Richard’s Run Supports Families Affected by Cancer
BRIAN
NEW JERSEY ROOT CANAL HAS BEEN SAVING TEETH FOR 25 YEARS. Dr. Brian Trava opened his practice in Hawthorne in 1990, and later added offices in Ho-Ho-Kus and Wayne. Dedicated to the specialty of Endodontics, Dr. Trava focuses on saving teeth and diagnosing the cause of oral or facial pain. Dr. Trava and his team are root canal specialists. With degrees from John Hopkins University and Rutgers, Dr. Shon has authored research papers to help advance the field of dentistry. A graduate of Columbia University, Dr. Oh has completed extensive studies in oral pathology. Dr. Petix earned her degree from Tufts University and is pursuing a research fellowship. Dr. Yang, a graduate of NYU, has been awarded multiple research fellowships and has donated his dental skills in Haiti and Mexico. New Jersey Root Canal also focuses on special need patients and traumatic sports injuries to teeth.
Editor’s Note
I can hardly believe it’s November and the holidays are practically upon us. We’re approaching a magical time here in HoHo-Kus, with so many festive events on the calendar to add even more sparkle to this cherished season.
The lead up to Halloween through the New Year is my favorite time of year; there’s so much excitement, joy and special times to spend with family and friends.
But if I’m being honest, it can sometimes be easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle and expectations and maybe lose sight of what it’s all about. In my humble opinion, that’s being thankful for all that we already have.
I was blown away and touched to hear Beth Stefanacci describe her family as “blessed” in their journey after her son’s diagnosis with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer. Richard died in 2007 after a yearlong fight. His mom said the battle was eased by an incredible support system and the resources to provide Richard with the best care for his disease.
The Stefanaccis started Go4theGoal to support families facing childhood cancer, allowing them to focus only on their child during unimaginable circumstances. Ho-Ho-Kus’s 19th annual Richard’s Run, our cover story this month, was held in October and raises funds for the nonprofit along with the Ho-Ho-Kus Education Foundation.
Speaking of education, there’s bittersweet news in the borough as Superintendent Dr. Diane Mardy announced her retirement at the end of this school year. She has dedicated nearly 50 years to teaching and servant leadership, almost all of which has been spent in Ho-Ho-Kus, the borough she also calls home. Read about her storied career on page 20.
Family is top of mind as Thanksgiving approaches, and this month resident Zaheen Khan shares all about his father’s family-owned fashion house, Naeem Khan. The four-generation business has roots in a small village in India and now dresses stars and dignitaries, including Taylor Swift and Michelle Obama.
I am always searching for compelling stories to share with you. I know there are so many residents with exciting tales to tell. Maybe you have an interesting hobby, a passion for volunteering, or a cool side hustle. Perhaps your child has experienced extraordinary academic, musical or athletic success. Please reach out and tell me about it. We’re also seeking submissions for our Photo Op page; if you take a beautiful snap around town, send it my way. Find my email below and enjoy the start to this enchanting time of year.
Sarah Nolan Editor editor@hohokusmagazine.com
Ho-Ho-Kus MAGAZINE
Editor
Sarah Nolan
Writers
Sarah Nolan
Photographers
Joe Nolan
Chris Marksbury
WAINSCOT MEDIA
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Mark Dowden
VP, Group Publisher, Regional
Thomas Flannery
VP, Content Strategy
Maria Regan
Creative Director
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Jacquelynn Fischer
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Fern Meshulam
Advertising Production Associate
Griff Dowden
Ho-Ho-Kus Magazine is published by Wainscot Media. Serving residents of Ho-Ho-Kus, the magazine is distributed monthly via U.S. mail. Articles and advertisements contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publishers. Copyright 2024 by Wainscot Media LLC. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent.
PHOTOGRAPH
BY JOE NOLAN
AROUND TOWN
Let the Festivities Begin!
Welcome the season with a variety of activities throughout town.
As the holiday season approaches, Ho-Ho-Kus offers a number of opportunities to get into the spirit. Add these to your calendar.
ANNUAL HO-HO-KUS TREE LIGHTING
Ho-Ho-Kus will host its holiday Tree Lighting event on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. Get into the holiday spirit with this annual event that kicks off the season.
MEN’S NIGHT OUT
The Ho-Ho-Kus Education Foundation will host a Men’s Night Out fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 8 to 11 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church. Join us to watch the Commanders vs. the Eagles game. The evening will feature an open bar, Brix City Brewing beer, the Oui Chef Pizza truck and exciting prizes. Tickets are $100 and available at hhkef.ejoinme.org/mensnight2024.
