BEFORE AND TO THE FUTURE: ON3
In 1929, a photo of the main building on the Roche campus. At
Clifton is a place where the American Dream is sown, planted and harvested by thousands of us, year after year. This magazine you are holding, now in its 29th year, is a testament to that can-do attitude I share with so many of my fellow Cliftonites.
Every month, my staff and I are proud to chronicle the people of our hometown with photos, stories and advertisements that celebrate who we are and how we got here.
This month, “starting with the past,” we bring readers on a Clifton journey, when, for some seven decades, a career at Hoffmann-La Roche enabled prosperity, opportunity and advancement for thousands of North Jersey residents.
Roche was a place where generations of employees not only worked but prospered. For many, it lifted families from a just-getting-by status to a lifetime of solid employment, to a promised pension for the retirement years.
From the Editor Tom Hawrylko
Change came with a thud in 2012. That’s when Roche announced the closing of the Clifton-Nutley plant. What follows are stories of former Roche employees, recalling their work on the campus and what the closing meant to them.
Good news and a new chapter began in 2016. That’s when Eugene Diaz and Prism Capital Partners purchased the property, calling it ON3, with the theme of “Live Work Play.” Since then, billions have been invested, as his firm has brought in New Jersey’s first medical school, attracted hi-tech firms, created new infrastructure throughout and brought in thousands of medical students and employees.
ON3 proposes hi-rise buildings with 1,087 apartments on the Clifton campus where those folks can live, work and play. Read on, and learn more about the vision for ON3.
14,000 Magazines are distributed to hundreds of Clifton Merchants on the first Friday of every month.
Contributing Writers
Ariana Puzzo, Joe Hawrylko, Irene Jarosewich, Tom Szieber, Jay Levin, Michael C. Gabriele, Jack DeVries, Patricia Alex
Hawrylko, Sr.
Puzzo
Irene Kulyk
right, rendering of a 71,000 square foot office building ON3.
Photo courtesy of Mark S. Auerbach
STARTING WITH THE PAST: ON3’s Vision for a Thriving Clifton-Nutley Community
By Ariana Puzzo
The bright future that dawns today on the CliftonNutley border is reminiscent of a different era. One defined by family, camaraderie, and a feeling of deep pride that saw many generations of families drive daily along Route 3 East to their job at Hoffmann-La Roche.
While the Roche Group announced the closure of its property in 2012, people saw potential in the historymaking property. Not unlike what was first seen by the Swiss multinational holding healthcare company when it broke ground 84 years prior, Nov. 17, 1928, for its thennew U.S. headquarters.
Since October 2016, Prism Capital Partners has privately owned the property. Now known to both municipalities and the surrounding region as “ON3”, it gets closer every day to becoming a hub for residents who wish to call it home. Now, perhaps, in the most literal sense of the word.
Having already spent $250 million of its capital on improvements to infrastructure on the site, Prism is proposing a Phase IV to their ON3 redevelopment plan. The proposed fourth phase requires a change in zoning to allow for a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use area.
On May 21 and July 9, before the City Council and Clifton community, Prism founder Eugene Diaz outlined how Phase IV would cover roughly 22 acres of land. The area — entirely on the Clifton portion of the ON3 property — would provide individuals with spaces to work, live, and shop. Diaz also discussed the longer-reaching motivations behind the project.
“[Every time a dead mall or former headquarters has] been developed as a mixed-use plan,” he said, “it has longer term stability, overall higher values, [and] less frequency of people moving in and out of it.”
The primary goal is ensuring what happened in 2013 doesn’t happen again: a single occupant picking up and leaving with an end result of “devastating two communities.”
“We didn’t need that,” said Diaz. “We want people that are here long term, stable that are going to continue and understand the value of … being within that community.”
No one understands that commitment better than Roche’s past employees. Which is why, along with hearing from the experts, we spoke to the community. And, from them, learned just how life changing Roche was for them and their neighbors.
Photo courtesy of Mark S. Auerbach
Kathy McGlory
Roche saved Kathy McGlory’s life. “I think one of the most important things that I’m grateful for — I’m going to get emotional talking about this,” said McGlory, 75. “I got breast cancer in 2007, and a Roche drug is the reason why I’m still alive.”
The drug was Herceptin, the first HER2-targeted therapy for breast cancer. Although McGlory’s diagnosis and treatment was near the end of her 43-year tenure at the company, it underscores a simple sentiment that everyone we spoke to expressed: Roche cares.
“It was just a wonderful company to work for,” said McGlory. “Roche was everything to the Clifton-Nutley community.”
McGlory worked at Roche from 1967 until 2010 when it began downsizing. Her uncle, Frank Brandler, was the head of the glass laboratory when she first submitted her application. She started on the packaging lines in Building 59 before moving to Accounts Receivable.
Future promotions sent McGlory to the Credit Department, working for the treasurer, working in HR, and later in Internal Client Services.
These jobs also required training and additional education, which McGlory said Roche covered through its tuition refund program. All these opportunities enabled McGlory to become the first female credit manager in the 1970s. “Every meeting that I went to, I was the only woman in those rooms,” she said.
Kathy and John McGlory with grandchildren Cricket and AJ Wasek for Kathy’s 70th birthday.
FROM ROCHE TO ON3
But McGlory developed relationships with and was surrounded by impressive women. On April 7, 1978, she — along with Judy Boehlert and Joanne Hamer — were recognized at the Fourth Annual Tribute to Women and Industry for their respective roles at Roche.
As for her lifelong friendships, she’s still connected to Mary Ann Scucci Petersen and Cathy Tighe — both of whom she regularly gets together with for meals. After her retirement, McGlory founded and operated KMG Learning and Development for seven years where she created training programs for nonprofits.
John Galka
Today, she lives in Wharton with her husband, John, and does volunteer work for Market Street Mission in Morristown. Her children are Jason Wasek and Sean McGlory, who both benefited at different points from Roche’s daycare facilities.
“Roche was extremely generous and supportive in any job I wanted to try,” said McGlory. “And I think they wouldn’t have continued to invest in me if I hadn’t continued to be a good investment.”
John Galka
“They were fair.” That is what John Galka remembers of his time working at Roche. “If you had a problem, they were there for you. They’d send you to a doctor or psychologist if you had a drinking or a gambling problem. They’d help you out so you wouldn’t lose your job.”
Galka, now 76, and his wife, Barbara, have lived in Clifton for almost 40 years. They have four children — Andrea Dennison (a CHS social studies teacher), John, Brian, and David. For Galka, Roche signaled a new time in his life.
Galka served in the US Air Force for four years before joining Roche’s production area on the third floor of Building 59. He was previously stationed in Mississippi and North Dakota and was a sergeant in the Air Police. Galka’s service took him overseas for a few months in Guam and two weeks in Vietnam.
He did not see combat, but was part of the 454th Bombardment Wing that completed more than 100 missions to South Vietnam without losing a single bomber to enemy aircraft fire. Galka was discharged in February, 1970. Despite taking the postal service test, Galka ended
up taking his late cousin Robert Kupczak’s advice. Kupczak, a Roche salesperson, suggested that he apply for a position. Galka worked at Roche for 27 years until downsizing eliminated his job in 1997.
“When the layoffs reached me, I had more than 25 years in, but I was 49.5,” said Galka. “If they gave me one year on my age and seniority, I would have kept all my benefits. Being that I wasn’t the age, I lost everything.” There’s no bad feelings on Galka’s end, but he admitted it hurt after so many years there. Galka went on to work at Sherwin-Williams until his retirement. He’s spent the last 20 years working as a crossing guard and is based at School 8 in Delawanna.
Galka also recognized the effect that Roche’s downsizing had on local groups that it supported. One organization that experienced Roche’s philanthropy was the Clifton Education Foundation.
The CEF was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, independent of the Clifton Board of Education. The organization funds creative programs and special projects for Clifton Public Schools that cannot be supported in the regular annual school district budget.
“I received a phone call in 2009 from Patricia Hughes, who was in charge of Roche’s Corporate Relations and Contributions,” said CEF Treasurer Loretta Ahmad, 73. “She asked if they could donate toward our math and science grants. Of course, I said yes.”
Roche donated $5,000 in 2009. The next three years saw the CEF receive $4,000, $5,500, and the last donation before leaving Nutley was $14,300, bringing the total amount to $28,800.
“They wanted to give back to the community, and that’s what they did,” said Ahmad, who joined Roche’s high school program in 1967 and left in 1987 as a Supervisor of Medical Documentation.
The loss of personal and social connections had their own significance. Galka was on Roche’s softball and bowling teams with his colleagues. Roche also hosted 25-year dinners for workers who hit that milestone.
“They had a company store, an infirmary with their own nurses and doctors, and an ambulance service,” said Galka. “Every year, they’d offer EKGs, physicals, and blood work. They would give you soup-to-nuts.”
Tricia Zygnerski
Roche was family-oriented. For Patricia Zygnerski, it spanned three generations.
“My husband, Nick, listens in awe when I talk about my time at Roche,” laughed Zygnerski, 54. “I was a third generation worker there, which I feel like speaks to something.”
Zygnerski’s grandparents, Michael and Helen Gimon, were the first generation. Michael worked for Givaudan, which was part of Roche, and Helen washed dishes for the laboratories.
The next generation was Michael and Adele Gimon. Michael (CHS 1958), who passed away in 2021, was a chemical operator, while Adele was in Employee Health Services and was known as “the nurse that smiled.” All four retired from Roche.
Zygnerski got her foot in the door during her junior year of high school. She was doing a show open to family with the Roche Players when a secretary within the Environmental Department asked if she could work in summers. She could and did so under supervisor Ted Berger, who was also her grandmother’s boss.
Nick and Tricia Zygnerski. Her grandparents, Michael and Helen Gimon, with newlyweds Michael and Adele Gimon in 1967. All four retired from Roche.
Spotswood High School since 2010.
“There were always rumors about how our Nutley site was going to be shut down,” said Zygnerski (CHS 1987). “Basel kind of made it clear that the site was just very expensive.”
The Delawanna resident’s full-time career was from 1991 to 2001. She was in Quality Control as an Assistant Scientist and concluded as a Reference Standard Coordinator. Roche refunded her master’s degree from NJIT in Environmental Science, because she originally was thinking about transferring to that department.
