Livingston Life May 24

The Origin of Mother’s Day

By Henry M. Holden

Mother’s Day, a holiday honoring motherhood was created by an American, Anna Jarvis, of West Virginia in 1908. It became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. While it is observed in different forms and different times throughout the world, Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s over-the-top commercialization and spent a large part of her adult life trying to remove it from the calendar.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, But the strongest modern example for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

A major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special blessing or visiting the church in which one was baptized.

Mother’s Day in the United States dates to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, Jarvis helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children. These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

One mother who has been praised and admonished

is also another precursor to Mother’s Day. Her roots, came from the abolitionist and suffragette movement Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” asking mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” celebration every June 2.

While versions of Mother’s Day are celebrated worldwide, traditions vary depending on the country. In Thailand, for example, Mother’s Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen mother, Sirikit.

Another alternate observance of Mother’s Day can be found in Ethiopia, where families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of Antrosht, a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.

In the United States, Mother’s Day continues to be celebrated by presenting mothers and other women with gifts and flowers, and it has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending. Families also celebrate

by “giving” mothers a day off from activities like cooking or other household chores.

At times, Mother’s Day has also been a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968 Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children.

In the 1970s women’s groups also used the holiday as a time to highlight the need for equal rights and access to childcare.

Mary Ball Washington was neither a villain nor a saint— but rather an exceptionally strong and resilient woman, a single mother who raised five children and instilled in them qualities of fortitude and purpose. She was independent in ways few other women were at the time, choosing not to remarry after her husband Augustine’s continued on page 2

Origin of Mother’s Day...

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death and refusing to give up her property to a male relative as had been the custom. By many accounts Mary Ball Washington, mother of George, our first president was a tough mother. After she was widowed, she didn’t have the money to send George or her other children to school in England, as was common for well-to-do Virginia families at the time. Instead, she enlisted George and his siblings to help run the farm. She emphasized obedience in her children. “She treated George seriously as a man and seriously as a religious being,” according to her biographer Martha Saxton (The Life of Mary Washington)

Prior historians once interpreted this as poor mothering, which contributed to Mary’s adverse standing in history. In fact, it was common of mothers at the time to be stern, even remote. “The fond mother, the mother who is psychologically and emotionally utterly available and has nothing but unconditional love for her children came about in the late 19th century,” Saxton says. “That’s not the kind of mother Mary was.”

Other early Mother’s Day pioneers

include Juliet Calhoun Blakely, a temperance activist who inspired a local Mother’s Day in Albion, Michigan, in the 1870s. The duo of Mary Towles Sasseen and Frank Hering, meanwhile, both worked to organize a Mothers’ Day in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some even called Hering “the father of Mothers’ Day.”

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day traditionally involves Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the month of May presenting moms with flowers, cards and other gifts. ‘

In the United States, Mother’s Day 2024 falls on Sunday, May 12.

Bill Howard and Chris Roof: Coaching Legends Take a Trip Back in Time

By Steve Sears

Legendary Governor Livingston High School

baseball coach, Bill Howard, briefly recalls the story, and his successor in the dugout, Chris Roof, tells it often at the yearly baseball banquet.

During the 30-mile bus ride to East Brunswick Technical High School to battle Gateway Regional for the 1999 Group II State Championship, Howard told his Highlanders there would be no joking, laughing, or fooling around. Howard, who had won many sectional titles up to that point but never an outright state title, said, “Otherwise I’d probably lose it.”

Quiet reigned until the last 10 miles of the trip, when talking and laughing emerged from the rear of the bus.

Howard said, “It was weird because I knew the kids we had, and it came across as kind of unusual that I would hear that. I was not mad or anything; I just turned around, and there’s Chris at the back of the bus joking around with all the players. It still makes me laugh, and I still think that is the big part of why we won. Because me, I was like ‘Mr. Tense,’ and he was telling jokes or whatever he was doing to loosen the kids up.”

That day, the Highlanders defeated Gateway Regional, 4 –2.

When Howard and Roof get together, there is good humor and banter, and sometimes even disagreements over what happened when.

But what especially comes out is the deep respect a former coach has for his former player.

Roof has won Union County Tournament, sectional, and

NJSIAA Group 2 championships, and an April 5, 10 – 0 win over the Union Farmers was his 450th win as a head coach.

Howard also won over 400 games in his coaching career.

Roof said of Howard, “We have a special bond for life. I tell him all the time that I love him. He is the biggest inspiration in my life, and I would not be the person I am today if it were not for him. It sounds cliche, but it is the truth. The last 40 years and the success that both of us have had is pretty special. The fact that I played for him and coached with him is just special to me.”

Both men are members of the Union County Baseball Hall of Fame.

