East Hanover/Florham Park June 24

EAST HANOVER FLORHAM PARK

BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER

FLORHAM PARK - On May

20, the Florham Park Public Library began renovations of its Children’s Room.

The library is working with Soyka Smith Design Studios on the project, and anticipated completion is sometime in July. The renovation budget is $310,000, which comes partly from an increase in the library’s operating budget for this year, and partly from a bequest savings account. The Borough of Florham Park has also contributed $10,000 towards the project.

Historical Society Spring 2024 Luncheon

FLORHAM PARK - Many Florham Park residents and neighbors enjoy the four annual free and interesting presentations offed to the general public by the Historical Society of Florham Park. Additionally, the Historical Society also schedules 2-3 enjoyable events annually which are Members-only.

On Friday, May 10, members attended the Historical Society’s Spring Luncheon at the Florham Park Diner. As is the custom, two local residents were invited to share the spotlight to reminisce about their enjoyment of living in Florham Park. Annemarie Naughright Landishman and Stephanie Dalena Akers were the Spring Luncheon honored guests.

Seated facing the 30 members in the back meeting room of the Florham Park Diner, each shared memories of good times and laughter, and even a bit of melancholy as they recalled favorite businesses that were no longer there. Annemarie has been in the same home since 1959 and Stephanie moved into town in 1960, took a small break from 1983-1992 and returned. Both went to Holy Family Catholic School and then Bayley Ellard High School. Annemarie’s favorite spots included the Florham Park pool and the Center, which included the bowling alley. Stephanie also enjoyed hanging out at the Center, and at Ridgedale School, and of course, at everyone’s favorite - Stan Beck’s on Ridgedale Avenue. At the Florham Park Diner, in addition to a choice of five tasty menu options, each attendee also received an Independence Day Mug, each filled with chocolates such as Twix, Almond Joy, M&Ms,

and Snickers bars. This extra something was in acknowledgement of Florham Park’s 125th Anniversary this year.

The luncheon kicked off with Peter Nicolas, a Historical Society vp, welcoming Annemarie and Stephanie and acknowledging the two honored guests from last year who were in attendance – Dave Kramer and Mike Renahan. He also acknowledged David Setzer as the new president of the Historical Society. Nicolas then talked about the two highly successful Spring presentations held at the Florham Park Library and the healthy growth in membership in the past year.

Board member Michele Newhouse presented Phyllis Botticelli with flowers from the Historical Society in appreciation of many years working as Hospitality Chair behind the scenes at the four annual presentations and many other events.

Related to membership, the Board is asking readers to consider taking on a role on the Board or in a Committee.

Save the Date for the next two presentations sponsored by the Historical Society, both scheduled at the Florham Park Library:

October 8, 2024, 7pm –“Presidential Visits to the Garden State” to be presented by local favorite, Peter Zablocki November 12, 2024, 7pm – History of the Vanderbilt Family – a 125 Anniversary acknowledgement of Florence Vanderbilt Twombly and Hamilton Twombly, from which the borough received its name.

To learn more about The Historical Society of Florham Park contact Peter Nicolas at pnicolas@optimum.net or call his volunteer office landline at 973-520-8654.

Winner from May’s “Find Hank the Hornet Mascot” Contest

al, East Hanover Community Partnership, Jag Paving, Gloria LaForge Realtor and 200 Club. Thanks to everyone who enter and congratulations to our winners!

Nancy Aravecz Shah, Florham Park Library Director, said, “The work being done is mainly cosmetic, so construction is projected to last four to six weeks. We will be replacing the carpeting, converting a closet into a computer room, and adding a small walled-in playroom. We are getting all new furniture, including shelving, and moving the librarian’s desk to a more optimal location in the room.”

During the renovation, the Children’s Room will be closed to the public, and a temporary browsing collection for children and teens will be in the current library teen area.

The project officially commenced in 2022 with a community survey submitted to Florham Park library patrons, asking them for suggestions as to how the children’s area could be improved.

Shah said, “The feedback we received was that the community was looking for more comfortable seating, more play options, an interactive play space that would cater to young ones and special needs kids, and a layout that made it easier for parents and kids to find read-

ing materials that are age and reading-level appropriate. Our shelving and carpeting in that area of the library has seen quite a bit of wear-and-tear and is at the end of its life, so it was also time to start looking at updating them.”

Shah and Youth Services

Librarian, Kate Dinneny, performed a study to identify ways to re-organize the shelving in a way that made more sense to library users, and produced a plan to improve the layout of the room. Shah presented that plan to the Florham Park Public Library Board of Trustees, who tasked her to reach out to interior designers, architects, and furniture vendors and get quotes for the project.

Providing community meeting space has always been a big component of the library’s service to Florham Park, but it has become more important since the COVID - 19 pandemic. 2022 and 2023 were two of the busiest years on record for the Florham Park Public Library when considering circulation, patron visitation, program attendance, and community meeting rooms usage. The Children’s

Florham Park Public Library Children’s Area Being Renovated

Image courtesy of Soyka Smith Design Studio Room itself accounts for about 25% of the library’s public space, and nearly half of overall circulation. Also, the library has added more storytimes to its weekly schedule to meet demand, and regularly has 30 - 40 children and their caregivers in attendance.

Dinneny added, “Our Children’s Room usage has really exploded in the post- COVID world, and it has been thrilling to see so many Florham Park families learn about their town and form new relationships with each other in our space. This is really what sparked the idea that we could make the space more functional and welcoming, the fact that so many new families were spending time with us. Even though they already love the space, everyone I have spoken with is excited to see what we have planned. I am most looking forward to the reactions from families as they explore the space and see the fun surprises we have in store for them!”

The Florham Park Public Library is located at 107 Ridgedale Avenue. Visit www. florhamparklib.org for more information.

June 16, Father’s Day –A Salute to Dear Old Dad

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN STAFF WRITER

AREA - On June 16th let us be thankful for the fathers we’ve had in our lives, who made positive outcomes for us and celebrate their contributions to the fathers of tomorrow.

On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers. It was a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in an explosion at the Fairmont Coal Company mines, in Monongah. But it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.

The following year, a Spokane, Washington, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, and shopkeepers to solicit support for her idea.,

The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same gusto as Mother’s ’s Day–perhaps because, as one florist explained, “Fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”

Eventually Sonora was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. However, it was not until 1972—58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official—that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States. Father’s Day 2024 will occur on Sunday, June 16.

William Jackson Smart was a twice-married, twice-widowed Civil War veteran and father of 14 children. One of his children would dedicate her life to the creation of Father’s Day in honor of her devoted and selfless father.

The idea slowly caught on and the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane, when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

Today, the day honoring fathers is celebrated in the United States on the third Sunday of June. In other countries, especially in Europe and Latin America, fathers are honored on St. Joseph’s Day, a traditional Catholic holiday that falls on March 19.

Many men, however, continued an indifference to the day. As one historian writes’ They scoffed at the holiday’s soppy attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products–often paid for by the fatherf.”

During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement arose to scrap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day altogether in favor of a single holiday, Parents’ Day. Every year on Mother’s Day, pro-Parents’ Day groups rallied in New York City’s Central Park a public reminder, said

Parents’ Day activist and radio performer Robert Spere, “that both parents should be loved and respected together.” That one day of togetherness didn’t appeal to some of the divorced or separated men, and women.

Paradoxically, however, the Great Depression derailed this effort to combine and de-commercialize the holiday. Struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father’s Day a “second Christmas” for men, promoting goods such as guns, neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, and greeting cards.

When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it had become a national institution.

