Livingston Life August 2023

Team Turano Continues its Fight Against Rare Cancer

By Steve Sears

“Angelo is a great guy,” Notare says. “Everybody who knows him loves him. He is fun to be with and he enjoys spending time with his friends and family and is always available to help someone in need. He is always cooking and inviting family over on a whim. He will say, ‘Come over, we’re making pizza,’ and he will throw 20 homemade pizzas on the grill. Angelo is a hard worker and owns his own electrical contracting business that he has had for 20 years now.”

Turano since 2008 has also suffered with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) cancer. Since he was first diagnosed, Turano has had five surgeries to remove tumors, and in 2018 his cancer returned. He is currently on his 3rd clinical trial and 7th cancer treatment plan and has endured several medical procedures.

Team Turano, New Jersey’s chapter of the GIST Cancer Research Fund, is a fundraising team that has its sights on battling and winning the battle against the rare cancer. They will host their Annual GIST Cancer Research Fundraiser on Friday, September 22 at the Hanover Manor in East Hanover. The $75 ticket includes a raffle ticket package with dinner, soft drink, and dessert.

Notare says, “One of the reasons that we do work so hard for fundraising is because GIST is so rare. Less than 6,000 people a year get diagnosed with this cancer, and there is no government funding for research. Every penny we raise goes towards research.”

As of 2023, Team Turano has raised over $175,000 to fund research to fight the disease. Angelo’s wife Karen is on the GIST Cancer Research Fund (GCRF) board. The GCRF was

founded in 2003 by Tania and Robert Stutman.

Team Turano initially took part in the yearly GCRF Walk for a Cure held at Rockland Lake State Park in Congers, New York in 2016, but two weeks prior decided to do some fundraising on their own to present at the event. While Notare and her sister were sitting in the latter’s North Caldwell backyard, a discussion began about hosting an endof-summer barbeque.

100 people attended during what Notare calls “an amazing day,” and $12,000 was raised for the fight against GIST. The following year, the event was moved indoors to the auditorium of Holy Family School in Nutley, and this time a

combination dinner and Tricky Tray event raised $20,000. Notare at that time said to her sister, “We’re onto something here.” From then on, the annual event has been held at Hanover Manor. In preparation, Team Turano meets regularly from May through September, and on the day of the Walk for a Cure, the Stutmans present funds raised right to five top GIST research Doctors as well as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center doctors and the nurses.

Donations for Team Turano can be made by mail and online. For more information visit www.teamturano.org For additional information about GCRF, the website is www. gistinfo.org

Livingston’s Christine Notare describes her brother-in-law, Angelo Turano.

Team Turano (courtesy of Team Turano)

Livingston High School Graduate to Run for Team Special Olympics Chicago

By Steve Sears

Livingston High School alum, Alex Granata, has scaled some nice marathon heights – so far.

Although a Lancer athlete in high school but devoid of a specific running background, Granata ran and finished the Martha’s Vineyard Marathon on May 20, and the TCS New York City Marathon is now at her doorstep.

However, Granata, 27, will one month prior will be headed to the Windy City to run in the Chicago Marathon on October 8 for Team Special Olympics Chicago.

For Granata, who works in CRM marketing for Live Nation and is a member of World’s Fair Run Crew of Queens, New York, the Special Olympics charity is near and dear to her heart.

Granata said, “I have family members that participate in Special Olympics events, and they do a lot of work with Special Olympics Delaware. When I picked a charity, I wanted it to mean something to me as much as it means to someone else.”

As of late July, Granata had raised $635.30 of her goal amount of $1,750. Donations are still being accepted at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/teamspecialo23/ account/1487309/

Granata’s love of running started a few years back. Simultaneously juggling a full-time job and internships in the music field, to relieve stress she would head outdoors and run. She said, “I really fell in love with the idea of

doing the New York City scene with the New York Road Runners.” That is also when the possibility of entering the New York City Marathon intrigued her. “To get into the New York City Marathon, you either have to time qualify with a half marathon, you need to run for charity, or you can do the program that they call the 9+1 which is where you run nine organized runs through the New York Road Runners.” Granata finished the 9+1 and qualified for the popular Big Apple race, which will be held on November 5.

But first up was the Martha’s Vineyard Marathon, where her goal was just to finish the race, and perhaps qualify for the legendary Boston Marathon. Granata recalled, “I did not really care about the time or how I got there. I just wanted to say that I finished a full marathon for the first time.” She finished in three hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds, and indeed the Boston Marathon was added to her bucket list. She then set her sights on the Chicago Marathon, and when she saw that Special Olympics Chicago was hosting runners for this year’s race, she was in.

