A CHS grad, he was with an infantry motorized division and had served in Alaska, Attu and the South Pacific. Pfc. Frank Klimock, 33, husband of Mrs. Sophie (Bak) Klimock, 101 Van Houten Ave., was killed in action in France in Dec. 1944 (he was previously reported as missing in action). He went into the Army in Sept. 1943 and overseas in March 1944. He was wounded several months before his death while serving in France.

Pvt. Louis M. Kloss, 22, son of Mrs. Mary Kloss, 99 Wesley St., was killed in action, Feb. 23, 1945, while fighting in Alsace-Lorraine, France. Overseas since Jan. 1945, Kloss entered the service in Aug. 1944. Lt. Peter Konapaka, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Konapaka, 560 Paulison Ave., was killed in action during an air raid over France. He was a navigator on an Army bomber. He was married to the former Miss Alice Savage of Paterson.

Staff Sgt. Edward Kostecki, 24, a machine gunner on a 369th Bomber Squadron Flying Fortress, met his death while participating in air action over Western Europe. He was married to Mrs. Helen Kostecki of 350 Van Houten Ave. Before enlisting, he was employed by Sisco Dairy. His death was reported in the Dec. 17, 1942, issue of The Clifton Leader. On July 21, 1943, his wife was given the Air Medal, awarded to him posthumously. Sgt. John Koropchak, son of Mrs. Theresa Koropchak, 66 East Second St., was killed in action near

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Naples, Italy, on May 14, 1944. He was born in Clifton and attended CHS for two years. He went into the service on July 9, 1942, and had been overseas six months at the time of his death. RM3 Edward Ladwick, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ladwick, 157 Sargeant Ave., was killed in action in the Pacific while serving with the United States Navy. He was the brother of Helen, Anna and Joseph, who was also killed in action. He was reported as missing, Oct. 17, 1943, and later declared killed in action.

Pfc. John Kotulik, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Kotulik, who lived at 82 Orono St., Athenia, was killed in action in France in July 1944 and had been in the Army since 1942. Pvt. Stephen Victor Kucha, son of Mr. and Mrs. Safron Kucha, 25 Center St., was killed in action in Germany. He had been previously wounded. He saw action in France, Belgium and Holland before entering Germany. A member of the National Guard, Pvt. Kucha had his own painting business before going on active duty. 3rd Class PO Joseph Ladwick, 31, husband of Mrs. Joseph Ladwick, 61 Wonham St., son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ladwick Sr. of 157 Sargeant Ave., died in action. A member of the Naval Reserves, he was the brother of Edward Ladwick, who was also killed in action.

Pvt. Michael (Mungo) Ladyczka, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Ladyczka, 29 Van Cleve Ave., was killed on Leyte in Jan. 1945. A former Passaic High School athletic star, he was the first man in his division to kill a Japanese soldier. He was married to Bertha Bayek.

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Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA

Pvt. William V. Niader, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Niader, 142 Orono St., was killed in action on Okinawa on June 12, 1945. He had been in the Marines for a year and had been overseas since March 1945. He was employed by the Trowbridge Conveyor Co. and by the Barney Sheet Metal Works, both in Athenia.

On June 18, 1944, this honor roll was dedicated at Clifton & Randolph Avenues. It was one of about a dozen neighborhood billboards that were dedicated during World War II in all sections of Clifton. The first was posted November 11, 1942, in Main Memorial Park.

Sgt. William T. Lawrence, 24, son of Sophie, formerly of 12 Harrison Pl., met his death in Holland. An infantryman, he had been in the Army less than a year. Lawrence had been in combat in France and Belgium before sustaining his fatal wounds.

Pvt. Vincent J. Lazzaro, 28, husband of Mrs. Sadie Lazzaro, 289 West Fourth St., died in Jan. 1945 of wounds suffered in action in France. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lazzaro, 64 Huron Ave. He entered the Army in Jan. 1943. 1st Sgt. Frank Robert Lennon, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Joseph Lennon, 174 Sixth Ave. His death was reported July 20, 1942. A noted CHS athlete, he graduated in 1936. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a volunteer shortly after the war started, leaving his studies at Lebanon College to take part in the conflict. He was reported killed in action while operating from an English base. Lt. John W. Layton, 23, son of Mr. Conrad Layton, 95 DeMott Ave., was killed in action over France after being reported missing in action. A navigator on a Liberator Bomber, he had completed his 74th mission over France.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Pvt. Wilbur A. Lee, 38, husband of Mrs. Adelaide Lee of West Third St., was killed in action in Italy. He was the son of Mrs. Benjamin Lee. He entered the Army on Sept. 15, 1943. CPO Bryce Leighty, 190 Barkley Ave., died of pneumonia on Aug. 24, 1944, at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station Hospital in Illinois. In the Navy since 1929, he had seen action in the Salerno invasion and the South Pacific, where he became ill..

Pfc. Adam J. Liptak, 33, of 22 Vreeland Ave., was killed in action on March 31, 1943, in North Africa. He was the brother of Mrs. Susan L. Terpstra of Clifton. After Liptak’s death, General George C. Marshal, then chief of staff of the United States Army, sent Mrs. Terpstra a letter, commending the Clifton soldier for his “gallantry in action.”

RM2 Charles J. Lotz, 22, of 43 Franklin Ave. The Navy radioman second class was reported missing after his ship collided with a merchant ship off the Jersey Coast, Jan. 6, and was officially listed as dead by the Department of the Navy during the last week in May 1944. He was the son of Mrs. Fred Lotz and the late Jacob Lotz, Jr.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Working on a U.S. submarine in Groton, Conn., Aug. 1943. At right, dedication of honor roll at Clifton Ave. and Clifton Blvd., June 6, 1943. From left, Post 8 Commander Frank Lozier, John H. Olson and George Binns. Photo: Thomas Styles.

Lt. Steve C. Luka, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Luka, 266 Harding Ave., died while on a mission on the China Coast. He was a navigator and bombardier on a B-25. A CHS grad, he entered the Army in 1942 and was mentioned in news dispatches as one of the men who bombed Clark Field, Manila, on Jan. 8, 1945. Petty Officer 1st Class Alfred Masseroni, husband of Mrs. Rose Masseroni, 32 East 8th St., was reported missing and ultimately declared dead, July 11, 1944.

Staff Sgt. Carlyle Hayden Malmstrom, 26, of Cathedral Ave., son of Mr. C. P. Malmstrom, met his death while serving with an Army Commando Unit in North Africa. His death was reported in the April 22, 1943, issue of The Clifton Leader. Pvt. Edward Marchese, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Marchese, 277 Rutherford Blvd., was killed in action while serving with the Infantry in France. He entered the Army, Dec. 15, 1944. He attended School No. 8 in Delawanna and CHS. Cpl. Steven Miskevich, 21, son of John Miskevich, 102 Lake Ave., was killed in a plane crash near Walla Walla, Washington. A waist gunner, he entered the service in April 1943.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Pvt. Salvatore “Charlie” Mitchell, 32, died on Christmas Day, 1942, from pneumonia as a result of an accident while on duty in Los Angeles, stationed at Camp Hand. Survived by his wife and son, his mother, Mrs. Ottaviana Mitchell of Clifton; brother, Pvt. Thomas Mitchell, and sister, Madeline Catalana, 26 Prescott Ave. Pvt. Andrew Marchincak, 75 Center St., was killed in action in Germany on March 2, 1945, while serving with General Patton’s Third Army. He entered the Army in Aug. 1944 and went overseas in Jan. 1945.

Pvt. Manuel Marcos, 20, son of Mrs. N. Marcos, 10 Manderville Ave., was killed in action in France in Dec. 1944. A volunteer for combat duty, he went overseas in Sept. 1944 and fought with Gen. Patch’s Seventh Army.

Pvt. Arthur Mayer, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mayer, 371 Harding Ave., was killed in action near Munich, Germany, while serving with the Seventh Army. Before joining the service in Oct. 1944, he was employed as a bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Clifton. He was the third employee of that institution killed during the war.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA

Italy’s Benito Mussolini with Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany, in 1940. At right, in Feb. 1945, the Big Three at Yalta: British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Russian Premier Josef Stalin.

Cpl. James F. Miles, husband of the former Sarah Adams, 21 Johnson St., was killed in action in Germany, Feb. 20, 1945, three weeks after he left the U.S. The son of Mr. and Mrs. David Miles, he was stationed in Clifton with Anti-Aircraft troops at CHS for a year. He married Mrs. Miles on June 6, 1943.

AMM Charles L. Merlo, 25, son of the Rev. Samuel Merlo, formerly of Clifton, was killed in action in the Pacific while serving as a gunner on a torpedo bomber.

T/5 Vincent A. Montalbano, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Montalbano, 73 Mahar Ave., was killed in Luxemburg, Feb. 19, 1945. He had been in the Army two years in April 1944 and was overseas 15 months. He was a member of the 115th AAA Battalion, Battery D, known as “Clifton’s Own” because of the large number of Clifton men in the unit.

Pvt. William Nalesnik, 822 Van Houten Ave., was killed in action on Emperor of Japan Hirohito Jan. 31, 1944. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Nalesnik, 63 Bergen Ave. He was with the medical corps in Italy. He was Pfc. Charles Messineo, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph married to the former Miss Margaret Dickson and had Messineo, 105 East 5th St., was killed in action in July one daughter. 1944, serving with combat engineers in Normandy. Lt. Stephen M. Messineo, 27, of 19 Wilson St., was killed in action in Italy, Feb. 18, 1944. He had been wounded previously in Jan. 1944, and had been wounded once before that. He entered the Army on Aug. 20, 1941, and went overseas in Sept. 1943.