CHILDREN’S NUTCRACKER TEA AT THE HERMITAGE
Join Perpetual Motion Dance Studio for a special performance of numbers from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” ballet on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 12 p.m. Enjoy a proper tea with juice and snacks, along with a goody bag for children to bring home. Tickets are $20 per person. The recommended ages are 3 to 11 and children must be accompanied by an adult. Visit thehermitage.org/events for tickets.
TREE LIGHTING AT THE HERMITAGE
Join us for the annual tradition of the lighting of our Christmas tree on Saturday, Dec. 7. Free festivities start at 4:30 p.m. Enjoy carolers and hot chocolate.
CANDLELIGHT TOURS OF THE HERMITAGE
See The Hermitage by candlelight in all its holiday splendor. This year’s theme is “The Nutcracker” and the rooms will be decorated with different scenes from the 1982 ballet, including the Mouse King, the Chinese Dance and the Sugar Plum Fairy. After the tour, enjoy hot cider and cookies and browse our holiday gift shop. It’s a charming evening for the whole family. Tours will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 13 at 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 20 at 6, 6:30 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. Visit thehermitage.org/events for tickets.
LOCAL TASTES
A piece of (vegan) cake
With a can-do attitude and hunger to learn new techniques, Lori Iannone has found success running vegan café Alt Eats and custom bake shop We Knead the Dough.
Duck into 622 North Maple Avenue’s Alt Eats, and you’ll be met with an inviting café boasting an extensive menu of vegan and gluten-free foods that people travel from all over the tri-state area to sample.
But did you know that in the basement, there’s a bustling pastry business, creating custom cakes and treats under the name We Knead the Dough?
Behind both establishments is Lori Iannone, making the dual operation look effortless.
Iannone said she’s been in the food business her entire life. She started out at age 13 making boxes at a pizzeria in her native Suffern, New York. By the time she left at 18, she’d learned the ropes, from waiting tables to making sauce and dough. She went on to attend culinary school
BY SARAH NOLAN
and worked for many years as a waitress and bartender.
“I loved the action, I loved the people and the conversation—it’s all a vital part of the restaurant business,” she said.
Branching out
Iannone, along with her partners, opened Restaurant L in Allendale in 2006. Iannone left in 2008 to start We Knead the Dough at its first location in Garfield. She originally made only cookies. One day, someone asked her to make a cake, and she thought she’d give it a go.
“I had this hidden talent for making and decorating cakes that I didn’t know I had,” she said. “It’s just grown, and I continue to learn by looking on YouTube, Pinterest and taking all sorts of decorating classes.”
While running the custom cake and dessert business, Iannone decided to accept a new challenge, taking over ownership of vegan café Alt Eats from Eric Altomare in 2018. She ran her businesses in separate locations until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when it made sense to combine the spaces while keeping the shops separate.
“I didn’t know anything about vegan baked goods or vegan food at all, and I loved the challenge,” she said. “Through trial and error, we figured it out. I ate a lot of non-cheese cheese sauce. It’s fun to figure out how to make something without milk, butter or eggs and have it taste almost exactly the same as the non-vegan version.”
When people began asking for gluten free food, Iannone thought, “I can do that.”
Owner Lori Iannone inside her café.
Filling a void
“We’re filling a niche and a need for these people, and it’s good,” she said. “People are happy with the food, and we get to do fun stuff.”
Iannone said Alt Eats offers vegan comfort food, like friend “chicken” in a basket with French fries and faux hot dogs and burgers. But healthier plant-based foods are their specialty.
Each day a frittata is on the menu, using Just Egg. It’s a plant-based product that’s made using mung beans and tastes like egg, looks like egg, smells like egg, feels like egg and bakes like egg, according to Iannone. Fillings include spinach and mushroom, caramelized onion and a customer favorite, artichoke and potato. A variety of avocado
toasts is also offered daily.
Soups, sandwiches and buddha bowls feature fresh, organic vegetables, grains and tofu.
“We make a tuna poke bowl out of watermelon—and it tastes like tuna!” Iannone said. “It’s so fun to get creative with dishes like this.”
The owner said vegan and gluten free baked goods served at the café taste just as good as their non-vegan, gluten-filled counterparts—maybe better. Perhaps their most popular sweet is the crumb cake.
“It’s soft, delicious and has tons of crumbs—I can’t keep it in the house, we just fly through it,” Iannone said, adding that their variety of muffins is also hugely popular.
Iannone lives in nearby Hawthorne with her husband. They have four grown children. She said she has great affection for Ho-Ho-Kus, a “quaint community where the business owners are so friendly.”
“Everybody supports everybody here,” she said.
Before taking over Alt Eats, Iannone said she didn’t realize the dedication of the vegan community and appreciates their support. Many will travel great distances for bites from the café’s stellar menu, she said. It’s a world she’s glad she happened upon, and she said she’s truly enjoyed immersing herself in vegan cooking.
“You can learn anything you want,” Iannone said matter-of-factly. “If you want to learn it, you can learn it.”
