Livingston Life June 24

Livingston High School Musicians Form Non-profit NoteWorthy Organization

By Steve Sears

Kayla Fang’s first thought of the great, worthwhile idea came from her mom.

Fang, a Livingston High School sophomore, said, “I had heard from my mom about some hospitals using music therapy as a method of healing, and this reminded me of how whenever I am feeling down or stressed, I just turn on my favorite songs or play my violin, and my spirits are quickly lifted. I immediately thought of those in our community who might need some more joy and hope in their lives, so I wanted to bring the same healing energy to them. Music therapy is not that widely known and sharing it with a large audience can demonstrate the healing power of music. I also just wanted to do something fun with my friends while making an impact on our local community.”

They have. In December of 2023, the violinist of eight years formed The NoteWorthy Organization, a group of 13 young musicians who play a blend of four instruments and beautiful music for audiences. Fang, who serves as President, said, “I formed this organization to share the joy and relaxation that listening to good music can bring to our lives. I wanted everybody to feel the way I feel when music washes away any worries I have and soothes my mind, leaving behind hope and positivity. It was the best way for me to give back to my community in a meaningful manner.”

Thus far, The NoteWorthy Organization has performed for senior citizens at CareOne in Livingston, for the children at Mountainside Specialized Children’s Hospital, and for special needs children at the Livingston Advisory Committee for Disabilities.

Amanda Zhong, Vice-President of The NoteWorthy Organization, is also a Livingston High School sophomore

and violinist.

Zhong said, “One of the most gratifying feelings when playing an instrument is to be able to spread and influence the audience with the emotions felt during performances. Not only does playing loving tunes with your friends bring so many new joys, but seeing the reactions of the people makes you feel so much more content and proud of what you are doing.”

And “content” is an apropos word for those listening as well.

Zhong said, “Within this organization, we are so overjoyed when younger children or older audience members express how they feel after our performance, making us want to continue planning new events for our future shows. When faced with this positive feedback, it

only pushes us to work harder and makes us wish to pursue music even more. The main reason for this organization is continued on page 2

The NoteWorthy Organization (courtesy of Kayla Fang)

Livington Lancers Chess Team Wins 10th Grade State Championships

Many students bring home trophies from tournament

by Jeff Garrett

High School Debate teams, Mathematics teams and now Robotics teams display the collective student team spirit of academic games competition. These teams provide an outlet for intellectually motivated learners who seek to show off their talent and help their schools shine just as gifted athletic teams do season in and season out.

Yet in the creation of newer, more modern competitive academic and games clubs, one shouldn’t forget one of the originals – the high school Chess club, which for Livingston High School, came alive with resounding success this Winter and Spring repeating as state champions.

Coached by Mr. Will Peklo, the Livingston varsity Chess team took first place at the 2024 NJ State Championships with a squad including Roger Zhang, Haari Muthukumar, Tom Valyaev, Eric Guo, Matt Ge, Lucan Giong, Leo Koganov, Claire Cheng, Quan Tren and Aston Roberts. It’s junior varsity team includes Ben Murkis, George Cui, Aviral Bhardwaj, Ayush Saxena, Aviral Bhardwaj, Sam Israel, Abhimaan Chandan and Sam Israel. The Livingston program was honored by the Township Council on March 25, 2024 for their achievement.

Chess is a game of smart, calculated, methodical moves. It can take quite a long time since the and patience it requires outlasts the patience of many. But for these

students at Livingston, they seemed to take all of the time needed to bring home quite a few trophies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft where the New Jersey sate Chess championships were held in March.

Individual and team competitions were participated in by close to 500 Chess competitors ranging from juniors to teenagers. One successful Lancers’ Chess student was sophomore Roger Zhang, a national master of sorts who earned second place in the tournament. Zhang enjoyed the aura of the event which included being around so many competitors, the tournament rounds themselves, winning and taking part in the awards ceremony.

Another big winner was Aston Roberts, noted as a strong expert in the game. Roberts’ strength garnered him the 10th grade championship by tying with Zhang for first place. He liked that he shared the honors with a respected teammate.

Zhang and Roberts weren’t the only ones propelling their school to great feats. Cheng helped lift the freshmen team to a second-place finish, placing fifth herself in individual competition while Tran nabbed seventhplace which was no small achievement for a state-wide tournament like this.

