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Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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AS CLIFTON
GROWS, SO From the
EDITOR Tom Hawrylko
DO
WE
That’s my dad, Joe Hawrylko. Fresh out of Perth Amboy and after boot camp at Fort Dix, he was 31, single and soon would be in the muck of WWII near Omaha Beach in France. Compared to my brother and I, both six feet-three, dad was a small guy, somewhere around five-eight. My brother and sister did not know much about Joe’s service in WWII. He was a quite fellow and by time we got to the age when we could be interested about his history, Joe was in his late 50s, bedridden in our house and in the midst of what the doctors back then told my mom Julie was shell shock. Today the diagnosis would be early onset Alzheimer’s. A few year’s back my son Joe, now 32, looked up his name on the internet and up pops this footnote about his grandfather in Omaha Beach and Beyond: The Long March of Sergeant Bob Slaughter: “While I had been detached to the rangers,” Slaughter wrote in his book, “the company transferred a few men deemed unfit for combat and replaced them with more rugged ones. Captain Schilling went on a recruiting expedition into the regimental rifle companies looking for large, rough men to carry the heavy machine guns and mortars—and he found them...” he continued, listing eight names, and then getting to... “Joe Hawrylko, Ben Litwin and Bernie Rooker were just a few of Captain Schilling’s hand-picked men and they proved to be some of the best combat soldiers in D Company.” That mention of my dad makes me so proud. Like the Cliftonites we have written about over the past two decades, my dad was part of that quiet, hard-working generation of men and women who made America the great nation we are today. While Memorial Day is a time to recall those who died in service during war, for many of us, it is also an opportunity to honor unsung heroes like my dad, Joe Hawrylko. 16,000 Magazines are distributed to hundreds of Clifton Merchants on the first Friday of every month.
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Subscribe $30 / year / $50 for 2 Call 973-253-4400 Contributing Writers Jack De Vries, Joe Hawrylko, Irene Jarosewich, Ihor Andruch, Tom Szieber, Michael C. Gabriele, Douglas John Bowen
Editor & Publisher Tom Hawrylko Art Director Ken Peterson Graphic Designer Aly Ibrahim Business Manager Gabriella Marriello
Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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Memorial Day
Monday, May 29
11 am Services at War Monument, Main Memorial Park
Events to Attend
Sunday, May 28 • 7 pm - Volunteers decorate around War Monument in Main Memorial Park with American Flags
Monday, May 29 • 6 am - Avenue of Flags Set-up, City Hall • 8:15 am - Fire Dept. Service, Brighton Rd. • 9 am - Memorial Day Parade, Hepburn Rd. • 9:30 am - Allwood Memorial, Chelsea Park • 11 am - City Memorial Service, Main Memorial Park • Noon - Order of Purple Hearts, Clifton Library • 12:30 pm - Post 347, Main Ave., Clifton Rec Center • 2 pm - Athenia Veterans, Huron Ave. • 6 pm - Avenue of Flags Take Down at City Hall Call 973-470-5757 for info or to volunteer.
6 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Memorial Day
Monday, May 29
Starting below and organized by the war in which they served, we have again published the name of every Clifton man who died while in service to our nation.
World War One Louis Ablezer Andrew Blahut Timothy Condon John Crozier Orrie De Groot Olivo De Luca Italo De Mattia August De Rose Jurgen Dykstra Seraphin Fiori Ralph Gallasso Otto Geipel Mayo Giustina
Selling replicas of the original Flanders’ poppy originated in some of the allied countries immediately after the Armistice of WWI. Disabled veterans make these artificial flowers, and earn a small income after their work is sold by members of local veterans posts on Memorial Day. Peter Horoschak Emilio Lazzerin Joseph Liechty Jacob Morf, Jr. William Morf Edwin C. Peterson Robert H. Roat Alfred Sifferlen
James R. Stone Carmelo Uricchio Angelo Varetoni Michael Vernarec Cornelius Visbeck Ignatius Wusching Bertie Zanetti Otto B. Zanetti
Diamond Memorials 973-471-5008 • 800 Broad St., Clifton We’re Here to Discuss Your Needs Mon-Fri: 10 am- 4pm • Sat: 10 am-3 pm • Bronze Plaques • Monuments • Porcelain Photos • Benches • Mausoleums • Cemetery Lettering • Cremation Urns • Pet Urns Find our selection online!
diamondmemorialsinc.com Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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Memorial Day World War Two Joseph Sperling Charles Peterson Thomas Donnellan Jerry Toth Frank Lennon Joseph Carboy Julius Weisfeld Edward Ladwik Israel Rabkin Peter Pagnillo
Monday, May 29 Harold Weeks William Weeks Salvatore Favata Herman Adams Edward Kostecki Charles Hooyman, Jr. Salvatore Michelli Richard Novak James Potter Adam Liptak John Van Kirk
The memory will live forever. Over the past year, we have had the privilege of serving the families of many veterans. In recognition of the service these veterans rendered to their country, we would like to show our appreciation this Memorial Day. In memory of their lives and their service, we recall...
• Michael N. Corradino • Louis De Molli • Carmine Del Core • Robert J. Grabowski • Edward E. Hanlon • Louis K. Hios • Thomas P. Kozell • Robert T. Lopuzzo • Julius Marcucci • Daniel L. Martone
470 Colfax Ave., Clifton
973-249-6111 www.marroccos.com 8 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
• Robert S. Paccioretti • Bart Palatini • Paul Pasino • Donald L. Sylvester • Mario Talamini • Frank Taraska • Henry J. Tiberi • Thomas Woroschak • Joseph W. Zisa
James J. Marrocco Manager, NJ Lic No. 3320 Michael A. Waller - Director John Opuda Jr. - Director
Carlyle Malmstrom Francis Gormley Charles Stanchak Joseph Ladwik Karl Germelmann Robert Stevens Albert Tau William Scott Benjamin Puzio James Van Ness Gregory Jahn Nicholas Stanchak Frank Smith, Jr Carl Bredahl Donald Yahn Joseph Belli Edwin Kalinka Stanley Swift Charles Lotz Joseph Prebol Walter Nazar Benedict Vital Thaddeus Bukowski Leo Grossman Michael Kashey Stephen Messineo John Janek John Yanick Herbert Gibb William Nalesnik Joseph Sowma Bronislaus Pitak Harry Tamboer John Olear John Koropchak Joseph Nugent Steven Gombocs Thomas Gula Raymond Curley Harry Earnshaw James Henry John Layton Charles Messineo Joseph Petruska
Memorial Day Bogert Terpstra John Kotulick Peter Vroeginday Michael Sobol Donald Sang Andew Sanko George Zeim, Jr. Robert Van Liere Vernon Broseman Harold O’Keefe Edward Palffy Dennis Szabaday Lewis Cosmano Stanley Scott, Jr. Charles Hulyo, Jr. Arnold Hutton Frank Barth John Kanyo Bryce Leighty Joseph Bertneskie Samuel Bychek Louis Netto David Ward Edward Rembisz Lawrence Zanetti Alfred Jones Stephen Blondek John Bulyn Gerhard Kaden William Lawrence Robert Doherty Samuel Guglielmo Robert Parker Joseph Molson Stephen Kucha James De Biase Dominick Gianni Manuel Marcos Nicholas Palko William Slyboom Herman Teubner Thomas Commiciotto Stephen Surgent Albert Bertneskie
Monday, May 29 Charles Gash Peter Jacklin Peter Shraga,Jr. John Aspesi Micheal Ladyczka Edward Marchese Robert Stephan Roelof Holster, Jr. Alex Hossack Siber Speer Frank Klimock
Salvatore Procopio Harry Breen Gordon Tomea, Jr. Douglas Gleeson Fred Hazekamp Harold Roy Andrew Servas, Jr. Francis Alesso Walter Bobzin Vincent Lazzaro John Op’t Hof
Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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Memorial Day World War Two
Monday, May 29 Louis Kloss Andrew Kacmarcik John Hallam Anthony Leanza William Sieper Sylvester Cancellieri George Worschak Frank Urrichio Andrew Marchincak Carl Anderson George Holmes Edward Stadtmauer Kermit Goss George Huemmer Alexander Yewko Emil Chaplin John Hushler Edgar Coury Robert Hubinger Wilbur Lee
Joseph Sondey John Zier Peter Hellrigel Steve Luka Arthur Vanden Bree Harold Baker Hans Fester Patrick Conklin John Thompson Thomas Dutton, Jr. Harold Ferris, Jr. Donald Freda Joseph Guerra Edward Hornbeck William Hromniak Stephen Petrilak Wayne Wells Vincent Montalbano James Miles
PROUD TO REPRESENT CLIFTON
View The Giblin Report Thursday at 9:30 pm Cablevision Ch. 77 (Clifton Local Access Channel)
& FIOS Ch. 40 Check with your Cable Provider for Other Listings
Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin 1333 Broad St. • 973-779-3125
www.assemblymangiblin.com 10 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Vito Venezia Joseph Russin Ernest Yedlick Charles Cannizzo Michael Barbero Joseph Palagano William Hadrys Joseph Hoffer, Jr. Joseph Piccolo John Robinson Frank Torkos Arthur Mayer Edward Jaskot George Russell Frank Groseibl Richard Van Vliet Benjamin Boyko Harry Carline Paul Domino John Fusiak
The Shook & Garretson families will honor your loved one with respect & dignity • Pre-Need Funeral Arrangements • At-Need Funeral Arrangements • Cremation Services • Memorial Gatherings
Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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Memorial Day World War Two Louis Ritz William Niader Alfred Aiple Mario Taverna Sebastian De Lotto Matthew Bartnowski John Bogert Joseph Collura Matthew Daniels James Doland, Jr. Walter Dolginko Peter Konapaka Alfred Masseroni Charles Merlo Stephen Miskevich John Ptasienski Leo Schmidt Robert Teichman Louis Vuoncino
Monday, May 29 Richard Vecellio Robert Hegmann Ernest Triemer John Peterson
Richard Vander Laan, Jr. Stephan Kucha ‘Gigito’ Netto Michael J. Columbus
On Memorial Day, visit the Avenue of Flags at the City Hall campus and stop by the area honoring the MIA’s—those Missing In Action.
corner of Clifton & Getty Avenues
973-365-1267 General Dentistry Periodontal Care Dentures Implants Crowns A Trusted Name in Family Dentistry for
Complete Tree & Shrub Care Power Spraying • Organic Fertilizing Since 1973, A Veteran Owned Business
Brookdale Tree Service •973-338-9284 12 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
60 Years
Korean War
Allen Hiller Arthur Grundman Donald Brannon
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
Vietnam War 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.