Alt Eats and We Knead the Dough owner Lori Iannone outside of her café/bakery at 622 North Maple Ave.
Honored to Protect and Serve
Police Chief Mike LaCroix credits the tireless work of his officers and teamwork within borough leadership for keeping Ho-Ho-Kus one of the safest places to live.
BY SARAH NOLAN
INTERVIEW WITH CHIEF MIKE LACROIX
Ho-Ho-Kus Police Chief Mike LaCroix came to the realization that a career in law enforcement was for him during a pivotal college internship with a police department in New York State. The combination of responding to meaningful calls to help citizens and the excitement of the lights and sirens drew him in. But after working as a fulltime dispatcher for Ho-Ho-Kus from 1991 to 1996, a career change led him astray from his passion. Luckily, he made his way back. Read on to learn more about your police chief.
Tell me about your history with the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department. How long have you worked in the borough and when did you become chief?
I have been working full time in Ho-Ho-Kus since 2004. I became chief in June of 2021, and it’s truly been an honor to serve as chief. I have learned many important lessons from Ho-Ho-Kus’s former police chiefs, including Greg Kallenberg, John Wanamaker and most recently Chris Minchin, all who have served with integrity, courage and pride.
Did you always have ambitions to work in law enforcement? Why did you want to become a police officer?
My father was a CFO. I thought I would be following in his footsteps until my freshman year of college, when I took an accounting class. I quickly realized I wasn’t made to sit behind a desk in an office and instantly changed majors to Criminal Justice.
During my senior year, I had an internship with the Village of Ossining Police Department. The officers were responding to meaningful calls and helping the citizens in town. During a ridealong one night, with the lights flashing and the sirens blaring, I
knew being a police officer was for me. I developed good relationships during the time I dispatched with the officers in Ho-Ho-Kus. However, it was not my time. I started a landscaping company in 1996 and thought my future wouldn’t include policing. But when I received a call from the Chief Greg Kalleberg in 2003 informing me of an opening, I decided to take a chance and interview.
What are some of your favorite things about working in Ho-Ho-Kus?
My favorite thing: the people. We have always had a good team of people in the department, both the dispatchers and officers. There is a strong sense of community. The people we work with and interact with every day, including borough employees, the Department of Public Works, the Fire Department and Ambulance Corps, and the Mayor and Council all work together to elevate the lives of our residents. We have good resources and the support we need to keep people safe.
One of my favorite events in Ho-Ho-Kus is the Memorial Day parade. It’s a good way to remember those who have served before and a great way to bring the community together.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF CHIEF MIKE LACROIX
Ho-Ho-Kus Police Chief Mike LaCroix at his desk.
What are you most proud of as chief of the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department?
Due to the hard work of my officers on a day in and day out basis, I am proud that we are one of the safest towns to live in.
Ho-Ho-Kus is a very safe town, but what public safely advice do you think residents should know?
Let’s go with the Rule of 3s.
1. If you see something, say something: call us. A timely call often can make the difference. We want to respond to you.
2. Turn your lights on. It is fall and it is darker earlier. Turn on lights earlier in your home and drive safely. Kids are back in school and playing outside.
3. Always lock doors. Lock the doors to your cars in the driveway and in the garage and to your home.
Do you have any hobbies outside of your job?
I enjoy most professional sports; Let’s Go Mets! I also enjoy being outside and keep myself busy doing yardwork, gardening, golfing and playing tennis. I have always enjoyed my salt-water aquariums filled with fish. I find aquariums can increase productivity and reduce stress.
Tell me about your family.
My wife and I have been married for 27 years. I have two sons, one that recently graduated from college and is part of the working world and one in his senior year of college.
What do you wish residents could know about you as a person?
I really do love my job and have a strong work ethic. I feel very lucky to have had a career as a police officer and am grateful to have spent that career in Ho-Ho-Kus. For fun, here are three favorites: Favorite show: “Deadliest Catch”; favorite singer: Bruce Springsteen; and favorite candy: dark chocolate.
Top: Police Chief Mike LaCroix (right) at a Stigma Free bowling event. From left, he is joined by Officer Kevin Rodrigo, Officer Samuel Kim and Northvale Police Officer John Carroll. Above: Mike LaCroix gets sworn in as police chief by Mayor Thomas Randall with his wife by his side.
Eric Lalime, CFP®, CIMA®, C(k)P Managing Director
Whether you are selling a business, inheriting wealth, or looking ahead towards retirement, we work in close collaboration with our investment team and outside advisors to ensure your plan is created efficiently and effectively with your defined objectives in mind. As your life changes and evolves, your plan grows with you - and as stewards of your wealth, we’re with you every step of the way.