Granata, who credits her dad Chuck, mom Barbara, sister Kate, and her Peloton Interactive, Inc. instructors for their support, now has a calendar of big -time marathons set for this fall.

And her heart is certainly in the right place. She said, “I think with a lot of my runs next year or in the next few years, I would love to run more for charity. It is such a good way to get involved,”

Alex Granata at the conclusion of a 2022 New York City Half Marathon (credit: New York Road Runners / Marathon Foto)

4 Fun Facts About the Month of August

Summer is in full swing in August. Come the eighth month of the calendar year, temperatures outside tend to be especially steamy and individuals and families are doing all they can to make the most of the last full month of summer. As summer winds down, individuals can ponder these fun facts about the month of August.

1. Not unlike July, August is named after a notable individual associated with ancient Rome. Augustus Caesar, also known as Octavian and sometimes referred to as Caesar Augustus, was the first Roman emperor. Augustus’s reign was a lengthy one, beginning in 27 B.C. and lasting until his death in A.D. 14. Augustus’s maternal greatuncle was Julius Caesar, who happens to be the namesake of July.

2. August weather can make some people uncomfortable, and that has made the month part of what’s become known as “The Dog Days of Summer.” The Farmer’s Almanac indicates that the moniker is linked to the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks believed that the rising of Sirius in mid- to late-summer caused the temperatures to rise and conditions to become less comfortable. Though temperatures remain hot and conditions humid in many parts of

the northern hemisphere throughout the month of August, the dog days officially end on August 11.

3. Millions of adults feel there’s no more refreshing beverage on a warm summer evening than a cold beer, and that may be even more so on the first Friday of August. That day marks International Beer Day®, which began as a local event in the western United States in 2007 but has since spread globally. More than 200 cities in 80 countries and across six continents now celebrate International Beer Day®, and celebrants can take part by enjoying a cold one and/or giving a loved one a beer. This year’s celebration will take place on Friday, August 4.

4. August is a notable month for one of the world’s most accomplished athletes. American swimmer Michael Phelps took center stage at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing when he won a total of eight gold medals, setting a record for the most gold medals by an athlete in a single Olympic Games. Phelps won his eighth gold medal in Beijing on August 17 in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay, officially eclipsing fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz, who had won seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

1972 High School Class Ring Washes Up on Point Pleasant Beach

by Jeff Garrett

At some point in everyone’s lives just about, a person can lay claim to having found something on the ground of worth. It could be $20 bill, an earring or a winning lottery ticket (yes, it’s happened).

But finding class rings that wash up on shore – now that is something. It’s akin to finding the proverbial “diamond in the rough”

In early June this summer, that’s what occurred to Anthony DiMaria Sadorski, a 21-year-old from Point Pleasant Borough who was outside leisurely taking pictures of a sunset near Beaver Dam Creek. Looking up with the camera, he decided to look down to catch a sparkling something getting his attention.

Dimaria-Sadorski was obviously surprised, examined the ring and thought this ring had an owner. Maybe the person was living, had a home nearby and could claim the ring.

He created a Facebook post soon thereafter and not long after the ring caught

a buzz from members of the Wachtung Hills regional High School Alumni group.

Turns out it belongs to 1972 Wachtung graduate, Jim Keelen.

Keelen went to the shore after graduation 51 years ago for some fun and promptly lost his ring in the ocean. “I thought it was lost,” he told media sources in June upon the discovery and re-connection to the ring.

Keelen surmised that some strong currents probably brough the ring back to the beach after bouncing and floating from points in the ocean for decades.

The ring stood up well but was noticeably scuffed in spots. He had it re-sized and made to look better.

Keelen was just thrilled at this development, awe-stricken even, that something he thought was lost forever, and never thought about anymore, was back in his life thanks to the efforts of a young stranger.

Keelen is wearing the ring again, maybe not at the beach so much, but it will be on his finger in the days to come.

Museum Spotlight: Washington Township Historical Society

by Jack Garrett

Located at 6 Fairview Ave., Washington Township Historical Society is the inspiration of several residents who appreciated the largely unknown history of the Washington Township, Morris County over 60 years ago.

Its goal is to share those historical origins and memories and bring them together for those excited with curiosity over where they live and to non-reisdent visitors eager to learn something new. It is the oldest historical group in Morris County.

The Historical Society dates from 1960 and opened its first museum in 1981. An old school house from 1830 appropriately was, and still is, home to that museum. The Historical Society lovingly maintains and staffs the building which has been, since its foundation was laid, a private residence and public library.