Sgt. Joseph Molson, 285 Lakeview Ave., met his death while serving with the Seventh Army in France. He entered the service in Sept. 1943 and fought at Naples, Anzio and Rome and participated in the invasion of Southern France. A winner of the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Sgt. Molson captured eight Germans in France with the aid of another soldier.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Cpl. Richard A. Novak, son of Mrs. Elizabeth Novak, 40 Center St., died while in the service of the Army in Georgia, in Feb. 1943. He was inducted May 26, 1942. His illness was discovered when he was examined for admission to officers training school. He was a graduate of Notre Dame University and received his law degree from Catholic University, Washington. He practiced law for a time in but later became a freelance writer. Staff Sgt. Walter G. Nazur, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Josephine Nazur, 22 Orange Ave., died on Jan. 27, 1944 of wounds received in action.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA Staff Sgt. Louis Netto, son of Mr. and Mrs. Romano Netto, 50 Durant Ave., was killed in action in 1944 while serving as a platoon leader in Italy. He had been in the Army and served in the North African, Sicilian and Italian Campaigns. He held the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster and the African and Mediterranean Campaign ribbon.

Pvt. J. E. Nugent, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Nugent, 22 Byron Pl., reported missing in action, was listed KIA on May 25, 1944.

American GI’s of the 347th Infantry Regiment in the chow line on their way to La Roche, Belgium on Jan. 13, 1945.

T/5 Harold J. O’Keefe, 28, husband of Mrs. Frances O’Keefe, 23 Alyea Terr., was killed in France while serving with the Army. A head electrician with an Army Field Hospital, he was electrocuted while testing the voltage on power lines in Gruiges, France. Pvt. John Harry Olear, son of Mr. George Olear, 393 Lexington Ave., was killed in action on the Anzio Beachhead, May 3, 1944. At 14, he was one of the survivors of the Athenia, torpedoed and sunk on the first day of the war when he coming to America from Czecho-Slovakia. Pvt. John Op’t Hof, husband of Mrs. Evelyn Lakefield Op’t Hof, 97 De Mott Ave., was killed in action on Jan. 3, 1945, after being wounded in Belgium in Dec. 1944. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Op’t Hof of Wallington.

Pfc. Joseph N. Palagano, only son of Mr. and Mrs. James Palagano, 233 Rutherford Blvd., Delawanna, was seriously wounded while fighting in the Philippines on March 3, 1945, and died in a Leyte Hospital April 10. He entered the Army two years prior.

TSgt. Edward Pallfy, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pallfy, 153 Lake Ave., was killed in France while serving with the Infantry. He enlisted in the Army on

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Dec. 12, 1942. He was sent overseas as a staff sergeant, later winning a promotion in France.

Sgt. Nicholas Palko, 31, son of Mrs. Anna Palko, 89 Russell St., was killed in action on Leyte Island shortly after the invasion of the Philippines. He entered the Army in May 1942 and went overseas in July 1944. S 1/c Peter Pagnillo, husband of Mrs. Josephine Patso Pagnillo, 43 Center St., died in the sinking of the USS Juneau.

S 1/c Robert A. Parker, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred T. Parker, 171 Washington Ave., was listed as killed after being previously reported as missing. He was killed in an explosion of an ammunition ship. A CHS grad, he had been in the Navy since Feb. 1944. Cpl. Charles Peterson, 26, was the second Cliftonite to be killed in the service of his country in action against the enemy. The son of Mrs. Helen Peterson, of 182 Highland Ave., he was killed in Manila during the early part of the war against Japan. His death was reported in the March 12, 1942, Clifton Leader. Pfc. Joseph A. Petruska, son of Michael Petruska, of 52 Sussex Rd., Allwood, was killed in action in France in July 1944 and had been in the Army since 1942.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA RM 3/C Joseph Piccolo, son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Piccolo, 206 Scoles Ave., has been listed as killed in the sinking of the destroyer Pringle in action off Okinawa. He entered the Navy in 1942.

1st Lt. Stephen Petrilak was killed in France on Feb. 14, 1945 when his plane crashed on take-off. He was married to the former Mary Fedorchak of 35 Bird Ave. Staff Sgt. Bronislaus C. Pitak, son of Mrs. Joseph Pitak, 96 Highland Ave., was killed April 9, 1944. He was part of the 566th Bomber Squadron.

Lt. James A. Potter, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Potter, 1 Mountainside Terr., died during a training flight at the Greenwood Army Air Field. He entered the service Jan. 1942.

Two enlisted men of the ill-fated U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Liscome Bay, torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Gilbert Islands, are buried at sea from the deck of a Coast Guard-manned assault transport in November 1943.

Pvt. Joseph Prebol, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Prebol, 293 East Fourth St., was killed in action in France on January 25, 1944. He was married and attended CHS before entering the Army on November 13, 1943.

Cpl. John E. Ptasienski, husband of Mrs. Mary Ann Ptasienski of Van Riper Ave. and father of daughter Joan, died of a brief illness on July 20, 1944, at the military hospital at Governor’s Island, N.Y.

Lt. Salvatore Procopio, 27, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Procopio, 56 Doremus Pl., was reported as killed in action while a German prisoner of war. Reported as missing in action, Dec. 20, 1944, he was married to the former Miss Dorothy Doheny. S 2/c Israel Rabkin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Max Rabkin, of 119 Madeline Ave., died in the sinking of the USS Juneau.

Pvt. Edward J. Rembisz, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rembisz, 56 Speer Ave., was killed in Belgium. He had been in the Army since Jan. 1944 and went overseas without having received a furlough. He attended Passaic High and Fairleigh Dickinson College.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

MM 2/c Louis Stanley Ritz, husband of Mrs. Clair Carol Ritz, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Jandura, was killed in action in the Pacific where he took part in many major naval engagements. He was a native of Portage, Pa., but resided with his wife at 50 Althea St.

Pvt. John B. Robinson, 31, husband of Mrs. Jeannie H. Robinson, 21 Kenyon St., was killed in action in Italy in April 1945 while serving in the Infantry. Robinson entered the service in October 1942 and had been in Italy since July 1, 1944. He was the father of one daughter.

Pfc. Harold Roy, 26, son of Abe Roy, 550 Piaget Ave., was killed in action in late January 1945 while serving with General Patton’s Third Army in Germany. He was married to the former Miss Esther Trainor. George E. Russell, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Russell, 64 Martin Ave., Allwood, was reported missing in action on a flight over Burma on April 25, 1945. He had been in the Air Corps over two years and went overseas in March 1945.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA

Pfc. Joseph Russin, 21, son of Mrs. Antoinette Russin, and the late Joseph Russin, Sr., 705 Allwood Rd., was killed in Germany, April 6, 1945, while serving with the Infantry. He entered the service in Sept. 1944.

Sgt. Donald Sang, 20, nephew of Mrs. Margaret Moreland, 31 Madeline Ave., was killed in action over Germany on July 21, 1944. He was a radio operator and gunner on a B-24 bomber.

Pvt. Andrew A. Sanko, son of Mrs. Susan Sanko, 6 East Russell St., was killed in action in France, July 26, 1944. Married, he was well known as the assistant manager of an A&P store in Clifton. He entered the Army in November 1943.

In 1944, Mayor William Dewey officiated at the dedication of the Honor Roll at the Italo-American Circle of Albion Place, Valley Rd., one of 12 such structures which were posted in Clifton neighborhoods to show support for the 5,500 men who shipped off to war. Note the names highlighted. They are the young men who were killed in action, just six of the 269 Cliftonites who would die during World War II.

Lt. Stanley D. Scott, Jr., 27, son of Mrs. Ethel Scott Tanis, was killed in a plane accident in Italy, Aug. 2, 1944. Scott, who was with the First National Bank, Parker Ave., Clifton, before he entered the service, was the pilot of a Flying Fortress. He had been in service about a year and a half and was overseas just four days when the accident happened. He was married to the former Emma Groh, of 5 Fenner Ave. 2nd Lt. William H. Scott, a navigator with the AAF, was reported missing since a flight over Europe, Aug. 1, 1943, and is presumed dead. Previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest medal, Scott was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Scott, 128 Lincoln Ave.

Sgt. Leo Schmidt, son of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Schmidt, of Piaget Ave., was killed in action on an air mission in the European Theater of Operations. He was married to Mrs. Mildred Schmidt.

Cpl. Andrew Servas, Jr., 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Servas. 138 Lake Ave., was killed in action in France. He entered the Army in Nov. 1942 and went overseas in Oct. 1944.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Cpl. Peter Shraga, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Shraga, 151 E. Clifton Ave., was killed in action in Germany. He was a veteran of battles in France and Belgium. Pvt. William J. Sieper, husband of Mrs. Carolyn Sieper, 148 Ackerman Ave., was killed in action in Germany. He had been in the Army only seven months.The son of Mrs. Mae Sieper and the late Edmund Sieper, he was the nephew of former Parks Commissioner Frederick E. Sieper of Passaic.

Pvt. William E. Slyboom, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Slyboom, of 11 Emma Pl., was killed in Belgium on December 1, 1944. He entered the service in March 1944 and went overseas in September of that year. His brother-in-law, Pfc. Arnold Hutton, of 84 Clifton Ave., was killed in action on August 8, 1944. Lt. Frank E. Smith, Jr., 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Smith, 40 Clinton Ave. He was killed in action in Europe. His father was treasurer of the U.S. Trust Company in Paterson, and was a member of Draft Board No. 5, Clifton. A CHS and Lehigh University grad, Smith enlisted in the Army approximately one year before he met his death, Nov. 11, 1943.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA

Looking back at Memorial Day 2004, Clifton’s WWII vets in front of the monument in Main Memorial Park.

Pvt. Michael Sobol, son of Mrs. Mary Sobolewski, 15 Major St., died on Feb. 1, 1943. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

S/Sgt. Joseph Sondey, 28, son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Sondey, 72 Christie Ave., was serving with the Army engineers in Belgium when he died on January 3, 1945. In the Army two years, he had been overseas 18 months and had been wounded in 1944 while fighting in France. Ensign Joseph Sowma, 27, son of William and Fadwa Sowma, of 287 West Fourth St., died in Florida on March 20, 1944, as a result of injuries suffered in an airplane crash. Prior to enlisting in the Navy, he was employed at the Curtiss Wright Propeller Division, Clifton, and was active in the Civil Air Patrol. He received his wings at Pensacola, Fla., in April 1943.