Howard in his early years lived in Ridgewood, and at Ridgewood High School played soccer, basketball, and baseball. He later attended and graduated from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Roof after high school would attend and play centerfield for Montclair State University, and in 1993 was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year when the Red Hawks won the Division 3 National Championship.

Roof’s first head coaching stint, after Howard and the Highlander’s glorious Group II title win, would be for Millburn High School.

Roof said, “One of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my 50 years on this earth was leave the program and go to Millburn as an assistant. That was the following year in 2000. I cannot tell you how difficult that was.”

He would return three years later as Howard prepared to hand over the reins. “At the end of the day, wearing the same uniform I had worn, being on the same field I played

on, being back with coach and back in the communitybeing back home - that obviously meant the most to me.”

On Saturday, May 4, Howard, Roof, and the 1999 baseball team will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their Group II championship.

The memories continue.

Kidz World Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

Chris Roof (l) and Bill Howard (courtesy of Chris Roof)

By Steve Sears

RPresbyterian Church of Livingston Holds Thursday Evening Candlelight Meditation

ev. Daniel Martian, now in his 19th year as Pastor of Presbyterian Church of Livingston, states what he knows is the necessity of silence.

Martian said, “Let the silence speak. If we do not get away from the noise, we really do not get to know our inner selves.”

Sometimes you need an escape from the daily, monotonous routine and news headlines, as well as the congested roadways in our area. What better way to do that than in a very serene spot as the week nears its end?

Presbyterian Church of Livingston holds a Thursday evening Candlelight Meditation from 8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend at the church or, if unable to make the visit, the worthwhile 30 minutes can be accessed via a Zoom link available on the church website.

Martian has been doing the Candlelight Meditation - initially known as Taizé Contemplative Prayer Service - since 2015, when it started as a once-a-week practice. He thought it best to make it a weekly event.

“I really do believe that people are so busy, and in our area, it is so intense and so congested, we really do not take the time to just shut everything else out and be contemplative,” he said. “We need it as people. I think there might be people that are just doing different things, and they do not take time nor find it necessary to live the rhythm of life. You have to take some time just to take a breath.”

Martian learned of Taizé - a spirituality which is rooted in the Gospels of Jesus Christ, whose resurrection and presence is celebrated with hope - when he experienced it at a church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then brought it to a congregation he served at in the state of Washington.

It is now embraced in Livingston.

On Thursday evening at Presbyterian Church of Livingston, the lights in the church are dimmed as candlelight illuminates the sanctuary. Scripture is read and prayers are recited, and meditation songs from the Taizé community are

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played.

And, most of all, there is silence. Martian said, “In silence and peace there is a calmness. People need that contemplative atmosphere that can come with the environment so that they themselves can listen to God and to listen to themselves. You go deeper emotionally, and this service you can really sit and be still and know that God is God.” And, if the

attendee wishes, singing is not required. “You can just come out, and that is very therapeutic,” Martian added. “And I am using the word therapeutic intentionally, because in therapy, there is silence, and silence speaks for itself.”

Presbyterian Church of Livingston is located at 271 W Northfield Rd Livingston. For more information, visit www. presbyterianchurchoflivingston.org.

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Presbyterian Church of Livingston Candlelight Meditation via Zoom (credit: Steve Sears)

Essex County Students Among 35 Finalists in PDFNJ’s Fourth Grade Folder Contest

The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) has announced the 35 finalists of its 2023-2024 Fourth Grade Folder Contest, including eight students from Essex County. These finalists have brought creativity and insight to the theme “Fun Things to Do Instead of Drugs,” highlighting their commitment to promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles. Representing a wide range of communities across New Jersey, these young artists have demonstrated exceptional artistic skill and a strong understanding of positive life choices.

Essex County:

Adam Idrovo: Good Shepherd Academy, Nutley

Ana Palma Garcia: Salome Urena, Newark

Emily Ortiz Lafayette: Street School, Newark

Jhostin Martinez: Salome Urena, Newark

Lynise Brinson: Saint Michael School, Newark

Milagros Poma Plaza: Salome Urena, Newark

Riley Luftglass: F.N. Brown School, Verona Shaina Das: Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, Livingston

“The creativity of these young minds is not just admirable but a beacon of hope for a drug-free future,” said Angelo Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ. Each finalist has contributed to an important conversation about making healthy choices and staying drug-free in a way that resonates with their peers. Parents play an important role in reinforcing these messages, and we are here to help foster these conversations.”

The artwork of the two grand prize winners will be featured on folders distributed statewide. The winners and finalists will be recognized at a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, May 9, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at drugfreenj. org/2024online/.

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

Best known for its statewide anti-drug

advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication. To date, more than $200 million in broadcast time and print space

has been donated to the Partnership’s New Jersey campaign, making it the largest public service advertising campaign in New Jersey’s history. Since its inception the Partnership has garnered 226 advertising and public relations awards from national, regional and statewide media organizations.

