Town Topics Newspaper, October 4, 2023

VACCINES WORK: GET YOURS TODAY!

Hosted by the Princeton Health Department, PSRC, Zufall Health, and Wegmans

PRINCETON FLU SHOT CLINICS

Wednesday, October 25, 5:00–7:00 p.m. at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon St. (Walk-in only)

Thursday, October 26, 10:00 a.m.–noon at Nancy S Klath Center for Lifelong Learning, 101 Poor Farm Rd.

Tuesday, November 28, 3:00–5:00 p.m. at Monument Hall-East Conference Room, 1 Monument Dr. (Walk-in only)

Tuesday, December 5, 1:00–3:00 p.m. at Witherspoon Hall-Community Room, 400 Witherspoon St. (Walk-in only)

PRINCETON COMBINED FLU & COVID CLINIC

Wednesday, October 11, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at PSRC, Suzanne Patterson Building, 45 Stockton St.

If you have health insurance, you need to bring all your insurance cards/information to receive the influenza vaccine (prescription and health insurance, including all up-to-date Medicare Part B information). Uninsured Princeton residents will receive the influenza vaccine at no cost.

TOWN TOPICS

Princeton’s Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946

DONALD C. STUART, 1946-1981 DAN D. COYLE, 1946-1973 Founding Editors/Publishers

DONALD C. STUART III, Editor/Publisher, 1981-2001

LAURIE PELLICHERO Editor

BILL ALDEN, Sports Editor

DONALD GILPIN, WENDY GREENBERG, ANNE

And they lived happily ever after.

Rocky Hill Fire Department Launches Recruitment Campaign

For over 120 years, Rocky Hill Fire Department has protected the lives and property of the residents of Rocky Hill and the surrounding communities. Now, it seeks to grow its base of volunteers within the community. The department has unveiled the launch of its federally-funded recruitment campaign, aimed at expanding the volunteer firefighter base and increasing community involvement.

Averaging well over 200 emergency calls a year, Rocky Hill Fire is seeking eager, dedicated members of the community, ready to learn and deliver lifesaving emergency services to those in need. Firefighters respond to emergencies ranging from structural fires to vehicular accidents to swift water rescue operations. No experience is required to join, and training and gear will be provided at no cost.

To kick off the recruitment campaign, volunteers participated in the brand development process, which led to the tagline “Tradition. Community. Pride.”

The tagline, representing the guiding principles of a Rocky Hill volunteer, will be incorporated into all print and digital marketing

materials, striving to inspire residents within the community to volunteer with the fire department.

“Being a member of the Rocky Hill Fire Department brings a sense of honor that is hard to describe. We are a dependable and efficient firefighting family that supports our neighbors and each other. We hope our recruitment campaign encourages members of our community to join us,” said Fire Chief Todd Harris.

To field inquiries and provide a centralized location for interested individuals to gather information about the fi re department, Rocky Hill launched a recruitment website, JoinRockyHillFire.org.

The website provides a volunteer inquiry form for interested individuals. Upon completion, a member from the fire department will reach out, answer any possible questions, and schedule a time for the individual to tour the station. In addition to the volunteer inquiry form, the website includes volunteer testimonials, volunteer opportunities, frequently asked question, and photos.

In order to fund this fouryear recruitment campaign without imposing a tax burden on residents, Rocky Hill obtained a Staffing for

Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“I have personally benefited from my volunteer experience by learning many important life lessons, as well as becoming more connected with my community,” said firefighter Paul Romano. “There is no better feeling than being there for your community and making a direct impact.”

Volunteer firefighters, ages 18 or older, respond to emergencies ranging from structural fires to vehicular accidents to swift water rescue operations. Rocky Hill Fire Department will support new volunteers in completing the NJ State Certified Firefighter I training. High school students aged 14-17 can join Rocky Hill Fire Department’s Junior Program. Teenagers have the opportunity to learn fire safety skills from experienced and knowledgeable firefighters. Once the junior firefighter turns 18, he or she can pursue the Firefighter I Course necessary to become a firefighter. Associate members can assist the department with fundraising, social media, website and IT maintenance, representing the fire department at community events and more.

Topics In Brief A Community Bulletin

Call for Land Stewards: Join Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) in October and November for morning or afternoon Saturday volunteer sessions under the guidance of FOPOS’ director of natural resources and stewardship to assist with various conservation projects at Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. More at fopos.org/getinvolved.

Princeton Flu Vaccine Clinics: Through December, Princeton is hosting a clinic for those age 3 and older. There is no charge, but bring insurance information if you have coverage. Visit princetonnj.gov for locations and more details.

Call for Vendors : The municipality seeks craft vendors for the holiday chalets that will be located at Hinds Plaza beginning November 24 and ending on Christmas Eve. Apply by September 29. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Annual Holiday Gift Drive : Princeton Human Services seeks donors to provide gifts for children age 12 and under, plus grocery store gift cards, for the holiday season. Contact princetonnj.gov/754/Holiday-Gift-Drive by November 17.

RECRUITING: The Rocky Hill Fire Department is looking for volunteers. Firefighters, junior firefighters, and administrative volunteers are needed.

Send Hunger Packing Princeton Marks 10th Anniversary of Providing Sustenance

At

“The answer was 300 to 400 kids. Everybody’s mouth dropped,” said Ross Wishnick, chairman of Human Services at the time.

“This really was not acceptable. Because we have sufficient wealth in this town to solve it.”

That gathering was the seed of Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP), a nonprofit founded by Wishnick to provide food to anyone in the school system who asks. Wishnick and the many volunteers who have assisted will gather at Hinds Plaza on Sunday, October 8 from 12 to 2 p.m. for a 10th anniversary celebration. The public is invited to stop by and learn about SHUPP’s programs, which include free community gardens, a hydroponic learning system, the stocking of local pantries, and a weekly produce program that serves nearly 200 families.

TOPICS Of the Town

Mercer Street Friends, the Trenton-based nonprofit and one of the largest food banks in New Jersey, was an early model and partner for SHUPP, following the model of Send Hunger Packing, a national program with the goal of filling kids’ backpacks with non-perishable food.

“We’ve been growing over the years,” Wishnick said. “We were early in providing food for kids in school. Now, lots of others do it. Today, I’m happy to say, there are eight to 10 organizations providing food at points of contact.”

SHUPP started with shelfstable food, which was placed in elementary school participants’ backpacks to bring home as weekend supplements. This morphed to pre-made meals during the pandemic, with help from Princeton University and other sources. Soon, fresh vegetables and fruit were added to the mix.

“We surveyed people, and they said that they’d really like to have fresh produce,” Wishnick said. “It has become one of our main initiatives.”

When the pandemic began, Wishnick got a call from former Superintendent of Schools Steve Cochran

The Best & Worst Halloween Candies

asking if SHUPP could partner with the district to help families that relied on the schools for many of their children’s meals. “We said yes, absolutely. We became the sole partner of the schools to help provide food for families,” he said. “It was actually quite humbling to get that call from him.”

Last year, programming at SHUPP was expanded to include support of community gardens. The goal was not only to provide fresh produce, but to teach people how to grow their own food. The first garden was at the YMCA; there are now more than 10 throughout town. SHUPP also provided building materials for

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Chocolate: washes off teeth easier; dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk chocolate.

Sugar-free candy: ’nuf said.

THE WORST—

Gummies: stick to teeth, hard to remove.

Hard candies: can break teeth; stay in mouth longer, exposing more sugar to teeth.

Sour candies: contain a lot of acid that can weaken tooth enamel.

BOTTOM

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,

SHUPP Anniversary

Continued from Preceding Page four raised garden beds at Princeton High School and a shed for storing equipment. Hydroponic gardens were purchased by SHUPP for use in the public schools and at the YMCA to grow crops indoors.

The program sustains itself through grants from local institutions, support from churches, individuals, and various university organizations. Primary among them is Princeton University, cited by Wishnick as a major player from the beginning.

“When I went to Kristin [Appelget, head of the University’s Office of Community and Regional Affairs] and said we have this idea, and it needs to be funded, she said they were in, right away,” said Wishnick. “She thought this was an important thing the University could get behind. And after all these years, it’s an important part of what they do.”

The celebration on Sunday will include talks by board members about what SHUPP does. Participants are asked to bring shelf-stable food to help restock local pantries.

“It never occurred to me that this idea would still be hanging in there, still helping out the community, 10 years later,” said Wishnick. “Most things like this come and go. It’s hard to sustain.”

—Anne Levin

Partnership of Two Churches To Be Celebrated Sunday

“The Partners in Faith,” an event and presentation of a project examining, chronicling, and documenting the story of the 184-year history of the partnership between Witherspoon Street and Nassau Presbyterian churches and their congregations, is the subject of a program taking place on Sunday, October 8 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street.

The two-hour event will include a showing of the documentary Telling Our Stories with interviews from members of both congregations, a revisiting of the historical 250th Year Celebration of the Presbyterian Presence in Princeton (2004-2006), and an unveiling of a graphic timeline depicting significant events in the two churches’ history.

The relationship has been complicated, fragile, and fraught with tension. In recent years, however, several congregants of both churches have been working to build a faith community based on respect, unity, and reconciliation.

TOWN TALK©

A forum for the expression of opinions about local and national issues.

Question of the Week: “What have you enjoyed at the event today?”

(Asked Sunday at Art in the Courtyard at the Princeton Shopping Center)

(Photos by Charles R. Plohn)

Candace: “It’s wonderful to be outside today, and there’s a variety of talent here. One of the artists used a photographic process called cyanotype, which uses the sun to color the materials and creates these beautiful scarves.”

—Candace Nelson, Wayne, right, with Kerry Carroll, Levittown, Pa.

OPEN FORUM: FRIDAY OCT 6, 4:30-6:00PM

Abelardo: “I am artist myself so I like the promotion of art, and when I come to events like this I am always looking for inspiration. I did find some very interesting prints with ink and some watercolors that I really like.”

Ian: “I am also an artist, so I am always hoping to meet new artists in the area. It’s nice to meet people and see some different works and mediums and find some inspiration as well.”

—Abelardo Montano, Trenton, with Ian Avance, Bordentown

CONFERENCE: OCT 6 & 7, 9:00AM-6:00PM

Khaya: “Looking at the outfits.”

Mali: “I liked looking at all of the vases.”

Zora: “My favorite thing was getting my face painted.”

—Khaya and Mali Diamini with Zora Trainor, all of Princeton

The timeline ranges from 1755, when the Presbytery of New Brunswick granted permission to build a meeting house in Princeton, to the 2022 project chronicling the history of the two churches. The 16 citations in between include “Betsey Stockton Admitted to Communicant Worship,” “The First Communion Service is Held for Colored Members,” and “Woodrow Wilson: The Long, Dark Shadow of Racism.”

For further information, email Barbflythe@gmail. com.

Get the scoop from

Taylor: “I liked the vendors who are selling stuff that they made. There were some cool vases with floral patterns that I really enjoyed.”

Beth: “Just bringing life to the shopping center with all of the music and the arts and a beautiful day.”

Julia: “Painting pottery at Color Me Mine.”

—Taylor, Beth, and Julia Leman, Princeton

Kristin Andrews, Jonathan Birch, Leonie Bossert, Nick Bostrom (virtual), Jeff Sebo, Tse Yip Fai, Peter Singer (Chair) Friend Center 101, Reception to Follow

Alma Concepción Collection Debuts at Princeton University’s Firestone Library

Concepción’s father, Gilberto Concepción de Gracia, founder of the Puerto Rican Independence Party,” as well as documentation about a trip to Cuba in the 1970s where she met Alicia Alonso’s Ballet Nacional de Cuba, as well as members of dance companies from other parts of the Americas and the world attending an international congress.

But his favorite parts of the archive are “the photographs and ephemera related to the Taller de Histriones dance company, and the many items found throughout the archive that evidence the close collaboration of Puerto Rican performing artists with prominent visual artists such as Lorenzo Homar, Rafael Tufiño, and Antonio Martorell, who are also well represented among Princeton University Library’s Special Collections.”

Human Services Seeks

Donors for Gift Drive

Princeton’s Human Services Department is looking for donors for its 25th annual Holiday Gift Drive.

For the past 24 years, Human Services, municipal employees, local businesses, and private donors have made hundreds of Princeton children’s holiday wishes come true by providing them with gifts for the holidays.

The need is substantial.

Last year, more than 350 applications were received. Just as many, if not more, are expected this year. Applications are accepted for children 12 and under, allowing them to request one or two holiday gifts valued at a maximum of $75 each.

Hunterdon Farmers’ Market Open Through November 19

Autumn has arrived, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of Hunterdon Land Trust’s (HLT) Farmers’ Market season at Dvoor Farm. The market’s regular season will remain open every Sunday through November 19 offering fruits and vegetables. HLT’s winter farmers’ market will return in December.

The papers of Puerto Rican dancer, choreographer, scholar, and popular dance teacher Alma Concepción are now part of Latin American Collections at Princeton University’s Firestone Library.

A Princeton resident since the 1980s, Concepción is familiar to alumni of Princeton Ballet School for her classes in Spanish dance and ballet from 1983 to 2011. She has also taught at the Arts Council of Princeton, at Rutgers and Princeton universities, and at Taller de Danza, a children’s and dance community organization in Trenton. A two-part event celebrating the opening of the Alma Concepción Collection, “Dance, Literature, and Comunidad,” is on Thursday, November 2 at two campus locations.

“As a dancer, perhaps most significant was her role as dancer in Ballets de San Juan, one of the preeminent dance companies in Puerto Rico and the region founded in 1954 and active to this day, as well as her role in Taller de Histriones, an experimental and pathbreaking dance

company active in the 1970s,” said Fernando AcostaRodriguez, librarian for Latin American, Iberian, and Latino Studies at Princeton University Library. “As an educator, she helped to train generations of new and experienced dancers from Puerto Rico, New York City, Trenton, and Princeton. As a scholar, she has helped to shed light on the history and meaning of dance in Puerto Rico and among Latino communities in the United States.”

The bulk of the collection consists of 42 albums documenting Concepción’s life from her childhood in New York and Puerto Rico to her career as an artist and independent scholar.

Clippings, photographs, programs, posters, and letters tell the story of the performing arts in Puerto Rico from 1950 to the early 1980s. They also “shed light into other cultural aspects of contemporary Puerto Rican life in the island and the diaspora in the United States,” reads a release on the collection.

A screen print of Concepción by Puerto Rican

printmaker Lorenzo Homar, a photograph of her titled Erzuli from 1979, programs from Ballets de San Juan, and references to numerous dancers and choreographers including Alicia Alonso, Frederick Franklin, George Balanchine, Maria Tallchief, Jacques d’Amboise, and Antonio Ruiz are part of the collection.

Acosta-Rodriguez said he is thrilled “by early childhood photographs portraying

The event on November 2 begins with a book talk about Inhabiting the Impossible: Dance and Experimentation in Puerto Rico by Susan Homar and Nibia Patrana Santiago, in the Chancellor Green Rotunda from 12 to 1:20 p.m. From 5 to 6:30 p.m., a reception will be held at Firestone Library’s Special Collections, with performances by choreographer Alicia Diaz and percussionist Sebastian Guerrero.

For more information, visit latinamericana.princeton.edu.

—Anne Levin

In addition to sponsoring a child’s wish list, donors are sought for grocery store gift cards to help families of the children during the holidays. Visit princetonnj. gov/753/Holiday-Gift-Drive by November 17, or call (609) 688-2055.

Annual Turkey Trot

Before the Feast

The 13th Annual Hopewell Valley 5K Turkey Trot is Thanksgiving morning, November 23, at 9 a.m. in Rosedale Park on Federal City Road, Pennington.

The event is a fundraiser for Hopewell Valley Youth Wrestling and the high school wrestling team. Funds are also collected for the Hopewell Valley Mobile Food Pantry.

Age groups are 13 and under, 14-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+. Tech T-shirts will go to the first 300 registrants received by November 9. Fees are $25 and $35.

Prizes will be awarded for top overall male, female, age group, and turkey costume finishers. Visit hopewellturkeytrot.org for more details.

“I’m constantly amazed that well into October you see many of the spring greens returning to the market — things like kale, spinach, arugula and lettuce,” said Catherine Suttle, executive director of Hunterdon Land Trust. “What’s great about coming to the market in the fall is that in addition to the greens returning, you also have carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, apples, broccoli, and winter squashes. The list just goes on. Some farmers will even continue to have tomatoes and peaches.”

The market also sells pork, beef, and lamb. Local farmers and vendors include Allerton Creek Farm (knife sharpening and gifts), Apple Ridge Farm (breads and pastries), AquaSprout Farms (lettuce, kale, microgreens, and Griggstown Farm pot pies), Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse (award-winning cheese and bread), Burek by Zeni (bureks and readyto-eat dinners), Cabbage Throw Farm at Comeback Farm (organic produce), Gorgeous Goat Creamery (chèvre, goat’s milk, goat’s milk yogurt, soaps), and several others.

Regular season market hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dvoor Farm is at 111 Mine Street in Flemington. For weekly updates, visit hunterdonlandtrust.org.

CELEBRATING A LIFE AND ARCHIVES: Alma Concepción, whose career has encompassed classical ballet and Spanish dance as well as years of teaching, has donated her papers to Princeton University. A celebration in honor of the collection is on November 2. (Photo by Jennifer Cabral)

BOE Seats, Referendum continued from page one a state senate seat and two seats in the general assembly for the 16th legislative district; and county executive, sheriff, and two seats on the Board of County Commissioners for Mercer County.

Democratic incumbent Andrew Zwicker is seeking a second term in the state senate in a race against Republican Michael Pappas and Libertarian Michael J. Byrne. For general assembly, incumbent Roy Freiman and new candidate Michelle Drulis, both Democrats, are running against Republican challengers Ross Traphagen and Grace Zhang.

In Mercer County contests, Dan Benson is running for county executive for the Democrats against Republican Lisa Richford, while the race for sheriff pits Democrat incumbent John “Jack” Kemler against Republican Bryan “Bucky” Boccanfuso and Libertarian candidate Drew Cifrodelli.

In the election for Board of Mercer County Commissioners, two incumbent Democrats Lucylle Walter and John Cimino are running against Republicans Joseph Stillwell and Denise “Neicy” Turner for two available seats.

Schools Referendum

PPS has created a website at princetonk12.org/progress to help inform voters about the referendum proposal.

“Our goal is to make sure that every eligible voter in Princeton is aware of the vote and understands how the bond referendum is a key part of our strategic approach to address school

safety and improvements,” said PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley as quoted in a September 28 PPS press release.

According to that press release, more than 30 percent of the project costs would go to security and safety upgrades, and the funding would also pay for renovations to the high school cafeteria, technology upgrades, energy-efficient building climate controls, and a variety of maintenance projects throughout the district.

The referendum, if approved, would result in contributions from the state of about $5 million in debt service aid toward payment for the projects. The PPS release notes that the owner of a home assessed at Princeton’s average of $848,037 could expect to pay $104 more per year in property taxes if the referendum passes.

The PPS press release goes on to urge voters to learn more about the referendum proposal on the princetonk12.org/progress website. The district will also post on social media and hold a virtual forum for voters, the release says.

The Mercer County clerk reports that new, recently purchased voting machines will be in use for the November 7 election. Poll workers, including students aged 1617, are needed for the nine days of early voting and on November 7 at a rate of $300 for Election Day and $21.43 per hour during the early voting, plus $30 for attending training. Contact the County Board of Elections or visit vote.nj.gov for further information.

—Donald Gilpin

Police Post Warning of Impersonation Scam

The Princeton Police Department has posted a scam alert on social media, stating there have been reports of scammers contacting individuals purporting to be law enforcement, including a member of the Princeton Police Department. According to the department post on Facebook and Instagram, “the scammer will go online and research the names of local law enforcement. The scammer can even spoof the phone number of the police department so that the call appears to be legitimate. Then, the scammer will say something along the lines of, ‘There is an active investigation…’ and ask for personal information.” The department post goes on to say that law enforcement will not ask for personal information because they probably have it already. If you suspect the call is a scam, simply hang up and call the actual police department. The number for the Princeton Police Department is (609) 921-2100.