Pvt. Sieber Speer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Speer of Delawanna Ave., was killed in action in Jan. 1945 while serving with paratroopers in Belgium. He was overseas seven months at the time of his death. Chief Petty Officer Joseph Sperling, son of Mrs. Mary Sperling, 30 Richardson St., was Clifton’s first casualty of World War II. He died in action at the Pearl Harbor attack while serving aboard the USS Curtiss. A member of one of the oldest families in Athenia, Sperling was a veteran of 17 years of naval service. Sgt. Nicholas Stanchak, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Stanchak, 18 Althea St., was originally reported miss-

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

ing in action and an investigation leads to the presumption that he is dead. A tail gunner on a Flying Fortress, Stanchak was lost in a raid over Germany, Oct. 14, 1943. Overseas three months, he entered the Army a year before his death. Two of his brothers, Peter and Michael, were also in the service. Pvt. Edward Staudtmauer, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Staudtmauer, 408 Clifton Ave., was killed in action in Germany on March 13, 1945. At CHS, he was associate editor of The Leader. He entered the service six months before his death. He was employed by Forms Inc. of Delawanna and also organized and led an orchestra under the name of Sonny Edwards.

Pvt. Robert Stephan, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Stephan, 162 Third St., was killed in action in France in Jan. 1945. He was attached to a Chemical Warfare unit and had been in the Army since Jan. 1944.

2nd Lt. Robert L. Stevens, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry A. Stevens, 501 Clifton Ave., was killed when his plane crashed on an operational flight over Oregon. A CHS grad, Stevens was born in Clifton and active in sports and YMCA work. 2nd Lt. Stephen J. Surgent, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Surgent, of 70 East 9th St., was killed in action over Burma while serving as a co-pilot on a C-46 transport plane flying between China and India. He was attending Law School at New York University before he entered the service.

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WWII Cliftonites KIA Cpl. Stanley E. Swift, 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. Horace R. Swift, 105 Washington Ave., was killed in action while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps on the Island of Saipan. A CHS grad, he had been in the Marines for 23 months. S/Sgt. Dennis Szabaday, 31, was killed in action while serving in France. He was the husband of Mrs. Sophie Barbeor Szabaday, 243 Delawanna Ave. He was the father of twin sons and the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Szabaday, 97 Gordon St.

The Civilian Air Corps which flew and patrolled the region from an air strip in Linden.

S/Sgt. Bogart Terpstra, 41 Day St., died at Camp Gordon, Fla., of an accidental gunshot wound. Mrs. Terpstra, the former Miss Bernadine Hynes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hynes of Fla., was with him when he died in July 1944. She had been living with her husband in Georgia. He entered the Army on April 24, 1941. S/Sgt. Harry L. Tamboer, son of Mrs. Anna Tamboer, 2 Gillies St., was killed in an air raid over Europe on April 25, 1944. A gunner on a B-24 bomber, he had previously been reported missing in action. He was on his 11th bombing mission and had been awarded the Air Medal for his work on previous missions. Aviation Cadet Albert M. Tau, of 16 George St., the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Tau, was killed in Aug. 1943 in an Army basic training plane from Walnut Ridge Air Base, Ark.

T/Sgt. Herman F. Teubner, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ewald Teubner, 23 Hall St., was killed in action in Germany, Dec. 3, 1944, while serving with the 13th Infantry. He entered the Army in April 1941 and went overseas in Dec. 1943. He was married to the former Miss Bessie May Warren of Nutley. Pvt. John Thompson, 20, son of John Thompson, Sr., 138 River Rd., Delawanna, was killed in action

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in France, Jan. 22, 1945. He had previously fought in Africa, Sicily and Italy.

S 2/c Robert Teichman, son of Edward Teichman, 77 E. 5th St., was reported missing in action, Jan.13, 1943, and later presumed dead. Before entering the Navy in 1942, he worked at Passaic’s Continental Can Company. he served aboard the USS Northampton. he had one sister, Shirley, and his father was an engineer with the Lackawanna Railroad. Pfc. Frank Torkos, 25, son of Mrs. Elizabeth Torkos, 47 Randolph Ave., was killed in action in Italy on April 19, 1945. He had been in the Army 18 months and overseas a year. He was a welder before entering the Army.

1st Lt. Gordon R. Tomea, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon R. Tomea, Sr., 98 Gordon St. A pilot of a Flying Fortress, he had been listed as missing in action over Germany since Dec. 24, 1944. Overseas since June 1944, he entered the Air Corps in March 1944. He was married to the former Miss Helen Backes and father of a son. He had flown 33 missions before he was killed. Capt. Jerry Toth, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Toth, 101 East Clifton Ave., was killed in action against the Japanese during the early stages of the war. He

WWII Cliftonites KIA had previously been reported as missing in action in the Philippines in April 1942. A West Point graduate, Toth was one of the original defenders of Bataan. He was married and the father of one child.

Pvt. Frank Urrichio, USMCR, 19, only son of Mr. and Mrs. James Urrichio, 13 James St., died on March 1, 1945, as a result of wounds suffered on Iwo Jima. He entered the service in May 1944 and went overseas in November of that year. He attended School No. 7. At CHS, he played football for two seasons and was a star pitcher on the baseball team. He later attended the University of Alabama, where he played football. He was the brother of Mrs. Loretta Froehlich, the first chairwoman of the Clifton Service Canteen. TSgt. James M. Van Ness, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert M. Van Ness of Harding Ave. died on Aug. 9, 1943, of wounds suffered while acting as a waist gunner on a B-24 Liberator Bomber. A CHS grad, he enlisted in the Army on Jan. 8, 1942, and went overseas in Feb. 1943.

Pvt. Arthur Vanden Bree, 25, husband of Mrs. Dorothy Vanden Bree, 137 Center St., was killed in action

on Jan. 12, 1945, while serving with the Army Engineers in the South Pacific. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Vanden Bree of Paterson and went into the Army in June 1943.

S/Sgt. Robert Van Liere, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Van Liere, 535 Lexington Ave., was killed in action in France on July 29, 1944. He had been overseas several months at the time of his death. Richard Vander Laan, Jr., 40, 34 Hilton St., a civilian construction worker, was killed as a result of enemy action in the North Atlantic, Feb. 2, 1943. He had previously been reported missing. He was married to Mrs. Dorothy Vander Laan. 2nd Lt. John Stewart Van Kirk, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Van Kirk, 268 E. 4th St., was reported missing in action by the War Department in April 1943 while serving in North Africa, leading to the presumption that he is dead. As a member of the Signal Corps, he received his commission in Jan. 1943 after Officer Candidate School at Ft. Monmouth. Cpl. Richard Van Vliet, husband of the former Eleanor Colt of Concord St., was killed in ac-

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

WWII Cliftonites KIA tion on Okinawa on April 30, 1945. He entered the service in Dec. 1941. He fought at Iwo Jima, Saipan and the Philippines before going to Okinawa.

Sgt. Benedict Vital, an aerial engineer on a B-24 bomber, was reported missing in action on a raid over Italy on Jan. 30, 1944. Vital worked for the Minwax Company, Delawanna, before his induction on Sept. 5, 1942. Pfc. Vito Venezia, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gaetano Venezia, 72 Highland Ave., was killed in action in Germany on April 1, 1945. A member of the 387th Infantry Division, he had been overseas only six weeks at his death and in the Army less than a year. Pvt. Louis J. Vuoncino, 33, husband of Mrs. Helen Vuoncino,, was known to local sports followers as “Lefty Jackson.” He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Isador Vuoncino, 245 Randolph Ave. , and killed on Nov. 8, 1944, serving with the 26th Infantry.

In May, 2007, Purple Heart Veterans Rudolph Zajac, Gib Kanter and Dominic DiPaolo at the Purple Heart monument which is in front of the Clifton Library on Piaget Ave. Meet there on noon on Memorial Day and share in tribute for military men and women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat.

Sgt. Peter Vroedingay, son of Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Vroedingay, 254 Burgess Pl., was killed in action in Italy on July 12, 1944. His death came the day after he had received fatal wounds in action. He was born in Clifton and attended local schools. Pvt. David Ward, 36, husband of Mrs. Loretta Ward, 137 Center St., was killed serving with the infantry in France. He was in several major campaigns,.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

S/Sgt. Julius Weisfeld, 27, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Weisfeld, 314 Lexington Ave., reported as missing in action since August 1942, and later determined killed by the Japanese in the Philippines. S 2/c Harold F. and S 2/cWilliam J. Weeks, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Weeks, formerly of William St., Delawanna, were killed in the sinking of USS Juneau, the ship on which the Sullivan brothers served.

WWII Cliftonites KIA Marine Sgt. Wayne Wells, husband of Mrs. Eloise Wells, of Valley Rd., was killed in action on Feb. 19, 1945 at Iwo Jima. Previously wounded on Saipan, he fought on the Marianas and Marshall Islands.

been in the Army since Feb. 1941. He served with the 105th Infantry.

Cpl. Alexander Yewko, 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. Mieczyslaw (Mike) Yewko, 158 East Clifton Ave., was killed in action while serving as a tail gunner on a Liberator Bomber. He took part in the pre-invasion assaults on Iwo Jima.

Thanks to Kathy Grimshaw of the Clifton Public Library for her assistance with this article. Help us to keep these records accurate. Send info to tomhawrylko@optonline.net.

Cpl. Ernest Yedlick, 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Yedlick, 18 Peru Rd., Allwood, was wounded while serving with the Infantry in Germany on April 8, 1945, and died of those wounds on April 17, 1945. He had been in service two years at his death.

Pfc. John A. Zier-Dzierzynski, son of Mrs. Sophia Dzierzynski, 216 Merselis Ave., and the late John Dzierzynski, was killed in action in Belgium on Jan. 7, 1945. He was married to the former Miss Marion Suchocki of Paterson and was the father of a daughter, Dolores Leona. A paratrooper, he had been overseas since Aug. 1944.