Ultimately, she chose to move on and has taught at
“Once it was clear it was closing, it was truly sad to just hear how much of a shell it became at that location,” she continued. “Then once the different buildings I worked in started going down, it was truly heartbreaking to see that era was gone.”
Zygnerski — now mother to Jared, 23, and Victoria, 20 — hasn’t forgotten the perks or the camaraderie. The 70’s saw her parents coming home during the holidays with five-pound boxes of chocolate. The cafeteria offered free prime rib days.
FROM ROCHE TO ON3
Then there were the different clubs — like Chess and Bridge — and sports teams for bowling, volleyball, and softball. Her father was a member of the Rifle and Pistol Club and her mother sang with the Roche Chorus.
“I also still speak so highly of Lab 308/334 in Building 86,” said Zygnerski. “We all gelled, we knew how to joke with one another, and we respected one another.”
Mary Ann Scucci Petersen
Roche was never out of sight for Mary Ann Scucci Petersen. Its smell wasn’t far either.
“I am from Nutley and grew up on Kingsland Street with Hoffmann-La Roche literally in my backyard,” said Petersen, 75. “We could see the factory buildings … and there were some horrible smells that would come by.”
Petersen worked as a Credit Representative in Building 85 starting in 1968 for almost eight years. She recalled on one occasion, the women walked onto the Roche complex and their stockings began running due to the chemicals. But Roche holds deeply positive memories.
“I learned to drive in the parking lot,” she says, “and when I started working there, I could walk to work and go home for lunch.”
Petersen, a mother of two sons, has lived in Montclair Heights for 52 years with husband Bob. The gratitude that she still feels for her former Roche supervisor George Hallock is immense.
“Mr. Hallock was a great man,” she said. “I ran into him years later and thanked him, because he saw something in me and always supported my going to Seton Hall University at night.” Hallock was the one who signed off on her college forms. Yet Roche would only fully refund tuition for courses that would benefit the company.
“I wanted to be a teacher,” said Petersen, “so he said, ‘We can word it in such a way that maybe someday, you’ll be teaching someone who’ll come to work at HoffmannLa Roche.’”
Petersen left Roche’s Montclair office in 1975 after becoming pregnant. She finished her degree at Montclair State and taught for years in Passaic High School. Largely thanks to Roche.
“There were quality people there,” she said. “They brought the best out in you and encouraged you.”
Roman Diduch
Roche offered its employees stability, but Roman Diduch also saw the company’s diversity and its opportunities to meet new people.
“It was very family-oriented,” said Diduch, 68. Diduch began working at Roche at age 22 in 1978, after he graduated William Paterson with a degree in Business Administration. In those days, had an “in.” “Back when I started, you had to know somebody,” he said. “If you had a family member, most of the time you got a job there if one was available.”
Roman Diduch
Mary Ann Scucci Petersen and Dot Cruz in Roche’s Montclair office during Christmas, 1973. Last month, Mary Ann Scucci Petersen visited the former Roche parking lot where she learned to drive.
FROM ROCHE TO ON3
Diduch’s father, Michael, worked in the Vitamin Division and his father-in-law, Stefan Peltyszyn, was in the Animal Department. Diduch worked in two departments. He worked in the Building 44 Vitamins Department for 17 years before they sold it. He landed next in Building 66A and 66B for Research and stayed there for 18 years.
Diduch was among the last out the door when the Nutley site closed in 2013. He retired earlier than his planned retirement at 62, but Roche bought out those extra years. Diduch, who’s lived in Clifton for 44 years, is married to wife Anna and the couple have four children.
Roche’s insurance plan made a difference for many families, including Diduch’s, and was one way that the company showed that it cared for its workers.
“Roche changed my life. It did well for everyone who worked there,” he said. “I bought a home [locally] and if you could afford to live in this area and worked there, you were close to work. I knew people driving an hour to work, but I didn’t have to beat traffic.”
Bo Yaremko
For 22 years, Roche was Bo Yaremko’s life. That all changed in the 90’s. “I didn’t see [the layoffs] coming. It was a shock,” said Yaremko, 71. “Up to that point, Roche did a decent job with the first layoff, but by 1994, it was a really big layoff.”
“It was kind of creepy,” he continued. “They said, ‘Okay, go sit in your labs and see if the phone rings’ and the doors would be open and we’d see whose lab was getting called.”
The lifelong resident recalled how they brought him down to the office and told them it wasn’t his work — it was the numbers. “I was not happy about that,” he shared.
Yaremko started at Roche in 1972 and worked in multiple buildings. He worked his way up from an Animal Technician to an Associate Scientist and later worked in Inflammation.
Yaremko also grew up around Roche. He’d pick up his father, Michael, from his Production job in the late 50’s, early 60’s. Mother Joanna started at Roche in the late 60’s with the Microfiche Department. They both retired in 1981. Yaremko’s siblings Daria and George worked briefly in the Legal Department and as a summer helper, respectively.
“They hired the kids of people who worked there. If you were 18, you could get a summer job there,” recalled Yaremko. “My first exposure was a summer job there in 1972. Then they held me an extra month and brought me back as a full-timer.”
The 1971 Paul VI grad played intramural softball and tennis with his Roche colleagues. He and his brother-inlaw, chemist Steve “Chico” Luzniak, were the impetus in getting volleyball started, which lasted for just over 30 years.
Yaremko is married to Mary Ellen who, at the time of the layoffs, worked at St. Mary’s Hospital. Their sons Craig (CHS 1997) and Paul (CHS 1999) were band kids at the time at CHS, so they stayed local and he found other work in the pharmaceutical industry.
“Losing Roche was a big hit,” said Yaremko. “I was no more than five minutes from work and when it closed, I think the increased taxes and job losses hurt the rest of the town.”
“I wanted to spend my whole career and retire through Roche,” he added. “The best laid plans of mice and men don’t always pan out.”
From left, Michael Diduch, Roman’s dad, and his father-in-law Stefan Peltyszyn. Bo Yaremko today and in the Roche days with lab partner Bev Simko.
Horst Staudner
“Building 100 was built for me to work in,” joked Horst Staudner. “It was built in 1966, the year that I was born.”
Joking aside, Staudner spent his 25 years working at Roche working in multiple buildings, such as 123, 76, and 86. At age 22, he graduated from Drew University in Madison with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology. Staudner started out in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART), where they tested drugs to identify any abnormalities or issues with pregnancies.
Horst Staudner and Linda Darragh.
ment studying drugs and seeing if they gave arrhythmias of the heart.
Despite his many lifelong friendships and connections from working at the company, Staudner didn’t know anyone when he applied to Roche.
“I just worked hard and interviewed well,” said Staudner, 57. “I had ambition and I wanted it, so I researched the company. It worked for me and I got it.”
After 14 years, he later moved on to Cardiovascular Safety Pharmacology and spent 11 years in that depart-
He readily admitted that when he first got the job, he knew it would be good but didn’t picture himself retiring from the company. When the site closed and he was among the final workers walking out the door in March of 2013, he said he shed a tear or two but kept moving forward.
“It was more that I didn’t want it to end. Like when you’re in love with something,” he laughed. “I think a lot of us felt that way. It didn’t feel like if we didn’t produce, we might be on the chopping block.”
“They had just built a $200 million expansion building,” he added. “You don’t just do that if you’re going to sell us in a year.” The employees of Building 100 were described by him as “like a time capsule” with “thousands of years of experience.” The closeness and staying power of Roche has kept him connected to many of them, even now that he lives in Indianapolis with his husband, Robert.
In one case, Michael O’Hara — a project lead at the Nutley Research Facility — was someone Staudner stayed connected to and told him about a midwestern job opportunity at Covance. For the past 11 years, former Roche colleagues have also written to Staudner about their families or have come to expect his weekly Sunday emails with jokes. “When I haven’t sent a joke out for a couple weeks I’ll get calls asking, ‘Are you okay?’” said Staudner.
“I used to do a joke list every Monday in the department, but now anyone who’s left Roche who wants to be on this list [is welcome to be].”
Linda Darragh
FROM ROCHE TO ON3
There’s no denying that without unions, Linda Darragh took on many responsibilities at Roche. But she appreciated the faith that was placed in her by the higher ups.
“There were bosses who saw more in me than I saw in myself,” said Darragh, 76. “They saw I had the ability … and when someone was ill in my area and they didn’t have anyone to do the job, they would come to me and ask, ‘Linda, do you think you can do this?’ I never said no, ever,” the Maple Valley resident stated.
That attitude served her well during her 44 years at Roche. Darragh came on in 1966 as a typist in a Quality Control laboratory. Technology was in its “infant stages” in those years and she sees herself as fortunate enough to have gotten in “on the ground floor.”
Darragh was the person who would “punch holes” into the cards to enter the data. She recalled the department loading boxes of source code into mainframe computers, along with keypunch cards that were sorted and entered into the mainframe computer located via card readers in another building.
“We would check on the progress of the ‘jobs’ via acoustical couplers over telephone lines.”
She credited Sue Gilbert for teaching her about computers and boss Tom Ploch for allowing her to get involved with what was then new technology: Document Management. When she retired, Darragh was a member of a Global Document Team that controlled regulated documents. She got to travel to Switzerland, Wales, Germany, and Spain to meet with global colleagues.
But there was also time for fun. She auditioned for the first play put on by the Roche Players, the musical “The Pajama Game”, and there were many more clubs like Bridge, Chess, and a group of employees who mentored Nutley kids after work.
Darragh took a different type of cue in 2010 when the Nutley site began closing: retirement. She was 62 and among the lucky ones to get a package like she was earning a salary. After Darragh ran out of severance pay, she applied for Social Security and Medicare, with
Roche now as her secondary.
“Now at this age, one of the best benefits is the paid prescription plan Roche gave retirees,” she said. “I take 12 pills per day and only pay $50 at most for any one prescription — and one of the prescriptions is over $1,000. That’s the kind of company Roche was,” Darragh added. “That’s why people stayed for as long as they did.”
Ted Dziuba, Jr.
If ever there was a localized notion of a City upon a Hill, it might’ve belonged to Roche and what it inspired in employees like Ted Dziuba, Jr. when they drove along Route 3.
“Building 76 was a very tall building with the logo on it,” said Dziuba, 67, “and it always sort of loomed over you.”
Dziuba lived in the Delawanna section during those early years and that short drive and the geographical positioning of Roche “made it easy to feel the concept of home.”