On September 23, at 9:59 a.m., someone reported that an unknown individual was observed on their surveillance cameras attempting to gain access to their vehicle while it was parked in front of their Fleming Way residence. The suspect was unsuccessful and fled the area.

Fellow, AAML

Police Blotter

IAS

Fall Term

continued from page one

“Working in the shadow of a disastrous global pandemic and amid vital political debates about the meaning of truth, it has never seemed more important to me to study the contexts under which scientific knowledge is produced, shared, lost, and preserved,” Bolman, who received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2021, stated In a Q&A with IAS.

Shiyue Li is examining combinatorial aspects of algebraic geometry. She was awarded her Ph.D. from Brown University in 2023. As a scholar and researcher in the School of Mathematics she most enjoys “the freedom to wonder about fascinating things in nature, and the connections with other minds from around the world,” she said.

Weishun Zhong is studying the brain and AI in the School of Natural Sciences. He is applying tools from statistical physics to explore a range of issues “from electrons to neurons, from proteins to ecosystems, from financial markets to political voting.”

Zhong, who earned his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 2023, found that a class in statistical physics changed the trajectory of his education. He dreams, he says, “of searching for simple rules that can govern complex systems.”

In his Q&A with IAS, Zhong described his enjoyment of science fiction ever since he was a child. “Being a researcher feels like living inside one of those stories, only this time it is actually real and written by the best scientists around the world,” he said.

Lindsey D. Cameron, an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is working in the IAS School of Social Science on several projects in the area of algorithmic management, the gig economy, and the future of work.

Cameron, who’s currently writing a book that is tentatively titled The Good Bad Job: How Algorithmic Management Reconfigures Work, has served as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. government, describing herself as “a hacker in my prior career in the U.S. intelligence community.”

The most recent faculty appointment at IAS is Maria Hsiuya Loh, an internationally recognized expert in early modern Italian art and theory, who joined the School of Historical Studies in July. She came to IAS from the City of New York Hunter College, where she taught in the department of art and art history.

She is best known for her work on Venetian art of the 16th and 17th centuries, especially Titian, and, according to the IAS press release, “has conducted groundbreaking work on originality and repetition and the emergence of the early modern artist.”

Among present and past faculty and members at IAS there have been 35 Nobel Laureates, 44 of the 62 Fields Medalists, and 23 of the 26 Abel Prize laureates, as well as many MacArthur Fellows and Wolf Prize winners.

—Donald Gilpin

FrancoMartin Named Executive Director of People & Stories

Rebecca FrancoMartin has been selected as the new executive director of People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos. This announcement concludes an extensive search process led by P&S/GyC board of trustees to find the ideal candidate to lead the organization into the future.

P&S/GyC board co-chair

Andrea Honore said she

“knew Rebecca was the one the minute we saw her application. We are all very happy and feel confident in her leadership abilities to move this important organization forward.”

FrancoMartin has experience in overseeing operations, collaborating with multiple stakeholders, managing budgets, and excellence in grant writing & management.

“It is with excitement I begin this new chapter in my life where my passion for literature may be used to further the mission of People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos, to ‘open doors to literature for new audiences’ and ‘invite participants to find fresh understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world’” said FrancoMartin. “Literature is the bridge that connects us to the vast tapestry of human experience, perspectives unexplored, and the key that unlocks the doors of the mind.”

Formerly the library director for the Trenton Free Public Library, FrancoMartin managed a $2 million budget, oversaw all facets of facilities, operations, and services. Her observation led to the identification of improvement opportunities and avenues for growth, and she orchestrated key stakeholders to develop creative solutions and secure necessary resources. Prior to her role at TFPL, FrancoMartin held various leadership positions at New York Public Library (NYPL) branches, where she prioritized enhancing patron satisfaction, public engagement, and policy implementation. Her contributions directly led to the development and expansion of library programs, increased partnerships with stakeholders, and increased revenue.

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W. Jason Morgan, Discoverer of Tectonic Plates, To Be Celebrated at Oct. 7 Memorial Service

W. Jason Morgan (19352023), a pioneer in the field of plate tectonics and a Princeton University professor of geology and geophysics from 1966 to 2003, will be honored on Saturday, October 7, with a Celebration of Life at the Princeton University Chapel, followed by a luncheon and memorial symposium at Guyot Hall on the University campus organized by the Department of Geosciences and the Morgan family. his Ph.D. from Princeton in

1964, was the Knox Taylor Professor of Geology emeritus and a professor of geophysics emeritus. He died at his home in Beverly, Mass., on July 31, 2023.

Described in a geosciences department statement as “an enormously influential figure in shaping our understanding of the movements of our planet’s surface and its interior,” Morgan was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2002 “for his development of the theories of plate tectonics and of deep mantle plumes,

which revolutionized our understanding of the geological forces that control the Earth’s crust and deep interior and consequently influence the evolution of the Earth’s life and climate.”

Other scientists had helped to provide evidence for the movement of the continents, according to a Princeton University press release, but Morgan was the “first to identify that our planet’s surface is broken into about 20 plates underlying both continents and oceans, and that these plates can separate, collide, or slide side-byside, thus linking together the San Andreas Fault, the Pacific Ocean’s volcanic ‘ring of fi re,’ mid-oceanic ridges, and many other geological phenomena to a cohesive model.”

At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in 1967, Morgan was scheduled to present a paper on underwater trenches. With only a short time to prepare, he switched topics and instead of focusing on trenches he presented to the assembled geologists his ground-breaking theory of plate tectonics. He followed up with a landmark paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research in March 1968.

“Jason Morgan, the physicist, was to geology what Darwin, the geologist, was to biology — towering figures with probing, synthetic minds, who became synonymous with the paradigm shifts they engendered,” wrote Frederik Simons, associate chair of the Princeton University Department of Geosciences, in a tribute to Morgan on the University’s memorial page. “Evolution

for Darwin, plate tectonics for Jason Morgan and the very few peers of his generation.”

“Jason was a giant in our fi eld,” Simons added in an email.

Lincoln Hollister, Princeton University emeritus geosciences professor and a longtime friend of Morgan, wrote on the memorial page, “Jason Morgan was the last man who knew everything. He was not just a pioneer in geology; he grasped the full historical context for geological details and was fully aware of how each detail connected to everything else.”

Hollister went on to quote a tribute written by one of Morgan’s former students. “Jason was a professor at Princeton when I was a graduate student 40 years ago,” the student wrote. “He was one of the kindest, lowest key, but most erudite and wisest people I have known. He was foremost among those who shaped and developed the modern theory of plate tectonics and put it on a sound theoretical basis. If there were a Nobel Prize in earth sciences, Jason would certainly have received it.”

Morgan was born in Savannah, Georgia. His father owned a hardware and dry goods store and his mother was a French teacher and volunteer with the Girl Scouts of America. He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1955, then served in the Navy as an instructor at its Nuclear Power School for two years before moving to Princeton in 1957 to pursue his graduate studies.

In 1959 Morgan married Cary Goldschmidt, who died in 1991. In addition to their

children, Jason Morgan, a geophysicist, and Michele Morgan, a curator at Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, he is survived by six grandchildren.

In addition to the National Medal of Science, Morgan’s awards include the Japan Prize (1990); the Maurice Ewing Medal (1997), jointly sponsored by the American Geophysical Union and the U.S. Navy; the Leon Lutaud Prize of the French Academy of Sciences (1986); and the Alfred Wegener Medal of the European Geosciences Union (1983). He was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences in 1982.

The October 7 W. Jason Morgan Memorial Symposium, following the 11 a.m. University Chapel memorial service and a luncheon, will start at 2 p.m. with a welcome by Simons and Department of Geosciences Chair Thomas Duffy, followed by a retrospective on Morgan’s scientific career by Morgan’s son, who is a professor at Southern University of Science and Technology; and prepared remarks by other professors and scholars.

—Donald Gilpin

W. Jason Morgan (Princeton University, Denise Applewhite)

Princeton Theological Seminary

Inaugurates Eighth President Princeton Theological Seminary will inaugurate the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton as its eighth president on Friday, October 13. The 3 p.m. ceremony in Princeton

to take shape and to give more people the opportunity to learn from our incredible faculty and access our worldclass resources. Under his leadership, I am confident that Princeton Seminary will thrive for generations to come.”

vast network of alumni around the world,” said Walton. “No matter what field you work in or where you’re working from, our flexible and accessible programs will inform and enrich your Christian witness.”

“I’m deeply humbled to

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Volunteer Ushers continued from page one and Richardson,” said Ayame S. Whitfield, usher program coordinator for the University’s Performing Arts Services. “There was always potential for an actual joint venture. The pandemic hit the arts community very hard. Coming out of it and rebuilding our programs was an opportunity to work together and strengthen the arts community.”

In the past, ushers were recruited separately by McCarter and Richardson, often through word-of-mouth or referrals. “Historically, we have had mostly retired people who were wanting to engage. But we accept all ages of people who are coming to support as well as witness the arts,” Whitfield said. “Also, they are in service to the arts. It’s a way of supporting the community.”

Certain requirements apply for the two theaters, which differ in layout and some protocol. Ushers for the main program at McCarter or Richardson must be at least 18 years of age. They have to be able to “ascend and descend 40 or more steps quickly, stand independently for two continuous hours, have accurate vision in dim lighting in order to read tickets, walk in dark lighting to assist with seating, hear and speak clearly in areas with significant background noise in order to answer patron questions, and move quickly and calmly in an emergency,” according to the JUMP website.

Ushers usually arrive about an hour before performance time at Richardson. They are asked to stay for the entire show, and can sit if a seat is available. At McCarter, “They can sit if there is space,” said Meredith Schuler, director of

operations at the theater. “But we let people know the physical parameters of the job. I’d rather they know getting in.”

Prospective ushers fill out an application, after which they may be called in for an in-person interview.

“I want to get to know them, assess how good of a fit they are,” said Whitfield. “We’re looking for people who are engaged, energetic, and kind. It is a customer service opportunity. We like people who enjoy that service aspect as well as appreciate the opportunity to be exposed to the performing arts.”

Ushers get more than just a chance to see shows for free. “We’re offering exclusive learning and engagement opportunities as part of that community-building,” said Whitfield. “One guest artist might provide a lecture to them. They might get a tour of one of the University’s buildings. Princeton offers so many wonderful opportunities for engagement, and McCarter’s programming is top-notch, so we’ll look for special engagements to put together for this.”

The program for high school students, Community Arts Service in Theaters (CAST), includes ushering opportunities at both McCarter and Richardson and is open to students from all over New Jersey. “We’re very excited to provide this opportunity,” said Sharon Maselli, audience services manager for Performing Arts Services. “We have our first ushers enrolled.”

Whitfield and Schuler are hoping to hire 75 volunteers for the two venues. “We want to bring not just audiences, but ushers, back to pre-COVID levels,” said Whitfield. “This is a great opportunity for all of us.”

—Anne Levin

Child Development Institute

Hosts Meadows Miler Race

Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI) will hold the seventh annual Meadows Miler Benefit Run, a community event designed to raise awareness and support for children and adults impacted by autism and their families, on November 4 along the Lawrence Hopewell Trail at Rosedale Park in Pennington.

Since 2017, the event has raised over $300,000 thanks to the generosity of individuals and community partners. These funds play a critical role in supporting the efforts of PCDI in providing individualized services for children and adults in their programs. PCDI has been at the forefront of providing science-based interventions and programs to individuals with autism across their lifespan. Meadows Miler is a testament to their commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of those affected by autism.

Meadows Miler includes a variety of race options for participants of all ages and skill levels. The event features scenic 10K and 5K routes, a fun run, and kiddies’ dashes.

Sanctioned by the USATFNJ (USA Track & Field - New Jersey), Meadows Miler draws over 1,000 runners and spectators.

“Meadows Miler is not

just a race; it’s a powerful expression of our commitment to advancing the mission of the Princeton Child Development Institute,” said Dr. Amanda Freeman, executive director of PCDI. “This event embodies the values that drive us every day: inclusivity, community, and unwavering support for individuals with autism and their families. Through Meadows Miler, we not only raise vital funds for our programs but also raise awareness about the incredible potential of individuals with autism. It serves as a beacon of hope and a symbol of the progress we can achieve together. We are grateful for the dedication of our staff, the support of our community partners, and the tireless efforts of our families in making this event possible.”

Visit meadowsmiler.com to register.

Library Panel Examines Barriers After Incarceration

Barriers to housing that remain for formerly incarcerated individuals long after they reenter society will be examined during a panel discussion Tuesday, October 24, at 7 p.m. at Princeton Public Library.

Moderated by Jeffrey Abromowitz of the Petey Greene Program, the panel features Princeton alumnus Yusuf Dahl who will launch the discussion with a screening of the short film Backgrounded.

“It’s an unfortunate truth that those who have paid their debt to society often find themselves locked out, with homelessness rates among them nearly 10 times higher than that of the general population,” said Dahl, whose life, despite numerous achievements including earning a master’s degree from Princeton University’s School for Public and International Affairs, continues to be affected by past incarceration. “The challenges have only intensified in an era marked by an increasing reliance on automated background checks and screening algorithms.”

Joining Dahl on the panel will be Assemblyman Benjie E. Wimberly (D-Bergen, Passaic). Wimberly is serving his sixth term and is N.J. general assembly speaker pro tempore. He is vice chairman of the Budget Committee and also serves on the Housing and Transportation committees among others.

Carl Gershenson, lab director at Eviction Lab, is also on the panel. Gershenson has published on the causes and consequences of housing instability, with a focus on how eviction leads to further economic and residential insecurity.

Rounding out the panel will be Nicholas Kikis, vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs for the N.J. Apartment Association, a statewide organization representing all facets of the multifamily industry in New Jersey.

This program is in keeping with the library’s ongoing commitment to the issue of housing insecurity, and is presented in partnership with the Petey Greene Program. The panel is co-presented by Housing Initiatives of Princeton, Not In Our Town Princeton, Princeton Community Housing, Princeton GROWS, the New Jersey Apartment Association and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice.

Registration through princetonlibrary.org is requested but not required.

BOE Candidate Hubbard Offers Measured, Thoughtful, Sensible Approach to Issues

To the Editor:

I write in enthusiastic support for Eleanor Hubbard for Princeton Public Schools Board of Education. It is no secret that there has been strife between the community and the school district as of late. Eleanor Hubbard is exactly what the Board of Education needs at this time, and I urge Princeton residents to vote for her in November.

I have known Eleanor for eight years and witnessed her qualifications from two different perspectives: as a fellow parent and as a colleague battling the district over misguided changes being made to math education.

As a parent of kids who are friends with hers, I have witnessed Eleanor’s utmost concern as a parent to be her children’s well-being — emotional, social, physical, educational — through an emphasis on the importance of free time for kids to play and just be kids, to bike around town on their own, and to participate in some (not too many!) fun extra-curricular activities, like music and gardening and math puzzles. My own kids have enjoyed many a long, unstructured afternoon simply playing outside at her house. Her uppermost concern as a parent is not her kids’ advancement or padding a resume: it is their wellbeing. This attitude is crucial at a time when it can feel as though our district has lost focus on the well-being of each individual child, what each child needs to be both happy and well-educated given their particular circumstances.

As a colleague, I have seen Eleanor’s approach to difficult and complex educational issues to be measured, thoughtful, and sensible. We have both been active the last few years battling the district over misguided changes to math education, in particular by removing opportunities for advanced coursework while failing to enact reforms that could truly help struggling kids. Even in these heated debates, Eleanor remains cool-headed, amiable, and open to discussion, aiming for solutions that take into account multiple perspectives. At the same time, she has an incredible grasp of the complexity of the issues involved, and will stick to her guns when she knows that certain ideas and trends about education, even if popular, are illfounded. She is animated throughout by a stalwart belief in the importance of high-quality public education for all.

At a time when our district can appear indifferent to individual children’s well-being and educational needs, prioritizing policy and bureaucracy over a particular child’s needs given their circumstances, Eleanor’s on-the-ground knowledge of what our kids are really experiencing — she has three children in our schools, at the elementary and middle school levels (if elected, she will have a child in the high school during her term as well) — is invaluable. Eleanor Hubbard’s thoughtful and sensible approach to education, her openness to discussion and ability to get along with others, her genuine concern for the well-being of our community’s children, and her passion for high-quality public education for all kids are exactly we need on the Board at this time.

Please consider voting for Eleanor Hubbard for Board of Education in November.

JILL NORTH Sycamore Road

New Food Scraps Recycling Pilot Program to Open Soon in Town

To the Editor:

Beginning in late October, Princeton will open a new pilot program that will allow all residents of the municipality to recycle their food scraps at one of two drop-off locations: Witherspoon Hall near the EV charging stations, or Monument Hall, towards the rear of the lot next to Suzanne Patterson. This pilot program is a much more affordable option for the town than the previous curbside organics recycling, and allows everyone to participate, including renters whose trash is not collected through the municipality, who could not join the curbside program.

Initially, the program will be limited to 200 residents (100 at each site) who can register online, and who will be chosen by lottery. If successful, it is quite possible that the program may be expanded to include more drop-off sites.

The many benefits to residents include the fact that this drop-off service is free, that it could lead to considerable waste reduction, its affordability, and the fact that it is open to all.

To learn more about the program and to sign up before the registration deadline of October 20, visit princetonnj. gov.

ANNE SOOS Vice Chair, Princeton Environmental Commission Hun Road

Candidate Obregon Won’t Shy Away from Challenging Current Processes if Needed

To the Editor:

We are voting for Rene Obregon in the upcoming Princeton Public Schools Board of Education election, and encourage our fellow residents to also vote for Rene.

We have known Rene for nearly 10 years, and over that time he has always actively supported our schools and our community. We have boys of similar ages so we have had the pleasure of working on many school events together, from International Night at Johnson Park school where he would make his Cuban flan dessert to arranging the field day sport activities at Princeton Middle School.

Rene has always offered his time and brings great energy to all his volunteer work. I saw this firsthand when we served on the PTO board at Princeton Middle School. As a further example of Rene’s commitment to education and helping students gain real life experiences, he started a two-week internship program at his company (a boutique investment bank) for high school juniors that is now in its fifth year. His program exposed them to using Bloomberg, MS Excel, and developing analytical skills. Equally important, he made sure they were exposed and understood real life scenarios, such as the importance of being on time, interacting in an office environment, learning to ask questions, and completing a task to a timeline.

We believe Rene will work hard to ensure that our public schools will stay focused on providing a robust curriculum and addressing the learning gap head on, and be proactive on managing the projected student population growth. He will not shy away from challenging the current processes, if it results in increased accountability and transparency, which is what the community needs and deserves.

We recommend voting for Rene Obregon on November 7.

ANNA CHALKER AND DANIEL SMITH Brookstone Drive

just say No to GMOs

Thousands of products now bear the Non-GMO Project Verified Label. By looking for the butterfly you can ensure your food meets the Non-GMO Project’s rigorous Standard for GMO avoidance.

October is Non-GMO Month. We have special sales on Non-GMO Project Verified products all month long.

Lifelong Princeton Resident Adam Bierman Would Be a Valuable Asset to Board of Ed

To the Editor: Adam Bierman is knowledgeable, experienced, and deeply committed to public education. He has a proven track record of success as a teacher and understands the challenges and opportunities facing public schools today.

Adam teaches at a school for young teen moms in Trenton. In his role, he has helped to implement programs such as Business ESL, Reading Recovery, and a partnership with Planned Parenthood. He is also a CWA (Communication Workers of America) shop steward. In his previous roles teaching in Latin America and China, Adam has demonstrated the ability to build consensus, manage teams, and achieve results. He is also a skilled communicator and listener. He is committed to working collaboratively with all students and staff to ensure that all students in Princeton have access to a highquality education.

