Echoes of LBI - 2019 Midsummer Dream Edition

he blazing brilliance of mid-summer has arrived with blue skies, billowing clouds, and the occasional pop-up shower that brings a welcomed break in the heat, waters the garden, and temporarily sends beach goers running for cover. Remarkably, this summer, the rain has been cooperative as most of it has fallen in the evening. Days on LBI have been warm, breezy, and glorious. Life on an island brings a keen awareness of weather and tides; everyone is a weather watcher and plans are made accordingly.

Born just fifteen-months apart, my sister Merry and I have always been best friends. Growing up, we enjoyed many of the same activities; shelling was a favorite for both of us. Walking the beach in search of shells was always exciting; every tide brought new treasures. Angel wings were Merry’s favorite shell. Thinking back, I can’t recall my favorite. Perhaps I didn’t have one because I loved them all. On the beach hunting for shells, our feet and imaginations carried us from Harvey Cedars to Beach Haven and back. We never gave a thought to where we were or how far we had ventured. Not knowing where we were was part of the fun – so we never checked the street end. Checking was saved for when we got tired. Somehow the surprise of discovering how far we had gone invigorated us to continue our search on the walk home for treasures left by the changing tide. Merry and I still walk the beaches in search of angel wings and tidal treasures. We still never check to see where we are, no matter how tired be get. We are exactly where we want to be – on the beach at LBI. When summer ends, a new season begins on LBI. The beach is never more beautiful, the ocean stays warm into late October, and in the changing light of autumn the Island takes on a different vibe. Fall on LBI is festival time from September through December – starting with the 11th Annual LBI Sea Glass and Arts Festival at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom on October 5th and 6th. Artists will be on hand to demonstrate their skills. Sign up for special classes. Additionally, this year we plan to take back the Guinness World Record™ title for conch horn blowing. So, come blow your horn. That same weekend is LBI’s famous Chowderfest. The LBI FLY International Kite Festival is October 11th through 13th.

November 30th and December 1st is Small Business Weekend and the 2nd Annual LBI Seashell Festival at Things A Drift. Saturday’s festival schedule includes The Shop Small – Big Homemade Cookie Challenge. The holidays will officially begin on December 7th with the Ship Bottom Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. Special holiday events will also take place throughout the month of December. Information about our events will be available on thingsadrift.com and on Facebook @thingsadrift, @lbiseaglassfest, and @lbiseashell.

This issue marks the passing of Rodney Sadler – who championed the cause for the restoration of the Lightship Barnegat. Denis and I were privileged to have known him. He will be missed by many.

As always, thank you to all who worked on this issue of Echoes of LBI, with a special thank you to our new photographer Jessica Foley.

It takes an island to publish Echoes of LBI. Enjoy the sunsets,

Cheryl Kirby, Publisher

echoesoflbi.com issuu.com/echoesoflbi Follow us @echoesoflbi

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ODE TO THE BARNEGAT LIGHTSHIP There she be Like two eyes On the open sea A welcome guide For all to see On way into the port Bless her light For Jersey’s coast Stirs up a fright But there she floats A welcome sight On way into the port Through winter storms Or summer’s breeze She sounds her horn And lights the sea And serves to warn On way into the port Tack toward Her blinking lights Now forward Through the ebon night And do not cower On way into the port —Randy Rush

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NANCY EDWARDS enjoys working in various water, acrylic and oil mediums, as well as photographing nature. She has exhibited in local and state shows, including being featured as part of The Ocean Show through the Visual Arts League and prides herself in using art to educate. After moving to Barnegat, she joined Pine Shores Art Association and served as their President in 2018. She recently helped to organize a fundraiser for the Lacey Township Underwater Rescue and Recovery. “If someone enjoys what he or she is doing, while learning new skills, they will continue to do it. My personal passion for teaching art and watching my student’s progress and learn to love art is what keeps me going,” says Nancy. “I love the art culture that is supported in Ocean County.”

New originals, cards, and prints of all artwork seen in Echoes of LBI are available at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom, NJ (609) 361-1668 Page 12 • Echoes of LBI

Artist: Julie Harris, Warrior Woman Floral Designer: Nancy Kunz. Vision: "The container represents the strong foundation needed for survival. The variety of greens represents the diversity of women. The rose was selected for its structure – layered petals of delicate beauty that awaken full bloom to represent hope and new beginnings. The tall, straight stems represent strength and determination, while the black cane represents the obstacles that challenge all women."

Artist: Triada Samaras, The Storm.

Floral Designer: Cathy Sutton Vision: "A large white tent in the middle of a field. There is a heavy nighttime rainstorm."

Artist: Raymond G. Horner, Jr., Untitled Floral Designer: Jeannette Michelson. Vision: "The tilt of the woman’s chin inspired the form of the arrangement. The bold, vibrant colors guided the flower selection. This woman seems to be enjoying the serenity of the moment."

Artist: Raymond G. Horner, Jr., My Mother Floral Designer: Jennifer Schwab. Vision: "To honor this watercolor, I have used flowers that echo the painting’s colors and rhythm. In addition, I’ve endeavored to express my emotional response to this artist’s beautiful portrait."

Artist: Judy Wukitsch, Eggshells in Plexi. Inspiration: "My jewelry and small sculptures metaphorically exemplify the seemingly opposing dynamics of strength versus fragility and durability versus vulnerability. What may be deemed weak, in reality is often a great asset bringing its own source of power."

Floral Designer: Judy Hack. Vision: A New Life!

Artist: Yasmeen Abdallah, A Pair of Textile Prints Floral Designer: Pam Masturzo, Thread the Delirious Needle and Of Stains and Remains. Vision: "The monochrome palette of the two textile printings dictated the choice of mosses as my plant material. I framed my design to show the relationship of the artist’s works."

Artist: Philip Shimko, Blowing Bubbles Floral Designer: Betty Frey. Vision: "I selected this painting out of the four that the artist had presented. Blowing Bubbles had an enormous amount of movement that I could interpret in my floral design. The brilliance of it excited my eye and helped me to select my flower choices."

Artist: Peter Syak, Sea Mount. Inspiration: A minimalist blue wave vase. The forms are reminiscent of racing sloops with high prows and sleek lines.

Floral Designer: Nancy Kunz. Vision: "I was drawn to this piece by its unusual shape and the delicate balance of the design. My intention was to honor the innovative simplicity of this work."

Kean University Faculty. Left to right: Peter Syak, Judy Wukitsch, Jennifer Crupi, Phillip Shimko, Joanna Wezyk, Paul Bonelli, and Raymond G. Horner, Jr. Left to right: Gillian Rozicer, Publicity Chair; Debbie McWilliams, Co-Chair; Teresa Hagan, President Garden Club and Andrea Rudner, Co-Chair Page 16 • Echoes of LBI

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NAUTICAL & NATURAL DESIGN • OVER 40 YEARS ON LONG BEACH ISLAND Home & Wedding Decor • Original Local Artwork • Shells & Shark Teeth • Authentic Sea Glass Artisan Jewelry • Books & Local Authors • Gourmet Foods • and more!

Customize your living space • Drop by for a consultation 406 Long Beach Blvd. • Ship Bottom, NJ 08008 • (609 361.1668 • thingsadrift.com

Follow us @thingsadrift

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JESSICA FOLEY is a local photographer born and raised at the Jersey shore. She recently joined the Surf Unlimited family. Her love of photography started in high school. She majored in psychology at Stockton University, but eventually decided she wanted to be part of the happier moments in peoples' lives instead of the difficult ones. Jessica began shooting professionally in 2008. As a mom of one she spends most of her free time with her eight-year-old daughter Emma.Â

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A DAY IN THE LIFE Whenever I look back in disbelief of all that went on back then it always catches me by surprise, that one day in August in the little two-masted dinghy, on the bay, for instance, the way I learned to lean into the wind, pulling on the jib as we changed direction, how we began on the east side of Barnegat Bay and landed on the west, pulling up on the white sandy spit, laughing the hair out of our eyes, falling back against the sand to stare up at the deep blue overhead, how it’s become imprinted like forever whenever a sky of blue sifts down.

—Norma Paul

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If I thought a string could hold you, I'd wish you were a kite.

And watch you soar above the world ‘til nearly out of sight.

And when I wished you down to earth, I’d pull the cord in tight And bring you back to me again, to tell about your flight.

Of all the things you saw from there as you watched me from that height.

And whispered of sweet images, while I held you through the night.

—Ron Bovasso

LBI FLY features giant kites, including a full size whale, fairytale creatures, flying scuba divers, sports, and so much more! Events throughout the weekend include a Mayor’s Cup Kite Battle with all six LBI mayors, a night fly at Barnegat Lighthouse, a kite garden installation by local school children, indoor kite flying demonstrations, children’s kite making, buggy kite rides, and a special candy drop.

This event is free to the public. LBI Shuttles will be running throughout the weekend. For more information visit lbifly.com

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ewer things are more fun for your four-legged friend than frolicking in the summer surf. Make sure to keep an eye on the tides and avoid strong waves that could sweep you or your pooch out to sea. A canine floatation device is recommended for those who aren't expert swimmers. Make sure not to keep your friend out too long on especially hot days, and always bring enough water for you and your pets. Check their paws for sand and debris, and avoid hot asphault or sand. If hiking along the paths of Barnegat Lighthouse, make sure to check for burrs and devil heads (water chestnut seed pods). Sometimes spending a day inside in the sir conditioning is best for everyone. Wishing everyone a happy and safe summer vacation!

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ong Beach Island is a barrier island of New Jersey’s southeast coast. It borders the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern side and several bays on its western side. Such bays include the Barnegat and Manahawkin Bays. Many mistake Long Beach Island as running due north and south when it actually runs north/northeast to south/southwest. This is important for a few reasons.

Because Long Beach Island is surrounded by water, and in the case of its east side a very large body of water, it is subject to marine influence. While land temperatures can range from below-zero to above 100 throughout the year, sea temperatures only range from the upper 30s to lower 80s. Therefore, the shorter temperature range of the sea naturally buffers Long Beach Island. In the winter Long Beach Island is warmer than most other New Jersey areas. In the summer, the island is cooler than surrounding New Jersey areas. This is known as a micro-climate. In this issue I will break down the science of one of my favorite micro-climate effects known as the sea breeze effect.

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Between about Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend the sea breeze effect shows its true colors. While areas inland near the urban I-95 corridor reach sweltering temperatures, the air above said areas is rising. Because atmospheric physics constantly want to equalize – this produces sinking air over the ocean to maintain balance. This then completes a circuit of the inland rising air moving out over the ocean and then falling with the sinking air.

The last circuit completion happens at the surface in the form of air moving off the ocean onto land. Since peak diurnal surface heating occurs between about 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. these are the prime hours for this circulating air to fetch surface air mass off the ocean.

In May and early June this fetch of ocean air can be chilly as the ocean is still in the 50s and lower 60s. By late-June through July the ocean air fetch becomes tolerable as the ocean warms into the upper 60s and lower 70s. August and September are peak annual sea temperatures – often clocking in near 80 degrees. With all of this said you can now see why the sea breeze provides natural air

conditioning for a barrier island like Long Beach Island – when inland temperatures reach into the 90s and sometimes in excess of 100.

The sea breeze effect is not always just pleasant relief from the beach heat. It is, in itself, a micro cold front. If this micro cold front moves aggressively enough off the ocean it can contribute additional lifting of the hot and humid air mass – causing a popup thunderstorm along the immediate coast and just inland.