“You could be standing on your front stop and feeling like it was there and that you could see the building there,” said Dziuba (CHS 1975). He is a second-generation Roche employee.
Between him and Ted Dziuba, Sr., the father and son had a cumulative near-50 years there. Ted Sr. (CHS 1950) was 40 with a construction business in Clifton when times were tight. Needing greater security for his family, his neighbor Joe Swidrak, who was a Roche foreman, suggested that he apply.
Ted Dziuba Jr. today and the Roche ID cards for him and his dad.
Your support has helped create an environment at ON3 for everyone to participate in and enjoy, with exciting new supportive uses. Our existing buildings leased up quickly, bringing best-in-class tenants, providing job opportunities and stabilizing the local tax ratable base. Looking ahead, our vision for more retail, residential and service opportunities will contribute significantly to the local economy and make ON3 thrive.
FROM ROCHE TO ON3
Ted Sr. was a chemical operator and retired almost 25 years later in 1996, before his passing in 1999. That job not only put his kids through college and gave him vacation time for the first time in life, but still provides wife Lenore (Pirone) Dziuba with a pension.
Roche provided parallel opportunities for Dziuba. The son worked as a summer intern from 1976 to 1978. When he and wife Carol were first married, they lived in Bloomfield and were next-door neighbors with Joe McAlvanah, a Nutley site manager who bowled with Ted Sr.
Dziuba worked in Building 71 as a Systems Analyst with the lab computer systems. In 1997, he transitioned to Roche Diagnostics in Belleville and remained there until his retirement in 2022.
Kenneth and Joann Dalton and Henry and Florence Dalton, Ken’s mother and father, at Henry’s retirement dinner from Roche, at Johnny’s Bar and Grill in Botany Village.
Today, the Dziubas live in Wharton and are parents to Heather, Teddy, Kristen, and Tom. Roche gave him the same stability that his father before him sought.
“I spent 25 years [working] in Belleville,” said Dziuba. “It helped put my kids through school and gave my family the life that we have today.”
Kenneth and Joann Dalton
It’s never easy to say goodbye to a landmark, but Kenneth and Joann (Gross) Dalton keep an eye to the future where Roche’s former Nutley site is concerned.
“I was sorry to see them go, because it was a big part of Clifton. I knew people working there at the time of its closure and their jobs disappeared,” said Kenneth, 72. “I was saddened to see it happen, but I do have a lot of hope for ON3.”
Kenneth (CHS 1970) has spent most of life in Clifton Center and Joann (CHS 1973) grew up on Harding Avenue. He started out in Roche as a Garden Department employee in the summer of 1969 and was a Boiler Operator in the Boiler Room from April, 1979 to October, 1982.
Kenneth was first exposed to Roche through his father, Henry, who was originally a Vitamin C Chemical Operator and later in Inventory Control, from 1963 to 1983. His uncle Alfred Pristash worked as a Research Chemist from approximately 1959 to 1982.
Joann was the fourth member of the family, all of whom lived in Clifton, to work at Roche. She and Kenneth both worked in the Lyndhurst location and she was employed from June, 1979 to May, 1985 as an Accounting Clerk in the Accounts Receivable Department.
“I mostly knew of Roche’s reputation from living in Clifton almost all my life,” said Joann, 69. “Once my husband came into my life, I learned a lot more with his family working there.”
Starting a family and other work opportunities led to them transitioning out of Roche. Kenneth was a firefighter with the Clifton Fire Department from October, 1982 to December, 2003. The position that Joann held for 21 years was as an Accounts Payable Coordinator at AGL Welding Supply Co., Inc., at 600 US-46.
Today, Kenneth and Joann live in Allwood and have been married for 48 years. They’re parents to Eileen (CHS 2003) and Brian (CHS 2006) and have two grandchildren. They also like making the most of how people can now drive through the old Roche lot.
“There’s a lot of memories,” said Kenneth. “I worked there as a 17-year-old kid and later as an operator in the boiler room. It’s sad to see it gone in some ways, but we are happy to see that someone took responsibility for the property.”
“I’m quite impressed by Mr. Eugene Diaz. I hope everything works out for [Prism],” he continued. “I think it can be another historical landmark in Clifton.”
ROCHE HISTORY
FROM ROCHE TO ON3
Here’s a timeline of the Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. evolution, from its founding in Europe, to the 1928 establishment of the campus which covered 116-acres at the Nutley and Clifton border, to the ambitious and creative future proposed for ON3.
1896: F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co. is founded in the wake of Europe’s Industrial Revolution that changed the face of the continent. Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, aged 28, launched his company on Oct. 1, 1896 as the successor company to Hoffmann, Traub & Co in Basel, Switzerland.
1928: Roche experiences an unexpected upsurge that is spurred by its vitamin production. The company expanded and started its strong commitment to the US-American market, with its first investments in New York and Nutley.
Nov. 17, 1928: Hoffmann-La Roche breaks ground for its new U.S. headquarters in New Jersey. Having outgrown its New York offices, the Clifton-Nutley property provided room for Roche’s expansion, then known for its cough syrup and vitamins. The contract to build the original four buildings was awarded to the John W. Ferguson Co. of Paterson. The New York Times reported “unsightly water tanks will be concealed in a beautiful tower” and the main building’s entrance lobby “would have Travertine stone walls and Terrazzo marble floors.”
June 22, 1941: The day Adolf Hitler and the Nazis invade the Soviet Union, Dr. Leo Sternbach steps off the Portuguese ocean liner, Serpa Pinta, in Jersey City. He was one of the ship’s 700 passengers fleeing WWII and one of many HoffmannLa Roche employees relocating from the company’s headquarters in Basel. Company president Dr. Emil C. Barell and other scientists also moved to the area.
1945: Vitamin output increases and new production locations strengthen Roche’s position as a main producer of vitamins. The same year, Roche established Pantene Corporation and affiliate cosmetic companies. The companies employ 4,000 — 1,200 in Basel and 2,000 in Nutley.
1950s–1960s: Roche expands its pharmaceutical research, with a portfolio of pharmaceuticals ranging from antidepressants and antimicrobials to agents for cancer chemotherapy. Roche’s researchers discover a compound of the benzodiazepine class that sedates without causing drowsiness.
1929: Soon after Roche’s move to Nutley, the list of products manufactured locally includes barbiturates such as Allonal.
1962: Roche introduces its first anti-cancer drug, Fluorouracil, paving the way for Roche’s activities in the field of cancer chemotherapy.
At right, Dr. Leo Sternbach with a Librium molecule model. Librium is the predecessor of Valium, which was once the most prescribed drug in the U.S.
Roche employees at a 25-year celebration. Ted Dziuba Sr., at left, and another employee working on a batch.
ROCHE HISTORY
Employees of the animal care facility, circa 1985. The group’s ethos was to consider the welfare of the animals used in research in the development of Roche drugs.
1963: Valium Roche, a sedative and anxiolytic drug, is launched, helping Roche build a worldwide reputation in psychotropic medications. The same year, Roche acquired Givaudan S.A., a leading manufacturer of fragrances and flavors, which was at 125 Delawanna Ave., Clifton. It closed in July, 1998.
two momentos for Roche milestones.
1965: Roche employs 19,000 people worldwide, compared to 7,000 in 1953. Roche furthered its subsidiary growth around the globe, including in India and Mexico.
1968: The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology opens in Nutley as one of Roche’s first research and development centers. The same year, Roche entered the diagnostics
market and created a department to develop new diagnostic tests and automatic analysers, while setting up its service laboratories to perform clinical analyses for hospitals and office-based physicians.
1979: Roche operates with four core business divisions: Pharmaceuticals, Vitamins and Fine Chemicals, Diagnostics, and Flavors and Fragrances.
Severo Ochoa and his group in 1974 at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. From right to left: Jose-Miguel Hermoso, César Nombela, Nohelly Nombela, Severo Ochoa, Christa Milcarek, José Manuel Sierra, Witold Filipowicz, and Dallas George. Below:
1978: Roche Employee Health Services and Roche Softball team.
In 1968, Anna Sovich and Anastazia Andruch with Building 86 in the background. They worked in Quality Control in Building 59 on the production line for many drugs, including Valium.
1991: The snow removal team. Below left: Nick Peltyszyn by his truck. At right, Nick and his wife Olga, (left in photo), with Patrick Zenner, CEO of Roche North America, and an unidentified woman at Nick’s 25-year dinner.
ROCHE HISTORY
1980: Cancer therapy takes major strides when Roche Nutley and Genentech, a biotech company based in San Francisco, team up on a joint project. The goal was producing a genetically engineered version of a pure interferon alfa, previously isolated by the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology.
1990s: Roche develops a series of innovative drugs, like Herceptin and MabThera, for cancer treatment. Invirase, the first HIV-protease inhibitor, was launched and won the Prix Galien in 1999.
1995: Palo Alto-based Syntex Corporation becomes Roche Bioscience, one of Roche Group’s major research and development sites.
2000s: Roche reorients its focus on healthcare by divesting two businesses: Fragrances and Flavors, and Vitamins and Fine Chemicals.
2009: Genentech, with blockbuster oncology drugs Avastin, Rituxan, Herceptin and Lucentis, is purchased by Roche Holding for $43.7 billion.
2012: Hoffmann-La Roche announces it will close the Nutley campus. The loss was significant — with Nutley, then a town of 28,000, set to lose $9 million in taxes. Clifton, then a city of 84,000, was expected to lose $5 million.
December 2013: Hoffmann-La Roche closes its campus, ending or disrupting the careers of some 1,000 employees. Annually, Roche Group paid approximately $14 million in property taxes to the two communities the facility straddled. Both Nutley and Clifton reduced their tax rates for Roche in 2014, apparently hoping to avoid any tax appeal that Roche might file.
2016: Seton Hall University and Hackensack-Meridian Health System form a partnership and sign a long-term lease agreement at ON3 for a new health and medical sciences campus. The campus consists of 16 acres and two state-of-the-art buildings on the former Roche site.
October 2016: Prism Capital Partners purchases the 116-acre former Roche property, which was listed for approximately $128 million.
Above: Roche Diagnostics team. Employees Ted Dziuba Sr. and Joe McAlvanah, the 1996 Roche Players cast for Anything Goes.
Nov. 23, 2017: Roche, working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, completes soil remediation and reports the findings to the public.
May 31, 2018: The ribbon-cutting of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University marks the first private medical school built in New Jersey in decades. Seton Hall’s School of Health and Medical Sciences is also part of the site.
