Clifton Merchant Magazine - October 2008

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Clifton Merchant Magazine • Volume 13 • Issue 10 • October 3, 2008

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

by Tom Hawrylko

The October 1998 cover of Clifton Merchant Magazine was our first study of the changing face of Clifton. Pictured from left, Luisa Castillo, who is Filipino, Rich Smith an African-American, John Pogorelec Sr., a Slovakian, Sohail Mohammed, a Muslim from India, and at center, Sophia Constandinou, who is of Greek ancestry.

A decade later with this issue, we once again examine diversity in our community.

16,000 MAGAZINES are distributed to hundreds of Clifton Merchants the first Friday of every month.

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Say hello to your neighbors, such as Anil Patel, the shop keeper at the Welsh Farms on the corner of Main and Piaget Aves in Downtown Clifton. On the following 40 pages, you’ll see and read about a variety of Clifton people.

Some you may know and others you may be meeting for the first time but the idea is to explain a little more about our city’s ever-changing ethnicity.

Through our stories, we hope to provide a greater understanding of our diverse cultures and religions and perhaps illustrate, that despite our differences and no matter where we come from, we share many of the same goals and ideals. For instance, Anil’s kids attend School 1 and CCMS and he— like most Americans—want to make our hometown a better place to work, live and raise a family.

Clifton, for many of us, has been a city of opportunity. For me, it began in 1979 when I moved here to attend Montclair State after a hitch in

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Tom Hawrylko BUSINESS MANAGER Cheryl Hawrylko STAFF WRITERS: Joe Hawrylko, Jordan Schwartz GRAPHIC ARTIST: Tomahawk Promotions Rich McCoy 1288 Main Avenue CONTRIBUTORS: Downtown Clifton, NJ 07011 Gary Anolik, Rich DeLotto 973-253-4400 • tomhawrylko@optonline.net October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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the US Navy. By 1981, I married into a great Italian family and managed to share and meld the Ukrainian and Hungarian traditions I knew as a boy growing up in Perth Amboy with my new Italian culture and family.

Since we married in 1981, Cheryl and I have achieved many things in our hometown, including raising a family of four and starting a business. It has been a good tale of the American Dream for which I am appreciative. I wish the same good fortune and the many friendships I have experienced in Clifton upon all of you.

Clifton Merchant Magazine • Volume 13 • Issue 10 • October 3, 2008

Free, Please Take One

On our cover, flags in the mast, from left, Italy, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Albania, Philippines and Ukraine. Going down the spine: USA, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Japan, Dominican Republic, Peru, Germany, Israel, Macedonia, Greece, Ireland, Iraq, India, Columbia, Mexico and the Netherlands.

Cover photos, first row, from left: Fatima, Abdullah and Dana Aref, Anil Patel, Iris Pallero, Luis Perdomo and George Hayek. Second row: Alex Chudolij, Lillianna Chudolij, Mike Duch, Alicia Mazepa and John Komar. Third row: Father Thomas Abraham, Anayzah Thomas, John Celentano, Jr., Jennifer Reyes-Vega, and Kevin Gorman, Lou Imparato and Mary Ellen Wiles. Fourth row: Masoon Karabit and Manal Farage, Karina and Igor Yermachenko, Odette Coronel, Rabbi Stanley Skolnik and James Gwyn.

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Musician, Butcher, Veteran Caballero’s Iron Man to lead Nov. 9 Clifton Vets Parade Story by Joe Hawrylko The sounds of someone drumming away on a butcher’s block emanate from the back corner of George’s Middle East Market on Getty Ave. in South Paterson.

But it’s not an acne-faced 15year-old cashier slacking off. It’s George Hayek, an 82-year-old second generation Syrian-American, busy proving that, despite his age, his fast hands can still put any youthful drummer to the test.

Demonstration finished, Hayek flashes a smile and puts the drum sticks back in their hidden location on the shelves, just in case he catches another sudden urge for an impromptu jam session.

These kind of things happen when you’ve been a drummer most

Syrian in Clifton There are 1,010 people of Syrian descent living in Clifton, or about 1.3% of the population. Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 599 • Female: 411 Median Age: 38 • Under 5: 40 18 & over: 824 • 65 & over: 149 Average household size: 3 Average family size: 4 Occupied housing units: 399 Foreign born: 347 In labor force: 561 Per capita income: $23,813 Families below poverty line: 33 People below poverty line: 173

Source: 2000 U.S. Census

The Hayek family, in front of their Getty Ave. store. From left to right is Bobby, George and Charles. The elder Hayek, a World War II veteran, will be the Grand Marshal at this year’s Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 9.

of your life, and sometimes, you’ve just got to satisfy that itch.

Sixty-two years ago, Hayek and four of his artistically inclined friends decided that they needed a movable stage for their musical abilities and formed the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum & Bugle Corps.

Though it originally started as an outlet for their creativity, surely none of the original members could have envisioned that their little group would continue for generations and go on to become one of the premier drum and bugle corps in the nation.

Throughout their illustrious history, the Spanish-themed Cabs have accumulated dozens of awards and accolades, most notably, nine Drum Corps Association World Championships.

“I’m the only one left still marching from the original drum corps,” Hayek said proudly.

“That’s my thing. They call me Iron Man because I’ve been marching for 62 years now.”

The Cabs were born out of the St. George Junior Cadets from Paterson. However, unable to get funding in town, the Cabs had to look elsewhere.“We went to Hawthorne and were sponsored by American Legion Post 199,” explained Hayek. “We’re still active with that post.”

Behind him at his South Paterson store are dozens of pictures and awards, a testament to his dedication to his musical craft.

Featured prominently on the shelf is a plaque commemorating Hayek’s induction into the October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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National Drum and Bugle Corps Hall of Fame in 1994.

In a sense, the walls of George’s Middle East Market tell the story of Hayek’s life, displaying all of his accomplishments and his beloved family members.

As for the store itself, it has been in Hayek’s family since 1933, when his father, Charles, founded the original butcher’s shop near Grand St. in Paterson. The current incarnation of the store on Getty Ave. has been there since 1944, and is now run by Hayek’s sons, Charles and Bobby.

However, Hayek isn’t a New Jersey native. In 1929, during the height of the Depression, Charles Hayek and his family moved from Detroit to Paterson, after a family member told him of a job opportunity for the Syrian immigrant.

“I had an aunt down here that said they needed a butcher and he knew how to cut meat,” recalled

Hayek, who was born in Detroit, which has a sizable Syrian community. “So he put us all in a car and brought us down here.”

Hayek standing in front of his father’s store on Main St., Paterson in the ’40s.

His dad, Charles Hayek, worked at the butcher shop until 1933, when he opened up his first store on Main St., specifically catering to the large Syrian population of South Paterson by offering many different cuts of lamb, a staple of Syrian cuisine.

However, after just six years, he closed the shop due to the outbreak of WWII. Life was about to change for the Hayek family. With the opportunity for higher pay in front of him, Charles closed his store in 1940 to work at Wright Aeronautics, where he remained employed until 1944.

The junior Hayek was also actively participating in the war effort, joining the Army after graduation from Paterson Central in 1944. After the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, Hayek was sent over as a part of the occupying force, where he stayed until his discharge from the Army in 1946.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

“I learned some Japanese while I was there,” said Hayek, who fluently speaks English, French and Arabic, as well as some Spanish and Russian.

By the time he had returned home, Hayek’s father already had a bustling business on Getty Ave., where he would go to help out.

Though he initially was contemplating college, the circumstances at the time altered his plans.

“I was the only boy when my father got sick,” recalled Hayek, who assumed full control of the store in 1958, about five years before his father passed away. “I could have gone to college under the G.I. Bill, but my mother (Eva) said, ‘How are we going to live?’

Well, the store was here and I just took over.”

Since then, George’s Middle East Market has become a family affair.

Just as he started out helping his father as a young boy, Hayek’s two

George and his wife, Lorraine, who were wed on Nov. 1, 1953.

sons found their way into the family business over time.

“I started working Saturdays here,” said Charles, Hayek’s older son. “And eventually, you just find yourself here.”

However, even though it’s a new third generation running George’s Middle East Market, their staple food—lamb—is what draws in the loyal customers.

“Any kind of lamb they want, we make,” explained Hayek, who also promoted his son Bobby’s homemade string cheese. “Sausage pieces, sausage made out of lamb, hamburgers made out of lamb...”

Though much of his clientele has since left South Paterson, it hasn’t effected business much.

Generations of customers still call in their orders every weekend.

“Most of our business is by phone. We get a lot of church picnics and festivals,” added Hayek, who is a lector at Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church in Little Falls.

“They’re hooked on lamb,” he said proudly, perched upon his spot in the corner of his store. “If you want fresh meat, you come to me.”

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Leading in the Poles

Story by Jordan Schwartz

Peter Eagler is the Grand Marshal of the Pulaski Day Parade Peter Eagler is about to live every Polonia’s dream. On Oct. 5, the Clifton City Councilman will lead nearly 100,000 like-minded individuals from the Tri-State area up Fifth Ave. in Manhattan as the Grand Marshal of the 71st annual Pulaski Day Parade.

“It’s really a wonderful honor to be in this position,” he said. “I started marching in the late ’70s, but I didn’t think that I would ever be Grand Marshall.”

The Pulaski Day Parade is the second longest running procession in New York City behind the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which began in 1762.

It’s been celebrated since 1937 to honor Kazimierz Pulaski, a Polish immigrant who became a general in

Polish in Clifton There are 11,451 people of Polish descent living in Clifton, or about 14.6% of the population.

Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 5,322 • Female: 6,129 Median Age: 43 • Under 5: 511 18 & over: 9,428 • 65 & over: 2,383 Average household size: 2 Average family size: 3 Occupied housing units: 4,466 Foreign born: 3,755 In labor force: 5,847 Per capita income: $23,904 Families below poverty line: 92 People below poverty line: 518

Source: 2000 U.S. Census 10

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Councilman Peter Eagler was installed as the 2008 Pulaski Parade Grand Marshal on Jan. 17, 2007 at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York City. From left, is his mother Olga, sister Virginia, Eagler, Eastern European community immigration activist Cami Huk, and Polish American Heritage League president Dorothy Sowchuk.

the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Eagler, 53, has been a dedicated member of the local Polish community since he was a child. Growing up in the Athenia section of town, Peter went to school at St. Stephen’s in Passaic and Paul VI in Clifton, all the while attending church picnics with his parents who were involved in the Central Polish Organization.

But Eagler wasn’t interested in just his own culture. In 1976, he graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a degree in political science and Russian-area studies.

A year later, he took a job as a safety inspector for the New Jersey Highway Authority, but after a decade, Eagler became the director of Heritage Festivals at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel.

In 1990, the Cliftonite decided he could best help the diverse population of his hometown by becoming a lawmaker, and so he ran for City Council, a body on which he served until 2002. Eagler was also a Passaic County Freeholder from 1996 to 2005, becoming the first Democrat to lead the board in 12 years when he was elected director in 1998.

From 2002 to 2006, the Greendale Rd. resident served as assemblyman from New Jersey’s 34th district. In 2006, he returned to the Clifton City Council.

Eagler has long been a friend to foreigners looking to make a new home in North Jersey, helping many who would call him with immigration problems.

But since being elected Grand Marshal last November, the councilman’s main focus has been preparing for this year’s parade.

“I try to attend as many of the local events as I can and I’m also helping to raise funds through the ad journal to defray the cost of the parade,” he said.

A Parade Banquet was held on Sept. 27 at the Marriot Marquis in New York.

On Oct. 5, the festivities begin with a 9 am mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and a 10:30 am breakfast at the 3 West Club between 5th and 6th Aves.

The actual procession steps off, led by the CHS Marching Mustangs Band, from 25th St. at 12:30 pm and continues up Fifth Ave. to 53rd St. The theme of this year’s parade is “Celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Polish Pioneers Arriving at the Jamestown Colony in Virginia.”

According to polamcon.org, “Polish craftsmen, skilled in the production of potash, soap, tar and glass manufacturing, arrived at the first English colony in the New World at the invitation of Captain John Smith, who had become acquainted with them in Europe.

“Eleven years after their arrival, the Poles successfully led the first strike in the New World for equal rights. They had contributed so much to ensure the survival of the colony that when advised by the Governor that they would be excluded from voting in an upcoming election, said ‘no vote, no work.’ Such was their value to the colony that they were granted the right to vote.”

Kazimierz Pulaski Some call Kazimierz Pulaski “the father of American Calvary.” A Polish noble born on March 4, 1746, he was a military commander for the Bar Confederation and fought against Russian domination of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. When the rebellion failed, Pulaski emigrated to the American colonies, where he became a general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. On Oct. 11, 1779, he died of wounds suffered in the Battle of Savannah. The Pulaski Skyway, named in his honor, is a bridge that connects Newark and Jersey City.

Source: Wikipedia.org

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Starting from Scratch

Story by Jordan Schwartz

The Farage family immigrated to the United States in 1999 Back home, Razzuka Farage, 60, was a successful computer programmer at an oil company in the northern section of his country.

His wife, Manal, was a civil engineer, and his two sons, Sinan and Layth, were doing well in school.

But back home, the Farage family lived beneath the oppression of a tyrannical dictator.

Razzuka was born in southern Iraq in the late ’40s — one of five children to a dentist and a housewife.

Farage grew up riding horses, swimming and hunting. He went to college in Baghdad, earning degrees in physics and math, before taking a job at a government-run oil producer in Kirkuk.

“Everything was available at that time,” he said. But that all changed when Saddam Hussein took power in 1979. “Freedom is gone, can’t talk, have to obey orders, can’t travel freely, the economy was poor,” said Farage.

He added that it was impossible for him to be promoted at work because he wasn’t a member of Hussein’s Ba’ath Party, which supported pan-Arabism. Farage was a minority in Iraq because he was Christian.

Razzuka was never the victim of violence because of his religious beliefs, but he did witness the persecution of his countrymen for other reasons.

“When Saddam entered the Gulf War in 1990, some Iraqi soldiers deserted their units, and when they were captured, they were executed,” he remembered. “There was a stadium near our house and they would 12

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Iraqi immigrants, from left, Masoon Karabit and the Farage family: Manal, Sinan, Layth and Razzuka in front of their home on Sixth St.

stop people on the street to force them to watch the executions. When I saw this, I’d turn the other way.”

Farage said after Hussein’s army was forced to leave Kuwait in 1991, there was an uprising in Iraq.

With all the troops involved in the Gulf War, Kurdish forces came and occupied Kirkut.

When the Iraqi army returned to liberate the northern cities, they began bombing the Kurds. Caught in the crossfire were residents like Farage and his family, who decided it was time to leave the country.

“I was afraid to go outside,” Razzuka recalled.

But getting out wasn’t that easy, especially for those who worked for government-owned companies.

In the meantime, the Farages sought shelter in a neighbor’s basement. On his way to work,

Razzuka would see bullet holes and blood cover the city walls and bodies litter the streets.

“A relative of my wife was a doctor,” said Farage. “He and his son were killed by a bomb in their home. It tore them to pieces.”

After eight long years, Razzuka was able to bribe someone in the passport department to get credentials for himself, his wife and their two sons. The Farage family traveled to Jordan and stayed there for 20 days before flying to the U.S. in 1999.

Razzuka’s sister had lived in New Jersey since 1959, so he decided to join her in the Garden State.

The family first lived to Ocean Township for four-and-a-half years before relocating to Sixth St. in Clifton.