These thunderstorms have different characteristics than the typical westward-approaching frontal systems. Sea breeze front-triggered thunderstorms are small but can sit in one spot for a long time leading to flash flooding. As a weather enthusiast I feel sea breeze storms are the most powerful storms that the Jersey shore encounters. Most frontal action from the west typically dissipates when encountering marine air mass.

On a nice day, where no storms are triggered, you can spot the sea

breeze front by locating the baby cumulus clouds just away from the coast. In the above photograph, taken from an abandoned sand bar island near Holgate, you can see this phenomenon over the town of Manahawkin. The photo was taken while facing northwest. In this case the sea breeze front moved slowly enough off the ocean to not spark thunderstorms. Also there was a capping inversion at 10,000 feet up in the atmosphere. A capping inversion means the air surrounding rising air is too warm to allow adequate thunderstorm lifting.

Had the sea breeze front moved faster off the ocean we likely would have been stuck on an island for a thunderstorm. While this would have been a nightmare for my company it would have been my dream come true for storm chasing. I hope I’ve better-explained one of my favorite atmospheric micro-climate occurrences.

Maybe you can spot sea breeze fronts now too. —Written and photographed by Jonathan Carr

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Mary Alexander, Nick Arcuri, William Barnum, Suzanne Barnum, Jet Barrett, Michelle Batignani, Shiri Benmoshe, Ila Biegel, Bob Biegel, Barbara Bishop, Jennifer Blair, Bob Block, Jacqueline Bonanno, Rachael Bosley, Michael Braithwaite, Suzie Bruno, Mary Buttery, Anne Byrnes, Emma Cantor, Natalie Caricato, Sara Caruso, Barbara Casamassina, Alan Casey, Kathy Casey, Rida Chin, Jay Cho, Maureen & Brendan Collins, Diane Coppola, Barbara Cuccinello, Sharon Dailey, Maureen DeNone, Marianne Deska, Natalie Dias, Marilyn DiPaolo, Barbara Duff, Carol Dunn, Zareen Durrani, Lisa Edwards, Regina Ehrline, Peggy Fagans, Michele Farias, Loretta Farrell, Linda Feaster, Cheryl Fedyna, Joyce Fields, Jacqueline Finnerty, Andrew Flack, Cyndy Friedland, Hope Gardiner, Elaine Gillen-Stachowicz, Sandy Graham, Cheryl Grande, Philippe Habib, Lorraine Hafner, Linda Hafner, Laury Hamilton, Pat & Jim Heimlich, Mary Lu Henry, Stephanie Hiebert, Debby Higgins, Diane Hoover, Rebecca Horvath, Alan Howarth, Karen Jacobs, Michael Jacobs, Bronwyn James, Barbara Jani, Jo Ann Jankowski, Elizabeth Janson, Andrea Jeffries, Anne Johnson, Russell Johnson, Maryann & Max Jones, Robert Karol, Ginny Keary, Cheryl & Denis Kirby, Steve Korker, Michael Krivacs, Patty Laduca, Erika & Mike Leming, Marc & Judy Lipman, Bob Love, Muriel Lowe, Candice MacLusky, Melissa Magid, Ilene Manahan, Don Mann, Mary Jane Mannherz, Karen Martinez, Ralph Martinez, Diane McCabe, John McGill, Sharon McKenna, Celia Mendelsohn, Lexa Merson, Eileen Moon, Noreen Morrell, Laura Morris, John Mount, Marcy Mullin, Art O’Brien, Amy Ohe, Sarah O'Neill, Reece & Brianna Otto, Kimberly Pacheco, Carol Power, Bill Power, Bill & Irene Quinlan, Steve Rabbitt, Kyle Richards, Christine E. Rooney, Dolores Rosko, John Rosko, Darlene Sheridan, Carol Smith, Arthur Justin Statmore, Arlene Stinziano, Theresa Strunk, Jeanne Sutton, Bill Taylor, Lyn Thomas, Pat Trotter, Abel van Oeveren, Lori Vogel, Jill Voshell, Jaime Wallace, Nicole Walton, Andrew Warren, Barbara Wheeler, Amy Williams, Lisa Willoughby, Laurie Wright, Christine Wynkoop, and Terry Yuen

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pen expansive coastal views, cool summer breezes and relief from the mainland daily grind are key elements that attract homeowners and renters to LBI each year. The ability to move seamlessly between indoor and outdoor living and extend time spent recreating in the open seaside air is a delight to all experiencing life on this barrier island. However, with an increasing demand for larger homes built on standard sized residential lots, and the need to comply with local ordinances, creating private intimate outdoor living spaces can be complex.

Mark Reynolds of Reynolds Landscaping/Mark Reynolds Project Management Incorporated has several recommendations to meet these challenges in ways that are aesthetic, functional, and effective.

Pergolas can be used to create shade and privacy on Island properties. Rectangular, square, L-shaped, or serpentine – a pergola can be designed and built as a stand-alone focal point, attached to the home to extend the boundaries of indoor-outdoor living, used to create a covered bridge connecting separate outdoor rooms or incorporated over sitting walls and outdoor kitchens.

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structures. “This can present quite an obstacle,” maintains Mark Reynolds, “especially for homes recessed deep into a property or on ocean-front lots where building allowances provide for little usable backyard living space.” In cases where a pergola is not recommended, an ornamental screen or custom fence can create privacy without compromising aesthetics or reducing livability.

Incorporated into the side of a raised deck or designed to surround a hot tub enclosure, screening devices provide privacy without creating confinement or inhibiting air circulation. They can be designed to complement the architectural details of the residence or match the materials of other structures in the landscape. Likewise, custom design-built fencing, while delineating the boundaries of the property, can also serve the same purpose – creating both privacy and an aesthetic accent in the outdoor environment. When combined with a complementing entry trellis, the results can create a showpiece in the landscape and a beacon to draw guests to al fresco entertaining.

From long-lasting cedar and Cambarra woods to vinyl products, naturally aged patinas to painted finishes, the appearance and style of a privacy structure can range from rustic to contemporary based upon personal preferences. However, to maintain aesthetic integrity, Mark Reynolds advises the built structure should complement the architecture and design of the residence and adjoining outdoor

accessories. If a vinyl product is desired, make certain to invest in high-quality materials – any increase in cost will more than make up for itself in durability and long-term appearance.

Wood products as well have their own set of considerations. Painted or treated finishes can complement architectural accents or maintain original wood patinas, however, they require regular upkeep to preserve their original luster. Allowing wood to age naturally requires little maintenance, although the product will change color with age. Pros and cons exist for all product options and must be considered before reaching a final decision on materials.

Mark Reynolds believes privacy without compromise to functionality and livability can be achieved even in the smallest of outdoor spaces. Through creative design solutions, thoughtful planning, and by thinking beyond the box to find innovative solutions, aesthetics and functionality can be successfully combined to create the perfect private island getaway.

For ideas and inspiration for your upcoming pergola, privacy screen or outdoor structure please visit the Photo Gallery of the Reynolds Landscaping website, www.reynoldslandscaping.com. To schedule a meeting to discuss your upcoming outdoor project, new home construction or existing home renovation, contact Mark Reynolds at 609-597-6099 or mark@reynoldslbi.com —Elaine Sisko, Reynolds Landscaping.

here’s just something about an outdoor shower at the shore. More than just a place to rinse off the remains of a day at the beach, for many, an outdoor shower is primal – a place to commune with nature.

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Sean introduced the idea of using a natural shell in place of a traditional shower head. After exploring his options, including conchs found on LBI beaches, Joe decided to use a huge Lobatus gigas, a queen conch shell he discovered at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom.

To create his one-of-a-kind outdoor shower Joe Murray of Brant Beach worked with Roy Jablonski, owner of Accent Homes and Sean Clayton of Beach Haven West.

The colors and contours of the queen conch complete the organic elements of Joe’s outdoor shower experience – bringing it even closer to nature. —Diane Stulga. Photography by Joe Murray

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tlantiCare, a member of Geisinger, continues to expand the services it provides at its Health Park in Manahawkin.

AtlantiCare Physician Group Ear, Nose and Throat specialty care began seeing patients in the park in August 2018. In addition to preventive, treatment and follow-up care, this practice provides audiology services including hearing testing and fitting for hearing aids.

The Park, just off Route 72, includes a 60,000-square-foot main building that offers primary, pediatric, and specialty care services.

Specialty care services include cardiac diagnostic testing, cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, OB/ GYN, and rheumatology. Surgical specialty providers who see patients include bariatric, breast, colorectal, vascular, and general surgery. The site also features Atlantic Medical Imaging at AtlantiCare and Rothman Institute at AtlantiCare.

The AtlantiCare Pharmacy Team makes a personal connection with patients. “Parents appreciate that children who need liquid medications can pick their own flavor,” says Vicki Leaman, Pharm.D., AtlantiCare pharmacist and mother of three young children. “I know how hard it can be to get kids to take medicine. We want to be sure children take their full prescription so they have a better health outcome. Watermelon is the top flavor for masking medicine bitterness.”

As part of AtlantiCare’s initiative to reduce access to opioids, the pharmacy offers a community medication disposal unit. The Pharmacy has collected more than 176 pounds of pharmaceutical waste through the box in the last year.

The Pharmacy and AtlantiCare’s Clinical Laboratory in the building make it easy for patients to see their care provider, get lab work done and pick up prescriptions in one visit.

The café recently expanded its hours. Patients and visitors can use indoor tables as well as a beautiful outdoor courtyard garden to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon snack.

For added patient convenience, the main building opens at 7 a.m.

Monday through Friday and is open until 6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; and 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. AtlantiCare Clinical Laboratory is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Individual practice hours vary.

Free Wi-Fi and comfortable seating throughout the building add to patient and visitor comfort.

AtlantiCare Urgent Care, located in a separate building in the Park, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 365 days a year for treatment of minor injuries and illnesses.

AtlantiCare hosts Senior University and other free community health and wellness educational events in a spacious, bright community center room.

For more information about the AtlantiCare Health Park Manahawkin Campus, visit www.manahawkinhealthpark.org, or call 1-888-569-1000.

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ilmmakers love to tell stories. And as the audience, we love to listen to tales of movie-making derring-do, descriptions of exotic locales, and even the inside dirt on favorite movie stars. But that’s only the beginning of what you’ll experience at the All Access Filmmaker Breakfasts come next June during the 11th annual Lighthouse International Film Festival.

Rated by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the world’s “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals,” LIFF has quickly become an industry event to be reckoned with, drawing top industry talent in feature-length, documentary, and short films. This year the festival attracted 150 filmmakers, producers, directors and cast from across the USA , Mexico, Sweden, France, England, and Africa.

During the four-day event, LIFF screened more than 100 films attended by some 9,000 film lovers in venues from Beach Haven to Loveladies. In addition to screening films, participants attended parties, and participated in seminars. All Access Pass holders enjoyed two Breakfast with the Filmmakers, brilliantly catered this year by Surf City’s Little Bite of Italy.

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Honored guests included Oscar winning director Guy Nativ – Skin, actor/producer Jerry Levin – Born on the Fourth of July, Teen Wolf, and Wag the Dog, Sundance winners/Netflix film by Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar – American Factory, Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz – The Peanut Butter Falcon Project, and Riley Stearns – The Art of Self Defense.

New York Times film critic, Glenn Kenny, who moderated the All Access Breakfast panels, loves coming to LBI for the great films it attracts and the festival’s laid-back vibe. “I go to a lot of film festivals,” said a euphoric Kenny, “but I can honestly say I’ve never been to one where I saw the sun come up out on the ocean.”