In 1972, in the middle of a nasty presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father’s Day gifts.

The first official Mother’s Day services in 1909 were held at Sonora’s church in Spokane, Washington, when she had an epiphany—if mothers deserved a day in honor of their loving service, why not fathers?

When Sonora was 16, her mother Ellen died, leaving William as a single father to Sonora and her five younger brothers. And by Sonora’s account, he performed brilliantly. “I remember everything about him,” Sonora said many years later to the Spokane Daily Chronicle. “He was both father and mother to me and my brothers and sisters.” Sonora’s mother Ellen, herself a widow, had three children from a previous marriage. On top of that, William had also been married and widowed before he met Sonora’s mother. William had five children with his first wife, Elizabeth, who were already grown when William became a widower for the second time.

In 1910, Sonora brought a petition before the Spokane Ministerial Alliance to recognize the courage and devotion of all fathers like William on June 5, her dad’s birthday. The local clergy liked the idea of a special Father’s Day service, but couldn’t pull something together so quickly. So they settled for June 19, the third Sunday in June. On that first Father’s Day in 1910, church sermons across Spokane were dedicated to dear old dad, red and white roses were passed out in honor of living and deceased fathers. The mayor of Spokane and governor of Washington issued proclamations, and Sonora found her calling. She would spend much of the next 60 years pushing for the official recognition of Father’s Day as a national holiday.

FLORHAM PARK - The Florham Park Police Department

is hosting its fourth annual Junior Police Academy this June. The Academy runs from June 24th through June 28th. The cadets must be youth entering grades six through nine in the Fall of 2024, and registration is limited to Borough of Florham Park residents and presented by Florham Park Police Officers.

According to the Police Department, participating cadets “get the opportunity to explore various aspects of law enforcement with a curriculum developed by the police department that will emphasize qualities such as physical fitness, integrity, teamwork and respect. Activities during each week will include lessons in military drill and ceremony, physical training, school safety and self-defense.”

Cadets get to collaborate closely with borough officers during the camp, which builds relationships between officers and residents, outside the normal day-to-day law enforcement-civilian interactions.

Among the activities offered during the camp are: field trips to Newark Airport for a presentation by NY/NJ Port Authority and Florham Park Fire Department Headquarters; a formal graduation ceremony at the culmination of the week, and a final pizza party with family and friends.

Many cadets who have attended the program in the past return in later years to help as assistant instructors while

Florham Park Police Department to Run Fourth Annual Junior Police Academy

earning community service hours for their respective educations. The 2024 program is limited to 40 registrants and quickly filled to capacity after it was announced. There is currently a wait list. When asked what are the motivations for cadets, to attend, Chief Joseph Orlando replied, “I believe the cadets hear from their friends or family members, who have previously attended, and want to be a part of the program as a result. Some of the cadets have an underlying desire to pursue law enforcement, or emergency services, as future careers and some are motivated by the discipline and physical challenge the Junior Academy presents.”

On what is most satisfying aspect of the Academy for him as Police Chief, Chief Orlando added that, “The most satisfying aspects of the Junior Police Academy, for me as the Chief of Police, are: 1) seeing the desire of our community’s children wanting to be a part of our program and learn about the profession of law enforcement from our officers; 2) attending portions of the Junior Academy and observing the cadets progress through the week, in a disciplined and team- oriented manner; and 3) interacting with the cadets and their families at graduation. Learning of the impact our officers and our program have had on our community’s youth is beyond rewarding.”

Some cadets express a keen interest to pursue careers in

Father’s Day...

FROM FRONT PAGE

William Jackson Smart, the original inspiration for Father’s Day, was born in Arkansas in 1842. He enlisted as a Union soldier there in 1863. That was odd because Arkansas was a Confederate state. Spokane resident, Jerry Numbers, who owned what had been Sonora’s home, researched the Smart family history for Spokane’s Father’s Day Centennial Celebration in 2010. Numbers says that William, in fact, fought for both sides in the Civil War. Driving a supply wagon for Confederate troops, William was captured in the Battle of Pea Ridge, a decisive Union victory in Arkansas in 1862. Rather than languish in a prisoner of war camp, he opted to join the northern cause. As indication that William was a “Reb” before he was a “Yank,” Sonora was a member of both the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Daughters of Union Veterans.

When Sonora was born in 1882, William and his second

wife Ellen were living on a “coal ranch” in Jenny Lind, Arkansas. Instead of mining for coal, William and the family “farmed” it, collecting chunks of coal from the surface and carting it to town for sale. William and Ellen sold the property in 1887 for $5,000—a handsome sum at the time—and the family traveled by train to a new homestead outside of Spokane. (The farm in Arkansas would turn out to be one of the most productive coal fields in the entire nation.)

It was on the Smart’s family farm near Creston, Washington, where William’s second wife died, and he became a widower again at the age of 56. His youngest son was seven and Sonora, his oldest child still living at home, was 16. In Sonora’s memories of this difficult time, she recalls her father as a “great home person,” a man who exemplified fatherly love and protection.

Sonora won the support of her congressmen, who began to lobby for the creation of a

law enforcement later in life, and some of those actually pursue this. According to Chief Orlando, “We have had several cadets express a desire to pursue law enforcement as a career. Several of our previous cadets have returned as summer interns, participated in our department through High School work study programs, as well as providing assistance with running future Junior Police Academy classes. It’s great to see the impact we’ve had on them and their desire to return to assist our instructors.”

A final query to Chief Orlando enabled him to share his observations on what current police officers think of the cadets – their attitudes, diligence and willingness to apply the necessary discipline to thrive in the Junior Police Academy Program. He offered that, “As officers, we were curious about ow the cadets would respond to a simulated strict, structured environment. Naturally, on the first day of the junior academy, there are nerves and even a slight hesitation to join in our first “formation” for their initial uniform and equipment inspection. Their initial hesitation quickly turns into an energized participation that we credit to the design of the daily schedule and the effort put forward by the instructors. By the end of the week, there is a palpable sense of pride and accomplishment among the cadets, (and instructors) as they prepare for their graduation ceremony. The real reward oc-

national holiday. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson celebrated Father’s Day in Spokane during a visit to Washington. We don’t know if William Jackson Smart was there to shake the president’s hand, but it would have been one of his last Father’s Days. William died three years later, in 1919.

Much more than a Father’s Day booster, Sonora Smart Dodd was an accomplished artist, poet, children’s book author, funeral home director, and founding member of just about every civic organization in Spokane. But she never let go of her determination to give fathers like hers the recognition they deserved. It wasn’t until 1972, six years before Sonora’s death at the age of 96, that President Richard Nixon finally signed a Congressional resolution declaring the third Sunday in June to be Father’s Day. Sonora’s quest was challenging but had a happy ending. Her dad, no doubt, would have been proud.

Livingston

curs in the months to follow as the cadets return to school in September and actively seek out our officers who were involved in their academy process. The relationships built during the week are a direct result of the cadets’ dedica-

tion to the focus on the academy core values and examples by the instructors. There are high fives, smiles and excitement when we get to interact with our cadets following their academy week both in and out of the school setting.”

Dr. Jaclyn Jankowski Honored By Arthritis Foundation of New Jersey as 2024 Orthopedist of The Year

AREA - Jaclyn Jankowski, DO, an orthopedic surgeon with RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group who is on staff at Clara Mass Medical Center, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Jersey City Medical Center, received the Arthritis Foundation of New Jersey’s 2024 Orthopedist of the Year award at its Evening of Honors event held on May 2 at The Palace at Somerset Park.