In addition to his professional qualifications, Adam is a dedicated lifelong Princetonian. He was raised by parents who instilled in him the value of public service; his mom taught in the Princeton Public Schools for over 30 years while his dad was a town doctor and served as the School Board president. Adam is passionate about making Princeton a better place for all.

Vote for a lifelong Princeton resident with practical ideas and sensible. He would be a valuable asset to the Board and the community.

KATHRYN KING Linden Lane

Supporting Michele Tuck-Ponder For Reelection to PPS Board of Ed

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Michele Tuck-Ponder for School Board. Why, since I am beyond having children in the public schools, would I be interested in School Board candidates? My late husband, David Brodsky, was on the Princeton Township School Board before consolidation. He was also elected to the first joint School Board. My daughter, a molecular biologist, says her interest in science was all due to her third- grade teacher at Riverside School. And I, as a Rutgers professor emerita, have spent my career in education.

Michele has an amazing record of public service. No one is more dedicated to the welfare of Princeton and its schools. After serving as a mayor of Princeton Township (she campaigned vigorously for consolidation during her tenure), she became a member of the Board of Education.

During her time on the School Board, Michele has been vicechair three times. She is known as someone who listens, who is fair, who is fiscally responsible. Anne Reeves, founder of the Arts Council of Princeton, once wrote, “Michele is exceptionally thoughtful and clear-headed.” Steve Frakt, former Princeton Township Committee member along with Michele, declared “she listens to all points of view, but she is very resolved. When she makes up her mind, she is a very good advocate for her position.”

And what is her position? It’s exactly what the Princeton schools need. She believes that Princeton should provide the opportunity to excel to all students in equal measure. The children of Princeton deserve a member of the School Board like Michele with the courage and leadership to ensure those results.

With a son at the high school, Michele has a vested interest in excellence in Princeton’s public schools. But she wants the best for all of Princeton’s children. As a proven voice for accomplishing that goal, she understands that success depends on hiring the people with the required abilities, and therefore, she has chaired the Equity and Personnel committees and co-chaired the Labor Negotiations Committee, which successfully negotiated three labor contracts in one year. Her concerns were to ensure that the hires had the experience — and even more importantly the values of excellence and diversity.

Princeton has a history of excellence in its public schools. It’s faced with issues of how to serve a burgeoning student body with a vast variety of needs and remain fiscally sound in the process. We need the leadership of Michele Tuck-Ponder.

It’s not just the parents of children currently enrolled in Princeton’s public schools who should be concerned with the future of Princeton’s schools. It’s also the rest of us whose children have grown up or those without children. It’s our town, and excellence for our schools, should be a priority for all of us. Please vote for Michele as a candidate who can accomplish this goal on our behalf.

JUDITH K. BRODSKY Clarke Court

PPS BOE Candidate Adam Bierman Consistently Thinks Outside the Box

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of my friend, Adam Bierman, who is running for Princeton Public School Board. I have lived in Princeton since 1989 and I am also the mother of two sons who graduated from Princeton High School in 2020 and 2021.

Adam is a product of the Princeton public school system. Like many brilliant people who learn differently, Adam overcame his challenges to earn both a BA and an MA.

While there will always be disagreement among intelligent peers, Adam brings a different voice to the conversation. He consistently thinks outside the box and is unafraid to speak his truth.

Adam has a way of cutting through the verbiage and “political correctness” of a given issue to get to the heart of the matter.

It would only be a great benefit to the Princeton School Board to have Adam Bierman serving as a member. I urge everyone to vote for Adam Bierman.

STACY HOFFER

Hubbard Has the Right Background, Experience for Position in Public Service

To the Editor:

I devoted most of my professional career working for educational reform. I spent 20 years of my retirement volunteering at Community Park School. I came to know hundreds of Princeton children, parents, teachers, and administrators very well. And I have followed the decisions and actions of our Board of Education for more than 50 years.

I am convinced that the time is ripe — some would say long overdue — to strengthen the effectiveness of the Board in governing the Princeton public schools. I think it needs fresh voices with the vision, the experience, and the temperament to get the job done. This year we are fortunate to have just the right candidate in Eleanor Hubbard.

Here are some of the reasons I intend to vote for her:

Eleanor has a clear-headed grasp of what the Board needs to get done: assign priority to academic excellence, continue the effort to improve the math curriculum, find and hire the right people to manage and teach, plan for the future now rather than wait for a crisis to occur, and proceed in a financially responsible manner.

Eleanor is fully prepared to hit the ground running. She is intimately familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the schools, both from her wide-ranging discussions with others and from her own experience as a parent of three children currently enrolled at the elementary and middle school levels.

Eleanor has the right background and experience for a position in public service. She has had a distinguished academic career as a student, teacher, researcher, and writer. She has taught disadvantaged children in a New York City school. And she has volunteered her time and effort to various school organizations.

Eleanor has an ideal set of personal skills for leadership. She is a patient listener. She is a forthright and eloquent advocate. She balances strong, well-founded views with the congenial, engaging disposition required to participate as an active and collegial member of the Board.

I therefore urge everyone to vote for Eleanor Hubbard as a new member of the Princeton Board of Education.

FRED KREISLER Mason Drive

Behrend’s Reelection is in Best Interest Of Town, District, Taxpayers, Children

To the Editor:

Beth Behrend has served on the Princeton School Board for six years, including terms as president of the Board. As former School Board members, we know that Beth Behrend’s reelection is critically important and in the best interest of our town, school district, taxpayers, and children.

Beth’s tenure of service coincided with some of the most

momentous challenges of recent memory, including navigating through the COVID-19 crisis, and working with all constituencies on a long-term plan to address growth in our town and in the school district.

Beth’s technical knowledge of how things work in our schools is invaluable, and her deep understanding of the various stakeholders’ interests as well as the complex legal, regulatory, and policy landscape of public education cannot be replicated. Beth also has a passion and demonstrated track record for always putting children first, and a long-term commitment to equity and high-quality education. Throughout her tenure, Beth has shown sound judgment, a long-term vision, and a process-driven approach to problem-solving that will serve us all in the years ahead.

Beth Behrend is an excellent public servant of great integrity, dedication, and skill, and she should be reelected with our gratitude for her willingness to continue to serve the Princeton Public Schools.

MIA CAHILL Bayard Lane

ANDREA SPALLA Maple Street

PATRICK SULLIVAN Pardoe Road

The writers are former members of the Princeton Board of Education; Spalla and Sullivan each served as president of the Board of Education.

Writing in Support of Bierman, Obregon, And Hubbard for Election to the BOE

To the Editor:

The importance of a healthy and effective Princeton Public School system cannot be overstated. For many decades the reputation of our school district has been a primary consideration for families that have chosen to live in and contribute to our vibrant community — families from New Jersey, from across the country, and increasingly from around the world.

As with most school districts around the country, Princeton schools were severely impacted by the response to COVID-19 with the repercussions continuing to be felt by students, educators, and parents alike. In addition, faculty and staff turnover, not to mention principals, is unacceptably high, further imperiling already stressed classrooms and students. Add to that the challenges of rising enrollment, misgivings about curriculums, building and technology infrastructure expansion plans, and a well-managed administration and Board of Education (BOE) becomes a necessity. Unfortunately, over the past year, some actions by the BOE, while perhaps well-intentioned, have alienated and disenfranchised many students and their families. This threatens to damage our school district and by extension our community.

It is time for change and the upcoming election (as well as those to follow) is a chance for all of us voters to ensure a stable and inclusive management of the school district. For

GAME DAY LECTURE

Before the football game (beat Harvard!) and Orange & Black Tiger Tailgate, join us for an engaging discussion with ELIZABETH H. MARGULIS, professor of music, with affiliations in psychology and neuroscience. Her book, “The Psychology of Music: A Very Short Introduction,” connects cognitive science to larger questions about music. For example: Why can one musical performance move an audience to tears, and another compel them to dance, clap or snap along?

this reason, we are writing to support the candidacies of Adam Bierman, René Obregon, and Eleanor Hubbard for the BOE.

Adam Bierman is a teacher. He has taught social studies in the U.S., Latin America, and China. Currently, he teaches at a school for teen moms in Trenton, where he is the driving force for implementing programs such as Reading Recovery, Verbal De-escalation, and Business ESL, among other programs.

René Obregon is a bilingual first generation American of Peruvian and Cuban parents. He graduated from Lehigh University and has worked in finance in New York City for several years. He is currently the CEO of Numis Securities, Inc.

Eleanor Hubbard has a deep background in education with over a decade of combined experience teaching in a public school and at the university level. In addition, she has a long record of service, having spent eight years on the Board of UNOW, including one as president, as well as her current role of Garden VP in the PTO at Riverside.

Electing these three highly qualified individuals to the BOE would be a strong first step to ensure the integrity and preeminence of the Princeton School District going forward. ADVITI MUNI

Letters to the Editor Policy

Town Topics welcomes letters to the Editor, preferably on subjects related to Princeton. Letters must have a valid street address (only the street name will be printed with the writer’s name). Priority will be given to letters that are received for publication no later than Monday noon for publication in that week’s Wednesday edition.

Letters must be no longer than 500 words and have no more than four signatures.

All letters are subject to editing and to available space.

At least a month’s time must pass before another letter from the same writer can be considered for publication.

Letters are welcome with views about actions, policies, ordinances, events, performances, buildings, etc. However, we will not publish letters that include content that is, or may be perceived as, negative towards local figures, politicians, or political candidates as individuals.

When necessary, letters with negative content may be shared with the person/group in question in order to allow them the courtesy of a response, with the understanding that the communications end there.

Letters to the Editor may be submitted, preferably by email, to editor@towntopics.com, or by post to Town Topics, PO Box 125, Kingston, N.J. 08528. Letters submitted via mail must have a valid signature.

When it comes to deductible business expenses, you cannot claim your personal expenses as being deductible.

business meal expense. If you want to travel to Los Angeles and deduct it as an expense, make a business appointment,

When it comes to deductible business expenses, you cannot claim your personal expenses as being deductible.

When it comes to deductible business expenses, you cannot claim your personal expenses as being

If you want to deduct the cost of a meal (and yes, we all do), you must discuss business to make it a legitimate business meal expense. If you want to travel to Los Angeles and deduct it as an expense, make a business commit to a speaking engagement or participate in some legitimate business activity beforehand to deduct

If you want to deduct the cost of a meal (and yes, we all do), you must discuss business to make it a legitimate business meal expense. If you want to travel to Los Angeles and deduct it as an expense, make a business commit to a speaking engagement or participate in some legitimate business activity beforehand to deduct

If you want to deduct the cost of a meal (and yes, we all do), you must discuss business to make business meal expense. If you want to travel to Los Angeles and deduct it as an expense, make a commit to a speaking engagement or participate in some legitimate business activity beforehand

These are just a few of common examples of how to structure legitimate business expenses. There are

These are just a few of common examples of how to structure legitimate business expenses. There

Don’t “take it personally” if you want to deduct business expenses. You must make a point

These are just a few of common examples of how to structure legitimate business expenses. There are Don’t “take it personally” if you want to deduct business expenses. You must make a point Josh owns an architectural firm. He likes traveling. What can he plan to deduct for travel-related

Don’t “take it personally” if you want to deduct business expenses. You must make

Josh owns an architectural firm. He likes traveling. What can he plan to deduct for travel-related

Strategically, Josh could set up business meetings where he wishes to travel. Email correspondence would

Josh owns an architectural firm. He likes traveling. What can he plan to deduct for travel-related

Strategically, Josh could set up business meetings where he wishes to travel. Email correspondence would

In summary, to deduct business expenses, you need to have a business function in mind. You can “supplement” personal portion of it. You can mix business with personal pleasure when you put business at the front

Strategically, Josh could set up business meetings where he wishes to travel. Email correspondence

Disclosure: The information provided here is for your information only. Personal tax and the financial situation vary

In summary, to deduct business expenses, you need to have a business function in mind. You can “supplement” personal portion of it. You can mix business with personal pleasure when you put business at the front

In summary, to deduct business expenses, you need to have a business function in mind. You can personal portion of it. You can mix business with personal pleasure when you put business at the

Disclosure: The information provided here is for your information only. Personal tax and the financial situation vary one-on-one consultation and planning to make it yours.

Disclosure: The information provided here is for your information only. Personal tax and the financial situation one-on-one consultation and planning to make it yours.

Annie Hung, CPA, MBA, CKA

Books

necessary book for our times.”

This event is free but ticketed, and at press time there was a waiting list. Instructions and a link are at labyrinthbooks.com/events.

Faust is University Professor of History at Harvard University. She served as Harvard’s president from 2007 to 2018 and was dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study from 2001 to 2007. Faust is the author of several books, including This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, winner of the Bancroft Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; and Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War Tilghman served as president of Princeton University from 2001 to 2013 and is Professor of Molecular Biology and Public Affairs at Princeton. In 2002, Discover Magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in science.

Former College Presidents Explore

What do two university presidents emerita have to say about a new memoir by one of them? Listen in, as Harvard’s Drew Gilpin Faust and Princeton’s Shirley Tilghman chat at Labyrinth Books on October 12 at 4:30 p.m.

Faust’s new memoir, Necessary Trouble: Growing Up At Mid-Century (Farrar Straus and Giroux, $30) details her coming of age in a conservative Southern family in postwar America, where in segregated Virginia it was expected that she would adopt a blindness to the inequities of race and the constraints of gender. But for Gilpin, the acceptance of both female subordination and racial

New Memoir by Drew Gilpin Faust hierarchy proved intolerable and galvanizing, according to the publisher. She found resistance was necessary for her survival, and during the 1960s, through her love of learning and her active engagement in the civil rights, student, and antiwar movements, she forged a path that would lead her to become a historian of the very conflicts that were instrumental in shaping the world she grew up in.

“This gem of a memoir is a triumph,” wrote Walter Isaacson, author of biographies of Einstein and Elon Musk. “ Drew Faust’s rich portrait of the South she grew up in and how she and it went through radical transformation is a

The event is co-presented by Labyrinth Books and the Princeton Public Library and co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Humanities Council, Gender and Sexuality Studies, History, and African American Studies Departments, and by SPIA in N.J.

Oates, Homes to Discuss New

Works by Oates

Renowned author Joyce Carol Oates has published a mystery, as well as a collection of linked stories. She will offer a reading, and a discussion with fellow writer and colleague A.M. Homes, at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street, on Thursday, October 5 at 6 p.m.

In 48 Clues Into the Disappearance of My Sister (Mysterious Press, $26.95) , a young woman mysteriously vanishes from her family home, and her sister must tally up the clues to discover her fate.

In Zero-Sum: Stories (Knopf, $29), games are played for lethal stakes. A

brilliant young philosophy student bent on seducing her famous philosophermentor finds herself outmaneuvered, and more. In the collection’s longest story, a much-praised cutting-edge writer cruelly experiments with “drafts” of his own suicide.

According to Los Angeles Magazine, “The latest by celebrated author Joyce Carol Oates is not just a ripping good mystery, but a meticulous character study executed as only she can.”

Oates is a recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the National Book Critics Circle Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Book Award, among many honors. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including the bestsellers We Were the Mulvaneys, Blonde , and The Falls. Her most recent novel prior to 48 Clues and ZeroSum is Babysitter. She is Professor of the Humanities emerita at Princeton University and teaches at New York University.

Homes is the author most recently of The Unfolding. Her other books include the best-selling memoir The Mistress’ Daughter ; the novels This Book Will Save Your Life , The End of Alice , and Jack ; and the short story collections Days of Awe , The Safety of Objects, and Things You Should Know . She also teaches creative writing at the Lewis Center for the Arts.

The event is co-presented by Labyrinth Books and the Princeton Public Library and co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Humanities Council and Lewis Center for the Arts.

Physicist Offers Guide to Living a More Rational Life Quantum physicist, New York Times best-selling author, and BBC host Jim AlKhalili reveals how eight lessons from science can help you get the most out of life.

Fellow physicist Janna Levin

joins him for a wide-ranging conversation and Q & A with the audience at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street, on Monday, October 9 at 6 p.m.

In The Joy of Science (Princeton University Press, $16.95) , Al-Khalili invites readers to engage with the world as scientists have been trained to do. The scientific method has served humankind well in its quest to see things as they really are, and underpinning the scientific method are core principles that can help us all navigate modern life more confidently according to the author, who shows how the powerful ideas at the heart of the scientific method are deeply relevant to the complicated times we live in and the difficult choices we make.

It is “a little book of calm that is very welcome in these strange times,” according to Simon Ings, of New Scientist.

Al-Khalili is Distinguished Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Surrey and one of Britain’s best-known science communicators. He has written numerous books including The World According to Physics ; Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed ; and Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology

Levin is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College. She is the author of the popular science book, How the Universe Got Its Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a Finite Space, and of the award-winning novel A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines

The event is co-presented by Labyrinth Books and the Princeton Public Library and is co-sponsored by Princeton University’s Physics Department.

Writer, Artist Boo Trundle

To Discuss Debut Novel Boo Trundle’s debut novel, The Daughter Ship: A Novel (Pantheon, $27), delivers human comedy of trauma and triumph, narrated by the concealed inner selves of a woman on the brink. Christie Henry, director of Princeton University Press, will join the author in conversation on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. in the Princeton Public Library News Room.

Katherine is a lost creative soul and suburban mother of two who has struggled into her 40s with the urge to self-harm. She is comfortably married and longs to overcome her dark thoughts. This brisk version of her life is told in alternating short chapters by Truitt, Star, and Smooshed Bug — her inner children — each with their particular strategy for coping with her past at the hands of a hopeless mother and a terrifying, seductive father. Several of her female ancestors join the telling.

Tendency, and NPR’s The Moth. She has released three albums of original music with Big Deal Records.

This event is co-presented by Labyrinth and the Princeton Public Library in partnership with Princeton University Press and is cosponsored by Princeton University’s Humanities Council.

Annual Book Sale to Be Held at Princeton Library

The Princeton Public Library is gearing up for The Friends and Foundation of Princeton Public Library Annual Book Sale, which will take place on Friday, October 13 through Sunday, October 15 in the library’s Community Room.

This year’s sale includes thousands of books for all ages, across a wide variety of topics. Most books are priced between $2 and $3, with art books and special selections priced higher. On the last day of the sale, Sunday, everything will be sold at half price.

The event opens with a Preview Sale on Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. The first 30 tickets for the Preview Sale will be $20 per person, and the next tickets will be $5 per person. Numbered tickets will be available at the door starting at 8 a.m. Customers enter the sale in numerical order, and the number in the room will be limited to 30 customers throughout the Preview Sale. Barcode scanners will be permitted at the tables, but collecting books to scan will not be allowed.

Starting at noon, admission to the book sale is free for the remainder of the sale. Hours are 12-5:30 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 12-5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The sale includes a selection of literary classics, fiction, mysteries, art, history, biographies, food and wine, performing arts, and religion and spirituality, as well as children’s books and many other genres. Special categories this year include classics and ancient history, and selection of vintage science and medical books from a private collection. Items with a Princeton connection will include F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1st edition); Zelda Fitzgerald, Save Me the Waltz (early edition); University Cottage Club of Princeton, 1886-1936 (listing F. Scott Fitzgerald as a member); Toni Morrison, Love and A Mercy (signed copies); Kurt Gödel, On Formally Undecidable Propositions ; John McPhee, Rising from the Plains (signed 1st edition); and Eudora Welty, Losing Battles (signed, limited edition once owned by Bill Bradley).

Hillier: Selected Works presents the design work of the husband-and-wife team of J. Robert and Barbara A. Hillier during the last 25 years coupled with a brief graphic retrospective of the Hillier practice of architecture over 57 years of operation.

Available late fall.