US Army/Special Forces Capt. Michael Tarlavsky was killed in Najaf, Iraq on Aug. 12, 2004 and buried with honors in Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 24. Tarlavsky, CHS Class of ‘92, was captain of the Swim Team and enlisted in the Army in 1996. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star. He is survived by his wife Tricia, son Joseph, his parents Yury and Rimma and a sister, Elina. The Veterans Alliance engraved his name on the Downton Clifton Main Avenue War Memorial in 2004 — the first name added in over three decades.
Nov. 8, 1961 Plane Crash Robert De Vogel Vernon Griggs Robert Marositz Robert Rinaldi Raymond Shamberger Harold Skoglund Willis Van Ess, Jr.
Good Neighbors, Great Rates
973-772-8451 Thomas Tobin 973-779-4248
Bill G. Eljouzi 973-478-9500
Roofing • Siding • Gutters Ventilation • Chimneys Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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14 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
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“We break barriers!” By Douglas John Bowen
Meet three of Clifton’s future leaders – CHS students who have ambitious plans for themselves and, indeed, for the hometown they live in. If Clifton’s fortunes during the mid-21st century rest on leadership from the likes of Carlos Polanco, Andrea Rojas and/or Hiral Shah, the city will be in good stead. Each of the CHS seniors has ideas on what’s needed for the city; each can cite an item or two of Clifton character that disappoints them. But all three believe they’ve been blessed by the exposure to diversity, ethnically and generationally, that surrounds them citywide. They’re all individuals, of course, with their own strengths and passions and plans and – of course! – diversity and differences. But as Polanco noted, “The one phrase that sums us up is: We break barriers.” Activism almost unbounded Carlos Polanco himself certainly sets a leading example, as even Shah and Rojas graciously pointed out during an interview. Last November Polanco, sponsored by Clifton’s American Legion Quentin Roosevelt Post #8, became the first Latino elected chairman of American Legion Jersey Boys State, a civics organization preaching the importance of democracy for 70 years. Polanco was named boys state governor, the highest position in the New Jersey chapter. High school students are selected for the program by 16 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
guidance counselors based on the recommendations of their teachers. The selection process values candidates who display a high level of character, scholarship, patriotism and service. Polanco has done more than just accept one titular honor. As president of the CHS Student Union, which he co-founded, last March he led dozens of CHS students in a march to City Hall to protest a lack of state educational funding. Inside CHS, he contributed to rewriting the school’s dress code, adjusting course offerings, and establishing a non-voting student slot for the Board of Education. Late last month the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton added another line item to Polanco’s list of accomplishments, honoreing him as the 2017 Youth of the Year and awarding a scholarship fund for his college plans. Once described by some as a firebrand, Polanco acknowledged that he now weighs his words more carefully, and tries to measure his approach to gain greater acceptance and minimize confrontation, though such an approach often takes more time.
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At Homecoming, from left, Xiara Enciso, Giovanni Mendez, Kristine Carrillo, Loay Alhablowi, Andrea Rojas, Alexander Budhi Jr., Kristen Garcia and Yash Prajapatiy.
Turning negatives into positives Andrea Rojas is president of the CHS Student Council, serving all four CHS grades, and therefore obligated to address the needs and concerns of the entire student body. Those concerns range from the traditional days-of-yore high school items, such as pep rallies, to more weighty concerns up to the aforementioned educational funding. Rojas acknowledged her role as a relative government novice. “My vice principal convinced me to try it [holding office],” she said. But Rojas has embraced her position, because “I believe everybody should have a voice. I like when people approach me in school to talk to me about things they’re concerned about.” Some of her eagerness to listen comes from her own early (and negative) childhood experiences, part of an adjustment period that began when she moved from Passaic to Clifton at the end of her Kindergarten year. “A rude remark about my unborn sister” by a boy in her third-grade class that “was twice my size” resulted in a fight – with Rojas awarded an unofficial TKO and a visit to the principal’s office. “Needless to say, I got into plenty of trouble, but I realized that day that I was not going to let anyone talk down to me, physically hurt me, or walk all over me,” she noted. A four-year varsity swimmer at CHS, Rojas has struggled with tendinitis in her left shoulder, at times hamper18 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
ing her ability to compete during her sophomore and junior years. Though thankful that her condition wasn’t far more serious – initial concerns included an irregular heartbeat, which proved unfounded – “for now, tendinitis is my permanent baggage,” Rojas said, though “there is no way I will let it dictate what I do.” Rojas seeks a future in criminal justice, possibly as a forensic anthropologist. For the past three years she’s served as a volunteer at the Clifton Public Library. “I hope to one day have more children read. People go there to hang out. They forget that it can be more than a hangout place, that it can be educational,” she said. Rojas also tutors on a volunteer basis, another way of giving back to Clifton. Balancing tradition and transition Hiral Shah serves as president of the CHS Class of ’17, overseeing senior class projects and special events, and serving as a speaker for senior class concerns. “It’s an honor to be the voice of my classmates,” she said, while noting wryly, “My parents aren’t all that impressed” with her role. When not officiating or studying, Shah might be found at the cashier’s spot at Ploch’s Garden Center. “It’s a change of pace,” she said. “It’s one more facet of Clifton I enjoy learning about.” Alternately, she is also a volunteer intern for Dr. Barry S. Prystowsky in Nutley, doing clerical work and
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“shadowing” one of the doctor’s medical assistants. Shah credited her 90-year-old grandfather, her “best friend,” for counseling that “it does not matter who we are or where we come from; with hard work and determination we can all attain our dreams. “I am the person I am today because of who he has helped me become. He has taught me to strive for my dreams, no matter how unrealistic they may sound,” Shah noted. “He has been and will continue to be my motivation in life. He is the greatest man I have ever known. “Whatever he did, I want to do. This includes his
teachings about the importance of having a positive attitude as I maintain my traditional values and practices as I venture off into the real world,” she said. As for that real world, Shah, CHS September Student of the Month, is considering a career as a pharmacist, though still weighing her options on which college to attend – and how close or far it might be from Clifton itself. “If I go to [a distant] college it would be hard” to keep contributing to Clifton’s future, she mused, though she acknowledged that she could go, and then return to the Clifton she loves. Polanco initially faced a similar conflict, and considered not leaving Clifton for college. “But people said, ‘Don’t do that,’” he recalled. “‘Go to college, then come back to help if you want.’” He’ll do just that this fall, attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., with law as a career goal. While proud to be the first in his family to attend college, he noted the decision is harder than it might appear to an observer. “The connection I have to Clifton makes me almost willing to give up everything,” he said. Shah, nodding in agreement, added, “Clifton is what I know. I was born here.” Strength vs. apathy All three student leaders noted Clifton’s diversity sets it apart not just from other parts of the country but even from surrounding municipalities in northern New Jersey. Rojas, tapping her experience as a four-year CHS varsity swimmer, commented, “Just go out to a different town for a sporting event. We’re so diverse and students from other schools will comment on how friendly and open we are.” Contributed Shah, “No offense to anyone, but when I’m in Wayne, I don’t get the same [student] exposure I do here.”
20 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
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Polanco observed, “CHS is the most diverse school ever; it’s awesome.” And he proudly pointed out that it’s not driven by faculty, at least not alone. “It’s not teachers indoctrinating us; we students turn it into a strength.” And yet all three fear that Clifton, to some degree, is at some risk of riding on its reputation for civic involvement, without working to keep that reputation alive. “We’ve held events for the whole town, and not a lot of people have shown up,” Shah observed, as Rojas nodded in agreement. Asked if the fault might be through the communications options chosen – perhaps Clifton seniors are not equipped or inclined to receive a text message – Shah politely countered, “But word of mouth?” Said Polanco, “Perhaps the belief in involvement has been around for so long that people think it exists when it doesn’t. It needs to be a constant process. A lot of people aren’t very involved; it’s puzzling.” Plowing past stereotypes All three barrier breakers are aware of the “slacker” label widely applied to millennials, and hesitated to dismiss the pejorative outright. But each vowed to combat
22 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Hiral with her grandfather.
that perception. “I want adults to realize we’re more involved than they think we are,” Rojas asserted. Clifton’s growing diversity, she said, generated varied opinions on any given subject, which in turn can generate new ideas and solutions. That is, if people remain open to change. “This town has to be more willing to change to be willing to fly” in the 21st century,” Polanco said, extending Rojas’ train of thought. “Things are changing. Yes, there’s an influx of new people. But that’s not a bad thing. It’s a strength, not a weakness.” To which Shah said, “Agreed; Clifton needs to
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have open arms, and be open-minded. And I think Clifton is well-positioned for that; one of the big plusses is it’s so diverse.” Rojas hopes to export some of Clifton’s diversity during her college years even as she imports ideas from wherever she goes. “Once I go to college, I hope to get a taste of different areas, and leave a part of me in those areas, and inspire people just as people have inspired me,” she explained. Not that Clifton is a perfect model yet, all three noted. “Lower expectations still abound” for students of color, Polanco said, selecting his words carefully. People still express surprise, and/or curiosity, when Polanco informs them he’s headed for Dartmouth, and though the doubters are seldom outright malevolent (in Clifton, at least), their attitudes can become wearisome. “People are going to look down on you,” questioning whether you belong, observed Shah, reiterating, “I was born here.” Even the well-intentioned fall into stereotype beliefs, she said. “Given my [Indian] background, I’m supposed to be good at technology, automatically,” she lamented. “But that’s not who I am.”