A true community endeavor, the event draws the enthusiastic support from a hundred volunteers and dozens of local vendors, easily qualifying it as one of the island’s most fun and eagerly-awaited yearly events.

Next year’s LIFF will be held June 4-7, 2020. For more information visit lighthousefilmfestival.org —Written and photographed by Andrew Flack

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rian Mueller has been vacationing on LBI with his family for as long as he can remember.

In August of 2013, while relaxing on the front porch of his family’s 59th Street – Brant Beach rental, he never imagined the beautiful girl skateboarding in the street below would change his life.

Although skateboarding was definitely not among his athletic skills, Brian could hardly say no when invited to join the Nelson family, Steve, Marisa, Katie, and Emma, as they took turns riding a skateboard. The Nelson’s were renting the downstairs unit of the same house.

“I never learned to skate,” said Brian recalling a day of tumbling off a skateboard. “I fell – a lot.” And as he fell, Brian fell for Katie – over, and over again.

The next few evenings were spent walking the beach and talking. Thinking there might be something special happening between them, that Saturday before leaving for home, Brian entered his name and phone number into Katie’s cell phone. “I had asked to borrow her phone,” Brian said with a smile. “She caught on quickly and we laughed about it.” But summer vacation was over, and he didn’t want to leave without making plans to see Katie again.

Before the end of the season, they returned to LBI to walk the beach once more and have dinner. Later, they attended a Phillies game together. “I’m a huge Mets fan,” laughed Brian. “But for Katie, I wore a Phillies t-shirt.”

By September, Brian went off to Kean University in New Jersey and Katie was a student at the University of Delaware.

In 2017 Brian planned a romantic engagement

surprise for Katie. On a special afternoon in August as he and Katie made their way to the beach at 59th Street there were sunflowers, candles, champagne, and important family members. Anchored in the sand was a sign that read, Brian Drive and Katie Street. Brian’s sister Kristina stood at the place where Brian and Katie first met. And standing on the spot in the street where Brian first fell from a skateboard while falling for Katie was Emma. There on the dunes of the 59th Street beach, surrounded by family, friends, sunflowers, and cheering onlookers, Brian proposed to Katie, the beautiful girl on the skateboard.

Brian and Katie were married on November 10, 2018 at Saint Mary of the Pines Church in Stafford, New Jersey. —Diane Stulga.

Photography by Alex Rivera, Ann Coen Photography For Katie in celebration of our first anniversary. Love, Brian

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ometimes life presents you with some tough choices. For instance, your family and friends are outside sitting around the pool, hanging on the patio, and enjoying the beautiful weather. But the Phillies, or Mets, or Yankees, or Giants, or Eagles or Jets, are on TV. What do you do? Stay outside and miss the game, or separate yourself from the crowd, and go watch the game?

Inside; very possibly alone. This can truly be a dilemma. But it doesn’t have to be, because there’s another choice. Get an outdoor entertainment system!

Being outdoors is what the shore is all about, and more and more homeowners are enhancing their shore getaways with beautiful patios and pools, and barbecues and outdoor kitchens – and outdoor entertainment systems – televisions and sound systems unobtrusively integrated into the landscaping and décor.

So, how do you get started? If you’re having the space designed and installed, include an audio/video professional, like Island Audio Video, in the discussions. Even if your outdoor space is complete, an entertainment system can be seamlessly integrated into your existing patio, pool area, and landscaping, no matter how large or small the area.

Optimal placement for TVs and speakers is important in the initial design phase. They need to be placed so they can be heard without having to turn up the volume so loud that it disturbs the neighbors. And will you have music playing out by the pool?

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Televisions, no matter how high the quality, do not like being over a heat source like a barbeque or stove. Equally important is whether and how much the sun will affect the TV picture.

Different people have different approaches to the question of the quality of TV. Some get the cheapest they can and are resigned to replacing it every couple of years. Others invest in a SunBrite TV that is designed for humidity and temperature changes. It also has a brighter picture that is made for optimum outdoor viewing. Plus, it has an accessory cover to help keep it clean and dry while you’re not using it.

A Sonos home sound system can provide the flexibility of selecting the speakers you want to use for playing music. Outdoor speakers are strategically installed to service the patio area, and weatherproof speakers designed to look like rocks can be discreetly blended into the landscaping. The Sonos app lets you select which speakers are playing and what they play, whether it is your music, a radio station, or a music service from your smartphone or tablet.

Strengthening your Wi-Fi improves your outdoor entertainment experience, and Island Audio Video can address improving the coverage so you can make the most of your system.

Save yourself the anguish of having to decide whether to be inside watching your favorite game, or outside with friends and family.

An outdoor entertainment system can resolve that issue. Then you’ll just have to decide who has control of the remote.

—Linda H. Feaster

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S

ome of us are old enough to remember that day fifty years ago, on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong took mankind’s first step on the moon. It was one of those momentous events when family and friends gathered together around the TV to watch a fuzzy black and white image of Armstrong in a spacesuit as he jumped off the lunar module’s ladder onto the moon’s sandy surface and said, in an equally fuzzy-sounding voice, the immortal words, “That’s one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.” It was thrilling to witness.

Man’s quest to explore worlds beyond earth is the theme of this year’s summer reading program of the Ocean County Library – Surf City Branch. A Universe of Stories takes place from June 17 through September 9. Children, teens, and adults can win great prizes and keep up with their literacy goals throughout the summer. Ocean County Library's new Beanstack app makes logging the books they’ve read easier than ever. Plus, for every five books they read, young folks can design their own star to be displayed on the Read for the Stars bulletin board at the library.

But there’s more than that – the entire summer features fun activities, games, and crafts that rekindle excitement about the wonders of space and an appreciation for the world around us. The Surf City branch has a fun-packed summer schedule, both inside and outside the branch. Best of all, these activities are free for everyone whether you are a year-round resident or a visitor.

Virtually every day the library is open there is a program on the calendar. The Franklin Institute will explore space with children ages five to ten. To celebrate the the anniversary of the moon landing, the Service and Achievement in the Library, or S.A.I.L., teen volunteers are organizing Astronaut Training for children ages two to five. Children three and up, with a caregiver, can build with LEGOs®/DUPLOs® and watch a movie. And, of course, there are the story times with crafts about sharks and butterflies, stories with music, and even story time for babies and toddlers.

Teens and tweens will be making fizzing bath bombs, a program

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that will get an encore for adults in the fall, and Wild Jersey will be at the library to teach them how to make bird seed bells. A member of the New Jersey Martial Arts Hall of Fame and former Muay Thai Champ will show them basic self-defense skills.

Families can spend quality time together at the library at Doug Wonder’s Unbelievable Magic & Illusion Show; the Summer Reading Touchdown; and Galactic Bingo night. Be sure to also look for the library’s ongoing partnership with Bayview Park in Brant Beach. Over the summer there will be StoryWalks®, Pajama Party in the Park, and National Night Out on August 6.

September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and the library has lots of activities planned for children of all ages with fun learning experiences. After a summer hiatus, TAB the Teen Advisory Board, will resume on September 25. Immediately following the meeting, teens will be able to experiment with savory and sweet recipes that rely on coffee as an ingredient. The program, called Teen Cuisine: Cooking with Coffee, also has teens learning about the significance of the coffee crop to Central and South America. The Afterschool STEAM program for kids ages seven through twelve will resume on September 11, as well as Books at the Beach – a book club for grade five reading level students on September 20. Mixed in are a variety of story times for babies, toddlers, and preschool children.

Check the Ocean County Library – Surf City Branch program calendar at the library or at theoceancountylibrary.org for program dates and times, as well as other programs for children and adults.

Make sure to register to reserve your place either online or by calling 609-494-2480. If you don’t have a library card, ask the helpful staff at the branch to see how you can get one. You may qualify for a free card, or you can purchase a temporary one. Either way, the library is the best place to be this summer! —Written and photographed by Linda H. Feaster, Branch Manager, Ocean County Library, Long Beach Island and Program Chairman Friends of the Island Library

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hen my husband and I were children our families first discovered this beautiful island as a perfect day trip from our northern New Jersey homes. Our families fell in love with the white sand beaches, playful seagulls, and refreshing waves of Long Beach Island.

Years later, not knowing that one day we would marry and raise our family on the bay, my husband and I enjoyed a date on LBI. Over time, the day trips extended into vacations and finally permanent residency. In 1966, my husband’s parents purchased a lot on North 2nd Street and had a two-family house built near the bay. It became a joyful home for family and friends; we painted seashells, made sand candles, fished, crabbed, and formed friendships with year-round residents.

Each year at the end of summer vacation, we wished we could stay to live on Long Beach Island year-round. As the locals say, “We couldn’t get the sand out of our shoes.”

In 1979, after many years of yearning to live on Long Beach Island, my husband and I built a year-round home on the bay in Surf City on North 3rd Street – establishing our second-generation family residence. There, alongside Barnegat Bay, we raised our children. They played on the beaches, learned to sail from the dock in our backyard, and became Islanders. And, when the changing colors and weather of September arrived, we understood what the locals meant when they said, “the mainland seemed to move closer to LBI.” We liked the peaceful quiet of the beach in winter and often watched our Labrador happily retrieve tennis balls thrown into the cold ocean waves.

As the years went by, the allure of LBI captured our children and grandchildren – generations three and four. Joyous visits expanded to overnights at High Bar Harbor yacht club. More fun times included lots of boat rides and deep-sea fishing. Last year, in nearby Barnegat Light, our son and his wife built a house with views of the ocean.

The latest chapter in the allure of LBI has been our recent discovery of sea glass collecting. Studying the tides for optimal opportunities to find sea glass is helpful but searching for these beautiful beach gems is not an exact science. Each beach walk is a different adventure; and we get a lot of exercise. The excitement of finding very old or rare colors of sea glass is wonderful. Some experiences are magical, such as when we found a lot of green sea glass on St. Patrick’s Day or the discovery of very rare colors of red and yellow at other times.

Reflecting on the allure of LBI and many years of wonderful times, I am so grateful that four generations of our family have shared this joy. —Bonnie Cavalier. Photography courtesy of the Cavalier Family.

We need at least 350 participants to beat the current record of 247.

Come out and help us reclaim the record for LBI which we held in 2012!

Due to strict official Guinness World Record™ rules and guidelines – only participants playing the Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas) will be permitted inside the official event area, and only event officials will be allowed to take photographs and videos during the attempt. All others are invited to watch from the area designated by security.

After the event is complete, there will be time to take personal photos and post to social media (please tag us @ thingsadrift and @lbiseaglassfest). This year, we will be playing a short six-note tune to count for the record.

Free lessons all day. Bring your own conch horn (Lobatus gigas), purchase, or rent one day of the event (ID required).

Sign up on Saturday October 5, Noon-3:00pm, event begins at 3:30pm in the street.

All participants will receive a certificate.

Call 609-361-1668 or email echoesoflbi@gmail.com for more inforamtion.

Stop by Things A Drift in Ship Bottom, NJ to pick up your shell today!

406 Long Beach Blvd., Ship Bottom, NJ • (609) 361-1668 • thingsadrift.com Page 62 • Echoes of LBI

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eashells are one of the enchantments of New Jersey’s beaches.

Every year thousands of visitors take home the fragile beauties that wash ashore at their feet. From elegant whelks to calico-colored scallops, New Jersey waters offer a variety of species for shell collectors to adore and admire. But there is a small shell that many collectors may have overlooked all these years.