July 2024: Prism has spent $250 million so far on redevelopment and plans to spend $800 million more. Its current tenants include Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian Graduate School of Medicine, Modern Meadow, Ralph Lauren Corporation, Quest Diagnostics, Eisai, Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, and Y-mAbs Therapeutics.
In 1975, members of the Roche Pharmacology Department on the front steps of Building 76.
Our January, 2018 edition with the late Dr. Bonita Stanton, first Dean of the HUMC Seton Hall Medical School.
Photo provided by Bo Yaremko.
By Tom Szieber and Ariana Puzzo
THE RENDERINGS ARE IMPRESSIVE. THE CONSTRUCTION SEEMS NON-STOP. THE INVESTMENT IS IN THE BILLIONS.
Embracing a motto of “live, work and play,” Prism Capital Partners has a grand vision for the approximately 116 acres that previously housed Hoffmann-La Roche’s site on Route 3 East.
Nailing down corporate tenants covers the “work” and “play” parts of ON3’s world-class campus. But there’s a proposed Phase IV in the redevelopment plan to incorporate the living component. The complete vision includes a 12-story, 1,087unit apartment building as part of the remaining 22 acres of land in Clifton.
Broken down, it’s 50.22 units to the acre — with a total density in the Clifton
area of 16.73 units to the acre and a total campus area density of 9.37 units to the acre. The bedroom distribution is subject to change, but Prism is roughly proposing 48% of the units as 1-bedroom, 42% of units as 2-bedroom, and 10% of units as studios.
On July 9, Prism Founder Eugene Diaz told the City Council and general public that the pricing will be “guided by what we see in the local market today.” For a luxury onebedroom apartment, it could fall between $2,600 and $2,800 per month. For two bedrooms, anywhere up to $3,000 to $4,000 per month.
“We think we’ll get a premium here,” said Diaz, “because of the quality that’s here and the mix of the community.” In response to one resident, he added the Nutley side of ON3’s campus has its own housing obligation and must “satisfy an affordable housing obligation.” No immediate plans were shared for the relevant Clifton side.
LIVING ON3
BLOCK C RENDERING WITH RETAIL, PARKING AND SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT
“We have to abide by the statutes [for affordable housing] to the extent that Clifton has a fair share obligation, based on the changing legislation,” Diaz stated. “We must meet that burden.”
Separately, over 60% of the campus space would stay dedicated to commercial use. Clifton covers 67.39 of the total 118.7 acres. The commercial aspect is important for Prism, both as developers and property owners.
“The corporations that chose to locate here saw that as an opportunity for them, because that is where corporate America is moving,” Diaz explained. “Where do millennials want to be? They want to be in mixed-use environments, where they can live, work, and play. Where they don’t have to get in their car.”
“The world has changed dramatically in terms of how people are getting around,” he continued, “and what employees want to have in their space.”
The Community
For Prism’s vision to reach its full potential, the company will need the green light. That means the City Council will need to authorize a zoning modification that permits multi-story apartment buildings as part of Prism’s future plans.
The current zoning for the former Roche property is M-3 — which, as Diaz noted, is for general industrial or industrial plants. Simply speaking, the existing zoning allows for the construction of warehouses, manufacturing plants, and other large industrial establishments.
“Under existing zoning … we can construct over 3.9 million sq-ft of buildings for Amazon and other [distribution companies] like them,” Diaz outlined on July 9. “In fact, one of our competitors who sought to acquire this property, their Master Plan and vision was to knock everything down and populate this site with giant warehouses.”
“We said, ‘That’s not the right thing to do,’” he continued. “‘It might benefit the private pocket, but it won’t benefit the community.’”
Diaz acknowledged that despite Prism owning the buildings and land on the campus, it doesn’t “give us the right to do whatever we want to do with this land.” There are the zoning ordinances, but there’s also convincing The Council and the public.
He was not discouraged by concerns raised by residents about possibly new zoning. Legitimate issues were presented, like an overextension of essential services and how new residents could affect the notoriously crowded Clifton Public Schools.
Diaz believes such worries are unfounded — or at least overblown. “Those issues are never problematic,” said Diaz. “All of [a city’s] services are paid for by tax revenues.”
“There is more than enough tax revenue to allow the city to do other things with that money,” Diaz continued. “We already have almost 6,000 people on campus. We are already in the revenue stream of being serviced by both [Clifton and Nutley’s] municipalities.”
Economic Impact
There’s friendly tension orbiting the situation.
The resolution of the zoning quandary is the final hurdle in what continues to be a long process. Since the project began in 2016, the site has become home to Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian Graduate School of Medicine, Eisai — a Japanese pharmaceutical company that produces and markets drugs for cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, obesity, and other afflictions; Ralph Lauren, and Quest Diagnostics.
The “new urbanist” development also contains a consumer component. The property will house a 264-room hotel, restaurant and rooftop bar, and a soon-to-be-completed 80,000 sq-ft medical office building. There will also be retailers, including Starbucks, who will open their only location serving Route 3 eastbound travelers between Wayne and the Lincoln Tunnel.
“The ideology we have found from decades of building up suburban and urban areas is that siloing-planning doesn’t work anymore,” said Diaz. “This mixed-use, new urbanist mentality is about creating more of an integrated environment.”
One of the benefits is it connects the municipalities with a formerly isolated area. One that was not part of the community — to the new extent that it has already become — for 87 years.
“This will maximize the benefits that Clifton gets from creating the integration,” said Diaz, “and that is where the rubber meets the road.”
As for the proposed housing, while open to anyone,
the units figure on providing residence for many of the employees of the tenant-companies, as well as students, faculty, and staff of the medical school.
The early returns seem encouraging. Diaz has outlined the economic impact, which includes an anticipated $400 million flowing into the local economy from the construction phase. He further anticipates an annual $467 million in new commerce and $94 million in tax revenue over 10 years in Clifton, alone.
There are additional benefits that would directly affect the quality of life.
“For the equal amount of development that you can put on in a mixed-use plan versus one type of asset class, it lowers the traffic impact dramatically for the equal amount of development,” said Diaz at the meeting. “It’s very simple. If you are an employee and you live within walking distance from your site, that’s one trip count that’s not happening on the roads in the morning.”
“If you’re an employee and there’s a Starbucks or a deli or … a restaurant at night that’s walking distance from you, you won’t get in your car,” he added. “That’s less trip counts during the day.”
Understanding PILTs
Empty properties don’t generate revenue — and, in turn, don’t bring any money into the city. Mayor Raymond Grabowski is optimistic about the taxes from the project being “enormous.”
“At some point, when this is completely developed, we’d like to come back to the residents of the
GENE DIAZ AT MEDICAL CENTER CONSTRUCTION ON RT. 3 EAST
LIVING ON3
city and say, ‘Hey, we can actually maybe lower our taxes a little bit or not increase it at all,’” said Grabowski at last month’s meeting.
In a separate discussion, Grabowski said he’s glad that “a lot of the Council is on board with doing the PILT”, which he acknowledged is “essential for this project to move forward.”
PILTs, or Payments in Lieu of Taxes, are defined by the U.S. Department of the Interior as “Federal payments that help local governments offset losses in property taxes due to the existence of nontaxable Federal lands within their boundaries.”
Since 1977, the Department has distributed nearly $12 billion in these payments to 49 states, excluding Rhode Island. As part of his meeting remarks, Grabowski noted the importance of explaining PILTs thoroughly to the public. Diaz confirmed — when prompted by Grabowski — that a PILT gives the city the ability to designate where funds go, other than the 5% that is allocated to the county.
Ultimately, both men acknowledged the city keeps much more money. Diaz explained further when Grabowski asked whether a PILT increases incrementally over time by a percentage.
“In every PILT that Prism has entered into in every municipality, it indexes and increases on an annual basis, and we see nothing wrong with that occurring in this instance, too,” said Diaz. “It needs to grow.”
Statutorily, he added, a PILT needs to be a certain percentage at increments in time so that by the end of the program, it is “essentially equal to [otherwise applicable taxes].”
Grabowski encouraged those in attendance and residents who tuned in from home not to judge PILTs based on previous ones in the city. Quest Diagnostics, which owns its building and bought its land from Prism, previously negotiated its PILT with the city. Prism will design a future PILT.
“We have flexibility in this project to create a great financial structure to benefit the municipality and allow the project to move forward at the greatest pace and with the greatest opportunity for success,” said Diaz. “It’s going to take involvement [from] the Council members.”
As far as lingering concerns about the project’s effect on essential services and Clifton’s school system, Grabowski seems confident that concerns will be proven unfounded.
“When it comes to the apartments and inundating the schools — that is never going to happen,” he said. “What family is going to want to move into a place surrounded by two highways? I don’t see the project inundating the school system.”
Grabowski publicly touched upon the same topic at the meeting, specifying how the city’s ability to distribute PILT funds could translate into giving “X amount to the school system.” A reality, he said, that would be “[within] our purview.”
“And with essential services,” he added at a later date, “if you are going to incur $11 to 13 million more income, you can hire more [firefighters or police officers].”
It’s a wait-and-see period for residents as to whether the project can obtain necessary blessings from the Council and Planning Board. If successful, the project will make the city a trailblazer.
“It has never been done before,” said Grabowski. “Certainly, since this has gone on, property values have gone up considerably. We have homes going for over a million dollars. Ten years ago, you would never see that.”
“Any time you bring in giant ratables, your services could be expanded, and the money you generate can benefit the city,” he added. “Clifton is an opportune place to live.”
CONSTRUCTION OF STARBUCKS ON RT. 3 EAST AT ON3 ENTRANCE
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Paul VI Class of 1974 Turns 50
By Ariana Puzzo
The Paul VI freshman football team in 1971 on the Valley Rd. school field with a backdrop of what was then called Washington Rock. Washington Rock has long since been leveled, replaced by 810 townhomes. Facing page, 1974 grads at the recent reunion.
A sense of camaraderie is what Lisa Geider thinks of when she recalls her years spent at Paul VI Regional High School. It’s what reunited the Class of 1974 grads. On May 4, there were 71 alumni and some spouses gathered for the class’s 50th reunion at Cucina Calandra in Fairfield.
“Not bad for a class of about 190 graduates,” remarked Geider, 67, who serves on the reunion committee.