Rojas, for her part, was amused that many Cliftonites routinely mistake her for being of Asian ancestry. “I’m Mexican-American,” she said, smiling proudly. When constantly teased during her early weeks in first grade, in part due to her seeming ethnic ambiguity, Rojas asked her mom for guidance; “She told me to ignore them, which is what I did” – her third-grade physical altercation an exception to the overall rule. And yet all three have thrived in Clifton and each one calls it home. “I’m the immigrant story,” Polanco said. “I’ve shown the American Dream is still possible. Anything is possible in this town.” And though he’s proud of what he’s done, Polanco doesn’t want to be a sole standout. “I want other kids to do more, do something even bigger,” he said. Added Rojas, “I hope, no offense to Carlos, that someone outshines him one day. I hope others look at him and see themselves.” Shah nodded in agreement as Polanco concurred, saying, “The real goal is always for someone to do something better, something bigger.” If that’s the case, Clifton can count on the next generation to break barriers and lead the way to a vibrant future.
Immedicenter
1355 Broad St. • Clifton • 973-778-5566
www.immedicenter.com Dr. Michael Basista, Medical Director of Immedicenter Mon-Fri 8am to 9pm • Sat & Sun 8am to 5pm Walk-in Medical Care Weekday Appointments Available 24 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
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“Switchboard Operator” may have been Sarah Lombardo’s title, but she was much more than that for Clifton, and the city was better for it. We identify places with buildings, songs and people. You can’t think of New York City without the Empire State Building. Listen to Bruce Springsteen, and you’re down the shore. And, for more than three decades, when you heard Sarah Lombardo’s voice, it was if Clifton herself was speaking. “I’d answer about 500 calls a day,” said Lombardo, City Hall’s former switchboard operator. “I never got tired of talking. I still don’t.” Citizens thought they were calling a switchboard; instead they were tapping into a powerful information source. “If I didn’t know the answer,” she said, “I knew where to get it.” 26 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Lombardo, 89, was the ultimate insider – one who knew Clifton administratively and politically. She was an advocate for citizens and her fellow city employees, always looking out for their best interests. And she was an individual who would stand up to the powerful, like her boss, City Manager William Holster, even when others were afraid to. “I have to give him credit,” Lombardo said about the iconic city manager who guided the growth of Clifton from 1957 to 1982. “As much as we butted heads, he impressed upon me to know my facts. He’d say, ‘Don’t ever come in here and ask for something if you don’t have facts.’”
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Early years Sarah Ann Lombardo was born in an apartment on Tulip and Sherman St. in Passaic, N.J., on Dec. 9, 1927, the first child of Joseph and Vincenza DeLiberto. Her dad was a bus driver; her mom later became a Clifton crossing guard in front of St. Paul’s School. The family also included Joe, a future Clifton postman, and Adeline, a nurse. As a child, Sarah played baseball and ice skated, and wanted to write for the newspaper when she grew up. “Every time I made a mistake,” she laughed, “my fifth grade teacher Miss Durfee reminded me I wanted to be a reporter.” With the prospect of a secure job, Lombardo left high school in 1943 to become an employee of New Jersey Bell, located on Prospect St. in Passaic. “I became the second Italian-American employee at that location,” she said. “At that time, Italians were looked down upon. But I worked hard. I was an operator for a year before becoming a supervisor.” Lombardo loved her job, laboring on an old-fashioned switchboard with its maze of cords, plugs and little lights. Callers would request a number, and operators would plug the cord in, completing the call. “They were strict,” Lombardo said. “There was no air conditioning in the switch room, and we were not allowed to talk with each other. We had to handle the cords in a precise way, be polite at all times – even if we had an angry customer.” Despite the discipline, Lombardo found the job exciting. “When an incident happened,” she remembered, “like when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, the whole place lit up. We thought it was the end of the war. Any happening, the switch room would light up.” In 1945, Sarah, then 17, moved with her family to Barkley Avenue in Clifton. She also began dating her future husband, Fred, whose family lived next to her grandparent’s house on Chestnut St. in Passaic. The two would marry in 1946 and be together for 65 years. History, faith and destiny With son Joe born in 1947 (daughter Elaine would arrive four years later), the Lombardos settled first in Passaic and then in East Paterson (now Elmwood Park). However, because of young Joe’s severe asthma, the family sought a different climate, settling in 28 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Fred and Sarah Lombardo with Joe and Tess Grecco.
Los Alamos, N.M. – home of the atomic bomb. “Neighbors in East Paterson told us about Los Alamos,” Lombardo said. “It’s a city built on a mesa. To enter, you had to show your photo to a guard with a bayonet. My husband worked in security. I’d see the atomic bomb tested every day – mushroom clouds from miniature explosions. The whole house would shake.” Seeking help for Joe’s condition, the family visited El Santuario de Chimayo, a sacred Catholic site dubbed “Lourdes of America,” whose sand was said to heal the sick. “I rubbed the sand on his chest,” Lombardo said. “When they checked him later, his lungs were clear.” With their son’s health improved, the Lombardos happily moved back, settling on Clifton’s Washington Ave. Fred finished his degree at Montclair State Teachers College, ultimately gaining a position at Clifton High as an Industrial Arts teacher. With her children in school, Sarah also began working. While shopping on Main Ave., she noticed Clifton Tax Collector Jack Murphy carrying a tray of sandwiches into City Hall to celebrate an occasion. “I thought, ‘What a nice place to work,’” Lombardo remembered. She applied for the switchboard operator’s job in 1959, took her Civil Service exam, and was soon answering calls. “I loved meeting people,” she said. “I got the most liberal education one could have – made a lot of
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friends and learned politics, inside out.” She also learned how important she was to the city’s operation. “I could never stay home during heavy storms,” she said. “The police or DPW would come and get me to bring me to work. I had to be at the switchboard.” Not all her job duties were straightforward ones, as Lombardo learned. “Once a potential suicide victim called in,” she remembered. “I kept him on the line, notified the police and they intervened. And, during court days, I would watch and make sure no one went in with suspicious packages. I had a panic button ready.” While she endeavored to be professional to all callers, there were a few times when Lombardo’s patience was exhausted. “During a snow storm,” she said, “a man on Luddington Ave. kept calling because he had shoveled his driveway and the plow had gone through and plowed him in. He wanted the snow removed. I told him that I reported his complaint every time he called, but the DPW was busy getting the roads clear. “The last time he called, I said, ‘I’m getting off at 4 o’clock. I’ll be there to shovel it for you.’”
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Front row seat Lombardo’s role gave her a unique vantage point as she observed the city’s inner workings. Seeing a need, she began helping her fellow city employees better learn Civil Service rules and regulations. During her career, she became president of Clifton City Employee’s Association (1979-81) and president of Clifton City Employee Supervisors Organization (1982-84). Lombardo also helped both groups negotiate their first labor contracts with city. She also made sure to help the many reporters covering City Hall, including Tom Sullivan of The Morning Call, George Homcy, Gordon Bishop and Art Weissman of the Herald-News, Jenny DeMonte of The Record, George Kroll of the Dateline Journal, and Alex Bidnik of the Independent Prospector. And she observed Clifton’s city managers in action. “Holster ran a tight ship.” Lombardo said. “He kept taxes low, but I don’t believe there was a permanent road in the city. The Recreation Department was nothing like it is today. In the old City Hall, there were women who were afraid to be seen by Holster going to the water fountain – that’s how bad it was. It was a different world then.”
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Mayor James Anzaldi and Clifton City Council and School Board members recognize the Dr. Joseph Grecco Football Scholarship Committee, which raised and contributed more than $29,000 in scholarships and equipment. The committee was founded by Sarah and Fred Lombardo upon Grecco’s passing.
However, that didn’t stop Lombardo from standing up to her boss at times. “The women came to me and said, ‘We can’t find dresses for work – we want to wear pants suits.’ He summoned me to his office. He said, ‘You’re the ringleader with these pants suits.’ In my purse, I had an ad from Macy’s that called them ‘three-piece business suits’ – jacket, tank and pants. “He had no choice but to allow it – I had my facts. He said, ‘You’re in charge. I don’t want to see anyone without a jacket on.’ Any time a woman took her jacket off, I got a call.” “Another time, he wasn’t going to close City Hall for Martin Luther King Day. I got a copy of the federal law which said we had to close, and gave it to (City Administrator) Joe Lynn to show him. Joe came back and said, ‘You got it.’ Holster hung a sign, ‘Closed for an Official Day’ on City Hall’s front door.” Lombardo also got to work with other city managers, including Frank Mileto, Joe Lynn and Roger Kemp. “They created a much more relaxed atmosphere, but all adhered to rules and regulations,” she said. Lombardo admired other leaders. “Billy Walters of the Housing Department contributed a lot to Clifton, as did Judge Harry Fengya. 32 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Both city clerks, Edith Marion and Betty Lutz, ran efficient offices. On the Council, Les Herschaft did an awful lot of good in this town, as did Izzy and Gerry Friend. Louise Friedman, Bill Bate and Gerry Zecker were good leaders,” she said. Another influential leader whom the Lombardos supported was Clifton Councilman and State Assemblyman Joe Grecco. Grecco, wife Teresa and the Lombardos were also close friends, taking many trips abroad. “I also got to work with Mayor Jimmy Anzaldi when he was 18-years-old on the United Way Committee,” Lombardo said. “Since then, we’ve worked on Youth Week and on every one of his campaigns. I think Jimmy and City Manager Nick Villano are doing a good job keeping the city intact – we’re lucky to have them.”