The camaraderie and support the Livingston Chess players showed one another did not go overlooked by the students nor their coach.

Peklo, who awarded letters to his team - the type that individuals get for playing on high school varsity teams, was proud to say the least, of how the team supported one another all season long. He wants that

camaraderie to continue to next year as members from the Lancers’ strong middle school team start competing at the high school level, realizing he has a team with a great deal of depth to guide forward.

not only to broaden the views of the people on orchestral groups, but to make change in people’s day for the better, even if it is just by a little bit.”

The NoteWorthy Organization’s goal, in addition to continuing to perform in Livingston, is to expand to other communities, and perhaps beyond state borders.

Zhong said, “This has been an extremely exciting process to envision, imagining how far this project can go and how many more communities we can influence. We are very excited to continue expanding our company, changing lives with more notes at a time!”

For more information, visit www.noteworthynj.com. continued from front page

By Evan Wechman

DDavid Tyree Remains Humble Despite Success

avid Tyree made an almost impossible catch in Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, to help propel the New York Giants to a victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots. Except for that amazing catch, he was not considered a star player.

Tyree though has always had faith in himself and believes his ability to be coachable has helped him both on and off the field. This has always been attractive to other leaders, especially when he was developing himself as a football player at Syracuse University.

According to the ex-NFL player, one of his most beneficial relationships occurred during this time.

“The most impactful people in my life have been the ones who actually see people. So, my strength coach at Syracuse who is thankfully still there today is probably, aside from my father, was one of the early men in my life who saw value in me when some of my coaches didn’t and he’s the kind of person who has really fueled my journey,” he says.

Tyree’s self-confidence and maturity has once again caused the light to shine on him. The Livingston born Super Bowl winner and Montclair High School graduate not only defied the odds himself as a Giant, but is now teaching others around him to do the same.

He is dedicated to improving the lives of others, but he maintains his football career did play a significant role.

“I think the entire journey of achieving something significant (Super Bowl), of having a goal and having a dream, being able to achieve it gives an opportunity to be of service to people,” Tyree says.

For example, after retiring from the NFL as a player, he served for two years working at the NFL headquarters in

Manhattan in the player development department. He then had a successful stint working for the New York Giants as the Director of Player Development.

Tyree has always loved working with people, ranging from helping inner- city youth to assisting business executives navigate their plans. This became especially true when he was going through some complications of his own and turned his life over to Jesus Christ.

“I had to make a decision about how I was going to move forward and that led to a collision with Christ, and I’ve been on fire and growing in that for the last 20 years, and there’s been no turning back,” he says.

Tyree can now be seen in churches motivating kids to do their best. His dedication to serving anyone and everyone is evident in his podcast. Each week he can be heard on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube interviewing inspirational leaders on Catch The Moment with David Tyree.

This is truly a labor of love for him as he speaks with people from all walks of life. He enjoys showing his audience how his guests have found solutions in stressful times.

Tyree’s own ability to open doors has helped him become one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the industry.

Though receiving numerous requests to speak can get to someone’s head, he remains humble and willing to work.

In the past several months, he and his wife, Leilah, have opened a nutritious restaurant on South Street in Morristown. At Tyree’s Table, the couple serves wraps, smoothies, and even complete healthy meals referred to as “Super Bowls.”

Tyree hopes to combine his business knowledge and serve the community at the same time. He is planning on

having plenty of fundraisers and other valuable events at his place.

According to Tyree, “we brought in the storyline of our family, and we believe there is room for everyone at the table and that goes from the dinner table to the business table.”

No matter how big the restaurant becomes or how many speaking engagements Tyree performs, he never wants to lose sight of the big picture.

“I want people to know that all things are possible if we put the value in the areas that have real value like people, because I love God, love people, and I am always going to remain in service.”

Kidz World Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Picture courtesy of David Tyree delivering a motivational speech to an audience

The month of June has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in June 1924.

• The Indian Citizenship Act is signed into law on June 2 in the United States. The law recognizes all Native Americans who had been born in the United States or its territories as U.S. citizens.

• Influential novelist Franz Kafka dies in Austria on June 3. Kafka, only 40 at the time of his death, suffered from laryngeal tuberculosis and died from starvation after eating became too painful. Kafka, now considered a literary giant of the twentieth century, was a relative unknown at the time of his death.