Whether you are selling a business, inheriting wealth, or looking ahead towards retirement, we work in close collaboration with our investment team and outside advisors to ensure your plan is created efficiently and effectively with your defined objectives in mind. As your life changes and evolves, your plan grows with you - and as stewards of wealth, we’re with step of the way.
Whether you are selling a business, inheriting wealth, or looking ahead towards retirement, we work in close collaboration with our investment team and outside advisors to ensure your plan is created efficiently and effectively with your defined objectives in mind. As your life changes and evolves, your plan grows with you - and as stewards of your wealth, we’re with you every step of the way.
Whether you are selling a business, inheriting wealth, or looking ahead towards retirement, we work in close collaboration with our investment team and outside advisors to ensure your plan is created efficiently and effectively with your defined objectives in mind. As your life changes and evolves, your plan grows with you - and as stewards of your wealth, we’re with you every step of the way.
Whether you are selling a business, inheriting wealth, or looking ahead work in close collaboration with our investment team and outside advisors is created efficiently and effectively with your defined objectives in mind. evolves, your plan grows with you - and as stewards of your wealth, we’re the way.
Whether you are selling a business, with our is created effectively evolves, with you
Whether business, inheriting work in close our investment is created efficiently effectively with and evolves, your - and as stewards of your wealth, we’re with you every step of the way.
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Richard’s Run Highlights Community Support
The 5K, held last month by the Ho-Ho-Kus Education Foundation, was named for Richard Stefanacci, a young boy with close ties to the borough who lost his life to cancer in 2007.
Richard Stefanacci was full of life. His mom, Beth Stefanacci, said her firstborn was the first grandchild on both sides, with lots of adoring aunts and uncles.
“He was so loved,” Beth said. “He had a very dynamic personality that drew in people of all ages. He had this ‘cool factor.’”
The avid rollerblader and snowboarder managed to have fun in every single circumstance, his mom said—even when he was diagnosed with cancer.
BY SARAH NOLAN
Richard succumbed to Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, in 2007 just a year after his diagnosis. He was months shy of his 15th birthday.
In October, The Ho-Ho-Kus Education Foundation held the 19th annual Richard’s Run in the boy’s name, a week after what would’ve been his 32nd birthday.
The event serves as a fundraiser for both the Ho-Ho-Kus School via the foundation and Go4theGoal—an organization started by the Stefanacci family after Richard’s
diagnosis. The nonprofit’s mission is to improve the lives of children battling cancer by providing financial support, developing and implementing unique hospital programs, funding innovative research and granting personal wishes.
“It’s very, very heartwarming,” Beth said of the run’s longevity in her son’s name.
“Richard passed away in 2007—that seems like ages ago, and people are still remembering him. It feels like his life was for something.”
Opposite page: Members of the Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Ambulance Corps participated in the run.
Top left: Cousins Blake Buffa and Richard Stefanacci on New Year’s Eve in 2005.
Top right: Richard at the race in 2006, a few months after he was diagnosed.
Bottom right: Richard Stefanacci with his father, also Richard, uncle Chris Stefanacci and grandfather, also Richard.
Evolution of the run
A community fundraising 5K was originally planned by the Ho-Ho-Kus Contemporary Club in 2005. Though Richard and his parents and three siblings didn’t live in the borough, his father’s family had planted roots in the town in 1969 and has deep connections to the community.
In 2006, the year of Richard’s diagnosis, the extended Stefanacci family took part in the run. Richard was gravely ill at the time but managed to walk the route and cross the finish line. The following year, after Richard’s death, the Contemporary Club
wanted to name the race in his honor to remember him and embody his determined spirit.
The run took on even more meaning for the family in 2010 when Richard’s 8-year-old cousin, Blake Buffa, at the time a third grader at Ho-Ho-Kus School, was also diagnosed with a rare cancer, Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. Blake is now 23 and a thriving survivor.
“I believe Richard was her angel,” Gina Buffa, Blake’s mom said. “I don’t think I would’ve paid much attention to her symptoms, which were really just a bump on her arm. We were skiing and normally I would’ve thought it wasn’t a big deal, but something in my gut told me this wasn’t normal.”
For many years, Gina and a network of committed friends in the borough spearheaded the run. And as her kids grew and graduated from Northern Highlands, she brought on Ho-HoKus Board of Education member Maggie Liljegren to help as race director.
Co-race directors Maggie Liljegren and Marisa Foster-Moore.
Liljegren said last year, the Education Foundation took over the run and proceeds now benefit the school and Go4theGoal. Now co-race director with Marisa Foster-Moore, Liljegren said it’s amazing to see how the event brings the community together.
“It’s so special—Richard had such a lasting impact,” she said. “It means a lot to be part of this race that honors his spirit and his fight and also represents the ability to help people that are going through something challenging.”
Go4theGoal
Both Beth and Gina said they quickly realized that many families don’t have the support or financial means to be with their sick children 24/7 in the hospital like they did.