Pre-order now at oroeditions.com/product/hillier

According to Kirkus Reviews, “Trundle’s book is as cheekily humorous as it is deadly serious, a chaotic performance art piece wearing a novel as a disguise. . . . A wildly strange reading experience that disorients and exhilarates in equal measure.”

Trundle is a writer, artist, and performer whose work has appeared across various platforms and publications, including The Brooklyn Rail, McSweeney’s Internet

Other highlighted books include Carlo de Blasis, L’Uomo Fisico, Intellettuale e Morale (a very scarce 1857 book by the Italian ballet dancer with beautiful illustrations) ; Richard Avedon, In the American West (signed copy); Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano, Cat’s Cradle, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (scarce 1970s Delacorte editions); and Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1st edition).

For more information, contact Claire Bertrand, Friends and Foundation Book Sale manager, at (609) 924-9529 ext. 1227, or cbertrand@ princetonlibrary.org.

“A selection of recent multifamily residential, single-family residential, higher education, secondary schools, healthcare, civic, and commercial projects.”

To J. Robert Hillier and his staff on over 57 years of practicing architecture!

Theatre Intime Opens its Season with Timely “Low Pay? Don’t Pay!”; Farce About Theft Tests Credulity, but Actors’ Energy Steals the Show

The farce Low Pay? Don’t Pay! follows two women who become fed up with increasingly exorbitant food prices. The play’s action begins when they take matters — specifically, armfuls of groceries — into their own hands, and leave a store without paying.

A Google search for “high grocery prices” yields an abundance of articles, from a variety of sources, published within the past few months. Given the painful topicality of the subject matter, casual audiences might think that the play is recent.

In fact, it originally premiered in 1974 (at the Palazzina Liberty in Milan), under the title Sotto Paga? Non si paga?

It is written by Dario Fo (1926-2016), a theatermaker and activist who received the 1997 Nobel Prize in literature. Lino Pertile published the first English translation in 1975, under the title Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay!

A more recent translation by Joseph Farrell — Low Pay? Don’t Pay! — opened in 2010 at the Salisbury Playhouse. There are several references to financial news of the 2000s. Farrell notes in a preface to his script that events such as the banking crisis have “given the play a new relevance, and Fo rewrote the script.”

Princeton University’s Theatre Intime is opening its season with Farrell’s translation of Low Pay? Don’t Pay! Elena Milliken directs, using all of the space that the Hamilton Murray Theater offers to stage the frenetic chaos that ensues in many scenes. The actors often are in the aisles as well as onstage.

The script somewhat resembles an extended episode of a sitcom such as I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners, albeit with a resolutely political bent. The action is instigated by a pair of housewives, and much of the comedy lies in the bewilderment of their husbands, who then exacerbate the situation by perpetrating their own schemes.

Frustration at impossibly high grocery prices has led to mass theft at stores. Among the shoplifters are the feisty Antonia (portrayed by Sophia Vernon, in a standout performance) and the more temperate Margherita (Gabe Robare). The two women participate in the theft partly to survive; but especially for Antonia, it also is a matter of taking a stand against an unjust, greedy system.

To her fiery, charismatic performance as Antonia, Vernon brings clipped, assertive line delivery and decisive body language. These are crucial ingredients for a character who spends the play convincing other characters to go along with her plans, and convincing them that ridiculously false statements are plausible.

The women bring armloads of stolen

items — some of which they have taken at random, without looking to see what they are — back to Antonia’s place. Almost immediately a threat is established: in an effort to round up as many shoplifters as possible, the police are conducting door-to-door searches.

Antonia also is anxious to conceal the theft from her husband, Giovanni (infused with authoritative intensity by Tate Keuler). A worker who is loyal to the New Labour party, Giovanni — despite the couple’s poverty — is straight-laced, and pontificates about (among other things) his determination to live honestly, and in accordance with the law.

Antonia desperately attempts to convince Giovanni that she plans to cook with some of the hastily-grabbed items, which include a can of pet food. (Vocal humor stems from more than one character imitating animal sounds.)

Frantically, the women shove much of their contraband under Antonia’s sofa. Antonia asks Margherita to take some of the items with her. She complies, hastily stuffing them under her clothes. In a scene in which Antonia and Margherita desperately are trying to avoid having their deception (literally) uncovered, Robare imbues Margherita with some notable facial expressions that mix panic with amusement.

visited by two policemen. The first is a quasi-sympathetic Sergeant who professes to object to injustice as much as Antonia does, and performs a rather cursory inspection. The second is a gruff Inspector whose search is more determinedly thorough.

Both officers are portrayed by Jack Thompson, who has been cast as Everything Man. Thompson brings sufficient versatility to the role, which also entails playing characters such as an Undertaker and an Old Man who we learn is another character’s father.

The outfits by Costume Designer Layla Williams are in line with the Concord Theatricals website’s suggestion of “contemporary costumes/street clothes.” Thompson is given a dark blue jacket, to suggest a police officer’s uniform.

Continuing to hide the stolen food eventually entails pretending that Margherita is pregnant. This is complicated by the arrival of Margherita’s (initially) guileless husband, Luigi (played by Aatmik Gupta, who underlines the character’s sincerity and bemusement).

The second act manages to top the first in its depiction of absurd, madcap antics, with Antonia introducing discussions of religious rituals and the supernatural into her schemes. It is this latter half that makes particular use of the talents

of Lighting Designer Le’Naya Wilkerson and Sound Designer John Wallar.

Milliken observes in a program note, “Fo presents a critique of moderatism and economic individualism centering personal experiences first. His words were so powerful in 1974, that two weeks after the show first opened, people began following Antonia’s lead and setting their own prices for groceries. This led to protests in the streets of Milan,” with protestors “yelling ‘Non Si Paga! Non Si Paga!’”

The play’s cultural significance does not belie a challenge that it poses to those who perform it. As noted above, the piece has the feel of a sitcom. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. It is advantageous because it allows the audience to contemplate sociopolitical issues via an outlet that is accessible and entertaining.

It also is a disadvantage, because we get a sense of what an I Love Lucy episode might look like if it was inflated to two hours instead of 30 minutes. In many cases it probably would start to fall apart, because the audience would have too much time to start thinking about the implausibility of what they are watching.

Timing and suspension of disbelief matter in most genres — especially comedy — but particularly when characters incessantly believe the improbable. It behooves the production to maintain the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Fortunately, Theatre Intime evinces awareness of this.

Masi Nagdee’s set acknowledges the unabashedly theatrical artifice inherent in the piece. Antonia and Giovanni’s kitchen is rather elaborate; but we can see the strings that hang a window, and an item that is stuffed into a wardrobe is visible even after the door is closed.

Milliken’s staging and the actors’ energetic performances are sufficiently nimble to lend credibility to a scene in which characters fail to notice groceries that are visible under the couch. In general, Miliken and the actors ensure that we are swept up in the moment by keeping the pacing swift. Judging by the reactions of many in the Hamilton Murray audience, they succeed.

“LOW PAY? DON’T PAY!”: Performances are underway for “Low Pay? Don’t Pay!” Directed by Elena Milliken, the play runs through October 8 at the Hamilton Murray Theater. Above, from left: Fed up with exorbitant grocery prices, Margherita (Gabe Robare) and Antonia (Sophia Vernon) commit a theft that they must conceal, not only from the police, but from Antonia’s husband Giovanni (Tate Keuler). (Photo by Rilla McKeegan)

“Low Pay? Don’t Pay!” will play at the Hamilton Murray Theater in Murray Dodge Hall, Princeton University, through October 8. For tickets, show times, and further information, visit theatreintime.org.

Audiences who prefer more serious drama (or a less slapstick brand of comedy) may find Low Pay? Don’t Pay! a bit over the top, despite the seriousness of the issues that it aims to discuss. But those (including this writer) who enjoy farce likely will be entertained by the depiction of madcap events.

In Theatre Intime’s presentation of a comedy about theft, the sheer energy of the actors — along with the fun that they are having with the piece — steals the show.

—Donald H. Sanborn III

Performing Arts

Pemberley December 1-17, The Outsider January 19-February 4, Over the River and Through the Woods March 8-24, The Drag April 26-May 12, and Love’s Labour’s Lost June 14-30.

All performances will be at The Heritage Center Theatre, 635 North Delmorr Avenue, Morrisville, Pa. Visit ActorsNetBucks.org for ticket information.

Artists Discuss Challenges Of Creating Work Today

On October 10 at 7:30 p.m., Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts continues the Atelier@Large conversation series that brings guest artists and intellectuals to campus to discuss the challenges they face in making art in the modern world.

Trio from Scandinavia

Make Richardson Debut

Playing violin, accordion/ piano, and the cittern (a relative of the mandolin), the Nordic band Dreamers’ Circus will make its Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut on Sunday, October 8, at 3 and 6 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.

These concerts are presented as part of PUC’s Performances Up Close series, bringing audiences on stage alongside the musicians for hour-long concerts.

Dreamers’ Circus performs original compositions that blend Nordic folk traditions with influences from jazz, classical, and pop music spheres. The young trio is led by violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen of the Danish String Quartet, a PUC fan-favorite that will be returning to PUC’s Concert Classics series in November.

Prior to both concerts

Tickets for the Dreamers’ Circus concerts ($40 general/$10 students) are limited. Tickets to DoRe-Meet include the full experience — both the

social event and the concert — for $50/general and $20/students. Reduced cost tickets for both the Dreamers’ Circus concerts and the Do-Re-Meet experiences are available for those who qualify for PUC’s Admit All ticket access program. Visit puc. princeton.edu or call (609) 258-2800 for tickets and more information about concerts, Do-Re-Meet experiences, and Admit All.

ActorsNET’s Diverse Season

Starts With Agatha Christie

NORDIC INFLUENCES: The band Dreamers’ Circus performs its distinctive blend of Danish, Swedish, and Icelandic music at two concerts in Richardson Auditorium. on Sunday, October 8, Princeton University Concerts invites attendees to connect over a shared love of music at Do-ReMeet social events for music lovers. At 1 p.m., there will be a Pre-Concert Speed Dating event for people seeking heterosexual romantic connection, paired with the 3 p.m. concert. At 4 p.m., there will be a Pre-Concert LGBTQ+ Mingle event for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community, paired with the 6 p.m. concert. These events are held at Maclean House on Princeton’s campus, just steps from Richardson Auditorium. Attendees can expect to meet their fellow concertgoers through facilitated social activities while sampling catered hors d’oeuvres from Tipple & Rose.

ActorsNET of Bucks County has announced the company’s 27th Season, which includes six shows ranging from a modern political farce to a Shakespearean classic. First is Fiddlers Three by Agatha Christie, running October 13-29 at the Heritage Center Theatre in Morrisville, Pa.

ActorsNET continues to implement changes to enhance the patron experience. This season, in addition to the regularly scheduled three-weekend run with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., ActorsNET is introducing a special Saturday matinee performance during the last week of each production.

The theater has been given a facelift. “Our theater exists thanks to the generosity and support of our deeply valued patrons, which is why it is and has always been my goal to continue to improve the patron experience at the NET,” said General Manager Cat Miller. “It’s my hope that we can offer them a more comfortable and inviting environment where they can continue to enjoy the magic that live, local theater has to offer.”

Following Fiddlers Three , upcoming shows are The Wickhams: Christmas at

For the second conversation in the 2023-24 series, Princeton professor Paul Muldoon, director of the Princeton Atelier, will be joined by Bessie Award-winning choreographer Kyle Marshall and fiction writer Lorrie Moore. The event is held in Richardson Auditorium and is free, but tickets are required. Visit tickets.princeton.edu.

The Princeton Atelier was founded in 1994 by Toni Morrison. The Atelier brings together professional artists from different disciplines and Princeton students to create new work in the context of a semester-long course that culminates in the public presentation of that new work. Recent artists have included Stew, Laurie Anderson, the improv group Baby Wants Candy, and the Wakka Wakka Puppet Theatre.

The Atelier@Large series, established in 2021, is an extension of the Princeton Atelier that brings guest artists and intellectuals to campus to speak on art’s role in the modern world. Among recent guests were Hernan Diaz, Jennifer Egan, Joy Harjo, Sarah Hart, Jennifer Homans, Michael J. Love, Jonathan Majors, Darryl (Run DMC) McDaniels, Anais Mitchell, Suzanne Nossel, Lynn Nottage, Claudia Rankine, and Tom Stoppard. This year’s series is cosponsored by Labyrinth Books.

“Being an artist is tough enough at the best of times,” said Muldoon, “but it’s particularly difficult just now. Artists are coming under pressure from numerous orthodoxies, to both left and right, as to what they must or must not do. Most insidious, perhaps, is the form of self-censorship that has artists second guessing themselves. In addition to honoring some of our finest minds, the Atelier@Large series provides a rare enough forum in which some of these ideas may be aired.”

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After Noon Concert Series

MAKING ART IN THE MODERN WORLD: Choreographer Kyle Marshall, above, will be joined by author Lorrie Moore and poet Paul Muldoon in an “Atelier@Large” event on October 10. (Photo by Tony Turner)

Percussion Ensemble to Play

Free Concert in Pennington

Excelsis Percussion will be performing a free, open-tothe-public concert at The Pennington School on Wednesday, October 11 at 7 p.m. Members of the quartet are Marcelina Suchocka, from Poland; Aya Kaminaguchi, from Japan; Britton-René Collins, from the U.S.; and Mariana Ramirez, from Mexico.

Performing Arts

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Hip Hop and John Cage

At Upcoming Concert

Altamura Legacy Concerts (ALC) presents break dancer Ana “Rokafella” Garcia and pianist Adam Tendler in a program at Princeton United Methodist Church Sunday, October 15 at 4 p.m.

Garcia begins the concert with a talk, demonstration, and viewing of excerpts from her film All the Ladies Say John Cage’s prepared piano music follows with Tendler playing works by John Cage. ALC Artistic Director Cristina Altamura hosts with Adam Sliwinski of So Percussion. A coffee bar opens at 3:30 p.m., with Princeton University piano student Otto Trueman warming up the audience starting at 3:45 p.m.

Garcia is a dance teacher, poet, musician, and

by Labyrinth Books

Tendler has been closely associated with Cage’s work for two decades, working closely with the John Cage Trust and Edition Peters, Cage’s publisher, and performing the composer’s work internationally. His performance will follow a brief dialogue with Sliwinski.

Altamura Legacy Concerts is a new concert series developed in 2023 by Altamura, featuring herself and a roster of guest artists performing on a newly restored 1924 Steinway B grand at Princeton United Methodist Church, home of the Tiffany stained-glass window depicting St. George that graces its facade. Concerts are on select Sundays at 4 p.m. in the Sanford Davis Room of Princeton UMC, adjacent to the church’s sanctuary.

Visit legacyartsinternational.org for more information. Tickets are $30 ($10 for students with ID)

B-GIRL: Rokafella, female break dance pioneer, is featured on October 15 for the “NYC Arts Pioneers” Altamura Legacy Concert at Princeton United Methodist Church. entrepreneur. She has been credited as being a female break dance pioneer and influencing the new generation of B-Girls and B-Boys. She also happens to be a childhood friend of pianist Altamura. Their first collaboration was a choreography for their elementary school talent show to Nena’s “99 Luftballons!” In 2008, they reunited at Central Park Summer Stage with Rokafella’s theater and dance company Full Circle Productions in a piece consisting of urban dance styles set to the music of J.S. Bach, played by Altamura onstage with the dancers. That eventually led to a co-commission in 2015 by the Kennedy Center and The Victory Theatre on Broadway for a theater piece called “Out of the Bachx.” Tendler performs works for prepared and un-prepared piano by John Cage, including his lush In a Landscape and A Valentine Out of Season

In addition to performing the concert, the group will be on campus for a three-day musicians-in-residence program for students. The concert will be held in the Stainton Hall Lecture Center. It is free and open to the public.

Excelsis Percussion’s repertoire spans from classical to avant-garde. Through arrangements including Björk and other pop music covers, Excelsis advocates for multi-genre representation in their programming. Their inaugural program featured women composers, and was premiered in So Percussion’s concert series, “Brooklyn Bound.” They participated in the Tippet Rise Music Festival in Montana, performing John Luther Adams’ outdoor percussion piece “Inuksuit” alongside Doug Perkins and members of the Montana Symphony.

In addition to their active performance schedule, Excelsis delivers master classes and educational workshops, most recently giving a residency at the State University of New York. Visit excelsispercussion. com for more information.

Play by Princeton Senior About Summer Camp

Not Your Buddy , a new play by Princeton University senior Chloe Satenberg, will be presented on October 6 and 7 at 8 p.m., and October 8 at 2 p.m., in the Wallace Theater of the Lewis Arts Complex. Admission is free.

The play follows four female counselors at a Jewish summer camp as they navigate their friendships and confront their history during the time between high school and college. Via monologues and dreamscapes, the play immerses audiences in the tormented mental state of protagonist Buddy, a 17-year-old counselor undergoing an identity crisis.

The play is co-directed by Satenberg and Princeton graduate student Daniel Landez. It is presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Program in Theater.

For tickets, visit tickets. princeton.edu.

Kyle Marshall, artistic director of Kyle Marshall Choreography and “Bessie” Award winner, and Lorrie Moore, fiction writer and recipient of the Rome Prize and the Berlin Prize, talk about what they face in making art in the modern world.

MULTICULTURAL MUSICIANS: Members of Excelsis Percussion come from Poland, Japan, Mexico, and the U.S. They will perform at The Pennington School on October 11.

“East and West” on View at Artists’ Gallery

“East and West,” a joint show of works by Richard Harrington and Debbie Pisacreta, is on view October 5 through November 5 at the Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville. The exhibition features the artists’ work inspired by trips to the Eastern and Western parts of the U.S. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, October 7, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Harrington has earned a reputation as an automotive artist, while Pisacreta is well known for her landscapes and plein air paintings. Both have been longtime members of the Artists’ Gallery, but this is the first time the two have collaborated in a joint exhibition.

A show focusing on works based on the travels in opposite directions was first proposed by Harrington.

“I took a sabbatical from my position as professor of illustration at Moore College of Art and Design in the fall of 2021,” he said. “As part of my sabbatical project, I traveled across the U.S., taking the Lincoln Highway from Philadelphia to Sacramento, Calif., and returning

Art

expressionist application of color, while with Stella’s View of Lambertville I return to a more academic approach to painting. This might seem to be a bit of a resolute approach to painting, but it has always worked for me. I think of myself as a two-dimensional musician who plays both classical and jazz.”

The New Hope Arts Center A Space is at 2 Stockton Street in New Hope, Pa. Hours are Friday 1 to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 12-6 p.m. For more information and to view the exhibition online, visit charlesdavidviera.com.

“Images From Wandering Times” Coming to Gallery 14

East following old Route 66. I have always admired the work Debbie created on her trips to paint in Maine and New England, and I thought showing our work from the East and the West together would make a nice exhibition.’

Pisacreta’s passion is plein air painting.

“I love being outside observing light, colors, and movement, so I choose to paint on site,” she said. “Being in the environment inspires me to create unique compositions that reflect what I consider special about the location. I use my skills as an artist to translate the scene to the canvas, capturing my emotional response.”

Her work has been included in juried art shows such as the Ellarslie Open and Phillips’ Mill. In addition to paintings from Maine, her favorite place to paint, paintings of local scenes and Umbria, Italy, will also be included.

The Artists’ Gallery is at 18 Bridge Street in Lambertville. It is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit lambertvillearts.com.

Works by Charles David Viera at New Hope Arts

The New Hope Arts Center

A Space will host an exhibition of recent paintings and drawings by Charles David Viera, all of which were created in the last two years.

“Charles David Viera, New Works” is on view October 6-29, with an opening reception on Friday, October 6 from 5-8 p.m.

“This is my third oneperson exhibition at the A Space, and it is the first in the newly renovated New Hope Art Center, so it is going to be special,” said Viera.

The exhibition offers Viera’s personal stylistic approach to a variety of subject matter which includes landscapes, animals, and narrative figurative images.