Pvt. Lawrence Silvio Zanetti, 30, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Zanetti, of 25 Garretsee Pl., died of wounds received in France when assigned to an armored infantry unit. Pfc. George A. Zeim, son of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Zeim, 38 Sisco Pl., died on July 28, 1944, of wounds received in action in the Pacific Theatre. He had

Cliftonmagazine.com â&#x20AC;˘ May 2019â&#x20AC;&#x192;

That’s Willie Zawisha, who was bed-ridden most of his life, dictating a letter to his niece which will be sent to “Clifton boys,” serving across the globe, back during World War II. At right, on furlough, back home, relaxing in Clifton, circa 1944, from left Joe Menegus, Billy Bogert, Steve Kalata, Jerry Agnello, and Ed Riuli.

If you weren’t in the service during WWII, you waged a campaign on the home front, collecting scrap metal, buying war bonds and doing everything possible to support the ‘boys over there’. The late Stanley Zwier, who served as Clifton Mayor from 1958-1962, did just that as he and others helped to launch the Athenia Canteen at 754 Van Houten Ave. in 1942, a group that would eventually become the Athenia Vets Post.

“Most of us had family in service. We wanted to do something nice for the boys from Clifton who were home on furlough or getting ready to ship out,” Zwier said in an interview back in 1998. His three brothers, Robert, Henry and Michael, were all in the Army. “We gave each serviceman a carton of cigarettes. We would also give them theater tickets and took them out for a snack.” The organization also published the Canteen News, which was mailed to Clifton residents around the world who were serving in the military to keep them abreast of hometown happenings. Zwier said Clifton’s version of a USO Club wouldn’t have been possible without the many financial contributions from the business community and private citizens. He cited the efforts of his fellow members on the Athenia Canteen Committee, including Rose Bucaro, Margaret Svec, Frances Mirabella, Mary Bieganowsky, Steve Kleaha, Marie Van Acker, Bob Colvin, Basil Zito, Jean Luszkow, and Irene Zwier, among others.

Organizers of the Athenia Canteen, including Stanley Zwier at right.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Korean War

Vietnam War

Donald Frost Ernest Haussler William Kuller Joseph Amato Herbert Demarest George Fornelius Edward Luisser Reynold Campbell Louis Le Ster Dennis Dyt Raymond Halendwany John Crawbuck Ernest Hagbery William Gould Edward Flanagan William Snyder Allen Hiller Arthur Grundman Donald Brannon

Alfred Pino Thomas Dando William Sipos Bohdan Kowal Robert Kruger, Jr. Bruce McFadyen Carrol Wilke Keith Perrelli William Zalewski Louis Grove Clifford Jones, Jr. George McClelland Richard Corcoran John Bilenski Donald Campbell James Strangeway, Jr. Donald Scott Howard Van Vliet Frank Moorman Robert Prete Guyler Tulp Nicholas Cerrato Edward Deitman Richard Cyran Leszek Kulaczkowski William Malcolm Leonard Bird John France Stephen Stefaniak Jr.

19 Cliftonites were killed in action during the Korean War. Below is our Nov. 2000 edition which told more of those who served during the Korea era.

Among the 36 Cliftonites who died during the Vietnam War, from top left, Richard Corcoran, Keith Perelli, Donald Cambell, Guy Tulp, Bruce McFayden, Howard Van Vilet, John France, Richard Cyran, Leonard Bird, Bohdan Kowal, George McClelland, Donald Scott, Thomas Dando, Stephan Stefaniak. The list at right includes those who were killed en route to boot camp on Nov. 8, 1961.

Nov. 8, 1961 Plane Crash Robert De Vogel Vernon Griggs Robert Marositz Robert Rinaldi Raymond Shamberger Harold Skoglund Willis Van Ess, Jr.

Gulf War Michael Tarlavsky Cliftonmagazine.com â&#x20AC;˘ May 2019â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

By Jack DeVries While most see old furniture at the curb ticketed for a trip to a landfill, Alberto Custidiano sees something different. If the piece was made several decades or even a century ago, he sees the craftsmanship that created it. He understands the time that went into taking the wood, fabric and padding, and fashioning it into a piece of art—one that once occupied prime space in a home. Unlike today’s nearly disposable furniture, Custidiano sees the workmanship, effort and sweat it took to make such a chair, table or chest. In its wooden bones, he notes the pride of the person who created such a piece.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

In that furniture, the Argentine-born Custidiano sees himself. “I love the look and different quality of work that goes into older or even handmade things,” Custidiano said. “I know when the furniture is good that some people did it the right way.” Doing things the right way, the old way, is what Custidiano and his family specialize in. Since 1995, they have plied their trade in Clifton, owners of Interior Craft—first at the corner of Hudson St. and Clifton Ave., now at 285 Lakeview Ave. But the family’s story is not just about preserving a lost art of

On facing page, at their Lakeview Ave. shop, Justin, 19, Alberto and Elida, with Alexander, 28 and Albert, 27.

furniture reupholstering and restoration. It’s also a story that tells of love, effort and patriotism. The Custidianos’ journey is a tale of the American Dream—demonstrating that with loyalty, love and hard work, many things are possible. Their business journey originates in Clifton. “We really like Clifton,” Alberto said. “We never think of moving. Everybody knows us. People have furniture I did 20 years ago, and they come back because they remember us.” “We feel welcome in Clifton,” said Elida Custidiano, Alberto’s wife of 28 years. The Journey Begins In his native Argentina, Custidiano worked as a car seat reupholster in his hometown of Rosario, located 300 km northwest from Buenos Aires. After his parents divorced, his mother moved to the Lakeview Section of Clifton with her brother.

In 1988, Custidiano, then 31, joined her with his daughter Paola. In his new country, he decided to seek a different trade and found work in the upholstery business for Lauzon Furniture in Teaneck. “I had to learn the tools and trade of furniture business,” he said. “I worked for four years to learn the system.”

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Custidiano’s future bride Elida— then age 25 and also from Rosario—followed him to the U.S. After marrying, they saved and bought a three-family home in Paterson, and welcomed their first child Alexander in 1990. Brothers Albert and Justin came next. With his growing family, the Custidianos realized they needed more income. “We knew $9.50 an hour is not enough for a big family,” said Elida. The couple decided to open their own furniture business, moving into their first Clifton location. While they built their customer base, Alberto continued to work two other jobs in the upholstery business. Elida also helped by cleaning houses and working Saturdays in a dentist office in Paterson. Their days were long—starting at 5 am and finishing in the late evening. Often, there was not enough shop storage for ongoing furniture jobs, and the couple stored pieces in their own living space or one of the apartments in their house. “We make a good team,” Elida said about her and Alberto. “We worked together and were never apart. Sometimes it was hard with taking the kids places— swim lessons, different activities.” “We had to do it for the family,” Alberto said. “We had to be strong and do well for them.” “After three years,” said Elida, “we started to make some money. We saved $30,000 by putting everything we made into the business.” Around 2000, the Custidianos found a bigger building on Lakeview Ave. “It had a huge hole in the roof,” Alberto remembered. “It was a paint store.” The couple bought the building and, as always, began working hard. Elida handled the office work and Alberto did the furniture labor. Now living in Wayne, they enrolled their children in St. Brendan’s School in Clifton. “That way,” said Alexander, “it was easier for my parents to commute and drop us off and pick us up since it’s down the street from Interior Craft.” Long days followed. The children spent their after

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

“

“We make a good team,” Elida said about her and Alberto. “We worked together and were never apart. Sometimes it was hard with taking the kids places—swim lessons, different activities.” school hours in the store, doing homework, watching TV and sleeping until their parents’ work was finished. “My parents would be working till midnight, oneo’clock in the morning,” said son Albert, 27. “And since I was so young, me and my older brother would come here and play Super Nintendo until we just fell asleep. That was an average day.” At around age eight, the children began helping their parents in the shop. “We started taking out staples from the furniture,” Albert said. “Besides sweeping, that’s the simplest job you can learn.” Through their years at St. Brendan’s and through high school, the Custidiano children continued

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

working, absorbing their parents’ knowledge and values. “They instilled that work ethic in me from an early age,” said Justin, 19. “When I was in school, I would think of my dad and my mom— they came a long way from Argentina and did a lot. They made a lot of sacrifices. So, I try to keep that in mind when I’m studying in school or while I’m working.” American Values After working in the business through high school, both Alexander and Albert decided to join the U.S. Navy after graduating. In the Navy, Alexander was a Boarswain’s mate aboard an “In the Navy,” Alexander, 28, said, “my job aircraft carrier, his brother Albert was a Hospital Corpsman. was aviation boatswain’s mate. I was tasked with cleaning and maintaining F-18 fighter jets on the USS George Washington, based in Yokosuka, Jaexperiences, learn something I’ve never seen before. I pan.” landed in a medical job as a hospital corpsman.” Albert followed in Alexander’s path. In the service, both brothers would draw upon their “I wasn’t sure what direction I was going to go in,” family’s work ethic and drive. said Albert. “So I went to the Navy like my brother. I “A lot of the times,” Albert admitted, “it does get wanted to do something new—a change of scenery, new rough in the Navy. You go from always being with family to being completely alone. Being from a Hispanic family, we’re very close. “The one thing that kept me going and stopped me from quitting was thinking when my father came here—and he told me this my entire life—he came with the pair of jeans that he had on and the loose change in his pocket. He started from nothing. “Both my parents worked hard. My memories of them working all night, throughout the night, pushed me forward. And it turned me into the man I am today.” After their five-year enlistments, Alexander and Albert returned to their Clifton business. Alexander is now employed as a cleaning supply salesman during the week, but works at Interior Craft on weekends. After working for three years in a hospital after his enlistment ended, Albert started following in his father’s footsteps fulltime. Justin works in the shop but is also going to school to be an electrician. “We want him to have options,” his father said, “see what he wants to do.” Daughter Paola, 41, works as a medical assistant, but her husband Laureano works fulltime at Interior Craft. The couple have three children.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Craftsman’s Pride All who work for Alberto Custidiano—especially his sons—know of his passion for his craft and desire of perfection. “We’ve worked on Christmas and Thanksgiving,” said Alberto. “People want their furniture. Other places might not care, but we do. And it must be done 100 percent right. I never want a job coming back.” “Here,” agreed Albert, “you have to focus on what you’re doing—because if you mess up, you have to start over.” “Knowing that my father loves it,” said Justin, “a lot of pride comes with it. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does. Obviously, he wants his work to be flawless and almost always it is. Whenever I’m working on something, I try to do the same—do it as perfect as possible.” “I actually compete with my brothers,” said Albert, “to see who does the best job and who does it faster.” During their business run, Alberto and Elida have worked for as many as 30 different interior decorators, with nearly all working with them for many years.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