The area, called a census-designated community, is located within Washington Township, Morris County. Originally known as German Valley, it was settled by a German reformed congregation which emigrated

from the mother country in 1705. It is home to the Washington Township New Jersey Historical Society. The change of name from German Valley to Long Valley came about during World War I.

The stated mission of the Washington Township Historical Society is to achieve the following duties: “Compiling, publishing and spreading historical information; collecting and studying historical records, papers and artifacts; providing a public museum for residents to explore and learn, promoting the preservation of buildings, cemeteries and sites of historic interest.” While the community of Long Valley inevitably grew, there remains the original German town, preserved today by the Historical Society. Known as the German Valley Historical District, there remain a few of the original structures including block houses where the locals could take shelter in case of conflict with Indian tribes.

The Washington Township New Jersey Historical Society’s membership stands at around 95 interested neighbors.

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Its membership is active and is a historical society offering several community functions every year. Currently on the calendar is a Power Point presentation at the library about the Middle Valley Historic District, scheduled for October 7.

On October 28, in keeping with the best traditions of Halloween, a guided Cemetery Tour is planned.

Since the cemetery dates back to the community’s founding there will, undoubtedly, be interesting anecdotes about the personalities who’s names grace the head stones.

The museum contains an interesting

assortment of memorabilia including photos, local artifacts, farm tools, clothes and books, some of it dating back to the community’s founding. Items are added as they become available and they provide a fascinating glimpse into the history of this community.

For residents and visitors alike, there is always to something to see and learn at Washington Township Historical Society.

The Historical Society is open from 2-4pm on Sundays. Its phone number is 908-876-9696.

For more information about the facility, logon to www.wth.snj.org or email info@ wthsnj.org.

Did You Know?

Though the situation improved somewhat between 2011 and 2019, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in 2022 indicated that the number of children between the ages of three and 17 diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains high. Between 2016 and 2019, an estimated six million children were diagnosed with ADHD. That figure

was 6.4 million in 2011. However, CDC data from 2003 indicates 4.4 million children between the ages of three and 17 had ever been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD also is common among youngsters in Canada, where the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance reports between 5 and 9 percent of school-aged children are affected by the disorder that adversely affects a child’s ability to focus and/or behave.

SELL • BUY • TRADE

“Play

Cottage” Review

The Cottage” by Sandy Rustin is a warm, fun play. Set in the countryside village of Moreton-in- March, England (the year 1923), the six actors are embroiled in one caststrophy after another. It seems that each sibling can’t keep their hands off of each others wife. Beau (Eric McCormack) not only has his brothers wife Sylvia (Laura Bell Bundy), but even another mistress, Dierdre (Dana Steingold). Beau’s brother, Clarke (Alex Moffat) loves Beau’s wife, Marjorie who is pregnant with Clarke’s baby!

As a period piece, the costume design by Sydney Maresca is outstanding and the lighting by Jiyoun Chang captures the very heart of the play. Under the glam lighting it brings great attention to the excellent scenic design by Paul Tate dePoo lll. Between the three, the cottage is really a lovable place, and the lunatics inside

of it make it a must see!

For the most part Jerome Butler as dialect coach does a particularly good job as most of the actors capture the accents, the cadence of this British play. The only two problems that I saw with this play was the casting of Lili Cooper as Marjorie. I thought Cooper›s accent, her movements and her «business» was not sufficient in her role. Whereas the other five actors were spot on in their roles, I thought Cooper was an anchor around the rest

of the cast. Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) too, as the director tried too hard for to many laughs. The play on its face is very funny, however, Alexander tries to be overly ridiculous when he doesn’t need to be. Sandy Rustin in her Broadway debut has a winner, the laughs are aplenty! The plot is very creative and keeps the audience fixated on the next shoe to drop. For two hours, evenly spread out over two acts, we are fully entertained with this creative play.

100 Years Ago This Month: Historical Events from August 1923

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

• United States President Warren G. Harding dies suddenly in San Francisco on August 2. President Harding was conversing with relatives when he passed away from what was then suspected to be a stroke but is now believed to have been heart failure.

President Harding was 57 years old.

• Henry Sullivan becomes the first American to swim the English Channel when he completes the feat on August 6. Sullivan needed a little more than a full day to make his mark on history, swimming the channel in 27 hours and 25 minutes.

• Many businesses close and owners go on strike in Berlin on August 9. The protest is an attempt to force German Chancellor Wilhelm Cuno from office. Opposition to Cuno hardened over the next several days, ultimately prompting him and his cabinet to resign on August 12.

• An expedition by the American Museum of Natural History to the Flaming Cliffs in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert leads to the discovery of the first velociraptor fossil on August 11.