“Some works are more expressionist than others because I consider all of fine art paintings’ possibilities,” said Viera. “As an example, The Three Graces of Akrotiri is a work I created due to my interest in the role of women in Greco-Roman mythology and I tried to re-create the feeling of some of those aged archeological finds with a more

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography presents “Images from Wandering Times,” featuring two members, John Clarke and Charles Miller. Each of them are travelers that capture images in their own unique styles based on what they see, what they find, and what captures their imagination. The exhibit runs October 7 through October 29, with a Meet the Artists reception on Sunday, October 8 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Clarke is a retired architect and world traveler who has turned his creative talents to street photography and has exhibited throughout the region. “Three Places: Mexico City, Havana, and Coney Island” are the focus for this exhibit. While they are very different, they are also very similar, supporting a rich, diverse, and accessible street life.

Working in black and white, Clarke’s images have a timeless quality and

become abstractions because they translate the colors we normally see into a minimalist gray scale. These images capture a decisive moment, conveying emotion, and movement. They speak to the viewer on an individual level as they find differing subjects within the photograph.

Like Clarke, Miller is also a traveler and a wanderer. It may be on an extended trip someplace or simply a walk in the backyard, but he is always looking for something special or interesting. As a curator of galleries and working with a variety of artists, his style and approach

is constantly evolving.

Miller’s “Photographic Wanderings: People, Places, and Things” exhibit is not about a specific subject or theme, rather it is a collection of momentary visions. Some may be my experiments in new styles, some may be experiments in post processing, some may simply be a quick shot of something that caught his eye.

Gallery 14 is located at 14 Mercer Street in Hopewell. It is open on Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. For more information, visit gallery14.org.

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FEATURING:

Hand-crafted food and drink Pop-up performances

Tickets $75 | Atrium, Frick Chemistry Laboratory

Dancing to tunes by DJ Bonics Interactive art experiences tickets

“THE BLUE SWALLOW, TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO”: This painting by Richard Harrington is part of “East and West,” his joint exhibition with Debbie Pisacreta, on view October 5 through November 5 at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville.

“EMOTIONAL SUPPORT”: This photograph by John Clarke is featured in “Images from Wandering Times,” his dual exhibit with Charles Miller, on view October 7 through October 29 at Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell.

“STELLA’S VIEW OF LAMBERTVILLE”: This painting is featured in “Charles David Viera, New Works,” on view at the New Hope Arts Center A Space October 6-29. An opening reception is on October 6 from 5-8 p.m.

“All Around the World”

Exhibit at Gourgaud Gallery

Gourgaud Gallery, located in Cranbury Town Hall, 23A North Main Street, Cranbury, presents “All Around the World” through the end of October. In this plein air exhibition, a variety of artists show their paintings, collages, drawings, and photos of outdoor places in a variety of locations and seasons.

A reception is on Sunday, October 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

As part of a nonprofit Cranbury Arts Council, the Gourgaud Gallery donates

20 percent of art sales to the Cranbury Arts Council and its programs that support the Arts in the community. Cash or a check made out to the artist is accepted as payment.

The Cranbury Arts Council provides arts-oriented programs, workshops, and performances aimed at enriching the cultural experiences of the community and keeping the creative spirit alive in adults and children. Their mission is to foster, support, educate, inspire, and promote artists and art appreciation.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit cranburyartscouncil. com.

New Works by McCullough, Olcott at Morpeth Contemporary In “Donna McCullough + Jody Olcott,” on view through October 22 at Morpeth Contemporary in Hopewell, recent works by the artists offer deeply felt narratives related to women’s rights and animal welfare, two important issues of our time. At once beautiful and hopeful, they capture how art can inspire both reflection and action.

An opening reception is on Saturday, October 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.

McCullough is known for exploring the female silhouette as a representative of beauty, struggle, and power. In her freestanding steel

faculty panel

Perspectives on Doug Aitken’s migration (empire)

Wednesday, October 4, 5:30 p.m.

Forum, Lewis Center for the Arts

Doug Aitken’s twenty-four-minute video migration (empire) is a poetic allegory of modernity and its effects from the perspective of wild animals improbably placed in motel rooms. Join Princeton scholars from the sciences and humanities as they discuss this video installation, which runs every night from dusk to 10 p.m. on the lawn north of the Lewis Arts Complex.

panelists:

Shane Campbell-Staton, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Jeffrey Whetstone, Professor of Visual Arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts

Barbara White, Professor of Music

Moderated by Karl Kusserow, John Wilmerding Curator of American Art

This event is cosponsored by the Lewis Center for the Arts and the High Meadows Environmental Institute.

LATE THURSDAYS! Thursday-evening programming is made possible in part by Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970, with additional support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Doug Aitken, Still from migration (empire), 2008. Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund. © Doug Aitken. Courtesy of the artist; 303 Gallery, New York; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich; Victoria Miro, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles

Olcott’s work is also tinged with advocacy. Like her previous exhibitions at Morpeth, her Requiem Series focuses on extinct and endangered animals. Some are portraits and constructions inspired by Byzantine icons, though here the subject enshrouded with a halo is a member of the animal kingdom, not a religious figure or saint — it is a creature whose demise, whether through habitat loss, poaching, or invasive species, traces to human activity. Olcott further explores the human-animal bond by portraying awe-inspiring exotic creatures that have been removed from their natural habitat and trained to entertain us in carnivals or circuses, with the structural playfulness of her assemblages undercut by the crosshairs or bullseyes that closer inspection brings into view.

Olcott, who holds a B.S. in design and environmental analysis from Cornell University, works out of her studio in Hopewell. Her early work was in both assemblage and collage; it was exhibited in New York City, where she lived in the early eighties. A visit in 1996 to the Kizhi Pogost Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia, left a visceral impression on Olcott that

eventually proved the catalyst for the Requiem Series.

McCullough, who has a studio on her farm in Maryland, shares Olcott’s love of animals, often memorializing horses, fowl, and canines in her steel sculptures. In 2012, McCullough received the Recognition of Excellence Award from the James Renwick Alliance in Washington, D.C. Her previous exhibitions sites include the Corcoran Museum of Art, the Art Museum of the Americas, the Hickory Museum of Art, the International Museum of the Horse, Grounds For Sculpture, and the United States Botanic Garden.

Morpeth Contemporary is at 43 West Broad Street in Hopewell. For more information, call (609) 3339393 or visit morpeth contemporary.com.

Area Exhibits

Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Victor Ekpuk: Language and Lineage” through October 8. artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “East and West” October 5 through November 5. An opening reception is on October 7 from 4 to 7 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. lambertvillearts.com.

Art on Hulfish, 11 Hulfish Street, has “Art About Art: Contemporary Photographers Look at Old Master Paintings” through November 5. artmuseum.princeton.edu.

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “In Whose Image?” October 7 through November 4 in the Taplin Gallery. A reception is on October 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street,

Hopewell, has “Images from Wandering Times” October 7 through October 29. A reception is on Sunday, October 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. gallery14.org.

Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has “All Around the World” through October 31. A reception is on October 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. cranburyartscouncil.org.

“STEP RIGHT UP”: This oil painting by Jody Olcott is featured in “Donna McCullough + Jody Olcott,” on view through October 22 at Morpeth Contemporary in Hopewell. A reception will be held on Saturday, October 7 from 5-7 p.m. and scrap-metal “dresses,” exhibited over the years at Morpeth, she crafted images of the “armor” that women have needed to put on in navigating both the corporate and social spheres of the modern world. Over time her work has evolved into celebrating distinctly female influences in her own life along with the universal theme of empowerment. In recent pieces like Freedom and Lift, in fact, her winged bodies practically take flight: wall-mounted, with powerful wingspans, they symbolize the potential for metamorphosis and renewal, particularly after a period of strife.

Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery,” “Princeton’s Portrait,” and other exhibits. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m., Thursday to 7 p.m. princetonhistory.org

Morpeth Contemporary, 43 West Broad Street, Hopewell, has “Donna McCullough + Jody Olcott” through October 22. A reception is on October 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. morpeth contemporary.com.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Striking Beauty” through February 18 and the online exhibits “Slavery at Morven,” “Portrait of Place: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints of New Jersey, 1761–1898,” and others. morven.org.

Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa., has “94th Juried Art Show” through October 29. Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. daily. phillipsmill.org.

Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, has “Everything’s Fine: Surreal Paintings About Mental Health” through October 15 in the second floor Reading Room. princetonlibrary.org.

Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has “Beatrice Wiesner-Chase” through November 7. smallworldcoffee.com.

West Windsor Arts Center, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “Ode to New Jersey Art Show” through October 28. westwindsorarts.org.

“SNOW MOON”: This work by Linda Gilbert is featured in “All Around the World,” on view at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury through the end of October. A reception is on October 8 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Mark Your Calendar Town Topics

Wednesday, October 4

11 a.m.-3 p.m .: Princeton University Farmers’ Market at Firestone Library/Chapel Plaza. Catalina Empanadas, The Granola Bar, Judith’s Desserts, Little Star Foods, Terhune Orchards, and more. Pumarket@princeton.edu.

7-8 p.m .: Meeting of the League of Women Voters of the Greater Princeton Area, at West Windsor Library, 333 North Post Road, Princeton Junction. Lwvprinceton.org.

7 p.m.: Disney Pixar’s Coco in Concert, at McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place. “Live-to-film” event projected on a big screen with the 20-member Orquesta Folclorica Nacional de Mexico. Mccarter.org.

Thursday, October 5

10 a.m.-3 p.m .: Princeton Farmers’ Market is at Hinds Plaza. Organic produce, pasture-raised meat and eggs, bread, empanadas, pickles, flowers, and more. SNAP/EBT accepted on eligible purchases. Free parking for one hour in Spring Street Garage. Princetonfarmersmarket.com.

10:30 a.m .: Open house and fundraiser for 45th anniversary of the Mercer Council on Alcoholism, at 1931 Brunswick Avenue, Lawrence Township. Mercercouncil.org.

1 p.m.: “Talk & Tea: Tiger Transit,” about Princeton University’s free public shuttle service. At Princeton Senior Resource Center, 101 Poor Farm Road. Free, registration required. Princetonsenior.org.

4:30-5:30 p.m .: Gillett

G. Griffin Lecture: Artist, designer, illustrator, and writer Antonio Martorell discusses the book Deep Colonial Waters: Wars, Bankruptcy, Natural Catastrophes, Pandemics and Healing Through Art at Chancellor Green, Princeton University. Libcal.princeton.edu.

6-7 p.m .: Alborada Spanish Theater performs Flamenco dance on Palmer Square Green. Palmersquare.com.

7-8 p.m.: Jersey Transit a cappella ensemble performs a free concert at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Mcl.org.

Friday, October 6

4:30 p.m.: Open House at Princeton Ballet School, Princeton Shopping Center, 301 North Harrison Street. Meet the staff and faculty, tour the facility, register for classes. Free children’s tap class, sneak preview of American Repertory Ballet’s The Nutcracker, and free classes for ages 5-8, 9-12, and 13 and up. Arballet.org.

5:30-9:30 p.m.: “Birds of a Feather” benefit for Princeton Community Housing at Morven, 55 Stockton Street. Catered by Emily’s Café of Pennington. Pchhomes.org/support/2023.

7-11 p.m .: Princeton Mobile Food Pantry holds “Oktoberfest” fundraiser at the Princeton Italian American Sportsmen’s Club, 8 Found ers Lane. Dinner, beer, wine, music, and dancing, with DJ James Myricks. Pmfpantry. org.

7:30 p.m.: Acting Natu rally presents Beyond the Door and Murder Well-Re hearsed at 164 North Flow ers Mill Road, Langhorne, Pa (267) 798-9165

8 p.m.: Matilda the Mu sical is at Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $24-$26. Kelseytheatre.net.

Saturday, October 7

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: Windsor Community Farm ers’ Market, Vaughn lot of the Princeton Junction train station, 877 Alexan der Road. Fresh produce, seafood, poultry, pastured eggs, cheese, baked goods, and more. Entertainment by Delta Noir. Westwindsor farmersmarket.org.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Family Fun Weekend at Ter hune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Pony rides, ped al and play tractors, kids’ games, animals, stories, food, live music, and more. Terhuneorchards.com.

10 a.m.: Tour of Princ eton University Eating Clubs with Clifford Zink, author of The Princeton Eating Clubs . Includes a visit in side Charter Club. Meet at 40 Prospect Avenue. $20 tickets required to be pur chased in advance. Princ etonhistory.org.

4 p.m.: Acting Naturally presents Beyond the Door and Murder Well-Rehearsed at 164 North Flowers Mill Road, Langhorne, Pa (267) 798-9165 .

8 p.m.: Matilda the Musical is at Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $24-$26. Kelseytheatre.net.

Sunday, October 8

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Fall

Family Fun Weekend at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Pony rides, pedal and play tractors, kids’ games, animals, stories, food, live music, and more. Terhuneorchards.com.

12-2 p.m .: Celebration of 10 years of Send Hunger Packing Princeton, Hinds Plaza. Learn about the initiatives to reduce food insecurity. Bring shelf-stable food to donate. Shupprinceton.org.

12-2 p.m .: The Fabulous Greaseband performs as part of the Music on the Green festival at Palmer Square. Free. Palmersquare. com.

1:30-3:30 p.m .: “Partners in Faith,” a celebration of the partnership between Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church and Nassau Presbyterian Church, at 61Nassau Street. Free.

Email Barbflythe@gmail. com or pamwakefield0@ gmail.com.

2 p.m Matilda the Mu sical is at Kelsey Theatre on the campus of Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. $24-$26. Kelseytheatre.net.

3 and 6 p.m .: Dreamers’ Circus, Richardson Audi torium. Nordic band performs original compositions blending Danish, Swedish, and Icelandic folk traditions with influences from pop, classical, and jazz. Puc.princeton.edu.

4 p.m .: “The Fight for Freedom,” concert at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, 11 Livingston Avenue, recognizing the anniversary of the 1956 fight by Hungarians for their freedom. Conducted by Marius Marton, with soloists and 38-member orchestra. $30$70. Nbpac.org.

Monday, October 9 Recycling

8-9:30 a.m.: Bird Walk with Winnie Spar, at Rogers Refuge, West Drive. Presented by Princeton Senior Resource Center. Free, registration required. Princetonsenior.org.

Tuesday, October 10

7:30 p.m .: The Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University presents the Atelier@Large conversation series, with author Lorrie Moore and choreographer Kyle Abraham, at Richardson Auditorium. The topic is creating art in the modern world. Free but tickets are required. Tickets. princeton.edu.

Wednesday, October 11

1-3 p.m.: Gay People of Princeton, documentary screening at Princeton Senior Resource Center, 101 Poor Farm Road and on Zoom. Free, registration required. Princetonsenior.org.

4 p.m .: Meeting of the Princeton Special Improvement District (Experience Princeton) Board of Directors, at the Nassau Inn, Palmer Square.

7-9 p.m .: The 9th Annual Amazing Pumpkin Carve, Woolsey Park, 221 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville. Giant carved pumpkins, giant crows, and other Halloweeninspired creations; fundraiser for Hopewell Valley Arts Council. Hvartscouncil.org/ amazingpumpkincarve.

7:30 p.m .: Princeton University Concerts’ annual free Chamber Jam at Princeton

OCTOBER

University Chapel; amateurs can sing along with Chanticleer ensemble. Visit puc.princeton.edu for more information.

Thursday, October 12

8-10 a.m.: Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber presents “Real Estate Business Alliance: Liquor License Reform and its Impact on Real Estate,” at Springdale Golf Club, 1895 Clubhouse Drive. Princetonmercer.org.

10 a.m.-3 p.m .: Princeton Farmers’ Market is at Hinds Plaza. Organic produce, pasture-raised meat and eggs, bread, empanadas, pickles, flowers, and more. SNAP/EBT accepted on eligible purchases. Free parking for one hour in Spring Street Garage. Princetonfarmersmarket.com.

12:30 p.m .: Princeton University Concerts’ Live Music Meditation, with the ensemble Chanticleer, at Richardson Auditorium. Puc.princeton.edu.

4:30-6 p.m .: “Seeking Justice: The Civil Rights Movement and the Federal Government,” talk by Princeton professor Kevin M. Kruse at the Friend Center and Mudd Library, Princeton University. Libcal. princeton.edu.

5-9 p.m.: The 9th Annual Amazing Pumpkin Carve, Woolsey Park, 221 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville. Giant carved pumpkins, giant crows, and other Halloweeninspired creations; fundraiser for Hopewell Valley Arts Council. Hvartscouncil.org/ amazingpumpkincarve.

6-7:30 p.m .: Robert W. Sands Jr. and Patricia E. Millen discuss their book Washington Crossing, focused on the Battle of Trenton, at the Old Barracks Museum, 101 Barrack Street, Trenton. A Q&A and book-signing follow. Free. Barracks.org.

6:30 p.m .: Screening and discussion of The Price of Silence, documentary about the history of New Jersey’s enslaved people, at Morven’s Stockton Education Center, 55 Stockton Street. Followed by discussion with the filmmaker and historians. Hybrid event. $5 (free for students and members). Morven.org.

7 p.m.: “Talk of the Sourlands” series presents Mike Bellaus speaking about the Duke Farms Deer Management Program at Duke Farms, 1112 Dukes Parkway, Hillsborough. Free. Tinyurl.com/DukeFarmsDMPs.

Furniture Showroom Plus Interior Design

Is Hallmark of Luxe Home Company

We all need personal shelter, of course.

Once that has been accomplished, the opportunities and choices to create a home that is a haven are limited only by imagination. Style, size, textures, and colors as well as subtle nuances all combine to bring to life a home environment that reflects the owner’s personal taste and lifestyle.

IT’S NEW To Us

Stan and Susan Gulati know all about this. Owners of Luxe Home Company in Princeton Forrestal Village, they are experts in helping homeowners achieve their dream house. As designers, they can direct customers to the desired result, and as owners of the handsome spacious showroom at 126 Village Boulevard, they provide 12,000 square feet filled with an array of furniture and accessories.

The showroom is a treasure trove! Its expanse of windows offers a light-filled space, inviting customers to find just the right piece of furniture, rug, window treatment, lighting, or decorative piece or to create an entire ensemble that reflects their hoped-for home decor.

Enclaves of sample rooms of all kinds provide an atmosphere of enjoyment and creative ideas as customers browse among the intriguing displays.

Enterprising Entrepreneurs

Luxe Home Company opened in 2006 in Princeton Forrestal Village as furniture became an increasing part of the store’s inventory, and more space was needed.

Stan and Susan Gulati had owned its predecessor, ETC Company on Palmer Square, for nine years, and their retail experience dates back even further. As students at Rutgers in 1989, they were enterprising entrepreneurs. Their first store was on campus, and then in 1991, they opened an ETC in New Brunswick.

“As small business owners, we are constantly reinventing, refreshing, and trying to inspire people,” points out Stan. “Having been in the business 30 years, we have learned so much. We love it, and we continue to learn every day.”

The move to Princeton Forrestal Village was an excellent decision, report the husband and wife team. As furniture became more and more important in the store, they wanted to offer a wide variety and display it in an expansive setting.

“We offer top quality, always fairly priced,” they point out. “We find that people enjoy coming to the showroom to look over everything and get ideas. They want to come in and see it firsthand, touch it, sit on it, see if it is comfortable. We have seating for everyone’s size and shape!

“Also,” continues Susan,

“many times customers will come to the showroom for a new sofa or coffee table, and that may later lead to a design project.”

In fact, design has become the major part of the Gulatis’ business since they moved to Forrestal Village. “It was really a demand from our customers,” explains Stan.

“There were more and more requests, and now design is 99 percent of our business.”

Comfortable Atmosphere

Lifestyle is a big factor in the design project, he adds. Do the clients entertain a lot? How do they use the space in a given setting? Where do the kids do homework? Do they need a home office? An entertainment setting? Are there pets?