At left, a 20-something Razzuka Farage riding a horse in 1975. The other picture is of, from left, Razzuka, his wife Manal, his brother-in-law Mufed, his sister May and his other sister Masoon in the northern part of Iraq in 1977.

“I heard we could find work here better and my nephew had worked here,” said Farage. Razzuka took a job as a subcontractor, transporting packages for American Expediting, before the company changed the contract and let him go.

He then returned to Iraq this past May in an unsuccessful attempt to sell some property he owned there.

Farage is currently looking for employment, while his eldest son, Sinan, 25, just opened up an auto repair shop in Paramus.

Layth, 22, meanwhile, recently graduated Rutgers University with degrees in art history and math and has begun an internship in New

York City. Manal is an accountant at Polytech Design on West First St. in Clifton.

“We’re family oriented and we help each other out to succeed in life,” said Sinan. “We couldn’t make it by ourselves.”

The 25-year-old had a difficult time adjusting to life in America when he was uprooted at the age of 17. Sinan didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived at Ocean H.S., and so administrators dropped him two grades to a sophomore.

Sinan also took auto mechanic classes at a vocational school and Brookdale Community College, and so he was able to land a job at

a car dealership in South Jersey.

Farage later decided to move closer to some friends in Florida, where he worked for Lexus of Jacksonville.

Sinan eventually opened up his own shop, but the venture failed as the economy stalled, and so he was forced to move back home with his parents.

The Iraqi immigrant found work as a dispatcher at Garden State Honda, but he was let go after just nine months.

Despite the hardships the family has faced since arriving in the States, Sinan knows they made the right decision. “We didn’t have any future back home,” he said.

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The slow and relaxed experience of smoking a hookah, which includes preparation of the hookah and the tobacco, is the whole point of hookah smoking. It's not about a buzz or a nicotine fix, it's about the relaxed space, among friends and out of time, that is created by the hookah and the act of smoking it.

R

eady to relax, enjoy and socialize?

Try hookah—and to learn how to partake of this time honored Middle Eastern tradition, visit Hookah Paradise in Downtown Clifton.

Owner Simon Sheik is there 7 days a week and can serve as a guide to get you and your friends smoking.

While the store is not a smoking lounge, Simon offers for sale hundreds of ornate pipes, many options on flavored tobacco and dozens of other accessories and items anyone will need to get smoking So how do you hookah? Simon provided the following bits of information but come down to the store to speak with him in person.

First, don’t rush it— a smoking session lasts somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. After preparing a clean hookah with cold water, selecting a flavorful tobacco for the bowl, lighting and adding the charcoal, the aromatic hookah smoke is drawn bubbling through the water.

Cooled and softened after being filtered by the water, light, pleasant smoke infuses the senses, lingering on the air, encouraging slow meditative breathing and sweetening conversation, games of dominoes, or quiet contemplation and study.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Because hookah smoking is a social activity, there is an unwritten etiquette when partaking • never light cigarettes using the charcoal that heats the hookah tobacco • avoid blowing smoke in the face of another person unless they ask—so they can taste the flavor being smoked • since the point of the individual plastic mouthpiece is health and safety, don't share them • when one person is done smoking but the hookah is still in use, setting a hose directly on the table signifies that smoker is finished and another person may use the hose • when a hookah smoking session is completed, the hoses should be wrapped around the stem • finally, don’t smoke anything but tobacco out of a hookah.

Hookah Paradise caters parties at your location, renting hookahs, tobaccos — and even providing an experienced hookah server to make sure your event is problem-free.

Some smokers add ice to the water and chill the hoses. Others add fruit juice or wine to the base, so the lush fruit flavors of hookah smoke are enhanced by various ingredients.

Other tips on how to hookah: • always use the proper charcoal, specifically made for hookah smoking as charcoal which isn’t low-smoke will overwhelm the flavor and experience of the hookah smoke; • only a very small amount of hookah tobacco is needed in the bowl, since a little goes a long way • if the smoke or flavor are lacking, it’s probably because the coals aren’t hot enough • when smoking for more than half an hour, fresh coals will be needed.

myhookahparadise.com

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Congratulations to Veterans Parade Grand Marshal George Hayek

Salute Our Vets • Sunday Nov. 9, 2 pm

Clifton Veterans Parade Once again we are proud to help spread the word and remind residents to stand along Main Avenue on Nov. 9 near Main Memorial Park to Salute our Veterans.

East Ridgelawn Cemetery also invites you to visit our Mausoleum on Main Avenue to pause, reflect and remember the lives of those who have passed. Visits are unlimited and unaffected by the weather. Crypts are located in the building and convenient for elderly and handicapped. Mausoleum entombment provides greater Peace of Mind & Security.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Living the American Dream Igor Yermachenko is about to purchase his own home Story by Joe Hawrylko Igor Yermachenko relaxes in his small office, taking a long sip of his iced coffee on an abnormally warm September afternoon.

Though he attempted to wash up prior to going on break, his hands and shirt still bear the remains from the dozen or so oil changes he has already done today—and it’s only a little past noon.

Being a mechanic certainly isn’t an easy job. However, it pays well enough for Yermachenko, who is actively shopping for his first home. In an independent auto shop on Main Ave., he’s living the American Dream, shaping his own future through hard work.

For this Ukrainian immigrant, it sure beats the desolate tundra of Siberia, where his family was forcibly relocated to by Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union in the 1950s.

“The winters are so strong,” recalled Yermachenko, who is the manager of People’s Auto at the corner of Main and Barkley Aves. in Clifton. “Summers are good, but short—only two months and that’s it.”

And compared to those who were deported to Siberia before him, the 38-year-old says he had it good. At least it was partially developed during the seven years that he lived there.

“In the 1950s and ’60s, Siberia was much worse,” said Yermachenko, who still speaks with a noticeable Eastern European accent. “They had nothing there, just wood. They had to build everything themselves.”

The Yermachenko family. From left, Kyrstyna, Ulyana, Karina and Igor.

‘They’ refers to DP’s, or the Displaced Peoples, who were the unfortunate souls that were removed from their native countries by the Soviets and placed in jails, or sent to Siberia or other distant lands.

“My grandparents... Stalin sent them there because they were rich,” said Yermachenko. “He mixed up all nationalities. But politicians or those who were considered rich went to Siberia.”

The forced relocation brought together his parents, Nykola and Stefania, who met in Siberia. In fact, Yermachenko himself was born there in 1970, however, given the circumstances, he still identifies himself as a Ukrainian.

Yermachenko lived with his family in Siberia until 1977. About

then, the regulations first put in place by Stalin were relaxed and families started returning home.

For Yermachenko, that meant going back to Lviv in the Striy oblast or region of Ukraine.

However, with the Russians still in power, there were a couple of caveats to go along with these new so called freedoms.

“The borders were closed before 1991,” said Yermachenko, recalling when Ukraine declared independence on Aug. 24, 1991. “You still couldn’t leave the USSR. People had no choice to travel.”

Young men also had to fulfill their military service to the USSR, which landed Yermachenko in the Soviet Navy from 1988 to 1990.

However, he managed to October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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make the best out of the situation.

“Where I went was good. I got to travel the whole Soviet Union,” he said, noting that he had ports of call in the Baltic, as well as the northern and southern tips of the country.

By the time he was discharged, the life Yermachenko knew was beginning to change. The USSR was on the verge of dissolving, soon to give way to Ukrainian independence in August 1991.

He also met his future wife, Ulyana, whom he would marry that same year, just before he began studying at Lviv University.

“Everybody goes to school, but not everyone went to college,” said Yermachenko, who has two daughters, Kyrstyna and Karina. “If you wanted a better job, you went to college.”

While going for his degree in engineering, Yermachenko also had a transportation business, which took him all over Europe before graduating in 1997.

After obtaining his degree, Yermachenko entered his name into a draft lottery for a green card to enter the United States, eventually being accepted in 1999.

“I had traveled around Europe, but never to America,” said Yermachenko, who added that the cultural experience was his main motivation for the move.

However, coming over wasn’t easy. While he spoke Ukrainian, Polish and Russian, he had to learn English. And then he had to find a place to live and work.

Yermachenko first settled in Passaic, and recalled getting lost often at first. But he eventually found comfort in St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Passaic.

Yermachenko also was able to assimilate into American culture at People’s Auto, a Polish-owned auto repair shop. “The first time is hard, everything is unknown,” said Yermachenko, who got the job and his first apartment through a friend.

“You know nothing, but the Uki people tell you where everything is.”

With many customers of Ukrainian, Russian and Polish descent coming in, he was able to settle in comfortably. A few years back, the shop owner had a heart attack and now Yermachenko also manages the property. Soon, after years of saving up, Yermachenko who has lived in an apartment on

Ukrainian in Clifton There are 1,795 people of Ukrainian descent living in Clifton, or about 2.3% of the population. Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 849 • Female: 946 Median Age: 48 • Under 5: 97 18 & over: 1,522 • 65 & over: 527 Average household size: 2 Average family size: 3 Occupied housing units: 780 Foreign born: 632 In labor force: 840 Per capita income: $26,951 Families below poverty line: 21 People below poverty line: 154 Source: 2000 U.S. Census

Clifton Ave. for the past seven years, can finally take the next step in the American Dream—he expects to purchase his own home.

“It’s not just a better life,” he said of America “It’s a completely different country than Ukraine. I always hear America is the best in the world. I like the country, that’s why I’m still here.”

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Postman and Priest

Story by Jordan Schwartz

Thomas Abraham is the Vicar at St. Thomas Syriac Church Thomas Abraham brought his faith with him when he immigrated to the United States in 1977.

The 58-year-old grew up in Kerala State in the southernmost part of India. This is where the Universal Syriac Orthodox Knanaya Church is headquartered and so it’s no surprise that one of the region’s sons is now the chief pastor of a Syriac church in Clifton.

Members of St. Thomas Church on Third St. are mostly first generation immigrants from the Orthodox Knanaya Community of Kerala, who migrated to America in the 1970s and later.

After finishing school, Abraham worked for the postal department in India. “It’s the job I got when I was looking around for a job,” he said.

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Abraham wed his wife, Leela, in 1976, during one of her return trips to India. She was born and raised in the country, but moved to New Jersey as part of a nursing exchange program with Passaic General Hospital in 1971.

After marrying Thomas, she returned to the U.S. with her husband following a year later.

Father Thomas Abraham at St. Thomas Syraic Church on Third St., and inset, as readers may more readily recognize him, behind the counter as a Clifton Postal employee.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Abraham worked at an electronics company in Wayne and at the Indian tourist office in New York City before becoming a Clifton postman in 1982.

Two years later, the Abrahams moved from Passaic to Clifton, where their two children attended school.

Their son, Tomlee, 29, graduated 14th in the CHS Class of ’96 before receiving his masters in public health from Columbia University. He now works in the administration department at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.

His sister, Teena, 26, is a CHS Class of 2000 alum who currently works for a pharmaceutical company and was recently married.

Thomas still works for the Clifton Post Office but he is also extremely active at his church.

St. Thomas Syriac Orthodox Knanaya Church started its services in Clifton in 1987, renting its place for worship at Athenia

Indian in Clifton There are 2,397 people of Indian descent living in Clifton, or about 3% of the population. Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 1,200 • Female: 1,197 Median Age: 33 • Under 5: 184 18 & over: 1,755 • 65 & over: 172 Average household size: 4 Average family size: 4 Occupied housing units: 613 Foreign born: 2,112 In labor force: 1,342 Per capita income: $16,595 Families below poverty line: 20 People below poverty line: 157

Source: 2000 U.S. Census 22

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Reformed Church on Clifton Ave. and also at another location in Nutley. The church members previously belonged to the St. Peter’s Syriac Church in Yonkers.

In 1994, church members decided to purchase a building of their own here in Clifton and elected a building committee with Abraham, who was then the Vicar Fr., as its president.

The committee searched for five years before buying 186 Third St., which became available when the congregants of the Free Reformed Church of Clifton moved to Pompton Lakes.

On March 26, 2000, now Clifton’s fifth Orthodox Church opened its doors with the Holy Liturgy celebrated at 10 am.

Today, about 60 families belong to the church, mostly from Clifton. Abraham is the present Vicar.

“I lead services on Sundays and take care of the congregation,” he said. “It takes a lot of work.”

The Knanaya Community in North America has 12 parishes in the U.S. and Canada and own their own churches in 10 major cities.

The Knanaya Church, which follows the Eastern Orthodox faith, is distinctly different from other Christian denominations, upholding traditions and practices dating back to the first century. “Qualities that distinguish Orthodox churches from other houses of worship is the aromatic smell of the incense used dur-

ing the services and the beautiful and luxurious overflowing garments worn by the priests and its hierarchy dating back to the Aaronic times of the Old Testament,” explained Abraham.

Sunday morning services begin at 9:30 at St. Thomas, with morning prayers followed by the Holy Eucharist at 10 am and Sunday school at 11:30.

After the services, all attendees participate in a lunch of Indian dishes provided by one of the member families, each of which takes a turn once a year.

Although most Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, the Knanaya Church follows the Gregorian, celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25. For more info, go to www.syriacstudies.com.

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Federal Mortgage Offers Senior Citizens A Reverse Mortgage We are proud to be named among the Top 100 Reverse Mortgage Lenders in the Nation For some 35 years now, Anthony A. Accavallo, shown here, has been helping make the American Dream become a reality, right here in Clifton.

As President of Federal Mortgage & Investment Corp. at 1111 Clifton Ave., Clifton, he and his firm have written millions of dollars worth of mortgages which have allowed people to purchase homes. And while that work has been fulfilling, Accavallo said he is getting his greatest satisfaction these days by helping senior citizens with reverse mortgages. A reverse mortgage is a special kind of mortgage loan for seniors.

It is a safe, easy way to turn your home equity into tax-free cash.

Unlike a home equity loan, you do not have to make monthly payments.

Instead, a reverse mortgage pays you. More importantly, you do not have to repay the loan for as long as you live in the house. It’s a great way to keep your home and get money from it at the same time.

The name “reverse mortgage” describes exactly what the mortgage is — it is the exact opposite of a conventional mortgage. That is, with a conventional mortgage the borrower pays the lender but with a reverse mortgage, the lender pays the borrower.

In the past, a senior citizen in need of money would have to take out a loan against their house and immediately start making monthly payments again or sell their home.

But a reverse mortgage allows seniors to borrow against the equity

How do I qualify for a Reverse Mortgage?

It’s simple. You and your co-borrower must be at least 62 years old. You must own your home free and clear or have just a small balance on your existing mortgage. Best of all, there are no income or credit requirements to satisfy.

How can I receive my money?

You can receive it in several ways: • Equal monthly payments as long as you live in your home • Equal monthly payments for a certain period of time • As a line of credit you can draw upon as needed, for whatever reasons • As a lump sum draw at closing • A combination of the above, to meet your requirements.

When must I repay the loan?

You must repay the loan if you no longer live in your home.

In the event of your death, your heirs can choose to repay the loan and keep the house or sell the house and repay the loan, What are interest rate charges & fees?

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

they already have in their home... and they never have to make a monthly payment.

Each reverse mortgage candidate is required to attend a counseling session with a local independent housing agency approved by FHA (Federal Housing Administration).

Candidates are encouraged to bring other family members with them to help in the decision-making process.

“This process ensures that the borrower understands the program fully and aides them in determining whether or not a reverse mortgage is for them,” said Accavallo.

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33 Years of Judaic Service

Story by Jordan Schwartz

Rabbi Stanley Skolnik joined Temple Beth Shalom in 1975 Social activism was beginning to catch on as the conservative ’50s turned into the liberal ’60s and Stanley Skolnik wanted to be a part of it.