By Richard Mabey Jr.

IMy Last Hike on the Appalachian Trail

n late June of 1996, I hiked the Appalachian Trail for the last time. I did not know it at the time, that it would be my last time hiking this wonderful and magnificent wooded trail. The late Reverend Fred Herwaldt and I took the boys, who had just finished a rigorous one-year term of both religious studies and hard working service to their church in their pursuit to earn the coveted God and Country Award.

My dad, Reverend Herwaldt and myself had led the weekly God and Country Award classes at the First Reformed Church of Lincoln Park. This very special award is a combined effort of Boy Scouts of America and the Reformed Church of America. There is a scouting religious award for just about every faith known to mankind.

The boys earnestly studied and worked hard on service projects for their church. From raking leaves to cleaning windows to repairing the binding on hymnals, the boys learned the practical side of serving their church. But aside from hard work, the boys had completed a rigorous academic study of the Holy Bible. Written tests on Bible

knowledge are given to the boys, usually once a month, in the course of the yearlong study.

In June of 1996, I was 42. My dad was now 68. Dad was fighting a bout with prostate cancer, so it was not possible for him to hike the Appalachian Trail. Reverend Herwaldt knew that I earned Eagle Scout and had served as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 170 for many years, so he appointed me to be the leader of the pack.

The stretch of the Appalachian Trail, that traverses New Jersey, is 72 miles in length. However, during our one-day hike, we hiked a little over 20 miles. We left the First Reformed Church in Lincoln Park at 6:00, that morning. One of the boy’s father drove us to our starting point near the New York State and New Jersey border.

Along the hike, I had the honor of reviewing with the boys, how to identify the different species of trees. I pointed out natural, edible plants. Along our hike, we saw all so many different birds. I brought my Boy Scout Handbook in my backpack, and used it as a reference, while the boys

successfully identified the various species of birds. Squirrels abounded, climbing the oak, the maple and the elm. We stood still and remained quiet as we watched a group of deer walk through the forest. All in all, it was a most wonderful and memorable day. We all had brought sandwiches that we packed in our backpacks. There is something

to be said for eating lunch, sitting upon a big rock, beneath the umbrella of majestic trees. The warmth of the golden sun, gentle breezes, birds singing in the trees, and squirrels seemingly flying from tree limb to limb. I remember, all so very well, that Reverend Herwaldt read a few Palms to the

continued on page 11

Yours truly (fourth from the left hand side) with some of the scouts who hiked the Appalachian Trail, back in late June of 1996.

NEW OWNERSHIP

Appalachian Trail...

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boys. It was a most heart warming moment in time.

As we hiked the wild and wonderful Appalachian Trail of New Jersey, I felt the shadow of my father. I was just 11 years old, when I first hiked the AT. Now, over 30 years had passed. I was no longer the Tenderfoot Scout, walking beside my father. I was now the responsible leader. Ever watchful for snakes that might plunge upon one of the boys.

It was only a day hike. But I think we all came away from that special day, a little more aware of God’s beauty in nature. And soon the boys would all be honored with the presentation of their hard-earned God and Country medals, at a church service. This was the completion of a special, yearlong endeavor the boys had undertaken.

I was immensely proud of the boys, who hiked all those miles in just one day. I think we had finished out hike at about 8:00

that night. We had cooked a group supper along the trail, consisting of beef stew and buttered hard rolls. There was a genuine spirit of good fellowship that prevailed. I had no idea at the time, that this would be the last time that I would hike the AT. Now, at 70, with a serious heart condition, I am resigned to return to the dear old Appalachian Trail in memory only. If your healthy and in fairly good shape, please do consider hiking the Appalachian Trail. If only to go for a full-day hike. There is an endearing quality to the trail that will move your heart and give you a deeper appreciation of God’s breath-taking creations in nature.

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.

What Families Can Do to Honor Fallen Veterans

The freedoms people living in the United States are afforded would not have been possible to provide if not for the brave efforts and undying commitment of the many individuals who have served in the nation’s armed forces. American military personnel have played vital roles in securing freedoms for their fellow citizens as well as individuals overseas.

Each year on the final Monday in May, the United States commemorates military personnel who lost their lives while serving in the armed forces. Those individuals made the ultimate sacrifice, and Memorial Day is a way to honor them and thank their families for their selfless acts. This Memorial Day, families can embrace various measures to honor fallen veterans.

• Visit a local veterans cemetery. The United Service Organization (USO) notes that most states have national veterans cemeteries. Though some veterans cemeteries are open only to family members of service personnel, others are open to the general public. Visiting a veterans cemetery is a great way to honor fallen military members and ensure the memory of their service and sacrifice is not forgotten on Memorial Day.