• A series of tidal waves strike the western coast of Korea on August 15. At least 346

people are killed and an additional 1,000 are considered missing after 25,000 homes are submerged in waves and flooding.

• Thousands of Canadians lose their savings when the Home Bank of Canada closes its doors on August 17.

• Ada Delutuk Blackjack is rescued on August 19 after being marooned on Wrangel Island above the Arctic Circle. Blackjack, an Alaskan native hired as a cook for a Canadian expedition to claim the island for Canada, had been marooned since September 15,1921. Blackjack was the last survivor among the five-person expedition team.

• On August 20, a train is robbed near Okemah, Oklahoma, and bandits take off with $20,000 in cash and bonds. The incident marks one of the last train robberies in the United States.

• Four-year-old child actress Peggy-Jean Montgomery signs a three-year, $1 million contract on August 26. Known as “Baby Peggy,” Montgomery would make more than 150 short films and receive millions of fan letters in the 1920s. However, Montgomery’s parents mismanaged her earnings and she was forced to work as an extra by the 1930s.

• The first parliamentary election since the founding of the Irish Free State is held on August 27.

Furever Safe

By Henry M. Holden

Camille doesn’t like dogs. She is madly in love with them. So in love she created Furever Home Dog Rescue (FHDR) in 2009.

“Before this, I was a personal trainer for many years. But I love dogs, and I always thought that I needed a physical location to try and get dogs adopted. Then I met a lady who fostered dogs.”

Camille started fostering with just one dog. Then she began thinking maybe she could get other people who loved dogs to help.

FHDR does not have a local shelter for the dogs. They are flown to New Jersey from North Carolina and Texas. Then our foster families provide a temporary home for these pups until they are adopted.

“So, I started recruiting fosters. I’m very hands-on. I do pretty much everything myself. I do have volunteers that are also fosters. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Camille averages about 100 dogs a year. Over the past 15 years she is responsible for the permanent adoption of roughly 1,500 dogs.

“I usually have eight to 10 dogs at a time. I have people on my email list that when the dogs arrive here, they will do everything needed to make the dogs comfortable. If the dogs are in crates, they will have to be washed and bleached and sometimes they must be shipped back to the shelter.”

Camille has had her ups and downs in this business. “Right now, it’s slow with adoptions. The Christmas season is a very busy time, and adoptions

are usually high. In May and June adoptions are slower because kids are graduating from school. Other activities are also going on.

“Adoptions are on the slow side, and I think it has to do with Covid. Some adopted dogs during the Covid just to keep the kids company. At the end of it, many dogs were returned. The world opened again, and people did not have time for the dogs. It was sad.”

During Covid, Camille had dogs up for adoption. “I’m a small rescue organization, but I was getting 50 to 100 inquiries every day. I could not keep up with the demand.”

Some of the dogs came back with behavioral issues because they weren’t trained properly in the beginning. “I was worried about this happening. People were inundating the rescue organizations returning dogs.”

The pups are temperament tested by the shelters and fully vetted by licensed veterinarians prior to being considered for Furever Home Dog Rescue.

“All our pups are placed in foster homes prior to adoption where our fosters provide further evaluation and house training.

“Fosters usually hold a pup from a week to a

month or two, on average. We are always looking for more foster families willing to open their homes to foster a pup until they are adopted to their furever homes.

“Fostering is a rewarding experience, and you will help save a dog’s life. There are puppies, young dogs and older dogs of different breeds that need foster homes. Our foster families choose the type of pup they want to foster.”

Camille will send an interested party an application. If they meet the initial requirements she will call and speak with them.

“If all goes well, I will call them, for references. When I get it down to one approved applicant, we set up a meet and greet. This is not an adoption session.

“Our adopters meet with the foster family to gain valuable insight into the pup’s behavior toward training, food, interaction with children, other dogs, cats, and other important intangibles.

“They meet the dog and have any questions answered. Then we determine at that point if it’s a good fit or not. The good thing about putting a dog in a foster home is I get a chance to see the dog and watch how he acts in a continued on page 13

Photo credit FHDR

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home setting. In a shelter they would act differently. Do they get along with kids?

“If I have a dog in a foster home and it doesn’t get along with the other dog, that’s already there, I know that we can’t put this dog in an environment that already has a dog.”

FHDR’s adoption process is very thorough and home visits or photos of the home are requested, and many other details are verified before a meet and greet can be set up. At the meet and greet a determination is made as to whether the dog will be awarded to the family.

“The process depends on how fast I can find a home for a dog that will be a good fit. I asked the fosters to commit to two months of fostering because my

facilities might be strained. I would say that 95-percent of dogs get adopted.