The wentletrap (Epitonium) is a small shell with a unique design that has captured the imaginations of shell collectors for decades.

The name wentletrap originated from the Dutch wenteltrap, meaning spiral staircase. The fitting name has led some to call them staircase or ladder shells. New Jersey’s wentletraps are usually white in color but tend to turn shades of light to dark gray after death.

Shells that are exceptionally dark and worn, may be fossilized.

Researchers believe many gastropod shells found on New Jersey’s coastline are fossils from the Pleistocene that have eroded out of undersea fossil beds.

Wentletraps spend their time on the sandy seafloor near coelenterates such as anemones and corals – their main source of food. Although there are no anemones or corals known to live directly offshore, researchers believe they may be attracted to the artificial reefs and rock jetties that have been introduced along New Jersey’s coastline.

July of 1996, collecting was done intermittently but year-round, including winters. This continued after March 18, 2001. The six species found in decreasing abundance are as follows: Number of Specimens: E. humphreysii (Kiener, 1838).............................1,625 (16 % live) E. rupicola (Kurtz, 1860) [not = rupicolum]…….………….....119 E. multistiaum (Say, 1826)………………………...………...…73 E. candeanum (d'Orbigny, 1842 ?)…….......…………………...16 E. angulatum (Say, 1830)………………………...………………3 E. tollini (Bartsch, 1938)…………..........………………….……1 E. humphreysii, the most common wentletrap collected along our shores, was found more frequently at the strand line where the waves had receded. E. rupicola was found where the waves broke.

It is theorized this could be due to the thicker costae of the E. humphreysii. Unlike most of the other wentletraps, E. rupicola was found to be more tolerant of brackish water. During the study it was observed that storms actually decreased the number of wentletrap shells found.

The shells feature a unique architecture of spiral whorls that coil around the main structure. These whorls, known as costae, are believed to act as protection against other predatory snails which bore into the shell of their prey to feed. The shape of the shell and costae may also help to explain why some species eventually found their way into brackish waters.

The studies were published in American Conchologist, and a followup entry was written in 2005. The continuing study found a drastic decrease in shells found from after April 2001 to 2004. By April 2004, of E. humphreysii, the most prominent of the shells, only fifty specimens were collected, with none found in February, March, July, or October of that year. This may have been due to the unusually cold and stormy winters of 2003 and 2004. Of the specimens collected, however, no living animals of any of the six species were found after June 2001. Currently their habitats, food supply and life cycles off the Cape May coast are unknown.

In the late 1990s through 2001, Judy-Lynn Goldberg and Robert Robertson conducted studies to analyze the amount of each species found in New Jersey waters. The shells were collected in and near Ocean City, Cape May County in southeastern New Jersey. A total of six wentletrap species have been found along our coast, with species being found as far north as Massachusetts and as far south as Florida and Texas. Goldberg and Robertson scoured the shoreline daily; beginning at the outgoing high tide until low tide, collecting both living and dead samples. The sampling began in

New Jersey’s wentletraps are a rare species with an unclear fate.

As ocean temperatures rise the numbers of these animals may be affected, but no further studies have been made at this time. Aside from this, there could be a chance to find wentletraps on New Jersey’s beaches. With every tide, that potential grows. So, the next time you are at the New Jersey shore, search where the tide last washed, and sift carefully through the shells. With some luck, you may find this tiny vanishing beauty. —Written and photographed

by Sara Caruso

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hen we think of the find of a lifetime in sea glass treasures, many sea glass hunters imagine a piece of red, a stopper or a marble.

Though, perhaps, we should think smaller – about a potential find that many may have over looked.

Glass buttons were once the most popular way to fasten clothing. Colorful and bright, they were not only functional but completed and complimented an outfit. Prior to World War II, most glass buttons were made in Czechoslovakia. During the latter half of the 18th century, the history of the glass button began as insets for metal buttons. As technology improved, the metal shank was embedded into the glass itself, enabling the mass-production of low-quality buttons. By the late 1800s, the demand for glass buttons expanded; and to compete with the rise in European manufacturers, Czech artists shifted to creating lampworked hand painted buttons. By 1900, over 2,300 tons of glass buttons were exported, with one third of them ending up in the United States.

Sales of glass buttons spiked again during the fashionable 1930s and 1940s. However, by the late 1960s, plastic had become a more profitable and cost-effective way to mass produce items previously made of glass. As glass production dwindled, so did the use of glass buttons.

Many of the buttons found by sea glass hunters are the result of our never ending need to live and play by the ocean. Buttons on bathing suits and shoes in the late 1800s to 1930s frequently popped off in the waves. In addition, glass buttons found their way into the sea in a variety of ways, from clothing left behind at the beach, discarded as trash, or washed out during hurricanes and storms.

Because of their tiny size, glass buttons have less surface area, so they are more likely to wear down perfectly – unlike larger shards that may undergo drastic changes. However, it also means buttons get pushed down further into the sand and pebbles, making them harder to find.

The history of a beach can affect the chances of finding sea glass buttons. Beaches where many buttons are found have generally been used by more people over a longer period of time. Old landfill sites near rivers and bays can also be a potential hiding spot for old glass buttons.

It’s easy to overlook the little finds for bigger, more impressive pieces. These little treasures have a big legacy – one that may not be as snuffed out as you think. More recently, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of glass buttons, and while nowhere near as mass produced as in the past, there may be a day we see them more often on our clothing. Besides, plastic will never compare to the luster and beauty of glass. More importantly, now more than ever people want to eliminate plastic from their lives. Something as small as a button may be one of the places to start.

So, remember the next time you are at the beach, pay attention to every wave. You never know what you’ll find. —Written and photographed by Sara Caruso

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Of the few lightships in existence, the Lightship Barnegat is one of the oldest. It is the last of its kind, embodying the steel-hulled lightship history of Long Beach Island.

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ightships and their crews are the unsung heroes of the coastal sea. Tasked with warning other vessels of impending hazards, they rode at anchor through hurricanes and perilous conditions when all other ships sought safety. Considered the most dangerous of assignments, many lightship sailors lost their lives while protecting the lives of others.

From 1820 to 1952 a total of one hundred seventy-nine lightships were built for the United States. Used as floating lighthouses in areas where the shoreline was not suitable for conventional lighthouses or where shifting shoals and sandbars presented ever-changing hazards, lightships deployed steam-chime whistles or foghorns, and flashing lights from atop their masts to warn ships away from danger. Easily recognizable from afar, the name of each lightship was painted in large white letters upon its bright red hull. By 1909 fifty-one lightships were stationed along the U.S. coast.

In 1835, to mark Barnegat Inlet, a forty-foot-tall conventional lighthouse was constructed at the northern tip of Long Beach Island. By 1857 it fell into the sea and a temporary light took its place until a new lighthouse – Old Barney – was erected in 1858. Despite the use of the new Fresnel lens, due to New Jersey’s unique coast, mariners still found the new lighthouse to be insufficient.

Destructive storms and erosion eventually caused the lighthouse to be turned over to the state of New Jersey and decommissioned. In its place an offshore lightship was established in 1927. Vessels along the New Jersey coast would be guided by Light Vessel 79 – the Lightship Barnegat.

The Lightship Barnegat LV/79, was built by the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey in 1904. The steel-hulled, 688-ton, steam propelled 130-foot Lightship Barnegat was designed with two masts displaying a total of six oil-fueled lanterns, a steam-chime whistle that sounded every twenty seconds, a submarine bell, and later a radio beacon. Assigned to the newly created Barnegat Station, her role was to warn ships of the hazards presented along the infamous coast of New Jersey.

Hailed by the “Lighthouse Service Bulletin” as “the most important new aid to navigation provided in many years on the Atlantic coast of the United States”, the newly established Lightship Barnegat

would serve in one of the most important navigation stations. The Bulletin further stressed the need for a lightship: “...there is no sound fog signal along the entire coast of New Jersey, over 100 miles, between the entrances to New York Bay and Delaware Bay, and it is not practicable to place such a signal at a shore lighthouse because the track of vessels is too far offshore. Second, this location off Barnegat is of critical importance to shipping because of the change of course necessary here for all coastwise shipping, and because at this point traffic converges from Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, from Cape Hatteras and the South Atlantic coast and Panama, from New York entrance, and from New England.

Third, because of the immense marine traffic along this coast and the fact that it is a low-lying shore, fringed with shallow water, compelling deep-draft vessels to keep well off; 50 strandings were recorded in this vicinity between 1903 and 1923.”

From 1904 to 1924 the Lightship Barnegat was posted at Five Fathom Bank on the coast of New Jersey near Cape May Lighthouse. For two years, it was used as a relief lightship before being permanently posted to Barnegat Station where it remained until 1942.

At the close of World War II, it served temporarily as an examination vessel by intercepting and inspecting all ships seeking entry into the Delaware River. After the war, the Lightship Barnegat was returned to Barnegat Station where she served until decommissioning in 1967.

The Lightship Barnegat was then donated to the Chesapeake Maritime Museum in Maryland and subsequently sold to the Heritage Ship Guild in 1970. On November 29, 1979, the Lightship Barnegat was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Slated to be part of a floating display at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia that

never fully materialized – the Lightship Barnegat was sold again.

This time to Rodney Sadler – the owner of Pyne Poynt Marina in Camden, New Jersey.

Sadler, a former teacher and beloved community activist, sought to restore the Lightship Barnegat and move her to the Camden waterfront as part of a revitalization project. But his vision, fierce dedication and hard work could not overcome the ensuing economic downturn. Despite Sadler’s monumental efforts the project lacked the necessary resources to go forward.

With the fate of the Lightship Barnegat still undetermined, Rodney Sadler passed away on March 20, 2019.

Though without restoration – docked at Pyne Poynt for decades – Sadler protected the historic Lightship Barnegat from artifact seekers, vandals, and those who would sell her for scrap. She is, for the most part, intact.

But not even Sadler could protect her from the ravages of time. Decades have passed; time and rust are masters of their craft.

The future of the Lightship Barnegat is unknown. Today, docked in the tidal waters of Pyne Poynt she awaits a new advocate to champion her cause.

For without an advocate, the historic Lightship Barnegat will be lost, and an important part of Long Beach Island’s maritime history will disappear forever.

Like most lightships, the Barnegat is easily recognizable from afar by its name, though her paint is peeling the large white letters are still visible on her red hull. —Susan Spicer McGarry. Photography by Denis Kirby In memory of Rodney Sadler 1949 – 2019.

OFFICERS OF LIGHTSHIP BARNEGAT: LV 79/WAL 506 August-September 1904: Horatio C. Pierson, Master

1929-Unknown: William Duggan, Mate

1904-1914: Oliver Clark, Master

1929-Unknown: Wilton S. Dwyer, Mate

1914-1919: Alfred Johansen, Master

Unknown-1937: Albert A. Rogers, Mate

Unknown-1918: H. Hansen, Mate

1937-1939: Joseph Semon, Master

1918-Unknown: James Keyes, Mate

1948: BMC Otto B. Lange, CO

1919-Unknown: John Carr, Master

1950: CWO Caldwell Davis, CO 1951: WO Moses McNure, OIC

If you know anyone on this list or if you, or anyone you know served on the Lightship Barnegat, please contact Cheryl Kirby at echoesofLBI@gmail.com Page 76 • Echoes of LBI

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ell, it is not really a sneakbox – it is not made of cedar, it has no oars and the bow is blunt. But it has the melon seed hull shape and the short mast. A friend in Barnegat Light knew I wanted an inexpensive small sailboat and sold it to me for $20 in the mid-1960s. Hoisted it on top of my car, took it home and went to work on it. New white paint, someone told me the white was for the winter – to stay hidden from the geese. I never shot a bird in my life, but I learned to sail a boat.

