Volume LXX, Number 1 Jamie Bernstein, Composer Leonard Bernstein’s Daughter, Talks about Her Documentary on the El Sistema Program . . . . 13 With Koelzer Catching Fire from the Blue Line, PU Women’s Hockey Extends Winning Streak to 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Hun Boys’ Hockey Repeats as Purple Puck Champs, Hopes Winning Tourney Will Lead to Strong Finish . . . . . . . 26
Celebrating the “Fearless Inventions of”PrincetonHopewell-based PrizeWinning Poet C .K . Williams, Who Died September 20 . . . . . . . 9 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 15 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Classified Ads . . . . . . . 30 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Music/Theater . . . . . . 13 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 29 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 20 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 30 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Service Directory . . . . 31 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Biology Professor Simon Levin Wins National Science Medal Simon Levin, Princeton University professor of biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, will receive a National Medal of Science, the country’s highest honor in science, at a White House ceremony in early 2016. “It was a delightful surprise,” Mr. Levin said. ”For me, there is no more meaningful recognition than the National Medal of Science, and I am grateful to so many for their support — family, mentors, colleagues, and students. Princeton University has been a wonderful place to pursue the interdisciplinary work that is essential for dealing with the challenges of managing our environment sustainably.” Mr. Levin’s work in ecology has shaped how scientists consider the larger implications of local factors, according to Lars Hedin, chair of ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton. “His work on ecological theory and on how macroscopic patterns emerge from local interactions among organisms has influenced a generation of scientists,” Mr. Hedin stated, “and is continuing to influence the way we think about biodiversity, complexity, and human agency in a world that is undergoing rapid environmental change.” Mr. Levin described his award as “a great recognition for the importance of ecology and environmental science. So many of my colleagues in the ecological community have expressed their sense of gratification in that recognition.” Complexity, particularly how largescale patterns — such as at the ecosystem level — are maintained by small-scale behavioral and evolutionary factors at the level of individual organisms, has been the focus of Mr. Levin’s research. His work uses observational data and mathematical models to explore topics such as biological diversity, the evolution of structure and organization, and the management of public goods and shared resources. In addition to ecology, Mr. Levin, the Moffett Professor of Biology at Princeton, has also done research in the fields of conservation, financial and economic systems, and the dynamics of infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance. “In recent years,” Mr. Levin states on his website, “I have turned my attention to the parallels between ecological systems and financial and economic systems, Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Consolidation a “Seminal Event,” Mayor Says
Speaking to a packed room of citizens and representatives of local, county, and state government, Mayor Liz Lempert ushered in 2016 at Princeton Council’s official reorganization meeting Monday evening by going over accomplishments of the past year and touching on some plans for the new one. Starting with a look at consolidation three years after the merger was put in place, Ms. Lempert told the audience, “Today I’m happy to report that it is working, and working well.” She touted net savings of $2.77 million since Princeton Borough and Township were made into one entity, and said more savings can be expected in coming years. Ms. Lempert began the meeting at Witherspoon Hall by recognizing former Borough mayors Mildred Trotman and Marvin Reed and former Township mayor Phyllis Marchand, with a special proclamation for Mr. Reed. He and his wife Ingrid have recently moved from Princeton to Montgomery, and Mr. Reed has stepped down from the Planning Board. The audience gave him a standing ovation. Also in attendance were U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, state Senator Kip Bateman, Mercer County
Executive Brian Hughes, Mercer County Freeholder Andrew Koontz, and other county politicians. The oaths of office were administered to fire chief Dan Tomalin, deputy chief Kyle Rendall, and assistant chief Salvatore Baldino. Council members Lance Liverman and Heather Howard were sworn in for new terms. Mr. Liverman was voted new Council president after being nominated by outgoing president Bernie Miller. Citing Mr. Liverman’s status as the only elected official in Princeton who was born in the
town and attended its public schools, Mr. Miller called him “a real Princetonian who understands our town and the workings of our community.” Each member of the governing body except for Patrick Simon, who was unable to attend, offered brief remarks. “I don’t take my elected position lightly,” Mr. Liverman said when it was his turn. “Moving forward is the new theme.” Councilwoman Jo Butler thanked staff members, particularly the town’s engineer Bob Kiser, who Continued on Page 8
Timothy Vasen, University Theater Director, Remembered as Colleague, Teacher, Friend Close to 300 family members, friends, colleagues, and members of the Princeton community gathered Sunday in the James M. Stewart ’32 Theater at 185 Nassau Street on the Princeton University campus to remember and celebrate the life of Timothy Vasen. Mr. Vasen, 51, lecturer in theater and director of the Program in Theater at Princeton, died on December 28 following an accident at his home in Brooklyn, New York.
The gathering also included current and past colleagues from the Yale School of Drama and Baltimore’s Center Stage. More than a dozen speakers shared memories of Mr. Vasen as a dedicated family man, an avid outdoorsman, a food aficionado and cook, a world traveler, a talented theater director, and a generous colleague, teacher, and mentor. “Some of us have lost a very dear friend, one of the finest human beings we Continued on Page 29
AVALON LOOMING: According to the AvalonBay website, apartments and townhomes are expected to be offered for lease starting in the summer of 2016: “This is not just apartment living . This is living up .” For more information, visit www .avaloncommunities .com . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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