“Furever Home Dog Rescue is dedicated to saving adoptable dogs from being euthanized at overpopulated, high-kill animal shelters. Our goal is to adopt our dogs to homes

that meet the personality, lifestyle, or special needs of our dogs. This year alone, approximately seven million pets will die in shelters in the US. If this is something that appeals to you email Camille at: www. fureverhomedogrescue. com.

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Sister Cities: Livingston, NJ, Meet Livingston, Tennessee

By Steve Sears

Livingston, Tennessee Mayor, Curtis Hayes, is in his 17th year at the town’s helm, but he has lived in the community his whole life.

Hayes says, “I remember as a kid being raised by my Mama, a single mom, and my mother had a Western Flyter wagon that my grandmother had gotten for us. When we were little, she would pull us in on the wagon, and she would go in and do her shopping. But we always got treated to an Icee, which is a slush basically.”

Livingston, Tennessee, which is located in Overton County, was incorporated in 1906, and is named after United States Congressman, Edward Livingston. Livingston, New Jersey was incorporated in 1813 and bears the name of New Jersey Governor, William Livingston. The east coast Livingston has about 31,000 residents filling its over 14 square miles, while the southern “sister” owns a little over five square miles and is home to about 4,000 people.

“The best attribute of Livingston is its people,” Hayes says of his city. “It’s the small-town atmosphere, the lakes, the hiking that you can do here, the mom-andpop shops downtown, the restaurants, and we have we got a couple of concerts

coming up in Central Park. So, we always say, ‘Spend the day or a lifetime.’ But I think we have a little something for everybody.”

For nature lovers, Standing Stone State Park in nearby Hilham is for you. The park has a nature trail for walking, a stocked lake for fishing, wildlife and wildflowers, and a nifty swinging bridge at the Kelly Dam site. The nearby Team Room at Standing Stone State Park overlooks the dam and can accommodate up to 80 people for events. The park is located 15 minutes from Livingston.

If you are staying in Livingston, Air BnBs are the popular choice, although both the Overton Motel Livingston and Livingston Lofts are also an option. And then there’s dining, where the South Spring Street located Steel Coop is well known for its New York Strip steak and Tennessee Whiskey Glazed Salmon. Hayes adds, “The Steel Coop is just a great story. They sell a little bit of everything. You can have a steak or have some seafood like oysters on the half shell, and add a glass of wine, a cocktail, or a beer.

1806 General Store located downtown is now a barbeque restaurant, but they sell other stuff, and they have a fabulous salad bar.” Other highlight eateries are Wayne’s Grill on East Main Street, Cornicello Italian

restaurant in the Overton Motel Livingston, and Casa Nueva Mexican Bar & Grill Inc.

Livingston, Tennessee ss also the birthplace of a fomer NASA astronaut, Michael McCulley. Hayes says, “Mike McCulley is from Livingston, still has a house here, and he is certainly a great guy with a wealth of knowledge.”

“If you come here,” Hayes says, “You’ll find it’s a very friendly town where you get treated fairly and find a whole lot of what you need. Be careful of staying too long, though. You may just purchase property and live here.”

For more information about Livingston, Tennessee, visit www.cityoflivingston.net.

Livingston, Tennessee Mayor, Curtis Hayes. Photo courtesy of Livingston, Tennessee

I Remember Dad: The Homecoming

By Richard Mabey Jr.

Not long after the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor and Hickam Airfield, my father was sent to Hickam to help clean up the aftermath of that most dreadful example of man’s inhumanity to man. Dad spent most of his four-year hitch with the Seventh Army Air Corps, stationed at Hickam. During that time, my beloved father drove a fuel truck, fueled airplanes and later learned to change the spark plugs in the famous P-51 Mustang Fighter Planes. At Hickam, Dad was to have the high honor to be interviewed by the legendary Jerry Siegel, the co-creator of Superman. The article appeared in the pages of the Hickam Highlights newspaper. Dad was to develop a friendly acquaintance with the famous comic book author. Shortly after World War II was over, Dad came home from the war. Home was the very house that my paternal grandfather, Watson Mabey, had built at the end of Mabey Lane when Grandpa was a young man, working as the Chief Engineer of Incline Plane Ten East. The home was surrounded by woods, to the north, the east and the west. To the south, lied a large open field, my grandfather had bestowed the name “Earl’s Meadow” to it. For this was the acre of land that Grandpa’s brother planned on building a home upon, when he returned from France during World War I. Sadly, Great Uncle Earl was killed in action.