“Our designs are very customized,” points out Susan. “Also, sometimes people have an idea of what they want, but don’t know how to get there. That is what we can help them do. We can provide help in so many ways, including organizational assistance. During COVID, we were so busy. People were staying home, working at home, and wanted to make improvements and have a nice, comfortable atmosphere.”

Client preferences vary considerably, and the process becomes very individual, reports Stan. “Popular design styles today include new fresh traditional and soft modern, and open floor plans continue to be popular.”

Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity

Sophisticated and elegant, light and airy, relaxed and informal, bold and dramatic, a touch of glamor and drama, or simple, soothing, and down-to-earth — all of these are options, and sometimes blended into a surprising look.

As a design gets underway, the first step is to visit the home, get a sense of the client’s style and wish list, take measurements, and make a floor plan, explains Stan.

“When we go to a home, it is really a fact-finding mission. As we go forward, we focus on the entire design experience. We will give a presentation with a furniture selection, fabrics, colors, rugs, lighting, window treatments, etc.”

Refreshed Look

Their work is predominately residential and includes both existing homes and new houses, says Susan. “We always try to use what people already have, if they wish. We can add a refreshed look to older pieces. Reorganizing and rearranging placement, for example. There are many options.”

Many people are comfortable with an eclectic style today, not focusing on one specific genre. On the other hand, with the open floor plan, an easy and seamless flow throughout the house

regarding color, accent, and style, all pleasing to the eye, is desirable.

As with everything in design, whether fashion or home decor, the finishing touches complete the statement. Whether it is lighting (from chandeliers to sconces), area rugs, decorative pieces, wall decor, and more, these will all highlight the personality of the room. This is Susan’s specialty.

“We always strive to personalize the interior based on the client’s wishes, and this includes all the accessories,” she explains. “Also, we have so much in the showroom to help clients with choices, including more than 5,000 fabric samples, over 1,000 rug samples, and framed art in all styles and sizes.”

In addition to the extensive selection in the showroom, an adjacent warehouse offers many more items available at significant savings. Its 2,000 square feet contain floor samples at 20 to 60 percent off.

Luxe Home Company’s clientele comprises all ages and includes the Princeton area and beyond. Many are regulars, as well as referrals, and now even second generations from the same family are coming, reports Stan.

Cost Effective

“We have had projects in New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, and Naples, Florida, and also clients who have second homes at the shore or in the mountains,” says Stan. “And it’s people of all backgrounds, including young people just starting out, and empty nesters downsizing and reinventing themselves.”

He also likes to point out that the services of a designer can be very cost-effective regardless of the client’s financial status.

“We can save you from costly mistakes,” he says.

“Too often, homeowners make purchases for their homes without a complete plan of how it will fit, work together, and function for their lifestyle. Sometimes, the purchase is made without fully understanding the quality or comfort level. We take the guesswork out and guide our clients every step of the way.”

Stan and Susan Gulati are very proud of the success of Luxe Home Company, and look forward to continuing to provide their clients with high quality products and the expertise of their design service. As they point out, “We believe that good design is not just about looking better; it is about living better. We see how important their house is to people. They want to enjoy their home and be safe at home. We do all we can to help them achieve that.”

Luxe Home Company is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (609) 987-2600, and visit the website at luxehomecompany.com.

—Jean Stratton

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: “We love our work. We get great joy from it, and we help people fulfill their dream. When we show our clients how their house can be transformed, it really is a dream come true.” Stan and Susan Gulati, owners of Luxe Home Company and experts in interior design, are shown in their spacious showroom.

STAFFORD LITTLE LECTURE

Institute Professor at MIT

S ports

With Defense Holding the Fort Against Columbia, PU Football Produces Late Drive to Prevail 10-7

Princeton University quarterback Blake Stenstrom could have hung his head when he threw a screen pass that was picked off and returned for a touchdown by a Columbia defender last Friday night as Princeton found itself trailing 7-3 in the third quarter.

“That was a tough one because it was kind of a weird play in football, it doesn’t happen very often,” said senior star Stenstrom. “It was so sudden, they were up. All of the offensive coaches always talk about next play mentality so that was the thought right away — next play, just move on.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Stenstrom got Princeton moving, engineering a 20play, 81-yard scoring march that culminated with a oneyard touchdown plunge by John Volker as the Tigers prevailed 10-7 over the Lions in their Ivy League opener, battling though rain, wind, and a tough rival before 5,843 at Princeton Stadium.

“All night we had been really close on a lot of our drives; we had shot ourselves in the foot a number of them so on last drive we put it all together,” said Stenstrom of the drive which lasted more than 10 minutes as Princeton improved to 2-1 overall. “The whole team across the board did a great job, the offensive lineman blocking, the receivers made some amazing catches. Ultimately we came down to get one yard and John Volker ran through somebody and made a great play and a touchdown.”

Despite Princeton’s offensive struggles, which saw six possessions end with a punt and another on the interception after a Jeffrey Sexton field goal in the first quarter, Stenstrom sensed the Tigers would ultimately come through.

“Our guys believed the whole time, they didn’t get discouraged,” said Stenstrom. “That is the thing I think you look for in a team is that they still have the fire in their eyes late in the game. Things weren’t going great offensively. It was just awesome to see the guys keep believing and put together one final drive to win the game.”

Junior receiver Luke Colella has emerged as a key guy for the Tigers, making five receptions for 53 yards against Columbia, including a crucial fourth down reception late in the gamewinning drive.

“Luke has done a great job stepping up this year and all offseason,” said Stenstrom, who ended up connecting on 26-of-41 passes for 191 yards. “I knew he would have a great year, he has shown up in the first couple of games. He made some amazing catches. That one on the fourth down and seven where he reached out and plucked it barely off the ground was amazing. He has done a great job as well as the rest of our young receivers. They are just truly stepping up and I am proud of them.”

Stenstrom was proud of the way the Tigers bounced back from a 16-13 overtime loss to Bryant a week earlier which saw them squander a 13-3 fourth quarter lead and fail to convert on a fourth and inches in overtime.

“It was punch in the gut last week it was a wake-up for a lot of guys on the team, myself included,” said Stenstrom. “We did a really good job this week in practice. We had a great week of practice with great attention to detail.”

The Tigers produced a great defensive effort on Friday, holding the Lions to 179 yards total offense and recovering two fumbles as they gave up no points.

“They did an amazing job tonight, they stuffed them the entire game,” said Stenstrom. “It was similar to last year’s game, it was a defensive score for Columbia as well.”

Sophomore defensive lineman Bakari Edwards helped key that effort, making a key sack to help snuff out the Lions as they tried to rally after the Princeton touchdown.

“Our goal is always turnovers, turnovers, turnovers; an elite defense wins championships,” said Edwards.

“Like Liam [Johnson] and Ozzie [Nicholas] always say, it is about us. We had to go out there and do our part and get some turnovers. It was just a great win overall.

I am happy for the team.”

In reflecting on the program’s sustained defensive excellence over the years, Edwards credited it to the bonds developed among the players across classes.

“It is the culture, we are a brotherhood,” said Edwards. “We have great leaders. We have younger guys always looking up to the older guys and older guys always mentoring the younger guys.”

Taking that mentoring to heart, Edwards has developed into force on the front seven, having recorded a team-leading four sacks this fall.

“My role has always been a little ambiguous, trying to find myself trying to find where I could fit in and just getting right with coach [Steve] Verbit,” said Edwards, a 6’1, 225-pound native of Homestead, Fla. “He got me right and helped me find who I was and it turned out it was a pass rusher. That is my role. Whenever they need me, I go out there and do it for my guys. We all have each other’s back. I just have to do my part and do my role.”

Princeton head coach Bob Surace liked the way his team got it done against Columbia, showing progress from the Bryant defeat.

“I told them it was growth, we were in a similar game last week against Bryant, we were up late and just didn’t make the key plays,” said Surace. “I think it is one of the best games Blake has played. The stats aren’t going to show it — there were dropped balls, balls that were an inch out of bounds,

and penalties — but he played really well.”

Surace credited Stenstrom with keeping his cool after the pick six.

“That was on us, we have run that play before,” said Surace. “They saw it and jumped it. They are a wellcoached team and well coached teams are going to see those things. I felt like we were in the fringe red zone, we couldn’t get it until that last drive. It just felt like we are close, we are close and at some point, we just had to break through.”

While the offense scuffled, the Tiger defense held the fort.

“The defense is playing lights out, they didn’t give up a touchdown,” said Surace of his defensive crew which is holding foes to 194.0 yards game. “Blake is just doing a great job. I think the speed on our rush is doing really well, whether it is him, Sekou Roland, Nick Sanker or it is the linebackers. We are showing a lot of looks. Verbs (Verbit) is doing a great job with some tremendous, unique athletes, blitzing, dropping and making it hard for a quarterback to hit his first read.”

With Princeton hosting a Lafayette team off to a hot 4-1 start on October 7, Surace believes that the rally against Columbia bodes well for the future.

“It was composure, attention to detail in the fourth quarter — we had every reason to splinter,” said Surace. “It is a young team.

I am looking at body language and they were up the whole time. We all need to self-reflect — what I can do better, what they can do better. Because we are young, there is hopefully going to be growth each week.”

Stenstrom knows that the Tigers will have to keep growing to overcome a tough Leopard squad.

“We take the whole season one week at a time; next week we have Lafayette, they are always a good out of conference opponent,” said Stenstrom. “We are going to watch this game film, get corrected and then get ready for Lafayette. That is the mentality, one week at a time. If you keep focused on one week at a time, good things happen at the end of the year.”

Edwards, for his part, is confident that there are some good things on the horizon for Princeton.

“This was a great bounce back, this is just the beginning,” said Edwards. “We have a lot of things to fix. At the end of the day, I trust the coaches, I trust my teammates, I trust our leaders. We are going to come back stronger and better every week.”

Alden

DRIVE TIME: Princeton University quarterback Blake Stenstrom fires a pass in a game last year. Last Friday night, senior Stenstrom engineered a 20-play, 81-yard fourth quarter drive against visiting Columbia that related in the game-winning touchdown as Princeton prevailed 10-7. The Tigers, now 2-1 overall and 1-0 Ivy League, host Lafayette (4-1) on October 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

—Bill

Tell them you saw their ad in

Building on U.S. Junior National Experience, Goalie

Temkin Starring for PU Men’s Water Polo

West Temkin made history with the USA Men’s Junior National water polo team last summer.

He would like to make more as part of the Princeton University men’s water polo squad. Following a strong freshman year that ended when Princeton was eliminated in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals by No. 1 USC to end a program-record 27-win season, the sophomore goalkeeper is aiming higher.

“The goal is to win a national championship, something that hasn’t ever been done by Princeton or any East Coast school I believe,” said Temkin. “I think if we could do that, we’d really put East Coast water polo on the map. Yes, we beat Stanford last year and UCSB, but that means nothing to us. Obviously those were great wins, but if we can keep taking it to the next level, I think the only way to prove to people that East Coast water polo is what it is to win a national championship. That’s my goal. By the time I leave I want to have that under my belt.”

Temkin is trying to build on the confidence gained after a history-making summer. He was named the tournament’s most outstanding goalie after helping the United States win its first medal at a Junior World Championships. Temkin made 12 saves in an 11-6 win over Greece for the bronze medal.

able to medal there,” said Temkin. “I don’t think anybody expected us to do it, but if it was going to happen, it was with this team. In past years the junior national teams haven’t put this much emphasis on prior training together and this whole selection process like they did this year. If it was going to be any team, it was going to be our team.”

Temkin, who has been a part of national teams since the summer before his high school freshman year, began the tryout process last January. He flew to California once per month for training camps in which the invitees were whittled down to the final roster that traveled to worlds in Romania. Temkin missed weekends at Princeton to train with the team.

“We’re crunched for time as opposed to these other countries that get to train with each other all the time,” said Temkin. “The chemistry we had, a lot of us have played together on previous national teams. I’ve played with about 70 percent of the team that was there in Romania before with national team or club teams or against them in college. It was awesome to make history and be a part of that, actually playing, and putting in the work. It was all worth it.”

Being named the goalkeeper of the tournament was another unexpected bonus. He began the trip to worlds as the back-up goal -

He shined throughout the tournament and was honored for his performance.

“My parents were there, which was so cool,” said Temkin, a 6’3 resident of Alamo, Calif. “They weren’t even sure if I was going to play in it, and they were deciding if they should come or not. They came. I didn’t even know I was going to get the award until two seconds before I got it. So they were surprised and I was surprised. It was awesome.”

Temkin is looking to continue to raise his own level and that of the Tigers. It’s the only way that Princeton will reach new heights. He’s tried as best he can to use all of his different experiences to return for his second season at Princeton a better player.

“It’s tough to get used to the level of play here compared to what it was internationally, just because it’s so different,” said Temkin. “It did help with confidence and all the little tiny things I did correctly in Romania that I can bring into this play. But it is different play.”

Though the dynamics, make-up and styles of the national and Princeton teams are different and the competition level as well, Temkin has been able to stand out in both. He is joined in goal on the Princeton roster by Kristof Kovacs, the goalie from 2022 gold medalist Hungary.

“I love having another good goalie on the ros

yoga Midterms Edition

Thursday, October 12, 5:30 p.m.

Take a break from studying to explore the healing benefits of yoga on a beautiful autumn evening. Please bring your own mat.

East Pyne Courtyard

In the case of inclement weather, the yoga class will be held in Frist Multipurpose Room A.

it breeds competition and the only way I’m going to get better is with competition. When there’s a lesser goalie behind me I think I get complacent, so I think it’s great to have Kristof there. We always compete in practice and in the pool and in games. And it’s honestly nice to get to switch off. We get to rest when we need rest and we’re both getting better together and making each other better, so I’m super fortunate to have that.”

The two are the backbone of a defense that is still coming together for Princeton midway through the season. After losing a pair of games against tough West Coast competition, the Tigers returned to DeNunzio Pool to sweep a weekend trio of Northeast Water Polo Conference games this weekend. The No. 6 Tigers defeated No. 20 Harvard, 17-11, and MIT, 14-7, on Saturday before topping No. 18 Brown, 15-9, on Sunday.

“I thought we played pretty well overall,” said Temkin, who had 11 saves Sunday in the win over Brown and also played against MIT while Kovacs played against Harvard. “Our offense is getting there. Obviously we let up an average of nine goals per game, which is good to keep them to single digits, but our team specifically has a big emphasis on defense. Against Harvard and MIT, we let one guy score six goals on each team, primarily out of center. So we have to work on moving in our zones. I also think it’s a great start to league games beating each team by about six goals each time. So I thought this was a great start to league games for us.”

Princeton, 14-2 after the weekend sweep, will play at LIU and at Iona on Saturday before another challenging road trip out west. The Tigers face UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and UCLA in a stretch from October 15-18. Princeton is looking forward to more tough competition and trying to protect against getting in a rut of practices, games and school becoming too routine after the early euphoria of kicking off the season has worn off.

“We have to really embrace every opportunity to get better,” said Princeton head coach Dustin Litvak. “This weekend we have two games against LIU

and Iona. Iona is an upand-coming team. They’re both in shallow/deep pools, something we don’t have any practice in. It’s very abnormal. There’s no other sport where you show up and the field of play is different. The challenges are there to try to play the right way and approach the different pool dimensions the best we can. It’s about taking each of these practices seriously the next two weeks and putting ourselves in a position to tackle that California trip. We go out there again, and it’s about getting better. So we have to be ready for a more physical style of play, a different style of officiating, and playing against teams that are getting oneand two-goal games pretty much every weekend. It’s good competition.”

The Tigers hadn’t had many close games when they made their first trip out to California and it showed. But Princeton learned from that trip and feels better prepared when it sees top competition again.

“We definitely learned a lot about what it takes to compete at the highest level, every possession is important,” said Litvak. “We watched a lot of video and a lot of tape from our California tape of how many wasted possessions we had on offense. There were definitely some things to fix on the defensive end, but we definitely took away from there how poor our attack was in 6-on-5 and even 6-on-6. So I think it got a lot better this weekend, but you don’t know because some of it is just based off the competition you’re getting.”

George Caras led a balanced attack in the win over Harvard with a hat trick. Roko Pozaric scored five goals to pace the offense against Brown. Princeton has been sorting out its roles after replacing last year’s graduates and welcoming in this year’s class of first-year players as well as bringing back junior Mason Killion, who took a year off from school last year.

“I think every year from now on we’ll have better and better teams,” said Temkin, who has totaled 93 saves so far this season and has posted a .557 save percentage.

“Obviously it’s tough to lose players like Keller Maloney and Joan (Coloma), the guys that were the leaders last

year, but I think people are stepping into that role really well. We still have Yurian (Quinones). So the team dynamics are just different because we have different players, and I think that will constantly be changing over time, but I think we have an even stronger team than last year. We have more potential. We just have to reach our potential.”

Temkin gained valuable experience in his first year at the college level. He rotated in goal with Antonio Knez, who graduated and is playing as a graduate student at Pepperdine this year.

“It’s so different from playing high school or even national team stuff,” said Temkin. “The team was super, super supportive. We worked through our defense really well obviously backing me up. Obviously as a goalie, you’re only as good as your defense. They were there to back me, which was amazing. They helped me play the way I wanted to play, and I helped them play the way they wanted to play. We worked really, really well together and I think that’s something we’re carrying on this year.”

Replacing Knez has proven easier than some other positions just because Princeton can go with either Temkin or Kovacs in goal, and know they have proven performers there despite their youth.

“I think we’re blessed to have both of them,” said Litvak. “I think West definitely has learned our system more. I think he’s becoming more comfortable in what we’re trying to do as a team. But also when you’re going back and forth between the USA team or whatever national team and a college team, systems are different so you have to make adjustments. West has great energy and he’s a great communicator. He’s super athletic. I can’t say enough about how blessed we are to have both of those guys.”

The two are already accomplished internationally, and are establishing themselves in the collegiate game. They are part of solid starting point in the back for a Princeton men’s water polo team that has historic aspirations as it prepares for the second half of the season.

—Justin Feil

GOING WEST: Princeton University men’s water polo goalie West Temkin winces as he makes a save in action last season. Last weekend, Temkin helped Princeton go 3-0 in Northeast Water Polo Conference action as the No. 6 Tigers defeated No. 20 Harvard, 17-11, and MIT, 14-7, on Saturday before topping No. 18 Brown, 15-9, a day later. Princeton, now 14-2, plays at LIU and Iona on October 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

LATE THURSDAYS! This event is part of the Museum’s Late Thursdays programming, made possible in part by Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970. Additional support for this program has been provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

PU Sports Roundup

Tiger Women’s Soccer

Loses 2-1 at Brown

Lexi Hiltunen scored the lone goal for the No. 13 Princeton University women’s soccer team as it fell 2-1 at Brown last Saturday.

Hiltunen’s goal came with 18 minutes left in the second half on a feed by Lily Bryant after she got possession of a loose ball in the midfield.

Princeton, now 6-2-2 overall and 1-1 Ivy League, plays at Penn on October 4 before hosting Yale on October 7.

Princeton Field Hockey

Edges Cornell in Shootout

Coming through in dramatic fashion, the Princeton University field hockey team edged No. 20 Cornell in a penalty shootout after the teams had tied at 2-2 through regulation and two overtime periods.

Princeton goalie Robyn Thompson turned away six of the seven shots she faced in the shootout after stopping a breakaway in the second OT.

The Tigers, now 4-5 overall and 2-0 Ivy League, host Penn on October 4, play at Brown on October 6 and then host Syracuse on October 8.

PU Women’s Volleyball

Falls 3-1 at Yale

Lucia Scalamandre played well in a losing cause as the Princeton University women’s volleyball team fell 3-1 at Yale last Saturday.

Scalamandre contributed 11 kills and six blocks but it wasn’t enough as Yale prevailed 25-16, 25-18, 21-25, 25-13.