“There was a sense of change in the world,” said Skolnik, who has led the congregation at Temple Beth Shalom in Clifton for the past 33 years. “There were a lot of social issues that appealed to me.”

So, when he was just a junior in high school, the New Yorker decided the best way to make a difference was by becoming a rabbi. Skolnik attended the University of Cincinnati and Hebrew Union College simultaneously before being ordained back in New York in 1969.

While in rabbinical school, Skolnik ran the Mitzvah Corps, a social organization in which youths from across the country volunteered a summer to do service work in the city. The kids helped the poor and encouraged voter registration.

Skolnik’s first congregation was in Maryland, where he worked from 1969 to 1975. “Some offers were too far away like in San Antonio where they needed an assistant rabbi,” he said. “I wanted to be on my own and I was too short to wear a cowboy hat and boots, so I took the job in Maryland.”

But after six years there, Skolnik decided he wanted to return to the New York area.

There was an opening at Beth Shalom and so he came to Clifton.

Rabbi Stanley Skolnik in front of three torahs stored in the ark at Beth Shalom Reform Temple on Passaic Ave. in Clifton.

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“When I arrived in 1975, the Jewish population here had reached its zenith,” said the rabbi.

“There were a lot of kids in Clifton schools and there was a significant number of Jews whose lives were more involved in the general community, but as time went on, that population diminished.”

Skolnik said his congregation has dropped from 185 to 100 families over the past three decades, and the members today are much

26

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

older than they used to be. He added that the number of children in the Hebrew school has fallen from 140 to 30, and a lot of those are from out of town.

“If we had to rely just on Passaic or Clifton, we’d go out of business,” he said. Rabbi Skolnik said a lot of Clifton Jews moved to Wayne or elsewhere in North Jersey, while others died or moved to “God’s waiting room in Florida.” Most of the Jewish peo-

ple that remained in Clifton were orthodox, not reform like the congregation at Beth Shalom.

The only other temple in town is the conservative Clifton Jewish Center on Delaware St., but Skolnik said its members tend to lean more towards the orthodox side. “There are differences in personal behaviors between reform and orthodox Jews, but we live parallel lives,” said the rabbi, adding that most of the teachers at Beth Shalom’s Hebrew school are orthodox.

Skolnik and his wife of 35 years, Norma, have three children.

Jonathan, 40, is a professor at UMass, Julie, 37, is in publishing and once ran for the Clifton BOE, and Miri, 35, is assistant dean at MIT. Stanley and Norma have four grandchildren.

Skolnik, 65, said he’d like to continue on in his position for at least a few more years. “I have felt fulfilled as far as my congregation goes and I feel like I’ve done a modest amount of service to the community.”

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Appreciation and Remembrance:

Rabbi Eugene Markovitz Longtime head of the Clifton Jewish Center on Delaware St. Story by Jordan Schwartz As teenagers head out later this month for “Mischief Night,” some Cliftonites will be reminded of one act of vandalism that led to religious tolerance and national headlines exactly 20 years ago.

On Oct. 30, 1988, four young residents desecrated four different places in town—the garage of Rabbi Eugene Markovitz, the Clifton Jewish Center where he worked, a kosher meat market and the automobile of an elderly Jew. They used blue paint and shaving cream to plaster swastikas, stars of David and derogatory statements such as “I hate Jews,” “Go back to your own country,” “F--you Jew bagel” and “Hitler should have killed you all.”

Adding insult to injury, was the fact that the incident took place just 10 days shy of the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nov. 9, 1938 pogrom in which Nazi sympathizers torched 267 temples and attacked more than 7,000 Jewish businesses in Austria and Germany, marking the start of the Holocaust.

The Clifton perpetrators were all 13 and 14 years old, middle-class sons of a dentist, a banker, a teacher and a cop. While their act was determined to be caused by teenage stupidity rather than religious hatred, the crime was still taken very seriously by Superior Court Judge Frank Donato, a non-Jew who was greatly bothered by the racist vandalism.

Donato was ready to sentence the boys to juvenile prison for two years, but he first discussed the sit28

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

This picture of Rabbi Eugene Markovitz at the Clifton Jewish Center was taken in September 1998 for our Many Faces of Clifton project. He passed away in 2003.

uation with Markovitz. While many area Jews wanted the teens locked up, the rabbi instead suggested they be forced to learn about the religion they had insulted.

“One must never give up on young people,” he told Time magazine two years later. “In Judaism, it’s literally a crime to do so.”

So the judge sentenced the children to 25 hours with Markovitz and another 30 hours of helping around the temple and the neighborhood.

“The youths squirmed and rolled their eyes when Markovitz told them to put on yarmulkes, the head coverings worn by Jewish men and

boys that the four youths had formerly belittled as ‘funny looking beanies,’” wrote Myrna Oliver in the Los Angeles Times following Markovitz’s death in 2003.

But the boys eventually listened and one of them even learned that his own grandfather had put his life on the line to hide Jews beneath the floorboards of his house in Holland during World War II. “They don’t have to love Jews, but they’ve learned to respect them,” Markovitz told Time.

The rabbi underwent heart surgery and suffered through his son’s death during the instruction period,

but he continued enlightening the boys, taking them to Holocaust museums and showing them Night and Fog, a documentary about concentration camps.

Markovitz’s actions inspired a 1994 television movie entitled The Writing on the Wall.

The L.A. Times reported that one of the youths involved in the real incident told the film’s screenwriter that the rabbi had “saved his life” by moving him away from gangs.

Markovitz emigrated from Romania to Brooklyn as a teen in 1940 after his father, who was also a rabbi, decided eastern Europe was too dangerous for his Jewish family to live at the time.

The Clifton religious leader got a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in theology from Yeshiva University but also earned a master’s in American history, which he taught later on in life.

Markovitz died of pneumonia at the age of 82 on Sept.

26, 2003 in Clifton. About 500 people attended funeral services and his coffin was carried by five firefighters and three police officers because the rabbi had served for half a century as chaplain to both departments.

“He was an exceptional human being,” said Henry Poller of Rutgers Pl., who had Markovitz as a rabbi for 50 years. “He was a spiritual leader for our congregation and a liaison between our community and the nonJewish community.”

‘Jimmy’ Demetrios Pappas, the longtime owner of San Remo Pizzeria & Restaurant at the corner of Madison and Main Aves., died on Sept. 23 at the age of 62. Son of Alexandra, loving husband of Ralia (Litsa) and devoted father of Dr. Alexandra Pappas Gomes and her husband Chad, Jimmy also had three brothers: Harry, George and Tommy.

While the restaurant closed for services, Sam Remo is again open and will continue to offer quality food and superior service, as it has for the past 28 years.

CONGRESSMAN BILL PASCRELL JR. As a member of the exclusive House Committee on Ways & Means, Congressman Pascrell is committed to rebuilding America’s Middle Class.

• FIGHTING FOR CLIFTON FIRST RESPONDERS: Wrote The F.I.R.E. Act (Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement) Act which has delivered more than $417,000 in federal funding to the Clifton Fire Department.

• SUPPORTING CLIFTON’S SMALL BUSINESSES: Brought federal resources like loan assistance and grant opportunities to the Lakeview commercial district during a recent informational tour with Small Business Administration officials.

• PROVIDING FOR OUR NATION'S VETERANS: Established a new Veterans Health Clinic in Passaic County to serve more than 150,000 veterans that reside in the area.

• EASING CONGESTION & BUILDING SAFER ROADS: Secured millions in federal funding to complete the Route 46 modernization initiative.

ON TUES, NOV. 4TH, VOTE TO RE-ELECT OUR CONGRESSMAN, BILL PASCRELL Paid for by Pascrell for Congress, Inc. October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

29

The Dutch Architect

Story by Jordan Schwartz

Bill Houthuysen helped design Clifton City Hall On March 16, 1684, an agreement was reached between 14 Dutch patentees and the East Jersey Proprietors for the purchase of Acquackanonk. Fourteen estates were then laid out in tiers between the Passaic River and Wesel Mountain.

Three centuries later, the Dutch influence in Clifton continued as one man with roots in the Netherlands helped design a number of structures in town.

Bill Houthuysen was born in the ’30s to parents who emigrated from Holland the decade before.

Adrian and Frances Houthuysen first moved to Weehawken before relocating to Passaic just prior to the Great Depression.

Bill was born, raised and schooled in Clifton’s sister city,

Bill Houthuysen competing in a bicycle race at the 168th St. Armory in New York in 1950. He and his teammate won the race.

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where he developed a love for cycling and architecture.

From 1948 to 1953, Houthuysen competed in bike races throughout the Tri-State area and as far north as Canada. He twice rode the 155-mile distance between Quebec and Montreal.

The athlete was drafted into the military during the Korean War, but he served stateside as an ammunition instructor, so he was still able to ride his bike.

Houthuysen won a number of races in his time, and even competed in the 1948 and 1952 Olympic trials, the latter of which was held in Paterson. “I took a bad spill and went to the hospital and that ended my chances,” he recalled.

After getting out of the service, Houthuysen worked for a little while before attending Cooper Union in Downtown Manhattan.

He graduated in 1958 with a degree in architecture and got his first job at a firm in Passaic.

After 13 years there, Houthuysen began a partnership with his former boss and co-worker, but that only lasted two years before the architect started his own business.

“I had my first office on Straight St. in Paterson and then I moved to Bloomfield Ave. in Styertowne for 40 years,” he said.

Houthuysen helped design Clifton City Hall, an animal shelter in town, multipurpose room additions at Schools 1 and 15, Fire Station No. 5 on Brighton Rd. and Fire Station No. 4 at the bottom of Allwood Rd. He also served as an outside contractor with the McDonald’s Corporation for 35 years, drawing up plans for additions and alterations to many of their buildings in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

The Brookwood Rd. resident, now in his seventies, continues to work from home these days and he

Dutch in Clifton There are 2,091 people of Dutch descent living in Clifton, or about 2.7% of the population. Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 965 • Female: 1,126 Median Age: 42 • Under 5: 107 18 & over: 1,719 • 65 & over: 523 Average household size: 2 Average family size: 3 Occupied housing units: 854 Foreign born: 13 In labor force: 1,064 Per capita income: $23,533 Families below poverty line: 5 People below poverty line: 145

Source: 2000 U.S. Census

has no plans of walking away from his drawing board anytime soon.

“I feel as long as I’m moving along and active, there’s no reason to retire at this point,” he said.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

31

Master of the Squeezebox

Story by Jordan Schwartz

Ukrainian Alexander Chudolij sells Italian accordions When Madonna or Bruce Springsteen come to town, they call Alexander Chudolij.

That’s because the Cliftonite is one of the foremost accordion dealers in the country.

In addition to selling instruments to people from all over the world, Chudolij’s company, Music Magic Accordions USA, provides accordions to musicians like U2 and Paul McCartney when they play shows at Giants Stadium.

Alexander and his wife, Lillianna, started the business in 1997 as the first internet-based accordion cyber store. Later on, however, they also opened up a private showroom on Urma Ave. Mr. Chudolij, who is of Ukrainian descent, said his customers come from all walks of life.

Many Jewish people purchase accordions for use in Klezmer bands, but Germans, Italians and Irish residents frequent the showroom as well. Even Latinos are beginning to use the instrument in their Tex Mex music.

“Clifton is a wonderful spot geographically but there are probably a lot of ethnicities that we haven’t even tapped into,” said the musician and accordion merchant.

Chudolij began playing the accordion when he was a six-yearold growing up in Rhode Island.

“I wanted to play the piano but there was no way I could pick it up and put it on its side without getting in trouble,” he joked. “So I became interested in the accordion.”

Chudolij, 50, played in a house band at a Ukrainian resort in the 32

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Showing off one of the new models, Lillianna and Alexander Chudolij outside their private accordion showroom on Urma Ave.

Catskills for about eight years before picking up gigs at parties and weddings all over the East Coast.

He continued playing even as he earned his chemical engineering degrees from Western University in Cleveland and Tufts University near Boston.

But 12 years ago, the musician was forced to give up touring after the birth of his son, Petro. That’s when Chudolij decided to begin selling the instrument he had enjoyed playing for so long.

“The internet was up and coming and I thought about the challenge of starting a business,” he explained.

But how do you sell an item online in 1997 that costs up to $10,000?

“We started coming up with audio visual things and we now have several websites offering accordions made by more than a dozen manufactures.”

Chudolij imports the instruments directly from Italy and sells them at the showroom.

Anyone interested in purchasing an accordion should call 973883-0168 or 888-887-0975 to set up an appointment. You can also peruse the selection online at musicmagicusa.com.

A Little Bit of Give and Take

Story by Joe Hawrylko

Luis Perdomo and Iris Pallero are making it in America If there’s one thing that you learn from marriage, it’s that compromises are a way of life. After 16 years together, Irisdania Pallero and Luis Perdomo now know that sacrifices are sometimes necessary.

In 2006, Perdomo, then a supervisor at Mayer Textile, then on Brighton Rd. in Clifton, was presented with a formidable question: relocate with the business or find a new job. “They asked me to move to North Carolina,” he recalled while speaking from the comfort of his living room in his Sears Pl. home. “But it is kind of hard with all of my family that is here.”

His wife’s relatives from her native Dominican Republic were mostly in New Jersey, so uprooting his family would have been difficult. But at the same time, Perdomo knew his job opportunities were limited, since he never got a college degree after immigrating to New Jersey from Colombia in 1986.

Eventually, the couple reached a compromise: Perdomo would work part-time while attending Passaic County Community College to study technology, while Pallero temporarily supported the family as a social worker with the Passaic County

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Board of Social Services. “That was the idea since the beginning,” explained Perdomo, who said he had intended to go to school earlier. “But I was kidding myself for 20 years.

When you start making good money, you forget about school.

But at some point in your life, you realize that you need education.”

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Given her arduous path to America, it’s easy to understand why Pallero was so quick to make sacrifices to help her husband obtain his degree. After all, if Pallero’s mother, Rafaela, had not made her own sacrifices, their family might have remained in the Dominican Republic instead of immigrating to the United States in November 1974.

For the first 10 years of her life, Pallero only knew about her mother from the stories her grandparents would tell her and some old, tattered photographs that were around their small house.

“They just talked about her, because we didn’t have telephone lines,” recalled the 44-year-old “At that time, we used mail a lot.”

Pallero figured that her mother had left Villa Lobos, a little village of just 50 homes in the Dominican Republic, for greener pastures in the United States like so many others had done. It wasn’t until years later when Pallero immigrated to Paterson that she learned of her mother’s true motives.

“She was sending money back to my grandfather to help out,” explained Pallero, who came to the United States when her mother saved up enough money. “We had a very small, wooden house. We eventually built a new house there—that’s where my mom visits.”

Looking back, Pallero added that she really didn’t fully appreciate that sacrifice until she was much older.

Irisdania (at center), her sister Lisa and their mom Rafaela.

“Maybe when I was in my last year of high school, it sunk in,” said the 1983 Paterson Eastside graduate.

“Just all the sacrifices she made.”

And even today, Pallero still hasn’t forgotten everything that her mother, Rafaela, did for her. Her mother brought her here, and then pushed her through her teenage years, making sure she had life goals.

“I was the first to graduate from college in my family. It really didn’t sink in for a while,” said Pallero, who attended Rutgers New Brunswick, graduat-

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ing in 1988 with a bachelor’s in psychology. “My mother always emphasized how important it was.”

