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Florham Park Library Hosts Tween Pen-Pal Program

BY JILLIAN RISBERG STAFF WRITER

FLORHAM PARK - This summer the Florham Park Public Library treated students from five to nine years old with a pen-pal program created especially for them.

According to youth services librarian Kate Dinneny, it was suggested by a former colleague, Kate Mahoney, who she recognized for reaching out and coming up with the idea — as it fit with the summer theme of togetherness and community – and thanked their ‘tween’ participants for writing such fun letters.

“It’s a unique opportunity for this age group to connect with others their age as well as practice their writing skills over the summer,” Dinneny says.

“By connecting our tweens here in NJ with those out in Colorado we’re expanding that community across the nation and allowing the kids to connect with peers who are

both similar and different, not only in their reading interests, but in life experiences as well.”

There was no special formula or plan to match the kids with their pen-pals. The youth services librarian says the tweens at the Englewood Public Library in Englewood Colorado wrote first and addressed their letters simply to “pen-pal.”

“Once I received them, I tried to match them with our tweens based on age and similar interests,” she says. “We actually had a few more participants here than Colorado so one or two got multiple letters, we even had a sibling team respond to one letter together.”

Dinneny hopes the students had fun connecting with the other readers as well as making the little friendship gifts they included.

“Our friends in Englewood (CO) included friend-

ship bracelets with their letters so we responded by making Morse Code keychains that spell out READ using different colored beads,” she says. “It was the hope of Ms. Mahoney and myself that a little gift would be a nice surprise and encouragement to include with the letters.”

Writing letters by hand, not using email or social media is a bit of a dying art, Dinneny says.

“So I also hope that we possibly sparked an interest in returning to the ‘old ways’ of communication these students may appreciate as they grow up,” says the youth services librarian.

Each year the Collaborative Summer Library Program provides a nationwide concept that libraries can use to run their summer reading programs.

This year’s All Together Now is focused on building

community, supporting each other, accepting each other and working together.

“While each library does things a little differently, the national theme unites us under a common idea for that summer,” the youth services librarian says.

East Hanover Church Celebrates 125th Anniversary

BY ELSIE WALKER STAFF WRITER

EAST HANOVER - As it has since the church began, the bell of Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church rang out on September 10th.

However, this was a special day in the history of the church located at 469 Ridgedale Avenue in East Hanover: it marked its 125th anniversary. The day was a homecoming for many, with former pastors and people who had attended the church as children joining in the celebration. Starting with a special service, people then joined together for food and fellowship (and face painting for the kids), along with being able to see the church’s history through pictures. Recently, the church’s current pastor, Rev. Hannah

Rev. Bill Dysard, Dotty Dysard, Letty Umidi, Rev. Bob Umidi, Rev. Hannah Faye Allred, Rev. Harold Johnson, and Rev. Jeanne Radak, Executive Presbyter of Highlands Presbytery pose for a picture on Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church’s 125th anniversary.

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Faye Allred, plus some of its members, talked about the anniversary service, shared some fond memories of the church, and reflected on the church’s 125 years and its future.

Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church started out in 1883 as the Bethel Society of Hanover at the First Presbyterian Church of East Hanover.

That group met in a one room chapel with a dirt cellar. It separated from the First Presbyte-

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rian Church of East Hanover in 1887 and then chartered its own church with 36 members.

That church, Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church, was founded on April 3, 1898. It was named after a prominent area family, the Kitchells.

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Florham Park’s program is also sponsored by the Garden Club, Recreation Department and local Day Camp that donated prizes and incentives for the kids to earn as they counted the number of days they read this summer.

Dinneny says they had their

best summer ever.

“Surpassed our pre-pandemic numbers with a total of over 300 readers,” she added.

“I would expect that they’ll continue into the school year with a fun story to share and possibly a new friend across the country.”

Podcast is Increasing in Popularity in Elementary School

BY EVAN WECHMAN STAFF WRITER EAST HANOVER - Years ago, many elementary schools publicized their events through newsletters or direct mail.

Today, at the Frank J. Smith Elementary School in East Hanover, the students and the faculty are letting the community know what is going on through a podcast.

The elementary school which serves students in grades K-2 might not seem like the most traditional setting for a podcast. However, under the leadership of Principal Matthew Tuorto, this podcast is helping students tackle different topics.

Tuorto, who has a strong technological background, knew about a year ago he wanted his students to challenge

themselves and do something different. He solicited feedback from students, parents, and faculty, and shortly thereafter the podcast was born.

Tuorto gives most of the credit to Dana Aagard who is the Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, but between the two of them, the podcast has exceeded expectations in its popularity with everyone.

Now, in its second year, more and more students are having a chance to be either on the show or help behind the scenes.

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Nickelodeon’s ‘That Girl Lay Lay’ Star is Here to School Gen Alpha (NewsUSA) - There’s a new generation running the show in the Kidverse: Generation Alpha. Defined as those born between 2010 and 2024, this new group of kiddos succeeding Generation Z is more diverse than any other generation, far more technologically savvy at a younger age and only know a world where social media is at the center of everything -- thus making social media stars THE celebrities they care about.

Enter Alaya High, the hiphop prodigy professionally known as That Girl Lay Lay. At age 15, she’s gone from being a social media sensation with 1.3 million Instagram followers to currently starring in her own namesake TV show on Nickelodeon and boasting her own line of consumer products sold at big box retailers across the country.

In fact, you could say Lay Lay’s rise is a content creator’s dream come true. When she was 11, the Houston, Texas, native convinced her father, Acie High of the rap duo Aqualeo, to record her freestyling while they were driving -- she’d been rapping since age 5 -- and upload the clips to social media.

Two weeks later, her performances had gone so viral on Instagram that even 50 Cent was reposting them, and she was on her way to becoming the youngest female rap artist to sign with Empire Records.

“I was at my friend’s house,” she’s recalled of that time. “We went outside to go play. I came back, and I looked at my phone, and I was like, ‘Why does my phone say 3,000 notifications?’

I was like, Girl, I’m famous!’”

Soon after, Lay Lay was rapping in music videos with the

hugely popular likes of Young Dolph, Tr33zy and Lil Duval.

And when Nickelodeon came calling last year to greenlight a show around her … well, let’s just say she was more than game, given that she considers herself a Nick Kid and counts “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “The Loud House” as her alltime favorite shows.

“That Girl Lay Lay,” which recently kicked off its second season after having shattered records last fall and ranking as one of the top two series across all TV among Black kids age six to 11, continues to be a buddy comedy that speaks to a new generation of kids.

The show follows a personal affirmation app (named Lay Lay, naturally) who is magically wished to life by a smart, real-life girl named Sadie (Gabrielle Nevaeh Green) who has

trouble speaking up for herself.

Together they learn they can accomplish pretty much anything -- including getting Sadie to successfully run for her high school’s freshman class presidency -- so long as they work as a team.