• The United States enacts the ClarkeMcNary Act on June 7. The act facilitates the purchase of land to expand the country’s National Forest System.

• Geologist and mountaineer Noel Odell watches British mountain climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine ascend from their base camp at Mount Everest on June 8. Mallory and Irvine are never again seen alive, and no trace of either man is discovered until 1999, when Mallory’s body is discovered at an altitude of more than 26,000 feet.

• Ecuador extends the right to vote to women on June 9, becoming the first country in South America to do so.

100 Years Ago This Month

• The Newton Gang carries out the largest train robbery in American history on June 12. The gang makes off with more than $3 million (the equivalent of roughly $54 million in 2024) after stopping mail train number 57 near Rondout, Illinois.

• The International Football Association Board legalizes the scoring of a goal by corner kick on June 14.

• On June 16, Italian Fascist politician Cesare Rossi surrenders to police in connection with the kidnapping of socialist and Italian Chamber of Deputies member Giacomo Matteoti earlier in the month. Matteoti’s body is ultimately found in August and signs suggest he was beaten to death. Though Rossi ultimately serves ample prison time for anti-fascist activities, he is not arrested for his involvement in Matteotti’s murder until 1947.

• The Grand National Assembly of Turkey passes the Surname Act on June 21. The act requires every Turkish citizen to have a surname.

• Fritz Haarmann is arrested in Hanover, Germany, on June 23. Prior to his arrest, Haarmann was seen stalking boys, and a subsequent search of his apartment uncovers evidence that Haarmann is a serial killer. Sometimes referred to as the “Butcher of Hanover,” Haarmann is ultimately found guilty of murdering 24 young men and boys

and is executed by guillotine in April 1925.

• Publisher William Randolph Hearst launches the New York Daily Mirror on June

24. Hearst launches the paper to compete against the New York Daily News.

Livingston’s Flores Twins Succeed on the Field and in the Community

By Evan Wechman

Livingston High School has many notable alumni. Twin sisters Sabrina and Monica Flores are two such examples. Both young women have performed at a high level professionally on the soccer field and in their ensuing careers as well.

The twins were encouraged as children by their parents to tackle academics and sports equally. Their mom, who is from Romania, and their dad, who is from Mexico wanted them to pursue the American dream, which they knew required hard work. The sisters played almost every sport growing up, but soccer is the one that stuck.

Both young women agree soccer became their passion because of the constant movement and the team environment.

This passion enabled both to play on the Girl’s Varsity Soccer team even as underclassmen. At the same time, they also succeeded in various competitive club leagues and even practiced often with the boys’ soccer teams. They clearly held their own against them as well.

Their success both in the classroom and on the field didn’t go unnoticed. Sabrina and Monica were heavily recruited by many colleges to be student-athletes at various universities. However, they both took their parents’ advice of dedicating themselves both academically and athletically, and so picked Notre Dame as their school of choice.

A major milestone for these great young soccer players was reached on the international level when they faced each other in the 2016 under 20 Women’s World Cup. Sabrina was playing for the American team but since their father was from Mexico, Monica was invited to play for the Mexico team.

Though they usually competed with one another, this was a bit different as the twin sisters each had to go through the other to emerge victorious. Both Monica and Sabrina, who are extremely close, preferred working together to achieve their soccer goals.

“I particularly didn’t really like the fact that we were playing against each other because we’re so close, like emotionally so it’s hard to match up against each other. But in general, it was a pretty cool experience to be playing on the biggest stage and I tried to separate that during the tournament,” Sabrina says.

Though both sisters went on to play professional soccer both here and abroad, their true love of helping others came to the forefront. This was not a surprise to anyone since they loved helping younger girls perfect their soccer skills both while at Livingston High School and as students at Notre Dame.

As for Monica, she is currently working as a nutritionist at a high-performance center where she coaches girls to be their best in soccer while eating a healthy diet. In addition, she has recently started her own consulting and motivational speaking business.

According to Monica this “passion comes from seeing how educating and mentoring people to change their habits for a healthy lifestyle, can give life and empowerment.”

Sabrina is also drawn to using her experiences to help others as well. She too has recently launched a coaching business.