“I love what I do, and it’s an honor to be recognized by my peers and the Arthritis Foundation of New Jersey for the care I provide my patients,” said Dr. Jankowski. “At every patient touchpoint, I strive to alleviate my patients’ pain from arthritis and other conditions and restore their long-term functionality and mobility. I can provide hope that there is a chance at regaining a level of function that had been lost.”

Female orthopedic surgeons like Dr. Jankowski, who specializes in joint replacements, are rare and underrepresented in the field. According to 2022 data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, they account for 5.9 percent of the surgery specialty.

“We are privileged to have Dr. Jankowski on our team at the Medical Group. Her dedication and innovation in orthopedic surgery provide valuable contributions to the field and we congratulate her on receiving such a prestigious recognition,” says Michael Prilutsky, Interim CEO & President, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group.

“Dr. Jankowski’s holistic approach to patient care centers on managing patients’ conditions with functionality and mobility,” said Frank Liporace, MD, Chairman of Orthopedics at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Senior Vice President, Orthopedic Service Line, RWJBarnabas Health Northern Region. “I am so proud to see how she has advanced in her medical career, from starting as a resident and fellow at RWJBarnabas Health to now joining me as a

colleague with RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group. She’s a shining star in our industry, and I can’t think of someone more well-deserving of this honor.”

Dr. Jankowski also specializes in orthopedic trauma surgery, fracture care, and primary and revision joint replacement arthroplasty of the hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow.

Dr. Jankowski earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a pre-medical concentration from the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. She furthered her education at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. Since 2016, she has been an integral part of the Rutgers RWJBarnabas Health system. Dr. Jankowski completed her fellowship in orthopedic trauma and adult reconstruction at Jersey City Medical Center and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center under the tutelage of Dr. Liporace and Richard Yoon, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group. She completed her residency in 2022 at Jersey City Medical Center. She currently serves as the Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement Officer at RWJBarnabas Health Orthopaedics and is on the teaching faculty for both her former residency and fellowship.

The Arthritis Foundation of New Jersey award event occurred during Arthritis Awareness Month, during which Dr. Jankowski joined two other honorees who received Lifetime Achievement and Corporate Leader awards.

RWJBarnabas Health offers comprehensive orthopedic services for adults and children to help manage conditions caused by arthritis, degenerative joint disease, injuries, congenital issues and general wear and tear. Orthopedic services offered at its acute care, ambulatory care and rehabilitation facilities throughout New Jersey include emergency care, diagnostic testing, surgery, sports medicine and rehabilitation services. The Bristol-Myers

Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick is ranked 34th in the nation for pediatric orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report.

For more information about orthopedic services offered at RWJBarnabas Health, visit www.rwjbh.org/ortho.

About RWJBarnabas Health

RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multisite imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.

RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 38,000 employees and 9,000 physicians — and routinely captures national awards

for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey — the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. About RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group

RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group is a multispecialty group practice comprising of over 2,400 highly skilled and

experienced world class primary and specialty care providers. Our providers offer compassionate and innovative cutting-edge care for people at every stage of life at easily accessible facilities conveniently located throughout New Jersey.

RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group is ranked as the fourth largest medical group in the nation Becker’s ACS Review in 2023. Backed by the vast continuum of resources throughout RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health, our dedicated providers and expertly trained supporting staff continuously strive for clinical and academic excellence. For more information, visit rwjbh.org/medicalgroup. About Arthritis Foundation The Arthritis Foundation is fighting for all people who live with arthritis. As Champions of Yes, the Arthritis Foundation’s mission is to turn the obstacles arthritis causes into opportunities. The Arthritis Foundation champions life-changing solutions and medical advancements, and it also provides ways for people to connect, break down barriers in health care and join the fight to conquer arthritis — uniting hearts, minds and resources to change the future of arthritis. To join the fight to conquer arthritis, visit arthritis.org.

Taste of Florham Park A Huge Success

BY PETER NICHOLAS

Marilyn Tepper wafted through the Great Hall.

The food and drink vendors lined the walls of the large rectangular “Lenfell Hall” room, with about 100 residents dining and chatting at tables in the middle. The new owners of the Florham Park Liquor store anchored one end ready to offer tastings of select beer, wines and liquors. Flanking them were Starbucks Coffee and M&T Bank donated the waters and sodas. NOTHING Bundt CAKES and Enjou Chocolat, both of Morristown, displayed miniature sweets at adjacent tables. Puleo’s Brick Oven, Jersey Mike’s, and Angelina’s Trattoria added even more to the tasty lineup!

Restaurateurs shared some of the borough’s best dishes, said Florham Park Rotary President Damion Bernard, who noted the proceeds benefit the

club’s college scholarship fund.

“It’s a good opportunity for business owners to assist with our fundraising efforts to contribute to education. Indeed due to the success of last year’s Taste of Florham Park we were able to award more scholarships this year to Florham Park students who are Seniors in any local high school and have a history of community involvement and volunteering” he said. He especially pointed out the Florham Park Diner and the new owners at Florham Park Pizza as rock stars in both their food and how engaging they were with guests. He then thanked In addition to the food and wine offerings, a few lucky residents went home with special door prizes from the Madison Area YMCA, Lucy’s Gift and T.M. Ward Coffee Company.

For the second year in a row the YMCA also stepped up to sponsor a shuttle that transported event-goers across campus to the mansion on the sunny spring evening.

More than 20 local businesses, from Florham Park Roller Rink, to Lucy’s Gift, to Imagine THAT!!! to Enjou Chocolat, to one of the newest businesses in town - Florham Park Golf Club, and more offered gift cards and other giveaways in a Tricky Tray.

Both Bernard and Florham Park Rotary Sergeant-at-Arms Peter Nicolas thanked the vendors and sponsors for donating their time, funding and food. And they also noted that while “This Is Not A Fairleigh Dickinson University Program Or Event”, the support of the University is very much appreciated.

Vanderbilt-Twombly (Hensley Hall) Mansion Tours

As he did last year, Peter Nicolas provided several tours of the Mansion; all included with admission to Rotary’s Taste of Florham Park event. “Friends of Florham” organization president, Lisa MacNair, added behind-the-scenes insight and color and also gave tours.

In referencing 2024 as the 125th Anniversary of Florham Park, they pointed to the Mansion as the home to heiress Florence Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, renowned as the richest man in America in the 1880s, and her husband, financier Hamilton McKown Twombly. The mansion was completed in 1897 and represented one of America’s finest Gilded Age homes. This was achieved via the input of McKim, Mead and White, the foremost architectural firm of the day, and Frederick Law Olmsted & Associates, premier landscape designers (who also designed Manhattan’s Central Park). Thomas Edison, a friend

with Hamilton Twombly, personally designed the mansion’s heating system and boiler in a tunnel system beneath the house. The 85,000-square-foot structure is 30,000 square feet larger than the White House.

While currently serving as Fairleigh Dickinson University’s main administrative building with classrooms, initially it had 37 bedrooms and 23 bathrooms among its 110 rooms.

During the year, this Florence and Hamilton’s Spring and Fall home, while they stayed in their 5th Avenue Mansion for Winter Social Season, debutante balls, and opera season from November through April, and their Newport RI mansion for social season during the Summer. When many of the mansion’s

paintings and furnishings were auctioned off in 1955, some made their way to the White House and remain there today.

“People seemed to really enjoy the tours as they learned the backstory of the Mansion, the family here, and Florham Park,” said Nicolas. “There’s so much to appreciate. It gives people a greater sense of history.”