“We had every piece of the puzzle to navigate the journey when Richard was first diagnosed,” Beth said. “Proximity to the best hospitals for his disease, financial
security, a rolodex with doctors at our fingertips—my husband is a physician, my father-in-law was a surgeon, so we’re familiar with that world. And we had an army of friends and family to support us along the way.”
For many families, taking off work even in, or especially in such dire situations is impossible, Beth said. Or there’s a single parent or other children that need taking care of.
That’s why a primary goal of their foundation is to assist families with financial and logistical burdens so they’re able to focus all their energy on their child. Go4theGoal responds to all requests for assistance within 24 hours and helps pay for household bills, travel for treatment, tuition assistance for education and enrichment activities and more.
Since 2007, the nonprofit has awarded well over $1 million in research grants and also provided grants to fund programs and renovations that improve
hospital environments and services for patients and families, who spend an inordinate amount of time there during treatment.
Beth and Gina said the run was instrumental in Go4theGoal’s growth and sustainability as its major funding source for the first couple years of its existence, enabling them to make an impact locally and nationally.
“We were blessed in this journey,” Beth said. “We are so happy to be able to give back.”
For more about Go4theGoal visit go4thegoal.org. For more about the Ho-Ho-Kus Education Foundation visit hhkef.org.
Sarah Nolan is the editor of Ho-Ho-Kus magazine. A former journalist for North Jersey Media Group publications Town Journal, Community Life and The Record/NorthJersey.com, she’s excited to once again share relevant local news with residents in the borough she grew up in.
A Legacy of LEADERSHIP
From teacher to superintendent, Dr. Diane Mardy has spent nearly her entire career in education at Ho-Ho-Kus School. After a decade at the helm of the district, she plans to retire at the end of this school year.
BY SARAH NOLAN
Dr. Diane Mardy outside of Ho-Ho-Kus Public School.
Throughout a career in education that has spanned nearly 50 years, one overriding philosophy has guided Ho-Ho-Kus Superintendent Dr. Diane Mardy: She leads through service to others.
It’s a “student first” approach that colleagues and former students alike say has allowed the district to thrive under her tenure, instilling leadership and teamwork skills from the top down.
Now, after spending nearly her entire professional life in Ho-Ho-Kus, where she also lives, she announced she will retire at the end of the school year.
“I’ve had a long and very wonderful career, and this was just a good ending point,” Mardy said. “A lot of people are asking me, ‘Is it bittersweet?’ Right now, I’m really finding joy in every day. Instead of being sad about it, I’m appreciating and savoring every moment.”
Path to superintendent Mardy was hired by Ho-Ho-Kus Public School in 1978 as a fifth-grade teacher. Newly married, she had taught in New York for a year before coming across an ad in the New York Times for the opening in the district. She applied, and the rest, as they say, is history.
She took over for beloved teacher Mary Duffield. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Duffield’s son David, a billionaire tech entrepreneur, donated $10 million to the district for the recently completed gym and wellness center, Duffield Hall.
Mardy said she may have retired sooner, but she wanted to see the construction of the monumental project to its end and enjoy it throughout this school year. Seeing Mary’s picture on the dedication wall with her last class that would become Mardy’s first is a “sweet, full circle moment.”
After teaching fifth grade for several years, Mardy bounced around a bit, teaching fourth grade, middle school math and social studies, then third grade. It was suggested to her by former superintendent, Dr. Loretta Bellina, that she had the attributes to be a school leader.
But for years, Mardy was steadfast in her decision that teaching was her passion, and she wanted to remain in the classroom.
“I really loved and still love the idea of being with students, creating a classroom community and teaching,” Mardy said. “There’s something about being in a classroom that’s very special. I say to teachers every year that you never know how you’re going to affect a child or have some kind of mark or positive imprint on a child, and
Top: Dr. Diane Mardy and her third grade class in 2004. Middle: Mardy with students at Crescent School in Waldwick, where she served as principal for several years. Bottom: Mardy with students during a basketball game in 2008.
you have to always be cognizant of that.”
At some point, Mardy warmed to the idea of a change and went back to school for a master’s in educational leadership and later her doctorate. Again, she took on various roles, including coordinator of student services, director of special projects, assistant principal and even assistant business administrator.
In 2011, she left Ho-Ho-Kus to become principal at Crescent School in Waldwick for a “treasured” four years, before applying to be superintendent in Ho-Ho-Kus when the former superintendent announced her retirement.
Mardy said it was a smooth transition—she knew Ho-Ho-Kus well and had ties to the community as a longtime employee and resident by that point. She said the jump to administrator was eased since she is still based in the school and present for the day-to-day goings on.
“It’s important to be close to the reason why you do what you do,” she said.