Watching over Clifton Lombardo worked at her job until Dec. 8, 1992, deciding to call it a career after husband Fred suffered a heart attack. Today, she lives in the Woodland Park townhomes overlooking Clifton on Garret Mountain. “It’s ironic that I got so many calls complaining about the blasting when they were building these homes,” she said. “Now I live here.” She’s also happy to be remembered from her time in City Hall. “I still get compliments about my work,” Lombardo said. “Today when you call City Hall, everything is the phone menu. We lost a little bit with all the efficiency. “I don’t like talking to machines; do you?”
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Passaic County Employers: 973-340-3400 • Ext. 7223 Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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Clifton marked its 100th anniversary on April 26 by unveiling the contents of a capsule buried in Jubilee Park 50 years ago. Filled with newspapers, momentos such as scout badges, photos and a greeting penned by then Mayor Joseph Vanecek, Centennial committee members pulled items from the capsule and put them on display within City Hall. Events opened with the call to colors and the daughters of Vanecek (at top right) read his note penned in 1967.
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Former Mayor Jerry Zecker and current Mayor Jimmy Anzaldi also spoke and clergy of various faiths offered blessings. If you missed this event, other upcoming Centennial events are listed here.
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May 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 2017 Theater League of Clifton presents a Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical Review: Some Enchanted Evening Location: 199 Scoles Ave. May 13, 2017 Masquerade Cocktail Party Location: Athenia Veterans Post May 21, 2017 Centennial Parade Location: Streets of Clifton
August 9, 2017 West Point Band Location: Clifton
September 30, 2017 Clifton Scavenger Hunt Location: Various Clifton Locations
August 15, 2017 Clifton Night Subway Series Yankees vs. Mets Location: Yankee Stadium
October 25, 2017 US Marine Band Performance Location: CHS Auditorium
September 23, 2017 Bus/Ferry Trip to Ellis Island & Liberty Island Location: NYC/NJ
October 21, 2017 Trip to 9/11 Memorial & Museum Location: NYC Info: cliftonnj.org or on FB “Celebrate Clifton’s 100th”
June 3, 2017 Clifton Garden Club Trip to Laurelwood Arboretum, Wayne July & August 2017 Summer Concert Series Location: Woodrow Wilson MS July 20, 2017 Clifton Night at the Jackals Location: Yogi Berra Stadium
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The Marching Mustangs and plenty of other bands and marchers will step up on May 21, 2 pm, for Clifton’s Centennial Parade, starting at Clinton and Colfax Aves. and terminating at Main Memorial Park. Three “viewing streets,” with signs at each location listing specific neighborhoods, will encourage watchers to represent their own home turf. There is still time to get involved: call Norma Smith, 973-330-1693; Ellis Berger, 973-951-8585 or Keith Oakley, 201-774-6666.
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On May 1, Bishop Arthur Serratelli, many Sisters of Charity, Congressman Bill Pascrell and other elected officials and community people gathered at 39-55 Church St., Paterson, to unveil a commemorative marker on the original site of the first St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson. Kevin J. Slavin, president and CEO of St. Joe’s, said the marker serves as a constant recognition of the good work on behalf of the sick, ill and poor who rely on St. Joe’s in their time of need. Sept. 8, 2017, marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Joseph’s Hospital—now recognized as St. Joseph’s Healthcare System—by its sponsors, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth. Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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Rich Deska leads a field of thousands, making it all look easy. By Irene Jarosewich Year after year, generation after generation, Clifton continues to feel like a small town inside a big city. The commitment of thousands of volunteers means Clifton remains a comfortable place to live. Whether proud Mustang supporters, or coaches of sports teams, March for Life walkers or park cleanup planners, Clifton wants its kids to grow up with good memories about the city they call home. Born and raised in Clifton, a city he called home for 25 years, Rich Deska has those kind of good memories. His father Richard, known as Dick to family and friends, worked at the Passaic Rubber Company on Getty Ave., then coached basketball and football for the Rec Department in his spare time. His mom June, along with 40 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
other moms, prepared food for the players, and raised funds for the league. Deska played football and baseball in Clifton Eastern Division and baseball in the Clifton Babe Ruth League, where he was also an umpire from 1981-1983. Deska (CHS 1983) was a member of the Marching Mustangs. Along with younger sister Patti and older sister Donna, he belonged to the Garfield Cadets, a nationally recognized marching band. Both his parents, who lived in Clifton until they passed away a few years ago, were active in the American Legion – belonging to Post 147 in Elmwood Park. His father, a Korean War vet, was Commander 10 times and his mother stayed active in the Auxiliary.
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Pictured here: Four of the more than 600 Special Olympians in Passaic County.
Coming of age in the 1970s, Deska remembered, “Growing up in Clifton was great! Playing ball, going to Nash Park all summer, Fourth of July fireworks at Main Memorial Park, [and] being in the band were some of the best of times.” Graduating from Rutgers-Newark in 1987 with a B.S. in Accounting, Deska started a small tax practice that he still has today. He also went to work for Mutual of New York, which merged with AXA Equitable and where he continues to work as a Director of Reporting and Analytics. For the past four years, he has also served on a committee within the company called AXA Able, the purpose of which is to provide support to employees who have a disability or have family members and friends with a disability. For Deska, working with AXA Able is a continuation of a similar commitment he began years before – volunteering for the Special Olympics. Fueled by volunteers “My first involvement with Special Olympics was in Passaic County. I volunteered as an athlete escort at the county track and field competition at Wayne Valley High School in 1993,” said Deska, who had married wife Cathy in 1986 and had been living in Ringwood since 1990. “I brought my eldest step-daughter Jennifer to the event. She needed to do some community service for her Confirmation credit.” With this small step, Deska began two and a half decades of volunteering with Special Olympics-Passaic County (SOPC) and New Jersey (SONJ). Established in 1968, Special Olympics was founded on the belief that people with intellectual and physical disabilities can and should learn, enjoy and benefit from individual and team sports. The pioneer of this Special 42 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Olympics vision was President John F. Kennedy’s younger sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. What began with a one-time friendly competition of 1,500 athletes on Chicago’s Soldier Field almost 50 years ago has evolved into a global organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee and one that operates in 170 countries supporting more than five million special needs athletes – children and adults – in an effort fueled by committed volunteers working as coaches, coordinators, fundraisers. Noted Deska, “In Passaic County alone, we have between 600-800 athlete participants. Statewide, for Special Olympics New Jersey, it’s close to 24,000.” Soon after volunteering on that fateful day in Wayne, Deska began to volunteer with the SOPC committee as its treasurer. A short time later, he became the Assistant Area Director. “It’s in this position where I started to learn what it takes to host Special Olympics competitions in basketball skills, bowling, track and field,” he said. Special Olympics International commits a great deal of energy supporting both athletes, and volunteer coaches. Special Olympics modifies games so that the rules and skills work for children with special intellectual and physical needs. To be sure that everyone will be able to compete in the Special Olympics equally, coaches need to train their athletes by the same, modified rules so that the kids all get a fair shot. One thing led to another When Deska became an Area Director in 1998, he attended his first Special Olympics World Games in North Carolina. While in North Carolina, he met New Jersey Director for Bowling Della Porter, and after returning home, joined her committee to help
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organize regional and state compeClifton connection titions. “I’ve been an avid bowler Helen Counterman and hussince 1985. I still bowl today,” he band Brian are deeply involved in said. “In 2012, I was inducted into Special Olympics in Clifton, the Passaic County Bowling coaching the Clifton Recreation Association Hall of Fame for Strikers Special Olympics bowlMeritorious Service and began to ing team, which competes in the serve on the association’s board of Passaic County and New Jersey directors in 2014.” state competitions in Trenton. In November 2016, Deska was “We have known Rich for again honored, this time with the seven years,” said Counterman. Lou Costello Award from “Both of our children, Sarah and Paterson’s Old Timer’s Athletic Brian, Jr., are on the bowling Association for his many years of team, participate in track and field support for student athletes. The and basketball skills. We enjoy Thomas Marriello with his hardware. award was a proud moment for working with Rich. He’s really Deska, whose parents were born and raised in Paterson. dedicated to Special Olympics.” Deska’s meeting up with Porter in 1998, along with “My personal experience is that through Special his love of bowling, led him to coach the Thunderbirds Olympics my children get to socialize, be part of a – or T-birds – the name of the SOPC teams for bowling, community. They enjoy themselves. All the children as well as basketball, track and field. Through the enjoy winning medals, whether first place or tenth; it years, he also coached volleyball, floor hockey and socgives them more confidence to do things on their own. cer. The atmosphere for the events is very inclusive, fun “In Clifton, I can’t say I was a jock, growing up,” and accepting. It's really something to see all of these noted Deska, “but I was a pretty good athlete and children and adults so happy and so proud of their always enjoyed sports. Through sports you not only accomplishments,” she said. train your body, but build friendships and relationOne of the programs for special needs children 13 ships.” years and older that is run by Clifton Rec is a program “In 2004, I assumed the role as the Bocce Sports called Buddy Canteen. During the school year, on Director for New Jersey,” added Deska, “which I still Friday nights at the Rec Center on Main Ave., special do today, running three regional and one state competineeds teens gather to socialize – play board games, listion for our athletes. I love bocce. I learned to play at ten to music, sometimes a movie night, toss a few family picnics at the American Legion when I was a hoops. Counterman praised Barbara Powers, coordinakid.” tor for the Buddy Canteen program. He was selected to be the head coach SONJ’s Bocce “We moved to Clifton 20 years ago from Paterson,” Team in 2005 and took his team to the Inaugural noted Counterman, “and Clifton has been very good for Special Olympics USA Games in Ames, Iowa, in 2006 my children. Brian has autism and Sarah is communiwhere athletes from all 50 states competed. cation impaired. The schools, the teachers, the commuFor the past 10 years, he has served as bocce coach, nity have been supportive. as well as bocce official at USA Games and World “Over the years, we’ve seen changes in society. Most Games, most recently in 2016 at the Special Olympics people in society are now accepting of special needs Arizona Fall Sports Festival. Recently he was honored children,” she observed. “There are some who still don’t by SONJ with the organization’s Spirit Award for his want to be near special needs kids, but we continue to volunteerism and support. hope that they will change their minds.” 44 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
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Satisfaction in return While most people will praise Deska for what he gives to special needs children, he wants to be clear about what he gets in return. “I love being with this organization. I feel that they are an extended family and I’ve grown close to a lot of the athletes, their families, and other coaches,” Back a few year ago, that’s Rich’s support staff: , his dad, Richard, sishe said. ter Patti, her husband Jay and his sister Donna’s husband, Pat. “I’ve also been able to visit places “Being at practices you can see a lot of joking and that otherwise I may never have thought to visit,” he teasing each other. They can dish it out as well as they added. can take it. There’s a lot of affection,” Deska said. “Near the beginning, when I first joined the Special “During one competition, one athlete began to feel Olympics committee and went to a practice, I met a ill from the heat,” he recounted. “He went inside where group of athletes who asked me if I was married and there was AC and then returned when he felt better. I had kids. They asked me their names – Cathy, my wife told him the team would understand if he didn’t want to and my children Chris, Cara, Angela and Jennifer – and compete, and he told me that since we had worked so the kid’s ages,” he recalled. hard together, he wanted to at least try. “When I saw this group of athletes about a month “I remember the determination on his young face. later, they had asked about each one of my family He was young, but wise. And since then, I can say, members by name and when was I going to bring them we’ve become good friends,” Deska said. so they could meet them,” Deska said.