To see more pictures from the Taste of Florham Park see Florham Park Rotary Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ groups/428768947164657

Contact the Florham Park Rotary to learn more about other opportunities to contribute to the community: info@florhamparkrotary. org, or see www.florhamparkrotary.org

Photo courtesy of Peter Nicolas

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN

AREA - The Zepplin Hindenburg, 804 feet long, and three times the length of a Boeing 747 was powered by four 1,100-horsepower diesel engines, giving it a maximum speed of 84 miles per hour. It was the largest and fastest air vehicle at the time.

On May 3, 1937, the airship Hindenburg departed Frankford, Germany, on its second season of service to the United States. This trip was the first of the 1937 season for passenger service between Europe and the Lakehurst Naval Station (NAS). In 1936, Hindenburg had completed ten successful trips (1,002 passengers) and was so popular that they had to turn away customers.

War clouds in Europe did not seem to bother the Hindenburg’s passengers. They were paying a hefty sum in 1937 dollars, $750 round trip (the equivalent to $16,267 in today’s money). Many said it was the future of luxury air travel. The trip was made to order for executives and businessman since the trip would take at least a week on a ocean liner.

On this trip, the airship was only half full, carrying 36 passengers despite it being equipped to carry 72, but, Hindenburg was booked solid for the return trip. The passengers were among the wealthiest who had received invitations to attend the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizebeth. The airship was due to turn around in record time for its trip back across the Atlantic.

Several theories have been put forth, each seeking to explain the ignition source that led to the airship’s rapid destruction.

These theories range from a spark igniting leaking hydrogen, to the presence of a flammable fabric covering, a puncture caused by a broken wire, the possibility of engine failure, and even the specter of internal sabotage that would add an additional layer of intrigue to this already intricate historical event.

Meanwhile, the passengers were being treated like royalty and could relax with fine wines, and food. It was almost a fantasy trip for them. They could play, sing, or listen to piano music or just sit and write postcards and letters to family.

Rumors abounded that soon the United States would

Hindenburg: What Really Happened

be dragged into the European conflict with Hitler. Japan had invaded China, and Spain was engaged in a civil war with a proxy air force from Germany. And the isolationists were preaching to their followers in the United States. The weather had been calm for most of the trip but that began to change as the behemoth reached Boston. Zeppelins normally took two and a half days to reach the US from Germany, moving twice as fast as an ocean liner. Although Hindenburg had taken three days because of badweather it had plenty of diesel fuel left. It could have flown further.

Out of an abundance of caution, when the rain and sporadic lightning became a threat, Captain Max Pruss changed course and headed towards lower Manhattan. The weather seemed to follow him, so he changed course and headed for the New Jersy shore.

On its flights in 1936, it had been struck by lightening several times without any damage to the airship or its passengers.

When the weather improved, Captain Pruss decided it was safe enough to head for his destination, Lakehurst.

Hindenburg was over Lakehurst at an altitude of 295 ft. when the captain ordered the mooring lines dropped from the bow (back); the starboard line was dropped first, followed by the port line.

In one of the many postmortems that took place was the claim that the port line was overtightened according to an eye witness. The line was connected to the post of the ground winch. The light rain began to fall as the ground crew grabbed the mooring lines, which were now getting wet.

As Pruss made the final turn of the ship and aligned the mooring post with the airship, he ordered 1,100 lb. of water ballast in successive drops because the airship was sternheavy. As these measures failed to bring the ship in trim, six men were then sent to the stern, adding their weight to correct the trim of the airship.

Several other eyewitness testimonies suggested that the first flame appeared on the port side just ahead of the port fin, and was followed by flames that burned on top. Commander Rosendahl (USN), an expert on lighter than air ships tes-

tified that the flames in front of the upper fin were “mushroom-shaped.” Rosendahl was the commanding officer of the Lakehurst Naval Air Station at the time and considered an expert on rigid airships.

Others reported seeing a dim blue flame – possibly moments before the fire on top and in the back of the ship near the point where the flames first appeared. Several other eyewitness testimonies suggested that the first flame appeared on the port side just ahead of the port fin.

One witness on the starboard side reported a fire behind the rudder on that side. On board, people heard a muffled detonation and those in the front of the ship felt a shock as the port trail rope overtightened; the officers in the control gondola initially thought the shock was caused by a broken mooring line.

At 7:30 p.m., a few witnesses saw what appeared to be fabric ahead of the upper fin flutter as if gas was leaking. Others reported seeing a dim blue flame – possibly static electricity, or St. Elmo’s Fire. (St. Elmo’s fire is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a corona discharge from a rod-like object such as a mast, spire, chimney or in this case a mooring line in an atmospheric electric field.)

There was a buildup of static charge from the storm on the craft, surface and frame. When the mooring rope, wet from the storm, was dropped to the ground, the frame discharged, creating an electrical difference between the frame, and covering that started the fire.

Immediately, the radio and newspapers blamed the Germans for sabotage. Others said the opposite, that the United States had sabotaged the craft. Questions arose, was it mechanical failure? Was it shot down? Was it a bomb, or sabotage?

Eighty years of research and scientific tests support the same conclusion reached by the original German and American accident investigations in 1937: It seems clear that the Hindenburg disaster was caused by an electrostatic discharge that ignited the hydrogen leak.

The Hindenburg’s cells were designed to carry helium for lift. But the United States had restrictions on its export. The Germans modified the cells for

The Hindenburg destroyed itself in 32 seconds because of the hydrogen it was using for lift.

hydrogen. There is no record of inspecting the modifications.

The cause of the hydrogen leak is more of a mystery, but we know the ship experienced a leakage of hydrogen before the disaster.

The FBI found no evidence of sabotage, and no convincing theory of sabotage has ever been advanced.

It became clear during the investigation that the disaster had nothing to do with the zeppelin’s fabric covering being “highly flammable.” In fact, Hindenburg was just one of several hydrogen airships destroyed by fire because of their flammable lifting gas. The

fact is that Hindenburg was destroyed in 32 seconds because a spark that triggered the hydrogen to ignite.

The spark was most likely caused by a difference in electric potential between the airship and the surrounding air:

The airship was approximately 200 feet above the airfield in an electrically charged atmosphere, but the ship’s metal framework was grounded by its landing line; the difference in electric potential likely caused a spark to jump from the ship’s mooring line to the fabric covering.

The intensity of the effect, a blue or violet glow around the object, often accompanied by a hissing or buzzing sound, is proportional to the strength of the electric field and therefore noticeable to the gondola crew primarily during thunderstorms or volcanic eruptions.

Zeppelin flights didn’t end immediately with the Hindenburg disaster. But by the late 1930s passenger airplanes had greatly improved in speed, reliability, and operating cost as airplanes became increasingly popular and safe. The airships’ slow speeds, their vulnerability in stormy weather, and the difficulty of procuring steady supplies of helium soon rendered these unusual aircraft obsolete.

Whirly Girl Kim Darst Sets New Records

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN

AREA - The Whirly Girls is an international group of female licensed helicopter pilots.

In June 1987, 17-yearold Kim Darst landed a Bell JetRanger helicopter in a soccer field behind her high school in Blairstown, New Jersey. When the rotor blades stopped, she climbed from the cockpit and change her sneakers into high heels. She put on a white cap and gown, and she became the first person to fly a helicopter to her high school graduation.

In retrospect Darst recalls, “It sounded like fun,” but Darst wanted to do it the right way. “I asked for permission from my school, the town, the state police, and the FAA.” They all agreed to let me do it.”

The event came just 2 months after she had earned her private helicopter certificate.