Princeton, now 6-6 overall and 3-1 Ivy League, plays at Harvard on October 6 and at Dartmouth on October 7.

Tiger Men’s Cross Country Competes in Paul Short Run

Connor Livingston was the top finisher for the Princeton University men’s cross country team as it competed in the Men’s College Gold 8K race at the Paul Short Run last Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa.

Senior Livingston finished in 134th place with a time of 25:16.5.

Princeton will next be in action when it competes in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wis., on October 13.

PU Women’s Cross Country Takes 6th in Beantown Race

Tsion Yared set the pace as the Princeton University women’s cross country team placed sixth of 16 teams at the Battle in Beantown Women’s 5k last Friday in Boston, Mass.

Senior Yared took 13th individually in a time of 17:32.2 with classmate Maggie Liebich the next Tiger finisher coming in 15th in a time of 17:34.8.

In the team standings, Harvard placed first with a score of 61 while Princeton totaled 136 in taking sixth.

Princeton will be competing in the ECAC/IC4A Championships on October 13 in New York City.

Tiger Women’s Rugby Falls to AIC

Malinka Kwemo had a big

game but it wasn’t enough as the Princeton University women’s rugby fell 46-14 to American International College last Sunday.

Kwemo scored a try and made both conversion attempts as the Tigers moved to 0-3.

Princeton is next in action when it hosts Harvard on October 14.

Princeton Football Star Travis Named Campbell Semifinalist Princeton University senior star offensive lineman Jalen Travis has been named as a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, the National Football Federation said last week.

Offensive tackle Travis, who was recently added to the 2024 Senior Bowl Watchlist and the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 list, was a second-team All-Ivy League performer in 2022.The 6’9, 315-pound Travis, a native of Minneapolis, Minn., was a starter on the offensive line that helped Princeton post the Ivy’s No. 1 passing offense and No. 2 scoring offense last year.

The award, considered by many as the “Academic Heisman,” recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership, and the candidates also comprise the pool of nominees for the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments.

The 201 semifinalists have been nominated by their schools as the best all-around student-athlete

on their respective football teams. Each nominee must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The candidates come from all levels of play in the NCAA and the NAIA.

This year will mark the 65th year of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments and the 34th year of the Campbell Trophy, which was added to the program in 1990. The NFF will announce 12-15 finalists on October 25, and each finalist will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments. One of the finalists will be named the winner of the 34th Campbell Trophy during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on December 5 and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

TOWN TOPICS

care of Princeton’s trees

WILLPOWER: Princeton University men’s soccer player Will Francis kicks the ball upfield in a game this season. Last Saturday night, sophomore forward Francis scored the goal for Princeton as it tied Yale 1-1. The Tigers, who moved to 3-3-1 overall and 0-1-1 Ivy League with the draw, host Columbia on October 7 and then play at Seton Hall on October 10. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Sparked by Bobetich’s Emergence as a Force, PHS Girls’ Volleyball Rolls to Superb 15-0 Start

Kaelin Bobetich didn’t waste any time making an impact as the Princeton High girls’ volleyball team hosted Northern Highlands last Saturday morning in a clash of state powerhouses. Sophomore opposite hitter Bobetich came up with several big hits at the net as PHS jumped ahead 4-1 over the Highlanders and built its lead to 14-2 lead on the way to winning the first set 2511.

“The mindset was just to play really hard and do our best, I was so excited,” said Bobetich. “I really like getting kills in the first set because I feel it just sets the tone for the whole match. It made us feel really comfortable so we could just play our best.”

In the second set, PHS weathered a rally by Northern Highlands to prevail 25-20 and close out a 2-0 victory and move to 14-0.

“The other team came out playing harder,” said Bobetich, who ended up with seven kills, 11 digs and two blocks in the victory. “I think we responded as well. We were missing more than we were in the first set.”

The triumph marked the second big victory for PHS in a week as they had rolled to a 2-0 win (25-20, 25-4) over a highly ranked Paul VI squad on September 22. The Tigers have risen up the NJ.com Top 20 poll and are now ranked No. 4 in the state.

“That was our best win,” said Bobetich of the victory

over Paul VI, then ranked No. 4 in the NJ.com poll.

“Today was definitely is a statement win, especially because this team is in the Top 20.”

In assessing the squad’s sizzling start, Bobetich points to the bonds between her and some of the team’s other top stars.

“I think it is because we have been playing together so long,” said Bobetich.

“Lois [Matsukawa], Naomi [Lygas], and Charlotte [Woods] have been playing together for a really long time. We play for Princeton Volleyball Club. I have been playing with Charlotte and Lois since I was 11 years old and I am 15 now.”

Bobetich’s play has pressed with one high school season under her belt.

“I think this year I am a better player because I know more what is going on the court,” said Bobetich. “My court sense is better.”

Demonstrating her improved court sense, Bobetich moved into a different role for the squad when Matsukawa was sidelined recently.

“Lois was out for a week so I had to step into setter,” said Bobetich. “I like setting, it is a big responsibility.”

PHS head coach Patty Manhart was confident that her squad would step up in the matchup against Northern Highlands.

“Looking at Group 3 power points wise, they were only a couple of spots be-

hind us and they are from the north so we really don’t know those teams,” said Manhart. “We knew that they had a really good record. We definitely watched game film. We talked about their strengths and weaknesses. We prepped for this game. We look forward to our out of conference games. We definitely see it as a test.”

The Tigers passed that test with flying colors, setting the tone with their opening salvo against the Highlanders.

“They know how important it is to come out strong, to build their own sense of confidence and knowing that they can beat this team,” said Manhart. “They really put everything into those first couple of points, maybe Northern Highlands was a little bit rattled. They definitely had a better second set. They came back in the second set but my girls hung tough and got the job done.”

PHS showed some grit in the second set as it held off the Highlanders.

“There were a lot of clutch plays, there were some serve receives that we had gotten stuck in before,” said Manhart. “The fact that later in the second set, they could side out and get the ball back right away shows real toughness.”

Facing formidable opponents should help the Tigers come through in the clutch down the stretch of the season.

“We need to get used to playing high stakes and tougher teams and being in that position so that way we learn how to stay loose, play our game and trust ourselves,” said Manhart. “We want to have these tests before we go into the postseason.”

Manhart credits Bobetich with bringing a lot of game to the Tigers.

“She had been setting while Lois was out, I think she was just so excited to get back to her usual position,” said Manhart. “Kaelin, Naomi, and Charlotte were recently described as a threeheaded monster so to have that hitter back in was exciting. You want a balanced attack on a top team, you can’t just rely on one person. You need to be able to move the ball around. Having her back in the rotation at her usual spot was really helpful.”

The superb play of sophomore standout Lygas, who had seven kills and six digs against Northern Highlands, has been a constant for the Tigers.

“She is amazing, she is cool, calm and collected,” said Manhart. “Naomi gets it done, she is never afraid to swing. She is very smart on defense, her serving is always strong. It is everything — she is going to be that staple.”

The team’s third sophomore star, Woods, is having a strong campaign.

“I love that Charlotte is a smaller outside, she is not afraid to swing big and crank the ball through the block,” said Manhart of Woods, who had five kills and six digs against the Highlanders. “When she is able to get those really big points, they usually come at good times for us. Charlotte is always impressive too.”

Junior setter Matsukawa has developed into the steadying force who runs the show for PHS. She contributed 15 assists and two digs in the win on Saturday.

“You cohere around your setter, everything is just able to run smoother,” said Manhart. “We knew this week we had conference games against teams we beat the first time around so we felt OK having Lois rest. The game plan was for her to come back today. She is that glue and meld and we play our best game when she is on the court. She runs our offense, she keeps us calm and together, so it is great to have her back.”

At the key libero spot, junior Pearl Agel sparks the Tiger defensive effort.

“We needed passing and defense against this team, we knew they had good hitters out of the middle and out of the outside,” said Manhart of Agel, who contributed 15 digs against the Highlanders. “Pearl had a lot of good digs and a lot of good touches. Block coverage was something she did well today. They had a tall front row, just being able to keep those points alive on our side made a big difference. We were able to win those longer rallies.”

While Manhart is excited by her team’s hot start, she believes that it has to maintain its competitive fire and balance to produce a big finish.

“We are halfway through the season, how we start is

important and it is nice that we are getting accolades,” said Manhart, whose team topped WW/P-North 2-0 (25-11, 25-13) last Monday to improve to 15-0 and plays at Northern Burlington on October 5 before hosting Lawrenceville School on October 9.

“I like it and it gives us confidence. I am concerned with how we finish and just being able to stay consistent and stay healthy. The core group of girls who are in the starting lineup came back and are just stronger than before. All of the girls who might be in those other positions at middle still do a really nice job. They are

important in the front row getting blocks and getting touches. So that fact that we have that strong team effort is what keeps us going. I think if a team scouts us, they can’t necessarily pick apart one thing. It is balanced, that is what helps.”

In Bobetich’s view, the squad’s big three sophomores can make the difference down the stretch.

“We are a tight group; being the three hitters on the team we all connect with each other really well,” said Bobetich. “It makes the communication on the court great.”

— Bill Alden

SPECIAL K: Princeton High girls’ volleyball player Kaelin Bobetich hits a serve in a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, sophomore star Bobetich contributed seven kills, 11 digs, and two blocks as PHS topped Northern Highlands 2-0 (25-11, 25-20). The Tigers, who topped WW/P-North 2-0 (2511, 25-13) last Monday to improve to 15-0, play at Northern Burlington on October 5 before hosting the Lawrenceville School on October 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Fueled by Keegan’s Versatility, Production, PHS Field Hockey Looking Formidable at 5-0

Getting a rare night game as it played at Hightstown

High last Thursday evening, the undefeated Princeton High field hockey team was primed to put on a show.

“The team as a whole was ready to come out here and play, definitely being under the lights gave us a lot of energy,” said PHS senior star Delaney Keegan. “We knew this was going to be a competitive game. We definitely wanted to come out strong and keep the energy up.”

Dominating play from her defensive midfield spot, Keegan got PHS off to a strong start, tallying two goals in the first quarter as the Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

“We worked cohesively as a unit and I could not have done that well without my team,” said Keegan, reflecting on her first quarter outburst.

Keegan works well with classmate Erin Liggio as the two have formed a deep connection over the years.

“I have been playing with her for almost eight years,” said Keegan, whose first goal against Hightstown came on an assist from Liggio. “It has been school and club, all of that has definitely kept us connected.”

In the second quarter, the Tigers displayed their offensive firepower, outscoring the Rams 5-0 as Keegan, Liggio, and Mia Ramirez each scored one goal with Reva Doshi chipping in two.

“Going into it, we wanted to keep our energy consistent the whole game no matter what the score was,” said Keegan. “Coming out for the second quarter, we had a lot of energy. We kept it strong on the ball.”

PHS never looked back as they rolled to a 9-0 victory, improving to 5-0 on the season.

“Our team is really good, it has done a really good job at connecting this season

and really adjusting to each other’s play,” said Keegan, whose team ended up with four goals and an assist in the win and now has 12 goals and four assists on the season. “We are all in it for each other — no one is in it for themselves. I think that is a really big thing to have on a team, a connection like that is really important. I am really happy playing with these girls. It is really nice.”

With her superb skill set, Keegan is happy to play anywhere for the Tigers.

“Depending on the game, I will do whatever is needed,” said Keegan. “If I need to hang back more defensively, I have played some back this year. If I need to help the offensive play, I will play offensively. I have become a more offensive player this year. I have stepped up more from the back, playing defensive mid for two years in the row.”

Looking ahead, Keegan will be bringing her game to the next level as she has committed to attend Cornell and play for its field hockey program.

“I am really happy, it was a long process,” said Keegan, noting that her mother is a Cornell alumna.

“It was stressful to say the least but I am really happy with the whole entire thing. I am really excited to be part of that program, they are doing really great right now. I love the coach, the girls are great. I am really excited.”

PHS head coach Heather Serverson was excited by the way her team came out of the gate against Hightstown.

“Our goal is to start off with intensity, we have had some issues with that,” said Serverson. “We knew that Hightstown was going to really come after us and bring their A-game and they did. They really tested us nicely. One of our main goals today was to really play with

intensity and get two goals as fast as possible.”

In the second quarter, the Tigers played some of their best hockey of the fall so far with their five-goal effort.

“We have really been working on that tight, small passing game and looking for the long ball when it is open,” said Serverson. “They were spot on with that today. It was literally like they took the drills that we did this week and put them right into the game. It was awesome. I am so happy.”

Serverson is happy with the team’s offensive balance as Liggio tallied two goals and two assists against the Rams with Doshi scoring two goals and Ramirez chipping in one goal and two assists in addition to Keegan’s output.

“We are not a one-woman show, we have the ability to score all over the field,” said Serverson. “Even some of our defenders have great offensive skills.”

While Keegan has displayed her scoring ability this fall, she has done so within that the team context.

“Delaney is a very skilled player but she is also a team player,” said Serverson. “She is not out here to pad her own stats.”

The Tiger defense is putting up some impressive stats, having only yielded one goal in its first five games.

“They have been improving each game,” said Serverson. “They have also been working on their marking and their communication which looked really good today.”

With PHS getting off to an impressive 5-0 start, Serverson likes the way her players have come together on and off the field.

“I am just happy about the way they are connecting on the field,” said Serverson. “We have a supportive team environment. Everyone is

getting along, everyone is encouraging each other. We actually work on that first before the hockey. The main goal coming into preseason is keeping everyone happy and on the same page, kind of like a family.”

Over the long haul, Serverson believes that the Tigers need to pace themselves in order to achieve their goal of making a deep postseason run.

“We just need to stay heathy and stay well rested,” said Serverson. “Being a student-athlete comes into

play with all of the homework but we are really trying to do a lot to manage their hydration, their nutrition, and their sleep schedules. We started in the preseason with those conversations. We didn’t have those games for a couple of weeks and I was telling the girls our season is getting very condensed, it is going to get very physical and you are going to feel tired. We have to make sure that we take care of our bodies now and they are doing a good job.”

Keegan is confident that

the Tigers will keep doing a good job.

“It is just taking it one game at time and being there for each other,” said Keegan. “It is being a team at the end of the day and just keep working the way we are working. I am confident in this team. I am really, really happy about the direction of this team.”

—Bill Alden

SCORING SPREE: Princeton High field hockey player Delaney Keegan gets ready to send the ball up the field in recent action. Last Thursday, senior star midfielder and Cornell commit Keegan tallied four goals and an assist as PHS defeated Hightstown 9-0. Keegan has scored 12 goals and four assists so far this season. The Tigers, who improved to 5-0 with the win, host Princeton Day School on October 4 before playing at Hamilton West on October 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Join Ruth

, founding member of Anonymous 4 and Sound Healing practitioner, in this time of live music for meditation and introspection.

With Senior Standout Tangen Leading the Way, PHS Girls’

Cross Country Shines at Shore Coaches

Kyleigh Tangen already has signed up to run the HiTOPS Princeton Half Marathon in November for the second straight year.

If everything goes as planned, though, the Princeton High senior will also have another big race that same weekend. Saturday’s fifth-place finish for the PHS team in the Varsity B girls race at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park shows that they could reach the Meet of Champions, back at Holmdel the day before the half marathon.

“I’m super happy that we came in fifth and I’m sure everybody is,” said Tangen. “Making it to Meet of Champs is huge and significant, and I think we’re in an amazing position with our finish (Saturday).”

Tangen was the Tigers’ second finisher, 17th overall in 20 minutes, 51 seconds over the 5,000-meter course. PHS was paced by freshman frontrunner Grace Hegedus, who ran 20:07 for third, a whisker behind second. Rachel Xin and Frances Jonson were 50 th and 51st respectively with just three seconds separating them. Mila Trkov rounded out the PHS scoring in 57th place in 22:49. Tessa Thai ran 22:58 for 62 nd and Avery Ellen Bahr ran 24:42. The Tigers were fifth with 165 points, trailing fourth-place Mendham by nine points and comfortably 45 points better than sixth-place Shawnee. Rigdewood placed first with a score of 69.

“For the new runners who haven’t been on this team before, especially the young runners, (Saturday) being their first big meet it was an interesting experience for them and I think they handled it well,” said Tangen. “They’ve come into high school with such good knowledge of racing already and that makes me very excited for what we’re going to do as a team this year because nobody is really inexperienced. We’re all amazing runners and we just have to find a way to run together as an amazing team. I think (Saturday) was the first step in figuring out how to do that.”

Tangen is looking forward to the rest of her final season of scholastic cross country, but there is no end to running for her. Tangen, who also swims for PHS and runs track and field, sees a future in running beyond PHS, and her passion for it has only been fueled by the start of this season.

“I really am having an amazing time running this year,” said Tangen. “The girls and the guys on the team, the whole team, is super friendly and inspirational and I’ve been having such a fun time coming to practice every single day. And this makes me want to run in college. And it makes me even want to run beyond college. This year, I’m signed up for the Princeton Half Marathon. It’s going to be my second year doing it. Beyond college, I want to run more half marathons

and even a marathon, maybe make it to Boston.”

She aimed to run last year with 2023 PHS graduate Lucy Kreipke before they split apart to finish on their own. This year Tangen’s goal, especially as she anticipates coming off a Meet of Champions appearance the day before, will be simply just to finish.

“It was honestly super fun,” said Tangen. “I really enjoyed it. I’m excited to be doing it this year.”

A less experienced PHS boys team still finished ninth in its Varsity B boys race at Shore Coaches. Joshua Barzilai led the way in 39 th in 17:50. Cole Rose was 54th in 18:13, Evan Raphael placed 60 th in 18:18 with Braedyn Capone three seconds and two spots back of him before Felix Yu finished out their scoring in 84th in 18:39. Emilio Gonzalez Toro was 117th and Ziyang Ling was 141st

“I was really pleased,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk. “This was our first invitational of the season. We got washed out last week, so it was good to see everyone get out. We had a pretty strong performance across the board. We’re super young on both guys and girls in terms of both class and experience. We’re so young that we had to scout the course at Holmdel (Saturday). We don’t normally do that. We have a continuity of experience that we don’t really have to do that often. That put us in an interesting position.”

Tangen is far and away the most experienced of the PHS girls. She has been contributing in the top five for the team since she was a freshman. The dynamics of the team have changed a bit each year, and this year’s changes are the biggest for her.

“For the past two years, I’ve been in a pack with the two older girls on the team, and now that they’re gone I’m going to be running with some different girls and I’m going to have to be in a different position in the pack,” said Tangen. “I’m going to be leading the pack rather than in the back of it. It was interesting to see how that dynamic played out yesterday and what I have to do to be a better runner this season.”

Tangen focused Saturday on putting more effort into her downhill running and was pleased with her individual result. As happy as she was with her own efforts, she was even more excited about others. In slippery conditions after a week of rain, and against the toughest competition and a course that the Tigers have seen yet, there was a lot of promise shown.

“One thing that I’m very excited about the people who were on the team last year, specifically the ones that were in the back, who are now returning runners and they have that experience now and they’re stepping up,” said Tangen. “There has been a ton of growth from our returning runners especially, which has been really amazing to see. People like Tessa Thai and Frances Jonson have

really stepped up this year. I’m so happy to see they’ve been putting in so much good training and they’ve been having excellent races. Even Holmdel, which is a very tough course, they ran faster (Saturday) than ever last season, which is incredible to see.”

Tangen is trying to do her part to help them develop. She has stepped into a captain’s role, where she hopes to follow the path of past leaders.

“Being a senior now and having to lead this team, for one thing I’ve been influenced over my high school career by a bunch of amazing athletes,” said Tangen. “They shaped me as a runner all my years of high school. I hope to be the same kind of captain that they were for me.”

The leadership role comes with added responsibility, and Tangen is embracing her duties. She is following PHS’ past leaders in laying the groundwork for her team to reach its potential.