In fact, the desk where Fox Sports commentators Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson sit behind during the NFL season was made by Interior Craft—a job referred to them by a set decorator. Another example of their work is inside the new Maple Valley Diner, formerly The Hearth on Route 46. “Outside of the construction,” Albert said, “we built everything in there—the tables, booths, everything.” In addition, Interior Craft also does window treatments, drapes and cornices. While Albert once felt his parents’ business was “boring,” he now understands the lost craft exemplified by his father and appreciated by customers who come back for decades. “I see all the patience that goes into it,” he said. “When people walk in and love the work that you did from scratch—that brings a lot of pride.” The Custidianos are not fans of today’s furniture, saying much of it uses inexpensive construction materials. They also question others who call themselves

reupholsters, saying “recover” is a more apt description of what these competitors do. “People sometimes say, ‘They charge me $200 less there,’” Alberto said. “But they’re not getting the quality of work we do.” “I know,” said Albert, “the quality of materials we use compared to the big furniture stores. I’ve actually worked with a new chair that Marriott wanted us to redo. The whole thing was hollow inside—cheap wood,

mostly foam inside—it barely had a wood structure to it. Even the wood itself was that cheap cork plywood.” However, Albert is happy one method of furniture construction is different. “I’m glad we’ve updated some things,” he said. “Like foam—in old furniture, they used to use straw or horse hair for padding.” While furniture has changed, the family will continue to do things the old way— the way Alberto has always done them. While the couple say they want to retire “little by little,” Alberto and Elida plan to continue to work. “Maybe someday the kids can take the business,” Elida said, “and even do better.” “I’ve done the Navy,” Albert said. “I’ve done other jobs. I’m ready to stay and run the business. I’m actually looking into different options into expanding it—maybe becoming an interior decorator, something like that.”

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Summer Program registration is available on a first come, first served basis and will be conducted online. You can complete your registration from home, and pay by credit or debit card, or print out the registration form and make payment at City Hall using cash, check (made payable to Clifton Recreation) or money order. Include your driver’s license number on all checks. The City will charge a $35.00 service fee for all checks not honored for any reason by the bank. You will not be registered until payment is received. If you do not have access to a computer at home, you can come into the Recreation Department and use one of our computers. Early registration is strongly recommended. Pre-registration for the 6-week Summer Programs (Tots-O-Fun, Summer Days in the Park, Allsport and Future Leaders) are open to Clifton residents early May (watch our website for registration start) through June 23, 2019. Beginning June 24th these programs will be open to non-residents at the non-resident rate, if space is available. The Future Leaders Program is open to Clifton residents only. Both residents and non-residents can register for the Specialty Camp Series at any time. Individuals registering late will be required to pay the entire summer program / class fee (no prorating) and there are no refunds for missed days. Children must meet age / grade requirements listed by the first day of the program unless the description indicates otherwise. The Clifton Recreation Department does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, national origin, age or disability to participate in our programs. If you are creating an account on our website for the first time, please complete the information for the parent first and then add any children. After the account is created, it must be approved by the Recreation Department before you can register (approvals take place Monday – Friday only & excluding holidays). Once the account is approved, you will receive an email from us and you may then register for any programs that you are interested in. If your child did not participate in the Summer Programs in 2012-2018, you must submit a copy of your child’s birth certificate and immunization records. You may submit them by mail: 900 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013; by email: cliftonrec@cliftonnj.org; or by fax: (973) 815-0599. Registrations without these two items will not be considered complete and your child will not be able to attend the summer programs. All participants must send in proof of residency with registration via above methods or your registration will not be considered complete.

Summer Program Scholarships may be available for Clifton residents only for the 6-week Summer Program only, not for trips, special events, specialty camps or classes. If you are in need of assistance in paying for summer programs, please contact the Recreation Department for more information at (973) 470-5956. Request must be made by June 7th. Call the Recreation Office to request an application. Request for an Aide: If you feel your child is in need of an aide to assist/shadow them at the summer programs, you must make a request through the Recreation Department by June 7th (No Exceptions). At the time of request you must submit a copy of your child’s I.E.P. Report (if you also have a 504 Plan please submit with your I.E.P.). Assignments will be made based on a review of your child’s documents and results of an interview. This will help determine the best strategy to assist your child in having a memorable and safe summer. After June 7th we will contact you to set up an interview. Once the summer program begins, aides cannot be hired. REFUND POLICY: A request for refund must be made in WRITING five (5) business days (Mon. – Fri.) before the program begins, except for trips which require ten (10) business days. Refunds will not be issued for 1-day workshops, seminars, special events, once the program begins, or if your child is suspended or dismissed from a program for behavior reasons. Full refunds are granted in the event that a class is canceled by the Recreation Department. All refunds will follow the Finance Department's bill-paying schedule and will be issued by City check (no cash refunds, and a social security number must be furnished to receive your refund). Allow 4 – 6 weeks for refunds to be received. Failure to return signed purchase order within 3 months of issuance will result in cancellation of refund. A $5.00 – $10.00 service charge, amount may vary for specific programs, will be assessed per participant / per activity / per transaction for all requested refunds. Transferring from one program to another may incur a $5.00 service charge per transaction. Individuals may have the option of receiving credit instead of a refund.

! May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

CliftonRec.com FINDING THE RIGHT SUMMER PROGRAM FOR YOUR CHILD There are a wide variety of summer programs for your child to attend. These include Tots-O-Fun, Summer Days in the Park, Allsport, Future Leaders Program and a variety of specialized camps and classes. Your selection is based on the age of your child, location of programs and /or the activity of interest.

Summer Fun Series:

Tots-O-Fun and Summer Days in the Park are described as a generic summer program that includes; weekly themes, crafts, special event, trips, etc. Choosing between the Tots-O-Fun and Summer Days in the Park is based on age of child and location of program. Allsport is described as an athletic based program similar to a summer outdoor physical education program including instruction, competition and skill development. There are 3 full day trips, bowling trips and a couple special events depending on the weeks you are registered for. Future Leaders Program is described as a counselor in training program designed for young teens to learn the responsibilities of becoming a summer program counselor in the future. They assist in all daily activities of the summer program they are placed in. They will be placed at the different summer programs conducted including: Tots-O-Fun, Allsport and the 2 locations of Summer Days in the Park (participants do not get to select their site for the summer). Participants must be available at least 5 of the 6 weeks of the summer program and attend all staff training sessions the end of June (schedule to be given in interviews) to be in the Future Leader Program. Participants will be required to submit a letter of recommendation from a coach, employer or teacher at their interview.

Specialty Camp Series:

There are more than 20 programs to choose from this summer. They include sports skills development, science, fitness, art, no bake cooking and more. Most are a one-week program that are taught by outside companies and specialized skilled instructors. Selection is based on age of child and activity of interest.

SUMMER FUN SERIES Programs under the “Summer Fun Series” offer 6 sessions of activities, Monday – Friday, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Session 1: July 2nd – July 5th (No Camp July 1st & 4th) Session 2: July 8th – July 12th Session 3: July 15th – July 19th Session 4: July 22nd – July 26th Session 5: July 29th – August 2nd Session 6: August 5th – August 9th The cost is $50.00 resident / $60.00 non-resident per session (Future Leaders Program $55.00 residents only) Except for Session 1 which is $30.00 residents / $40.00 non-residents. (Additional costs for trips, special events, & T-shirts) Individuals register by the week and can attend different programs week to week. Several of these programs include trips and special events. Trips and events can be paid online until 12:00 midnight, the Sunday before each trip. If you do not pre-register for trips, payment for that week’s trips can be made Monday at CITY HALL or online until 2:00 p.m. on Monday and you will incur a late fee ($5.00 for Summer Program Activities). The one exception to previous rules is the Summer Days in the Park trip to High Exposure; that trip must be paid by July 22nd and a separate waiver must be completed for your child to attend. You are only eligible to register for trips associated with the program / week you are registered for. Once you pay for a trip, you are registered to attend; however, if you are not attending a trip you are required to stay home from the program that day (except for bowling). All staff is needed for supervision of trips and will not be at the program site on trip days. T-shirts are required for all trips and may only be purchased at the Recreation Office for $7.00 each. Trips, special events & their fees will be posted online for registration. Calendars will be available to inform parents of upcoming events and additional information can be found in the Parent Handbook, which will be mailed to you before the program begins. Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

New for 2019: The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, through the Fight Against Hunger Collation, will provide all participants with a daily free breakfast, except on days where a full day trip/event is being conducted. TOTS O FUN

Participants in this program must be 4 as of October 1, 2018 through 5 as of October 1, 2018 and is conducted at the: Community Recreation Center (1232 Main Avenue). There are 6 sessions with different themes: Session 1: Project Funway-“Either You’re in or You’re Out” Mini Week Session 2: Lil’ Buckaroos Session 3: Animal Superheros Session 4: All Ball Session 5: Shipwrecked Session 6: Top Hats & Acrobats Each session lasts one week and is limited to 80 participants per week. Participants will be divided into three age groups, once all registrations have been received and is based on birthdate and enrollment. Participants may be placed by the Recreation Department in different groups from one week to another based on that week’s enrollment. Trips, activities and special events will be geared toward the theme associated with that week. Further information can be found in the Parent Handbook.