A ‘student first’ approach
Board of Education President Mary Ellen Nye, an alumnus of Ho-Ho-Kus Public School, said Mardy has retained much of what made her a great classroom teacher in her work as superintendent. She described her as a team builder, a mentor and selfless.
“Her many years of teaching plus her experience raising her own children in town have given her a wonderful perspective on educating the whole child,” Nye said. “Once she moved into administration, that foundation informed every decision that she made. She is always thinking ‘student first’ and her leadership encourages that mindset in others.”
Nye added that Mardy has high standards and by applying those standards to herself and her own work, she creates an environment where others want to rise to push themselves, too.
“It is very hard to say ‘no’ to Diane—and few people do!” Nye said. “Everybody knows that if she is asking you to go the extra mile, she will be walking at least as far alongside you.”
Principal Dr. Martha Walsh said she has known Mardy for over 20 years and witnessed her “unwavering dedication and service” to the school. Her years as a teacher allowed Mardy to bring a profound understanding of both the challenges and joys of the classroom, Walsh said.
“Her leadership over the years has been transformative, consistently putting the needs of students at the forefront while empowering educators with the tools and support they need to thrive,” the principal said.
Top: Mardy with her third grade class in 1997. Middle: Mardy with her sixth grade class in 1993. Bottom: Mardy with her sixth grade class in 1991.
Assistant Principal Mike Padilla credits Mardy’s leadership for the “wonderful culture” in Ho-Ho-Kus, describing her as personable, intelligent and thoughtful.
“In one moment, I can talk to her about school policies and a second later, we can talk about the NBA, which I love about her,” he said. “She’s fostered a fantastic work environment and knows how to get things done.”
Former students echo those sentiments.
Debbie Knoph (formerly Berke) had Mardy as an Odyssey of the Mind coach from 1983 to 1986.
“She was always kind, nurturing, encouraging and no-nonsense—all traits I fully admire,” Knoph said. “In my nine years at Ho-Ho-Kus Public School nor since have I heard a negative word about her. A testament to her teaching, leadership ability and being a wonderful human being.”
Scott Kuenzel, a student in Mardy’s first class at Ho-Ho-Kus School, said Mardy will always be one of his favorite teachers. She would go on to see his two children grow at the school.
“I could not have been prouder of her when she became superintendent,” Kuenzel said. “I am so proud to call her a friend, but I am most proud to say that I was in her first class at Ho-Ho-Kus Public School.”
Mardy said it’s the people, particularly the students, that she will miss most.
“When you’re with children, joy is present every day,” she said. “There’s also a lot that happens that’s unexpected each day and I’ll miss that, too. I thrive on activity, relating to and connecting with people and being able to effect change. But it’s the people, the staff and the community that I’ll miss; I’ve seen generations come through the school now.”
She said she looks forward to being able to spend more time with her family, including her mother, sisters, husband, children and grandchildren.
She will remain living in Ho-Ho-Kus and says she feels blessed to have experienced such a long and storied career in the borough.
“I never could’ve imagined all the joys, all the milestones, all the students to have taught and seen and the teachers to have worked with,” Mardy said. “Teaching is one of the most influential professions you can have, in terms of shaping learners, students and our future.”
Top: Mardy in her office. Bottom: Mardy and her husband, Jon, at Yellowstone National Park this past summer.
East Meets West at Naeem Khan
Borough resident Zaheen Khan’s family-run fashion house marries tradition and technique with modern sensibilities from worlds apart.
BY SARAH NOLAN
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Michelle
Obama and Kate Middleton are among the many stars and dignitaries that have stepped out wearing designer Naeem Khan pieces. Still, Zaheen Khan–son of the eponymous designer–said it remains surreal and thrilling to see such a high level of clientele in their eveningwear.
The four generation family business’s roots are in the foothills of the Himalayas, in a small village in northern India. There, Zaheen’s great-grandfather created opulent garments for royal families using fine jewels–actual emeralds and rubies, along with gold bullion for embroidering linings and draping corsets.
“At the end of the day, we are a private, family-owned company,” Zaheen, a Ho-Ho-Kus resident said. “This is us, devoting 100% of our time and effort into creating what we have here.”
Beginnings
However humble, the Khan family has long been in the business of designing garments for the elite. Zaheen’s grandfather moved his father’s shop from that small village to Mumbai, formerly Bombay, where he began making textiles for the 1% of the city. The traditional saris and lehenga were created with an attention to hand-embroidery, artisanship and craftmanship.
Naeem grew up cultivating a vast knowledge of textiles under the watchful eye of his father and grandfather. He planned to continue his education in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology. But a fateful meeting with one of his father’s clients the weekend before classes started changed the trajectory of his career.
That client was iconic fashion designer
Halston, known as the creator of luxury American fashion. Halston asked Naeem to do a sketch on the spot. He clearly liked what he saw and asked him to drop out of college and become his apprentice.