My grandmother often told me that as soon as Dad came home from the war, he called upon the cute from Boonton, Janet Ethel Kemmerer, who lived across Boonton

Avenue from Dad’s older brother Earl (who was named after Great Uncle Earl) and Uncle Earl’s wife, Eleanor. My maternal grandfather, Edmund C. Kemmerer, was a very devoutly religious man. And Janet, my beloved late mother, was the youngest of his nine children. So my dear old Dad had to face the interrogation of my grandfather and Mom’s three protective, older brothers. Dad would often kid around saying that he almost didn’t pass the test, they put him through.

Grandpa Kemmerer was a Fireman with Uncle Earl. Grandpa held a high respect for Uncle Earl, so that was one feather that Dad had in his hat, during his initial meeting with Grandpa.

My mom worked in the Bakery Department at the A&P in Boonton. Sadly, that quaint and charming store has long been demolished. Mom would often bring home the cookies that were no longer fresh enough to be worthy of being sold. And, from those batches of cookies, she would do her patriotic duty and mail about a dozen cookies to this lonely Airman, to

whom the United States Army Air Corps had sent over to a far away place called Hawaii.

Mom would include a little letter to this lonely Airman, being my dad, with each shipment of her famous baked cookies. Dad would write back a little thank you letter to Mom and end each letter with the words, “please do send more cookies!”

How this pen pal friendship came about, is that Aunt Eleanor, in one of her visits to the Kemmerer Homestead, asked Mom if she wouldn’t mind sending some of Mom’s famous home-baked cookies to her lonely brother-in-law, Richard. I often wonder where I would be, had it not been for Aunt Eleanor’s suggestion that Mom send cookies to Dad.

When he came home from the war, Dad worked three jobs! He drove a truck for Moon Carrier, which was located in Paterson. He worked nights as a dispatcher. And then on Saturdays, Dad worked as an usher at the stately Majestic Theater in Paterson. Sundays, after church Dad would drive his

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Mom, Dad and Grandma Mabey, in a photograph that my grandfather, Watson Mabey, took just before they all departed to have supper at a swanky restaurant in Paterson!

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1935 Hudson Coupe, from Lincoln Park to Boonton to visit Mom and have supper at the Kemmerer Homestead. Dad often joked about his early dates with Mom. He would arrive at the Kemmerer home, sit in the living room with Grandpa Kemmerer and watch the Yankee game on TV, while Mom cooked supper with Grandma. Grandpa would offer Dad to take a couple of pretzels from the pretzel bag. Dad said that he would always take just two pretzels, because that was what a couple was. Dad often joked that he was always afraid to take the third pretzel.

Dad often recounted how Grandpa would put him through the mill about how things were going at his jobs. Dad said that he often told Grandpa Kemmerer about his big plans to be a cartoon artist. Dad would even bring some of his cartoon drawings for Grandpa to see.

After supper, Mom and Dad would sit on the rock wall, that stood along the sidewalk of the old Kemmerer Homestead, with Grandma and Grandpa. My maternal grandfather kept a watchful eye on my dad! Sadly, Mom’s old homestead has been replaced by a large, modern home. However, the rock wall that my grandfather built, when he was a young

man, still stands!

My Grandma Mabey told me this story one time. Dad was an avid saver. Grandma told me that Dad saved every penny he could. Grandma told me that Dad would put cardboard in his shoes, rather than buy new shoes. Grandma would argue with him to spend some money on new shoes, but Dad would tell Grandma that he was saving money for a down payment on the house he was going to buy, after he married Janet Kemmerer.

So, Grandma Mabey once told me that she was so shocked when Dad told her that he was going to take her and Grandpa and Janet Kemmerer to an expensive restaurant in the big city of Paterson! You see that was part of the deal that Dad had to agree with, with Grandpa Kemmerer. He could take Mom out to a swanky restaurant, if his mother and father were going to accompany them! It was another time, another culture, that was world’s apart from our modern day lifestyle!

Dad was such a patient man. Sadly, my father never did see his dream of becoming a famous cartoonist. I think that his friendship with Jerry Siegel, at Hickam Air Field, had a profound effect upon Dad. Some time in the late 1940’s, my father

and his brother, Edward, formed the Mabey Trucking Company. They owned a successful trucking company for many years. I don’t know what happened. But it was around 1966, when I was in seventh grade, that Dad and Uncle Ed disbanded their trucking company. Dad then began working at Main Trucking Rigging in Elmwood Park.

Now at 69, I look back and try to fill in the gaps. I would love just to have half-anhour to talk to my father, just one more

time. Just to ask him all so many questions, to put in the missing pieces of the puzzle. Perhaps, when I leave this physical body and see Dad in Heaven, I’ll get the chance to ask 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.