But that camaraderie and bond are always slightly bittersweet. There was a great amount of sadness when Paul VI closed its doors in 1990. Despite the disappointment, Geider said she didn’t feel a great deal of surprise.
“Catholic schools in general were closing,” she explained. Passaic’s Pope Pius XII HS went first in 1983. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson then closed Paterson Catholic Regional HS in 2010. Elementary schools in Clifton also shuttered: St. Paul in 2006, St. Clare in 2015 and St. Andrew’s in 2018. Closings created a vacuum, with only St. Philip the Apostle Preparatory School still in Clifton and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic offering elementary education options.
“When Paul VI closed in 1990, there still was a bunch of kids that had junior and senior year to go,” recalled Norm Tahan, 67. “For the most part they were Clifton residents. They went to St. Mary’s in Rutherford or DePaul in Wayne, which is a bit of a way. There was no choice after that.”
The four Paul VI grads that we spoke to all emphasized there was nothing wrong with CHS, but a smaller environment and more intimate setting did have certain benefits. “It was a nice alternative that’s not available to kids anymore,” continued Tahan.
Lisa Geider
Modular scheduling and new equipment attracted many parents to Paul VI. Geider recalled how classes could be 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or over an hour depending on how many mods there were for a particular class. There was also free time to attend different labs, which she thinks impressed her parents.
But the students had other interests. Some that their parents knew about — like shopping in Styertowne and the new Willowbrook Mall or attending sporting events — and other activities that were best kept to themselves.
“The thing we did in winter, which now sounds pretty crazy, was [sledding] in front of [Holy Face Monastery],” said Geider. “The goal was to not have your sled go onto Route 3 and get killed.”
“When I look at it now, I think, ‘What?’” she laughed. “I remember Pat Morris had a toboggan, which you really can’t steer. Five of us were on it when he started yelling, ‘Bail out!’ We were headed right toward the highway. If our parents knew, they would’ve killed us.”
Battle of the Bands was another big tradition at Paul VI, but that didn’t mean kids didn’t work. Geider grew up on Haddenfield Road with her parents, Frank and Jean, and brothers Glenn, Gregg, and Gerard. She attended School 16, then Saint Philip’s for seventh and eighth grade.
She waitressed at the popular Bruno’s Pizza during her last two years of high school. Geider went on to study Psychology at Fairfield University in Connecticut before spending 10 years in California, where she worked as a social worker.
Geider returned to New Jersey and earned her master’s in Human Resources from Fairleigh Dickinson in Madison and has worked part time for the past three years at Passaic County Community College as a Student Success Navigator. She’s helped organize the last two class reunions and lives in Clifton with her husband, Paul Grosinski. The couple also have a home in Cape Cod.
“We started making plans over a year ago, and just seeing everyone and catching up with them [was great],” said Geider. “There was a lot of anticipation and everybody’s feedback was that it was a very successful reunion.”
Mary Vladichak
Pranks were a rite of passage for Athenia native Mary Vladichak and her classmates.
And, more often than not, Geometry teacher Bob Search was the good-natured target.
“He was the best. He was fun, but he got the job done,” said Vladichak, 67. “One time, instead of being in class, we were all standing on the football field yelling his name.
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Another time, we faced our desks toward the back wall. He made us turn them around, but he was probably secretly laughing.”
Vladichak is the third child of Andrew and Jean Vladichak. Her siblings are Karen, Andrea, Andrew (CHS 1976), and Susan (CHS 1983). Before Paul VI, she attended St. John Kanty Grammar on Speer Avenue.
She spent days hanging out with friends in Brookdale Park and listening to Billy Joel. Vladichak worked at Harrington’s Sweet Shop on Van Houten Avenue before driving. She then worked at the Pathmark on Paulison and stayed with that company for over 46 years until her retirement four years ago.
For the past 23 years, she’s developed her childhood interest in photography into a passion. She’s shot everything from weddings to bar mitzvahs and more recently offered her services free of charge for the 50th class reunion.
“Photographs are the memories you see with your eyes that the heart remembers,” said Vladichak. “That is why photography feeds my soul.”
It was also a great reunion experience, because she got to speak with many classmates. She also got to witness firsthand how some things never change.
“Trying to get them all together for a group photo was like wrangling cats,” she laughed. “One guy is a doctor and he was doing rabbit ears on the guy next to him.”
Vladichak lives in Barry Lakes and enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, and bird-watching. She’s grateful for the education that she received at Paul VI.
“I think God is missing a lot these days, and [we] received certain values in religious schooling.”
Norm Tahan
Classic Clifton hangouts like Bowlero and Gino’s were frequented by Norm Tahan and friends. But you could also find him on second base for Paul VI.
“As kids, we played down on Kuller Road, where there’s now Benjamin Moore,” said Tahan. “I did sports all yearround, but baseball was my thing for all four years of high school.”
He continued playing at Ramapo College, then for 15 years in the Metropolitan League and the Bergen and Passaic County Local Adult League.
Tahan is a Hazel Street native. His parents, Basil and Jean, had seven children: Elaine, Kathy, Tahan, David, Sharon, Patti, and Brian. Tahan attended St. George’s in Paterson, which closed in 2006, before moving on to Paul VI.
The city resident was a cashier at the Pathmark on Paulison and Clifton Aves. in his junior and senior years. One of
the things that he appreciated in high school was knowing his classmates.
“At the time, CHS had something like 1,000 students in each class,” said Tahan. “At Paul VI, you knew everybody. Even the people in grades on either side of you.”
Tahan rose through the ranks of the Clifton Fire Department from Oct. 1, 1979 to Dec. 30, 2014. He began as a Firefighter and retired as Deputy Chief. He was additionally a Board of Education Commissioner from 1993 to 1999 and 2004 to 2010.
He received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Accounting from William Paterson and recalled his Paul VI accounting teacher Dan Kelleher, who “explained things very well.” Tahan worked the same job for the last two years of Paul VI and coached his alma mater’s baseball team.
“I remember the day we found out the school was closing at the end of the year,” he said. “The kids walked out of school. We had a baseball game against Paterson Catholic. It was the last sporting event, and we ended up winning.”
Since 1990, Tahan has handled tax returns and now owns Leisure Worlds Travel Agency in Nutley. He’s father to Nicole (CHS 2006) and Joseph (CHS 2010) and — when we spoke in early June — has three grandchildren with a fourth on the way.
“It’s an experience,” he said of having kids—and grandkids. “No matter how much people talk about it, you don’t realize it until you see this miracle in front of you that’s a part of you. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Lisa Geider and in 1974, Paul VI friends Mary Vladichak and Jaqueline (Saco) Kossl today and in 1974, and Jim Tuohy.
Norm Tahan today and in 1974 and Patrick Gingerelli today and in 1974.
Paul VI Class of 1974 Turns 50
Many who attended Paul VI mention the name of Father Thomas Suchon among their favorite memories of high school. Tragically, the popular school director died while still young, of cancer, in 1976. He was just 38 years old.
“Father Suchon was a huge presence in the school. If I close my eyes, I can still see and smell the lingering cigar smoke in the hallways,” 1972 graduate Larysa Mar tyniuk recalled in a file article from our archives.
Many athletes remembered Father Suchon attending their events. Paul Ogden, another ’72 grad, said that his favorite memory was of the legendary school director pacing the sidelines during football games, like Vince Lombardi.
“He was always encouraging us. He did not allow any trash talk or cursing. He made that clear and wanted us to talk with our pads and not our mouths no matter what tricks the other team tried to pull,” said Ogden. “Some times, I think we played to win for Father Suchon who put all this together, the new school and the sports programs.”
Others remembered Father Suchon as a music director.
“Along with my father, he planted the seeds for my ongoing love of music and harmony,” said Joan Maso.
Whether teacher, coach or friend, 1972 grad William Foley said Father Suchon ran the school with a firm hand. He had high expectations that his students worked hard to meet. To many, Father Suchon and Paul VI remain synonymous icons.
Pat Gingerelli
Two beers and a burger. That’s what a group of Paul VI grads, including Pat Gingerelli, reunite to do at least once per month at Neko’s Tavern in Fairfield.
The core group consists of Gingerelli, Tahan, cousins Todd Juengling and Bill Parent, Jim Tuohy, and Brian McGrady. “We’ve been doing that for a couple of years,” said Gingerelli. “Neko’s reminds us of The Clif.”
The friends are eager to keep the good times going — and that is looking like a second reunion set for Nov. 30. Tahan previously got in touch with the Diocese and learned that Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney was thrilled about alums wanting to have another reunion in the old school building.
Tahan already toured the space and Gingerelli said it’s like a time capsule.
“If you saw pictures of when we were there and pictures today of the gym, the scoreboard, the lockers, the cafeteria — you would’ve thought time just stood still,” said Gingerelli. “The second 50th reunion will be inside the school cafeteria with full access to hallway rooms so we can go into places that we used to frequent.”
Gingerelli, 67, was born to parents Angelo and Josephine. He grew up on Rowland Avenue with siblings Jo Ann (CHS 1976) and Richard (CHS 1982).
Now a resident of Fairfield, he attended a few Catholic schools in his youth, including St. John Kanty. He lived in Clifton until 1998 and spent his adolescence playing baseball and working a few jobs.
He’d work with his uncle on the latter’s Brookdale Soda route on Saturdays and then for a newspaper distribution service on Sundays.
“I look at my high school years as my favorite time of my whole life,” said Gingerelli. “There were good people, no responsibilities, and a little money to take care of your car and your social life.”
Gingerelli went to William Paterson for Accounting and his first job was in internal auditing for Coca Cola Bottling of New York. The job saw him traveling around the country and eventually segued into working as a financial accountant in the Hackensack corporate headquarters.
In 1984, he became a CPA and he retired in 2019 after 17 years with Dr. Leonard’s Healthcare, LLC in Edison. Gingerelli has been married to wife Donna since 1996 and they have two adult children, Daniel, 28, and Kara, 24.
“Since retiring, we’ve done a fair amount of traveling,” he said. “We’ve visited Italy, Ireland, Greece, and St. Thomas in the past few years. We’re traveling to Portugal later this year.”
By Ariana Puzzo
As an American film director and screenwriter, Ron Maxwell is highly regarded for penning and directing historical fiction films. But Clifton’s young filmmakers recently reminded Maxwell of the important role humor can play in films.