Darst wasn’t always interested in flying. Until her junior year of high school, she had never even flown and was planning a career in marine biology. Then, on a family vacation in November 1986, she and her parents flew for 20 minutes in a JetRanger on a charter flight through the Grand Canyon. Darst sat up front, watching the pilot, fascinated by what he was doing. “I can’t tell you anything about the Grand Canyon,” she says, beaming, “but I can tell you everything about that helicopter.”

When back on the ground, she began taking flying lessons

in a Bell 47. When she wasn’t flying, she worked as an apprentice mechanic alongside her flight instructor, Ernie Kittner. She earned her airframe and powerplant certificates that way, spending as many as 18 hours a day at the airport, and living out of a trailer.

At first, Darst didn’t realize she had been bitten by the flying bug. And all she could do was think about flying. It wasn’t long before she was busy signing the papers for her first helicopter. She found her 1957 Bell 47 near Homestead, Florida, in March 1988. Her father cosigned a loan with her on the condition that if she missed a payment, she would have to sell the helicopter. With the deal sealed, she and Kittner flew the helicopter with Kittner aboard to give Darst a rest. It took eight fuel stops, and 17 hours in the air from Florida to her New Jersey home, following the “concrete compass” of Interstate 95. While she was enroute family members were clearing trees from the family’s 12-acre trac. She also needed a fuel tank to be installed and a windsock raised. With all the details ironed out, Kim Darst opened her flight school, and KD Helicopters, was born. Darst has a love for the lowand-slow airplanes that goes beyond her earlier attraction to the airlines. Kiwi Airlines of-

fered her a job as a flight engineer on the Boeing 727.

“I found out that the “big iron” didn’t have the same appeal that flying close to the ground in a helicopter or single-engine airplane does. I didn’t like the airlines like I thought I would. I thought it was the next step, but when I got there, I said, “I like general aviation better.” She gave up a career with Kiwi Airlines and turned down a job offer from the FAA so that she could continue instructing in the helicopter and five airplanes she owned.

There is no doubt Darst is having fun. One measure of her of her love of flight is her airtime. Darst stopped keeping a logbook when she logged

30,000 hours in the air. “I

would have to estimate I’m at least 35,000, near 40,000 hours in the air.” That is nearly six years in the air.

She has had students for each of her instructor ratings, which include airplane, single-engine and multiengine; helicopter; gyroplane; instrument, airplane; instrument, helicopter; and glider.

When living in New Jersey she kept her Piper Cub; two Cessna Skyhawks; a Lake amphibian; and her favorite among her airplanes, a pristine blueand-white Cessna 195 she’s affectionately named Clyde.

Darst says she’s happy as an instructor, but she is also looking at her options. She wants to stay close to her general aviation roots, “flying and fixing helicopters and ‘little airplanes.’”

On a trip to Alaska to visit a friend she found another challenge when she witnessed the annual Iditarod Dog Race. “I said to myself I have to try that.”

Kim Darst drove 6,000 miles in a truck with 18 dogs to come to Alaska and realize her dream — racing in the 1,100-

mile Iditarod.

“I hooked up a couple of Samoyed dogs and took them for a run. I was hooked! I started out the way I did in aviation, from the bottom up. I would race larger and larger races. I raced in the 30-mille, then 60mile up to the 1,100-mile Race.

Darst has worked for more than 30 years to get to this point. She estimates it took about 10 years to get the money for it. The cost of just running the race at about $50,000 with dog food and entry fees and getting up to Alaska. The race has 26 check points and food bags waiting along the way and it generally takes a few days to complete the race. Driving the 12,000 miles to and from Alaska in her truck that gets 8 miles to the gallon cost a a lot, she said.

Kim Darst was born and raised in Blairstown, New Jersey. “I am a helicopter pilot by trade but a dog musher by passion. My dogs come from Susan Butcher’s kennel. I look forward to bringing my dogs back to their origin. Kim owns and operates a flight school on an airport named Husky Haven in NE Pennsylvania. The flight

school consists of three helicopters and seven airplanes. I was the first New Jersian to qualify and enter the Iditarod. My favorite part of the race was the friends I met and the fans.” In 2009, Kim became the 1st New Jerseyan to race in the Iditarod. Kim is currently operating her flight school and giving dog sled rides and presentations in Shingleton, MI.

The Iditarod Race began in 1973. During the Alaskan Gold Rush in 1909, they used the Iditarod Trail route to get to snowbound areas using dogs to pull their sleds. This became a national historic trail.

The original Iditarod was established in 1967, and it was a dog race that only included a smaller portion of the trail. It was six years later when the race was changed to include the entire trail, from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. I never truly moved to AK. I went up there and trained for Iditarod in 2009 but I found my favorite place in the world for me to be the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In my opinion it is a mini-Alaska. We get lots of snow, lots of trails, and nice and quiet. I love it there. I now own 73 dogs and run a sled dog touring business up there. I certainly never gave up aviation. I still own 3 helicopters a Bell47, my first aircraft ever that I bought back in 1988. I own a S300 helicopter that I bought back is 1995 and then of course the Jet Ranger that I bought in 2000. I reduced my airplane fleet to a Cessna 172 and it is the first airplane I ever bought so my second aircraft and I still have my J3 cub which is now on floats as I live on a lake. I never won Iditarod, but I did win other dog sled races like Stratford NH race and the High Point race. Around 1,500 dogs start the race each year, I sold my airport that I had in Pennsylvania, and I sold my parents properties in Blairstown as my mom just passed away a year ago,. Kim Darst is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Whirly Girls and says her hobby is water skiing.

Bell, 47. Photo credit Kim Darst

The Wave Set donates to New Jersey Sharing Network’s Joseph S. Roth Simulation Training Center

BY STEVE SEARS

AREA

WRITER

- The Wave Set, formerly a 501 c3 non-profit and now a partner of the NJ Sharing Network, in April donated $10,000 to the new Joseph S. Roth Simulation Center’s located at NJ Sharing Network headquarters in New Providence.

Jared Wohl of Livingston is the co-under and advisor of The Wave (We Are Vital to Each Other) Set, which was begun in late 2013, right before his 65% partial liver donation to his brother Cameron in February 2014.

Wohl said, “Leading up to that point, as we were going through the process, we recognized that we really had limited experience with organ transplantation, and we felt like that was likely the case for many families being struck with that sort of situation.”

Also, when doing more research on organ donation in

BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER

general, Wohl and his family learned at that time that 18 people a day were dying while waiting for a deceased person’s organ for a transplant, and that many people were being added to the waiting list every day.

“That list was growing exponentially,” Wohl said, “but we learned that there were options for living donations, like in our case. The fact that I donated a portion of my liver to my brother, we just realized that there was this immense lack of awareness on the topic.”

In December 2013, The Wave Set launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for the production of a documentary describing the family’s journey through the transplant experience. The documentary, titled 65 Percent, was featured during a film festival circuit, which

side-by-side with speaking engagements, further created an awareness and educated people on the importance of organ donation.

Many years later, the non-profit joined forces with New Jersey Sharing Network which is New Jersey’s largest organ procurement organization. The $10,000 donated by The Wave Set was in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Cameron’s transplant, and it also coincided with National Donate Life Month in April - as well as Jared and Cameron’s birthday (they were born on the same April day three years apart). A National Donate Life Month Flag Raising and Simulation Center Ribbon Cutting was held on April 16 for the staff and funding partners.

Wohl, a musician with a few albums to his credit and whose background is in edu-

cational technology and sales embraced the idea of being able to educate patients and families on what that process courtesy of the Simulation

Center could look like. He said of the donation, “It was a great feeling all around. When we learned about the opportunity, my brother and I immediately

said that is what we wanted to support with the funds.” For more information, visit www.sharingnetworkfoundation.org/thewave-set.