And with even more music and magic this year from everyone’s favorite personal affirmation app sprung to life, the premise really seems to have struck a chord: Last month “That Girl Lay Lay” ranked as the top live-action show with kids on cable TV. Better yet, executive producer Will Packer is excited by the real world impact the series can have on kids. “At any point in life, kids all around the world are faced with natural insecurity,” he said. “This is a series that can help them be confident in themselves and

Dedicated home theaters and the more diverse “media rooms” still command their share of real estate in homes.

A report from the Business Research Company estimates that the home theater market size will reach $66.16 billion by 2027, with a 19.5 percent growth rate between now and then.

Home theaters can fall into a wide range of categories.

Some media room enthusiasts embark on retrofitting spaces on their own, making equipping the room a do-it-yourself endeavor. Others interested in a state-of-the-art setup may leave the work to a professional, especially if it involves construction or installation of large equipment. Some things need to be kept in mind for those

interested in putting in home theaters, especially if they want to create the ultimate home theater experience. Here is the gear to consider.

AV receiver An AV receiver will process all the different input and output sources involved in a home theater setup. This includes Blu-ray, streaming devices, video games, screens, and speakers. The AV receiver should have enough inputs to play several sources.

Screen Depending on the space and size of the room, a home theater may feature a traditional large screen television or a projector and projector screen for a more cinematic feel. According to U.S. News and World Report, some of the newest

television technology comes by way of OLED, or organic light-emitting diode. OLED employs emissive technology that utilizes millions of pixels that emit their own light rather than relying on a separate backlight. Many people believe OLED displays are the best on the market today.

Surround sound An immersive home theater audio experience requires surround sound. This includes a combination of floorstanding speakers, subwoofer, single center speaker, and possibly smaller side speakers to truly disperse sound around the room. Those who have small home theater spaces that do not necessitate surround sound can opt for a soundbar. Some soundbars use advanced digi-

tal sound to trick the ears into thinking there are speakers all around them.

Plush seating Reclining on individual seating is one of the perks of going to the movies. Increasingly homeowners are designing their home theaters to include cinema-style recliners.

Look for options at furniture retailers that include large armrests with cupholders and spaces for snacks. Some even have small LED lights for increased comfort moving around dark rooms. Homeowners with large home theater capabilities can offset seating and even place it on risers to simulate a traditional theater and improve the viewing experience.

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That Girl Lay Lay

encourage them to be their own individuals.”

And Lay Lay’s own effect?

She’s been called “the embodiment of fierceness, bringing optimism, magnetism and style

to everything she does.” Meaning, young girls, especially Black girls, have a positive new role model they can look up to.

fixtures so that lights can be colored or dimmed appropriately depending on need in the media area, such as those from Philips Hue. Light strips can be run along the baseboards of the room to define the perimeter and give it that distinct movie

theater feel.

Additional considerations for a home theater include a miniature vending machine, refrigerator, popcorn maker or small snack station for refreshments.

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Page 2 • October 2023 • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com

I Remember Dad: Fond Memories of the Appalachian Trail

Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • October 2023 • Page 3

BY RICHARD MABEY, JR. GUEST WRITER

AREA - My father firmly believed that when a boy hiked in the woods, for four or five days, he could not help but come to a greater understanding that God really does exist.

That there is a Wisdom guiding the universe, that is much greater than that of the smartest person on earth. My father would often cite the example of God’s infinite wisdom, in that trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Thus providing us with an essential element of life.

In the midst of Autumn, I remember there was always something called “The Teachers’ Convention” that would be a time when there would be no school. It was usually on a Wednesday, Thursday

and Friday. It was during “The Teacher’s Convention” that Dad would schedule a four or five day sojourn of the Appalachian Trail for Boy Scout Troop 170.

We would start in upper New York State and usually end our hike of the AT in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania, along Route 30, which is also known as the Lincoln Highway. It would be a time of contemplation, of enjoying conversations with friends, of learning the hard lessons of self reliance, and also of learning the importance of water. For me, it was a golden opportunity to know my dad a little better.

We would hike beneath the golden yellow, the rusty red, and burnt orange leaves of the

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elm, the oak and the maple, for miles and miles and miles. The sun would glisten between the tree branches. The wind would create a gentle breeze. Squirrels would rustle the branch endings of trees. From time to time, a group of deer would be seen by a stream. And, we were always mindful of keeping an eye out for snakes.

In the Late Autumn of 1970, I was in my senior year of high school. That year, only one other scout leader was able to go on the long walk in the woods. Mr. Thomas Crooks was Troop 170’s newest Committeeman. He was not an experienced hiker. His son, Tommy Jr., had also just joined Troop 170.

I remember that about a week before we went on the hike, Dad and I were working on a project at my father’s basement workbench. Dad simply said to me, “Richie, I’m glad that you’re going on this hike with us. I’ll be leaning on you a lot.” I still cherish the remembrance of those words that my dad sincerely said to me.

When you hike the Appalachian Trail, everything you need for your hike is on your back, inside your framed backpack. Although your sleeping bag is generally tied to the bottom of your big backpack. But your food, your tarp to sleep under, your change of clothes, your poncho, is all in your backpack. Plus, the weight of your canteen pulls down upon one of your shoulders. It really is not an easy undertaking at all.

I was very studious in high school and would regularly make the honor roll. My application for Eagle Scout was now at the National Boy Scout Headquarters in New

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From Autumn of 1970. Dad is standing on the far right hand side of this picture. I am standing next to my father.

Mr. Crooks took this picture.

Brunswick. It was now just a matter of being processed, before being able to be presented with the coveted rank of Eagle Scout. Just about every week, I wrote an article for the old Lincoln Park Herald.

It was somewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania, along the Appalachian Trail, that Dad decided it was time for all the scouts to take a break for lunch. Dad and I sat on this big boulder and ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Mr. Crooks was a bit of a distance from us, eating lunch with his son. The other scouts had all found logs, fallen trees, and boulders to sit upon to eat their lunches. A kind of comfortable silence fell between my father and I as we at our

sandwiches.

I remember that Dad looked down upon the earth, looked out to see all the boys happily eating their lunches, taking sips of water from their canteens. Then Dad looked out to the horizon.

“I’m proud of you son. You know your life’s gonna be a lot different when you start college. Your studies are going to take a lot of your time. This might well be the last big hike we take together,” Dad said as he looked into the horizon, then took a momentary look into my eyes.

“You’ll do well, I know you will,” Dad said to me in a rather quiet voice.

“Thanks Dad,” I said to my father. “I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will son,” Dad replied. A silence fell between Dad and I for a few moments in time.

“Well, we better get these boys moving. We’ve got ground to cover,” Dad said to me.

I called the boys together.

Most of the scouts had finished eating their sandwiches.

And once again we all began the fun, the adventure, the enchanted wonder of hiking the old Appalachian Trail.

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.

The World Health Organization reports that roughly 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. By the end of that year, there were nearly eight million women alive who had been diagnosed with the disease in the previous half decade.