Maxwell (CHS 1964) returned to his alma mater on May 1 to support the 25th Anniversary Clifton Education Foundation Clifton High School C.A.S.T. Film Festival. The CEF secured Maxwell’s presence at the annual festival and arranged for him to speak the following morning to educators Mike McCunney and Joanna Huster’s 200 C.A.S.T. and communications students for about an hour and a half.
“Some of the students at the Q&A the next morning asked me what my favorite film was [at the festival],” laughed Maxwell. “Of course, I won’t tell you, but there was a whole range of genres, from horror to romcom.”
“There was also a wonderful sense of humor that ran through the films,” he continued. “We can never laugh too much. That was encouraging.”
Giving Back to Clifton
When we last caught up with Maxwell for our February 2003 edition, the Hollywood filmmaker was anticipating the release of his epic war drama film, Gods and Generals.
The film — which served as a prequel to his 1993 film, Gettysburg — starred Stephen Lang as Stonewall Jackson, Jeff Daniels as Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, and Robert Duvall as General Robert E. Lee. Our maga-
zine spoke with Maxwell and the late Robert Zschack, who co-founded the CEF with the late Marie L. Hakim — both of whom were lifelong residents.
Zschack, at the time, recalled watching his former student hustling money for his plays 40 years prior. He never forgot the energetic kid who wanted to write, act, and direct shows so much that Maxwell printed shares in his theater company and sold them to anyone with a wallet.
Since most of his classmates didn’t qualify, teachers like Zschack became stockholders in Maxwell’s Garden State Players, spending $15 each for the honor. The filmmaker never forgot that support. On Feb. 20, 2003, Maxwell screened Gods and Generals at the AMC Theatre at Clifton Commons a day prior to its national release. Proceeds from each $20 ticket went to the Clifton Education Foundation.
“A lot of students in my classes went on to do great things,” said Zschack in 2003. “With his films, Ron has achieved much in his career. I’m proud of him. I’m also thankful for him wanting to give back to Clifton.”
Maxwell is not finished giving back to the community he grew up in. Plans are in the works with the CEF for another fundraiser, hopefully next spring, screening of one of Maxwell’s films and a chance for audiences to hear more of the fascinating world of filmmaking through his eyes and voice.
Still Hustling
Maxwell, now 77, was born at Wheelus Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya, where his father was stationed.
John F. Maxwell, a descendant of an old New York Lutheran family, was an officer in the Army Air Corp who had fought in Europe and North Africa during WWII. While he was in France, he met Ron’s Jewish mother Eliane, whom he married in 1945.
Maxwell’s family moved to Allentown, PA when he was six months old. The family moved to Clifton after brother Ted was born in 1950, living on Delawanna Ave. John worked at ITT while Eliane became a nursery school teacher, then a director, at the Passaic-Clifton Jewish Community Center, a position she held for 20 years.
“Clifton was a great place to grow up,” Maxwell said in 2003. “That area around Route 3 was like a wilderness. We had kind of a Tom Sawyer youth.”
“My brother and I would build little rafts and float on the little streams and tributaries that ran off the Passaic River,” he added. “You couldn’t go on the river itself or you’d float down to Newark.”
Maxwell attended School 8 and Woodrow Wilson Junior High in his youth. It was at that “very young age”
Ronald Maxwell as he graduated CHS in 1964 and on facing page when he visited CHS on May 1.
that he began writing stories and plays — and he hasn’t slowed down since. Now, he has two film adaptation projects queued up for the next few years.
The first film is based on the 1968 novel Consider the Lilies by Iain Crichton Smith. Maxwell is adapting the screenplay with Bill Kauffman, who did the screenplay for Maxwell’s 2013 drama film, Copperhead. The second project would be a western film Belle Starr, based on
the novel by Speer Morgan.
The goal is to work on these early pre-production projects over the next three years. A third project, which isn’t queued up but is a long-term endeavor of Maxwell’s, is an epic movie on Joan of Arc. Maxwell wrote the original screenplay on that project.
“These are three [women-focused] stories that I’ve been working on for a while. I’m not sure which will be filmed first … since it depends on the availability of a cast,” he said. “It’s like a Rubik’s Cube.”
His Own Voice
Maxwell’s work ethic has always stood second to none.
He formed a small theater company at age 12 and wrote two historical plays in Shakespeare-inspired iambic pentameter and blank verse. He produced and starred in his Charles I as a WWJH ninth grader and used a $250 grant from the Student Council to stage his production.
Imagine The Bard of Clifton’s astonishment when he arrived at CHS in the fall of 1961 and found the theater dark.
“There was no drama program and no drama teacher— zero,” he told us in 2003. “Luckily, there were teachers who recognized I had a passion for theater. The structure wasn’t in place, but the people were there.”
He’s now a stakeholder. Maxwell has lived for the past 21 years in the Blue Ridge Mountains portion located in Virginia. He’s married to wife Karen Hochstetter, has two children Olivia and Jonathon, and two step-granddaughters.
In his home, Maxwell has a state-of-the-art screening room that lets him “see movies as they’re intended to be seen” — which works well as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Maxwell votes on the Oscars, and said he admired the 2022 film Tár and 2023 films American Fiction and Maestro.
Maxwell’s advice to young Clifton filmmakers is: “To thine own self be true.” He elaborated that it’s a “waste of time” trying to imitate others.
“What makes a filmmaker worth watching or listening to … is their own voice. Now, that doesn’t mean we’re not standing on a lot of shoulders all the time,” said Maxwell. “There’s a difference between that and intentionally trying to be like someone else.”
“I encourage young artists and filmmaking artists to listen to your own voice,” he continued. “That’s what we’re gonna be interested in eventually listening to as well.”
In February 2003, Ron Maxwell’s interview with Clifton Merchant.
Mustangs Mock Trial Tops in NJ
By Tom Szieber
With one successful verdict to go to earn a state title, the Clifton High School Mock Trial Team laid down the law.
This past March 28, the eight-member team, guided by veteran history teacher and mock trial coach Harry Van Der Hey, defeated three-time state champion Mainland Regional High School (Atlantic County) to win the 202324 Vincent J. Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition.
“This team is different from any other team that I have had,” said Van Der Hey, who has coached the CHS Mock Trial team since 1997.
“The fact is that COVID afforded [my captain, Patrisia Baroud] and I the occasion to dig into the details of the case more than I could in-person. I told her I was going to throw her and the team into the line of fire, and they went and won a state championship.”
Led by student attorneys Baroud, who has since graduated, Veronica David, now a rising senior, and Jenna Alnatur, now a rising junior, Clifton played the role of the defense.
They defended a dean of admissions at a fictional university who had been charged with mail fraud. The case was based on the 2019 college admissions scandal that has become known as “Operation Varsity Blues.”
Clifton is the first Passaic County team to ever win the competition and earned its spot at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick by beating Passaic County Tech for the county title, Livingston in the North Region semis, and Park Ridge in the North Region final.
“We started seeing success after we started putting in the work. It was after we started doing Google Meets late at night and having long meetings with each other where we would talk about the case and debate ideas. Whenever we needed help, Mr. Van Der Hey was always available to us.”
- Patrisia Baroud, CHS 2024
New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and Marilyn C. Clark, a retired presiding criminal judge in Passaic County, issued the ruling in favor of Clifton.
Clifton turned up by competing in other related competitions. The team finished first in the Yale Bulldog Invitational in September 2023, where Alnatur received the overall award as Best Attorney and now-graduated Omar Ali was honored with the Best Witness Award.
“We started seeing success after we started putting in the work,” said Baroud. “It was after we started doing Google Meets late at night and having long meetings with each other where we would talk about the case and debate ideas. Whenever we needed help, Mr. Van Der Hey was always available to us.”
Having conquered the best of New Jersey’s high school litigators, Clifton competed in the 2024 National Championship at the Delaware Law Related Education
Mustangs Mock Trial Tops in NJ
Center in Wilmington on May 5. They finished 20th among the 48 participating state champions from across the country.
Only two New Jersey schools—Bergen Catholic in 1991 and Cherry Hill East in 1998—have won a national mock trial crown.
The experience has been fulfilling for not just the students, but Van Der Hey as well. He estimates that over the
years, he has seen nearly 50 of his pupils become attorneys. And even those who did not saw development of their persuasion skills and ability to read others.
Along with Baroud, Alnatur, David and Ali (who won Best Witness honors in Delaware, as well), Clifton’s roster includes now-rising senior Charles Beam, now-rising junior Milena Bednarczyk, now-rising sophomore Jenna Saleh, and now-rising senior Elif Yurtseven.
Beam played the defendant in the state final case.
“The Clifton High School Mock Trial team’s dedication and perseverance have brought great honor to our school community,” said Clifton Superintendent of Schools Dr. Danny Robertozzi. “Their success is a testament to their hard work and the exceptional guidance provided by their advisor and mentors.”
The championship was celebrated throughout CHS, as students and faculty recognized the enormity of the team’s accomplishment. But the most gratifying recognition Van Der Hey has received has come from parents of those he has coached, who have clearly appreciated the mark he has left on students under his tutelage.
“I can recall name after name of students whose parents have come up to me and said, ‘My son or daughter is a different person [after experiencing Mock Trial],’” he said. “They are more confident. For me, I think it has really been a benefit, because a lot of teachers go through a whole career and don’t develop these relationships like I have. And that has helped us to be successful.”
Any child residing in Clifton who is 5 years of age on or before October 1, 2024, is eligible for Kindergarten. Required documents and details can be found at:
Any child residing in Clifton who is 3 or 4 years of age on or before October 1, 2024, is eligible for Preschool. Availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis upon completion of the entire registration process. For questions, please call 973-470-2060
Charter, Parochial, and Non-Public School Transfer Student Registration 2024-2025
Any child residing in Clifton is eligible to attend Clifton Public Schools free of charge.
Go Online To Register
From The Club To The Trials Now To Harvard
Getting his hand on the wall first isn’t uncommon for Richard Poplawski. But the lifelong Cliftonite doesn’t take his swimming abilities for granted. Or the active role that the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton, the Seahawks and the Nicholas Martini Aquatics Center played in developing him as a competitive swimmer.
“From the get-go at The Club, the team was disciplined and hardworking,” said Poplawski, 18. “They didn’t tolerate any bad behavior or disrespect toward the coaches.”