Help Keep Lights On and Doors Open at Shelter

AREA - Women and children victimized by abuse have turned to Strengthen Our Sisters in Passaic County for the past 55 years, but with mounting challenges both financial and regulatory, the shelter’s mission of providing a safe sanctuary is in jeopardy.

SOS had seven houses, a day care, food pantry and thrift store but with recent hurdles was forced to close one of its main houses. A few months ago, the final closure sale of The Cathy House in Wanaque went through forcing seven of its residents to relocate to the main house in West Milford.

“The Cathy House in Wanaque needed extensive repairs after a recent storm,” says SOS Founder and Executive Direc-

tor Sandra Ramos. “There was damage that we were unable to repair over the years. We also needed the money for utilities, insurance, and repairs on other houses.”

SOS got $250K for the sale of The Cathy House. The money was used to keep the other six houses afloat for now.

“It was used to pay down the mortgage of the other houses,” says Ramos. She fears the other houses are at risk.

“I started this 55 years ago and I’ve have been struggling to take people that no one else would take,” explains Ramos.

“All monies go to directly provide the needs of the people. I don’t earn a salary and even when I did it was nominal. I was

a professor and much of what I receive these days comes from that. The people that make the rules live in a different reality. They can imagine how difficult it is for those who struggle for a safe place to sleep.”

Lack of money and support, as well as state laws have become a thorn in SOS’s side.

“The state is not giving us our voucher money because we don’t have paid staff, and they asked that we make repairs (which were done),” says Ramos. “With the support of former Senator Gerald Cardinale, we were able to have volunteer staff that were board members. They also have a problem with the fact that we keep people for longer than 90 days, but they have nowhere else to go.

Apartments are very expensive, those that have section 8 have a hard time finding places that are willing to accept it. There are also extensive waiting lists.”

Ramos has not given up and continues to seek support.

“Our dedication to serving our community knows no bounds, but we find ourselves at a crossroads,” says Ramos. “Without the necessary funds to cover electricity costs, we face the difficult decision of potentially having to sell our properties. However, this raises the crucial question: Where will the individuals we currently serve, and those who will seek our assistance in the future, turn?

“I have tried to get publicity,

we write grants, we received a recent $30k from ‘Metallica’, and other donors we received $10k and $20k,” says Ramos.

She is seeking people who would donate their time to make repairs on the remaining houses, as well as any monetary assistance to go toward utilities, and of course, any legal assistance.

“I need a lawyer to challenge what the state is doing, which is illegal,” claims Ramos. “They say we are the only ones taking people in wheelchairs and walkers, they don’t respond to our calls.

“I have written the Governor repeatedly,” adds Ramos. “Holly Schepisi has been helpful but I’m still waiting for her

to call me back.”

Those willing to contribute to help women and children who are abused with no place to go, can send a check to P.O. Box 1089 Hewitt, NJ 07421; or contribute to GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme. com/manage/stop-the-shutoffnotice

Email Ramos at info@ strengthenoursisters.org

SOS is a grassroots, community based, nonprofit, 177bed shelter program serving battered/homeless women and children. Its mission is dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, poverty, and abuse by restoring balance and harmony through individual empowerment.

The Wohl families present The Wave Set’s donation to the New Jersey Sharing Network’s new Joseph S. Roth Simulation Center (courtesy of the Wohl Family)

BY DANA JACKSON

Q: When is “Yellowstone” coming back for its final season? I don’t watch any of the spin-offs. I’m just waiting for the original show to return. --

A.W.

A: The wait is almost over for the second half of the final season of “Yellowstone,” which last graced our screens in January 2023. The delay can mostly be attributed to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, but there was also a major dispute between the show’s creator Taylor Sheridan and star Kevin Costner that most certainly was a factor. Fortunately, the Paramount Network has announced that production on the remainder of the season has begun and that you should expect to see those some time in November of this year. There is a spin-off in the works that will continue to tell the Dutton family saga

BY DEMI TAVERAS

“Gaga Chromatica Ball” (TV-14) -- Calling all fans of the Mother Monster herself! A new concert experience from pop icon Lady Gaga reaches streaming on May 25, for all the Monsters who weren’t able to attend the Chromatica Ball tour back in 2022. Immerse yourself in the dark, edgy atmosphere of the Chromatica Ball with a stage inspired by brutalist architecture. Jam out to songs spanning her decades-long discography, like “Just Dance,” “Bad Romance,” “Shallow” and “Rain on Me.” Filming for this TV special took place during the Los Angeles show at Dodger Stadium, and the special premieres on May 25. (Max)

with current cast members Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser and none other than Academy-Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”). The yet-to-benamed spin-off is expected to premiere on the Paramount channel in December and start streaming on Paramount+ soon after.

As for Costner, he knows who his audience is. He starred and directed the Oscar-winning film “Dances with Wolves” and has done the same for the upcoming two-part western film “Horizon: An American Saga,” which recently earned a 7-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.

***

Q:Since Steve Carell has said he won’t appear in the upcoming new version of “The Office,” is he going to keep acting in movies instead? -- J.S.

Celebrity Extra Couch Theater ENTERTAINMENT

“Geek Girl” (TV-PG) -- In her new series, actress Emily Carey goes from playing the tortured young queen Alicent in HBO’s “House of the Dragon” to playing a socially awkward teenager named Harriet Manners. As a self-proclaimed “geek,” Harriet has accepted a life of limitations until she suddenly gets discovered by a model agency that is desperate for new, raw talent. Although transforming Harriet from a geek to a high-fashion model won’t be the easiest transition, luckily, she has the help of fashion connoisseur Wilbur Evans (Emmanuel Imani) and a gorgeous supermodel named Nick Park (Liam Woodrum). The 10-episode series releases on May 30. (Netflix)

A:Like many versatile and talented actors in Hollywood today, Steve Carell seems to enjoy acting in a mix of series and films. Unfortunately, his last series with Greg Daniels, “Space Force,” just didn’t gel with audiences, and it was canceled after two seasons. Now Daniels is creating a new version of his hit series “The Office” with an all-new cast.

This leaves Carell available for more series work. First up, he’s reteaming with his “Date Night” co-star Tina Fey in the upcoming Netflix series “The Four Seasons.” He also just inked a deal to star in an upcoming HBO comedy series created by Bill Lawrence (“Scrubs”), which is “set on a college campus, centering on an author’s [presumably Carell’s character] complicated relationship with his daughter.”

Amy Gravitt, executive vice

“The Boys in the Boat” (PG13) -- George Clooney (“Ticket to Paradise”) sat on the director’s chair once again to bring an inspiring story about a rowing team full of underdogs to the big screen. Set in 1936, an underprivileged engineering student named Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) tries out for the junior varsity rowing team at the University of Washington after hearing that a spot on the team comes with jobs and boarding. Even though the junior varsity team is less experienced, these go-getters begin pulling off upset after upset, outrowing their own varsity team and other college teams. Now full of momentum, their coach (Joel Edgerton) sets the team’s sights on

president of HBO & Max comedy programming, excitedly released the following statement: “The combination of Steve Carell and Bill Lawrence promises to be full of great laughs, warmth and charm. We’re thrilled to be the home for this long overdue collaboration.”

***

Q: Who is the actress playing Amy Winehouse in the new movie about her? Also, did she do her own singing, or did she lip-sync over Amy’s vocals? -K.S.