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Chemo, chemo, chemo - what a scary name Having fear is the worst part of this game ... Put on your boxing gloves and give it a great fight Knock the cancer bully out of your sight ... With prayers coming in from all directions Stupid cancer bully now has no protection ... by Irene Jarosewich
Mark June 10 on your Clifton calendar for this year’s Relay for Life, organized under the direction of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Now in its 13th year in Clifton, Relay for Life is a national grassroots program to raise funds for cancer research. (See sidebar on page 50 for more details.) Deaths from cancer nationwide have steadily decreased for the past two decades, due to early detection and better treatments, but the number of cancer patients diagnosed annually remains significant. Cancer survivors belong to a special group of people – those who truly understand the gift of life and are grateful to be around to live another day. After going into remission, survivors often become calmer and gain perspective about what’s important – and not so important – in life. “However, surviving cancer a second time is a whole different story,” said Terry Russo-Hudak. “That’s when you know that you’re a real fighter. To survive a second time, you have to dig deep. And when you come out, you want to live life only with optimism, and kindness.” Talking with Terry, you hear a hearty voice. A solid voice. A voice that reflects determination. To live each day fully. To try new things. She will do good by others. In 2007, about the time she became a Reiki Master, a Japanese technique to reduce stress and relax people, she also began to write poetry. Writing poetry helped her 48 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Terry in 2013 during treatment, and as a student at Pope Paul VI Regional High School in 1971.
stay strong through her first bout with uterine cancer in 2010, as well as through her second round in 2013. The lines above, excerpts from her poem “Chemo,” were written during her second battle. “It’s part of a message I share when I learn that someone will be going through chemo[therapy],” she said. “Chemo can make you so miserable. People just want to give up. People skip treatment, give up treatment. But you can’t give up. [You] have to fight through. So much of beating cancer is in keeping a positive attitude.” A family history Terry is Clifton born and bred, and has lived here her entire life. “I have three siblings, Jean, Pete and John. My parents, Louise and Peter, raised us in the
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Relay for Life Purple ribbons mark upcoming Relay for Life For those enduring a battle similar to Terry RussoHudak’s, and for those others who want to help, there’s this year’s Relay for Life, set to commence at 2 pm on June 10 at Clifton Stadium, and running until 2 am the following day. Ahead of the event, the Relay for Life Committee launched a Paint the Town Purple campaign this month, and said it would accept a proclamation May 2 by the Clifton City Council declaring the campaign and June 10-11 as Relay for Life Weekend in Clifton. Clifton residents can expect to see campaign decorations at light intersections, with volunteers from Coldwell Banker included in the mix. The theme for Relay for Life’s 12-hour event is: Somewhere Over The Rainbow Is A Cure For Cancer. The event agenda includes a Luminaria ceremony at 10 pm; each Luminaria bag lit “represents a loved one lost to cancer, brings support to those affected by it, and honors survivors,” ACS said. The 2016 Relay for Life of Clifton brought out 350 participants and 36 teams, and raised more than $63,000, according to Relay for Life Community Manager Sarah Greulich. About 55 survivors walked in the Survivors Lap, she added. For information to join the Relay for Life,, visit www.relayforlife.org/cliftonnj, or contact Sarah Greulich at 973-285-8030, or by email at sarah.greulich@cancer.org. To learn more about services provided by the American Cancer Society, visit www.cancer.org.
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Terry and Al who are married 44 years.
Maple Valley section. I attended St. Philip the Apostle grammar school, then Pope Paul VI Regional High School. I was in the charter class of 1971, with Eddie Welsh, Steve Hatala. Peter Eagler was Class of ’72,” she said. Her husband, Al Hudak, CHS Class of 1969, also grew up in Clifton, in the Allwood section. Al’s friend, Fred Englehart, introduced the couple who were then married in 1973 at St. Phillip the Apostle Church. The two marked their 44th wedding anniversary last January. The mid-70s brought a mix of joy and sorrow to the couple. “In 1976, my father died of pancreatic cancer,” said Terry. “Those were still the early days of chemo. It was rough. Then in 1998, my mother died of lung cancer – even though she had never smoked a day in her life. My mom was one of 10 children, five of whom died of cancer. My father was one of eight kids, six of whom died of cancer. It’s a tragic family history for us with this disease. It makes me even more determined to beat back the cancer bully. They taught me to stay strong, be brave.”
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Relay for Life Healing hospice Now in her third year of remission after her second battle with cancer, Terry wakes up each day determined to follow her parents’ advice. For more than 25 years, Terry has worked as an administrator with hospices in northern New Jersey. Right now she is with Hospice of New Jersey in Bloomfield where she is the Volunteer Manager – coordinating the work of dozens of volunteers who come to help with the hospice patients. Since hospice is the place where the terminally ill come to spend their final days, it might seem as though it could be a really sad place to work. Terry says no. “Hospice is a loving job, supportive and caring. Patients are given so much support and compassion from the staff and the volunteers. I love making someone else’s life easier. Hospice does not mean to stop living. It’s a way to give strength to patients to make the final days brighter and more manageable,” she said. Sometimes Terry, or one of the volunteers, eases a patient’s pain by singing with or for them. Another favorite is her “Hands Project.” “I trace the patient’s hands, cut them out of their favorite color paper and glue the cut-outs onto a 12”x12”
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scrapbook page. Then I embellish the page with their life events so that the family has a memory of their loved one,” Terry said. In 2011, 16 co-workers nominated Terry for the Andrew T. Parker Torchbearer Award given by the national American Hospice Management organization. The award is named after the co-founder of the AHM to honor an individual that embodies the spirit and compassion of hospice care, an individual who is instrumental in progressing hospice services in his or her community. More than 800 individuals were nominated from throughout America the year that Terry won. “My hospice story that was presented for the award was a patient, Dolly, without insurance. No one is turned away from hospice for inability to pay,” she explained. “Dolly, 56, was unable to attend her daughter’s wedding. With the help of some of my fellow co-workers, I organized a way to Skype the wedding for our bedbound patient. Dolly’s favorite color was blue, so I brought her a blue gown of mine to wear. I cut the back of my dress to make it fit over her hospital gown. Our hospice aide put makeup on her. Cutting flowers from a bouquet in the room, I made her a corsage.
“She looked so beautiful and was so excited. On the morning of the wedding, I decorated her room. We had wedding bubbles and a cake as we Skyped the ceremony and reception in our in-patient unit,” Terry said. “Dolly was thrilled. She blew kisses through the laptop and clapped as her daughter said her vows. We all blew bubbles at the end of the vows and laughter filled the room. “Dolly’s life was complete and she passed away peacefully and happy four days after the wedding. Patients often reserve their strength for a special event and then let go gently and in peace,” she concluded. Her battles against cancer have given Terry a real appreciation for the risk to life and limb our soldiers take every day to make sure we keep our way of life. “I honestly don’t think we, as a country, do enough for our veterans. I believe we all should be thanking them for the sacrifices they make for our freedom,” she said. “Each Veterans Day I visit the VA Hospital in East Orange,” she said. “I make it a point to try and personally thank at least 100 vets that day. I give each of them a personal certificate of thanks from me. With some of them, I do my Hands Project. I trace their hands. For the veterans, I call these outlines ‘The Hands of a Hero.’”