By Ariana Puzzo
These are values that Poplawski brought with him to the US Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis. Held from June 15-23, he competed in the 200 Individual Medley and 400 Individual Medley with respective finishing times of 2:03.27 (57th place) and 4:25.83 (43rd place).
“It’s always been a lifelong goal of mine ever since I started swimming [to qualify for the Olympic Team Trials],” said Poplawski. “It came down to the wire and I qualified for the trials in March at a sectionals meet in In-
dianapolis. I made it in the same pool I have my nationals age group records in for ages 11-12. That was pretty cool.” And getting to The Trials all began at The Club.
For 25 years, The Club’s Aquatics program has built up the talents of future Seahawks and helped develop lifelong passions for swimming. Poplawski first got into the water at age 4 with other kids who attended The Club’s Gingerbread House Nursery School program.
Coach Anna Abakumova noticed his innate talent for water sports. Within a short time, he joined the Seahawks, trained and quickly moved up through the levels, bypassing Silver Group for Gold and then joining the Nationals Group at age 9. That level required the young lad to commit to about two-hour practices, six times per week. There is also weight lifting incorporated to his regiment. With the Olympic Trials behind him, he’ll be watching kids he swam with over the last few years compete in the summer Olympics in France.
From The Club
He’ll also be packing his bags as this fall he heads to Cambridge, Mass. to attend Harvard University on a pre-med track as one of eight international recruits to Harvard’s swim team.
Poplawski attended St. Philip Apostle Preparatory School and Woodrow Wilson Middle School. He went to Seton Hall Prep, graduating Summa Cum Laude while setting seven school records and being named team MVP for his final three years.
Other recognitions include becoming a two-time Cullen Jones Award recipient from the Essex County Athletics Directors Association, a USA Scholastic All American Swimmer, and receiving the 2024 Essex County Scholar-Athlete Award.
Richard Poplawski got his start with the Seahawks of the Boys & Girls Club in the Nicholas Martini Aquatics Center. On previous page, that’s him as a child and on the podium before the US Olympic Team Trials in June. Above he’s with B&G Club Aquatics Director Nadia Stavko and Coach Anna Abakumova.
“High school swimming is completely different from club swimming,” said Poplawski. “It’s way more of a team aspect, and it feels a lot better to win for the team than for yourself.”
When the Olympic trials return in 2028, Poplawski will be a senior at Harvard. He hopes to make the cuts again and place even better, with an eye toward competing in the Olympics. His advice to current Club kids is to “work toward your dreams.”
The Club’s 25th anniversary celebration of the Nicholas Martini Aquatics Center is Sept. 13 from 6-7:30 pm at 822 Clifton Ave. Register to attend the free event at bgcclifton.org under the “Events” navigation.
Want to find out more? Call Maureen Cameron at 973-7730966 ext 144 or write to her at mcameron@bgcclifton.org.
Sept 25th thru Oct 26th, 2024
FundraisingEvents
The History of the Phonograph a live Edison wax cylinder recording session
Saturday, August 17th • 2pm • All ages welcome!
Presented by: Bob Ferrel and Vinnie Cutro
International Touring & Recording Artist and . . . Michael Devecka who records with the Thomas Edison National Historical Site
Tickets $12 online in advance, $15 at the door
Please check www.cliftonartscenter.org for details
SEPTEMBER 8th One More Once - Big Band Led by Joey V & Tim Hayward
NOVEMBER 10th Jamestown Duo
DECEMBER 1st Holiday Brass Quintet Edison’s Miracle
Saturday, Sept 28th 1pm - 4pm
Polonia Community & Nearby Vicinity
Lessons of a Fighting Mustang
By Tom Szieber
In his role as a Councilman and Deputy Mayor of Randolph, Joe Hathaway has done plenty of public speaking. Whether at a Council meeting or campaign event, every engagement brings its own pressure.
But understanding that dialogue with the public is simply part of the job. Hathaway has never been all that nervous about talking to a crowd—until May 21, when he figuratively returned to Colfax Ave.
He wasn’t speaking to constituents, allies or political adversaries. No, it was to his high school alma mater’s highest achievers at the 2024 Clifton High School Distinguished Academic Awards Dinner at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park.
“I thought to myself, I can’t tell these students to correct anything or do anything differently, because they are already doing everything the right way,” said Hathaway, a CHS Class of 2005 graduate, and Fighting Mustang, recalling his preparation as the program’s guest speaker. “So, I decided I wanted to speak to them about the lessons I learned from Clifton High School that have stuck with me in my career and life.”
And he nailed it.
The former Yale University football player hit on a few major themes in his remarks—the first regarding the possibilities afforded to the soon-to-be grads during their time at CHS.
He dispelled the notion that larger schools provide a lesser academic environment than their smaller counterparts, noting that the resources, opportunities and programs at students’ fingertips permit them to decide what they want their high school experience to be and make it their own.
He went on to remind the honorees that many people have made Clifton High School a springboard to achieving the extraordinary, citing actors and film makers. Hathaway, a lifelong film buff, aspired as a youngster to work in that industry and used an anecdote from his own CHS tenure to make his larger point.
“I remember in high school, I went to AMC Clifton Commons because Ron Maxwell (CHS Class of 1964) was doing a screening of ‘Gods & Generals,’” he said. “To see a guy that I knew was from Clifton doing what I always dreamed of doing made it seem so much more attainable. To see what he was doing empowered me.” Hathaway indeed attained success of his own.
In 2004 the Fighting Mustangs from top left: Tom Szieber, Mark Stuart, Adam Bania, head coach Ron Anello, Dustin Scarpa, David Smith, Rob Villegas. Middle: Geoff Goodell, Kevin O’Brien, Americo DeLuca, Emmanuel Ihim, Randy Cabral, Joseph Musleh, Michael Tresca, Michael Covin, Joe Hathaway. Front: Alfred Martinez, Jesse Peraino, Tracey Dickerson, Josh Morales, Brian Ippolitto, Luis Miranda, Tom Jacobus.
Lessons of a Fighting Mustang
“Vice Principal Sue Schnepf pointed out that the Class of 2005 and Class of 2024 are very much alike,” he recalled. “We faced the adversity of navigating high school in the immediate aftermath of September 11, while the Class of 2024 high school experience was greatly affected by the pandemic. It is important that the new graduates understand that one reason both classes made it through those experiences was because of the strength of character they developed at CHS. If they let that guide them in their futures, there is nothing they can’t achieve.”
He stood out at CHS athlete in two sports. As a top-flight tight end and defensive end for the Clifton football team, he was also the team leader. He also broke Clifton’s track’s indoor and outdoor shot put records.
After graduating from Yale with a degree in political science, he worked in an operations/communications role for Gov. Chris Christie before taking a similiar job in the pharmaceutical industry and earning a seat on the Randolph Township Council.
As he grew in his career and personal life, Hathaway has maintained his hometown pride—and he encourages soon-to-be grads to do the same.
“I told them to take pride in being from Clifton and embrace what your experience has been,” he said. “These students have been given a strong foundation to excel and achieve, but they should make this the easiest they’ve ever worked.”
Possibilities. People. Pride.
The simple, yet powerful alliterative message was well-received by the members of the CHS Class of 2024 in attendance. Perhaps that is to be expected, given the similarity between Hathaway’s Class of 2005 and the group who recently bid farewell.
Joe Hathaway and his wife Whitney with parents Rick and Gina.
First Lutheran Church, a landmark at Grove and Van Houten Aves., will host a construction Renewal Celebration on Sept. 15. It will begin with a 10 am liturgy co-celebrated with Pastor Jeff Miller and the Bishop of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Rev. Tracie L. Bartholomew. While some of the renovations are clearly seen from the street, such as a new roofline and an expanded entrance, they also updated electrical, flooring, plumbing and added handicap-accessible restrooms and ramps. Fellowship and open house will follow from noon to 2 pm. All are welcome. Details at firstlutheranclifton.com.
Tuesday, Nov. 5 is election day with Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and more locally. Next month, we will profile the candidates for the Board of Ed and City Council, as well as Passaic County Commissioner and Sheriff. Petitions for both BOE and City Council were still being filed at our deadline. Three seats are open for threeyear terms at the BOE. The Council’s special election will determine who finishes the remaining two years on the late Councilwoman Lauren Murphy’s term. As we went to press, qualifying candidates were Councilman Chris D’Amato and George Silva. D’Amato finished eighth in 2022 and was appointed to the Council in February following Murphy’s Jan. 13 passing. Edward Nunez and BOE Commissioner Richard Mejia took out petitions and have until Aug. 5 to qualify by collecting some 600 petitions.
Eleny Gervacio of Clifton High School was one 25 graduating seniors who was awarded a $1,500 scholarship from Spencer Savings Bank. The Mustang is pictured third from left with other grads from six counties who shared $37,500 in scholarships. Jose B. Guerrero, Spencer’s Chair and CEO, presented the awards at a June 26 luncheon at Spencer’s Elmwood Park headquarters, giving the college bound kids a chance to meet and connect with the bank’s executive and senior leadership teams.
CHS Class of 2014 reunion is in November but the date is not yet set. It will be either Nov. 8 or Nov. 15. Join the class’s FB group at “Class of 2014 CHS Reunion.”
CHS Class of 2004 reunion. On Nov. 30 at 6 pm, walk right in The Shannon Rose and catch up with 2004 Mustangs at the 20th reunion. No tickets. Cash bar.
CHS Class of 1984’s reunion is Oct. 5, 6:30 pm at Franklin Steakhouse, Fairfield. Join “Clifton High School Class of 1984” on Facebook for details.
CHS Class of 1974 reunion is Nov. 8, 7 pm at the Mountainside Inn on Hazel Rd.. Tickets are $85. Email Lucretia (DiMartino) Rotella at cresinger30@gmail.com for info.
Passaic County Clerk Danielle Ireland-Imhof and her team visits Clifton City Hall Aug. 22 from 10 am to 1 pm. They will provide passport applications, notarizations, and veterans photo ID cards. Appointments are not required, but those with appointments will be prioritized. Last visitor is at 12:30. Come with your form and your questions. Call 973-225-3690 or passaiccountyclerk.org.