“Once Upon A One More Time” Review

Once Upon A One More Time” at the Marquis Theatre is much like “Bad Cinderella” and “&Juliet”; they are all juke box musicals. Out of the three, “Once Upon” will probably fair better as a show than the other two (Bad Cinderella closed already). While “& Juliet” had some really good songs to it, “Once upon” has songs written by Britney Spears, a huge star that has sold over 70 million albums worldwide. It also has two really big stars in it: Adam Godley and Jennifer Simard.

The shows premise is the princesses from children’s books... Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Princess Pea, Esmeralda and Belle. Little Red Riding Hood, Gretel and Goldilocks too make an appearance in this potpourri of a plot. The Narrator (Adam Godley) tries to steer the story of Cinderella but he gets push back from the princesses because OFG, a very good (Brooke Dillman) tells the girls that they have a right to think for themselves, it goes against the “Scroll Club” that all in fairy land attend.

While the plot is questionable at best, songs like “Baby One More Time”, “Work Bitch”, “Circus”, “Oops!... I Did It Again”, “Cinderella”, “Crazy”, “Toxic” (the evenings best) and “Til the World Ends” will make you forget this cheesy of a story.

The direction and choreography by both Keone and Mari Madrid were well done in that they keep the action moving throughout the two hours and fifteen

minute show. Anna Fleischle’s scenic design too is outstanding throughout the evening. From make believe to the realism, Fleischle has us marveling at her incredible staging. What is not so great is Jon Hartmere’s book and Loren Elstein’s costumes. Hartmere gets lost in the “woke” and he goes deeper and deeper as the show goes on, it leaves the audience just focusing on the singing and dancing by the night’s end. Elstein goes from garish to the absurd in the costuming. She uses to many bright colors that not only don’t match, but are painful to look at. In Kenneth Posner’s lighting you get a suburb compliment to the evening. A multitude of colors make the stage pop; it works nicely with the sets.

Why I think that this musical will thrive is that in spite of the bad story, it has great songs and very good acting going for it. Godley and Simmard are right now some of the best actors on Broadway, Godley (The Lehman Trilogy), Simmard, (a twotime Tony Winner). Also strong in the show are: Justin Guarini (Prince Charming),a very good singer as well as actor, Brooke Dillman, funny and charismatic Briga Heelan ( as Cinderella marking her Broadway debut); Aisha Jackson (Snow White) and Ryann Redmond (Belinda).

“Once Upon A One More Time” wavers from really good too really awful, I’m betting that the good points of this show will carry it on Broadway for a while to come.

“

NJStarz

NJ Starz: Tom Doherty Hometown: Ridgewood

By Steve Sears

According to Tim Doherty, President and Chief Operating Officer of Allendale, New Jersey’s Doherty Enterprises, the key word he and his colleagues live by is accountability.

Doherty says, “We have to hold ourselves to execute on accountability - not just every day, but every shift and every interaction. It’s not just cooking that one hamburger, but it’s those interactions throughout the day that we must execute on 100% of the time.”

The self-proclaimed “baseball guy” then brings America’s pastime into the discussion. Doherty says, “If I hit a baseball three out of 10 times, I’m going to the Hall of Fame. However, if I only execute on wowing our guests three out of 10 times, I’m out of business in 12 months. Holding ourselves accountable is so critical.”

Courtesy of its website, Doherty Enterprises (www.dohertyinc.com) “is a

franchisee of three iconic national brands (Applebee’s, Panera Bread, and Chevy’s Fresh Mex), showcasing that innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Doherty also owns and operates two independent, proprietary concepts, the Shannon Rose Irish Pub and Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas. Today, Doherty is a regional powerhouse with over 140 restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Georgia, and Florida.”

That indeed is a lot of accountability for Doherty and his team, but his up-front enthusiasm and love for what he does has you feeling – and if you’ve visited one of the before mentioned eateries, you’ve experienced it – that Doherty Enterprises is a Triple Crown winner in location, food quality, and team and service.

Doherty currently lives in New York City, but he grew up in Ridgewood. He lived there from the time he was born until he went to college at Lehigh University.

“I had a fantastic and ideal childhood,” Doherty says. “Ridgewood was a fantastic town, I had great friends, and I had a great education from the public education school system. I have wonderful parents. My father, Ed, started our organization back in 1985 when I was eight years old, and my mother, Joan, was a world-class mom who took great care of myself and my two younger sisters, Shannon and Kerry. Both of my sisters work with me in the organization from a strategic point of view on a day-to-day basis.”