Advice for life While Terry cannot say she is happy that she has had to battle cancer, she is happy for the lessons learned. “I really believe this – may kindness be your daily guide,” she said. “Take time to enjoy the simple things in life. Be grateful. People should forgive each other. Don’t hold grudges; negativity will kill your spirit. Help and share with those in need. Do not relish the material things in life; they are just things. “Don’t hold onto anger,” she continued. “Forgive others, even those who don’t have the smarts to say I’m sorry to you. Cherish your family. When someone is afraid, hold their hand to calm them and bring them peace. Never burn bridges. You may have to cross them again,” she counseled. For those with cancer, she offered some additional advice. “I Can-Cer-Vive is how to accept cancer when it is hard to say the word ‘cancer.’ Stay positive. Don’t let fear control you. Go to the shore and listen to the waves. Make a video on your phone to replay when you feel afraid. Listen to soft music, laugh at comedy TV shows,” she said. “Stick with treatments; they are a gift of life. And I truly believe God will protect you.”
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973-253-4400 Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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PLAYER TURNS By Joe Hawrylko On March 6, Glen Rock High School won its first NJ State Hockey Title with an 8-1 win over Monmouth County’s Wall High School, capping a dominant season in which the Panthers entered the NJSIAA State Tournament as the top-seeded team. Behind the Glen Rock bench was second year Head Coach Anthony Yelovich, CHS ’06 and a former standout forward for the Mustangs on the ice. “My senior year, when we won Countys and League, that was one of my favorite hockey memories,” recalled Yelovich, 29, who was a two-time The Record Player of the Year as a Mustang, and led the state in scoring as a senior. “We made pretty deep runs in the state tournament before, but that was probably my favorite year. We had a big senior class, with about 12 kids that I grew up with, so that was pretty meaningful to me.” Yelovich will be inducted into the CHS Athletic Hall of Fame this fall, along with Cara Boseski, Deanna Giordano, Paul Kornaszewski, Stephen Yacykewych, Coach Richard La Duke, Contributor Florence Calise, the 2006 CHS Fighting Mustangs and the 2001 CHS girls soccer team. (For tickets, call 973-470-2280.) For Yelovich, hockey triumphs and memories led him to coaching after his professional career in the Austrian Hockey League came to a close in 2013. 54 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Anthony Yelovich (CHS 2006) is among thee 2017 CHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees this fall..
“For me, the Nutley-Clifton youth team is where it started. I played there when I was younger, and I started coaching at the peewee level there eventually,” he explained. “I started at 3 years old at Clary Anderson in Montclair, and played travel hockey. I didn’t play for Clifton until I got to high school and played for Tommy Danko. I always draw on how fun high school was. You always dream of playing with your friends and winning a state championship.” Unfortunately, Yelovich wasn’t able to capture that elusive championship while playing for Clifton. After CHS, he joined Gunnery Prep in New England, and was a member of one of the top scoring lines in junior hockey, which resulted in him being recruited to Sacred Heart University. There, he played four years of hockey, going as far as the Atlantic Hockey finals in 2008. “There’s a lot of passion for hockey in New England. There’s a lot of excitement in the atmosphere there,” he recalled. “In college, there was a lot of work away from the rink. Weight room, yoga, spin class… it’s a little eyeopening. You get away with talent in high school, but at the next level, you don’t have an opportunity to get away with anything.”
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Although he was an athlete training year-round, Yelovich studied hard, and graduated with degrees in economics and in finance. “I always wanted to do finance, but double majoring in economics wasn’t many extra credits,” he explained. “To be honest, I never thought much of the work load. I was just focused on being in college and doing my best. I just wanted to play as long as I could. Eventually, in my junior and senior years, I started to get some interest, and then agents started calling me,” he said. Overseas pros and cons Yelovich fielded several offers, including US opportunities, but opted for the additional money that came from playing in Europe, and signed with Medvescak Zagreb of the Austrian Hockey League in 2012. “I was 23 and it was my first time living overseas. I think the hardest part was grocery shopping. You don’t know how much you appreciate the English language. One time, I went to get sour cream, and ended up with something more like ricotta cheese,” he laughed. “But, overall, the language wasn’t too hard to learn. I never drove a stick car, and they gave me a stick car with my
56 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Yelovich today with his parents, Tony and Diane.
name on it and a giant logo on it. I remember bunny hopping a lot the first few times. “Once, I got some road rage because people were honking at me,” Yelovich said. “But they were actually beeping and giving me thumbs up. I had no idea how big this team was until our first home game, when there’s 8,000 screaming people and a fire show going along with drums and flags as you enter the ice. It’s almost like you’re a rock star; these guys wanted my autograph. You quickly realize how big it is to the community.” In addition to the car, perks included a no-trade clause in his contract, as well as rent-free living. “My now wife, Karissa, came with me to Austria and Croatia, and the team was able to get her a teaching job as well,” said Yelovich, who married his wife in September of 2016. “It was a great experience, and you get to travel. We met while I was in college, in my senior year. We took a leap of faith and it all worked out.” Yelovich fondly recalls when several National Hockey League stars played in the Austrian Hockey League during the 2012-2013 NHL Lockout. “There were a lot of guys who came over, including Thomas Vanek, Johnny Boychuk, Sam Gagne, and others. That just made my time there even more crazy,” he recalled Yelovich. “It did push me down the line up a bit, but you realize how close you are, but not really. They do all the little details to perfection. You might be able to skate the rink stride for stride, but every pass is tape to tape, every shot is just under the bar.” As the season ended, Yelovich returned home expecting to head back for the start of August. “June 30, the general manager calls and says they’re going to the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia,” he recalled.
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Change in plans Yelovich left, since the new league wouldn’t be honoring his contract, and he was suddenly a free agent with barely a month left until the start of the season. “I thought I was going to play another year. I had other offers, but I was chasing a dollar amount that was never coming. “Next thing you know, it’s September, and the season had already started in July,” he recapped. Yelovich returned to the US after turning down some late-season offers, and began coaching youth hockey and teaching private lessons, which eventually led to his first job in corporate banking. But Yelovich continued to seek high school coaching jobs. In 2015, he was named head coach of the Nutley High School hockey team. “Coaching high school, it’s a little different than coaching travel hockey. Travel, it’s a bit more of elitelevel players. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose, as long as they get to the next level,” he explained. “With high school hockey, it’s a family atmosphere. It’s nice seeing kids come together for a common goal.” However, when longtime Glen Rock coach Sergio Fernandez decided to step down after the Panthers
reached the state finals in 2016, one of the top jobs in the state suddenly was open. “When I applied for the job in Glen Rock, I went in, and they didn’t even want to let me leave without the job,” explained Yelovich. “We have a great staff. We started in November and it just kept building. We lost to one public school the entire year… our second game.” Now crowned a State Champion in just his second year of coaching high school, Yelovich has earned a break. Until training camp starts up, he will focus on teaching lessons and his career as an underwriter for commercial real estate at Kearny Bank. “That first year of coaching, I had to prove myself. As long as I get my work done, they are flexible,” Yelovich said of his employers. “Some days, I am there at 6 am after doing private lessons from 5 to 5:45, and then I am coaching or giving lessons after work,” he explained. “I guess I ended my playing career too soon. I just love hockey. That’s why I’m passionate about coaching. I just enjoy sharing my knowledge with kids chasing their dreams,” he said.
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By Douglas John Bowen
A broken back suffered during high school altered Karin Korb’s life. She wouldn’t change a thing.
The juxtaposition may puzzle some. Karin Korb, CHS 1985, broke her back 33 years ago. Offered a hypothetical “do-over,” she would turn it down. “I would never, in a million years, change what happened,” she stated flatly during an interview last March. In part, that’s because she’s taken her experience and applied it proactively, helping others around the world who have faced similar challenges. In part, it’s because Korb insists her disability is only one facet of her life – and not a dominant one, at that. “Life has been very good to me,” she declared. Korb currently is Policy & Public Affairs Coordinator for Birmingham, Ala.-based The Lakeshore Foundation, whose “mission is to enable people with physical disability and chronic health conditions to lead healthy, active, and independent lifestyles through physical activity, sport, recreation, advocacy, policy and research.” Korb revels in being able to fulfill such a mission – and not just because of her own experience. “I may have this physical paralysis but true paralysis is of the heart, of the mind. When you have that, you won’t move forward. The wheelchair part of my life is the easiest part of my life,” she stated. Harder to conquer are the attitudinal barriers set in place by individuals, corporations or cultures. Korb remains unfazed. “The world hasn’t caught up to me,” she said with some defiance. 60 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Hurt in high school Korb broke her back in her junior year at CHS, while vaulting during a gym exercise. When it’s suggested that such an exercise, certainly requiring skill, doesn’t automatically conjure up concerns about serious injury other gymnastic pursuits might, Korb replied, matter-of-factly, “But it happened. It shows something can happen to anyone, any time. I tell people that all the time. It is life.” She chafed while in rehab. “When I broke my back, the projection from so many people was, ‘Oh my gosh, are you going to walk again?’” Korb resented it, and discovered an insight. “The question really was, are you defined by walking? It was a projection of someone else’s greatest fear onto me. “For me, it was, can I just get back to my life?” she continued. “Why am I doing this? For whom am I doing this? Because this does not define me.” Impatient to resume living and not dwell on the change. “I was in a big rush to get back to school,” she said. “I’ve got places to hang out, I thought, and I was determined to graduate with my class, not get left a year behind.” She indeed accomplished that, graduating in 1985 with her class. But Korb also became keenly aware of a broader perspective. “I loved high school” throughout, she said, but “it was exactly how high school is. It’s an adventure for those who are accepted in their group. It’s not as adventuresome, not so wondrous, when you’re part of a marginalized group.”