• Celebrate veterans over Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day weekend is now synonymous with getaways and backyard barbecues. By taking time out during the weekend to honor fallen veterans, families can ensure the meaning behind the holiday is not lost in the midst of celebrations with family and friends.

Take time out during a family barbecue to discuss a family member who served or, if traveling, make an effort to visit a veterans memorial along your travel route.

• Help raise funds for veterans organizations. Fun runs or community Memorial Day walks may benefit local veterans organizations that help service members in need. Many service members may need help dealing with the deaths of friends or family members who died while serving in the armed forces, and veterans organizations may provide such help or direct funds to groups that do. That makes participation in events that benefit veterans organizations a great way to honor current military personnel and those who have served in the past, including those who died in service of their country.

• Teach youngsters about the role of the armed forces. There’s a lot competing for the attention of today’s young people, and that can make it easy to overlook the very freedoms that make the United States such a unique country throughout world history. Parents and guardians can emphasize the role the armed forces play in procuring and protecting freedoms in the United States and emphasize the significance of the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to ensure a higher quality of life for all U.S. residents.

Memorial Day commemorates military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces. There is much families can do to ensure those sacrifices are never forgotten or taken for granted.

Interesting Facts Related to Memorial Day

Memorial Day is celebrated annually on the last Monday of May across the United States. The proximity of Memorial Day to the summer solstice has led many to view the weekend preceding the holiday as the unofficial kickoff to summer. However, Memorial Day is about more than backyard barbecues and weekend getaways.

Memorial Day honors service members who died while serving in the United States military. Though Memorial Day traces its origins to the years following the American Civil War in the mid-nineteenth century, it did not become an official federal holiday until 1971. That’s one of just many interesting facts about Memorial Day that are worth noting as the United States prepares to commemorate the sacrifices of military personnel who died in service of the country.

• Memorial Day began as something of a grass roots movement. According to History.com, by the late 1860s individuals in towns across the war-ravaged United States began holding springtime tributes to soldiers who lost their lives during the American Civil War.

• Among the more notable postwar commemorations was one organized by former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. That commemoration occurred less than a month after the Confederate forces surrendered in 1865. Despite that, History.com notes that in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the birthplace of Memorial Day.

• Postwar commemorations also were organized by northern veterans of the Civil War. General John A. Logan, who led an organization of Union veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance in May 1868. General Logan referred to the holiday as Declaration Day and chose May 30 because it was not the anniversary of any specific battle and therefore unlikely to be viewed by some as controversial.

• Early commemorations of Decoration Day, which gradually came to be known as Memorial Day, initially honored only those soldiers who died during the American Civil War. However, that changed over time as American servicemen fought in various wars, including both World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and other conflicts.

• The red poppy has become a symbol of Memorial Day. That red poppy can be traced to a poem by Canadian John McCrae, who served as a Lieutenant Colonel in World War I. “In Flanders Field” notes the red poppies that grew in fields where countless soldiers had been buried in modern-day Belgium. The poem was published in 1915, three years before the war ended. Sadly, McCrae himself

was a casualty of the war, succumbing to pneumonia in France in 1918 while still in the service.

Memorial Day honors service personnel who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military. The holiday’s inspiration and lengthy history merits consideration as the nation prepares to commemorate countless soldiers’ sacrifices once more.

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pen your heart and home to help save their lives. Fostering is a great opportunity to make a real difference in a dog’s life!

By providing a temporary home, you are giving that dog another chance at life that they otherwise would not have had. FHDR will be there every step of the way, providing you with training and support to have a successful fostering experience. You can foster a puppy, young dog or an adult dog, it’s your choice. It’s fun to have a furry

Nfriend around the home! Fostering can be only a couple weeks to a couple months. Your puppy will be listed on my Petfinder website, FHDR website and other adoption websites.

FHDR cannot save dogs without your help! So please join our efforts! Contact us at FureverHomeDogRescue@gmail.com or complete the Foster Application by going to FureverHomeDogRescue.com! We look forward to talking to you!

Did You Know?

o one is immune to migraine headaches, including children.

According to the American Migraine Foundation, approximately 10 percent of children experience migraines. Children may be more likely to experience migraines if a parent or both parents get them. The AMF notes that children with one parent

who suffers from migraines have a 50 percent chance of getting them as well, and that increases to 75 percent among children who have two parents that experience migraines. Children may even exhibit signs of migraines as early as infancy, as the AMF reports that colic in infants is a potential early indicator of migraines in youngsters.

What’s happening in your school or organization?

Celebrating a special birthday, anniversary, graduation? Have a human interest story or something you would like to share?