Doherty started in the family business as an Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar + Grill host and assistant server, but he remembers being in the many Roy Rogers restaurants his dad was franchisee of over 30 years ago. “I remember vividly when I was eight, nine, and ten years old, and being in the restaurants with him. Heaven forbid something was going poorly. He would say to me, ‘Get your butt over there and start

bussing some tables.” Doherty laughs before continuing. “So vividly I remember barely seeing over the tables and clearing things off.” Those early days led to October of 1994, when Doherty was at Applebee’s in Paramus on opening day. Then a 17-year-old senior at Ridgewood High School, he was too young to serve alcohol, so he toiled as a server’s assistant - essentially a busboy and a host continued on page 22

Tim Doherty (courtesy of Doherty Enterprises)

NJ Starz...

continued from page 20

– and he worked there throughout his senior year of high school. When the following summer arrived and he turned 18 in July, he became a server. Anytime he was home from college over the next four years for more than 24 hours, he was picking up shifts, and officially became a trainer in the service position.

Following his Lehigh graduation with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Doherty returned home once again, and this time, in his words “per family rule, I had to get a ‘real job’ because you can’t just come and work for dad.” Doherty next moved abroad to Dublin, Ireland and worked for the country’s largest bank, Allied Irish Bank.

He eventually wound up back in New Jersey and then in New York City with the bank, and stayed with them until 2003, when he made a big career decision. He had achieved success, and there was potential at AIB for him to achieve more.

There was just one problem. ‘I was at a crossroads in my career,” Doherty says. “I was struggling with that decision because I just wasn’t particularly passionate about the industry. I really enjoyed the people I worked for, I got a great education from them, and they treated me well. But despite all of that, I was sitting behind a desk staring at numbers all day long, and I didn’t have any passion behind that.” He approached his dad for, not a future employer\employee relationship discussion, but a father and son talk. “I told him, ‘I’m just not happy, and I don’t know what to do.’ And we started talking about potential options for the future – one of which was working for the organization.”

His heart was calling him, and although Doherty had always enjoyed working in the restaurant industry, he did

not want to return to it in a managerial role. The time was apropos, however, for something else. When he came on board, Doherty Enterprises had 36 restaurants at that time, were continuing to grow the Applebee’s brand, and just beginning their Panera Bread journey. Dad and son chatted about his possible role, and the real estate development arm was raised, which Ed Doherty had been doing alongside of running the organization. He trained his son in that realm, and ultimately growing the number of the organization’s restaurants, as well as the number of team members, were both now in Tim’s court.

Doherty embraced both opportunities. He says, “What I really started to pride myself and get passionate behind, while we were growing our restaurants, was growing our team member base, and continuing to provide jobs for fantastic people who wanted to be in this industry and get ahead. We were able to grow that employee base, and I started to really find passion behind our people. When I transitioned over to the operations side of the business, I initially became the COO, and I worked under our president for about a decade, who was really a great mentor of mine, Edward Choe.”

Doherty, now 46, officially became President and COO in 2018.

“Our culture is what differentiates us from our competition,” Doherty says of the popular Applebee’s concept. “Anyone can make a burger, anyone can make a sandwich, anyone can make a salad. What really differentiates us is the guest experience, the hospitality experience. We only do that through our culture and how we impact, not only our guests, but also our people. Applebee’s has been around for over 40 years at this point, and we are as vibrant

and doing as well - not only Doherty, which we are - but as a system on a national basis, as we ever have. That really comes with, in my mind, being part of the neighborhood, and delivering what we call a ‘Wow Every Guest Every Time’ experience, which is part of our mission statement. And that’s how you can impact people and guests and remain vibrant and successful 40 years into a concept.”

Doherty has a great support team at home. His wife, Valerie, he says, inspires him every day. “She is an incredible spouse, an incredible support to me, and she has always been in the service industry, so she understands the business. I love her with all my heart.” The Dohertys are parents of a four-year-old daughter, Emma, and a 15-month-old son, Alexander.

And for Tim Doherty, his family is most important. “That is my immediate family, my parents, and my sisters and their families,” he says. “We are a very close-knit family, which is very special, and which I couldn’t be more proud of.”

Then there’s the extended family, the eatery clans, the backbone of what Doherty Enterprises does.

Doherty says, “What gets me going every single day, and why I come to work, is because I want our business to be a strong and viable business for as long as we own restaurants. There are about 6,000 people that I employ, and if they believe in our vision, if they believe in our mission, and if they execute on that day in and day out, then I want them to have a home with me, and I want to make sure that their experience at Doherty Enterprises truly wows them, too.”

He then adds, “I’m very proud to be an Applebee’s franchisee. I’m very proud of our business and I’m very proud of our team. I’m also proud to be a Panera Bread franchisee, and all the other brands we operate.”

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