“I’m transitioning into running my coaching business and following that passion because I have a big passion for coaching kids and giving back to the community that way.”

Both sisters say their passion for soccer has helped them

give back to the communities by sharing the education and discipline needed to win in any industry.

“The skills that we learned on the field have completely changed my life. Also, off the field it has given me so many opportunities to travel the world to meet my best friends and to learn more about myself and become a better human being overall. I think that’s why both of us are so passionate about giving that love and knowledge back to young athletes because soccer changed our lives completely and gave us the life, we never thought we could have, Sabrina Flores says.

A Trip Back in Time with Former Livingston Lancer Steve Nisenson

By Steve Sears

For former Livingston High School and Hofstra University basketball star, Steve Nisenson, it has been a wonderful, accomplished life.

In addition to being a Lancer star player from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s, going on to become a Hofstra University Flying Dutchmen record-setter, and then being an inductee to multiple Halls of Fame, in the end Nisenson values two things over everything else.

“Family and friends,” Nisenson said. “If my life ended tomorrow, I would be so satisfied with that. I would not change anything. I really have a wonderful family and a tremendous number of wonderful friends. I said to my wife not too long ago, ‘I do not know how many chapters are left in the book, but I want to fill up the pages as best I can and just appreciate each and every day.”

His is a “book” of fond memories.

Nisenson, 81, in his early years lived in both Newark and New York City, and he eventually moved with his family to Livingston when he was 13. “My father put up a rickety basket in our driveway,” he recalled. “I never played basketball until I was 13. So, from the time I was 13 until I was cut by the (New York) Knicks at age 21 in 1965, basketball was my life.”

Nisenson led from his guard position a Livingston Lancer ballclub that he said was “a very competitive team. And we had winning seasons, for sure.” During his career, he set as a junior what was then the point scoring record for one game with 34, while leading the team to its first ever appearance in the Essex County Tournament.

After graduation, Nisenson planned to attend Temple University, but chose Hofstra University instead. While leading his team in scoring each of his three seasons there, he and

the Flying Dutchmen made two NCAA Division II Tournament trips and in 1964 won an NCAA Small College Tournament regional title. That same junior season, Nisenson was named Middle Atlantic Conference northern college division Most Valuable Player, led the nation in free throw percentage, and was the first player in the history of basketball - high school, college, or professional - to shoot over 90% from the charity stripe in a season when shooting 200 or more free throws.

His final season at Hofstra, he averaged 27.7 points per game, and finished his career with 2,222 points. He currently holds the record for most free throws made in a single game and season, his career average of 26.8 ppg is second all-time for the Flying Dutchmen (now called the Hofstra Pride), and he was named a 1963 – 64 and 1964 – 65 First Team AllAmerican.

The New York Knicks made Nisenson a fifth-round selection in the 1965 NBA Draft, but he was eventually cut, and he also turned down an opportunity to play with American Basketball Association’s Kentucky Colonels. However, he did win a gold medal for Team USA while competing at the 1965 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel.

He cherishes the memory. “That was a great experience. To see Israel in its infancy, and basketball-wise to meet a lot of nice people, it was one of the great things about my career.”

After serving as a Hofstra assistant coach for four seasons, Nisenson - who is a member of The Big “L” Club (the official booster for Livingston High School sports) Hall of Fame, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Colonial Athletic Association Hall of Fame, and the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame (his number is retired) - earned his master’s degree in guidance from C.W. Post College, and worked in admissions

RETINAL SPECIALIST

for the school for 15 years. Afterwards, he spent 40 years during the summer teaching basketball at Camp Wayne for Boys in Pennsylvania.

Nisenson and his wife, Fran, who will be married 55 years on May 29, are parents to two sons, David and Brett, and they have three grandchildren, Caleb, Derek, and Ty.

“The trophies and plaques break and gather dust,” Nisenson said, “but the memories you have for a lifetime.”

Hofstra University All-American Steve Nisenson drives the lane against St. Joseph’s (credit: Hofstra University Athletics)

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

By Steve Sears

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

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

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

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

“That list was growing exponentially,”

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

In December 2013, The Wave Set launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for the production of a documentary describing the family’s journey through the transplant experience. The documentary, titled 65 Percent, was featured during a film festival circuit, which side-by-side with speaking engagements, further created an awareness and educated people on the importance of organ donation.