Email us at production@mylifepublications.com

Continuing Education in Her Field is Important for Former My Life Publications Editor

By Steve Sears

For former My Life Publications editor, Megan Roche, there have been many stories she has both edited and written, and a love for writing which is irreplaceable.

But then there is the additional thirst for knowledge and improvement, for her and for others.

Roche is now enrolled in the rigorous Modern Journalism program at New York University. The course, which Roche will take virtually, is comprised of six modules: Acts of Journalism Today; Journalistic Inquiry: Basic Investigating and Reporting; Storytelling the Truth: Longform and Feature Writing; Multimedia Storytelling; The Journalist and Social Media; and The Journalism Business and the Working Journalist. She started the course in March and hopes to complete it in August.

Roche said, “It is online, 100% virtual, and you do it as you have the time. I am excited to go back to the classroom and learn what has changed in journalism over the last 10 plus years that I have not been in a classroom.”

Since March of last year, Roche – who now lives in Virginia and is a DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Williamsburg Chapter “Outstanding Media and PR Professional of the Year” award recipient, has been a full-time writer for Williamsburg Yorktown (WY) Daily, a daily online publication which covers Virginia’s Historic Triangle area of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, communities located between the James and York rivers on the state’s southeastern coast.

“We cover all facets of the community,” Roche said of WYDaily. “I think the thing that is really important is - and

it shows in my career - I am really steeped in community journalism.”

Roche, who is a graduate of West Morris Central High School in Long Valley, started her writing career in Denville, and eventually served as editor of My Life Publications from December 2018 until March 2023. While with My Life Publications, she developed popular, monthly feature articles like “NJ Starz” and “Glory Days” while overseeing a staff of 10 writers.

One of WYDaily’s goals this year is to get more involved in educating students in what Roche and her colleagues do and how, and that is along the lines of the education she values.

Roche explained. “I think that is important. I always try to ask during my own interviews of people that I talk to for a piece of advice or some idea for the younger generation and the up-and-coming journalists. The biggest thing is do not be fooled thinking that this is all glamour all the time. It is not. It is work and hard work at that. You need to have a strong backbone in this career, and you need to know that not everybody is going to agree with you. You have to be okay with that and you have to let that roll off your shoulders.”

In her heart, writing has always been the real deal, and Roche cannot see herself doing anything else.

Roche said, “The love for writing specifically has never gone away. I think when you are a journalist, you have to be innately curious about so many different things. And one of the things that I have learned more than anything is sometimes if you need an idea for a story, you just jump

in your car and you drive around you say, ‘What is that?’ ‘What is going on?’ Or ‘What is this event?’ and you find things. I think the other thing that has not changed is my desire to go after things that may necessarily be bigger than whatever publication I was working for at the time.”

LIVINGSTON DINER

Megan Roche doing what she loves - covering William & Mary football (courtesy of Megan Roche)

100 Years Ago This Month: Historical events from May 2024

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

• Iodized salt is introduced in the United States on May 1. Iodized salt is now used in table salt across the globe, and its introduction to the U.S. is credited to Canadian-born pediatrician David Murray Cowie, who ultimately persuaded various salt retailers to utilize iodized salt to combat health problems, including goiters, that were linked to existing salts.

• Russian aviator and schoolteacher Zinaida Kokorina makes her first solo flight on May 3. Kokorina is the first woman pilot in military history.

• Erich Ludendorff is elected to the Reichstag in Germany on May 4. Ludendorff ran under the banner of the National Socialist Freedom Movement, which was standing in for the banned Nazi Party.

• Sophie Lyons is murdered in Detroit on May 8 at age 75. Lyons was a notorious criminal in the post-American Civil War era, but abandoned her criminal life and spent her later years supporting causes related to the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents. On the day of her death, Lyons allowed three men into her home, likely hoping to rehabilitate them. However, the men refused her help, ransacked her home and killed her.

• George Buchanan introduces a home rule bill for Scotland in the British House of Commons on May 9. The ensuing debate becomes a shouting match, and the session is ultimately adjourned.

• On May 10, 29-year-old lawyer J. Edgar Hoover becomes Acting Director of the Bureau of Investigation, which would eventually become the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Hoover would remain in the post until his death from a heart attack in 1972.

• Prohibition ends in Alberta, Canada, on May 12 when two government-owned liquor stores open in the province.

• Former Ontario treasurer Peter Smith and financier Aemilius Jarvis are arrested on May 13. Each man is charged with theft and conspiracy to defraud the provincial government in what became known as the Ontario Bond Scandal. Smith and Jarvis are ultimately acquitted of theft and fraud, but both are found guilty of conspiracy.

• On May 14, a committee of the Methodist church recommends that the church never again participate in any type of warfare. The committee, convened in Massachusetts, votes 76 to 37 in favor of the church never engaging in warfare under any type of circumstances, including self-defense.