A breast cancer diagnosis inevitably leads to questions about the disease. The bulk of those questions undoubtedly are asked by the millions of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. But millions more individuals, including friends and family members of recently diagnosed women, may have their own questions.

Women can discuss the specifics of their diagnosis with their physicians. In the meantime, the following are some frequently asked questions and answers that can help anyone better understand this potentially deadly disease.

What is breast cancer?

Cancer is a disease marked by the abnormal growth of cells that invade healthy cells in the body. Breast cancer is a form of the disease that begins in the cells of the breast. The National Breast Cancer Foundation notes that the cancer can then invade surrounding tissues or spread to other areas of the

body.

Can exercise help to reduce my breast cancer risk?

The NBCF notes that exercise strengthens the immune system and women who commit to as little as three hours of physical activity per week can begin to reduce their risk for breast cancer. However, even routine exercise does not completely eliminate a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Is there a link between diet and breast cancer?

The organization Susan G. Komen®, a nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer, reports that studies have shown eating fruits and vegetables may be linked to a lower risk for breast cancer, while consuming alcohol is linked to an increased risk for the disease. In addition, the NBCF reports that a high-fat diet increases breast cancer risk because fat triggers estrogen production that can fuel tumor growth.

Is there a link between oral contraceptives and breast cancer?

The NBCF reports that women who have been using birth control pills for more than five years are at an increased risk of developing breast can-

cer. However, the organization notes that risk is very small because modern birth control pills contain low amounts of hormones.

Can breastfeeding reduce breast cancer risk?

Breastfeeding and breast cancer are linked, though the NBCF notes that the role breastfeeding plays in lowering cancer risk depends on how long a woman breastfeeds. The World Cancer Research Fund International notes that evidence indicates that the greater number of months women continue breastfeeding, the greater the protection they have against breast cancer.

Is there a connection between stress and breast cancer?

The NBCF notes that researchers have found that traumatic events and losses can alter how the immune system functions, which can provide an opportunity for cancer cells to establish themselves within a person’s body. The NBCF urges women to identify ways to keep their stress levels in check.

Breast cancer education can be a valuable asset as women seek to reduce their risk for the disease.

Breast Cancer FAQ

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Page 4 • October 2023 • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com

NJStarz

NJ Starz: Todd Nicholas

BY STEVE SEARS GUEST WRITER

Hometown: Denville

AREA - Todd Nichols recalled his earliest love for music.

He said, “It was in the seventh grade. I can actually remember that in the yearbook for Thomas Jefferson Middle School, they asked you for an ambition.” Nichols’ entry? To someday become a professional musician. “I was a drummer, played professionally for 25 years while I taught high school. My dream as a little kid was to be the drummer for the Count Basie Orchestra.”

He never attained that “dream,” but he accomplished something much more important. For himself, yes, but most importantly, for others.

“I’ve been very, very blessed to have some incredible students,” Nichols said. “And I would say some of the most memorable ones, the ones that truly resonated, were some of my students for whom maybe going to school was challenging for them. They would come back after they graduated and said that it was being in band, being in music, and being in these ensembles that helped get them through and make it to graduation. Those to me were always the ones that really hit home.”

Nichals since 2019 has been the Rutgers University Director of Bands, and now oversees the entire program for concert ensembles, the marching band, and three prep bands. Nichols is also in year two of his Presidency of the Big Ten Band Directors Assocation. His term runs through 2024.

The 47-year-old Nichols, who was born in Denville and grew up in Rockaway, attended Morris Hills High School. He was raised by his mom, Sandy, who passed away a few years ago, and his dad, Tom, also a Morris Hills alum. He has one younger sister, Tracey.

Nichols, who graduated Morris Hills High School in 1994, credits his high school band director, Mchael Sopko, with giving him encouragement. “He was my high school band director, and he was very supportive and very encouraging. And not just to me. It is interesting that there are a lot of musicians who came out of Morris Hills High School who are doing just really incredible things. There are people who are out on Broadway, there are musical directors, there are college band directors, there are people teaching and playing professionally. Such a small, tiny school in Rockaway had

quite a few incredible artists come out and do different things. And he (Sopko) was super encouraging to me my whole time through.”

After high school, Nichols headed to what was then called Trenton State College (now called the College of New Jersey) where he received his BM in Music in 1998, and thereafter his MM in Conducting from Pennsylvania’s Messiah College. While he has been teaching at Rutgers University, he received in 2022 his DMA in Conducting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Nichols’ first teaching roles were at Edison High School from 1998 to 2004, and Roxbury High School from 2004 to 2017.

Nichols said, “Both communities are still to this day very special to me for different reasons. The Edison band and the Edison community was a place that was very serious about what they did, wanting to progress, and grow and get better. It was a great place to start teaching, a great place to be able to build something - a program full of really special, hardworking and caring people. Roxbury was very much the same way.

The time spent at Roxbury was about trying to create opportunities for the students that maybe had not existed prior. There were a lot of first-time national performances for those bands and experiences that I will certainly never forget. At Edison, it was me and just a couple of colleagues, and when I was at Roxbury, there were seven of us who were working towards that common goal. It was just another community that really believed in music, really believed in what we were doing.”

Through the years, the bands that Nichols has directed have performed for some very prestigious folks and at worthy locations. In 2008, the Roxbury band was the first band ever to perform at the prestigious Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic, and to date they are the only high school from New Jersey that has ever performed at the conference. The Roxbury High School Wind Symphony has been on stage at both Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City and took part in 2014’s Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show. And Nichols, conductor of both the Eastern Wind Symphony and Garden State Symphonic Band, in 2016 was elected to the American Bandmasters Association/

American School Band Directors Association, and was also invited to conduct the United States Army Field Band.

“That was pretty great,” he said of the latter experience.

“That was while I was teaching at Roxbury when they came into town, and Colonel (Tim) Holtan was kind enough to extend an invitation and ask if I wanted to do a piece with the group. That was very, very special.”

Nichols moved on in 2017 to Rutgers, and when he started there, he was the Director of Athletic Bands and the Associate Director of Bands while teaching at the school.

His Marching Scarlet Knights have performed for former Vice-President (and current President), Joseph Biden, and during halftime on Monday Night Football.

And next up just might be the crème de la crème: an appearance in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Nichols said, “It’s a very exciting time for us right now. In addition to the fact that this is the first time in our school’s history that the Rutgers Marching Band has ever been accepted to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, we have had some really great interest in the band program in that we

are the largest we have ever been. We are going to be taking 350 students to this parade, and we are trying to make sure that the impression that is made and the experience that is created for our students is, ‘You’re going to get one shot at this for it to be a lifetime memory for those involved.’ The students are super excited about it, and our staff is super excited about it. We are doing everything we can to really make sure that we represent our university the best we possibly can.”