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

Ribbon Cutting was held on April 16 for the staff and funding partners.

Wohl, a musician with a few albums to his credit and whose background is in educational technology and sales embraced the idea of being able to educate patients and families on what that process courtesy of the Simulation Center could look like. He

said of the donation, “It was a great feeling all around. When we learned about the opportunity, my brother and I immediately said that is what we wanted to support with the funds.”

For more information, visit www. sharingnetworkfoundation.org/thewaveset.

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

By Henry M. Holden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The idea slowly caught on and the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane, when he pressed a button

in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

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

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

During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement arose to scrap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day altogether in favor of a single holiday, Parents’ Day. Every year on Mother’s Day, pro-Parents’ Day groups rallied in New York City’s Central Park a public reminder, said Parents’ Day activist and radio performer Robert Spere, “that both parents should be loved and respected together.” That one day of togetherness didn’t appeal to some of the divorced or separated men, and women.

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

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

In 1972, in the middle of a nasty presidential re-election

campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father’s Day gifts.

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

When Sonora was 16, her mother Ellen died, leaving William as a single father to Sonora and her five younger brothers. And by Sonora’s account, he performed brilliantly. “I remember everything about him,” Sonora said many years later to the Spokane Daily Chronicle. “He was both father and mother to me and my brothers and sisters.”

Sonora’s mother Ellen, herself a widow, had three children from a previous marriage. On top of that, William had also been married and widowed before he met Sonora’s mother. William had five children with his first wife, Elizabeth, who were already grown when William became a widower for the second time.

In 1910, Sonora brought a petition before the Spokane Ministerial Alliance to recognize the courage and devotion of all fathers like William on June 5, her dad’s birthday. The local clergy liked the idea of a special Father’s Day service, but couldn’t pull something together so quickly. So they settled for June 19, the third Sunday in June.

On that first Father’s Day in 1910, church sermons across Spokane were dedicated to dear old dad, red and white roses were passed out in honor of living and deceased fathers. The mayor of Spokane and governor of Washington issued proclamations, and Sonora found her calling. She would spend much of the next 60 years pushing for the official recognition of Father’s Day as a national holiday.

continued on page 13

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

of these children in and out of court, to ensure that each child has the opportunity to thrive.

Fater’s Day...

continued from page 12

William Jackson Smart, the original inspiration for Father’s Day, was born in Arkansas in 1842. He enlisted as a Union soldier there in 1863. That was odd because Arkansas was a Confederate state. Spokane resident, Jerry Numbers, who owned what had been Sonora’s home, researched the Smart family history for Spokane’s Father’s Day Centennial Celebration in 2010. Numbers says that William, in fact, fought for both sides in the Civil War.

Driving a supply wagon for Confederate troops, William was captured in the Battle of Pea Ridge, a decisive Union victory in Arkansas in 1862. Rather than languish in a prisoner of war camp, he opted to join the northern cause. As indication that William was a “Reb” before he was a “Yank,” Sonora was a member of both the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Daughters of Union Veterans.

When Sonora was born in 1882, William and his second wife Ellen were living on a “coal ranch” in Jenny Lind, Arkansas. Instead of mining for coal, William and the family “farmed” it, collecting chunks of coal from the surface and carting it to town for sale. William and Ellen sold the property in 1887 for $5,000—a handsome sum at the time— and the family traveled by train to a new homestead outside of Spokane. (The farm in Arkansas would turn out to be one of the most productive coal fields in the entire nation.)

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

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

Much more than a Father’s Day booster, Sonora Smart Dodd was an accomplished artist, poet, children’s book author, funeral home director, and founding member of just about every civic organization in Spokane. But she never let go of her determination to give fathers like hers the recognition they deserved.

It wasn’t until 1972, six years before Sonora’s death at the age of 96, that President Richard Nixon finally signed a Congressional resolution declaring the third Sunday in June to be Father’s Day. Sonora’s quest was challenging but had a happy ending. Her dad, no doubt, would have been proud.

Help Keep Lights On and Doors Open at Shelter

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

By Cheryl Conway

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

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

“The Cathy House in Wanaque needed extensive repairs after a recent storm,” says SOS Founder and Executive Director Sandra Ramos. “There was damage that we were unable to repair over the years. We also needed the money for utilities, insurance, and repairs on other houses.”