• Chinese Foreign Minister Wellington Koo survives an assassination attempt on May 15. A package containing a bomb and addressed to Koo is delivered to his home, but a servant opens the package and is killed.

• The wooden roller coaster The Giant Dipper opens at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on May 17. In July 2012, the park celebrated the 60 millionth rider to ride The Giant Dipper, which is now a National Historic Landmark.

• On May 19, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company uses telephone lines to transmit images for the first time. Over a two-hour period, the firm transmits 15 photographs from its office in Cleveland to company headquarters in New York City.

• Fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks is kidnapped on May 21 in Chicago. Franks’s parents receive a ransom note demanding $10,000 on May 22, but the boy’s body is discovered near Wolf Lake before any money is paid. Nathan Leopold, Jr. and Richard Loeb confess to the murder on May 31.

• A nine-day conference that becomes a power struggle between Soviet Communist Party leaders Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky opens in Moscow on May 23. The Thirteenth Congress of the Communist Party is the first conference since the death of First Secretary Vladimir Lenin roughly five months earlier.

• Beulah Annan is acquitted of murder in Chicago on May 25. Annan shot and killed her lover Harry Kalstedt, and her ultimately sensationalized trial ended in acquittal when it was determined she acted in self-defense. The story eventually inspired the play “Chicago,” which has since been adapted into films as well.

• The Battle of Turubah is fought on May 26 between the Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sultanate of Nejd. The battle would ultimately determine the fate of the region that would become Saudi Arabia.

• The United States Border Patrol is created on May 28 to prevent illegal entry into the United States from Mexico and Canada.

• A munitions depot explodes in Bucharest on May 29. The explosion shakes the city, causes damage to the royal palace and claims the lives of many.

• Italian politician Giacomo Matteotti is shouted down as he protests the outcome of the previous month’s election during a speech at the Chamber of Deputies on May 30. Matteotti claims the Fascist Party employed intimidation tactics to win the election. The 39-year-old socialist leader is kidnapped and murdered by the Fascists’ secret police 11 days after delivering his speech.

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

By Henr y M, Holden

The RMS Titanic, a luxury steamship, sank on its maiden voyage, in the early hours of April 15, 1912. It sank off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic after running into an iceberg. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew on board, more than 1,500 lost their lives. The Titanic disaster has inspired many books, news articles and films (including the 1997 Titanic movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio). Today, the ship›s story has entered public awareness as a cautionary tale about the perils of human overconfidence.

One person who has had a long and personal attachment to the ill-fated ocean liner is Charles Haas (Charlie) a retired Randolph High School educator of English and journalism.’ One thing Haas did not do was sit around wondering what to do after retirement.

Haas retired from his educator’s job in 2006 and decided to pursue his dream to explore Titanic twice in 1993 and 1996.

Charles Haas was born in New York, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J , and a Master’s degree from William Paterson University, in Wayne, N.J. He was named

Exploring Titanic

Morris County Teacher of the Year in 1990, and listed four times in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers

Haas’ interest in ships was sparked by his grandfather, who worked in the management of a New York stevedoring company. He introduced Charlie to ocean liners through the windows of his office, which overlooked New York Harbor. His grandfather also loaned him a copy of A Night to Remember, thus beginning a lifelong interest in the Titanic

In high school and college, Haas studied microfilm of newspapers’ coverage of the Titanic disaster. His interests are in the ship’s features, exploration of the wreck, the state of the wreck and artifacts.

Hass is a co-founder of Titanic International Society (TIS) and a longtime trustee. He served as editor of their journal, Voyage, until the group was founded in 2006, when he became president of TIS.

A lifetime highlight for Haas was making two dives to the Titanic wreck in 1993 and 1996. Haas narrated the program “Titanic: Untold Stories,” and was a member of the 1998 expedition to the wreck, and contributed to the design of artifact exhibits through 2000.

is on the right inside the submersible Nautile

He was a featured speaker on the 2012 Titanic Memorial Cruise, and has appeared in numerous television documentaries. With co-author John P. Eaton, he has written five books: Titanic: Triumph and Tragedy, Titanic: Destination Disaster; Titanic, The Exhibition; Titanic: A Journey Through Time; and Falling Star: Misadventures of White Star Line Ships.

When asked what his first thoughts upon reaching the ship he said, ”My first reaction was the surprise of the immensity of it. It was over two-and-a half football fields.

“Photos of the ship don’t convey the immensity of it,” Haas said. “We were following the debris field in the submersible until we got to the actual ship. My first impression was oh my God, the size of it.

As we explored the ship another set of emotions came into play all pulling each other. Remember, we were looking at a ship that had nine decks and was 882 feet from stem to sten. It was a unique reaction or a set of reactions at the same time. There was sadness remembering the passengers who lost their lives. I treasure that memory even though so many people perished. I also felt tremendous pride that I was the world’s first teacher to go down to the wreck.