However, another motivating factor to go to college was a summer job. “I had a job at a factory with my aunt,” recalled Pallero. “It was tough. Eventually, I said, ‘I can’t take this, it’s not me.’” She also met her future husband in 1988, after they were introduced through a mutual friend. Their paths here were similar. Much like his wife, Perdomo immigrated here with nothing.

“I guess when you’re down there, you really think you can come here and collect dollars off the trees,” said Perdomo, who, in 1986, left his native city of Cali, Colombia to come to Paterson. “But you pay a price—not seeing your family and leaving behind 25 years of your life.”

When he settled in Paterson, Perdomo was an immigrant with skills in hands-on labor and limited English. However, he began studying the language at night classes, eventually beginning to work at Mayer Textile in 1988, a job that Perdomo held until 2006.

“You never know when you’re going to be on the other side of the table,” Iris said of her husband’s unexpected unemployment.

As a social worker for nearly 20 years with the Passaic County Board

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

of Social Services, Pallero regularly deals with individuals who are in similar situations to what her husband faced as an immigrant.

“You also get a lot of people who have been to college and got their Ph.D,” she added. “You never know where you’re going to be.” Born into poverty herself, Pallero is naturally sympathetic to the plight of the less fortunate. “I’m there to help them get rid of the barriers preventing selfsufficiency,” she explained.

Perdomo also believes in helping others and giving back to the community, having coached soccer for nine years with the Clifton Stallions Rec and Traveling leagues.

“At first, it was probably just to make sure my daughters had someone who really knew the game,” explained Perdomo, who played semi-pro soccer in Colombia.

“Second, we all have a teacher inside of us. Like I said before, I am happy to be giving back to the society that gave me a lot.”

He believes that what he does keeps kids on the path to success.

“The other day, I saw my daughter (Jazamine) walking down Van Houten Ave. to practice,” said Perdomo, now the Stallions U-10 girls traveling team coach. “She’s doing the right thing and not getting into trouble. I’m proud.”

Dominican in Clifton There are 1,853 people of Dominican descent living in Clifton, or about 2.35% of the population. Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 820 • Female: 1,033 Median Age: 31 • Under 5: 124 18 & over: 1,289 • 65 & over: 55 Average household size: 4 Average family size: 4 Occupied housing units: 512 Foreign born: 1,134 In labor force: 836 Per capita income: $13,596 Families below poverty line: 52 People below poverty line: 303

Source: 2000 U.S. Census

Karma seems to have rewarded the couple, who now enjoy the benefits of their hard work and sacrifices.

They purchased their two-family home on Sears Pl. in Botany Village in 1993, moving from Elmwood Park. “We were looking for a better place to raise a family,” Pallero explained, citing Clifton’s diversity.

And she might not be done yet.

With her husband set to graduate, returning to school for an advanced degree is a consideration. “It’s still on my mind,” she said. “I have called Rutgers about it. I want to go for my MSW (Masters in Social Work).” If she does return, Pallero knows her husband will be there to help her pursue her dreams.

However, no matter what she achieves, in Iris’ mind, she wouldn’t have anything if it wasn’t for her mother’s sacrifices back in the 1960s. “If it wasn’t for my mother, God knows where I’d be,” she laughed.

“Probably in the Dominican Republic, with three or five or ten kids or something.”

Family, Religion Above All Else The six-member Aref clan attends daily mosque services Story by Jordan Schwartz When you visit the Aref family of West 1st St., you’re greeted before you enter the door.

“The man is here!” Ahmad, 8, shouted to the rest of his family as I walked up the front steps one recent Thursday evening.

Ahmad, who attends School 4 right across the street, is the eldest of four young children and his father, Said, says he’s beginning to take on some of the responsibilities of caring for his three siblings.

Crossing the threshold of the Aref home, you’re welcomed by the sights and scents of Palestinian culture. Ahmad and his sister, Hadeel, 6, bounce up and down on the couch watching a Middle Eastern children’s television program, while their mother Fatima, 26, prepares dinner in the kitchen.

The baby of the family, Abdullah, 1, cries due to all the commotion, and the youngest girl, Dana, 3, sleeps upstairs.

“Family is very important,” explained Said, 31. “It’s kind of number one in everyone’s life.

Every time you do something, you

The Aref family, from left, Ahmad, Fatima, Abdullah, Dana, Said and Hadeel.

ask someone in your family first.

They’re always there for you.”

Said’s father, Mohy Iddin, first came to the U.S. in 1954, when he lived for a brief time in Columbus, Ohio. In the early ’60s, he moved to Puerto Rico where there was a growing Arabic community, but Mohy Iddin returned to Palestine in 1977 when his wife, Fada, gave birth to Said.

Aref was born in the small town of Turmos Ayya, just outside the city of Ramallah in the central West Bank. He was the youngest of six children and enjoyed playing soccer growing up.

“It’s a different culture and it’s sometimes dangerous,” he said. “I wasn’t part of the fighting but life was not normal.”

Aref said he knew three people who were killed before immigrating to the United States in 1995.

But he didn’t leave his homeland to escape the violence, rather to follow his siblings and take advantage of the educational opportunities America had to offer.

Said attended Clifton High School for one year so that he could improve his English. He said he experienced some prejudice during his time there.

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Said Aref’s CHS class of 1995.

“During the morning rush hour traffic in the hallways, I’d hear derogatory comments, but I was peaceful and wouldn’t respond.”

Following graduation, he studied international business at Montclair State University. After earning his degree, he got a job in White Plains.

Said’s Muslim faith is very important to him and so he would take time every day at work to stop and pray — something that his coworkers may have taken a greater

interest in following 9/11. “I never experienced prejudice because of that, but people around me did,” he said. “I always tell my wife, ‘Don’t put yourself down.’ No one is above the law so just call the police if there’s a problem. Don’t do it the street way.”

Six years ago, Aref began working with his brother, Hamed, as an accountant at H.M.A. Accounting and Tax Services on Main Ave. The firm is mainly Muslim and so salah, or ritual prayer, is no problem during the day.

The Arefs attend services at Omar Mosque on nearby Getty Ave. on a daily basis, especially during the recent Ramadan holiday.

The family’s location is convenient for other reasons as well.

“Corrados is right here and the malls are not far away,” said Fatima, as she brought me a glass of orange juice and a neatly folded paper towel on a golden serving

tray. Ahmad, meanwhile, stared curiously at my notepad.

“We like Clifton; my wife knows the area,” Said concluded.

“We’re part of Clifton.”

Arabic in Clifton There are 2,622 people of Arabic descent living in Clifton, or about 3.3% of the population. Here are some more statistics on that ethnic group: Male: 1,494 • Female: 1,128 Median Age: 32 • Under 5: 234 18 & over: 1,885 • 65 & over: 227 Average household size: 3 Average family size: 4 Occupied housing units: 913 Foreign born: 1,278 In labor force: 1,246 Per capita income: $18,269 Families below poverty line: 125 People below poverty line: 524

Source: 2000 U.S. Census

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Theater League of Clifton Presents:

The Laramie Project The people of Clifton aren’t just diverse in ethnicity and religion, but in sexual orientation as well, and the upcoming Theater League of Clifton production, The Laramie Project, tackles that issue head on.

The play, done in moment form, chronicles the reactions and feelings of the town of Laramie, Wyoming, and the events surrounding the death of Matthew Shepard.

Matthew was a University of Wyoming student, living in Laramie in the late 1990s. On Oct. 12, 1998, he was brutally beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, both 21, killed a man because he was gay. The show begins with excerpts from interviews and journal entries of the people of Laramie. It progresses with Aaron Kreifels’ reaction

to finding Matthew barely breathing, tied to the fence post and Matthew’s subsequent hospitalization – seen through news press conferences.

Henderson’s police interrogation and court sentencing are seen, as well as many of the vigils and prayer services that were held for Matthew and his family. Through this show, see the reactions of the human race in response to a tragic event. The hatred of some, the dark depths to which mankind can sink are shown – but more importantly, the amount of love and tolerance of most people comes through as well.

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The Laramie Project was written by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. More than 200 interviews were conducted over the course of a year in Laramie. A cast of 14 portrays 75 different roles as Laramie residents and Tectonic members.

The play is directed by Ed Guinan and produced by Mark Peterson.

The stage manager is Stephanie Smith. Thomas Howard, the Educational Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, will be holding talk back sessions with those interested after the shows on Oct. 10 and 11. Visit www.matthewshepard.org.

Performances are at School 3 on Washington Ave on Oct. 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 pm and Sunday matinees start at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults of $10 for students and seniors and will be available at the door. Opening night is a two for one special. Call 973-458-9579 or visit theaterleagueofclifton.com.

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Clifton Ave. planted a Peace Pole with the Prayer for Peace May Peace Prevail on Earth in four languages popular in Clifton: English, Arabic, Spanish and Polish. To prepare for the Sept. 21 event, the parish’s adult education class discussed issues about fostering intercultural awareness and diversity. During the year, the church will sponsor Labyrinth Walks to foster inner peace as well as a series of pilgrimages to different houses of worship to foster interreligious understanding and tolerance. To get involved, call Rev. Peter DeFranco at 973-546-5020.

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The Clifton Arts Center presents Keeping It Real, an exhibit of traditional and fine art media from the Art Centre of New Jersey. The exhibit opens Oct. 8 and runs through Dec.13. There will be a reception open to the public on Oct. 11 from 1 to 4 pm. The Art Centre of New Jersey was organized in the late 1920s to provide a meeting place for artists and art lovers. The Clifton Arts Center Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday: 1 to 4 pm.

Group tours are available by appointment. Admission is $1. For info: www.cliftonnj.org.

Don Pasquale, Gaetano Donizetti’s sunny opera buffa masterpiece, will be staged by the Garden State Opera on Nov. 22 at 7:30 pm at CCMS. Part of the proceeds benefit the Clifton Public Schools’ Adopt a Music Student program, which helps students with financial hardships get instruments. Tickets are $20. Credit cards accepted. Call 973-272-3255 or visit gardenstateopera.org.

New Jersey Music and Arts, Inc. hosts Fall Fest 2008, a celebration of the season with performances of music, drama and dance at the PCCC Auditorium in Paterson on Nov. 7 at 7:30 pm. Call 973-272-3255.

Above, a collage from Keeping It Real, an art exhibit on display at the Clifton Arts Center starting Oct. 8.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Kate Oberjat sings the role of Norina in the opera Don Pasquale on Nov. 22 at Christopher Columbus Middle School.

Lissane Lake, noted book illustrator and artist, will demonstrate her acrylic painting techniques at the Clifton Association of Artists’ meeting on Oct. 6. The session begins at 7 pm and is being held at the Senior Citizens Community Center Building off Linzenbold Dr. in the Clifton Municipal Complex. Lake, a freelance illustrator for more than 20 years, earned her bachelor’s degree in illustration from Jersey City State College before working in advertising. The public is encouraged to attend and the demonstration is free. Call 973-627-4369.

The CHS Drama Club presents Lost In Yonkers from Oct. 13 to 16 at the school’s auditorium. Written

by Neil Simon, the show won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1991 and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that same year. The story centers on an American family during World War II, the effects that the war has on their lives and how they cope with it. Showtimes are 4 pm on Oct. 13, 7:30 pm on Oct. 14, 3 and 7:30 pm on Oct. 15, and 3 pm on Oct. 16.

Former Clifton Board of Ed president Robert Taylor has published a humorous new book entitled In-Laws and Other UFOs which examines the trials and tribulations of merging two families.

The book is available at authorhouse.com and amazon.com.

Taylor, who served on the BOE in the 1970s, says the novel took

him about 30 years to complete.

He started writing it when he moved to Florida three decades ago. The insurance business was slow, so Taylor filled his time by crafting poetry.

Then, he noticed that a bunch of people kept complaining to him about their in-laws and he decided that would be a good topic for a book.

However, he had to put the project on hold when hurricanes hit Florida and he was forced to shut down the business and switch careers to consulting.

Now 79 years old, Taylor has a lot more time to write and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

The former Alcohol Beverage Control board member grew up in Passaic but moved to Clifton when he was 20. He later became Anna Latteri’s campaign manager and when she was elected to the City Council, she asked Taylor to serve on the Board of Ed.

The author now lives half the year in Florida and the other half in Vermont with his wife of 57 years, Iris. The Taylors have three children including a son, William, who is a lawyer in Clifton.

When asked how his wife reacted to him writing about her parents, Robert said, “She wasn’t too happy.”

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The Bard of Dutch Hill Imagery of Clifton wins Jim Gwyn prestigious poetry award Story by Joe Hawrylko For most people, a morning train ride into the city is a time to relax.

Many commuters will read the paper, sip a cup of coffee, or catch some extra Z’s before a long day at work.

But James D. Gwyn, 59, isn’t most people. For the Bard of Dutch Hill, the daily trip across the Hudson is for poetry.

“I try to write something every day,” he said. “I find a spot on the train facing forward and write until I get to New York, which usually gives me a lot of uninterrupted time.”

However, Gwyn wrote his poem, “The Burning Bed,” at an adult school workshop.

“Usually I’ll go through seven or eight drafts, but every once in a

The Bard of Dutch Hill, James D. Gwyn, in front of his home on Madison Ave.

Beat poet Allen Ginsberg lived in Paterson and his legacy and relationship with the city is celebrated with the annual Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

while there are poems that just come right out like this one.”

The piece won the Cliftonite first prize in the 2008 Allen Ginsberg Poetry Contest sponsored by the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. He’ll be reading the poem at the Paterson Poetry Center on Nov. 8.

“The poem is really a dream sequence and speaks to the difference between illusion and reality and how it is easy to confuse the two,” said Gwyn.

“The Burning Bed” also references some famous Clifton locations that have caught fire over the years, such as the mattress store,

the Pirogi Factory and Lee’s Hawaiian Islander.

“All on Lexington Ave!” writes the poet. “And what was left, defying all odds? The Hot Grill!?”

Gwyn has been crafting poems since he was a teenager growing up on the shores of Lake Ontario in Medina, New York.

“It was just a way to capture ideas, thoughts and feelings,” he said.

Gwyn majored in creative writing and English literature at Binghamton University, studying under Basil Bunting, a British modernist poet.

Following graduation, the aspiring writer traveled the country, taking a number of odd jobs from picking strawberries in Oregon to working as a bank teller in Rochester.

Gwyn returned to Binghamton in 1975 as a part-time grad student, during which time, he survived by tutoring blind students, driving a

At left, Mike Duch of Homemade Pirogi standing in front of his shop on Lexington Ave. after it caught fire on March 21, 2003. The store is now located on Main Ave. At right, the famous Lee’s Hawaiian Islander at the corner of Lexington and Piaget Aves. burned in a fire on July 26, 2003. James D. Gwyn references both blazes in his award-winning poem, “The Burning Bed.”

taxi cab and delivering pizza.

While at grad school, the poet got a call from someone who worked for a magazine publisher in New York City. The friend helped Gwyn get a job in the industry and he’s been in Manhattan ever since.

He’s been a desktop publisher, an editor and even a crossword puzzle writer.

“I’ve done everything except run the press,” joked Gwyn, who today works as a senior project

manager in marketing and publication services at The College Board in New York.

But the Dutch Hill resident still finds plenty of time to write. He’s had his work published in several chapbooks and anthologies over the years, but he’s never been honored with anything as prestigious as the Ginsberg Award before.

“I think it’s one of the most fantastic things that ever happened to me,” he said.

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send Clifton business news to TomHawrylko@optonline.net

The North Jersey Chamber of Commerce is honoring L. Robert Lieb (at right), Chair and CEO of Clifton’s Mountain Development Corporation, and Columbia Bank of Fair Lawn with the 2008 Star Awards at a gala dinner on Dec. 4 at the Westmount Country Club.