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

“It was used to pay down the mortgage of the other houses,” says Ramos.

She fears the other houses are at risk.

“I started this 55 years ago and I’ve have been struggling to take people that no one else would take,” explains Ramos. “All monies go to directly provide the needs of the people. I don’t earn a salary and even when I did it was nominal. I was a professor and much of what I receive these days comes from that. The people that make the rules live in a different reality. They can imagine how difficult it is for those who struggle for a safe place to sleep.”

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

“The state is not giving us our voucher money because we don’t have paid staff, and they asked that we make repairs (which were done),” says Ramos. “With the support of former Senator Gerald

Cardinale, we were able to have volunteer staff that were board members. They also have a problem with the fact that we keep people for longer than 90 days, but they have nowhere else to go. Apartments are very expensive, those that have section 8 have a hard time finding places that are willing to accept it. There are also extensive waiting lists.”

Ramos has not given up and continues to seek support.

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

“I have tried to get publicity, we write grants, we received a recent $30k from ‘Metallica’, and other donors we received $10k and $20k,” says Ramos.

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

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

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

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

Email Ramos at info@ strengthenoursisters.org

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

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

Clara Maass Medical Center, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Somerset, and Trinitas Regional Medical Center earned Platinum recognitions and Community Medical Center earned Gold recognition from HRSA’s Division of Transplantation for conducting awareness and registry activities between May 2022 and September 2023. RWJBarnabas Health facilities were among 1,241 partners, including 1,075 hospitals and 166 non-hospital workplaces, to participate in the 2023 campaign. The recognition from the DoNation Campaign serves as a testament to the commitment from RWJBarnabas Health to raise awareness around the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. RWJBarnabas Health performs more transplants than any other system in New Jersey. “We recognize the transformative impact of an organ donation,” said Andy Anderson, MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Quality Officer,

RWJBarnabas Health. “With more than 100,000 people in the United States awaiting transplantation, we understand the demand and this initiative helps educate and motivate the community to register as organ donors.”

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

The 2023 DoNation Campaign efforts added 8,840 people to sign up to be donors. In the 12 years of HRSA’s organ donation campaign, partners have added more than 639,105 donor registrations, increasing the number of organs available for transplantation to improve the lives of others. RWJBarnabas Health collaborates with The Sharing Network to leverage its outreach efforts.

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

ABOUT

RWJBARNABAS HEALTH

RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering eight counties with five million people. The system includes twelve acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center

in Livingston, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, three acute care children’s hospitals, Children’s Specialized Hospital with a network of outpatient pediatric rehabilitation centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and two accountable care organizations.

RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers – with more than 41,000 employees and 9,000 physicians– and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBarnabas Health launched an affiliation with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org.

Whirly Girl Kim Darst Sets New Records

By Henry M. Holden

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

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

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

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

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

When back on the ground, she began taking flying lessons in a Bell 47.

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

At first, Darst didn’t realize

she had been bitten by the flying bug. And all she could do was think about flying. It wasn’t long before she was busy signing the papers for her first helicopter. She found her 1957 Bell 47 near Homestead, Florida, in March 1988. Her father cosigned a loan with her on the condition that if she missed a payment, she would have to sell the helicopter.

With the deal sealed, she and Kittner flew the helicopter with Kittner aboard to give Darst a rest. It took eight fuel stops, and 17 hours in the air from Florida to her New Jersey home, following the “concrete compass” of Interstate 95. While she was enroute family members were clearing trees from the family’s 12acre trac. She also needed a fuel tank to be installed and a windsock raised. With all the details ironed out, Kim Darst opened her flight school, and KD Helicopters, was born.

Darst has a love for the low-and-slow airplanes that goes beyond her earlier attraction to the airlines.

Kiwi Airlines offered her a job as a flight engineer on the Boeing 727.

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

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

she logged 30,000 hours in the air. “I would have to estimate I’m at least 35,000, near 40,000 hours in the air.” That is nearly six years in the air.