“On the first trip I had a severe case of nerves because I had been told about the pressures on a submersible’s hull. I came very close to saying I did not want to make a dive.

“My writing partner, John Ethan said basically that I was being given an opportunity that not many people had.”

His trepidation must have been obvious

his

to the crew. One of the crew said to me “we want to see our families again too.” So, when the second dive came, I felt much more confident about the whole process because of the strong adherence to checking things and being safe.

“On the second dive, I had a commission from the Discovery Channel to narrate a tour of the Titanic.

“I took them on a virtual guided tour of the ship relating to them what I know happened. Though it was a very different feeling. I cherish those

There were artifacts outside the ship that could be removed, and the Navy had a system that could interact with transponders. This interacted with the submersible’s navigation system permitted each artifact to be identified and cataloged its exact location. It recorded latitude, and longitude. A record of where the artifact came from was created.

On my first trip I was told that the pressure on the submersible would be about 6,000 pounds per square inch. Just me and the two crewmembers were in a 7-foot-wide titanium sphere which was part of the submersible which is about 22 feet long. It wasn’t long before we began feeling water on our feet and head.

“I was immediately alarmed. What was happening?” One of the crew said we had lunch in 85° temperature on a surface but the water down at the Titanic site is only about 28°. As a result, there was water on the top and inside surface of the crew’s sphere, it was kind of like a private drizzle. By the. End of the day, several gallons of water were sloshing around on the floor.

Haas

during

1996 dive, with pilot Jean-Michel Nivaggioli Photo by Xavier Pascaud, courtesy RMS Titanic, Inc.

By Richard Mabey Jr.

In June of 1970, I completed my junior year at Boonton High School. My family belonged to the Trailmates Chapter of the National Camping and Hikers Association. There were about 12 families that belonged to this group of family campers. The Landers family was one of the families who would go camping with all of us.

Penny Landers had just completed her sophomore year of high school. She was very smart, kind hearted and very pretty. During our time of family campouts, Penny and I would play chess together, on a picnic table at a vacant campsite, that we were always able to find, no matter what state park our families were camping

Love Floweth, From Heaven to Earth

at that particular weekend. Penny was an incredibly great chess player. Inevitably, our conversations during our chess games would focus on books that we had recently read. At the time, I was totally absorbed into Thomas Wolfe’s novels. I was in the midst of reading, Look Homeward, Angel. To my surprise, Penny had already read the book. I think that was a turning point for me. Looking back, the moment that Penny had told me that she had read Look Homeward, Angel, was the very moment that I fell off the Grand Canyon, in love with Penny. I was a very shy boy. I didn’t have much self confidence. I had a damaged Mitral Valve, so I couldn’t play sports.

And in 1970, sports were everything at Boonton High School. I lost myself in poetry, novels and in playing the snare drum in the school marching band. I wanted all so much to ask Penny for a date, but I felt so strongly that I was way out of her league. I would think to myself, “what would a smart, pretty girl like Penny Lancaster, ever see in me?”

Although I never mentioned it to my father, Dad knew that I liked Penny a lot. It was during our annual week-long hike of the Appalachian Trail that Dad talked to me about Penny. It was now July of 1970, we pitched camp somewhere in the forest of Eastern Pennsylvania. Dad and I were alone together, outside of our

makeshift tents, cooking stew. And Dad told me, in no uncertain terms, that I had to stop putting myself down. That I had to dig deep within myself and get the courage to ask Penny for a date.

Well, at the next campout of the Trailmates Chapter, I found myself playing chess with Penny. Somehow and someway, I managed to get the courage to ask Penny for a day. My palms were filled with sweat. My heart was beating like a big, old bass drum. I inwardly trembled, after the words came out of my mouth. There was that two second pause from Penny. Then, her response came, quietly, almost shyly, “yea, that’d be nice.”

I was 16, Penny was 15, when we had our first date. Mom drove me to Penny’s house in Paterson. Penny’s father was a bit strict with her. And, rightfully so. It was a Saturday afternoon. We watched a movie in Penny’s living room, sitting together on the couch, while Mr. Lancaster sat in his easy chair.

Then we went out to Penny’s backyard. Penny had this game setup in her yard, it was like horse shoes, they called it Ring Toss. Instead of playing with horse shoes, you would toss this circular rope at the stakes, to try to get the ring onto them. It was a fun time.

Then we ate supper. Mrs. Landers was very kind to me. I can’t say that Mr. Landers made me feel all that welcome. His eldest daughter was coming of age and having a boy over for an official date. I don’t think that settled too well with him.