SUMMER DAYS IN THE PARK

Participants in this program must be 6 as of October 1, 2018 through 13 as of October 1, 2018 (children completing 9th grade or who are 15 years of age or older, should apply for the Future Leaders Program) and is conducted at two different locations: School #11 (147 Merselis Ave.) and School #13 (782 Van Houten Ave.) There are 6 sessions with different themes: Session 1: Project Funway-“Either You’re in or You’re Out” Mini Week Session 2: Saddle Up Session 3: Just Beachy Session 4: All Ball Session 5: We Love the 80’s Session 6: Shipwrecked Each session lasts one week and is limited to 140 participants per week, per school. Participants will be divided into four age groups, once all registrations have been received and is based on birthdate and enrollment. Participants may be placed by the Recreation Department in different groups from one week to another based on that week’s enrollment. Trips, activities and special events will be geared toward the theme associated with that week. Further information can be found in the Parent Handbook.

ALLSPORT

Participant in this program must be 6 as of October 1, 2018 through 13 as of October 1, 2018 (children completing 9th grade or who are 15 years of age or older, should apply for the Future Leaders Program) and is conducted at: School #16 (755 Grove Street). This is a uniquely designed summer program where individuals are exposed to a variety of sports related activities. This program is geared toward individuals who love sports. New for 2019: This program is the combination of Junior SportsStar and AllSport programs. Each session lasts one week and is limited to 140 participants per week. Participants will be divided into four age groups, once all registrations have been received and is based on birthdate and enrollment. Participants may be placed by the Recreation Department in different groups from one week to another based on that week’s enrollment. Trips, activities and special events are scheduled throughout the summer. Further information can be found in the Parent Handbook.

FUTURE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

This program is designed for youth who have completed 9th grade and up, or age 15 or older. This program is limited to 15 participants only. Participants in this program will go through an interview process once they are registered to acquaint them with the procedures of applying for a real job and to see if this program is the best fit for them. Participants in this program do not get to select the program or location they will be working at for the summer and will be notified of their placement at staff training. They must be available 5 of the 6 weeks of the program and able to get to all programs being conducted; no switching of sites is permitted. Participants will be required to submit a letter of recommendation from a coach, employer or teacher at their interview. Further information can be found in the Parent Handbook.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

CliftonRec.com SPECIALITY CAMP SERIES Program Clifton Baseball Camp (P&C) Fun on the Farm Camp (S1) Fun on the Farm Camp (S2) Clifton Baseball Camp Clifton Lacrosse Camp Clifton Lacrosse Camp (B/G) Golf Camp Golf Squirts Camp Tennis Camp Aviation Camp Fashion Sewing Camp KIKO.893 Robot Camp Multi Sports Camp (S1) Solar Space Fleet Camp Splish Splash Under the Sea! Basketball Camp (Half Day) Basketball Camp (Full Day) Brixology Camp Foods Around the World Camp Happy Healthy Kids Camp Intro to Sewing Machine Multi Sports Camp (S2) Red Bulls Soccer Camp (Half) Red Bulls Soccer Camp (Full) Red Bulls Mini Kick Camp Red Bulls Mini Kick Camp Slippery Slime Adventures

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN Participants Times Ages 7 – 17 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 8 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 8 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 7 – 17 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 13 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm Grades 9 – 12 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 10 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Ages 4 – 5 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm Ages 7 – 17 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 7 – 12 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 8 – 12 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Ages 7 – 12 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 11 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Ages 7 – 12 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Ages 5 – 10 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 7 – 14 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 7 – 14 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Ages 6 – 12 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 11 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 11 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Ages 7 – 10 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 11 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Ages 7 – 14 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Ages 7 – 14 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Ages 5 – 6 9:00 am – 10:30 am Ages 5 – 6 10:30 am – 12:00 pm Ages 5 – 12 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Dates 7/8 – 7/12 7/8 – 7/26 (M,W,F) 7/29 – 8/16 (M,W,F) 7/15 – 7/19 7/15 – 7/19 7/15 – 7/19 7/15 – 7/19 7/15 – 7/19 8/5 – 8/9 8/12 – 8/16 8/12 – 8/16 8/12 – 8/16 8/12 – 8/16 8/12 – 8/16 8/12 – 8/16 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23 8/19 – 8/23

Location WWMS Schultheis Farm Schultheis Farm WWMS CHS CHS Sperling Park Sperling Park Robin Hood Park Robin Hood Park Recreation Center Recreation Center Sperling Park Recreation Center Recreation Center WWMS WWMS Recreation Center Recreation Center Recreation Center Recreation Center Sperling Park Athenia Steel Athenia Steel Athenia Steel Athenia Steel Recreation Center

Fee $150.00 $100.00 $100.00 $150.00 $150.00 $150.00 $105.00 $90.00 $185.00 $200.00 $150.00 $150.00 $199.00 $145.00 $150.00 $ 85.00 $150.00 $190.00 $150.00 $150.00 $150.00 $199.00 $155.00 $225.00 $115.00 $115.00 $190.00

SUMMER SPECIAL EVENTS May 11th • Flea Market Fundraisers • Main Memorial Park • 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. • Free Community Band: Lollipops & Roses Concert • Clifton High School • 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. • $7.00 May June 8th • Community Band: “Music at the Castle: A Welcome to Summer”• 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. • Free June 11th • Family Trip: NY Yankees Game • 3:30 – 11:30 p.m. • $95.00 June 29th • Clifton Arts Center City Wide Garage Sale • 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. • $25.00 July 4th • City Picnic Main Memorial Park • 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. • Free July 4th • Fireworks Display Clifton Stadium • 8:45 – 10:00 p.m. • $3.00 July 7th • Summer Concert Series: Larry Stevens Band • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free July 18th • Clifton Night at the Jackals • Yogi Berra Stadium / MSU • 7:00 p.m. • $8.50 July 21st • Flea Market Fundraiser • Jubilee Park • 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. • Free July 14th • Summer Concert Series: Clifton Community Band • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free July 21st • Summer Concert Series: Swingman & Misfit Mutts • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free August 6th • National Night Out • Main Memorial Park • 6:00 – 8:45 p.m. • Free August 6th • Drive in Movie: “Mary Poppins Returns” • Main Memorial Park • 8:15 – 10:45 p.m. • Free July 28th • Summer Concert Series: Tequila Rose • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free August 4th • Summer Concert Series: Mush Mouth • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free August 16th – 17th • Family Campout • Albion Park • Friday 4:00 p.m. – Saturday 1:00 p.m. August 11th • Summer Concert Series: Wooden Ships • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free August 18th • Summer Concert Series: Emerald Experience • 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. • Free September 14th • Flea Market Fundraisers • Main Memorial Park • 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. • Free September 16th • Salute to Veterans Concert • Clifton Boys & Girls Club • 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. • Free 18th •

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS

On April 17, the Clifton Public Library honored 124 volunteers representing 3,908 hours at an afternoon reception celebrating National Volunteer Week. The Library’s Staff and Board of Trustees recognized Vivian Semararo as the Volunteer of the Year. Pictured from left are the executive board members of the FRIENDS of the Clifton Public Library: Patricia Bednar, recording secretary; Faye Levine, president; Fran Warren and Joan Sanford, members at large; Vivian Semararo, Denise Regalado, vice president; and Joan Robertson, corresponding secretary.

Spencer Savings Bank, which has two branches in Clifton, made a $30,000 donation to benefit those impacted by the Marcal Paper Plant fire tragedy. The historic New Jersey paper plant was destroyed in late January. A $25,000 donation was made to the Marcal employees affected by the fire and a $5,000 donation was also made toward a brunch, coordinated by the Elmwood Park PTO, to honor First Responders.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Yankees-Mets Bus Trip: Clifton Rec is hosting a June 11 bus trip to Yankee Stadium. Seats in Section 431 cost $95 which include transportation and a 90-minute buffet of hot dogs, burgers, chicken tenders, French fries, salad and water or soda before the game. Bus leaves from Clifton High at 3:30 pm and returns approximately 11:30 pm. Buy tickets at cliftonrec.com or visit the Rec Office at City Hall. For more info, call 973-470-5956.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

KOHL’S CARES

On April 5, Kohl’s Associates from Clifton, Totowa and other stores donated their time and effort to help the Clifton Boys & Girls Club. The volunteers painted, scrubbed and did some general fix-up throughout the facility. Through the Kohl’s Volunteer Program, the company’s associates have supported the Club for the last decade and donated more than $50,000. It is another example of local firms pitching in to help The Club. If you’d like to help, call John DeGraaf at 973-773-0966 x 111.

The Dutch Hill Residents Association is hosting its flea market June 1 from 9 am to 4 pm in Weasel Brook Park (rain date June 8). Dealers will be assigned an 18 foot space, and set up begins at 6:30 a.m. Space is $35 if paid by May 19, after is $40 (cash only). Contact Mary Ann Miksits at 973-365- 2577 to vend or for info.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

The 20th CAST Film Festival is May 9, from 7 to 9 pm, in the CHS auditorium. Filmmakers from the school will have their short films showcased in this often hilarious, sometimes serious, but always creative event. Tickets are $10 and benefit the Clifton Education Foundation. For info, call 973-470-2342.

On April 26 at Jubilee Park, Clifton Beautification Committee members planted another tree, a tradition 23 years in the making.