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

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

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

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

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

“I hooked up a couple

continued on page 17

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

Kim Darst...

continued from page 16

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

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

Kim Darst was born and raised in Blairstown, New Jersey. “I am a helicopter pilot by trade but a dog musher by passion. My dogs come from Susan Butcher’s kennel. I look forward to bringing my dogs back to their origin. Kim owns and operates a flight school on an airport named Husky Haven in NE Pennsylvania. The flight school consists of three helicopters and seven airplanes. I was the first New Jersian to qualify and enter the Iditarod. My favorite part of the race was the friends I met and the fans.”

In 2009, Kim became the 1st New Jerseyan to race in

the Iditarod. Kim is currently operating her flight school and giving dog sled rides and presentations in Shingleton, MI.

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

The original Iditarod was established in 1967, and it was a dog race that only included a smaller portion of the trail. It was six years later when the race was changed to include the entire trail, from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. I never truly moved to AK. I went up there and trained for Iditarod in 2009 but I found my favorite place in the world for me to be the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In my opinion it is a mini-Alaska. We get lots of snow, lots of trails, and nice and quiet. I love it there. I now own 73 dogs and run a sled dog touring business up there. I certainly never gave up aviation. I still own 3 helicopters a Bell47, my first aircraft ever that I bought back in 1988. I own a S300 helicopter that I bought back is 1995 and then of course the Jet Ranger that I bought in 2000. I reduced my airplane fleet to a Cessna 172 and it is the first airplane I ever bought so my second aircraft and I still have my J3 cub which is now on floats as I live on a lake. I never won Iditarod, but I did win other dog sled races like Stratford NH race and the High Point race.

Around 1,500 dogs start the race each year, I sold my airport that I had in Pennsylvania, and I sold my parents properties in Blairstown as my mom just passed away a year ago,. Kim Darst is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Whirly Girls and says her hobby is water skiing.

Bell, 47. Photo credit Kim Darst

By Evan Wechman

TMorris County Welcomes Israeli Survivors

he October 7th attack in Israel by Hamas has had a terrible effect on Jews all over the world. Not only did many Israelis lose loved ones, but it has fueled antisemitism both abroad and in the United States.

This tragedy has brought about significant acts of valor from Israeli natives in temples and community halls throughout the state.

This is due to the newly formed organization, The Faces of October Seventh. It was formed by Dar Halevy Feldman who was in Israel during the horrific attack. She has been mainly in Morris County the last few weeks, educating the public about her experience.

Feldman, who has been a director of Hillel at several universities in California, has seen firsthand the acts of hatred towards her community both here and in Israel.

She is not surprised by the wave of antisemitism that has been moving across college campuses.

“Antisemitism has been in the universities for a while now. All the misinformation that is occurring is not surprising,” she says.

As the leader for The Faces of October Seventh, she is hoping to educate both Jews and others about the hate they have been

receiving.

“I was in Israel October 7th, and it was very scary, and October 8th was scary as well because the reaction of the world was terrible,” Feldman says. “I was worried and felt like I had to do something.”

Feldman took the initiative of forming her organization which is comprised of Israeli volunteers who have brought approximately 14 survivors of that horrible night to speak to Americans about their experience.

One of the more prominent speakers is Daniel Dvir who has spoken at dozens of synagogues such as the Chabad of Morristown. The temple welcomed Dvir with open arms as she spoke about attending the concert with friends and then, fortunately, surviving the atrocities of that evening.

Dvir, who has lost loved ones from that night, continues to display strength, courage, and even humor to help her deal with the trauma.

She can talk about parts of her escape from Hamas which bonds her instantly to fellow Jews in America.

“While I was running in the field, my mom called me, asked me who I am with, and when I said I was alone, she starts screaming like any Jewish mom, so I hung

up,” Dvir says.

However, as much as she can use humor to alleviate the pain, she is fully aware of her near-death experience.

“At some point when I was hiding in the tree for like 30 minutes, there was a moment of silence. For a full minute, the automatic gun shuts stopped. It was super weird because it hadn’t stopped since they attacked us two hours ago. I thought they killed everyone.,” Dvir says.

Such honesty has brought change for non-Jews as well. According to Feldman,

after one of the receptions recently, a woman admitted her parents had raised her to hate Jewish people. She was even taught the Holocaust never happened.

However, from listening to Dvir, she said she understands the truth now and is happy she has finally been educated.

If anyone is interested in speaking, hosting a talk, or can provide much needed funds for the organization to travel the country to speak to others, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/faces-ofoctober-7th

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A Father’s Day Story

By Richard Mabey Jr.