A:Marisa Abela (“Industry”) stars in the new Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black,” directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), and yes, she did her own singing. The actress took singing lessons daily for four months in order to sound like the bluesy Brit.

“Back to Black” was released in theaters on May 17 and will be available for streaming at a later date. Send me your questions at

getting a gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. Premieres May 28. (Amazon Prime Video)

“Love Undercover” (TVMA) -- This seven-episode reality series puts a spin on the traditional dating show format that instantly reminded me of the 2009 TV special “I Get That a Lot,” where celebrities like Nick Jonas and Jessica Simpson would pretend to be regular working-class citizens. In this new show out now, five international soccer stars go undercover in the United States to look for love, with the notion that women will fall in love with them for who they are, instead of their successful careers. The soccer players include Jamie

com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.

(c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

O’Hara and Lloyd Jones from the United Kingdom; Sebastian Fassi and Marco Fabian from Mexico; and Ryan Babel from

the Netherlands. (Peacock) (c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.

Academy-Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Photo Credit: Depositphotos

Emily Carey, left, and Liam Woodrum star in “Geek Girl.” Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

BY RICHARD MABEY,

AREA - It was the dawn of June of 1972. My college final exams were coming upon me. I was just finishing up my freshman year at County College of Morris. My beloved girlfriend, Penny Lancaster, had most recently told me that she was planning on attending Rutgers University in September. Originally, Penny had planned on attending CCM, so that we could see each other more often. Penny was a kind, sweet, thoughtful, intelligent young woman. We had begun dating in the beginning of my senior year at Boonton High School. It all weighed heavily upon my mind.

In addition to attending classes at CCM, I also worked at the A&P in Whippany. It was a Saturday afternoon in early June and I was scheduled to work the night crew from 11 o’clock at night till seven in the morning. Dad and I were working at his workbench in the basement of the old Mabey

VFW Memorial Post 7333 was honored to be the guests of honor at the National Day of Prayer event held at Picatinny Arsenal on May 2, 2024.

Commander Angel Soto thanked the attendees and invited them to join us for our Memorial Day ceremony on May 27th. Adjutant and Chaplain Deacon Rich Reck delivered an explanation of the National Day of Prayer program that was received with a standing ovation. The rest of the program is shown in the photos and included remarks by Garrison Commander LT. Colonel (LTC) Burgos and Com-

Homestead. I think that we were building a birdhouse. I am 90 percent sure that is the project we were working on. I had planned on taking a nap at about four that afternoon, before driving off to the old A&P. As we were cutting pieces of plywood, I remember that we heard the meowing of a cat. I remember this like it was yesterday, and not over 50 years ago. As soon as Dad heard the call of this cat, who was now sitting at the open doorway of the cellar, he looked at his watch.

“Three o’clock. My little friend’s just on time,” Dad said with a certain joyful glee in his voice.

Then I remember Dad walked over to the old bookcase that stood against the cellar wall, opposite of Dad’s workbench. Dad walked over to the old bookcase that was filled with canned goods. He took a little can of sardines and opened it up, and walked over

A Father’s Day Story

to the cute little gray cat, still meowing to my dear father.

On a little table, beside the cellar door, Dad scooped out the sardines onto a little bowl that he had on a shelf by the cellar door. He put the sardine-filled bowl down in front of the adorable little cat.

“Here you go, my little friend,” I remember Dad saying to this cute little gray cat.

A smile filled my father’s face as he watched the little cat eat the sardines. It was a side of my dear old Dad that I had never quite seen before. After the little cat ate all of the sardines, Dad petted him on the head. The dear little cat moved one of his little paws upon Dad’s hand, as if to say thank you to my father for giving him such a special supper. The little cat then came into the cellar and walked around as if he owned the place.

It’s funny. In that little moment of time, my worries about my upcoming final exams, my

anxieties about dealing with my less than kind coworker at the A&P, and my concerns for Penny going to Rutgers, all seemed to melt away.

Dad returned to his workbench. We worked some more on our birdhouse project. About four o’clock, Dad told me that I should go upstairs and get some sleep before I went to work that night. And, I did just that.

I remember that my sister and I bought my father a brand new jigsaw for Father’s Day that year. We had both been saving up for quite a while. Now at 70 and fighting a serious heart condition, I look back at that Saturday afternoon, with both joy and sadness. A big part of me wants to go back in time, to return to that early June Saturday of 1972 and have just a half-hour to spend with my dear father, at his old rugged basement workbench. But my time machine is broken.

My father served as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 170 for 30 years. He was a certified Lay Leader of the Methodist Church. For over a decade, he taught God and Country classes at the First Reformed Church of Lincoln Park. In his job, as a long-distance truck driver, he brought New York City their big, tall Christmas Tree, for over 25 years. Most of the time, Dad hauled the big evergreen from the State of Maine. Despite all of these worthwhile accomplishments, tonight, as I write this little truelife story, I reflect upon the man who fed sardines to a little gray cat, at his cellar door. I miss my Dad. If your father is still on this side of Heaven’s Gate, tell him you love him. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” Richard most recently published a book of poetry and short stories. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@ hotmail.com.

Sgt.

and a

way to pray for our troops and our nation.

New Installation at Laurelwood Arboretum Sculpture Trail

AREA - Friendship, made up of five 12-foot totems by sculptor Fitzhugh Karol, is the newest Sculpture Trail installation at Laurelwood Arboretum. It stands tall in the Grass Garden at location #3 of the Sculpture Trail. The totems were carved from pine logs sourced from forests in East Hampton, New York. The logs were laid hor-

and carved with a chainsaw. They were inspired by the simple beauties of the natural and constructed world and call to mind the silhouettes of landscapes, both real and imagined. Karol is a Brooklyn, New York-based sculptor whose work ranges from large scale outdoor installations to intimate

tabletop pieces. He sculpts in wood, metal, and clay to fashion works that explore man’s imprint on the landscape and creates playful spaces that become an inviting and unconventional way to experience art. One of his best-known works is Approach, installed at the beginning of the Mario M. Cuomo bridge path in Rockland County, New York. The sculpture utilizes steel from both the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and its predecessor, the Tappan Zee. A Sculpture Trail at Laurelwood Arboretum, a multiyear project that showcases 15 unique works of art, is sponsored by Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum to benefit the arboretum. A Sculpture Trail is curated by Scott A. Broadfoot of the Broadfoot & Broadfoot gallery in Boonton, NJ. All the sculptures are available for purchase, with a percentage of the proceeds donated to the Friends organization to be applied towards capital improvements. To follow the progress of A Sculpture Trail installations on Instagram go to https://www. instagram.com/laurelwoodsculpturetrl/ Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum is a non-profit conservancy whose mission is to preserve and manage the 30-acre arboretum in partnership with Wayne Township. For additional information about A Sculpture Trail or the Friends organization, go to www.laurelwoodarboretum. org.

A rare photograph of my beloved father at his old basement workbench.

mand

Major CSM Franks

benediction by Garrison Chaplain LTC Simon Chang. VFW members attending the event included Vice Commander Bill Menzel, LTC ( Ret.) Steve Niblett and Trustee Richard Collari. It was a great

Friendship, by Fitzhugh Karol.