Joe Cupoli’s Operation Hope team is halfway through its campaign to raise $252,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Profiled in last month’s magazine, Cupoli asks readers to join him at any of these events: May 8: Dine at Rugova in River Edge (4-7pm) May 9: Shop at Bloomingdales in Riverside Square Mall

TREE CITY USA

May 13, 5-9 pm: Party Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell May 18: Cornhole Tournament at the Masonic Lodge in Clifton (9:30 am registration with 10:30 start). May 18, 9 pm: Party at The Crow’s Nest, Rt. 17, Hasbrouck Heights. TPM performing, 50-50 and raffles. Details: operationhopells.com or call 201-245-5065.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

AT THE BOE FORUM

The Clifton Republican Club held a forum April 9 for BOE candidates at the Elks Club. From left are candidates Franklin Montero, Tafari Anderson, Dana Beltran, Joseph Canova, James Daley and Lawrence Grasso. Winning seats during the April 16 election were challengers Canova and Beltran, and incumbent Daley; Montero ran unopposed to win Councilwoman Rosemary Pino’s vacated term. Also at the forum were Clifton Students Union members wanting info about academics and improving school stadium exercise facilities. Pictured from left are students Dylan Urban, Shaquaye Brimely, Joshua Hernandez, Robert Urban and Lord Belton.

The Boys & Girls Club of Clifton will host its 12th Annual Tricky Tray May 10. Sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary, proceeds go to the Club’s operational costs. Donations of prizes or sponsorships are greatly appreciated. For info, call 973-773-2697 x143. Clifton Advisory Committee for Individuals with Disabilities meets the third Monday each month in the City Hall Health Department at 6:30 pm (public is welcome). The group will be exhibiting a display in the City Hall lobby, May 15 to 31. Contact Colleen H. Murray at 973-253-9579 or czarinahelenaone@gmail.com. The National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists selected Clifton’s Daniel Marriello and Emily Burak to receive Awards of Excellence. The Passaic County Technical Institute students attended the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders, achieved at least a 3.5 GPA and exhibited STEM leadership and dedication. The Congress connects the nation’s top students with colleagues and professionals to gain a competitive edge when entering STEM careers.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

The Passaic County Historical Society is accepting applications from Passaic County schools, clubs, camps and scout groups interested in subsidized 2019 tours of Lambert Castle museum. The program provides reimbursement for student transportation and admission costs, and funds will be dispersed on a first come basis. In 2018, 627 children participated. For info, visit lambertcastle.org/school_tours/.

822 Van Houten Ave.

@glenmichaelsbarbershop

Hours: M-W: 9am-6pm Th-F: 9am-7pm Sat: 8am-5pm

On April 27 with the help of friends, family and a pop of Prosecco, it became official: The classic Colliseum Haircutters became the contemporary Glen Michael’s Barber Shop. CHS ’08 grad Glen Michael Carfora had been cutting hair since age 16. “Friends started telling me that their hair was coming out better than their original barber,” Glen said last week. “After I heard that I left my

manager’s job at Autozone and started the career that I really wanted.” He graduated Capri Institute’s barbering program in August, 2014 and met Jerry, who opened Colliseum Haircutters in 1984. “I liked him from the first time I met him,” said Jerry, who will continue to cut hair at Glen Michael’s. “He has great style and brings fresh looks to this place.”

973-365-2224

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

RAINBOW CLEANING

Rainbow Montessori Schools of Clifton and Bloomfield held its 2nd Annual Community Park clean-up day April 7 at Clifton’s Main Memorial Park. More than 120 students, parents and staff participated, collecting over 30 bags of garbage. Rainbow Montessori will host its 21st annual Tricky Tray on June 7 from 6 to 10 pm at the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. Tickets are $20 and include starter tickets. The adults-only affair is always fun and raises funds for the school. BYOB and food are another way the group is helping to keep costs down and increase the fun. Call Staci for tickets 973-772-2330.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Have you noticed a little bit more purple in Clifton lately? The purple ribbons are to raise awareness that those lives lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated. The 15th Annual Relay for Life of Clifton is May 18 from 4 pm to midnight at Clifton Schools Stadium. This year’s theme is “Going 15 Rounds with Cancer.” For info, go to relayforlife. org/cliftonnj. To learn more about fighting cancer, call 800-ACS-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Picturing Open Spaces...

After being closed since January 2018, the Clifton Arts Center reopened April 10, welcoming visitors with a reception and an exhibit of 26 historic, panoramic paintings of landscapes of Passaic County. Included in the exhibit, entitled Picturing Open Spaces and Places, is the painting at left, The Great Falls, by Jacob Caleb Ward, which was featured on the cover of John Updike’s 1996 novel, In the Beauty of the Lilies. During the $900,000 renovation, much of it funded with Passaic County Open Space grants, crews replaced the metal seam roof and the original wood ceilings were refinished. Bricks were re-pointed, doors weather strips replaced and insulation added.

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

A new HVAC system and computerized temperature controls were also installed. Housed in two renovated barns joined by an atrium, the CAC opened in 2000 and is on the 26-acre Clifton Municipal Complex at the intersection of Clifton and Van Houten Aves. Photos from the opening reception continue on the next page.

Cliftonmagazine.com â&#x20AC;˘ May 2019â&#x20AC;&#x192;

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

The Theater League of Clifton will present the comedy, The Man Who Came to Dinner on May 31 and June 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., Sunday matinees start at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets for seniors and students are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Group sales available. To reserve tickets, call 973-9287668 or visit theaterleagueofclifton.com. Shows held at the Theresa Aprea Theater, 199 Scoles Ave. in Clifton. The Clifton Arts Center is organizing a citywide garage sale June 29. The $25 fee includes a $10 city garage sale permit and a $15 a tax-deductible donation to Clifton Arts Center. The center will provide online and newspaper classified advertising and Elizabeth Eisenmenger of Clifton (left) poses with cast members (l to r) distribute a citywide listing of participating Victoria Lopez, George Rex (seated) and Carl Bergmanson in a scene addresses beginning three days before the from “The Man Who Came to Dinner,”opening May 31. event. To participate, register at the Clerk’s Office at City Hall no later than 3 pm on CHS Class of 1970 is looking for the info on class June 19. Don’t have a garage but like to participate? mates, such as mailing addresses, emails and phone Donate items to the CAC. Learn acceptable donation numbers. Ann Marie Ayers-Williams is beginning the items on cliftonnj.org or call 973-472-5499. Items may planning stages for the 50th reunion on Oct. 11, 2020. be dropped off at the CAC, June 26-28 from 1-4 pm. Send your info to clifton1970reunion@gmail.com. The Clifton-based Garden State Opera will present CHS Class of 1979 has its 40th reunion on Nov. 16 The Silk City, libretto and music by Francesco Santelli, at the Black Bear Golf Club in Franklin, N.J. Tickets Oct. 27 at the Clifton Jewish Center on Delaware Ave. are $79 and must be purchased by Sept. 1. To request a The opera is set in the turbulent times of the Paterson registration form, email Debra Hatem Gorny and Linda Silk Strike of 1913. Tickets are $25 ($20 for seniors) Haraka DiFalco at chs7940years@gmail.com and can be purchased through cliftonjewishcenter.com starting August 1. An Oct. 26 dress rehearsal is open to St. John Lutheran Church thrift shop at 140 LexingClifton schools students (accompanied by teachers) by ton Ave., Passaic, is May 4 from 9:30 am to 1 pm. reservation. Call 973-986-4600 for info.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Marianela Pina De La Hoz, Michael Camilo, Zariah Rivera, Yousef Khatib.

May has arrived for Mustangs of the Month.

The vice principals from each Clifton High wing have spotlighted four students who have gotten a head start on the latest activities on the campus, one from each grade. Zariah Rivera, Senior During her time at CHS, perhaps Zariah Rivera biggest lesson learned was how to enjoy life. “A hurdle I overcame,” she said, “is allowing myself to fail and learn from mistakes. I used to be super hard on myself for every little thing and would never let my-

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

self be happy for all the good things.” There have been many good things for the senior. Rivera participates in Key Club, Choir, MadCaps as a section leader, the Heroes & Cool Kids Club and has appeared in the Spring Musical for four years. She is Drama Club president, Tri-M Music Honor Society

secretary, a National Honor Society member, and volunteers and performs in shows and choirs outside of school. “Now I try to be easy on myself,” she said, “and learn from my mistakes.” Rivera likes to study psychology and considers Mr. Pinto her most influential teacher. “He constantly encourages me,” she said, “to go for my dreams and, not only does that, but helps me do whatever I must to fulfill that goal.” Another inspiration is her mom—“the most amazing, smart, powerful, beautiful, hard-working woman I know.” The future awaits for the college-bound Rivera. “I am excited to see where life leads me,” she said.

grade teacher, Ms. Silvestri. “Her teaching method wasn’t different from other teachers,” he remembered, “but her principles were. If you had trouble, she would give her undivided attention. If you tried your best, you’d be rewarded.” Marianela Pina De La Hoz, Sophomore Marianela Pina De La Hoz might be a sophomore, but she has a mature outlook on life. Take grades, for instance. “A grade on paper doesn’t determine my knowledge,” she said.

Michael Camilo, Junior Michael Camilo is thinking big. “I aspire to be a physicist in the future,” Camilo said, “maybe a biophysicist or a theoretical physicist. As for colleges, Princeton is my first choice, Rutgers my second.” If things get difficult, Camilo will follow one person’s example. “My father is my hero,” he said. “His work ethic was an inspiration to me. He manages to stay calm and collected when times are tough, as well as fun and kind when times call for it.” Predictably, Camilo’s favorite class is physics. “It’s a class that brings science and math together, more so than chemistry or biology,” he said. “Mr. Burns manages to make learning concepts like normal force and momentum fun and exciting.” Camilo was a member of the Makerspace 3D Printing Club last year and is now part of the Academic Decathlon Club and Key Club. While focused on his future, Camilo has never forgotten his early influencers—especially his Passaic fifth Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Her favorite subject is social studies. “It has helped me constantly make connections between our present world and the history of society,” Pina De La Hoz said. “Social studies helps me understand human nature and its constant impact throughout the world.” A driver of her advanced mindset are her teachers, especially Mr. Rogers. “He helped me shape my outlook on the world,” Pina

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

De La Hoz said, “by constantly making me challenge my previous perceptions. One of his most valuable lessons is growth cannot occur through comfort and, foremost, new ideas are not born by surrounding yourself with people who think the same as you.” Also inspired by her brothers—who are constantly growing and pushing past limitations—Pina De La Hoz is part of the Academic Decathlon, Orchestra, Girls Learn International, Clifton Student Union and the Career Academy, concentrating on Law and Public Safety. Yousef Khatib, Freshman Yousef Khatib’s biggest inspiration comes from his late brother, who died of heart disease. “He never gave up till the last moment,” said Khatib. “Thanks to him, now I strive to be a heart doctor.” The freshman has made distinguished Honor Roll three times in a row. “For me,” he said, “there is no favorite subject—I love all of them. I can’t wait to have each period to learn a new interesting and amazing topic.” Khatib considers all his teachers influential. “Ms. Monachellos and Mr. Hernandez make it easier to understand the material,” he said. “So do Ms. Asemian, Ms. Ploch, Mr. Rando, Ms. Denison and Mr. Lymbark. Ms. Rooney is the best math teacher I ever had. “And when I came to the USA [in seventh grade], I didn’t know a word of English. But my ESL teacher Mrs. DiGiacomo taught me well.” Khatib competes with friends Saif Ellithy and Achraf Nidaazzi to see who can achieve the highest GPA. In the coming years, he wants to learn to play the violin and try out for volleyball. “When I am a sophomore,” he said, “I will be taking Honor classes for English, algebra, chemistry and geometry. As a junior, I will strive to take AP classes at either Bergan or PCCC.”