As special as a music and teaching career is for Todd Nichols, it is superseded by his love for his family. He and his wife, Beth, will in May 2024 be married for 25 years, and they are proud parents of two daughters. Nichols said, “Sarah, who is a freshman now at Rutgers, is a Cognitive Science and Linguistics major.

She wants to be a Speech and Language Pathologist, and our youngest daughter, Emily, is a sophomore at Immaculata high school. Anytime I am able to have time with my family is the most important thing. It gets tougher as we get older, and everybody is terribly busy.

But to me, any time that I could have with my girls and my wife is the most important time I can have. It always makes me hap-

Todd Nichols Photo credit Jolesch Photography

py, no matter what.”

And there are those he has educated in the past, and the ones he teaches now. As far as his career and love of music goes, Nichols’ reward for his hard work is experiencing the

reactions and happiness of his students.

“When they achieve a goal that they thought they maybe could not, makes me happy that they are happier than anything else.”

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Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr – Dr. Rendezvous

Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • October 2023 • Page 5

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN GUEST WRITER

AREA - While there have been 12 astronauts who walked on the Moon, two names are instantly recognizable; the late Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon, and Buzz Aldrin, who followed Armstrong down the ladder of the Lunar Module Eagle, in 1969. But, of all the astronauts who walked on the Moon, none has become more famous than Aldrin.

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. was born January 20, 1930, and raised in Montclair N.J.. He is a former astronaut, and graduated from West Point, third in his class, with a mechanical engineering degree. He flew 66 combat missions in F-86 Sabre jets in Korea and shot down two Russian-built Mig-15 airplanes and won the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.

At the age of 80, Aldrin made news with his performance on Dancing with the Stars. But long before he danced with the stars, he was the inspiration for Disney’s Buzz Lightyear.

In January 1963, six-and-ahalf years before the first Moon landing, Aldrin earned a degree of Doctor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for his 311-page thesis “Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous,” earning Aldrin the sobriquet “Dr. Rendezvous” among his peers. At the time he was a Major in the U.S. Air Force and had yet to be selected as an astronaut. The Mercury Program was winding down, and Project Gemini, with its explicit requirement for testing rendezvous in space was ramp-

ing up. Aldrin specifically mentions the Gemini Program in an abstract of his thesis.

Early on, Aldrin did not believe that Gemini program was using the astronauts effectively to work outside space vehicle.

“We used microgravity training and flights in parabolic airplanes. But that did not improve the situation. I was a certified nine-year SCUBA diver and understand that underwater simulates weightlessness. I introduced it to NASA, and they agreed to give it a try. It worked; our EVAs became very productive.”

Before that he served as the Apollo 11 lunar module pilot, in 1966, he performed three periods of extravehicular activity (EVA) totaling five hours, 30-minutes aboard Gemini 12.

On May 25, 1962, President John F. Kennedy prompted Americans to “… choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

On July 17, 1969, thousands converged on the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, and millions tuned in to watch live television. Soon, the ground began shaking as a small spacecraft attached to the giant Saturn V rocket several hundred feet tall started lifting off. It was quickly propelled to reach an orbital speed of 18,000 miles per hour. Apollo 11, Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong were on their way to a historic first landing on the Moon.

At 4:17 pm, July 20, 1969,

time stood still throughout the world. Neil Armstrong announced to the world “The Eagle has landed.” The Eagle Luner Module carried “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, the third astronaut, Michael Collins, remained aloft to pilot the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

After Aldrin returned to Earth he went on a speaking tour. “We did lots of parades, 25 cities in 40 days.” “What do I do next?” he thought. Despite reaching the peak of his fame and career before the age of 40, Aldrin continued to work in the field and has been one of the most effective advocates of further space travel, particularly to Mars.

His wife said, “All the pressures and expectations were too much. He crashed and burned as the expression goes. It was a combination of depression which leads to alcoholism. But he did get help, and in 2023 he celebrated 37 years of sobriety.”

In May of 2016, Aldrin attended the “Humans to Mars 2016” conference. In his remarks, Aldrin said NASA should make essential changes to the approach it has used since the 1960s. He feels NASA should get out of the business of designing and managing the development of its own rockets and spacecraft. He critiqued the space Launch System (SLS) vehicle, saying it was a government design, based on 1970s technology, that went into the space shuttle program.

“It competes with the private sector,” Aldrin said. “I thought most of us were in the process of learning that the government shouldn’t do that.”

Aldrin was referring to efforts by SpaceX to develop the Falcon Heavy rocket. The Falcon Heavy has a launch capacity of 54 metric tons to low-Earth orbit (LEO). The SLS will have an initial capacity of 70 metric tons, and independent estimates suggest the SLS will cost more than the Falcon Heavy for each launch by at least a factor of 10.

Gemini XII marked a successful conclusion of the Gemini program, achieving the last of its goals by successfully demonstrating that astronauts can effectively work outside a spacecraft. This was instrumental in paving the way for the Apollo program to achieve its goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the 1960s.

Aldrin recalls, “With Gemini 12’s landing there was an unequivocal realization, by all astronauts, and NASA itself: that we had only three years left to accomplish Kennedy’s challenge to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

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L-R Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell standing on Gemini 12 capsule. (NASA Photo)

“Yes, Jim and I were the link.

They prepared us for the Apollo missions to the moon, but we still had major work to do.”

By early 1969, NASA made it clear the agency intended to land astronauts on the moon in July.

The month leading up to Apollo 11’s success highlighted just how many people were involved in the mission. In fact, over 400,000 people worked behind the scenes on just the Apollo 11 mission. From engineers, scientists, administrators, cleaning crews and more, it took an enormous collaborative effort to complete this seemingly impossible task.

That work paid off on July 20, 1969, when an estimated 600 million people around the globe sat, glued to their television sets to watch the crew’s historic first steps on the moon.

If you could go to Mars today the spacecraft would leave

Earth at a speed of about 24,600 mph. The trip to Mars will take about seven or eight months and about 300 million miles. This is not practical, and Aldrin has an alternate solution, his Aldrin Cycler.

In 1985, Aldrin theorized a so-called Aldrin Cycler corresponding to a single synodic period. The synodic period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit around another object.

Later that year, scientists at the JPL and graduate students at Purdue University confirmed and calculated the existence of such trajectories: a single elliptical loop around the Sun, from Earth to Martian orbit would take 146 days, just under five months and another 146 days from the Martian orbit back to Earth. This would chop four to five months off the current plan NASA has to get people to Mars.

A Mars cycler (or Earth– Mars cycler) is a spacecraft trajectory that encounters Earth and Mars regularly.

The Aldrin cycler is an example of a Mars cycler. No propulsion is required to shuttle between the two, although some minor corrections may be necessary due to small fluctuations in the orbit.

Cyclers are potentially useful for transporting people or materials between those bodies using minimal propellant (relying on gravity assist flybys for most trajectory changes) and can carry heavy radiation shielding to protect people in transit from cosmic rays and solar storms.