We rented houses from Surf City, to North Beach and Loveladies, carrying my no name boat on top of the car. When we got our summer house in Beach Haven West, we had a permanent home, but we had to tow her out to open water. —Written and photographed by Edward A. Barber

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here is a sense of profound completeness in knowing who we are and from where we came. Universally, families pass down fragile bits and pieces of history in old photos, mementos, crumbling documents, and the retelling of stories. But in time, paper turns to dust, memories fade, generations pass, and stories – as in the children’s game Whisper Down the Lane – change. Rarely are families certain of their ancestry beyond a few generations.

The work of Certified Genealogist Emeritus, Marie Varrelman Melchiori of Surf City allows people to connect to their past – to know their ancestors and to pass on a researched family history.

For Marie, what started as a hobby in 1975 became a passion and eventually a vocation long before the internet and commercialized genealogy data bases. In 1979, when seeking a position in her chosen profession of nursing, Marie found hospitals in the area were offering only nights and weekends to part-time nurses.

“Becoming a professional genealogist - able to set my own hours, was very appealing,” explained Marie. “Living outside Washington, D.C., with its wealth of research facilities, made it possible.” In 1980 she became certified, first as a Certified Genealogical Record Searcher, then as a Certified Genealogical Record Specialist, and finally as a Certified Genealogist. Marie became a Civil War genealogy specialist and has worked as a private researcher at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. She is also a Certified Genealogical Lecturer, served as Assistant Director of the National Institute on Genealogical Research for twelve years, was Vice President of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and served on the Board Page 80 • Echoes of LBI

for Certification of Genealogists, and lectured on Civil War Records at The National Archives and Records Administration.

Marie has lectured on other genealogy topics for more than twenty-five years and was the recipient of the Graham Smallwood Award of Merit in 1999. She retired from client research in 2015.

“I owe my interest in genealogy to my great grandfather who served in the Civil War with Company K, 131 New York Volunteer Infantry,” said Marie. The wealth of untapped information at the National Archives brought about her interest in Civil War research.

Since 1945, Marie has spent most of her summers on LBI. Her father, Albert G. Varrelman was in command of the New Jersey State troopers sent to Long Beach Island after the hurricane of 1944 to safeguard properties. Able to see past the devastation of the storm, Varrelman fell in love with the island.

In 1945 he purchased property in Surf City at 230 North 21st Street and built a home for his wife and family. Two years later he purchase 234 21st Street, the lot next door.

After retiring from the New Jersey State Police in 1954, Marie’s father worked as a police adviser in Iran from 1954 to 1956. While living in Iran, Marie intended to finish her nursing degree at the American University in Beirut. Classes were taught in English, but the language barrier – hospital patients spoke mainly Farsi or French – and additional time required to qualify for state boards proved difficult to overcome. After three months, Marie returned to Rutgers in New Jersey and earned her nursing degree in 1957. After graduation she worked as a special education teacher at Ship Bottom Elementary School.

Marie’s husband Robert Melchiori is originally from Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania. Bob was stationed in Barnegat Light with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1954 through 1958. Marie and Bob were married in 1958. For a while they lived in the house her father built on North 21st Street.

After graduating from American University in Washington, DC – Bob entered the United States Secret Service. “He was pulled in for Presidential protection just after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963,” explained Marie. After his transfer back to D.C. in 1964, Bob and Marie made their home in Virginia, where they raised their three children.

Albert continued working as police advisor until the late 1960s. In 1971, he and Marie's mother retired to Surf City. A year later they built a house on the lot at 234 North 21st Street. An aunt also purchased a house on 21st Street – it was the first of many purchases by the family.

Today, from her home on North 21st Street in Surf City, should Marie wish to search for relatives she would not have to look far – 10 first cousins, their families live nearby. —Susan Spicer-McGarry.

Photography courtesy of Marie Varrelman Melchiori

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.S. Postal Service letter carriers are on the streets of Long Beach Island nearly every day. As they make their regular rounds, letter carriers come into daily contact with the customers on their routes. On and off the job, LBI’s USPS letter carriers are our neighbors, friends, and local heroes.

Meet Tom Logue. When Tom was ten years old, his parents purchased a home on Long Beach Island. As a year-round resident, Tom attended elementary school on the Island and then, Southern Regional High School where he was a member of the basketball team for four years. Currently, he lives with his wife and their four children in Manahawkin. Tom’s career with the U.S. Postal Service spans more than three decades.

As a youth, Tom had a newspaper route in Ship Bottom. He delivered newspapers to Bud Simmons, the owner of Simmons’ Bait and Tackle that was located on the circle in Ship Bottom.

Today, Tom delivers mail to Bud’s son, Mark Simmons in Harvey Cedars.

For Tom, each mailbox is a connection to its owner. “You get to know your customers and become aware of their routines,” said Tom. Two years ago, on his Loveladies route, Tom noticed the mail was not being taken in by an eighty-six year old resident.

Concerned, Tom knocked on the door. Although it appeared someone was home, there was no response. Looking around, Tom found the elderly gentleman unconscious and called 911. His actions saved the man’s life.

On Father's Day in 2012, while at the beach, Tom was first to notice a young boy on a boogie board being swept out to sea.

Suddenly, the child was engulfed by a large wave and disappeared.

Tom ran into the water, swam out to where he had last seen the boy and dived under. He pulled the child up and struggled through the rip current to bring the boy safely to shore.

For his actions that day, Tom Logue was named the 2012 National Hero of the Year by the National Association of Letter Carriers.

This commendation was established to pay public tribute to outstanding letter carriers who, despite danger to themselves, perform selfless and heroic acts to rescue those at risk of losing their lives. Tom was honored at a special luncheon in Washington, D.C. According to Tom, mail carriers are frequently a GPS for summer visitors. He fondly recalls being flagged down many times by motorists for directions. One summer, people’s devices were misdirecting them to the north end of LBI for a Beach Haven

wedding. “After the tenth request for help, I started waiving to anyone in a suit or party dress,” said Tom. “I asked if they were looking for the wedding.” Even smartphone apps aren’t that userfriendly.

Introducing James Harkness. James’ maternal grandparents were year-round Island residents since the 1950s. They ran Mr. T’s Mini Golf – Mehner’s Arcade. “When the mosquitoes woke-up, everyone called it The Blood Bank,” recalled James. His paternal grandparents bought a summer cottage here just before the March 1962 storm. “Growing up, I spent my summers on LBI,” said James.

Before becoming a mail carrier thirty years ago, while in his teens James was a lifeguard. During that time, he learned to surf, often catching waves when off duty. One Saturday, James noticed the four terrified children in the surf – holding hands and crying.

Realizing they were trapped in a rip current James quickly grabbed his surf board and paddled the children to safety and back to their grateful father.

During a blizzard two winters ago, dangerous snowdrifts were everywhere. James noticed a woman, in a low-clearance vehicle, struggling unsuccessfully to get into the driveway of her Barnegat Avenue home. Using his mail truck, James pushed her vehicle into the driveway.

James, like Tom Logue, acts as a human GPS in the summertime.

He helps visitors reach their destinations – if he can. “Frequently, people ask for directions to the gazebo,” he said with a widening smile. “There are several of them on the Island, from Barnegat Light to Beach Haven.”

James believes that small acts of kindness, a smile, a friendly wave, and a cheerful greeting are just as important as delivering the mail – especially for senior citizens living alone. Over the years, after work, James has been known to use some of his time-off to visit briefly with elderly residents on his route – like Mrs. Purvis of Surf City.

Last but not least, James notices things while making deliveries.

Over the years, he’s notified authorities of open doors, broken windows, boats adrift, burst pipes and other emergencies; and he’s also contacted them when something seems not quite right.

Naturally, the Surf City and Ship Bottom police departments are on James’ cell phone speed-dial.

So, the next time you see your mail carrier, remember all they do for everyone on their route –take a moment to say hello and thank them for their service. —Valerie Henken

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he Appalachian National Scenic Trail traces the ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountains through the highest peaks and continuous wilderness of fourteen states. From its northern terminus at Mount Katahdin in Maine to its southern terminus at Springer Mountain in Georgia the 2190-mile trail winds through Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Typically, a thruhike takes five to seven months to complete the entire trail.

Annually, only about one in four hikers attempting the trail are successful. Those that make it join the ranks of the “2000 Milers”.

Although only 20,345 people have completed the trail since 1936, for Joe Murray of Brant Beach, New Jersey conquering the Appalachian Trail, or A.T., was a life-long dream. So, at age fifty-four, he retired from a successful career in information technology and hit the trail Page 84 • Echoes of LBI

on April 22, 2017 with friend and fellow hiker Gary Cocchino.

Many hikers elect to undertake a flip flop thruhike which allows them to start the journey at approximately the halfway point to reduce impact on the trail, take advantage of better weather, and avoid crowds, seasonal insects, and bears.

On their flip flop, Joe and Gary headed north from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to Mount Katahdin in Maine, then return to Harpers Ferry to head south to Springer Mountain, Georgia. Joe planned to finish in Georgia because his family lives there.

part of his journey he lost twenty-six pounds.

On the A.T., Joe and Gary averaged around thirteen miles a day. Trails are rocky and dangerous in places. “You have to follow the white blazes [trail markings] carefully,” said Joe. Injuries cause many hikers to leave the A.T. On his northern hike, Joe lost twenty-eight pounds, and on the southern

Joe was really struck by the random acts of kindness on the A.T. known as “Trail Magic”; coolers of drinks and or food are left along the trail for hikers. According to Joe, most of the donations were from The Methodist Church. In addition to food and drinks, the church set up kitchens to cook and

serve breakfast along the trail and put up awnings to shelter hikers from the rain.

Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, Gary ended his hike in New Jersey. Though disappointed, Joe stayed motivated to complete the hike for both of them. The trail was lonesome and strenuous at times. “Sometimes you hike with others and sometimes you hike alone,” said

Joe. During the hike, Joe wore a personal tracking device. Veering off the beaten path would bring a call from Joe’s dad, “He’d ask if I was lost,” chuckled Joe. The mental challenges of longdistance hiking can be more difficult to overcome than the physical. At some point – under the right circumstances – most hikers experience a time where they feel like they can’t go on.

For Joe, that low came in Vermont during a 1200-foot climb as driving rains turned the challenging terrain into treacherous mud and lightening filled the sky above him. Standing alongside the road, alone, soaked, covered in mud, beyond exhaustion and with a damaged cell phone – Joe believed he was finished. At that moment, an act of kindness by a total stranger changed everything.

“A guy named Mike Grabowski stopped his truck and offered me a ride into town to get my phone fixed,” said Joe. “Mike waited and offered me a ride back to the trail. But I wasn’t sure I could go back.” Instead, Mike shared that his son Aaron had hiked the entire trail in 2013 and offered Joe shelter

for the night at his home. “His wife Mary made dinner, washed and dried my clothes, and gave me breakfast in the morning,” explained Joe. Revitalized both physically and mentally, Joe returned to the A.T. the next morning.

In Georgia, Joe’s brother Hank joined him for the last twelve miles of his journey. According to Joe it was a very difficult part of the trail. When Hank struggled, Joe told him it was okay to stop; to which his brother responded, “I’m a Murray- I can do this.”