The awards are presented to companies and individuals who support economic development and growth in North Jersey, have a positive

impact on the community and exemplify a commitment to “Service, Tradition, Action and Results.” Lieb founded Mountain Development Corp. in 1979. The firm is a is a full-service commercial real estate company with landmark properties in Clifton and throughout the northeast. He is also a Past President and a Trustee of the Passaic County 200 Club. For tickets, call 973-470-9300.

The Passaic County 200 Club held a social beefsteak on Sept. 25 at the Brownstone in Paterson. The Club is an organization of business men and women, public safety professionals, and others who stand ready to provide financial assistance to the families of law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel. Within 48 hours of the death of an emergency worker who lives or serves within Passaic County, the Club presents a $10,000 check to the family of the deceased to help them get through the difficult times that accompany such a loss. Visit pc200club.org.

A member of the Paterson Fire Department’s Honor Guard stowing the flag at a 200 Club event on Sept. 25.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Toll Booths Made in Clifton: Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin recently visited with workers and witnessed the manufacturing operations at Clifton-based Meta-Lite Inc. The company was founded in Hasbrouck Heights in 1978 as a custom metal fabricator but has been on Entin Rd. since 1981. Meta-Lite, which employs 28 people, is the exclusive supplier of toll booths for New Jersey roadways and manufactures high security booths for NASA, jail cells and subway platform stairs.

Renee Chirico of Liberty Lincoln Mercury in Clifton has been named an NJBIZ 2008 “Forty Under 40” Honoree. The “Forty Under 40” consists of a select group who are recog-

Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin stands inside a newly constructed toll booth at Clifton-based manufacturer Meta-Lite, located on Entin Rd. The firm makes toll booths for a variety of roadways, including these stylistic ones pictured inset for the San Joaquin Toll Road in California.

Renee Chirico of Liberty Lincoln Mercury’s has been named an NJBIZ 2008 “Forty Under 40” Honoree.

nized for their commitment to professional excellence, business growth and community involvement.

Chirico, a 1989 Paul VI grad, is Dealer Principal and VP of the dealership established by her parents, Robert and Elaine Robertazzi, in 1976.

Corrado’s held a grand opening on Sept. 25 for its new supermarket at 201 Berdan Ave., Wayne. This is the second location for the familyowned market. The late James Corrado established Corrado’s Family Affair on Main Ave. in 1975, while continuing to operate its original store in the Paterson Farmer’s Market for another 11 years. Visit corradosmarket.com.

The late James Corrado.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Doing Great Things for 90 Years Story by Jordan Schwartz Two years ago, Rodney Brydson saw it coming.

“I realized our 90th anniversary was coming up and I figured it was appropriate to celebrate in some form or another,” he said. “I brought it up to the board and we went from there.”

The Clifton Moose Lodge will commemorate nine decades of service on Nov. 15 with a dinner dance at the Bethwood in Totowa.

Brydson, 65, only joined the fraternity five years ago after seeing how much the organization meant to his late father-in-law, Paul Kurinovich.

“The Moose was his life, it was everything for him,” said the Richfield Park resident.

And now Brydson understands why.

“The second convention I went to was in Chicago and this gave me the opportunity to see Mooseheart,” he said. “After having gone there and seeing the kids, that alone will make me sure that my membership stays for life.”

The national Moose organization was founded in Mooseheart, Illinois, an autonomous town that was the basis for Father Flanagan’s Boys Town.

It’s a self-governed village that’s broken down into age-appropriate group homes, led by house parents.

If a parent feels that he or she can’t take care of his or her child, then that child can be sent to live in Mooseheart. There, they live with house parents as well as other kids their age.

In this environment, all of the child’s needs are met, including 48

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Clifton Moose Lodge 657 officers. Back row, from left, Treasurer Lou Imparato, Governor Kevin Gorman, and Committee Co-Chair Tom Miller. Front row, Senior Regent Kathi Allen, Committee Secretary Mary Ellen Wiles, Trustee Keith Wiles, and Past Senior Regent Sophie Prendergast.

food, clothing, school, toys and love. Older kids get vocational training, or, if the aptitude is there, money for college.

The Clifton Moose Lodge opened in 1918 in a Passaic building on Washington Ave. In 1923, the Lodge was built at its current location at 1268 Main Ave. An expansion in the mid ’80s added an expansive party and meeting area.

The Moose is a family-oriented fraternal organization which helps not only its own families, but the community they call home as well.

Over the past 90 years, the Lodge has been a major supporter of local organizations that provide community support and service at many levels.

Some of the groups served include the Clifton Police and Fire

Departments, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Boys & Girls Club of Clifton, Boy Scouts, Special Olympics, The Salvation Army, St. Peter’s Haven, Dackks Group, and Home & School Associations.

“We’ve given more than $114,000 in scholarships over the past 38 years,” said Committee Co-Chair Tom Miller.

“The Moose rejuvenates your belief in organizations.”

Lodge Governor Kevin Gorman echoed those remarks.

“It’s an organization that does great things for the community,” he said. “I became a member in 1994 when a friend of mine’s daughter had leukemia and they donated the hall and did all the cooking for the fundraiser. They do things for others not just themselves.”

The Phenomenal Grandmothers and Dr. David Moore are teaming up to collect bed pillows for the Paterson Domestic Abuse Shelter.

Residents are being asked to donate one pillow at the cost of $2.50.

Expensive pillows are not requested since they must be discarded if not taken when the women leave the shelter. Other items needed are towels, washcloths, twin size bed sheets, comforters or blankets. Call Colleen Murray at 973-253-9579.

From left, Women’s Center Program Manager Mercedes Rolon, Phenomenal Grandmother Colleen Murray and Clifton chiropractor Dr. David Moore are collecting pillows for the Paterson Domestic Abuse Shelter.

Frank and Nina Corradino of Nina’s Salon on Valley Rd., along with their staff are sponsoring the second annual “Hope Cuts” event on Nov. 9 from 12 to 4 pm at the salon.

The City of Hope Foundation’s “Hope Cuts” is an organization devoted to helping cure cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. Call 973-278-0356 to make an appointment for “Hope Cuts.” All proceeds made that day will be donated to the cause.

The second annual “Hope Cuts” at Nina’s Salon on Valley Rd. is Nov. 9. At last year’s event, from left, are Maria Wiebe, Frank Corradino, Joanna Maritato, Mayor James Anzaldi, Nina Corradino and Adriana Balduzzi.

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Clifton FMBA Local 21 members once again teamed up with the business community to publish a Fire Prevention Booklet for Kids, said FMBA President Bob DeLuca.

Published by Tomahawk Promotions, 10,000 copies are presented to the community at no cost to taxpayers. The 28-page magazine offers coloring pages and activities with easy to understand themes of fire safety. Designed for students in pre-school to grade 3, the goal is to introduce youngsters to fire safety lessons in a fun way.

“When children color these pages and then show the art to their parents, we hope it will motivate families to discuss fire prevention and safety and discuss what to do in the event of a home fire,” said DeLuca.

“We want to spread the word that, with a little extra caution, there are ways to prevent fires,” he said, adding that throughout October, Clifton Fire Safety officials will visit schools and talk to children. For a free copy of the coloring book, or for fire safety info, call the Clifton Fire Department at 973-470-5801.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Miles Feinstein, Esq. Anthony D’Elia, Esq. Thomas P. De Vita, Esq. Carl G. Zoecklein, Esq. Tenafly Pediatrics Wee Care Child Care Center Clifton’s IHOP Restaurant Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Queen of Peace High School Clifton Moose Lodge Chapter 657 Optimist Club of Clifton Shook Funeral Home IHOP of Clifton P & A Auto Parts Assemblyman Thomas Giblin

Run to Remember Johnny Samra The first annual John Samra Memorial Scholarship Fund 5K Run/Walk is Oct. 26 at 9:30 am at Clifton City Hall. All proceeds will go to the John Samra Memorial Scholarship Fund, which awards a $1,000 prize to one CHS senior and one CPD family member. The entry fee is $35 for adults and free for kids 12 and under. Make

checks payable to Clifton PBA Local 36 Scholarship Fund, and mail c/o Clifton PBA 36, P.O. Box 1436, Clifton, NJ 07015. For info, to contribute or participate in the 5K, call Clifton Police Officer John Kavakich at 973470-5897, visit cliftonpba36.com or e-mail Kavakich at sgt-at-arms@cliftonpba36.com.

John Charles Samra was the first and only Clifton Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty since the agency was founded in 1920.

Samra, 41 at his End of Watch, died on November 21, 2003, when his motorcycle was hit by the driver of a mini-van attempting to flee a traffic stop.

The incident began when the officer stopped a vehicle at 10 am.

The driver, who had recently been released from prison on parole, then fled. As Samra pursued the suspect, he was struck at the corner of Maple Pl. and Washington Ave. The officer was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, where he succumbed to his injuries.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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2008 Boys & Girls Club

Hall of Fame “Did you pass through the Club?” we asked on the cover of our September 1999 issue. Many people have since the Clifton Boys Club was first established on one floor in Botany’s School 7 back in 1947, and for the first time this month, the Club is inducting its most dedicated members into a newly formed Hall of Fame. The festivities will take place at the 2nd Annual Alumni Beefsteak to be held at the Club on Oct. 24 from 6:30 to 11 pm.

Admission is a $35 donation. Call 973-773-0966. Over the next pages, we offers photos and tell more about some of the members of the inaugural class of inductees.

Russell Triolo As a six-year-old standing on line at the front desk on the first day the Boys Club opened on Clifton Ave. in 1956, Russell Triolo never thought he’d one day become a member of the Alumni Hall of Fame.

“On that first day, my parents had registered me for swim lessons and from that day forward, I have loved this organization so much,” Triolo wrote on his HOF application.

Five decades later, the Washington Ave. resident is still heavily involved in the Club, serving for the past 28 years as Chief Executive Officer of its Union

Erin Monahan Shaughnessy 52

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

County operation. From ages six to 18, Triolo was at the Clifton Club every day, taking part in activities in the game room, gymnasium and swimming pool. He was also a member of the Leaders Club and met his wife, Linda, at Camp Clifton.

“I always felt safe and I knew that the staff cared about me every day when I walked into the Club,” he said. “The staff and the programs I participated in taught me right from wrong, boosted my self-confidence and self-esteem, developed my leadership skills, and assisted me in setting my goals and career aspirations.”

Jaclyn Mateja

Tom Acton

Triolo said he was so inspired by the Club, that he set a goal for himself early on in life to become Executive Director of a Boys & Girls Club when he grew up.

And in 1980, after working five years as Assistant Director at a Club in Garfield, the Cliftonite reached his goal in Union County.

As CEO, Triolo speaks to groups promoting the good work that is done every day at some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs around the world.

“Each time I speak, I am sure to share my personal experience growing up at the Club in Clifton,” he said.

Frank Pajuelo

Russell Triolo

Andrew Hickman III

Jack De Vries Jack De Vries said the Boys & Girls Club experience prepared him for nearly every phase of his life.

“As a counselor at Camp Clifton, I learned about working with kids and the great joy that comes from helping them achieve or discover new interests,” said De Vries, who now uses those skills as the father of two daughters, Jessica and Alyson.

The Ledgewood resident added that his experience editing the camp newspaper, Wocanda’s

Jack De Vries

Whisper, gave him his first taste of the publishing world.

Today, De Vries is an author and journalist (with Clifton Merchant and other publications) in addition to his full-time job as a communication strategist and executive speechwriter for State Farm Insurance.

But most of all, the Club inspired Jack’s great love of sports.

“I discovered basketball and the New York Knicks, the team we watched every Friday on the Club’s black and white TV,” he wrote on his Hall of Fame application.

Janell Bania

“I learned what being part of a basketball team meant, including getting to practice by 9 am on a Saturday (after taking two buses), ready to run ‘suicides,’” continued De Vries, who was a member between 1969 and 1975.

“I got my first athletic jacket as a member of the Clifton Boys Club junior varsity team and wore it on a 75 degree day. Sports became an obsession for me after spending so much time at the Club—despite being kicked out at 3:30 pm every Saturday because of bingo.”

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Clifton Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame Beefsteak • Oct. 24 from 6:30 to 11 pm

From left, John Celentano, Jr., Lori Slater-Brigati and Frank Carlet. Not pictured is Victor Deluca.

The inductee also became interested in coaching thanks to people like Tom DiDonna. “I saw how tough Tom was but how he cared for his players and the passion he had for basketball and his role on the sidelines,” recalled De Vries.

“Knowing I’d never join Willis Reed on the court, I began to think more about following Tom, and have since coached youth teams for more than 30 seasons in four different sports.”

De Vries is currently the vice president of the Roxbury Rebels travel softball organization, coaching its U12 team. He’s also the program director and coach for the Roxbury Rec League girls basketball team.

Janell Bania As an eight-year member of the Boys & Girls Club, Janell Bania spent a lot of time there, which she said “helped to shape who I have become today, both personally and professionally.”

Bania competed in soccer, gymnastics and swimming at the Club.

“My passion for swimming began at the Boys & Girls Club,” added the 2000 Youth of the Year recipient.

“And was second to academics in priority when choosing a university.”

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

The 1999 CHS grad eventually chose Syracuse and used the values she learned as a kid at the Club, to become a successful student athlete.

“At Syracuse University, I became a member of the varsity swim team, but truly excelled in academics,” she said. “Since graduation five years ago, I have focused on becoming a successful businesswoman in the advertising and marketing field.”

Bania has done just that, having been named by her company, Brand Connections, as the top sales person for the past three years. She also gives back to the community, regularly donating to Makers of Memories Organization, the MS Society, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the US Veterans.

Bania currently resides in Hoboken, where she’s active with ZogSports, a charity sports league.

Andrew Hickman III In the Clifton High School Class of 2005 edition of Clifton Merchant Magazine, Andrew Hickman III was asked how he would stay involved in Clifton after graduation. “I have worked at the Clifton Boys & Girls Club

for many years, so I will continue to stay involved by going back and inspiring young children,” he responded. “I believe that is the one way in shaping our future...mentoring our youth because they are the leaders of tomorrow.”

Three years later, the 2004 Youth of the Year has held true to his word by remaining a counselor at the Club to which he’s belonged for the past decade.

Today, Hickman also works as a bank teller at Commerce Bank and is a senior English major at Caldwell College.

The East First St. resident is also an advisor to the Keystone Club and an assistant scoutmaster for B.S.A. Troop #6 in Passaic.

In addition, he is an assistant youth minister for St. Anthony’s of Padua Church in Passaic.

Hickman’s other interests include sign language and salsa, bachata and merengue dancing. He was also the captain of the CHS swim team.

Hickman says “it would be a great honor after all my years here at the Club” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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The Clifton Democratic Club will honor its members who have recently passed away—Genevieve Eardley, Gerald Mault, Bob Leland and Bruce Arzig—with a tree planting ceremony on Oct. 11 at 11 am at Morris Canal Park on Broad St. On Oct. 13 at 6 pm at Mario’s on Van Houten Ave., the club will host a Pasta Night. Tickets are $18 ($13 for seniors and students). Call Democratic Club President John Pogorelec Jr. at 973-778-1604.

The National Council of Catholic Women host its Autumn Harvest fundraiser on Nov. 6 at 6:30 pm at The Mountainside Inn. Tickets are $30. Call 973-473-8610.