NASA’s Artemis Moon program which will land people on the Moon in 2025 is thought to be a possible staging area for a future trip to Mars slated for 2040.

Breast cancer is a cause for concern for millions of women.

Each year about 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Canadian Cancer Society indicates around 28,600 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Globally, data from the World Health Organization indicates roughly 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.

One of the more notable symptoms of breast cancer is the presence of a lump in the breast. Though not all lumps are malignant, it’s important that women learn about breast anatomy and lumps as part of their preventive health care routines.

Mount Sinai says that breast lumps can occur at any age in both men and women.

Hormonal changes can cause breast enlargement and lumps during puberty, and boys and

girls may even be born with lumps from the estrogen received from their mothers.

It is important to note that the vast majority of breast lumps are benign. The National Institutes of Health says 60 to 80 percent of all breast lumps are non-cancerous. The most common causes of breast lumps are fibroadenomas and fibrocystic changes. Fibroademomas are small, smooth, moveable, painless round lumps that usually affect women who are at an age to have children, indicates the Merck Manual. They are non-cancerous and feel rubbery.

Fibrocystic changes are painful, lumpy breasts. This benign condition does not increase a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Symptoms often are worse right before one’s menstrual period, and then improve after the period begins.

Additional factors can contribute to the formation of lumps. Breast cysts are fluid-filled sacs that likely go

away on their own or may be aspirated to relieve pain. Complex cysts may need to be removed surgically. Sometimes cysts also may form in milk ducts throughout the breasts.

Lumps also may be the result of injury. Blood can collect under the skin and form a type of lump called a hematoma.

Other lumps may be traced to lipomas, which is a collection of fatty tissue or breast abscesses, which typically occur if a person is breastfeeding or has recently given birth.

Additional causes of lumps can be discussed with a doctor.

Though the majority of lumps are not a cause for concern, it is important for people to regularly feel their breasts to check for abnormalities. Doctors may recommend annual mammograms to women age 40 and older. In its earliest stages, breast cancer may produce little to no visible symptoms, but a mammogram may be able to catch something early on.

What to Know About Breast Lumps

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The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and pre-

Jaznelly Matta

Missing Since Aug 27, 2022 Missing From Newark, NJ DOB Apr 26, 2008 Age Now 14 Sex Female Race Hispanic Hair Color Black Eye Color Brown Height 5’2” • Weight 120 lbs Jaznelly may be in the local area of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

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vent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and

Claudia Ciprianoxon Missing Since Jul 30, 2022 Missing From Orange, NJ DOB Oct 5, 2004 Age Now 17 Sex Female Race Hispanic Hair Color Brown Eye Color Brown Height 5’5” Weight 175 lbs Claudia was last seen on July 30, 2022.

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providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation.

Visit https://www.missingkids.org/ to find out more or donate.

Victoria Williams

Missing Since Oct 19, 2013 Missing From Newark, NJ DOB Nov 15, 1999 Age Now 22 Sex Female Race Black Hair Color Black Eye Color Brown Height 5’6” • Weight 133 lbs Victoria may still be in the local area.

When Victoria was last seen she had blonde extensions in her hair.

ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT

Newark Police Department 1-973-733-6000

Dulce Alavez

Missing Since Sep 16, 2019 From Bridgeton, NJ DOB Apr 25, 2014 Age Now 8 • Sex Female • Race Hispanic Hair Color Black • Eye Color Brown Height 3’5” • Weight 40 lbs

Dulce was last seen on Sept. 16, 2019 at the Bridgeton City Park behind Bridgeton High School at approximately 4:20 p.m. Dulce may be in the company of a light skinned, possibly Hispanic male who is 5’6” to 5’8” tall, thin build, no facial hair, but has acne on his face. He was seen wearing orange sneakers possibly Nike, red pants, and a black shirt.

She was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with an elephant on the front, black and white pants, and white sandals.

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ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT Call 911 OR 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST®) Department (New Jersey) 1-973-748-5400

Page 2 • October 2023 • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com

Thaddeus Exposé Has Lived a Life in Love with Music

BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER

AREA - Thaddeus Exposé has a love for music.

Exposé, who will be 61 in November, said, “I’m very fortunate in my life, to have discovered that I have a gift at what I do. And I love doing everything I do.”

You can very easily attest to this, whether engaged with Exposé in friendly conversation, or from an audience seat as he performs onstage, which is another thing entirely.

The sounds become emotions, feelings.

He said, “My conversation with a person is totally different from our ‘conversation’ when I’m playing my bass on stage. It’s more intimate, because they see me immersed into music, and it’s still being delivered to them.”

Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Exposé has lived in Whippany the past 21 years.

He said, “I tell people I’m happy that I was born in New Orleans, because New Orleans has such a wide array of culture. Not only is it the food, not only is it the music, but it’s the people, it’s the environment, it’s the history. It’s humbling to have been born and raised in New Orleans.”

Exposé selected the bass guitar as his instrument of choice, and his father was a guitarist as well. When his dad would return home from work in the evening, he and his friends would jam by playing the Delta Blues, and sevenyear-old Thaddeus would listen, and occasionally play the

drums – all the while falling in love with music. If it wasn’t the live music, it was his dad’s 8-track tapes, the sound of the bass coming through loud and clear on the recordings.

“It chose me, I didn’t choose it,” he said of the bass.

Always the teacher in addition to his playing music, Exposé received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Northeastern University in Chicago. Exposé said, “When I got to Chicago, I just took the music to a whole other level. And actually, I said to myself, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” After graduation from Northeastern, he received his master’s degree in Jazz Studies from William Paterson University.

Exposé, who is also the inventor of the BowStopper, a device or learning tool that helps people utilize the bow in a more effective way with musical instruments, is also a book author. His fictional work for children is titled Can’t Catch Me, and his trade offering is The Ultimate Jazz Method.

The former’s main character is his grandson, Ramon, who imagines that nothing can catch him as he runs from various things in the book (like bees and a black widow spider), but the only person he doesn’t run from, but to, is his loving mother. Exposé said, “The love of his mother, that’s what I got from my mom, and so I incorporated it with him.

The person that he really is close to and that he loves is his

mother.”

The Ultimate Jazz Method started out as his 374-page WPU thesis. “It was too long for professors; I had 36 lessons in there,” Exposé said. “Now I have 12. And after I cut it down, David Dempsey (WPU Coordinator of Jazz Studies) liked it. He said, ‘This is a very nice piece that you have here. You should turn it into a book.”

That book is now in its second printing.

Exposé - who is married to Valerie Scott Exposé, and is a dad to Donielle, Tiara, Kelly, Arianna, Ernie, Thaddeus Jr., and grandfather to Ramon, Kalia, Tiara, Mallory, and Julian - writes his own songs and music and has performed with prominent industry names like Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Nichols Payton, and Savion Glover.