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“How do you create an To a degree, Korb experiattitudinal shift?” Korb enced both sides of the equaasked rhetorically. It’s a tion. But even that became a question applicable to plus: Seeing the “other side” (and for) “anyone” who’s of things gave Korb the motiat a disadvantage of some vation to help others, not just kind, not just a physical physically but mentally and disability, she added. emotionally, which led to a And though the US successful career. Karin’s dad Robert, who passed 10 years ago from could do better, it’s done Unlike some in her situacancer, and her mom Hedwig in a recent photo. better at addressing such tion, Korb had a strong netissues than some other nations, Korb allowed. “It would work of support. “My experience, the reaction of people take me two weeks to decompress once back in the US,” around me, was different on the external things and largshe said. “It can take something out of you.” er world – not necessarily with my peer group. I have to give props to my friends in Clifton. My friends never Gone to Alabama treated me differently. I was still Karin,” she recalled. Happy with her solo career and at home in Ft. They’re still her friends, she added, and she reaches Lauderdale, Korb found herself sought by The out to them, many of them still Clifton residents, every Lakeshore Foundation. “About two years ago, my directime she visits her roots. “It’s home; it’s like the foundator, Amy Rauworth, who is a visionary, approached me tion of my life. I know when I go back to Clifton, my about the position I currently hold.” But Korb was skepfriends are there,” she said. Among them are Maria tical, despite the fact that she had worked with Rauworth Salerno Wiebe, Paulette Balkjy Kashtan, Dawn Sansico on multiple projects over a 10-year period, and worked Smaha, Gerri Crammer (Smaha), Ray Smaha, Mike well. Mazzeo and Angie Pecarraro. “So many… I try to see Korb was comfortable with her career as it stood. “I them when I get home,” she added, saying most of the worked for myself for about 10 years, only for corporacommunication is all on Facebook. tions that are likeminded,” Korb recalled. “I only affiliated myself with people I really cared for. And I was forPainting a larger picture tunate enough to have global clients that sustained my Aware of the larger trend to marginalize the disabled, lifestyle.” Korb has carved out a career in combating such conRauworth, showing a persistence matching Korb’s straints. “I started doing work for the [US] State own, kept asking Korb to reconsider, and submitted a job Department and its Sports Envoys program, promoting description to Korb via email. “I called Amy and asked, sports diplomacy in various countries like Bulgaria, ‘What does this mean?’ She said, ‘Are you seriously Rumania, or Trinidad & Tobago. I would go to these looking at this position? It’s written for you.’” places, and help facilitate profound changes” among disKorb remained undecided for another week. “This abled constituents there, whether it was organizing, lobwas a no-joke position; do I really want this gravity and bying, or advancing changes in physical infrastructure. social responsibility?” she recalled thinking. But in time, “Sometimes it’s just listening and helping people nav“it became clear that this is where I’m going.” igate in their own communities,” she observed. “It’s realShe’s happy she went. “My life has become so rich ly important to be a bit of a chameleon,” and notice just and so abundant – I can literally see the flowchart of my how disabled people are challenged – or slighted – in a given region or country. life.” Indeed, for countries such as Rumania, such a chalKorb has high praise not just for her current employlenge applied to an even larger subset of the population, er but for the city of Birmingham itself, which she including but not limited to the treatment of orphans. claimed is very progressive “aside from our poli62 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
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tics. I really like it here, contrary to what some might expect. We have amazing restaurants here. I’m a vegetarian, but if someone wants to know where to get a great steak, I can direct him or her.” As for her employer of just more than one year, “Lakeshore Foundation is a pinnacle organization, with a solid rep for what we do. It’s an absolute privilege to work with the colleagues that I do. I can’t believe that every day I get to do what I do.”
“Including, when they had classes scheduled upstairs, they brought them downstairs,” Korb ardently emphasized, stressing the last five words one at a time. “And trust me, that’s not the norm even today for most places – not even in the slightest.” Not even 27 years later, or since July 26, 1990, when ADA became the law.
Working for dialogue “People are still not having conBack in the day in Mr. Slokoff’s versations,” Korb said, in equal parts art class at Woodrow Wilson. frustrated and ready to take on the challenge. Well-intentioned authorities may be eager and able to help. But “when people make decisions on Still considers Clifton home access, they’re usually making it based on legal compliAnd yet, Korb asserted that “the Jerz” (Jersey attitude) ance, and not by inviting someone with a disability to the has never left her, and she still considers Clifton her table, who could offer real-time information.” home. “My parents were immigrants from western Korb, in her role at The Lakeshore Foundation, works Germany, [but] living in Clifton, being ‘first generation’ to combat that one-way information pipeline. “Since I was the norm,” she said. “Many of my friends’ parents work in policy, you’re always doing a deep-dive into also were from somewhere other than America.” information. Then you look at leadership,” she Even before breaking her back, Korb learned to explained. appreciate the city’s constant display of kindness and tolIn addition, “I will get the perspective” from both erance for diversity. “Clifton is just the hub; you can get older and younger people. “Each has a perspective; each every single walk of life, especially now,” she observed. might see something I don’t,” she pointed out. Another advantage: Clifton has different neighborSuch sharing drives Korb not just while working but hoods with different identities, so “you know where you in the other aspects of her daily life, which still includes are. Although, Korb realized while laughing, she’s not gymnastics, traveling and cooking. “I’m a big fan of sure which neighborhood her childhood home falls withlearning. The more I learn, the more empathetic I can be, in, even now when she visits her mother. “It’s between and the more empathetic I can be, the more I can help Grove St. and Ploch’s Garden Center; what neighborother people,” she said. “I know it sounds impossibly hood is that? Richfield? I can’t really say!” she admitted, idealistic, but I believe it. cheerfully relishing the inconsistency. “When there’s darkness, whatever you think that is, Korb also lauds Clifton High School lavishly for its whatever makes you roll your eyes, whether it’s spirituongoing ability to adapt to change. “Years before the al or scientific or something else – darkness is just the [Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA], CHS had a absence of light,” Korb counseled. For those with an student that had some litigation with the school. And I’m abundance of light to share, “It’s our job to sprinkle that grateful to him and his mom, because that created the around. There have been thousands of people who have access for me to have just a regular student experience” done that for me – whether they know it or not.” as she wrapped up her own four years with CHS. CHS may have balked at first as it wrestled with a Korb has no desire to change her life. But she’s had new and different reality, but by the time Korb herself the desire and the ability to make other people’s lives became disabled, it was ready and willing to accommomuch better. date her as best it could, Korb allowed. No do-over required. 64 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
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Music is a driving force for Mackenzie Miller – and vice versa. In school and out, Miller, April’s Student of the Month, does her best to share her knowledge, interest and love of music with her fellow students at CHS, and indeed anyone else. “She is an excellent student and eager to help those who have difficulty [with] their music,” noted CHS teacher Natalie Babiak. “She is a talented musician playing the viola, cello [and] oboe.” Observed CHS music teacher Bryan Stepneski, “Mackenzie is particularly thoughtful. She clearly cares for the people she surrounds herself with and the groups she participates in. Mackenzie is a role model and is always eager to help underclassmen.” Mustang pride is part of Miller’s personal recipe. “To date, my best school experience has to be choosing to be in the Show Band of the Northeast, the CHS Mustang Marching Band,” she said. “I feel like the coolest and strongest person when I have the uniform on. I am part of a group of the most talented and dedicated people I know. It has always taught me to give my 100% in everything I accomplish.” Her accomplishments to date include Miller’s induction this school year into the National Honor Society. “I’ve also maintained Distinguished Honors for all three years of my high school career,” the CHS junior said. “Some of my favorite subjects include English, 66 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Band and Strings. I like to read and actually like writing essays in English class,” Miller asserted. “I like band and strings because they are a big part of my life and the teachers rock. I am the only student at CHS to take band and strings as my electives. “I do not have a favorite teacher because all of my teachers have helped me excel through my years in high school,” she added. “My extracurricular activities include being in a Tri-M [Music Honor Society] member, playing the viola in the Honors String Ensemble and Orchestra with Ms. Babiak [and] playing the oboe in the concert band and wind ensemble with Mr. Stepneski,” she said. “I played the oboe in the pit in this year’s production of ‘Once Upon A Mattress.’ I was involved in the musical my freshman and sophomore year of high school on stage. I am also a member of the Clifton Community Band directed by Mr. Morgan. And lastly, I play the mellophone in the CHS Mustang Marching Band,” she said. “In the summer, I volunteer at the ISEE Program with the Music Department at the High School Annex. I also perform rock music for my brother’s school in a small ensemble,” she said. Miller draws strength and inspiration from her older brother Joshua, who has autism. “Not having a typical sibling relationship growing up has shaped me into the person I am today, she mused. “I appreciate all
Mackenzie Miller
the little things in life a little more and embrace that he has autism rather than shy away from it. He has inspired me to do my best in everything I do in life.” What might lie ahead? “My future aspirations as of right now are to major in music performance on my oboe and learn the English horn as well. I want to play in orchestras, movie soundtracks, or compose music for them,” Miller said. Asked to name her favorite instruments, Miller quipped, “Hmm, this has to be the hardest question. I would have to say I favor the brass section as my favorite. Although I do play a woodwind instrument [the oboe], the brass section has always had a special place in my heart.” As for aiding and assisting other CHS students, her advice is straightforward: “Always be you and don’t ever underestimate yourself. Don’t let others intimidate you or make you feel like you’re not worth it,” she urged. “Always give your 100% in everything you do because in the end it will then be worth it.”