Passaic County Community College Open House is Oct. 18, 10 am to 1 pm at the Paterson and Wanaque campuses. All are welcome to come and meet faculty, learn about classes and choose from day, evening or online schedules. Call 973-684-6868 or visit pccc.edu.

Clifton Toastmasters, a nonprofit public speaking and leadership group, meets the first, third and fifth Tuesday of every month at 7 pm at the Clifton Library.

Meetings this month are on Oct. 7 and 21. Call 973420-4148 or email cliftontoastmasters@verizon.net.

The Eighth Annual Crafty Kids Day, sponsored by the Clifton Rec Dept. and A.C. Moore, will be held Oct. 4 from 10:30 am to 2 pm at the Rec Center. Come and make a selection from more than 30 crafts. Projects will cost between $0.25 and $2.50 each. For more information, or to volunteer, call 973-470-5956.

Mustangs Remember: On Oct. 10 against Bergen Tech at Clifton Stadium, the Mustangs will hold a pre-game plaque dedication ceremony at 6:30 pm in honor of former player Louis Feliciano, pictured. The ’07 grad died after the car he and his dad were in crashed into the Caribbean on Oct. 19, 2007. The 19-yearold and his dad Luis were in the Dominican Republic to see if Louis could play professional baseball there.

Optimist Clubs Hot Dog Night: On Nov. 19, in a traditional precursor to the Clifton and Passaic Thanksgiving game, members of the two schools will meet at the annual hot dog night. This Nov. 19 event is organized by members of the Passaic & Clifton Optimist Clubs as a way for the players to get to know one another. Be a Friend of Youth—the club’s slogan—and attend the Clifton & Passaic Optimist Clubs Hot Dog Nite at 6:30 pm at the Clifton Rec Center on Main Ave. Tickets are $10. Send checks to Optimist Club of Clifton. For info, call Clifton Optimist Tom Hawrylko at 973-253-4400.

Homecoming!

Join these Fighting Mustangs fans for CHS Homecoming on Oct. 3. Festivities begin at Clifton Stadium at 6 pm and the game against Hackensack has a 7 pm scheduled kick-off.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

2008 CHS Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee

Gymnast Alicia Mazepa Story by Jordan Schwartz

Alicia Mazepa won’t be able to attend the Clifton High School Athletic Hall of Fame Luncheon on Oct. 19, but she has a good reason — she’ll be in Dubai.

The gymnastics and track inductee works as a freelance choreographer and dancer traveling the world putting together shows for conventions held by large companies such as Reebok, Subway and Panasonic.

Back in the States, the 1997 grad has danced on tour for Jay-Z, on television and on film.

Mazepa, 29, was born in Glen Ridge, but grew up in Clifton, attending St. Clare School on Allwood Rd. until switching to CHS in ninth grade.

There, she became a star performer on both the gymnastics and track squads. As an all-around gymnast, Mazepa was named All-League and All-County, advancing all the way to States in the floor exercise.

She was also named to the winter track All-League and All-County teams on two occasions, breaking a number of indoor track records and becoming ranked among the best pentathlon athletes in the country.

In the spring, she was a three-time All-League and All-County track star, and was named runner-up for the All-County Scholar Athlete of the Year Award.

Outdoors, Mazepa broke nine school records and finished third in the long jump at the state Meet of Champions. She also competed in the triple jump, high jump and hurdles.

After graduation, Mazepa earned a spot on the Towson University dance team, leading the squad to the top of the rankings for the three years she was there.

The Cliftonite broke into the entertainment business when she auditioned to be a dancer at the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. She not only got the gig, but also found an agent who booked her in her first commercial.

The CHS Athletic Hall of Fame will induct 10 new members and one championship team at a luncheon at the Brownstone in Paterson at noon on Oct. 19.

They are: Jamie Anzaldi, Robert Capo, Chris Karcz, T.J. Kraznowski, Alicia Mazepa, Fernando Rossi, John Scancarella, Janet Nelson Smith, Albert Swan, Mark Tomaskovic and the 1967 Boys Soccer Team.

For tickets ($35), call Flo Calise at 973-470-2321.

Since then, she’s danced and choreographed for Beyonce, the New York Knicks, the Victoria Secret Fashion Show, the MTV Video Music Awards and SNL. Mazepa recently bought a home on Graham Pl. near WWMS where she lives with her Boston terrier, Roxy.

The CHS alum says she’d like to open a dance school in the Basking Ridge area by next year. “I’d probably teach there at first because I’d want it done my way but eventually I’d like someone to take it over,” she said.

“My goal now is to just keep working because it’s not an easy industry to be in.”

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Catching up with the Mustangs

The football team’s stunning opening week victory at last year’s state finalist Wayne Valley highlights the first month of action.

by Jordan Schwartz All recaps are in action through Sept. 29.

Football The Fighting Mustangs are 2-0 for the first time this decade.

Clifton opened the season in remarkable fashion with a big 12-7 upset at Wayne Valley. While the Indians have lost plenty of talent from last year’s North 1, Group 3 state finalist squad, many still expected a victory for the team from Wayne.

But Clifton’s ferocious defense had other plans. Keith Champagne, a junior transfer from Eastside, had an interception and broke up two passes in the end zone late in the game to seal the win. Defensive end Khalid Pitts added nine tackles and a sack.

It was a two-pronged offensive attack from the ’Stangs with senior Al-Aziz Pitts carrying the ball 16 times for 66 yards and a score, while

Top, a wall of Mustangs at the Teaneck game on Sept. 27. Above, are Pat Ferrara, Khalid Pitts, Joey Beltran, Alesandro Justo and Ahmed Alfawair.

junior Nick Giordano chipped in 17 rushes for 57 yards and a TD of his own. Freshman QB Pat Ferrara was solid in his debut, completing all four of his passes for 35 yards.

After a bye week, the Maroon and Grey traveled to Teaneck on Sept. 27. Clifton jumped out on top with an Al-Aziz Pitts one-yard TD run in the first quarter and a October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Snug soccer cleats, hand-me-downs, can lead to Ingrown Nails

Blame improper toenail trimming, snug soccer cleats and repetitive kicking for a soccer player’s ingrown toenail problem, says foot & ankle surgeon Thomas Graziano, DPM, MD, FACFAS. “Plus many kids wear hand-medown cleats that don’t fit,” he adds.

“And older children like tighter cleats. They believe it gives them a better feel for the ball and the field.”

Prevention is key to avoid the pain, says Dr. Graziano. First, teach kids how to trim their toenails properly— in a fairly straight line—and don’t cut them too short.

Second, make sure cleats fit properly. “A child’s shoe size can change within a single soccer season,” Dr. Graziano reminds parents.

If a child develops an ingrown toenail, soaking their foot in room-temperature water and gently massaging the side of the nail fold can reduce inflammation.

But Dr. Graziano warns parents against home treatments, which can be dangerous. For myths about ingrown toenail home treatments, go to FootPhysicians.com.

“If ingrown toenails show signs of infection, it’s time to seek medical care,” says Graziano, who can remove a child’s ingrown toenail and prevent it from returning with a 10-minute surgical procedure. He’ll numb the toe and remove the ingrown portion of the nail. Various techniques can remove part of a nail’s root too, preventing it from growing back.

“Most kids experience a little pain,” says Dr. Graziano, “but resume activity the next day.”

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Sophomore Shannon Seidzik (in white) battles with a Hackensack defender during a 9-0 Clifton victory on Sept. 24.

midfielder Elise Burnett and senior forward Jamie Lisanti each had an assist. Maldonado picked up four saves.

Next up was Paramus, who the Lady Mustangs snuck by 1-0 on a Megan Ferrara goal. Maldonado was the star of that game, stopping all 12 Spartan shots.

The Lady Mustangs won a 9-0 laugher over Hackensack on Sept. 24. Megan Ferrara was outstanding, scoring twice and assisting on two other goals.

Back from an ACL injury, senior forward Kristina Cordova added two tallies, and Burnett picked up a goal and two assists.

Boys Soccer The boys soccer team (4-1-1) beat St. Joe’s Regional 3-0 in its opener on Sept. 12. Sophomore forward Oscar Gonzalez scored two goals and assisted on another. Victor Manosalvas also found the net and Danny Lam picked up an assist. Sophomore goalie Anthony Tsouhnikas had six saves.

12-yard scamper by transfer Joe Tahan in the second.

The Highwaymen answered back with a score before halftime, but the Mustangs put the game away with a Pitts 34-yard touchdown in the fourth that made the final score 19-7.

Girls Soccer The Lady Mustangs (4-1) opened their season with a tough 1-0 loss to last year’s nationally ranked squad at IHA on Sept. 12. Senior All-State goalie Lianne Maldonado had five saves for Clifton.

Three days later, the Maroon and Grey evened its record with a thrilling 1-0, double overtime win at Morristown. Senior midfielder Adriana Daley scored the game winner on a feed from sophomore forward Megan Ferrara. Maldonado again stopped five shots.

On Sept. 20, Clifton downed Kearny 3-0 as Michelle and Megan Ferrara each found the back of the net. Senior

Mustang senior defender David Osorio clears a ball during a 2-0 loss to Paramus on Sept. 22.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Manosalvas found sophomore forward Igor Petrovic for Clifton’s only goal in a 1-1 tie against Bergen Catholic on Sept. 15.

Tsouhnikas stopped five shots.

Two days later, Eastside fell victim to the Mustang attack in a 5-0 drubbing. Five different players scored for Clifton, including Valdrin Seci, who also added an assist.

Tsouhnikas saved three attempts before being replaced by Kevin Aquino, who stopped one more.

The Mustangs completed a sweep of the Paterson schools with a 3-0 victory at Kennedy. Petrovich and senior defender Ryan Ware each picked up a goal and an assist, while Manosalvas added another score.

Tsouhnikas had two saves.

On Sept. 22, Clifton lost its first game of the season, 2-0, to Paramus.

Tsouhnikas stopped seven shots.

The Mustangs quickly bounced back in its next game, edging Hackensack 1-0 on a Manosalvas tally. He was assisted by Juan Carlos Leal, while Tsouhnikas again made seven saves.

Girls Volleyball The Lady Mustangs (5-4) stumbled out of the gate with losses to No. 10 Holy Angels and No. 1 IHA, but rebounded to beat Verona, Eastside and Kennedy in their next three matches.

Two days later, the Mustangs lost to Paramus, 25-17, 25-22, but beat Hackensack and Teaneck later in the week. In the 25-17, 25-18 victory over Hackensack, senior setter Madeline Prado had five assists, while senior middle hitter Brenda Slazyk tallied three kills.

Clifton lost a tough three-setter to Rutherford on Sept. 29, and in tournament play, the Mustangs reached the semis of the Clifton event on Sept. 20 and the finals of the Wayne Valley Tournament on Sept. 27.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Cross Country Both the boys and girls teams are undefeated in league action thus far. The boys finished fourth in the county meet on Sept. 27, while the girls placed second.

Senior Eloisa Paredes is the top runner on the girls side with an average 5k time of 20:12. She’s followed by junior Kerry Sorenson (20:52), junior Daphne Bienkiewicz (22:31), senior Kayla Santiago (22:53), freshman sensation Josie Redwing (23:18), senior Brenna Heisterman (24:03) and senior Graciela Arias (24:04).

On the boys squad, junior James Sahanas leads the way with an average time of 16:58. He’s followed by senior Andrew Kopko (17:40), sophomore Daniel Green (17:57), senior Victor Almonte (18:12), senior Ivan Enriquez (18:43), senior Hanni Abukhater (18:51) and senior Gary Feig (18:53).

Girls Tennis The girls tennis team has gotten off to a slow start, losing its first three matches and having three others postponed because of rain or other reasons.

After a rain out against Holy Angels, Clifton played its first match of the year on Sept. 15, when it fell 5-0 at IHA. Following two postponements against Eastside and Kennedy, the Lady Mustangs didn’t play again until a 5-0 loss at Paramus on Sept.

22. Senior captain and first singles player Lia Salierno missed the match due to sickness and so her teammates were each forced to move up a flight.

Clifton then lost a tight 3-2 battle with Hackensack on Sept. 24.

Second singles Michelle Kvitnitsky

Senior Catalina Jaramillo prepares to return a serve during her second doubles match against Hackensack on Sept. 24.

and the second doubles team of Kathy Tupiwala and Perla Esquivel each won their matches, but Salierno, third singles Lena Elezaby, and the first doubles team of Catalina Jaramillo and Jeanna Yoo each came up short.

Gymnastics The gymnastics team is 0-5 but the Mustangs are scoring about 10 total team points more now than they were at the beginning of the season and they lost to Wayne Valley on Sept. 22 by a narrow 79.1-71.45 margin.

Coach Judy D’Argenio said senior co-captain Chelsea Gurley got her first state sectional qualifying score in floor exercise and is leading the team in beam as well.

Fellow senior co-captain Donnalayha Cook is leading the squad in vault and freshman Gabriella Cruz is tops in uneven bars.

D’Argenio added that senior Melissa Petrina is doing a great job despite the fact that this is her first year of gymnastics.

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Good-Bye, Yankee Stadium When the baseball cathedral in the Bronx is no more, pieces of Clifton history and memories go with it Story by Jack De Vries On Sept. 21, the fans came for one last time… to sit under its white façade, walk on its warning track, and visit its ghosts. They came to Yankee Stadium on Sept.

21 to see one more win – a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles – and take with them as many memories as they could.

During this final game, they cheered one last time for their heroes, past and present, in “the House That Ruth Built.” They breathed the smells of the great stadium. They ran their hands over the concrete walls, saying farewell to an old friend.

And, one last time, they looked out on the emerald grass and brown dirt field, taking a mental photo to last a lifetime.

An aerial shot of the two Yankee Stadiums by A.J. Zarra. The one on the left, is the old ballpark, and the one on the right, is the new stadium currently under construction.

From left, Hap Nightingale, Andy Miller, owner of the Paddock, Yankees Billy Johnson and Yogi Berra, and Paterson sportswriter Joe Gooter.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

The great Yankee Stadium, an arena second only to the Coliseum in Rome, will soon be no more.

And when it’s gone, Clifton loses a bit of its own past.

Yankee Stadium, which opened April 18, 1923, is just 12 miles from the city. For generations, Cliftonites have made the trip over the George Washington Bridge and up the Major Deegan Expressway to the stadium.

Sal Sperlazzi, 94, then of Passaic, took another route to Yankee Stadium to see Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and others.

“As a kid, I’d hitchhike down Paterson Plank Road to the ferry,” he says, “cross the river and take the subway up. I’d sit in the bleachers ’cause we didn’t have money in those days. We’d get home the same way.”

While fans have memories of the stadium, the Yankees have their own remembrances of Clifton.

The builder of Yankee Stadium, team owner Col. Jacob Ruppert, loved hosting beefsteaks in his brewery, catered by Clifton’s legendary beefsteak inventor, Hap Nightingale.

Later, many Yankee stars, including Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Yogi Berra, would also enjoy a Nightingale beefsteak.

But Clifton’s history with the Yankees goes beyond food – back to the time of the stadium’s birth.

David vs. Goliath In 1923 – just 11 days after Yankee Stadium opened – Babe Ruth and the Yankees journeyed to Clifton to play an exhibition game against the Doherty Silk Sox, arguably the greatest white semi pro baseball team in the country.

When Yankees manager Miller Huggins told his players about the Clifton game, the Babe was quoted as saying, “Fine. That is one ball park I like to play on.”

He wasn’t kidding. Twice as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Ruth played at the Doherty Oval behind the large mill on Main Ave., earning $5 from owner Harry Doherty for a home run. Wanting more prize money, Babe looked forward to his game in Clifton.