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

cat, still meowing to my dear father.

had both been saving up for quite a while.

In addition to attending classes at CCM, I also worked at the A&P in Whippany. It was a Saturday afternoon in early June and I was scheduled to work the night crew from 11 o’clock at night till seven in the morning. Dad and I were working at his workbench in the basement of the old Mabey Homestead. I think that we were building a birdhouse. I am 90 percent sure that is the project we were working on. I had planned on taking a nap at about four that afternoon, before driving off to the old A&P.

As we were cutting pieces of plywood, I remember that we heard the meowing of a cat. I remember this like it was yesterday, and not over 50 years ago. As soon as Dad heard the call of this cat, who was now sitting at the open doorway of the cellar, he looked at his watch.

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

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

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

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

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

It’s funny. In that little moment of time, my worries about my upcoming final exams, my anxieties about dealing with my less than kind coworker at the A&P, and my concerns for Penny going to Rutgers, all seemed to melt away.

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

I remember that my sister and I bought my father a brand new jigsaw for Father’s Day that year. We

Now at 70 and fighting a serious heart condition, I look back at that Saturday afternoon, with both joy and sadness. A big part of me wants to go back in time, to return to that early June Saturday of 1972 and have just a half-hour to spend with my dear father, at his old rugged basement workbench. But my time machine is broken. My father served as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 170 for 30 years. He was a certified Lay Leader of the Methodist Church. For over a decade, he taught God and Country classes at the First Reformed Church of Lincoln Park. In his job, as a long-distance truck driver, he brought New York City their big, tall Christmas Tree, for over 25 years. Most of the time, Dad hauled the big evergreen from the State of Maine.

Despite all of these worthwhile accomplishments, tonight, as I write this little true-life story, I reflect upon the man who fed sardines to a little gray cat, at his cellar door. I miss my Dad. If your father is still on this side of Heaven’s Gate, tell him you love him. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” Richard most recently published a book of poetry and short stories. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@ hotmail.com.

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

By Henry M. Holden

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

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

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

On this trip, the airship was only half full, carrying 36 passengers despite it being equipped to carry 72, but, Hindenburg was booked solid for the return trip. The passengers were among the wealthiest

Hindenburg: What Really Happened

who had received invitations to attend the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizebeth. The airship was due to turn around in record time for its trip back across the Atlantic.

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

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

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

Rumors abounded that soon the United States would be dragged into the European conflict with Hitler. Japan had invaded China, and Spain was engaged in a civil war with a proxy air force from Germany. And the isolationists were preaching to their followers in the United States.

The weather had been calm for most

of the trip but that began to change as the behemoth reached Boston. Zeppelins normally took two and a half days to reach the US from Germany, moving twice as fast as an ocean liner. Although Hindenburg had taken three days because of badweather it had plenty of diesel fuel left. It could have flown further.

Out of an abundance of caution, when the rain and sporadic lightning became a threat, Captain Max Pruss changed course

and headed towards lower Manhattan. The weather seemed to follow him, so he changed course and headed for the New Jersy shore.

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

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

continued on page 22

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

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

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

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

Several other eyewitness testimonies suggested that the first flame appeared on the port side just ahead of the port fin, and was followed by flames that burned on top. Commander Rosendahl (USN), an expert on lighter than air ships testified that the flames in front of the upper fin were “mushroom-shaped.” Rosendahl was the commanding officer of the Lakehurst Naval Air Station at the time and considered an expert on rigid airships.

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

One witness on the starboard side reported a fire behind the rudder on that side. On board, people heard a muffled

detonation and those in the front of the ship felt a shock as the port trail rope overtightened; the officers in the control gondola initially thought the shock was caused by a broken mooring line.

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

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

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

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

The Hindenburg’s cells were designed to carry helium for lift. But the United States had restrictions on its export. The Germans modified the cells for hydrogen. There is no record of inspecting the modifications.

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

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

It became clear during the investigation that the disaster had nothing to do with the zeppelin’s fabric covering being “highly flammable.” In fact, Hindenburg was just one of several hydrogen airships destroyed by fire because of their flammable lifting gas. The fact is that Hindenburg was destroyed in 32 seconds because a spark that triggered the hydrogen to ignite.

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

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

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

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