“Everything is on a high level,” said Exposé, a 2022 Manilow Music Teacher award winner while teaching at Newark’s Eastside High School, of performing with the above-mentioned talented individuals. “You have to be well prepared; you have to be on your game. With somebody like that, your skill gets better, because you’re working with someone who’s better than you. All my life, I wanted to be with the best person in a room because that gave me room to grow, to become better than everybody else,” For more information about Thaddeus Exposé, visit www. thaddeusexpose.com.

Essex County’s Young Artists Shine in Contest Promoting Drug-Free and Healthy Lifestyles

AREA - Three Essex County students were among those selected as finalists in the 2022-23 Fourth Grade Folder Contest, organized by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. This annual statewide competition invited students to channel their talents to convey the message: “Fun Things to Do Instead of Doing Drugs.”

The students were recognized and honored during a virtual ceremony in the spring, including: • Charley Badawi from Kelly Elementary School in West Orange • Lyla Castelluccio from F.N. Brown School in Verona • Sofia Guevara from School Seven in Belleville Anabelle De Moya, a student at Franklin Elementary School, and Venpa Ramesh from Hoover Elementary School, both in Bergenfield, were chosen as winners from among 3,000 entries. Their artwork graces the covers of 40,000 school folders sent to New Jersey schools at the beginning of the academic year.

The schools also received a poster featuring each of the finalists’ artwork.

“These students deserve recognition not only for their creativity but also for delivering healthy messages to their classmates,” said Angelo Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a DrugFree New Jersey.

He said the contest aims to actively engage students and educate them about the importance of making wise, wellness-focused choices for their future.

“Early prevention efforts are vital to instilling the importance of leading a fun, drug-free life,” Valente added.

The 2023-24 Fourth Grade Folder Contest is underway and accepting entries until December 7, with the winners and finalists set to be announced later that month.

“The contest exemplifies our commitment to fostering a drug-free generation. These young artists reaffirm that prevention starts early, and their artwork becomes a beacon of

hope and inspiration for other students,” Valente said.

For more information about the Fourth Grade Folder Contest, please visit www.drugfreenj.org/4thgraderules.

Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey: Best known for its statewide substance use prevention advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception, the Partnership has garnered 217 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.

Thaddeus Exposé. Photo credit: Christopher Drukker

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Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • October 2023 • Page 3

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125th Anniversary...

FROM FRONT PAGE their bare hands. They constructed a bell tower “using ropes and pulleys, no fancy construction equipment to assist them,“explained Allred.

The tower cost $106 which Allred noted would be about $4000 today. In some ways, that may not seem like a great deal of money, but Allred noted that to a farmer, like those who made up the early congregation, it was a lot. She described those early worshippers as having “grit, strength, and determination.” “[It’s] my privilege to be a part of its history,“ Allred later said. She is a more recent addition to the history, having only come to the church over a year ago.

Joining Allred in celebrating the church’s anniversary that Sunday were former pastors Rev. Bill Dysard, Rev. Bob Umidi, and Rev. Harold Johnson. “I wanted all their voices

in the service” said Allred, noting that each took part. Dysard served communion with Allred.

“It was so special,” she said.

For many, the anniversary has been a time of memories, reflections and thoughts of the future of the church they hold dear.

Susan Lanigan Wickman, of Madison, has been a member of the church since the 1960s. “My fondest memories of Kitchell were being in junior choir and our Choir Director teaching us to sing “Silent Night” in German. As I got older, I was in junior and senior high fellowship. Our Sunday School classes were so large at that time, junior and senior high happened on Wednesday evenings after school. We would all meet in Fellowship Hall at Kitchell and have spaghetti dinner. Before dinner, we were allowed to play our records and dance. Then, we’d

sit down for dinner and after dinner split off into our classes to study for Confirmation, listen to God’s word and converse with each other and our teachers. We’d also have group get togethers at least once a month, maybe a Saturday night where a few parents would drive carloads of us kids to the Madison Y to play indoor volleyball and swimming,” she shared.

Emily Purcell of Weekhawken explained she is relatively new to the church having just started regularly attending about a year ago. However, she has family ties to it. “This was the church that my grandparents, mother, aunts, and uncle all attended when they were growing up, so I’ve always felt at home here,” she shared.

Her immediate family would come to Kitchell for Easter and Christmas Eve services. Something about the Easter 2022 service stayed with her and

she started attending regularly.

What does the 125th anniversary mean to her?

“For me, the 125th is really about community, spreading the word of God, and letting people know that our doors are open. When you walk into Kitchell, I hope that people immediately feel welcomed and like they belong. This is not just our church... Kitchell is a place for everyone!” Purcell said.

Finally, a part of the church for 20 years or so is Domonique Michelle Scala. The East Hanover resident’s favorite memory of the church is having her daughter, Xena, baptized there. Scala’s hopes for the Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church’s future are “That it continues to be a welcoming place where people feel like they belong, where they have a voice, and where they know they are loved.”

the new wave movement.

With the three Taylor’s, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon, the evening also featured two excellent backing woman and a sensational saxophonists. In the evenings set-list the band mixed in rock, pop, a little disco and its standard new wave. “Lonely in Your Nightmare” was blended with a sensational “Super Freak”, a Rick James cover. “Is There Something I Should Know” had a popish vibe to it.

Back in the early 1980’s, Duran Duran had its first hit with “Girls on Film”. The band’s breakthrough, however, was its next album, “Rio” in 1982. It would be the bands third album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger that would hit number 1 in both the UK and the US. In 1985 “A View to a Kill” would chart at number 1 in the US. The mid to late 80 and

the early 90’s were rough on Duran Duran as they saw their success wane. In 1993 with the release of “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone”, they would return to the top 10 worldwide. From 1997 the band would release albums that under performed both critically and sales wise. In 2001, Rhodes, Le Bon and all three Taylor’s reunited to produce “Astronaut”. In 04, the album reached number 3 in the UK. The band would be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

In just under two hours Duran Duran gave the audience a feel good concert. Simon Le Bon teased the crowd with some old antidotes of yesteryear. He spoke about the band really getting its start in Long Island, New York. It was no wonder that many of the bands fans were dressed in 80’s/ 90’s fashion. Adding to the by-gone

era was the savvy staging and projections. Some of the finest that I have seen at any concert.

Upbeat and pithy, the lights, the stage and projection fueled the energy that Duran Duran provided.

While every song that the band performed last night, it was the first four songs and the evenings last five songs that really stood out. Ending with Grandmaster Flashes “White Lines”, “The Reflex”, “Girls on Film” and the evenings two encores: “Save a Prayer” and ending with “Rio” was the perfect start and the perfect finish to this storied bands career.

As a warm up band Chic/ Nile Rodgers had as much energy as Duran Duran. Many of the crowd were there as much for Chic as Duran Duran. A staple in the 80’s, Chic too

us the most about the podcast is being able to interact and collaborate with so many people. The podcast allows us to learn from each other and share information that will help others.»