Naeem spent the next several years with Halston; the family’s factory in India was used to make many of the embroideries that the designer was known for in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Naeem moved on to create a label using his mother’s name, Riazee, designing custom pieces for clients and couture collections for retailers like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
He launched his eponymous collection in 2003 with full runway shows and a greater focus on an evening presence, Zaheen said.
Naeem Khan works meticulously on one of his gowns.
Preserving tradition
Zaheen does “a little bit of everything” for his family business, but primarily works with private clients in the showroom to create designs.
Like his father, Zaheen grew up surrounded by design and fashion and spent much time during his young childhood years in India, seeing the family’s factory in action. That factory is still family-owned, Zaheen said, and “very old school” in that only men work there. It’s an artisanship that’s passed down from father to son, from generation to generation, he said.
Embroidery is done from the underside up, which differs from European embroidery, Zaheen said, so when you look at a garment from the inside, it appears just as stunning as the outside.
“Each bead is faceted individually, so if one falls off, it’s not a strip coming loose,” Zaheen said. “Every detail is paid attention to, keeping the integrity of the gown.”
Preserving this tradition and understanding the history of his homeland is incredibly important to Zaheen. A selfdescribed history buff, he said he majored in art history and philosophy with a focus on eastern philosophy and religion.
“Spending so much time at that factory and seeing the workers do their thing really helped me understand the craft and artisanship that goes into our designs and truly drove home just how old this art is,” he said. “Keeping certain techniques and traditions alive has become such a big part of what I do here.”
Zaheen described Naeem Khan as a true
marriage between eastern and western design.
“The eastern embroidery is taken from tradition and technique and married with the western sense of the feminine form, which Naeem took from his days with Halston,” Zaheen said.
Speaking of marriage, Naeem Khan was one of few design houses that went from Ready to Wear to the bridal realm of fashion. It’s usually the other way around, Zaheen said.
“Our bridal collection is more nuanced than our Ready to Wear,” Zaheen said. “We shy away from tradition, whether it comes to western or eastern sensibility. It’s an off the beaten path feel when it comes to bridal.”
Zaheen sees about two to six brides and their families every day and gowns cost upwards of a quarter of a million dollars,
Clockwise from top: Naeem Khan with his wife, Ranjana on their wedding day. Zaheen Khan with his wife, Haniya, and daughters Kaia Noor and Alara Zaria. Zaheen Khan with his wife, Haniya.
he said. He described one gown he designed for the royal family that was so heavily adorned that it weighed 30 to 40 pounds. (A host of nondisclosure agreements kept Zaheen from providing us with specifics).
As far as high-profile clients go, Zaheen said stylists that work with celebrities and dignitaries consistently think of Naeem Khan and they’re very appreciative for that.
“The evening luxury industry is so fickle,” he said. “We’re easily swayed by the times, economically or socially. It’s the nature of the business–you must be flexible and able to pivot and to sometimes create things at the drop of a hat.”
The fashion house was recently asked by Universal Studios to create a capsule of “Wicked”inspired gowns to promote the November film adaptation of the musical. Zaheen said they were given the green light to flex their creative freedom with the designs, and they had a blast doing it.
“The pieces are already a hit–I spoke to Ariana Grande’s stylist last night and she requested two of the designs. I can’t wait to see where she wears them.”
Naeem now lives full-time in Miami and designs from there, Zaheen said, spending about a week every month in the New York City showroom.
Born and raised in Manhattan, Zaheen said he was nervous to uproot his young family and move to New Jersey. Relocating at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he actually found it to be an easy transition.
“I don’t think I’ll ever look back,” he said. “We’ve fallen head over heels in love with not just Ho-Ho-Kus, but the suburban lifestyle. We’ve found our home.”
Remember Those Who Served WITH THESE VETERANS DAY READS
Discover books that capture the experiences of those who served, offering deep insights into the realities of conflict and its lasting impact. This Veterans Day, honor their stories through these compelling reads.
BY LORRI STEINBACHER
FICTION:
WORLD WAR I IN MEMORIAM
by Alice Winn
Winn takes us into the trenches of World War I as boarding school friends Henry and Sidney join up to escape their own family and personal histories.
CHER AMI AND MAJOR WHITTLESEY
by Kathleen Rooney
This tale of WWI’s most famous homing pigeon dovetails nicely with Major Whittlesey’s story; you might forget you are getting your most significant information from a pigeon. But don’t let that description deter you: This is very much a book about the horrors of war.
WORLD WAR II
THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD
by Debra Dean
A novel that toggles back between the Soviet Union during World War II and modern-day America, Dean explores the life of Marina, who worked to preserve art from theft and destruction amidst the incessant bombing of 1941’s Leningrad.
MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA by James McBride
In 1944, soldiers of the segregated, all-black 92nd Division are fighting both a war against the Germans in the hills of Italy and a war of racial
prejudice in America. It is a story of survival, despite the odds stacked against them.
VIETNAM WAR
WAITING FOR EDEN
by
Elliot Ackerman
THE WOMEN by
Kristin Hannah
Experience the Vietnam War through the story of a field nurse and what it was like for women who were just as heroic as any soldier and who struggled to return to civilian life.
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O’Brien
This literary classic relates 20 short stories that capture the realities of being a young soldier in the Vietnam War, written by a veteran of the war.
IRAQ WAR
REDEPLOYMENT by Phil Klay
Klay joined the Marines after his Dartmouth graduation and served in Iraq from 2005-2009. In this collection of 12 short stories, he examines the mind of the modern soldier and the impact of the war in Iraq on service members and civilians alike.
THE YELLOW BIRDS
by Kevin Powers
Powers joined the Army at 17 and served in Iraq in 2004. The book follows two young soldiers struggling to survive in a war they were unprepared for.
This story is narrated by the dead friend and fellow soldier of Eden Malcolm, who was severely burned while at war in Iraq. His wife sleeps at his bedside, waiting for him to awaken. This nontraditional narrative will make you think about what makes life worth living and the ravages of war on both the ones who fight and those left at home.
NON-FICTION:
GRUNT: THE CURIOUS SCIENCE OF HUMANS AT WAR
by Mary Roach
War is not just weapons and military strategy. If you’d prefer a non-fiction read, you can’t go wrong with Mary Roach, who digs deep into the minutiae that goes into keeping humans intact and alive in the extreme conditions of war. Have you ever tried caffeinated meat? What does a paintball team have to do with warfare? What’s the problem with zippers for snipers? Roach answers these questions and much more.
Recommended by Lorri Steinbacher, Director of the Ridgewood Public Library and facilitator of the Book Circle and Cover 2 Cover book groups at the library.
Lucy Coombs wearing a pair of sneakers she turned into a work of art.
Doodling the Day Away
Lucy Coombs creates vivid pieces, often featuring cute, cartoon-like caricatures, that were recently displayed at the borough library.
BY SARAH NOLAN
Fourth-grader Lucy Coombs can’t help but doodle when she has a pencil in hand and paper in front of her. A frequent library visitor, she often adorns the margins of activity sheets with drawings, and Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library Director Morgan Taylor began to take notice.
That’s how her eclectic collection of artworks ended up on display at the library recently. For Coombs, anything can be transformed into a work of art, including a pair of sneakers, a pinewood derby car or even a seashell. But there’s one constant in her pieces— LOTS of color.
“Whenever Lucy has the opportunity to express herself creatively here, she gives 110 percent and demonstrates a clear artistic voice,” Taylor said. “She uses bold lines and rich colors that bring her subjects to life. Each piece tells its own story.”
Coombs can barely remember a time when she didn’t love creating art. Her drawings of people and animals evolved from stick figures at age 4 and 5 to detailed cartoon-like caricatures. The 9-year-old artist said she draws inspiration from the Japanese kawaii aesthetic—she describes her characters as “cute, big eyes, big head, small body.”
Coombs’s mom, Tracy, said it became apparent that her daughter’s passion for doodling was more than just a way to escape boredom when she began receiving accolades for her work.
“She’s totally self-compelled and super determined in everything she does,” Tracy said. “If she decides she wants to perfect something, she just does. She taught herself to ride a bike in one day.”
Reading is another passion of the artist’s. Tracy said the Harry Potter novels were the family’s COVID read.
Stuck at home, she read the entire series to Coombs and her brothers, one of whom is her twin. It kicked off a love for drawing people, particularly characters from the books.
Coombs said she usually uses crayons or colored pencils for her work, but always starts with pencil and outlines in Sharpie before completing her vivid pieces.
She said it made her feel proud to see her work on display at the library, but perhaps an even better feeling is creating art for her friends.
She and her classmates earn tickets for accomplishments and can buy something from a prize box with their winnings. Coombs created bookmarks for the box and some of her classmates turned in their hard-earned tickets in exchange for one.
“It makes me feel really good,” Coombs said.
A sampling of Lucy Coomb’s artwork, including decorated seashells, a pinewood derby car and her signature drawings inspired by the Japanese kawaii aesthetic. Above right: Coombs is pictured with bookmarks she created for her friends.
The Ho-Ho-Kus Community Garden continues to grow and harvest fresh vegetables throughout the fall, donating upwards of 700 pounds to the Paterson nonprofit Oasis – A Haven for Women and Children. The garden has also hosted multiple Farm Days for residents to taste what’s been growing, thanks to the hard work of volunteers. Pictured are some freshly picked beets, harvested last month.