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ARTS & MUSIC
The Clifton Community Band is performing its 16th Annual Lollipops & Roses Intergenerational Concert on May 13, 2 pm, at the Clifton High School Auditorium. Admission is $7; children under 12 are free. Proceeds benefit the Clifton Education Foundation and the Clifton Community Band. Contact CliftonBand@optonline.net or phone 973-777-1781.
The 5th Annual Citywide Garage Sale will be held July 8 to benefit the Clifton Arts Center. Participation fee is $25 per location, of which $15 is a tax-deductible donation to Clifton Arts Center Inc. The Arts Center will provide advertising for each individual garage sale in posters, newspaper classified ads and online. They will create a citywide listing of all participating homes with addresses organized by neighborhood. In addition to the online ads, the list of participating home locations will be posted on flyers at the libraries, City Hall and other public places, beginning three days prior to the event. Register at the Clerk’s office at City Hall before 3 pm on June 29. For info, contact Arts Center Advisory Board Chair Jeff Labriola at 973-698-4075.
The Clifton Arts Center will hold its annual Tag Sale at the Senior Barn on July 8, rain or shine. Don’t confuse this with the citywide garage sale as this event will allow residents to drop off items which volunteers from the Arts Center will sell. Donations such as fine or costume jewelry, small furniture, china, crystal, fashion accessories such as scarves or purses, table linens, and handcrafted items are welcomed. Profits from items sold support the Arts Center. Drop off items at the Senior Barn on July 7 from 3:30 to 5 pm. Info at 973-472-5499. Saint John’s Episcopal Church, 215 Lafayette Ave., Passaic, hosts a tour of the historic structure and offers an open house on May 6 at 4 pm. Call 973-779-0966.
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EVENTS Clifton Recreation Department’s Annual Bunny Bash at Nash Park April 8 drew about 1,500 of all ages. Families could purchase breakfast at The Hot Grill while The Easter Bunny walked around, interacted with the children and posed for pictures. On display was the new Mrs. Bunny’s Playstation. Participants also got to visit Mr. Bunny for a special treat and photos. This year’s Easter Bonnet Parade winners included Judges Favorite Child: Loreal Castro, Most Artistic: Valeria Mantilla, and Most Creative/Unusual: Kira Kruse. Children competed on pogo sticks to see how many “bunny hops” they could amass. Winners receiving trophies included: Kyle Sunga, Mia Turrin, Jordan Edie, Jennifer Franciso, Victor Serna, Cristina Pamacho and Evangeline Kohler. Financial/In-kind donations were received by private organizations and residents of Clifton to help defray the cost of prizes for the event. This year’s contributors included: TGI Friday’s, The Hot Grill, Mr. Cupcakes, The Castle Fun Center and Floyd Hall Arena.
Red Hat Angels host a fundraiser at Brunos in Clifton Plaza on May 17. Dine in, pick up or take out between 11 am to 9 pm, mention Relay for Life and 20% of the tab (before tax and gratuity) will be donated to the Red Hat Angels team. Come for great food and catch up with Chris Lizsner and her team. Assemblyman Tom Giblin, along with State Senator Nia Gill and Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, will host a meeting on May 10, 6:30 pm, at City Hall to discuss funding for Clifton Public Schools. Giblin, in an email to constituents, said the trio had met with “the respective school districts that we represent and with the Clifton Superintendent of School Richard Tardalo to obtain his input.” Giblin and his colleagues will “continue to take action to rectify this long overdue funding inequity,” which he said the NJ Department of Education has perpetuated “for many years.” Giblin said his office received over 2,000 emails expressing support for increasing the funding of Clifton schools.
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ENTERTAINMENT Passaic County Historical Society hosts pianist Sophia Agranovich on May 7, 5 pm in Lambert Castle, 3 Valley Rd. A Steinway Artist and Juilliard graduate she will perform works by Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. Admission: $15. She will be followed by Clifton’s acoustic rock band Blue Valley at the Lambert Concert Series May 21, 5 pm, with original music and favorite covers. Admission for each event is $15. For more details, go to lambertcastle.org or call 973-247-0085.
The Centennial Masquerade Party Committee invite you join them for a night of great food and music at the Athenia Veterans Post, 147 Huron Ave., 7 to 11 pm on May 13. Costumes and masks are welcome. Come enjoy Chef Todd’s cuisine, dance to the music of The Swingman and the Misfit Mutts and meet new friends as part of celebrating Clifton’s 100th birthday. Tickets are $40; call Norma Smith at 973 744-5707.
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Rainbow Montessori School’s Tricky Tray is set for June 2, at 6 pm at the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. Funds raised will be used to help fund Rainbow’s summer camp. A 50/50 raffle with super grand prizes will be featured, along with a silent auction of sports memorabilia courtesy of Pay It Forward Sports Marketing. Tickets are $20, which includes one sheet of small prize tickets; tables of 10 or more seats can be reserved. BYOB and food; dessert and coffee will be served. Adults only. Info at 973-772-2330 or by email at admin@rainbowmontessori.com.
EVENTS CHS Class of 1982 35th reunion is on June 17 at 6 pm, at Jenkinson’s in Pt. Pleasant. Cost is $75 and includes BBQ, beer and wine. Send payment to Kim Zagorski, 1651 Springfield Ave., New Providence NJ 07974 or via paypal.me/clifton82. Passaic High School Class of 1967 50th reunion is on July 8 at The Bethwood, in Totowa. On Friday, July 7, there will be a meet and greet of old Indians at a location to be announced. On Saturday morning a tour of Passaic High School will take place. Spread the word to classmates. For more info, call Stuart Brody at 973-340-1137 or Elise Lainoff at 201-280-6217. Clifton Parents Requiring Action and Information for Special Education (P.R.A.I.S.E.) is a non-adversarial parent support group for parents/families with special needs children. Their next meeting is May 22 at 7 pm at Allwood Library. Advocate Cheryl Connors and attorney Lori Arons from the advocacy group Child Means Child will present the Five Areas of Special Education. Email cliftonpraise@gmail.com for more info.
Look for Brookwood on a stage between Dunkin Donuts and Hookah Paradise at noon at the Downtown Clifton Street Fair on May 6. Other entertainment includes DJ Nick @ Nite who will appear at Union and Main, and DJ Aziz stationed at Madison. The event runs from 10 am to 5 pm along Main Ave. from Washington Ave. to Madison Ave. Info: 973-557-3886.
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Birthdays & Celebrations - May 2017
George and Joyce Zaloom celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on May 5. Gia Camille Genardi turned 17 on May 2. Greyson Pierce Tauber’s 4th birthday was May 2. Mnohaya lita (meaning Many Years to You) Stefan Andruch who turned 13 on May 3.
Happy Birthday to... Send your dates & names... tomhawrylko@optonline.net Richard Hango ................. Mike Szwec ..................... Samantha Cruz ................ Lou DeStefano .................. Jessica Perez .................... Jordan Lynn Bykowsky ....... Maria DeGraaf ................
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92 Birthday Blessings on May 8 to author Glory Read. 72 May 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
Julia Komarczyk................ 5/3 Irene Kuruc ...................... 5/3 Margie Maloney............... 5/3 Thomas Zangara .............. 5/3 John Anderson Jr............... 5/4 Spencer Flynn................... 5/4 Russell Courtney ............... 5/6 Dolores Hatala ................. 5/6 Jordan Kulesa................... 5/6 Vanessa Laine Montesano.. 5/6 Mary Domyon .................. 5/7 Margie Hatala.................. 5/7 Dorothy Alburo................. 5/8 Terry Capilli ..................... 5/8 Jim Findlay....................... 5/8 Alexandra Homsany ......... 5/8 Rory Houston ................... 5/8 Frank Lo Gioco................. 5/8 Ashley Kulesa................... 5/8 David Peter Mosciszko ...... 5/8 Matthew Nagy ................. 5/8 Christine Siluk .................. 5/8 Thomas Steranko .............. 5/8 Petey Pathos..................... 5/9 Ray Zang......................... 5/9 Joe Gore........................ 5/10
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Connie and Joe Sjosward will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on May 23. Their son Zach will turn 20 on May 31. Danah Alburo .............. 5/23 Jessica Bielen ............... 5/23 MaryEllen Krattinger ..... 5/23 Michele Perez .............. 5/23 Donald Lopuzzo ........... 5/24 Michael Santosuosso..... 5/24 Brittney Abell................ 5/25 Olivia Hryckowian........ 5/25 Connie Paladino........... 5/25 Derek Bykowsky ........... 5/26 Alyssa Dalbo................ 5/26 Kaylee Pinter ................ 5/26 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 Cliftonmagazine.com • May 2017
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EVENTS The Ladies Auxiliary’s 10th Annual Tricky Tray is May 12, with proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. To provide gifts for giveaways, purchase tickets, or those wishing to help in any way, can send tax-deductible donations to the Boys & Girls Club, 822 Clifton Ave., Clifton, NJ 07013, Attn: Ladies Auxiliary. For info or any questions, call 973-773-2697 x 143.
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Mayor James Anzaldi was honored by the St. Philip’s Knights of Columbus. He is seen with Grand Knight Richard Donkersloot and Past Grand Knight Ray Lill.
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