Joe successfully completed the Appalachian National Scenic Trail at 5 p.m. on August 12, 2017 with his brother Hank at his side. His journey had taken a total of five months and ten days. Joe became a member of that elite group, the “2000 Milers”.

In the end, there was one more thing Joe needed to do make his personal journey complete – he made the 400-foot climb up Springer Mountain. There at the top his father Dave was waiting to congratulate him.

—Diane Stulga. Photography courtesy of Joe Murray

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ackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center – Bariatric Surgery provides the first step in a new healthy lifestyle for Barnegat woman. Diane Pirone has battled with weight problems her entire life. She knew she had to make a serious lifestyle change when a series of medical problems started to slow her down. At the time Diane weighed close to 400 pounds, she was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and suffered from high blood pressure, sleep apnea, lymphedema, and chronic back pain which caused her to have to use a walker.

Taking Charge Determined to turn things around, Diane began researching bariatric surgery and spoke with her primary physician about some of her options. Insistent on finding an accredited program, she consulted Jonathan Reich, M.D., at the Center for Bariatrics at Southern Ocean Medical Center where he explained her options and told her that she was a good candidate for surgery.

Surgery Makes a Difference After discussing the various surgical options, Diane decided to proceed with a Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy procedure as the best option. “An advantage of this surgery is that the patient leaves with a normally functioning stomach that has been reduced in size and volume,” said Dr. Reich. “This procedure makes the patient feel full after eating smaller portions of food and allows for normal digestion of foods and medications.” Appetite reduction is primarily due to the decrease in the appetite hormone. The combined effect is highly successful weight loss.

To help Diane succeed, the bariatric team at Southern Ocean Medical Center provided not only medical, but nutritional, emotional, and exercise counseling prior to her surgery. Diane’s surgery in April 2017 went well and she had an easy recovery thanks to the bariatric team. With continued guidance and support from the bariatric team, her family and various support groups she's changed her lifestyle and dropped more than 200 pounds.

Long-Term Success One of Diane’s biggest fears going into surgery was that it would all be for nothing. She heard stories and knew people who gained all the weight back because they couldn’t stick with the rigorous post-surgery regime.

She knew that for the surgery to be effective long term, it must be maintained properly.

“The surgery is not a magic bullet,” says Diane. Through a healthy food plan that included a low-carb, protein rich diet and increased activity levels, she has been able to keep the weight off.

To date, Diane’s Type II Diabetes diagnosis has been reversed, her blood pressure is under control, her water retention is gone, and she no longer has to use a walker. Her sleep apnea also improved to the point where she no longer needs to use a CPAP machine.

With a new lease on life, Diane completely replaced her old wardrobe and now has more energy than ever to do the things she loves.

The Center for Bariatrics at Southern Ocean Medical Center is designated by the ACSMBSA QIP as the most comprehensive quality bariatric surgery program in the region.

For more information, contact the Center for Bariatrics at 609-978-3202.

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I

n the 1920s as "Nucky" Thompson in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” was celebrating Atlantic City’s entry into Prohibition – with its liquored-up excesses and crime-drenched glamour – Charlie Fackler, the original “Dutchman,” was some twenty miles due north staking claim to his own kingdom by the sea, the salt-stained mudflats of Cedar Bonnet Island.

World War I was in the rearview mirror and the "Roaring 20s" lay just up ahead. It was a time of changing gears and shifting fortunes. So, for Charlie, a baker living in Bordentown, cooped up too long tending a hot oven, the idea of living by his wits surrounded by a swirling sea and sky must have held great appeal.

He loved to hunt and fish, so he no doubt realized that the needs of the well-heeled sporting-class weren’t being met in such a remote locale. Where would they find rods and reels? Cigarettes and bug juice? Shotgun shells or candy? Where would they eat? And more importantly, where would they drink?

As legend has it, early one Sunday morning in 1922 Charlie left Trenton on his motorcycle and showed up later that same day on the eastern end of the wood-plank bridge to LBI. As he climbed down from his bike to look around – Barnegat Bay, wrapping around the emerald green Cedar Bonnet like a sparkling jewel, must have dazzled him.

In short order, a deed for a patch of bayfront just across from the gentleman’s hunting club, Duck Inn, had his name on it, purchased from the C. H. Cranmer and Hazelton families of Manahawkin.

Soon Charlie’s wife Carrie, son Jack, and infant twins Betty and Bill,

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would join him and his business was born. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Charlie applied for and was issued the very first liquor license in Stafford Township. For the next thirty-plus years Charlie’s Bar, with its ramshackle bait, tackle and rowboat business, flourished as a destination for locals and out-of-towners alike.

Before her passing in 2017 at the age of ninety-seven, Charlie’s daughter, Betty, remembered her legendary father and their wild, isolated life on Cedar Bonnet. At the urging of her daughter, Kathy Bohan Roma, who still lives on LBI, Betty wrote a memoir shortly before her death which describes in great detail a life steeped in hard work and hardship, but also the exhilaration and freedom of growing up on Barnegat Bay. “We were like pagans on a deserted island,” Betty writes. “No electricity, no running water, no heat except for a pot bellied stove.

Mother caught rainwater in a huge barrel and the path to our backyard privy would flood with the tide.

Until I was fourteen, it was just us and the bridge tender’s family. Except for going to school, only twice as a girl did I ever leave Cedar Bonnet, those times when I’d been invited to visit another family to see how they lived.”

Instead, the natural-born tomboy threw herself into island life, catching minnows for the bait shop, swabbing out rental boats, and tending the watery pens which held clams and soft-shell crabs. “Once we had a turtle too big to fit in a wash tub so it was decided we’d set him free,” Betty writes. “I swam with him halfway out into the bay hoping he’d make it back to the ocean.” And when mother Carrie wanted to

bake a cake, Betty went hunting in the marsh grass for duck eggs.

Another time she remembers taking a ride on the draw bridge which linked their little island to the outside world. Betty writes, “One day, as it was being raised to allow the passage of a masted sailboat, I closed the safety gates to stop traffic and when the bridge began to tilt skyward I jumped up on the iron railing and rode to the top for an aerial view. Oh, what a rush!” The second time she tried that stunt the bridge tender saw her and she got a scolding. But that first time had been well worth it.

As an athletic teenager, Betty discovered roller skating, a high energy escape from her solitude. Having formed a club dubbed “The Skater Bugs,” she and her friends would often gather at rinks in West Creek, Surf City, and even in Mays Landing, which became their favorite.

But ultimately it was her charismatic father who stirred the Cedar Bonnet drink and provided the antics which had his customers coming back for more. “He had a head for business and innovative ideas,” Betty writes. “He’d bring home anything from the fishery that would attract attention, including one time a huge hammerhead shark. In the front picture window of his shop he set up a pen which held a number of rattlesnakes. When teased they’d spit venom on the glass.

Anything to get people to come around.”

When Charlie finally purchased a four-wheeled vehicle for the business, an old Model-T Ford, he removed the backseat and converted it into a flatbed truck, which came in handy during the frequent runs to the ice house in Beach Haven. “What a brain he had!”

Old timers still talk about "Charlie’s Bar" with a giddy reverence – like a vanished Mecca on the marsh. A place where the tide might lift up the floorboards but the beer never stopped flowing. “Move everything to the high side!,” Charlie would yell as a storm set in. When the place was packed, one hundred dollar bills often crossed the bar to keep the good times rolling. Sandwiched in between the mainland “stump jumpers,” the bayside “clam diggers,” and the moneyed “swells,” it’s said “there weren’t three people who didn’t know each other.”

Betty graduated Tuckerton High School in 1938 and married Jersey City native Master Sgt. Peter Bohan in 1942. After the war they raised three children, first with her parents on Cedar Bonnet, and later on LBI. For many years, Betty worked for the Shapiro brothers, developers of LBI and Beach Haven West. Peter became Long Beach Township Chief of Police after the tragic death of Chief Angelo J. Leonetti, who perished during the infamous storm of March 1962.

A community dynamo, Betty was known up and down the island for her good works and organizational skills, including the founding of a ladies' surf fishing club, an early board member of Ocean County Hospital in Manahawkin, and proprietor of LBI’s first vitamin and health food store.

By the early 1950s, the good times for Charlie’s Bar were coming to an end. After some four decades the business had outgrown the family’s ability to manage it and was sold to Otto and Thekla Schmid, who changed the name to the Bay Shore Bar. After the storm of 1962, they were forced to rebuild and re-opened as The Dutchman’s Brauhaus, a fitting tribute to the memory of Charlie Fackler. Today, the popular bar and restaurant, still owned by the Schmid family, is undergoing extensive renovations with plans for a grand reopening in 2020. No doubt the original Dutchman would be proud. —Andrew Flack. Photography courtesy of Kathy Bohan Page 92 • Echoes of LBI

I

n 1963 Joy Lamping Milano of Beach Haven had the rare privileged of sitting for world-famous Russian sculptor Boris Blai. Her parents, Jack and Virginia Lamping, and Blai were long-time friends. Intrigued by a Christmas card photograph of twelve-year-old Joy in her equestrian suit, Blai offered to sculpt her as a gift to his friends.

Watching Blai at work in his Malvern, Pennsylvania home was a unique opportunity which became an event for the Lamping family and occasionally their friends – although Joy much preferred riding. At the time, for a young girl, the magnitude of sitting for the legendary sculptor was difficult to comprehend. “I guess I thought of Boris as a family friend,” recalled Joy. “He was a person we enjoyed...who was always giving me a sculpting knife and hunk of clay when we visited.” After four or five sittings, as riding and school took up more of Joy’s time, the project waned and never came to fruition. And, although not perfected in bronze – Joy’s experience of sitting for Boris Blai is preserved in treasured photographs. —Susan Spicer-McGarry. Photography courtesy of Joy Lamping Milano Page 94 • Echoes of LBI

39.7048*N, 74.1353*W...“Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore!”

A

rriving at this paradise of surf, salty sea breezes, fine white sand, and family atmosphere, felt like home. In the summer of 1969 America was engulfed in the Vietnam War, peace, love, rock and roll, flower power, and endless optimism. This gem of sand, a tiny barrier island – eighteen miles long and six miles out to sea – was already a legend and summer home to locals, renters, and day trippers.

Just married, after college graduation, my husband Paul and I traveled across-country finally passing through pigmy pines so barren – no pit stops – until just beyond the New Jersey boarder for capicola hoagies with sweet Jersey tomatoes. The taste forever became the shore to me.

The season started on the east coast in mid-June when kids got out of school – the population would swell as people began to make the trek down the shore. Route 72 and the Garden State Parkway congested on Saturdays; and in a seasonal ritual, after Exit 63, cars snaked bumper to bumper across the old Causeway past The Shack.

Barnegat Light was home to sea captains like Larson and Puskas, who docked their fishing fleets. Atlantic saltwater lapped at the feet of Old Barney and we’d climb down the jetty to swish our Page 96 • Echoes of LBI

feet in the sand as breakers created phosphorescence at night.

After the 1962 nor’easter Paul’s family purchased two bay lots on Bergen Avenue in Harvey Cedars for $5500 – it was the start of a family legacy. They built a duplex – renting one unit – with the family using the other. His Mom, a teacher in Alpine, spent summers there with seven children. Her husband, like many, came down just on weekends. Later they constructed a Japanese hurricane house, a single-family home built on pilings.

It was an idyllic life. Days were spent at the ocean beach.

Everyone had hazelnut tans, sun bleached hair, bare feet, and a carefree lifestyle.

Bergen Avenue had a lovely view of the Bible Conference and Woods Island. Longboards rode sweet lengths at Hudson Avenue.

