Volume LXXIV, Number 4
Morven Series Features Grand Homes from Maine to Palm Beach . . . . . . . . 5 Princeton Resolution to Protect, Support Migrant Families . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 No Fare Hikes for NJ Transit Passengers . . . 11 NJSO Presents Concert of 19th-Century Music . . . . . 13 Goodnight Nobody Premieres at McCarter Theatre . . . . . 14 Freshman Samaan Making Impact for PHS Girls’ Hockey . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Vessey’s Hot Shooting Helps Hun Boys’ Hoops Top Lawrenceville . . . . 27
PU Men’s Hockey Alum Eric Robinson Thriving in NHL . . . . . . . . . . 23 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .18, 19 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 20 Classified Ads . . . . . . 31 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Music Review . . . . . . . 13 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 30 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 10 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 31 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Theater Review . . . . . . 14 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Steel Beam From 9/11 To Be Installed at PFARS Headquarters Eight years ago, Roy James first broached the idea of bringing a ninefoot fragment of steel, salvaged from the World Trade Center, to Princeton. James, who is the former deputy chief of the Princeton Fire Department, wanted to create a permanent memorial to those who perished when the twin towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001. The proposal has been met with significant roadblocks since that time. But current plans call for the twisted fragment to be permanently installed outside the new headquarters of Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS) on Mt. Lucas Road. A spot has been reserved for the beam, and a fundraising campaign is underway. “We’ve waited all these years, and we wanted to make sure it’s done right,” James said this week. “To us, it’s a monument for many people who lost their lives that day, and after.” Nine people from Princeton died on 9/11. James’ wife, who used to work at the World Trade Center, could have been one of them. But pregnant and on bed rest at the time, she stayed home that day. James was haunted by the possibility of what could have been — not just for his wife, but for numerous people he spoke with who, for various reasons, didn’t go to work that day and avoided the disaster. A motorcyclist, James began taking part in memorial rides to commemorate the disaster. He and William D. Shields, who is president of Princeton Engine Company No. 1 on Chestnut Street, rode together in one of them and were struck by the surges of support from those who lined the sides of the roads they passed through. From other riders, James learned that pieces of steel had been saved and were available for memorials. He obtained one of the beams, and proposed that the municipality place it on state-owned land, possibly near the Princeton Battle Monument or near the former Borough Hall. But the plan hit a snag when the American Atheists, a group headquartered in Union County, threatened to sue the town if a small cross cut out on one side of the steel beam was clearly displayed on public property. The town pulled out Continued on Page 10
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Watson Coleman, Benjamin Lead King Celebration An overflow crowd of about 150 packed into the Arts Council of Princeton’s (ACP) Solley Theater Monday morning to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to hear speeches by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Princeton University Professor of African American Studies Ruha Benjamin. “This is a day when we ask ‘What have I done to make the world a better place?’” said ACP Interim Executive Director Jim Levine in welcoming the visitors and introducing the speakers. “We are gathered here to celebrate the life of a man who gave his life to make the world a better place.” Watson Coleman and Benjamin had some ideas on making the world a better place. “Love trumps hate all the time,” said Watson Coleman in emphasizing the country’s need for King’s message. “He spoke up against evil when he saw it. He tried to motivate us to understand that we were all in this together.” Watson Coleman went on to imagine King’s response to the world of 2020. “If he saw what was happening today, he would be so sad and so angry,” she
said, “and he’d wonder what was the purpose of the work that he did, because we seem to be moving backward instead of forward.” She emphasized the challenges ahead for the country — “We’ve got to work hard” — but noted that Princeton was on the right track, “We don’t have communities like Princeton all over the country that believe in giving opportunity, that stand up for the education of all our children, that are willing to bring in affordable housing so that it can have the rich tapestry of what this country is. We don’t have Princeton everywhere.”
Calling on the government and society “to respond to our needs, to provide us with the opportunity to move forward on our own,” she stated, “We’re asking for the opportunity to pursue the dream of peace and prosperity based on our ability to be educated and to do our work.” She discussed issues of racism in health care, housing, education, criminal justice, and voter suppression, stating, “What we have is not what we have to have. We can stand up together as a community, stand up when we see injustice and say ‘Not here, not now. We’ve had enough.’” Continued on Page 8
PPS Holds Community Forum Saturday; All Invited to Help Shape District Plans
Projected to grow by several hundred students over the next five years, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) is planning for the future and has invited everyone to a community forum on Saturday, January 25 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Princeton High School (PHS) cafeteria. The forum will be led by consultants from Milone & MacBroom (M&M), a plan-
ning firm hired last fall for $140,000, which has been reviewing the district’s enrollment projections, facility needs, and educational programs. During the forum M&M will share their findings and then facilitate small group discussions to hear about the community’s goals and priorities. In the coming months, M&M plans to Continued on Page 10
CELEBRATING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR .: The Princeton University Chapel Choir performs at the Rev . Dr . Martin Luther King Jr . Service of Recommitment on Sunday morning at Princeton University Chapel . The service was one of many area events honoring Dr . King’s legacy . (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)
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