The original Yankee Stadium under construction in the Bronx on Nov. 14, 1922.

On April 29, 1923, he earned another $5… and caused a riot.

With the Yankees leading 9-6 in the ninth, Babe whacked a majestic home run that traveled nearly 500 feet over the Oval’s fence and beyond, bouncing onto the Erie Railroad tracks. The homer so thrilled the 15,000 fans that they rushed the field to personally congratulate Ruth… who had to be rescued by police.

The next year, the Silk Sox got their revenge as pitcher Harry Harper clouted a ninth inning homer to beat Ruth and the Yankees, 6-5.

It was the last time the teams would play against each other but not their final meeting.

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Throughout the following decades, the Yankees continued their relationship with Clifton – the most famous being with the opening of a 40-lane bowling alley in the Styertowne Shipping Mall on April 28, 1958, owned by future Hall of Fame players Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra. Many of their Yankees teammates were frequent guests.

But there is one date that unites Clifton to Yankee Stadium forever – the celebration of “Clifton Day” at the stadium 41 years ago. The event, attended by more than 4,000 Clifton fans, was part of the city’s “Golden Jubilee,” recognizing Clifton’s first 50 years of existence.

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Traffic Jams and Mantle Blasts The Clifton Day celebration took place April 30, 1967, during the Yankees’ doubleheader against the California Angels. Heading into the date, New York was 8-5 and just a half game out of first place. Unfortunately, the Yanks would finish that year in ninth place at 72-90 – its once great dynasty old and crumbling.

But on that beautiful April day, the future of the team, city, and stadium looked promising.

Clifton’s famous crooner Frankie Randall (who cancelled appearances on English TV to be part of the festivities) would sing the National Anthem, Clifton Mayor Joseph Vanecek was to throw out the first ball, and the famous Clifton Mustangs Marching Band was scheduled to perform the Star Spangled Banner, as well as entertain between games.

Also planned by Clifton Day organizer Terry LaCorte was a reunion of the Doherty Silk Sox – most who had not seen each other since they battled Babe’s Yankees in the 1920s.

However, some of the festivities never took place.

Vanecek arrived at the stadium ontime, but many of the Clifton fans – journeying to the stadium on 30 chartered buses – got stuck in a massive traffic jam on the Major Deegan. So did the Marching Mustangs, traveling in four buses of their own.

The entire contingent arrived 15 minutes after the game started, with Randall missing his chance to sing.

“Clifton Day is a happy memory today,” says LaCorte, “but I wasn’t too happy back then with the traffic.”

But the day quickly improved, especially on the field. In the first game, Clifton fans watched as Mickey Mantle smacked a home run, the 498th of his career, off Angels’ pitcher Minnie Rojas, to power New York to a 66

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

4-1 win. Fans also saw Whitey Ford pitch one-run ball over seven innings, with reliever Dooley Womack getting the victory.

Between games, Vanecek and Randall were interviewed on TV

by Yankees broadcaster Rizzuto.

“That was such a thrill for me,” says Randall, “because guys like DiMaggio, Rizzuto, Berra, and (Tommy) Henrich were my idols growing up.

“When I was asked to perform at Yankee Stadium, I couldn’t say no.

Though I did miss singing there, it was still a great day – they took me in the dugout and in the press box, a real nice tour. Clifton Day became one of the most exciting times in my life.”

On the field, the Silk Sox held their reunion with players like Clifton’s “Bibbs” Raymond and Benny Borgmann in attendance.

Ironically, Raymond was once signed by the Yankees and went to spring training with the club in 1925.

Later that season, he “jumped’ the team to go back and play with the Silk Sox. A combination of homesickness and not

Some of the Yankee stars in the early ’50s, from left, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Tommy Henrich, Hank Bauer and Gene Woodling.

being able to break into the starting line-up caused Raymond to return to Clifton – something that angered the Yankees, who believed Bibbs had a future with the club.

Borgmann had his own history at Yankee Stadium. In the 1920s while a member of the Silk Sox, he tried out on the field and was offered a contract with the Boston Red Sox, in town to play the Yankees.

However, Borgmann, who would eventually be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, refused to

New York Yankees manager Ralph Houk welcomes Mayor Joseph Vanecek and bus loads of Cliftonites to Yankee Stadium on April 30, 1967. (Photo courtesy of the Paterson Museum/Arcadia Publishing, “Clifton: The Boomtown Years.”)

report to spring training so that he could complete his lucrative basketball season.

For his actions, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned him from organized baseball, and it took Borgmann years to earn his reinstatement.

But on that special day at Yankee Stadium, all was forgotten by Borgmann and Raymond, who watched the game from the mayor’s box. Between games, memories were made for the 145 Marching Mustangs, led by drum majorette Barbara Williams and Jubilee pageant beauty queen Susan Sisco.

Behind a banner that read, “Clifton Golden Jubilee – Fifty Years of Progress,” the Mustangs marched in formation to the center of the field where they performed five songs, including Peter Gunn. Each selection was announced by Yankee Stadium announcer Bob Sheppard.

The Herald-News reported, “All tunes were well-received by the audience.”

Besides the traffic, the only black mark on the day was the Yankees’ loss in the nightcap to the Angels, 4-2, with Mantle accounting for both New York runs with a two-run double.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Clifton Fans Say Good-Bye In 1993, Brian Reilly saw his first Yankees game at age 10 with his Clifton Western Division Little League team. Since then, he’s been hooked.

“I became a big Don Mattingly fan,” Reilly, 25, says.

“First, I got the pennant and then a Mattingly shirt.

When I’d watch the Yankees on TV, I’d watch him.”

As he got older, Reilly began to watch Mattingly more at the stadium. “As soon as I got my license,” he says, “I started going to about 10 games a year.” At 19, Reilly took a big step as a Yankees fan – becoming one of the stadium’s legendary “Bleacher Creatures.”

“I have what I describe as ‘an emotional attachment’ to the Yankees,” Reilly says, “and a seat in Section 39 of the bleachers for the past six years.” Along with Clifton friends Joe and John Pecora, he attends about 20 games a year. Known for their game-starting “Roll Call” (the Bleacher Creatures chant each starting Yankees player’s name until he waves), Reilly and his fellow Creatures are famous for their serenades of opposing right fielders.

“If I was Trot Nixon,” Reilly laughs, “and I heard some of the songs we sing, I’d go home and cry.” A recent Montclair State University graduate who works at DeLuxe Formalwear on Main Ave., Reilly says his best moment came in the 2004 American League

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Cliftonites and Bleacher Creatures Brian Reilly, Joe and John Pecora attend about 20 Yankee games a year.

Championship Series Game 1 against the Boston Red Sox. “(Boston’s) Curt Schilling was pitching but we were doing the “Who’s your daddy?” chants to Pedro Martinez,” he says. “There was a point in the game when the Yankees had bases loaded and Hideki Matsui hit a single. Gary Sheffield slid, scored and pumped his fist in the air.

“We went crazy. I was there with my father and we started hugging strangers we were so happy. People were throwing $9 beers in the air – nobody cared if they got wet. It was incredible.”

When the Series turned sour and Boston came back from a 3-0 deficit, Reilly learned something about his girlfriend Krystina. “That’s when I saw she was a keeper,” he says. “I was so upset during the four games the Yankees lost, I’d leave the house without talking, just to take a walk. I couldn’t sleep for a week because I was so upset. But she stayed with me, even though we’d only been together for a little bit.”

On Sunday, Sept. 21, Reilly attended the last game at Yankee Stadium. “I told my friends that I needed to take my own car because I didn’t want anybody rushing me out that night,” he says. “You could tell the game was going to be special – Spike Lee was in the bleachers filming us. I remember looking around and thinking that this was where Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio played.”

After the Yankees’ win, Reilly’s friends left, leaving him alone in the stadium with other diehard fans. “I walked around with my video camera,” he says, “taking pictures and trying to make the night last. I finally left at about 1:30 a.m.” Though he plans to attend games at the new Yankee Stadium next year, Reilly will never forget the old building. “You know,” he says, “they call Yankee Stadium a cathedral. And they’re right, it really is.”

A Fan’s Memories of Yankee Stadium Story by Jordan Schwartz

My first trip to Yankee Stadium came on Thursday, July 22, 1993.

Just a 10-year-old boy, I sat with my mom, dad, and sister in the lower level down the left-field line.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, my favorite player of all time, Don Mattingly, scalded a 2-1 pitch off Doug Linton into the right-field seats for a three-run homer. It was the 200th of his storied career, and the Yankees went on to beat the California Angels, 12-1.

Exactly 15 years later, on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, I attended my 42nd and final game at the old Yankee Stadium. Accompanied by just my sister this time, we sat in the upper deck, down the left-field line. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Yankees scored four times to put away an 8-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

The Bombers are missing the playoffs this fall for the first time since the year in which I went to my first game, but during that decade-and-a-half span, I was fortunate enough to see my share of Yankee Stadium magic.

The Yankees were 35-7 in games I attended at the Stadium. That’s right, 35-7. Five of the seven losses were by one run, another defeat was by three, but New York brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, and the only blowout loss was when they were no-hit by six different Houston Astros pitchers on June 11, 2003.

My friend, Brad, caught a foul ball during that game, and from that point forward, we knew we were doomed.

I witnessed seven walk-off victories, including three in a row between Sept. 30, 2004, when a homer by

Writer Jordan Schwartz’s favorite Yankee Stadium memory was Aaron Boone’s game-winning home run in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox. Schwartz attended the game with his family.

Bernie Williams clinched the division, and May 16, 2006, when Jorge Posada’s game-winning blast capped a 14-13 comeback victory over the Texas Rangers—a game in which the Yankees had trailed 9-0.

But the biggest walk-off I saw was one of the most dramatic in franchise history.

When 2003 postseason tickets went on sale in late September of that year, I, like thousands of others, stared at my computer as Ticketmaster.com informed me that my wait time was eight minutes.

A half-hour later, a screen popped up presenting me with the option of purchasing four tickets to “ALCS Home Game 4.” I immediately snatched them up, not thinking that I would actually attend the game. But a few weeks later, the Boston Red Sox forced a Game 7, and I found myself skipping a Thursday afternoon class to drive

from Syracuse to New York.

The excitement was palpable among the 56,278 people that attended the game with me on that chilly October evening. It was Pedro versus Clemens, Sox versus Yanks for the right to advance to the World Series, and I was there.

The anticipation quickly morphed into shock as the Bombers fell behind 3-0 in the top of the second, and by the time it was 5-2 Boston in the top of the eighth, the feeling turned to desperation. But then, as always, the rally started with Derek Jeter. A double. Then Bernie Williams singled him home. 5-3.

Then Hideki Matsui doubled to put the tying runs in scoring position for Jorge Posada.

I clasped my numb fingers in front of my face and rocked back and forth in the right-field bleachers as the Yankee catcher battled with the tiring Martinez.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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After an agonizing five pitches, Posada finally lifted a fly ball to shallow center, as everyone held their breath.

Until it landed.

The stadium actually shook as Matsui scored the tying run, and I high-fived everyone around me.

But there was still work to be done.

The game continued on, knotted at five, into the ninth, the 10th, and finally the 11th. As Tim Wakefield got ready to deliver his first knuckleball to Aaron Boone, my dad and I turned to step up onto the bleacher so we could see better.

Just then, we heard the crowd roar and swung our heads around to see the ball land in the left-field seats for a pennant-winning home run. My dad and I turned to each

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other in shock, but we were too excited to be disappointed. We had just witnessed—sort of—one of the greatest moments in Yankee history.

The magic dissipated somewhat over the following five years, but I still took in my share of great Yankee Stadium moments.

I saw Clemens win his 350th career game, Posada homer from both sides of the plate, and Jeter pass Bernie Williams and then Mickey Mantle on the Yankees’ alltime hit list.

I’ve seen New York play every American League team except the A’s and White Sox, I’ve attended 10 inter-league games, and I’ve even had three dates at Yankee Stadium. The team was 2-1 in those games. I was 1-2.

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Don Mattingly homered in Schwartz’s first trip to Yankee Stadium in 1993.

So, as the House That Ruth Built closes its doors for the final time this year, it takes with it old memories of championships and fathers taking their sons to their first game.

But with a new stadium come new memories, and I can’t wait to one day bring my son to his first Yankee game at the ballpark across the street.

It’ll probably be July 22.

Clifton News & Municipal Updates Since we ran last month’s story about the condition of the former American Legion Post on Lake Ave. in Botany Village, the dangerous sidewalk has been repaired.

However, the removal of the tree that caused the damage has drawn the ire of Ellen Woodham, who wants to know why she wasn’t allowed to do the same on her property.

Woodham, the individual who lives directly across the street from the Post, was featured in our story last month, after she was told by the city that she had to repair her sidewalk on her own tab, despite it being damaged by a city tree.

“That’s when they started repairing the sidewalk, the day before your magazine came out,” Woodham said, referring to Sept. 4. “They just lifted the concrete out and came and cut down the tree and put the slab of concrete back. But there wasn’t anything wrong with their tree, they just cut it down.”

Normally, the Lake Ave. resident said she wouldn’t have any objections to the removal of the tree.

However, Woodham was told that she wasn’t allowed to remove the tree that damaged her sidewalk—a total of $3,100 in repairs—because it was a living tree.

“They refused to cut ours down, because they said they can’t cut down a live tree,” she explained.

Little has changed on Lake Ave. since last month’s story.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Clifton News & Municipal Updates “But they said the mayor wanted them to cut the tree down. That’s what the DPW supervisor that was there with the crew told my husband.”

However, Mayor James Anzaldi denied those allegations in a phone conversation.

“Me? James Anzaldi?

Absolutely not, I can’t authorize that,” he insisted. “I took a picture of the raised sidewalk and filed a City Manager sheet and showed them the picture on my cell phone—that’s it. The last I heard of it, they told me it was going to get done, but I don’t know anything about the tree.”

The mayor explained that the city has a tree policy, limiting the instances in which they can be removed.

“I know clogged sewer line— that’s one of them for sure,” recalled Anzaldi. “I think it would also include drain pipes, since some people have the pipe underground.”

The mayor directed further questioning to City Manager Al

The city would like a contractor to level this house on Arthur St., which has been in disrepair for several years.

After we questioned city officials last month about the uneven pavement in front of the old American Legion Post on Lake Ave., a tree was removed and the problem was fixed.

Greco, who noted that city policy allows for the removal of a live tree if it damages the concrete more than twice in a five year period.

“We had complaints on it before and had done it about three or four years ago,” said Greco. “We will always come out and cut the roots for the home owners without charge.

Usually, they’ll get a contractor to lift the slab and cut the roots to save themselves a lot more money.”

While addressing Lake Ave., the city manager also noted that Clifton is currently in the process of searching for a contractor to remove the asbestos from the cityowned former American Legion Post and then demolish it.

The city would also like to hire a contractor to level 12 Arthur St. in Botany, a private home that has been in disrepair for several years.

“We’re trying to get one price for both buildings. There’s a tax sale soon and I’m authorized to buy

back the lien and purchase the house on the city’s behalf,” said Greco, adding that the lien is around $120,000.

Funds would be transferred from the city’s affordable housing account, and then Clifton would look to construct affordable housing on the site, in accord with the standards set by the NJ Council on Affordable Housing, or COAH. Greco also noted that, at the Botany SID meeting in September, there were no remarks about the status of Lake Ave. from residents.

“We mentioned the plan and asked if there were any suggestions or comments,” said Greco, adding that there were about 20 people in attendance. “There were no comments, no feedback.”