The Power of One’s 13th school supply drive will provide essential supplies to students in need as they return to the classroom. Items needed by Aug. 19 include pencil cases, #2 pencils, crayons, backpacks, notebooks and more. Donations can be dropped off at Clifton Public Libraries, Clifton Fire House 2, 4 and 5, Clifton Senior Center, City Hall Rec Dept, JK Realty, M&T Bank, Provident Bank, Lunar E-Clips Salon, Infatuation Hair Salon, George’s Coffee Shop, and Family Dollar on Van Houten Ave. To volunteer for the school supply drive or to donate, visit powerofoneccom.org or contact Kim Castellano at 201-328-2326 or kim@powerofoneccom.org. Mail checks to Power of One to PO Box 6080, Clifton, NJ 07015.
Clifton Garden Club meets Aug. 13 at 6:30 pm at the Main Memorial Library, 292 Piaget Ave. Tony Bracco of Bracco Farms of Cedar Grove will discuss “Preserving Fruits and Vegetables.” Guests are welcome. Questions? Call Donna Fantacone at 973-473-0577.
Clifton Family Campout is Aug. 16-17 from 4 pm Friday until 1 pm Saturday at Albion Park, 201 Maplewood Ave. Rain date: Aug. 23-24. Fee for residents is $4 and $8 for non-residents. One tent allowed with up to five people. Enjoy a night under the stars with a campfire, dinner, s’mores, games, and more. Pre-registration is required at cliftonrec.com or at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave.
Power of One’s school supply drive is a collaboration with Clifton’s Human Services and Community Policing Division.
Power of One Christian Coaching and Outreach Ministries walkers meet at Richardson Scale Park, 680 Van Houten Ave. Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 am for an hour walk. The walk is free and so is parking in the lot.
Goin’ Camping Art Camp is Aug. 5-9 from 9 am to noon. Register on cliftonrec.com for ages 5-10. Cost: $215 per person. Children will explore camp-themed art and design with materials included. Kids should bring a light nut-free snack and water bottle to camp. Call the Rec. Dept. at 973-470-5956 for info.
Clifton Rec’s Drive-In Movie Night features “Under the Boardwalk” an animated musical comedy film on Aug. 6 at Main Memorial Park. The screening is part of National Night Out, which begins at 6 pm. Clifton Police, Clifton Rec and Clifton Against Substance Abuse team up to offer an evening of family fun. Bring blankets and lawn chairs as the movie begins at dusk. Call 973-470-5956.
The 2024 Junior Mustangs Football registration is underway. The season start is Aug. 15 for players ages 7-14. Current member fee $175; newcomers pay a $40 membership plus $175 activity fee. Activity fee is $225 after July 15. Register at: parentportal.bgcclifton.org. Include a copy of child’s birth certificate and photo, proof of school, home address, and current physical exam.
Clifton Schools Assistant Superintendent of Business
Ahmed Shehata has been appointed by Gov. Phil Murphy, above left, to serve on the NJ State Board of Education. Shehata is one of 13 members appointed without compensation for six-year terms. Board members set rules to implement state education law in the state’s 2,500 public schools and 1.38 million students. It advises on policies proposed by the Commissioner and confirms NJ Department of Ed appointments. “I am committed to advocating for the needs of our students, educators, and families, and to ensuring that our educational policies foster equity, innovation, and excellence,” said Shehata.
Join religious and civic leaders, Ukrainians, and non-Ukrainians to celebrate the 33rd Ukrainian Independence Day flag raising on Aug. 23 at 6 pm at the Municipal Complex, at 900 Clifton Ave.
Share Summer 2024 photos: Clifton Cable TV Editor Mike Solomon and his team requests photos taken from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 2024 to create a Channel 77 slideshow that made you, your family and friends laugh and smile. Deadline is Sept. 15. Email photos, along with your name and info to: Cliftoncable7740@cliftonnj.org or msolomon@cliftonnj.org.
Clifton Education Foundation hosts an Endless Summer fundraiser Sept. 25, noon, at Shannon Rose. Join retired administrators, secretaries, teachers, paraprofessionals, maintenance, custodians, bus drivers, support staff and lunch aides, all retired Clifton BOE employees. Reunite with colleagues and friends and support the CEF. All proceeds fund grants in every Clifton Public School. Buffet for $35 with a cash bar. RSVP by Sept. 13. Mail donations to: Loretta Ahmad, 19 Maple Hill Road, Clifton, NJ 07013. Checks to: Clifton Education Foundation. Contact Kim at cefcommdirector@gmail.com. Instagram: @cliftoneducationfoundation.
Edison’s Miracle: The History of the Phonograph is an interactive oneday exhibit presenting Edison’s wax cylinder recordings on antique equipment. The event, on Aug. 17 at 2 pm at the Clifton Arts Center, is presented by international touring and recording artists Bob Ferrel, Vinnie Cutro and Michael Devecka, who records with the Thomas Edison National Historical Site in West Orange.Tickets are $12 at cliftonartscenter.org. Door tickets are $15. Online sales end Aug. 16. Cliftonartscenter.org for info.
St. Peter’s Haven’s Tricky Tray is Sept. 6, 6 pm at the Boys & Girls Club. Admission is $25 and you can bring your own food and drink. St. Peter’s relies on fundraisers, grants, food and monetary donations, and volunteers to provide supplemental food assistance, transitional housing for displaced families and casework services to those in need. St. Peter’s Haven has been helping the community since its founding in 1986. Go to saintpetershaven.org for more details, to volunteer, contribute or if you are in need.
The Sunday evening Obser Concert Series is through Aug. 25 at 7:30 pm at Main Memorial Park. Performances are: One More Once Big Band (Aug. 4), Tequila Rose (Aug. 11), Parrot Beach (Aug. 18), and Arena Relive the Rock (Aug. 18). Free. For weather updates, call after 5 pm: 973-4705680. Other info: cliftonrec.com.
Over a decade ago, a partnership with Peace Islands Institute and St. Peter’s Haven was formed to feed the hungry and to mark the Feast of Sacrifice, the oldest Islamic holiday in Turkey, which began on June 16. To commemorate the holiday, the group donated 100 pounds of lamb to St. Peter’s Haven food pantry to be distributed to families in need. On July 23, at St. Peter’s Haven, pictured from left are Mayor Ray Grabowski, St. Peter’s Pam Fueshko, Board member James Anzaldi, Sen. John McKeon, Adam Ozdemir of Embrace Relief, Gustavo Orales of St. Peter’s and Board member Jennifer Taylor.
Birthdays & Celebrations - August 2024
Kevin Kurnath turns 59 on Aug. 30! Emilie Oakley will be 31 on Aug. 22. Aubrey Lynn Toro turns 16 on Aug. 8. Reilly Tedesco turns 21 on Aug. 31. Kateryna and Bohdan Baran celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary August 3
Wish Donald D. Dunn a happy 90th birthday on Aug. 22. Elena Vatasin is 30 on Aug 30. Luciana Meneses will turn 18 on Aug. 23. Peter & Christina Kedl celebrate their 21st anniversary on Aug. 21. Their children Ottilia Kedl turned 18 on July 23 and her brother Alexander celebrates his 16th birthday on Aug. 28.
Margot Villanova .......................... 8/1
Kim West 8/1
Angelo Greco ............................... 8/2
Karen Lime 8/2
Michael Urciuoli ........................... 8/2
Christian Gomez 8/3
Kevin Ciok 8/4
Scott Malgieri................................ 8/4
Mark W. Mikolajczyk 8/5
Christina Sotelo ............................. 8/5
Ed Gasior Sr. 8/6
Sean McNally............................... 8/6
Gladys Shefchik 8/8
Chiara Cristantiello ....................... 8/9
Jean Schubert 8/9
Emily Hawrylko Crawford .......... 8/12
Danielle Swede 8/13
Andrew Cronin 8/14
Kimberly Mozo ........................... 8/14
Michelle Smolt 8/14
Christopher Antal ........................ 8/15
Peter Bodor 8/15
Tom Hawrylko Sr. ........................ 8/15
Andrew Noblett 8/15
Jessica Oliva ............................... 8/15
Maria Pinter 8/15
Susan Van Blarcom ..................... 8/15
Daniel Wolfe 8/15
Arlene Hard 8/17
Bella Bulsara ............................... 8/18
Alexandria Veltre 8/19
Michael Melendez .................... 8/20
Rachelle Swede 8/20
Jack & Anne Houston celebrate their 38th anniversary on Aug. 8.
Luciana Meneses 8/23
Cara Cholewczynski ................. 8/24
Yasmin Ledesma 8/24
Robbie Lucas 8/25
Eileen Gasior .............................. 8/26
Cameron J. Popovski 8/26
Adam Brandhorst ........................8/27
Peter Fierro, Jr. 8/28
Nicholas Swede. ....................... 8/29
Michelle “Mish” Choy 8/30
Joe Rushen 8/30
Kathleen McKenny ..................... 8/31
Bruce and Diane Drake will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary on Aug. 22.
Ted and Barbara Guzowski celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary on July 10.
Clifton Veterans Committee hosts the Sept. 1 Food Truck, Vendors, Crafts and Music Festival on the grounds of city hall. Starting at 11 am, savor the culinary artistry of several North Jersey food trucks and enjoy a draft or two in the beer garden. There will be a gallery of work by local artists and a Kids Fun Zone. Hear live music by Swingman and the Misfit Mutts, La Cabinera and Alternate Groove. Sign Christmas cards for our troops prepared by Clifton Cares volunteers, which will be shipped to them this fall. Admission is $5 and kids under 36” are free. Gate fee benefits Clifton Veterans Committee for Memorial Day and November’s Veterans Parade. Free parking at city hall or at Clifton High. Make checks to City of Clifton—note Clifton Veterans Committee. Clifton City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave., Clifton NJ 07013.
The Food Brigade launched its Community Food Security Center of Passaic County at 236 Colfax Ave., near the entrance to city hall, on July 16.
The new facility includes the organization’s Community Market, an education center providing wraparound services, and a warehouse which serves as a distribution hub for The Food Brigade’s operations and to support other local food assistance agencies.
Registered guests who meet at least one of seven poverty-based criteria may shop there. Much like a grocery store, guests enter, scan their shopper card, take a cart, and choose
from hundreds of food items including fresh produce and dairy to frozen meat and seafood.
President and co-founder of The Food Brigade Karen DeMarco explained: “We wanted to bring the highest level of respect and dignity to the food receiving process. Being hungry and not having enough food to feed your children is one of the most stressful situations someone can go through. We want to normalize the process of receiving food assistance as much as possible, including increasing the autonomy and self-determination of our guests.”
Go to foodbrigade.org for more information.