Paul sailed his sixteen-footer and later his catamaran to the post office to get my letters each day. His nine-foot Rick, baby apple teal longboard, was the love of his life next to me!

Cool sea breezes, the smell of board wax, and the roar of waves made each September a painful exodus. Yet thoughts of next summer kept families coming back, repeating the tradition, from one generation to the next. LBI was like no other barrier island.

Its pristine, soft sand with a family friendly culture set it apart.

When we arrived on LBI, Paul’s lifeguard position didn’t start for two weeks. So, he flagged down a sanitation truck owned by

Caldera Brothers and got a temporary job. It got him in shape for his surfing lifeguard gig. Every morning, as his truck passed-by our place, I brought him coffee in a cup from our wedding china and as he sneaked a kiss from his young bride his coworkers would cheer, hoot and holler.

The following summer Paul was promoted to lifeguard lieutenant and drove a beach buggy. Somewhere in an old issue of The Beachcomber is a caricature of him driving over someone imbedded deep in a dune.

My sister-in-law Stacy and I were two of Harvey Cedar’s first beach badge checkers. Mayor Reynold Thomas hired us. Later he drove me to the Surf City 5 and 10 for our uniforms. I selected a white pith helmet and a white tennis skirt, either because the selection on the Island was limited or simply because it was cuter than shorts! It was a mundane job but hearing the roar of waves all day was a definite perk. I don’t think we ever wore those uniforms. One of Paul’s life guard blue tees over a swim suits fit better. Mayor Thomas also owned a dredge company. That summer when my folks visited from Kansas, he took them on a tour around the bay in a barge.

We danced nights at Le Garage Discotheque in Beach Haven where Bruce Springsteen had early gigs; and Hendrix, Dillon, and Joplin, were contemporaries. At 20 years old, I wasn’t even old enough to enter bars. Woodstock happened. Men walked on the moon that summer. Worlds apart from confusion, reality changed forever in strife, progress, and regression; on the Island, we were somewhat isolated in harmony, peace, and good old days. Surflight Theatre was without air conditioning. Picturesque Victorians dotted the Island and The Engleside Inn was still

owned by the Hillman family and my dear friends Michele and John. Summer flicks were at the Colony and Colonial; we saw the original Jaws at the beach. Afterward, the guys hit the night surf on Bergen Avenue!

After Massachusetts law school and graduate school, Paul came back to LBI in 1976 and never left. He had a law practice and municipal judgeships in Harvey Cedars, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Manahawkin, and a few others on the mainland. He was chairman of the board at Southern Ocean County Hospital.

Years later, Paul and I raised our son Jonathan here, who many know as JC of WeatherNJ. Three years ago, I retired from Southern Regional High School.

For more than forty-two years teaching was a vocation as well as a career. I also taught CCD classes for six years at Saint Francis.

I clicked my ruby red flip flops in 1969...home sweet home...and our endless summer after all!

December 2018, I survived a head on auto collision. EMTs using the jaws of life, extracted me from my vehicle and I was transferred via helicopter to the trauma center at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. Throughout this ordeal, I have experienced the skill, expertise, compassion, and love of our community – the community we chose as our lifelong home so long ago. Today, my recovery continues. I am walking with a cane and continue physical therapy. My greatest joy and motivation has been the news that another generation will arrive in July or August. I will be Granny to a very special baby girl.

—Kathy Carr. Photography courtesy of Carr Family

L

ong before the town of Loveladies on Long Beach Island became known for its interesting architectural homes, Ed Heitman introduced, The Round House to Barnegat Light.

The Round House was a completely modern home designed by architect Arthur Tofina and built in 1961. Heitman and Tofina became close friends while in college together in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When Heitman decided to build his own beach house in Barnegat Light, he commissioned Tofina to build a one-story house on the corner of 12th Street and Long Beach Boulevard. His only specifications were that the home should have two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and bath. And with that, Heitman allowed his young friend free reign to design his summer home.

Initially, Heitman was shocked when he looked at the house plans; Tofina had designed a house with curved walls for the main living area, and completely round bedrooms. Jalousie windows were incorporated into the structure, along with sliding glass panels.

A year later in 1962, when Heitman moved into The Round House, he opened its doors to other interested Long Beach islanders when it was included on the first house tour, sponsored by the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, where Heitman taught art to young children during the summer.

Passers-by found the construction of the house fascinating. One day while Heitman was putting capping on the roof his ladder fell – leaving him stranded. Luckily, he was rescued by a young couple who happened by.

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Heitman himself spent much of his time on a ladder covering the whole house with cedar shake shingles. At one point, a neighbor observing his work asked, “Have you done this before?” Heitman responded that he had not – to which the neighbor replied, “It looks it!” The novel design of the split shake shingles was something the neighbor had never seen before but would be copied by many others in the coming years.

Heitman’s creativity could also be seen in many facets inside the house. He chose to have an open floor plan for most of the living and dining areas. For the bedrooms, draperies instead of doors provided privacy. The bathroom did have a door; and included a tiled shower and a stained-glass window that Heitman designed and created. For the window, he chose an abstract pattern with many bright bold colors.

The main living area always brought a bit of anticipation to visitors, as Heitman changed the décor yearly. One year it had an ocean theme, another focused on antiques, and still another year it was given a Chinese influence, reflecting his artistic interests. For the outside, Heitman designed a patio using slate from a side walk that had previously been on the property.

Although about a decade later Heitman moved from The Round House to a Victorian home just up the street, his legacy as one who provided much beauty and interest to Barnegat Light continued. —Cynthia Andes. Photography courtesy of Ed Heitman

I

was born in 1904 in Camden, New Jersey, the same year that Ty Cobb started playing professional baseball. Construction of the Panama Canal had begun, and the New York City subway opened in October. Those were heady times.

And oh, what times I’ve seen! I first sat fifteen miles off the coast of Cape May, shining my beacons to show mariners the way to the Delaware Bay and on up the Jersey coast. Twenty-three years later, I sailed up to Barnegat Station where I anchored nine miles off the shores of LBI to relieve Old Barney of his lighthouse duties.

When war broke out in 1942, I was recalled to the Delaware Bay to serve as an examination vessel for the Coast Guard. You couldn’t enter the Delaware River without my permission!

After the war, I sailed back to Barnegat Station where I remained for twenty-one more years. My sister, LV 110, replaced me for a couple of years after I retired to the Chesapeake Maritime Museum. The sad part is, they couldn’t afford to keep me, and so, it was off to Philadelphia. There I was put on display.

Eventually I was sold – thankfully not for scrap – and moved around so many times, looking for a home that could care for me.

I’ve been through countless nor'easter, survived German submarines, and shined a light in the darkness. I was the first real sign of answered prayers for hopeful European immigrants, just before they set eyes on the Statue of Liberty. I guided thousands of ships to safety and away from the shallows off the New Jersey coast.

I am proud to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

I have served my country well and I know who I am. I am the Barnegat Lightship. And I would like to go home. —Randy Rush.

Artwork by Nancy Edwards

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I

n 1955, sixteen-year old Rosalie Vida arrived on LBI with her eleven-year old brother Joseph and their mother Anna.

A few years earlier, the family had escaped from Hungary to Germany after losing their home and business during the Communist takeover of their homeland. “We had lost everything,” said Anna.

But Joseph Vida, Rosalie’s father, did not go to the United States with his family. Possibly out of a sense of duty or patriotism, he had remained in Germany. Sometime during the brief but violent Hungarian Russian Revolution of 1956, Joseph was captured while attempting to return to Hungary and imprisoned. It would be years before the family was reunited.

Rosalie had come to LBI with her mother and brother because they had family in Brant Beach. “Our cousins Joe and Paul Kaszas owned a duplex there,” recalled Anna. That duplex would become home for Rosalie and her family for many years, including her grandmother, Magdalena Maguas, who left Europe and joined them on LBI in 1957.

To support her family, Rosalie’s mother, Anna, worked at various jobs on LBI. “My Mother worked very hard,” said Rosalie. “Early on she worked in the kitchen at Causeway Pizza. She babysat the children of the owners of Hand’s Store in Ship Bottom. Eventually, she worked in the kitchen at the Surf City Hotel.”

Years later, after being released from prison, Joseph joined his family on Long Beach Island. Anna and Joseph moved to Levittown, Pennsylvania where they opened a butcher shop. Now young adults, Rosalie and her brother Joseph continued to live in Brant Beach with their cousins.

Rosalie worked for her uncle, Martin Wida, the owner of Wida’s Restaurant in Brant Beach. “I was a waitress, a bartender, and I worked in the restaurant’s liquor store,” said Rosalie. “I worked at Wida’s for thirty-years. Occasionally, my grandmother also worked there.”

In 1961 Rosalie married Tibor Papp. “He was from Newark, New Jersey,” said Rosalie. “My cousin Paul introduced us.” Before coming to the United States, Tibor had been one of the brave Hungarian Freedom Fighters.

The young couple made their home on LBI and eventually had a house built on Pearl Street in Beach Haven. Tibor, an electrician, worked for Perks’ Electric. Rosalie and Tibor went on to raise their sons, Robert and Tibor in the house on Pearl Street.

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After graduating from college in Kansas, Rosalie’s brother Joseph returned to LBI. While working at Wida’s Restaurant he met Linda Gibson, his future wife. They married and became the owners of the Barnegat Light Inn – a bar and restaurant on the corner of 8th Street in Barnegat Light.

Rosalie’s parents, Anna and Joseph, retired and returned to LBI for the next twenty-six summers where they stayed in an apartment above the Barnegat Light Inn. During the busy summer months, they enjoyed helping their son Joseph with the restaurant.

Sadly, Tibor passed away eighteen years ago. “He loved to surf fish,” said Rosalie of her husband. “And, he liked to fish at Barnegat Inlet.”

Today, Rosalie has six grandchildren, Casey, Rowland, Jacob, Jason, Justin, and Jessica. Her mother Anna, now 100 years old, has lived with Rosalie for the past twenty-five years.

The front garden of Rosalie’s house on Pearl Street is filled with flowers – the yard is awash with the colors and fragrances of summer. Smiling, she reminisced about days spent with her grandmother, Magdalena, when together they carefully planned and planted the flower beds.

Rosalie went on to reflect on earlier times, “We escaped the war and came here – to the beautiful tranquility of Long Beach Island. It was our safe haven…perfect in every way. It was heaven.” —Diane Stulga. Photography courtesy of Vida Family

T

he summer after I graduated from 8th grade I was diagnosed with polio. My parents took me to a specialist in the city and an x-ray showed my spine was curved and one hip was an inch-and-three-quarters higher than the other. I remember the doctor’s office vividly, as I had to take my clothes off in front of my mother and father so they could trace the curve with their fingers.

And what does this have to do with cheerleading, you might well ask? This was the summer of 1946 and there was no cure for Polio, not even for a mild case like mine. Dr. Ransohoff prescribed exercise, exercise, exercise – he said as I was still growing it would help straighten my spine. I also had to have a lift on the heel of my left shoe, pretty ugly and traumatic for a thriteen year old entering high school.

But enter Barnegat High School I did. And as soon as possible I Page 104 • Echoes of LBI

tried out for the girls’ basketball team and cheerleading. So here comes the next trauma. The girls tried out for cheerleading on the stage in the auditorium and we were judged by the older girls already on the team, and the coach, George Burton, sitting down in the audience.