“Being a leader this year, I’ve had to step into taking my training and my recovery incredibly seriously and setting a good example for everybody about how to take care of their bodies both physically and mentally, especially as it pertains to schoolwork,” said Tangen. “It is making sure you’re getting enough sleep and not stressing too much about school because those things can really affect your running performance. Stepping into this leadership position has made me a better runner because I’ve been having to model taking care of yourself, which helps me take care of myself. It’s making me stronger.”

The Shore Coaches meet gave PHS its first big test of the season and a chance to evaluate how the team

is developing as they approach the biggest meets of the year.

“For years, we had a very known group of girls that were running really well together,” said Smirk. “They’ve graduated, so Kyleigh Tangen is our voice of experience there and she’s done an absolutely fantastic job. Then we have a lot of girls that a year ago just started the sport, and in some cases we have freshmen who ran middle school and are getting to know our program. I’m thrilled with what the girls side gave us, and that goes all the way down to JV. We were able to get ourselves a little healthier. We had some athletes coming back from some stuff and we got them a race (Saturday) and we were able to take third place in the JV race.”

The season continues with a busy back-to-back. Divisional championships are slated for October 6 with the Fall Classic at Thompson Park, site of the Central Jersey Group 4 sectionals later in the year as well, to be run Saturday. The season has been shortened which gives the young team a week less to grow than past years, but Smirk was encouraged by what he saw at Shore Coaches and how the young team raced.

“Across the board, they are hungry,” said Smirk. “They are making great decisions. I’m thrilled with the decisions they made (Saturday) once the races went off. But they’re raw and made a lot of mistakes too, and we’re going to have to reflect on that and get better from that. One of the nice things about having a young team is when they’re willing to do work they’re going to see growth throughout the season. So I’m excited.”

— Justin Feil

Last Saturday, senior Tangen placed 17th in the Varsity B girls race at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park. Tangen’s effort helped PHS finish fifth in the team standings in its race.

PHS Boys’ Soccer Hosts Rally for Gershkovich, Supporting Former Tiger Star Being Detained in Russia

Wit. Intelligence. Persistence. Those are some of the qualities that stood out about Evan Gershkovich when he played for the Princeton High boys’ soccer program from 2006-2009.

“When he was here it didn’t take long to figure out how special he was,” said former PHS boys’ soccer head coach Wayne Sutcliffe in describing star midfielder Gershkovich, a mainstay of the Tiger squad that won the 2009 Group 3 state championship.

“He had an amazingly high soccer IQ. He was very bright academically and he was also one of the funniest guys on the team. He started every single match in his three seasons in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Evan never had a bad day — he persevered through everything. We won everything you could win in New Jersey soccer.”

Sutcliffe delivered that assessment at a rally at the PHS turf field held on September 26 before the Tiger boys’ soccer team hosted Notre Dame in support of Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested on March 30 in Russia on charges of espionage and is currently being held in Lefortovo prison in Moscow.

The event drew a throng of friends, former teammates, and colleagues on a chilly, overcast, drizzly afternoon,

most wearing “Free Evan” buttons. The PHS players and coaches wore white Tshirts with “#IStandWithEvan” emblazoned across the front.

In Sutcliffe’s view, Gershkovich’s strengths will help him deal with his current situation.

“My thought right now and my hope, along with all of us, is that he still has that resolve,” said Sutcliffe of Gershkovich, who has denied the charges. “As I am saying this and he is halfway around the world, he is handling it just like he would handle being in an extra time match where you have to be at your best. If I know Evan well enough, I know that he is pursuing that.”

Wall Street Journal Financial Enterprise Editor Ken Brown, a colleague and friend of Gershkovich, saw the rally as a part of the paper’s ongoing campaign to get Gershkovich released and an effort to bring some cheer to him.

“I hope we do two things today: raise attention, and we are going to have stories about Evan,” said Brown, noting that a similar rally was held at Bowdoin College, Gershkovich’s college alma mater. “Evan’s old team is wearing the T-shirts and is out here for him. We are going to send pictures to him and that should really lift his spirits at a time when he really needs spirits lifted.”

The PHS players responded to the ceremony with a spirited effort, edging Notre Dame 1-0 on a late goal by Matthew Kim to remain undefeated on the fall.

A former Tiger star, Thatcher Foster, one of Gershkovich’s former teammates and his friend, was heartened by the display of support.

“I just want to let you know how much it means to have you guys all here, the two teams here, just continuing to support Evan,” said Foster, who was joined at the event by another former teammate Max Reid. “I speak for Max when I say do anything you can to keep him in the front of your mind — talk about him, ask Wayne about him, write to the Wall Street Journal, write to your congressman. Keep him in the front because of how special he is, this is the goal of all of these events.”

Reid, for his part, wasn’t surprised at the turnout last week.

“Evan’s real superpower was connecting with people of different backgrounds, years, and personalities,” said Reid. “I think that is what made him such a great captain for our team, a great friend, and a great reporter.”

Foster sounded an optimistic note, hoping for a future ceremony including Gershkovich.

“Here’s to us coming here next year and having Evan speak to all of you and telling you it wasn’t that big of a deal,” said Foster.

— Bill Alden

With Senior Standout Mousa Tallying 2 Goals, PDS Boys’ Soccer Ties Moorestown Friends 2-2

Despite getting off to a frustrating start this fall that saw it lose its first seven games and score only one goal in the process, the Princeton Day School boys’ soccer team brought plenty of energy to the pitch as it hosted Moorestown Friends last Wednesday.

“It has been tough so we tried hyping up the boys to come out and get a win,” said PDS senior star Yaseen Mousa.

“That was our first goal in mind. Getting the win is the most important thing, that is what we were trying to do.”

After the teams battled to a scoreless draw in the first half, Mousa got the first goal of the contest with 33:47 left in regulation. “My coach (Brian Thomsen) was telling me to call for the ball in behind,” said Mousa, who has scored the team’s other goal this season in a 4-1 loss to Life Center Academy on September 26. “I was waiting for that long ball from Todd [Devin] and then I saw that and it was bouncing, so I just hit it one time and it got into the goal.”

A minute later, Mousa struck again, finding the back of the net on another run down the field as PDS went up 2-0.

“After that first goal, it was fun celebrating with the team,” said Mousa. “I had to get the other one, that was great.”

But it was Moorestown Friends who got to celebrate down the stretch, scoring two unanswered goals in the last 9:14 of the second half as they forced overtime.

“It was very annoying, that is on us,” said Mousa, who got annoyed after the second Foxes goal that came in the waning seconds of regulation, drawing a red card. “This whole regular season is a learning

experience for us so once we get into the state tournament, if this scenario happens again, we won’t give up the lead.”

Playing a man down, PDS held off Morristown Friends to earn a 2-2 draw, showing progress despite not getting that first win.

“Yesterday was the first time we had scored a goal this season, now that we had two today,” said Mousa. “We are going to build on it and hopefully we will be successful in the future.”

In order to help PDS be successful, Mousa is ready to use his versatility.

“I can play anywhere, last year I was playing up top and on my club team I play up top,” said Mousa. “Wherever I am needed, I go and play.”

PDS assistant coach Bonniwell “BG” Graham felt that the squad was on the verge of a win as it took on Moorestown Friends.

“I feel like we have played our best three games all season coming into today,” said Graham. “We hit a little blip yesterday (the 4-1 loss to Life Center Academy), but Saturday was a good game (a 1-0 loss to undefeated Princeton High). Last week, the guys had a great week of practice and I felt like they were turning the corner. Us being able to get a goal yesterday and us being able to get two goals today, that is more goals than we scored the whole year.”

While the teams were knotted in a scoreless draw at halftime, Graham believed that the Panthers had the momentum.

“Today in the beginning of the game we came out with a completely different formation and put some guys in different positions,” said Graham. “We put Yaseen up front. We did that yesterday because we realized that we can’t continue to defend without scoring.”

Mousa’s play up front made a difference. “He is sitting on a brace and I was surprised that he didn’t get that hat trick,” said Graham. “As a senior, he is giving us all effort and all heart. He can play everywhere. He is a gamer. I am not sure where we would be without him.”

Junior goalie Oren Yakoby kept PDS in the game with some dazzling saves.

“Oren is one of the best keepers in the league hands down,” said Graham. “We are going to be able to get him back next year. We could have lost that game without the saves he made. There was one wide-open breakaway which he was able to stop.”

Junior midfielder Todd Devin showed his game as well against the Foxes, battling hard in the midfield throughout the contest.

“Todd is always solid, there is never a game where he is not the solid warrior that we need,” said Graham.

Graham is confident the Panthers can produce some solid play collectively as they head down the stretch.

“This is a building block, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are we,” said Graham of the squad that fell 2-0 to Steinert last Monday to move to 0-8-1 and will host Trenton on October 6, play at Hopewell Valley on October 7, and host WW/P-South on October 9.

“Guys are starting to step up into the roles that we need them to. As long as we are going forward and making progress as opposed to regressing, I think the sky is going to be the limit.”

Mousa, for his part, believes PDS is going in the right direction.

“We have to stay focused and in every game we have to give it 110 percent,” said Mousa. “We just have to stay locked in, no matter who we are facing.”

—Bill Alden

STANDING TALL: Princeton High boys’ soccer coaches, from left, Ryan Walsh, Patrick Remboski, and Seb Ratzan show their support for Evan Gershkovich last week, wearing “#IStandWithEvan” T-shirts as PHS got ready to host Notre Dame. Gershkovich, a mainstay of the Tiger squad that won the 2009 Group 3 state championship, is a Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in Russia on March 30 on charges of espionage and is currently being held in the Lefortovo prison in Moscow. The PHS program and the Wall Street Journal organized the September 26 rally in support of Gershkovich, who has denied the allegations.

BEING SEEN: Princeton Day School boys’ soccer player Yaseen Mousa, right, dribbles the ball in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior star Mousa scored two goals as PDS tied Moorestown Friends 2-2. The Panthers, who fell 2-0 to Steinert last Monday to move to 0-8-1, host Trenton on October 6, play at Hopewell Valley on October 7, and host WW/P-South on October 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Hun

Football : Doomed by making five turnovers, Hun fell 17-7 at Malvern Prep (Pa.) last Friday night. Liam

Thorpe scored the lone touchdown for Hun on a 61yard interception return as the Raiders dropped to 3-1 and saw their 21-game winning streak snapped. Hun hosts Blair on October 7.

Field Hockey : Piper Morey came up big to help Hun defeat the Stuart Country Day School 5-0 last Thursday. Freshman Morey tallied three goals as the Raiders improved to 4-2. Hun hosts Penn Charter (Pa.) on October 4 and the Blair Academy on October 6.

Boys’ Soccer : A late rally fell short as Hun lost 3-1 at Newark Academy last Saturday. The Raiders, who moved to 3-5 with the defeat, host the Blair Academy on October 6.

Girls’ Soccer : Unable to get its offense going, Hun fell 2-0 to Westtown School (Pa.) last Saturday. The Raiders, now 1-5, play at the Pennington School on October 4 before hosting the Blair Academy on October 7.

Lawrenceville

Football : Losing its third straight game, Lawrenceville fell 14-3 to Springside Chestnut Hill (Pa.) last Sat-

urday. The Big Red, now 1-3, will look to get back on the winning track when they host Penn Charter (Pa.) on October 7.

Field Hockey : Sparked by Emma Hung and Price Donaldson, Lawrenceville topped Penn Charter (Pa.) 2-0 last Monday. Hung and Donaldson each tallied a goal as the Big Red moved to 2-3-1. Lawrenceville plays at the Pennington School on October 9.

Thursday. The Tigers, now 5-5, host Steinert on October 5, play at Middletown South on October 7, host WW/P-South on October 9, and then play at Trenton on October 10.

Girls’ Tennis : Winning each match in straight sets, PHS topped Notre Dame 5-0 last Thursday. The Tigers, now 5-2, host Allentown on October 10.

PDS Stuart

Field Hockey : Samantha Danny starred as PDS defeated Notre Dame 4-1 last Monday. Dandy tallied two goals to help the Panthers improve to 9-0-1. PDS plays at Princeton High on October 4 before hosting Ewing on October 6 and Hightstown on October 9.

Girls’ Soccer : Suffering its first defeat of the season, PDS lost 2-1 to Notre Dame last Monday. The Panthers, now 5-1-1, host Robbinsville on October 4 and WW/PSouth on October 5 before playing at Hopewell Valley on October 7 and at Hamilton West on October 9.

Field Hockey : Goalie Emily Harlan made three saves in a losing cause as Stuart fell 2-0 to Peddie School last Friday. The Tartans, now 3-3, host Burlington City on October 4 and South Hunterdon on October 6.

Local Sports

Rec Department Holding Sign-Up for Dillon Hoops

The Princeton Recreation Department is now taking registrations for the 2024 Dillon Youth Basketball League.

Mason Merse had an interception return for a touchdown and Lachlan Arnold returned a punt for a TD for the Chiefs. Shail Besler ran and passed for touchdowns in the winning effort. Matthew Robinson ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Dylan Chambers for the Eagles.

the victors. Reid Goodrich and Everett Zweig each scored for the Vikings.

EL TRAIN: Princeton High football player Ellington Hinds races up the field in recent action. Last Friday night, sophomore defensive back/receiver Hinds made a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown and hauled in a 49-yard TD reception to help PHS defeat Holy Cross Prep 29-0. The Tigers, now 4-2, host Cherry Hill East on October 7.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Football : Producing a dominant performance, Pennington defeated Tower Hill (Del.) 32-8 last Friday. The Red Hawks, now 3-0, host Mastery High of Camden on October 7.

Field Hockey : Emma Nelson and Genevieve Vallieres starred as Pennington defeated Peddie School 5-1 last Monday. Nelson and Vallieres each scored two goals as the Red Hawks improved to 4-4. Pennington hosts the Academy of New Church (Pa.) on October 4 and Bishop Eustace on October 6.

Boys’ Soccer : Matty Lynch triggered the offense as Pennington topped the Hill School (Pa.) 6-0 last Saturday. Lynch tallied three goals and an assist to help the Red Hawks improved to 6-0. Pennington hosts Paul VI on October 7.

Girls’ Soccer : Sparked by Morgan Kotch, Pennington defeated the Hill School (Pa.) 8-0 last Saturday. Kotch contributed three goals and an assist as the Red Hawks moved to 8-0. Pennington hosts the Hun School on October 4 and Paul VI on October 7.

Pennington PHS

Boys’ Soccer : Sparked by Harvey Smith and Pasquale Carusone, PHS defeated WW/P-South 7-0 last Saturday. Smith and Carusone each scored two goals to help the Tigers improve to 10-0. PHS plays at Steinert on October 5 before hosting Gill St. Bernard’s on October 7 and Trenton on October 10.

Girls’ Soccer : Holly Howes and Quinn Gallagher tallied goals as PHS edged Nottingham 2-1 last

The Dillon Youth Basketball League is a storied program for the Princeton community that is entering its 52nd season. The league consists of both games and clinics. It is open to boys and girls in grades 3-10 who are Princeton residents and non-residents who attend school in Princeton.

The Dillon season will taking place from JanuaryMarch 2024 and games will be held Saturday mornings at the Hun School. The program is a recreational league intended for players of all skill and experience levels. “Dillon Basketball” is about playing the game the right way, teamwork, and having fun.

To register, log onto register.communitypass.net/ princeton under “2024 Winter Sports Programs.” Registration is open until January 2, 2024, or until divisions are at capacity. More information can be found online at princetonrecreation.com.

Princeton Junior Football League Recent Results

In action last week in the Princeton Junior Football League (PJFL) Seniors division (Grades 7-8) , the Christine’s Hope Lions defeated the Mercato Broncos 33-13. Cooper Casto ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Alex Spies. John Monica added two touchdowns on the ground and his brother, Jamie Monica, had an interception return for a TD. Aibree Green rushed for a touchdown and received a touchdown pass from Ilan Spiegel for the Broncos. The TSS Photo Vikings topped the Petrone Steelers 36-12. Eli Salganik threw two touchdown passes to E.J. Edwards and one to AJ Davidson for the Vikings. Salganik and Judah Lerman each ran for a TD while Nathan Stock returned a kickoff for a TD. The Steelers had a TD pass from Roy Bellace to Xander Cox and an interception return for a TD from Xander Cox. The Woodwinds Chiefs beat the PBA 130 Eagles 33-12.

In the Super Juniors division (Grades 5-6), t he Besler Cardinals defeated the PBA-130 Broncos 2619. Leo Miele threw a touchdown pass to Oliver Ridings and added two rushing TDs. Aiyan McCollum had an interception return for a TD to help secure the win for the Cardinals. Christian Barr had a rushing touchdown for the Broncos, a passing TD to Teddy Hogshire, and a receiving TD thrown by Hugh Kelly. The Princeton Global Eagles and TSS Photo Vikings tied 1414. For the Eagles, Theo Salganik connected with Luca Agosto for a TD, and Agosto hit James Carter for the tying touchdown and 2-point conversion. Luke Branagh had two touchdowns for the Vikings. The Petrone Associates Steelers topped the Christine’s Hope Giants 45-27 in an offensive shootout. Theo Henderson and Kyle Dauber scored three touchdowns each for the Steelers in the victory.

In the Juniors division (Grades 3-4), t he Lululemon Eagles edged the UOA Cardinals 21-19 as Andrew Lutz passed for a touchdown to Connor Widener and ran for two touchdowns in the win. Kaden Taffer hooked up with Carson Smith for three touchdown passes for the Cardinals. The Petrone Associates Steelers defeated the Christine’s Hope Giants 37-12 on the strength of two interception returns for touchdown and a touchdown run from Nazir Rollins. Tyler Spiegel added a touchdown catch and rushed for a TD in the win. The Giants got TDs on a run from Rohan Gregory and a pass from Max Pitts to Rehm Casto. The TSS Photo Broncos topped the COE Smiles Vikings 32-13 as Evan Boyle passed for two TDs and ran for another while Christopher Pepek accounted for three touchdowns of his own. The Vikings were led by Aiden Spies with a touchdown run and a touchdown pass to Rylan Kukla.

As for the Rookie division, (Grades 1-2), the PREA Chiefs edged the COE Vikings 21-14 as Chase Barr scored three touchdowns for

BOARDING TRAINING

The Christine’s Hope Giants defeated the UOA Cardinals 49-28, led by Sebastian Cole, who scored three touchdowns, and Max Brown, who had two. Jake Brown and Miles Stock also chipped in with a TD each. For the Cardinals, Graham Wilkinson scored two touchdowns and Cormac Shay and Henry Robinson had one TD apiece. The Petrone Steelers held off the PREA Falcons 49-42 in a wild contest. Xavier Marcus led the Steelers with four TDs while Jamison Keel added two and Jack Stephan had one. For the Falcons, Edward Ostrowsky scored three touchdowns with Henry Arns adding two TDs and Gavin Martin contributing one.

Post 218 Legion Baseball Holding Player Evaluation

The Princeton American Legion Post 218 baseball team will be holding a second player evaluation for its summer 2024 season on October 15 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Smoyer Park in Princeton.

Players living in the Princeton municipal boundary or who are attending a high school in Princeton are eligible to play, as are residents of Cranbury, and residents of West Windsor. (West Windsor players must live on the Route 1 side of West Windsor Community Park to be eligible.)

The roster size will be 18 to 23 players. There are additional spots available on the team practice roster. The season will run from May 20-July 23. The team will practice and play five days a week with approximately 25 games and 12 team practices.

The team will be primarily composed of varsity high school players, rising varsity players, and college freshmen (college age freshmen born on or before December 31, 2004 are NOT eligible). The competition is level is high as Post 218 will play each Legion team in Mercer and surrounding counties. Away games are typically within a 30 minute drive of Princeton. Smoyer Park is Post 218’s home field.

Players are expected to adjust their summer work and vacation schedules around the Legion schedule. The cost will be $595 per player. Contact team general manager Jon Durbin with any questions at jonwdurbin@ gmail.com.

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