A Taste of Greece in Randolph on June 7 -9th

BY ELSIE WALKER STAFF WRITER

AREA - St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church is offering

“a taste of Greece” on June

7-9th as it welcomes people to its Big Greek Festival. The festival, held at the church at 1447 Sussex Turnpike in Randolph, shares the Greek culture through food, entertainment, and more. Admission is free. Festival hours are as follows: Friday, June 7th lunch is from 11am - 2pm (takeout or eat in). Preorders are taken at https:// standrewgonj.square.site or by phone 973-584-0388. Dinner is 5pm – 11pm. Saturday festival hours are 11am – 11pm and Sunday festival hours are 12pm – 7pm. Free parking is available at the County College of Morris with free round trip shuttle service. Other details with a menu for the days of the festival are located at biggreekfestival.com

Steve Mitrakos of Morris Plains, who is part of the festival committee, said that the festival’s mission is to share the Greek culture, heritage, and religion with others. The festival is also about philanthropy, as the funds raised through it are used to help the church assist those in need, as they are taught to do in their faith. Speaking of faith, Mitrakos noted that Father John Theodosion, the church’s spiritual leader, will be giving church tours as part of the festival. Theodosion will talk about its worship, beliefs, and show its sanctuary.

Entertainment at the festival includes a bit of Greek

heritage as well as games for children. There will be Greek music and a DJ. Mitrakos noted that traditional Greek dances will be performed by two GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth Association) groups of the church. The younger group has youth from grades three to six; the older group has youth from grades seven to twelve. Also, there will be a game truck outside with a variety of games for kids, and there will be a bouncy. Tickets are sold to take part in the games and boucy. For those who enjoy shopping, there will be an Agora (Greek for “marketplace”) with a variety of vendors offering products and services. In addition, 5050s will be held during the festival.

The festival’s “taste” of Greece includes food sold inside the church and in an outdoor taverna (Greek for “tavern”) grill and bar on Saturday and Sunday. The food on sale during the festival, which includes pastries, is prepared

by the people of the church. There are certain lunch and dinner offerings on Friday with a larger menu available on Saturday and Sunday. These allow people to enjoy various Greek dishes Popular are Gyros which are sliced chicken or traditional gyro meat on a pita, with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki (yogurt, garlic and cucumber sauce). When asked about pastries, Mistrakos described two of his favorites: Galatoboureko, which is phyllo filled with creamy custard, topped with sweet syrup and Loukoumathes which are hot fried dough puffs drizzled with honey and topped with chopped walnuts.

Also, during the festival, people will have the opportunity to buy a raffle tickets for a blue metallic 2024 Mercedes Benz, Model GLC300 W4 ( MSRP $54,220 ) with all-wheel drive, remote start, parking assistant, navigation and more. Tickets are $25 a piece and all ticket sales benefit Saint Andrew Greek Or-

thodox Church. The raffle drawing will be at 12:30pm on September 29th at the church, and the winner need not be present at the drawing.

Mitrakos said that St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church is a “welcoming place”. About 100 volunteers, members of the church, help to put on the Greek festival, welcoming the variety of people who attend. It is estimated that about 5,000 people will visit the festival over its three days. While most come from New Jersey, there are visitors from Pennsylvania and New York, too.

For more information about the festival, visit biggreekfestival.com and for information about St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church visit https:// standrewgonj.org

Ten RWJBarnabas Health Facilities Earn National Recognition for Promoting Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation

AREA - Ten RWJBarnabas Health facilities earned national recognition for their efforts to increase organ, eye, and tissue donor registrations across the state through the DoNation Campaign (previously The Workplace Partnership for Life Hospital Organ Donation Campaign). The DoNation Campaign is a national initiative that unites the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the organ donation community with workplaces across the nation in spreading the word about the importance of organ donation and transplantation.

Clara Maass Medical Center, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Somerset, and Trinitas Regional Medical Center earned Platinum recognitions and Community Medical Center earned Gold recognition from HRSA’s Division of Transplantation for conducting awareness and registry activities between May 2022 and September 2023.

RWJBarnabas Health facilities were among 1,241 partners, including 1,075 hospitals and 166 non-hospital workplaces, to participate in the 2023 campaign. The rec-

ognition from the DoNation Campaign serves as a testament to the commitment from RWJBarnabas Health to raise awareness around the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. RWJBarnabas Health performs more transplants than any other system in New Jersey. “We recognize the transformative impact of an organ donation,” said Andy Anderson, MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Quality Officer, RWJBarnabas Health. “With more than 100,000 people in the United States awaiting transplantation, we understand the demand and this initiative helps educate and motivate the community to register as organ donors.”

At RWJBarnabas Health, patients have access to nationally recognized organ transplant and procurement programs for adults and children. With focuses in heart, lung, kidney, and pancreas transplantation, the RWJBarnabas Health teams utilize transplant techniques offered at only a few of the world’s leading transplant centers and is a world-class leader in transplant research, clinical trials, anti-rejection medications and many other clinical advances that support patient care.

The 2023 DoNation Campaign efforts added 8,840 people to sign up to be donors. In the 12 years of HRSA’s organ donation campaign, partners have added more than 639,105 donor registrations, increasing the number of organs available

for transplantation to improve the lives of others. RWJBarnabas Health collaborates with The Sharing Network to leverage its outreach efforts.

For more information about organ transplant and procurement programs at RWJBarnabas Health, visit rwjbh. org/transplant. Visit registerme.org to sign up as a donor today.

ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH

RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation

centers, a freestanding 100bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable

care organizations. RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 41,000 employees and 9,000 physicians– and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system.

The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. For more information, visit www. RWJBH.org.

God Loves You More Than You Will Ever Know!

BY RICHARD MABEY, JR. GUEST WRITER

the one thing that none of us can afford to do, is to give in to feelings of defeat and surrender. No matter how grim a situation may look, we still need to look for hope, faith and inward encouragement.

God loves you more than you will ever know. God’s love is infinite. It knows no boundaries. God’s love for you, is the love that brings the peace that passes all understanding. Hold dearly to this truth. Hold fast to the principle that the Divine One, who created the universe, deeply cares about your well being.

Since September of last year, I have been to three different cardiologists, in search of treatment for my Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. I want to be very sensitive here. The three doctors that I went to, at different times, were all very sincere. I believe they were doing their very best to help me with my HCM. But the hard, cold truth is that they did not really have the specialization of working with treatments for HCM. It was not their fault. HCM affects one in 500 people. So, the average cardiologist does not come across a lot of patients with HCM.

I prayed and prayed and prayed to find a doctor who was very well versed in treating HCM. I never gave up. I focused my energies into deep prayer. I held steadfast focus. The kind of focus that a soldier might hold in heart and mind, just before facing a battle.

As if the odds were a million to one, the door opened for me to be seen by a cardiologist

at the University of Florida Medical Center (Shands) who specialized in treating patients with HCM. My specific classification of HCM is known as Apical HCM. It requires very, very specific treatments and prescription meds. And, yes, the meds are rather expensive. Am I out of the woods now? Not by a long stretch. But with my new prescription meds, I have been getting less and less chest pains. I’m not as easily winded. Yes, I still do get chest pains. But they are not as frequent as they once were. And now, I can walk around the block, without getting overwhelmingly winded. I’m making some degree of progress to getting back on track.

I am convinced, without a shadow of a doubt, that the door that opened to my getting treatment at UF Med Center, was the result of deep prayers, holding steadfast faith, and per-

severing with a laser-focused energy on finding a path to healing.

Know this: God loves you more than you will ever know. Miracles really do happen. Prayer is the key to unlocking the doors that are holding you back. A deep belief in a miracle, coming to you in your life, is essential for supernatural events to unfold. Hold deeply to this golden truth: God loves you more than you will ever know. Pray, pray, pray and then pray even more for a miracle to come into your life.

Truly, expect a miracle to come into your life!

Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” Richard most recently published a book of poetry and short stories. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@ hotmail.com.

Yours truly with Little Izzy.