On April 18 Clifton Lacrosse made history with two players scoring their 100th career goal in a big 20-9 win over Waldwick. Senior midfielder and captain Joseph Walker scored his 100th goal during the game’s first quarter, immediately followed by junior attack man Jack Louer who scored his 100th career goal. Walker, ranked 14th in the state for total goals (37), went on to finish the game scoring 6 goals and assisting on 5 others. Louer, ranked first in NJ for goals (50), finished the game with a career high 10 goals. This high-scoring dynamic duo has helped lead Clifton’s 2019 boys lacrosse team to many victories. Pictured are Louer (left), Coach George Cowan and Walker. Mustang Basketball Coach Mike Cadmus is running summer camps. Focus is on developing skills to help get athletes prepared for the next level. Skills such as ball handling, shooting, one on one moves, and defense will be emphasized. The camp will expose participants to training drills to help them attain their maximum potential while keeping it fun. The first camp is July 15 to 19 for kids entering 5th to 9th grades. The July 22 to 26 camp is from 8 am to noon and is for kids entering 2nd to 5th grades. Cost is $100 per camp. With a 20-8 record, Cadmus took the Mustangs to the Passaic County Final for the first time since 1974. Armani Brinson and Ian Felix were named first team All-Passaic County. To sign up or for info on the camps, go to mustangselitebasketballacademy.com.

On April 4, Clifton Mustangs soccer student-athlete Maria Orozco signed her letter of intent to play for LIU Brooklyn. Pictured with Maria is her mother Floralba Saenz. Standing are CHS Principal Michael Doktor, Athletic Director Tom Mullahey, and Coach Konrad Kruczek.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Kids at Little Genius Academy on Broad St. are creating art and learning about science, nutrition and their bodies in an annual science fair called “Rattle Our Bones!” Kids work as a team with teachers and draw life sized pictures of their bodies. From there, the team labels bones in their bodies and learn how the skeleton makes everything work. “This is an annual project we’ve done for 11 years now,” said owner and founder Alicia Priegue. Find out more about the programs at Little Genius at littlegeniusprek.com or on FB @littlegeniusprek. May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

Above center holding the congratulatory poster is Clifton Lacrosse midfielder Guiliana Richards. The CHS senior scored her 200th goal on April 27 in Edison as the Mustange beat JP Stevens 17-4.

The Clifton Quilters Guild celebrated their 30th anniversary on April 27 at La Riviera Trattoria but this photo on the facing page was taken at their regular meeting, which is held the last Wednesday of every month at 7 pm at the City Hall Senior Center. Founded in 1989 with 20 women, 30 years later membership is at 62. “We make baby quilts for St. Mary General Hospital, quilts for ‘Project Linus’ given to infants to teens at various hospitals, and quilts for Habitat for Humanity,” ex-

plained Shirley Philhower. “On Super Bowl Weekend, we met for a ‘Super Sew Weekend’ and made 45 quilts. In March we presented a ‘Quilt of Valor’ to a veteran.” Their ‘work’ is great art, providing comfort and warmth. “Even the scraps of fabric left over are stuffed into pillowcases for dog beds for the Animal Shelter,” she added. The 2019 officers are President Barbara Vydro, VPs Terry Glover, Secretary Dale Rice and Treasurer Rosemary McGuire. Join the Guild; write to Philhower30@msn.com.

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

GREAT FUTURES CAMPAIGN

It was time to party on April 28 as the 2019 Boys & Girls Club Great Futures Campaign concluded, exceeding their goals by $1,101. The campaign provides after-school programs where five days a week over 1,500 kids are kept busy from 3-6 pm. Dance music was provided by Swingman & The Misfit Mutts, The Manhattan Brothers and The Powertones. Club alumni and friends joined in the party and danced the early evening away.

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May 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ Cliftonmagazine.com

Photos by Tom Contrino

Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

Birthdays & Celebrations - May 2019

Happy Birthday to....

Send dates & names .... tomhawrylko@optonline.net

Kristy and Ihor Andruch celebrate 17 years of wedded bliss on May 4. Greyson Pierce Tauber’s 6th birthday is May 2. Mnohaya lita (meaning Many Years to You) Stefan Andruch who turns 15 on May 3. Gia Camille Genardi turned 19 on May 2. Sorry we have no photos but... Happy 21st birthday to Yassin Aburomi on May 14. Happy Birthday to Danuta Dymora celebrating on May 26. Richard Hango................... Mike Szwec....................... Samantha Cruz................... Lou DeStefano.................... Jessica Perez...................... Jordan Lynn Bykowsky......... Maria DeGraaf................... Julia Komarczyk.................. Irene Kuruc......................... Margie Maloney................. Thomas Zangara................. John Anderson Jr................. Spencer Flynn..................... Russell Courtney.................. Dolores Hatala................... Jordan Kulesa..................... Vanessa Laine Montesano.... Mary Domyon.................... Margie Hatala.................... Dorothy Alburo................... Terry Capilli....................... Jim Findlay......................... Alexandra Homsany............ Rory Houston...................... Frank Lo Gioco................... Ashley Kulesa.....................

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May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

David Peter Mosciszko......... 5/8 Matthew Nagy................... 5/8 Christine Siluk..................... 5/8 Thomas Steranko................ 5/8 Petey Pathos....................... 5/9 Amelia Smith...................... 5/9 Ray Zang........................... 5/9 Joe Gore.......................... 5/10 Rebecca DeChellis............ 5/11 Brandon Gorny................. 5/11 Jessica Camp................... 5/12 Joe De Liberto................... 5/12 Michael Lonison................ 5/12 Donna De Liberto.............. 5/13 Jeff Reilly.......................... 5/13 Michael Zawicki............... 5/13 Chloe Landrith ................. 5/14 Chuck Amucka................. 5/14 Alice De Liberto................ 5/14 Dorothy Brown.................. 5/15 Earl Grosser Jr.................. 5/15 Victoria Leja..................... 5/15 Fred Gurtman................... 5/16 Mark McGuire.................. 5/16 Rosemary Canavan........... 5/17 John Hawrylko.................. 5/17

Vick Ascencio................... Jamie Antal...................... Michele D’Amico.............. Walter Hryckowian........... Mariana Pineda................ Becky Kuter...................... Jennifer Mulick.................. Julianna Smith.................. William J. Portocarrero III... Ken Bender...................... Joe Murolo....................... Matthew Palladino............ Kage Lord........................ Danica O’Brien................. Danah Alburo................... Jessica Bielen................... MaryEllen Krattinger.......... Michele Perez................... Donald Lopuzzo................ Michael Santosuosso......... Brittney Abell.................... Olivia Hryckowian............ Connie Paladino............... Derek Bykowsky................ Alyssa Dalbo.................... Kaylee Pinter....................

5/18 5/18 5/18 5/18 5/18 5/19 5/20 5/20 5/21 5/21 5/21 5/21 5/22 5/22 5/23 5/23 5/23 5/23 5/24 5/24 5/25 5/25 5/25 5/26 5/26 5/26

Melissa D’Arco will marry Nahon Torres on May 23. Jonathan Rideg................. 5/26 Fred Antes........................ 5/27 Kyle J. Magaster .............. 5/27 Steve Bielen...................... 5/27 David J. Ricca................... 5/28 Anthony Alcalde............... 5/29 Valerie Gancarz............... 5/29 Anthony DeSomma........... 5/30 Rachel Gergats................. 5/31 Christopher Ramirez.......... 5/31 Zachary Sjosward............. 5/31 Christopher Smith.............. 5/31 Logan Thompson............... 5/31

Michael and Rosemary Baran celebrate their 26th anniversary on May 7. Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2019

31 BOWLING MEDALS

Clifton Recreation Strikers Special Olympics Bowling Team gathered April 5 at Buddy Canteen held at the Community Recreation Center on Main Ave. The night’s highlight was a trophy presentation to those in attendance. The bowlers brought home a combined total of 31 medals from their various competitions. Trophies were purchased with an anonymous monetary donation. The athletes are (seated from left) Joseph Brown, Joseph Picciano, Nabila Kabir, James Parisi, Dalibor Lisica, Travis Jones and Barbara Grossman; (standing from

May 2019 • Cliftonmagazine.com

left) Brian Counterman Jr., Adam Mandour, Carl Moloney, Steven Haskoor, Tiffany Smith, Andrew Mauro, Vincent Caggia, Rachel Chisolm, Sarah Counterman. Not pictured: Scott Donkersloot, Joseph Espinal and Laura Zapata. The coaches are Pat Picciano, James Jones, Rick Mauro, Brian Counterman Sr., Beth Hawkins, Helen Counterman and Senka Lisica. Look for many of these same athletes to be carrying the torch through Clifton on June 7 on their way to the NJ Special Olympics.

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