I noticed some of the girls giggling and laughing when I was doing my thing – jumping around to show how I could turn and twist and jump. When we got back into the locker room to change, I found out they were laughing because my breasts were bobbing up and down. I wasn’t wearing a bra!

When I got off the bus that day and ran down 80th Street to my house on Bay Terrace I stormed into the house and said to my mother, “I am NOT going back to school unless you get me a bra.”

She said I didn’t need one, “Just sprinkle cold water on your breasts and they’ll stay firm.” Yes, she really did say that. But that Saturday

she drove me down to Gerber’s Department Store in Beach Haven and I got what was then called a training bra.

I didn’t make either team that year but tried again and in my sophomore year made both the basketball and cheerleading teams. We had heavy white sweaters with a big red "B" outlined in black and the swirly skirts were black lined with red and we all wore saddle shoes, very big back then. Or? Very hot back then?

The boys’ basketball team, the Barnegat Pirates, played Tuckerton, Toms River, Atlantic City Tech., St. Joe’s in Hammonton, St. Rose’s in Belmar, and Holy Spirit in Absecon.

Three members of that team are still on the Island – Kris Anderson and Charlie Moffett in Beach Haven and Chuck Vennel in Surf City. We cheered for all those games. Patty Yocum, whose parents owned The Baldwin Hotel, remembers driving a bunch of us to an Atlantic City game in the hotel Limo, although we usually went in a school bus.

We did lots of jumping, twirling, shouting, splits, semi-backbends, and I think I remember a couple of us doing a cartwheel ending in a split...but that might have been in college. I continued with cheerleading my first two years in college and the basketball for all four. We didn’t do flashy dance routines and gymnastic stunts like they do now; it would be another thirty years before that evolved. Our job was to stimulate the enthusiasm of the entire student body at pep rallies before some of the games and to cheer on the boys at the games, both home and away. Now, at the new Barnegat High School, the cheerleader daughter of a friend went to Florida for a competition. We were pretty excited just to get to Atlantic City.

I am still friends with three of the girls in the photos. We have carried our team spirit throughout a long and mostly healthy life, although some might have trouble kneeling, let alone doing a cartwheel. And my crooked spine? When I checked it nine years later, about to have my first child – it was almost straight. —Photography and story courtesy of Margaret Thomas Buchholz

R

eturning to the dock after a long day of working on a fishing charter, Charlie Moffett always knew if local fireman Francis Nulty was around.

“Every time, he’d yell, ‘All you young kids will grow up and move away from LBI.’ He shouted the same thing every single time,” said Charlie. For most tired teenagers, that greeting would have quickly become just another part of the daily grind. But for Charlie Moffett those words would echo through his mind in the coming years.

Charles Moffett III was born in Trenton, New Jersey on October 22, 1930.

In 1936, his grandfather, Charles Moffett, and father, Charles Moffett II, along with a group of sportsmen from Trenton, formed the Eureka Rod and Gun Club which made its home in a small log cabin on Jacqueline Avenue in Beach Haven near the inlet. “As a kid, I spent most weekends and nearly every vacation with my dad and grandfather at the clubhouse,” said Charlie.

“They spent so much time there we called it, The Year-Round Club.”

The hurricane of 1944 that havocked the eastern coastal states, swept the fishing and hunting club into the bay. A few days after the hurricane while rummaging through storm debris along the shore, Charlie found a small cache of his father’s duck decoys.

In 1945, Charlie’s family moved to LBI. “My father got his captain’s license, bought a fishing boat from Captain George Clover, and started his own fishing charter business,” recalled Charlie. “Eventually, I worked on my father’s charters.”

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While a he was a student at Barnegat High School Charlie became a basketball star. “I tried out as a freshman,” recalled Charlie. “Other guys on the team were Larry Kelley, Marve Dunfee, and Jack Kennedy. Our coach was George Clover.” At 5'7" with quick hands, Charlie was known for his ability to anticipate the moves of other players.

Charlie was also class president for three years.

After graduating Barnegat High School in 1949, Charlie joined the U.S. Navy in 1951. For the next four years he served on the aircraft carrier USS Midway and at Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia as a weather observer. Upon completing his tour with the Navy, Charlie went on to receive a Master of Education degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. With the words of Francis Nutley still fresh in his mind, he returned to Beach Haven and never looked back.

Charlie’s thirty-five-year career in education began in 1957 when Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey opened its doors. He taught Social Studies to the first class of students at the new school and coached the boys’ basketball team. From 1961 through 1970 Charlie was the principal of Southern Regional Adult School, and eventually served as the president of both the Southern Regional Education Association and the Ocean County Educational Association.

While teaching at Southern, Charlie met his wife Carolyn. They were married in 1964 and built a house on 5th Street in Beach Haven where they raised their daughters Charlene, Christine, and Cherylanne.

When Charlie Moffett returned to his hometown, the community benefited in many ways. Over the years he has been a dedicated educator and a member of numerous public service organizations. He is an Exempt Fireman and Life Member of the Beach Haven Fire Department; a Life Member and past treasurer of the Beach Haven First Aid Squad; past rear commodore, former secretary and member of the Beach Haven Marlin and Tuna Club; president of the Beach Haven Bicentennial Park Association; former chairperson of Beach Haven’s World War II Commemorative Committee; former chairperson of Beach Haven Sewage Authority; Life Member of the Baymen’s Museum; a former trustee and lifetime member of the Long Beach Island Historical Association; and a lifetime member of the National Educational Association. Charlie was also awarded the Silver Beaver and Wood Badge by The Boy Scouts of America for outstanding service.

At a twenty-nine year class reunion for students of Southern Regional High School a former student recalled how Charlie had taken the time to calm and reassure everyone immediately following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Charlie’s simple heartfelt words, “It’s going to be okay,” left a lasting impression.

Among Charlie’s former students are New Jersey Assembly woman, DiAnne Gove, Deborah Whitcraft, president and treasurer of the New Jersey Maritime Museum in Beach Haven, and Cheryl Van Meter Kirby, owner of Things A Drift in Surf City and publisher of Echoes of LBI Magazine.

Today, Charlie and his wife still live in their house in Beach Haven.

They enjoy spending time with their five grandsons - Charles, Ian, Jacob, Aaron, and Erik. —Diane Stulga. Photography courtesy of Charlie Moffett

I

t is not often today that a father finds his son in Europe and orders him home to take over the family business. Yet that is exactly what Robert Barclay Engle did when he became ill a few years after building the large and luxurious Engleside Hotel in Beach Haven.

Robert Barclay Engle was born on March 6, 1834 in Hainesport, Burlington County, New Jersey. Educated at local schools, he later attended Friends Boarding School in Westtown, Pennsylvania. Engle became a teacher but turned to farming after only four years.

He married Jane Darnell in 1857. Together, they had two sons, David D. Engle, and Robert Fry Engle.

Citing what might be called a midlife crisis, Robert Barclay Engle moved to Beach Haven, New Jersey in 1875 to manage a hotel – the Parry House. There he found his true calling. The Biological Review of Camden and Burlington County, NJ described his relocation to the shore:

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“...a change of scene and occupation being desirable, Mr. Engle moved to Beach Haven, on the lower end of Long Beach [sic] in Ocean County, a stretch of land barely redeemable from the broad Atlantic.”

Unfortunately, the Parry House burned down in 1881.

But, by that time, Robert Barclay Engle, and his cousin Samuel T. Engle, who provided much of the financial backing, had purchased land in Beach Haven in January of 1876 and construction of The Engleside Hotel had already begun.

A June 29, 1883 advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer stated The Engleside was open for the season with “thoroughly sanitary arrangements.”

A steamboat connected with the Tuckerton Railroad to take summer visitors to the island. No detail was overlooked for hotel guests. The Engleside attracted families and Robert Barclay Engle went so far as to bring Guernsey cows from his Mt. Holly farm to

Beach Haven to provide fresh milk for the children of guests. For wealthy Philadelphians, The Engleside quickly became the fashionable place to stay.

Nash in The Lure of Long Beach, “The hotel property was then incorporated under the title of The Engleside Company of which Robert Fry Engle is manager.”

Robert Barclay Engle was known to be public spirited and progressive. He was one of the first members to serve on the Beach Haven Borough Council and was elected to the New Jersey Senate.

His son, Robert Fry Engle had trained as a professional photographer under Burton Holmes and was pursuing his own career when called home to help his ailing father run the hotel. By 1895 father and son were touring hotels in Colorado, looking for ways to improve The Engleside. A year later the Tuckerton Beacon reported a complete refurbishment of the dining room with new chairs “more suited to the rich class of guests which The Engleside entertains...and spending thousands of dollars in material to please the eyes of his guests.”

He followed his father’s lead to provide only the best for his guests; one winter 175 tons of ice was taken from Lake Pohatcong in Tuckerton.

Cut into blocks and stored in ice houses packed with straw, the ice was a luxury enjoyed by hotel guests in the heat of summer. Known far and wide, in 1907 the Baltimore American praised the hotel: “Matchless bay for sailing and fishing, perfect beach and bathing, The Engleside has all modern conveniences, private baths with salt and fresh water.” New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey newspapers regularly reported the social scene, noting who visited, the sport in which they partook, and the tea dances attended. Unlike its competitors, The Engleside never served alcohol, but there were tennis courts, croquet, concerts, baseball, and dances all summer.

The torch passed to son Robert Fry Engle around 1890. By May of 1901, Robert Barclay Engle was dead. According to Charles Edger

As his father before him, Robert Fry Engle devoted his life to Ocean County. He served as president of the Long Beach Island

Board of Trade from 1938 to 1940, was president of the Mosquito Control Commission, and a member of the New Jersey State Board of Commerce and Navigation in Trenton.

Robert Fry Engle’s love of photography continued during his years in Beach Haven. Taking photographs of gunning, sailing, children on the beach, and friends, he did all his developing in a dark room off his Engleside office. Many photos were panographed, known today as panoramic. Attracting other photographers to Beach Haven, they all followed his lead, including photographing from the highest places around town available such as the water tower and Hotel Baldwin turrets.

But in the 1930s, two things contributed to the end of The Engleside. There were fewer guests – a reflection of the Great Depression – and the buildings needed maintenance. Despite owing back taxes, Robert Fry Engle refused to increase room rates, nor would he apply for a lucrative liquor license after the repeal of Prohibition, unlike the Baldwin Hotel which profited from a lively bar.

In addition, Robert Fry Engle’s health declined. The hotel was lost through nonpayment of taxes and torn down in 1943. On December 26, 1943 at age seventy-five, Robert Fry Engle died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Pennsylvania. His obituary stated: “He embodied the staunch Quaker tradition of honesty and fair dealing. Island friends recalled over and over in their minds and heart his service and love for Beach Haven.”

Beach Haven Mayor Van A. Nagle was quoted in Engel’s obituary: “We in the Boro of Beach Haven have always followed the trail of progress blazed by Mr. Engle in his 33 years of faithful public service on the Boro Council. His vision and foresight were always many years in advance of events...”

The Tuckerton Beacon portrayed him as a Long Beach Island pioneer and “an extraordinary contributor to the island and county, prominent in every public movement on the island...”

The largest and most enduring legacy of Robert Fry Engle is his photographic history of Beach Haven which he generously shared with friends and organizations. Photos found over the years, and albums received by the New Jersey Maritime Museum, are now shared with the public by the Long Beach Island Historical Association and the Beach Haven Library Museum. The Engleside Hotel property was never developed and is now Veteran’s Memorial Park. —Gretchen F. Coyle. Photography by Robert Fry Engle, courtesy of Gretchen F. Coyle.

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