In order to get the word out about the podcast, they are not buying advertisements or broadcasting on iTunes, but are relying on good old-fashioned word of mouth. The school is putting the webcasts on their website, Facebook page, and emailing information to the parents.

The principal is proud of the work that everyone in the community has done in helping develop this adventure, and also likes that there is no large additional expenses needed.

Due to its success, Tuorto and the faculty are hoping to

consistently have a new show at least once every other week.

The content of the shows is intentionally not planned far in advance so that Tuorto could gather feedback from his colleagues, students, and families.

He wants as many different ideas as possible, but the subject matter will most likely be connected to something educational.

This past September, a podcast was dedicated to the beginning of the school year and the preparation involved.

However, according to Tuorto, “we also do some educational topics with reading tips or strategies for certain subjects.

We also focus on events for the school and highlight certain work the students are doing so it reaches a variety of topics.”

Rev. Hannah Faye Allred and Rev. Bill Dysard serve communion during Kitchell Memorial Presbyterian Church’s 125th anniversary service.

Duran Duran in Concert - This 80’s Band Can Still Play

BY ROBERT MASSIMI STAFF WRITER

AREA - Duran Duran last evening at Forrest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York was as much a throw back the the great 80’s music as it was an entertaining evening for the standing, sold out crowd. On the jumbo-trons, the silhouette through the smoke of this legendary band as they took the stage. Duran Duran is as much showmanship as it is talent and the front-man, Simon Le Bon played it off deftly.

Opening the evening with “Night Boat”, the band peeled of three more songs (The Wild Boys, Hungry Like the Wolf and View to a Kill) in rapid fire succession whipping the crowd in a frenzy. This after all is a band that sold over 100 million records. It is a band that had the same fever of Beatle Mania in the early 1980’s. Credited with ushering in the new romantic scene, the band was at the forefront of

Podcast...

FROM FRONT PAGE ent types of podcasts to attract a lot of students so at any point, one of our students could be involved in the podcast.”

Tourto, who also has a background in studying psychology as a collegiate student, is very much in favor of helping his young pupils develop themselves and become more confident. He enjoys having instructive conversations with them to find out both their likes and dislikes.

He is seeing great progress in a lot of different areas as a result of the podcast. Tourto has witnessed many students develop great social and technological skills from being around this new concept.

Tuorto is very enthusiastic about the success of this program. He states «what excites

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was excellent performing “le Freak” (opening song),”Everybody Dance”, “Dance, Dance, Dance”, “I Want Your Love”, two by the late great David Bowie (Modern Love, Let’s Dance) and ending with “Good Times/ Rapper’s Delight” There has been many great concerts this year that I was

fortunate to attend; Duran Duran and Chic was right up there with the top concerts.

Both bands had such great timing, showmanship and energy and for almost three hours it permeated throughout Forrest Hills. The fans really had a thrill to go back in time and bask in some really great memories!

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Giuliano’s Catering Service celebrates 50 years of Family Catering!

Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • October 2023 • Page 5

EAST HANOVER - The family-owned and operated, Giuliano’s Catering Service, is proudly celebrating half a century of catering their traditional Italian-Style foods!

Located in East Hanover since 2001 (right behind the Police Station), husband and wife Chefs Bill & Michelle Giuliano work side by side, as his parents once did continuing a family tradition!

In 1973 when Bill’s parents, Bill and Maryann, started the business in Newark, they were one of the original “off-premise” caterers in North Jersey.

Working long, hard hours to get the business off the ground, the self-taught chefs brought old world family recipes to their kitchen. Business boomed in the residential area, and corporate catering to nearby businesses in Essex County soon

followed. At the age of 11, Chef Bill started to learn the art of cooking and the science of catering from his parents instilling in him “there are no shortcuts to success in creating delicious food”. Eventually the three would form a strong team (Dad, Mom and Son) as well as the rest of the family pitching in when needed.

“We thank our loyal customers through the years who have patronized us”, stated Bill. “Fifty years is an amazing achievement; if only my parents were alive to celebrate with us”!

Giuliano’s caters off-premise events in Morris, Essex and surrounding counties for all occasions, residential and corporate, including barbecue catering. They offer an array of hot and cold full buffets plus so

much more! Give them a call at 973-884-8744 or visit their

website at www.GiulianosCatering.com.

How Does Voting-by-Mail Work?

Each Election Day, Americans vote and thus take part in a fundamental principle of democracy. Elections take place on various levels, from local governments to presidential elections.

Until recently, in order to cast a ballot for a particular election, most voters had to physically appear at their respective polling locations and submit their votes in person. Mail-in voting, also known as absentee voting, was frowned upon and not widely available. It first arose during the Civil War, when soldiers were given the opportunity to cast ballots from the battlefield.

Absentee voting later became an issue during World War II, when Congress passed laws in 1942 and 1944 enabling soldiers stationed overseas to participate in elections. More recently, during the 1980s, more states made absentee voting available, and it is no longer uncommon for voters to be mailed ballots and submit them before Election Day. According to MIT, the movement to

vote-by-mail reached new levels with the 2020 elections, which occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some attest that mail-in-voting enables many individuals who would not normally be able to physically make it to the polls on Election Day to cast votes.

Mail-in balloting works in different ways. The United States has universal vote-by-mail and absentee balloting. With the former, ballots are mailed to all voters. In the latter, voters must request an absentee ballot.

In terms of a requested absentee ballot, a voter must write, call or request a ballot online. Upon receipt, the voter will make his or her choice, and then place the sealed ballot in a security envelope provided with the ballot.

The voter signs the outside of the second envelope to certify that he or she is a registered voter.

When the election authority receives the ballot, it certifies the registration of the voter and that the address matches the one on

record with the election authority. On Election Day, the mail ballots are added into the results of the votes with those from people who visited the polls in person.

According to the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that works to improve policy and governance at local, national and global levels, there is no partisan advantage to either party related to voting by mail. Also, absentee ballots benefit senior citizens as well as low-income people and those without access to transportation.

Despite some news stories in recent years that may lead people to believe mail-in votes come with risk, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University says there is no evidence that mail balloting increases electoral fraud, as there are several anti-fraud protections built into the process. Mail-in voting is an option for many people across the U.S. It is secure and convenient for many voters.

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Play It Again Sports® Opens in Livingston

Page 6 • October 2023 • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com

AREA - Play It Again Sports®, the leading family sporting goods resale concept, is opened in Livingston, and ready to sell, trade and buy. The brand provides athletes of every age with a place to sell and buy quality used sports and fitness equipment including football, baseball gloves, baseball/ softball bats, hockey gear, golf clubs, soccer gear, lacrosse equipment, bikes, benches,

weights, and more.

A favorite for all family members, the new Play It Again Sports opened on July 20th is part of Winmark - the Resale Company®, a unique resale business that focuses on sustainability, small business formation/locally owned, and providing Resale for Everyone®.