Penny and I dated for

two years, through my senior year at Boonton High and my freshman year at County College of Morris. In September of 1972, Penny left for Rutgers University. We had promised to stay faithful to each other. Sometimes the most earnest of promises get broken. Sadly, we drifted apart.

We stayed friends till Penny’s passing in November of 2012. Sadly, Penny lost her battle with lung cancer. Although all traces of romance had evaporated, a kind of kinship still lived in our hearts for each other. We became adopted cousins to each other.

I would write email letters of encouragement to Penny, during her time of her fight with cancer. She would write me back that she dearly appreciated my kindness.

I know that this may not coincide with the religious beliefs of many people.

But since I was diagnosed with Severe Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, I have had many, many visitations from Penny. I’ll be working on a story and I’ll feel Penny’s presence,

powerfully strong beside my desk. Almost every night, Penny visits me in dreams, so real and vivid that it seems like it’s all so real and not just a dream. Penny assures me that there is a God and a place we call Heaven. Can God be limited? Can God be put into a box, of our liking? Is it possible that a dear and cherished friend, residing in Heaven, can become a guiding angel? I know what I experience is powerfully real. Spiritual love, not a romantic love, but a true spiritual love between two people cannot be limited, be boxed in.

Love is the most powerful force in the universe. It is the foundation of miracles. It knows no limitations. Love is the most endearing force known to mankind. Truly, it is the foundation of miracles.

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

My dear friend, Penny and myself, from June of 1972.

Exploring Titanic...

What was happening was the water vapor in our breath was condensing.

It was very chilly down there and I had five layers of clothing on so I could deal with the temperature changes. The warm Gulf Stream was mixing with the Newfoundland current.

“On the way down what struck me was that sunlight only penetrated about 250 feet down and then, for the remainder of the dive, we did it in total darkness. The only way you could tell if you were descending by looking at the digital depth reader. When we finally reached the bottom, the crew turned on all the exterior and interior lights. We had made the trip without lights to save the batteries. I remember hearing that if we got stuck for some reason under the water, the batteries would last for about four days.

Haas can relate information about the icebrg and put it in perspective.

“The iceberg was a medium size one about 70 or 80 feet tall, and had recently turned over so that, instead of it, being a brilliant white color, it was a blueish color because of all the blue light waves water it had absorbed. It was also in an area where there was a slight haze, and that was the result of the Gulfstream and Newfoundland’s current mixing.

When the lookout in the crow’s nest spotted of the iceberg, he called the bridge, and the deck officer ordered a hard over rudder turn and full speed astern turn. The hard over began to turn the ship slowly because of the size of the ship.

After about 37 seconds the ship was beginning to turn to the left when there was a very gentle rumbling on the ship’s starboard side. In the space of about 30 seconds an underwater spur on the iceberg punctured a series of small holes below the water line. “On the 1996 trip, we were able to look at the starboard side using special U.S. Navy sonar equipment. We discovered. the holes were not gigantic: They were small, (totaled area about 12 square feet} but there were several dozen of them, small enough so you could not stick your thumb through them. Plus, there were several rivets scraped off. Six watertight sections that were breached by the scraping of the rivets.”

The death toll varied greatly depending on location. The higher death toll for the

third-class passengers, was the result of actual physical barriers put in place to separate first- and second-class passengers from the thirdclass steerage passengers who would have to undergo a customs inspection when they arrived in New York. First and secondclass passengers did not need to undergo this inspection, according to the rules of the day.

In addition, there were no lifeboat requirements. There were only 1,178 lifeboat seats available for 2,240 passengers and one seat for each passenger was not required by British law. Witnesses reported that some lifeboats left with empty seats.

The Titanic’s damage was minor in one sense of the word where there were a few small tears that one could not put a thumb through, the tears extended for onethird of the ship and resulted in seawater pouring into the otherwise watertight compartments.

Communication was also a problem. There were 20 nationalities on board, and there was no public announcement system available.

At the time the number of lifeboats were not mandated and no lifeboat drill for the passengers took place. The crew had one abandon ship exercise.

When the abandon ship order was given, it was ignored at first then became a disorganized, haphazard and uncontrolled evacuation. The boats on the port side of the ship allowed only women and children to board. On the starboard side men were allowed to board the lifeboats if there were no women waiting for a seat.

There were only lifeboat seats available for about 1/3 of the passengers, and they were not required by British law.

The majority of dead were crew members and third-class passengers, there were roughly 2,200 passengers but there were only 712 survivors and approximately 1,500 dead.

While the trip down took eight hours, in just 2-hours-40 minutes the world’s finest luxury liner was gone forever. Immediately after the tragic sinking the United States and Great Brittian held hearings to assess blame, The outcome was clear. Regulations regarding mandating enough; passenger seating was enacted, and better communications between ship and shore were established.

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