Come down and check out their wide, great selection of

gently used equipment!

Jerry Ambooken, Play It Again Sports – Livingston, 449 West Mount Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, 973-486-6881.

Facebook: Play It Again Sports - Livingston, NJ | Livingston NJ | Facebook Instagram: @playitagainsportslivingstonnj Website: Buy & Sell Sports Gear and Fitness Equipment | Play It Again Sports Hanover

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100 Years Ago This Month: Historical events from October 1923

The month of October has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in October 1923.

• Switzerland issues a new decree on October 1 that bans the display of fascist emblems or the wearing of black shirts.

The decree is issued in response to fascists who wanted the region to join Italy.

• A standoff begins in the Kentucky State Penitentiary on October 3 after three convicted murderers obtain guns and kill three guards in an ultimately failed attempt to escape. Authorities eventually storm the barricaded inmates on October

6 and discover the inmates had been dead for about two days.

• John Charles Carter is born in Illinois on October 4. The boy ultimately adopts the screen name Charlton Heston and becomes an Academy Award-winning actor and influential political activist.

• Cao Kun is elected president of the Republic of China on October 5. Cao is deposed just 13 months later after revelations surface regarding a bribery scandal that calls his election into question.

• Boston Braves shortstop Ernie Padgett turns an unassisted triple play on October 6. To date, the feat has been accomplished just 15 times in Major

League Baseball history.

• The first section of the Appalachian Trail opens on October 7. The initial stretch is a 16mile path from Bear Mountain in New York to the Delaware Water Gap on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

By 2023, the trail had grown to 2,194 miles.

• On October 10, the New York Yankees play the crosstown Giants in the first ever World Series game at Yankee Stadium. The Giants win the game when Casey Stengel hits an inside-the-park homerun with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

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PLEASE SEE 100 YEARS, PAGE 7

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I Remember Mom: The Last Flower

Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • October 2023 • Page 7

BY RICHARD MABEY, JR. GUEST WRITER

AREA - Miracles often come into our life, without a great deal of fanfare. Sometimes, the miracles of our lives do not involve a parting of a sea or a burning bush. Sometimes, the gentle brush of an angel’s wings is so subtle and ethereal that it can easily be overlooked.

Simply put, some of the small miracles in our lives, may well be taken for granted. But nonethe-less, they are very real miracles.

Such a miracle came to my mom, Janet Ethel Kemmerer Mabey, in the time of early Spring of 2018. My mom, my sister Patti and myself traveled the long car ride from Florida to New Jersey. None of us knew it at the time, but it was to be Mom’s last visit to Knothe Farms, the home of her beloved sister, Alice Kemmerer Knothe.

When Spring Time comes, my cousin Peter Knothe is all so busy managing his family

farm. It is a long standing tradition that one or two of his many greenhouses will be the home for rows and rows of planted flowers. It provides a poetic panorama of a rainbow of colors of all the various types of flowered plants that Peter has growing on the wooden tables inside his greenhouses.

One of the long-standing family traditions of Mom and Aunt Alice, is to take the time to walk the length and breadth of the flower-filled greenhouses to find just the right flowers to plant at the grave sites of their late brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents. It is a rather solemn and heart warming kind of thing. It was a tradition that would always have a quality of reverence about it.

When we reached the cemetery, I carried the many flats of flowers that were to be planted at the portion of the cemetery that was devoted to the Kem-

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merer Family. As I knelt upon the grassy ground, digging out holes to plant the many flowers, I could not help but to overhear my mom and aunt talking.

“I think this is the last time, I’ll ever get to visit Mom and Dad’s graves,” Mom quietly told her sister.

“Oh come on Janet, you’ve still got a lot of time on this old earth,” Aunt Alice replied.

“No, Alice, I can feel it in my bones. I can feel the angels calling me Home,” Mom solemnly replied to her sister’s attempt to uplift Mom. “Don’t talk like that Janet, you’ve still got a lot of years ahead of you,” Aunt Alice replied, in what was a bit more of stern reply.

“No, Alice, I just have this inner knowing. It’s a feeling that I can’t really explain,” Mom told her sister.

After I planted a good two dozen flowering plants, Mom,

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From the Spring of 2028, Mom (left hand side) and Aunt Alice at the gravestone of their grandparents, Lefennas and Alavesta Kemmerer.

Aunt Alice, Patti and I left the cemetery. I remember that we had a late lunch at the Randolph Diner. I saw something in my Mom’s eyes. It was gladness tinted with a ray of solemn sadness. Mom knew, for sure, that it was the last time she would ever visit the graves of her precious loved ones. Mom told her sister that God gave her a miracle, to be able to visit the graves of her loved ones, one last time.

It was a strange thing. When we got home from the farm, Mom’s episodes of having se-

vere chest pains became more and more frequent. It was a long process of having many cardiac medical tests. But in November of 2019, Mom was operated on, to have an Aortic Valve replacement. Sadly, on the twenty-third of December, of that year, Mom went Home to be with the Lord. The valve replacement did not take.

I often reflect upon that morning at the cemetery, where Mom told Aunt Alice that she knew it would be the last time she would visit the Kemmerer grave site. I often wonder how

Mom knew that.

Life is short. Love one another. Forgive people for the wrongs they have done unto you. Find the good in people.

For truly, life is too short to hold grudges and ill feelings toward one another. Love is the key element of miracles.

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.

FROM PAGE 6 • Nicaraguan President Diego Manual Chamorro dies suddenly on October 12. His Vice President, Bartolomé Martinez, cannot be found, forcing Interior Minister Rosendo Chamorro to serve as acting president.

Martinez is eventually inaugurated as President of Nicaragua on October 27.

• A bomb explodes outside Cubs Park (now known as Wrigley Field) on October 14.

No arrests are ultimately made, though the incident is attributed to union agitators angry at a decision by Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, then commis-

sioner of Major League Baseball.

• The Walt Disney Company is founded when 21-year-old Walt Disney and 30-year-old Roy O. Disney, Walt’s brother, sign a contract to produce the Alice Comedies film series.

• Roadside billboards are the target of a letter sent by the British Ministry of Transport on October 18. The letter alleges the billboards are disfiguring the picturesque English countryside and urges county councils to take action.

• New Jersey’s Albert Tangora sets the world record for fastest sustained typing on a manual

typewriter on October 22. Tangora averages 147 words per minute over the course of one hour.

• The air force of the Kingdom of Bulgaria is wiped out on October 25 when the country’s lone army airplane crashes.

• The reigning monarch of Iran, Ahmad Shah Qajar, appoints Reza Khan as the country’s Prime Minister on October 28. Khan overthrows Ahmad Shah two years later.

• The Republic of Turkey is proclaimed on October 29, formally ending the Ottoman Empire.

100 Years...

Ann is constantly upgrading the Clerk’s office and has created interactive websites to access records, programs, and services.

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Page 8 • October 2023 • East Hanover-Florham Park Life • Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline.com

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