The Clifton Rec Center will continue to be in the spotlight for some time it seems. At the Sept. 22 Board of Recreation meeting, newly appointed Council Liaison to October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

73

Clifton News & Municipal Updates the Board, Mayor James Anzaldi, was answering questions regarding his opinion on whether or not the city needs a new center to replace the one on Main Ave. Board member Tony Yannarelli, an outspoken supporter of a new center, asked the mayor point blank if he was in support of the Board’s 9-0 motion to recommend a new recreation center in town.

However, the mayor essentially reiterated his comments in our Sept. edition, saying that he is open minded, but thinks that current facilities are being underused.

“To be honest,” Anzaldi added.

“I think much of what has happened has been twisted badly.”

However, some Board members expressed concern about the Council’s involvement.

“There’s nothing that the Council needs to be involved with at this point,” said Yannarelli.

The Board and Mayor Anzaldi were in agreement with one thing though: if the surveys come back against the project, it becomes dead in the water.

“If the survey is like no one wants this, why waste our time?” said Board President Doreen Delancy-Williams.

Mayor Anzaldi also reiterated his desire to improve existing services instead of adding new ones. He mentioned park adoptions or corporate clean-ups as an inexpensive means of remediation for the Rec Center and other facilities.

Despite disagreeing with the mayor’s proposal, Yannarelli said Anzaldi did bring some good change to the Board.

“The only thing he did accomplish is having Debbie (Oliver, of the Rec Department) tell us that there’s money left from the budget last year,” said Yannarelli, being

sure to note that his opinions do not reflect those of the entire Board.

“It’s about $28,000 to $30,000— somewhere in that area. It’s for fixing up items in the rec center.”

Another issue brought up at the meeting was the review of Clifton’s parks by an outside firm, to the tune of a $26,000 bill.

“They spent $26,000 on that,” Yannarelli said over the phone later that week. “If you go down to the parks yourself, you can see what the condition of those parks are.

They spent $26,000 to tell them what it looks like because they haven’t maintained them for the past 20 years.”

The cost of using water is going up. Sewer user fees have increased from $1.39 to $1.92 per 100 cubic feet of usage based upon 2007 unbilled water consumption as provided by the Passaic Valley Water Commission. City Manager Al

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Greco said last year’s figures are being used instead of this year’s because the city needs to know exactly how much revenue it will be taking in. It can’t estimate how much water consumption will take place in 2008.

According to the city’s website, the rate change occurred because the figures given to Clifton by the PVWC for actual billing purposes in 2008 were significantly less than in 2006. The lower consumption figures meant that the original rate would not generate enough revenue to pay for sanitary sewer service.

A service fee of $20 per quarter will also be charged to each user.

The city says it was instituted because all customers, regardless of consumption levels, are connected to and utilize the sewer distribution system.

But where did this new usage fee come from in the first place?

Greco said when the City Council was reviewing the 2008

Sewer user fees make watering your Clifton lawn more expensive.

municipal budget, which is about six percent higher than in 2007, it appeared as if taxes would have to increase 10 percent and $1.2 million of services would have to be cut.

“The Council didn’t want to layoff anyone or impose a tax increase, so they decided to create a usage fee,” said Greco, who added that the city has put a freeze on hiring certain open municipal positions.

Before this year, the $7.1 million cost of providing sewer service was included in the total municipal tax bill. Greco said the usage fee is a fairer way of distributing the cost.

“We analyzed the structure and it turned out that the commercial side was paying 40 percent but using 60 percent of the service, while residents were paying 60 percent and using only 40 percent,” he said.

“For smaller consumers, this benefits them because they’re paying less than if taxes went up 10 percent.”

But despite the fact that there is no increase in the local portion of the tax rate in 2008, Cliftonites are still paying more overall to the city because of this new fee.

“You tell me what you want us to cut out of the budget,” said Greco.

“No one wants to pay more, but no one wants to give up services.

“No money is being wasted but we are looking at privatizing some of our services such as the DPW and recycling,” continued the city manager. “We’re also looking at energy conservation in our vehicles and buildings and adding another court session to process tickets quicker.”

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

75

2008

Clifton Merchant Magazine

Letters to the new one. It’s likely there was no major maintenance done for years.

Shultheis Farm and the Brighton Rd. school mess can readily be traced to the mayor and City Council.

Montclair St. Univ. putting in a dorm in Botany Village? How deluded can they be? A dorm is expected to be near the college itself. Put luxury apartments there in its place. They would provide new taxes for the city and desperately needed housing for the middle class and those who can afford it.

The current group that sits in City Hall has been there too long. They have become entrenched and have had no new ideas in 20 years.

Nothing is decided because it may mean more kids in already overcrowded schools and new schools raise taxes. Well, when have taxes gone down in Clifton? The new separate sewer fee rose this year with the explanation that more had to be charged since water consumption declined. When the number of citizens decline (and that is inevitable) will taxes then have to be raised too?

Editor

Some say changes need to be made at the Clifton Community Recreation Center.

Indecisiveness will result in more deterioration and drift to the morass that our neighboring towns find themselves in. Our leaders must wake up, stop talking and decide. It is possible that a mistake will occur now and then. If they were doctors and did nothing, all their patients would die. Operate and some might die, but not all.

And that is what the mayor and council are afraid of.

Bob Eiserle Clifton

Have Clifton Merchant Mailed.

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Congratulations on the latest issue of your magazine. It is a wake-up call to our local politicians and those of both parties running in November.

The lazy city “planners” can’t think of anything else but strip malls for vacant sites. We are up to here in them and yet they now plan another one for the former Lee’s Hawaiian Islander site. Why not a luxury high-rise apartment house?

There are two on Hepburn Rd. near the golf course that are at least 30 years old now and still are soughtafter rentals. Apartments near highways would be filled as soon as they are built.

All these malls and Downtown Clifton is still being touted to attract shoppers. Where do the mayor and Council shop? Probably where there is parking nearby, which Downtown lacks. Let Downtown be a thing of the past and stop throwing tax money at it. It can be a service area but shopping is finished.

Changes need to be made to the Rec Center on Main Ave., but it doesn’t need to be replaced by a

1288 Main Ave. Clifton 07011

tomhawrylko@optonline.net

YEARS

Name: __________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________________________ City: ____________________________________________State: _________________________________________ Zip:______________________Phone:_____________________________________________ Email:________________________________________________________________________ PLEASE MAKE CHECKS TO TOMAHAWK PROMOTIONS, 1288 MAIN AVE., CLIFTON, NJ 07011 76

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

It’s good to see the Merchant again holding the City Council accountable for failing to resolve so many important issues. You hit the nail on the head when you pointed out the lack of planning, both past and present, that prevents Clifton from realizing meaningful improvements to quality of life. The excuses and finger pointing of the mayor and Council would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic.

Maybe your next cover should show Mayor Anzaldi with some of his Council cohorts dressed in top hats, tails, and spats, dancing the old softshoe around a cardboard box full of unresolved issues.

Joseph R. Torelli Clifton

Kudos for taking the stand on a range of issues the Council needs to address. I will continue to push and prod and I salute you for a job well done. Maybe the issue will prompt more people to question what is happening to our city.

Matt Ward Clifton City Councilman

Long term blight in Clifton creates a negative image. The former Capo D’Anno Restaurant on Lexington Ave., with its torn awnings, cracked windows and plywood-covered door, is an eyesore. While I am not exactly certain how long it has been vacant, the weeds pushing through the macadam of the parking lot confirm that it has been quite a while.

Another eyesore is a former gas station on the corner of Clifton and Van Houten Aves. The building has three bay doors with many panes missing or broken, the shards of glass lying scattered on the ground. The office part of the building has been boarded over and here too there are grass and weeds growing up through the macadam.

Fair Lawn Police Officer Mary Ann Collura was killed in the line of duty on April 17, 2003. Her legacy lives on, though, with the Collura Memorial Halloween Safety Program.

Tribute to a Local Hero: As my son celebrated his 10th birthday last year, which coincidentally falls on Halloween, I asked him who his heroes were. He hesitated, smiled, then proceeded with Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Sponge Bob. I sighed in disappointment.

He then asked me who my heroes

are. I told him they have always been real people. There was my father who was a heroic cop who frequently put himself into harm’s way to save people. Then there were my brothers who all served in Vietnam. I went on to tell him about all the 9/11 heroes who sacrificed their lives to save others from the burning buildings we saw from New Jersey that day.

Consequently, as I opened his bag to retrieve his homework that evening, I found the Officer Mary Ann Collura Memorial Halloween Safety Program that was instituted in her memory by the Clifton Police Department. You know the one that comes with a glow stick and a memo on how to be safer on Halloween? I found this to be an excellent example of a local hero. I grabbed my son and sat him down and explained how this has changed our lives for the better.

Donna Fantacone Clifton

The former Capo D’Anno Restaurant on Lexington Ave. vacant and deteriorating.

A person could have completed a full formal education (grades K-12 and a four-year college degree) in the amount of time this property has sat vacant. It has been so long, in fact, that most people cannot recall the brand of gas it sold.

What further adds to the insult of having this derelict building in

our city is that it is across the street from City Hall. Anyone having any business there cannot help but see this blot on the landscape and make the obvious negative conclusions about our city. How do property owners get away with this?

Patricia A. Siems Clifton October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

77

Joseph Baratta

Judith Dimun

Lorraine Cook

78

The CHS Class of 1973 35th Reunion is scheduled for 7 pm to midnight on Oct. 18 at The Bethwood in Totowa. The deadline to pre-order tickets for $100 has been extended to Oct. 9. The cost at the door is $120 (cash only). The price includes DJ entertainment, buffet and a five-hour open bar.

Alumni Committee members (some pictured here, circa ’73) include John Orlowsky, Lori (Struck) DeSilva, Doris Pohle, Bruce Rissmiller, Phil Read, Carol Thorpe, Bernice (Knowlton) Mekita, Diane (Natonick) Goode, Joe Salerno, Susan Junda, Bob Frisch, Judy Dimun, Lorraine (Cooke) Anicito, Pete Garnevicus and Glenn Nahass.

Visit chs73alumni-cliftonnj.net for reunion photos, alumni news and information. For more details, call Orlowsky at 973-773-8711.

Patrick Donohue

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Bernice Knowlton

Christina Kotlar

Glenn Gorab

John Orlowsky

Lori Struck

Doris Pohle

Bruce Rissmiller

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

79

Halloween Parade

&

along Lakeview Ave. and in Nash Park on Oct. 26, 2008

HarvestFest

The Annual Halloween Parade and Harvest Fest is Oct. 26 (rain or shine). Kicking off at the corner of Lakeview Ave. and E. 4th St. at 12:45, pm, the cavalcade of costumed Cliftonites proceeds down Lakeview Ave. to Piaget Ave. ending at Nash Park, where judging takes place. Harvest Fest then begins and runs till dusk.

Parade participants are to meet at the designated corners (call the Rec Dept for details: 973-470-5956) at 12:15 pm to register for the costume contest and to march in the parade. Those wishing to pre-register for the contest—strongly recommended—may do so at the Rec Dept., 2nd floor of City Hall. There are also categories for pets (must be on a leash or other type of restraint), groups of at least six people, and homemade floats.

Harvest Fest offers food, fun, games, crafts, rides, animals, vendors and even an Apple Pie Bake-Off. Paint a pumpkin, stuff scarecrow, visit the Petting Zoo or take a hayride in the park. With games and rides costing between a quarter and $1, there is lots to do at a great price. Vendors will be selling food and other goods.

Volunteers and vendors are welcome. Purchase tokens in advance and receive a discount. For more info, call the Clifton Rec Dept. at 973-470-5956.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

39 Years

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

81

Cuellar Family Markets & all at the Paulison Ave. ShopRite want to say:

Thanks, Partners in Caring The owners & employees of Cuellar Family Markets want to say thanks to all of our Partners In Caring. Our September 21 Walkathon to raise money and help fight hunger was a great success as the pictures here illustrate. Thanks to many, including: • Clifton Health Department • Clifton Recreation Department • Clifton Public Schools • St. Peter’s Haven • Bond Parade Floats • Pushcart International • Passaic Recreation • Passaic Police Department • Children’s Nursery & Family Center And to our customers who generously donate or participate in this and every event to help our neighbors in need...

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Joseph G. Bionci Registered Representative

126 Oak Ridge Rd. Clifton

973-472-1707 OFFERING THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS & SERVICES: RETIREMENT PLANNING IRAs • 401(k) Plans • SEPs and Simple Plans • Pension/Profit Sharing Plans ESTATE PLANNING Business Ownership Succession Plans • Charitable Remainder Trusts EDUCATION PLANNING 529 Plans • Coverdell Education IRAs INSURANCE Fixed and variable Life Insurance • Disability Insurance • Long term Care Insurance • Fixed and Variable Annuities INVESTMENTS Mutual Funds • Stocks and Bonds Investment and insurance products distributed by Genworth Financial Securities Corp., member NASD/SIPC & a licensed insurance agency (dba Genworth Financial Securities and Insurance Services in CA). Home office at 200 N. Martingale Rd., 7th Fl., Schaumburg, IL 60173; phone 888 528.2987. ©2005 Genworth Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

83

Bygone News As collected & edited by Clifton Historian Don Lotz Bygone News provides a glimpse into the events occurring in Acquackanonk (now Clifton) 100 and 50 years ago. While topics illustrate the evolution of a rural Acquackanonk Township into the Clifton of today, no doubt readers will also notice how some issues seem timeless.

October 1908 The Acquackanonk Township Committee met Oct. 6 in the Clifton Hall with all members present. “The treasurer reported a cash balance of $200.39; the poormaster had expenditures of $107.23 and the clerk received $58.34 for licenses.”

In 1908, Clifton Stadium was the site for the 40 mile Great American Derby bicycle race, won by Hugh McLean who outpaced Elmer Collins, pictured above.

Petitions were received with one “requesting to have the original name Ackerman Ave. placed on the street signs, maps and all legal documents, instead of Garfield Ave. and on motion the request was granted.”

The committee also employed George Duerlein “to remove all brush and weeds growing along the roadside in West Clifton.”

Applications for two tavern licenses were delayed pending further investigation, because of the objections of nearby residents. The first delay was due to its proximity to the new normal school building and “the saloon would cause a depreciation of property in that vicinity.”

In the second case, counsel for the objecting residents explained “that there were already too many liquor dealers in Acquackanonk Township…

“There is a population of only 7,000 inhabitants,” counsel stated, adding “and there are thirtyfive retail and six wholesale liquor dealers in the township… [and] within the square of five

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

The “Historic Trumpet” was awarded to Albion Place Chemical Fire Co. No. 1 (members above) on Oct. 17, 1908. The trumpet was stored in the firehouse (right), which was constructed in 1906 and destroyed by fire in 1914. The firehouse was where School 5 stands today on Valley Rd. blocks of the proposed tavern there are eleven retail and five wholesale liquor dealers, which is far too many…”

The Constantine Brother’s Store at Dayton and Lake Aves, after a recent burglary, “is being made burglar proof. Windows being covered with heavy iron bars.”

Nelson Kacsline, “while driving his horse to a water trough in front of the Clifton Race Track Hotel,” was accosted by a “wily stranger who informed him he was under arrest for reckless driving.” The stranger demanded a $12 fine; which Mr. Kacsline paid “under protest.” This was the second case of impersonation of a police officer “within a few weeks and they are anxious to clear up the mystery.”

The Gilt Edge Pleasure Club organized with its officers: President, Joseph Fox; vice-president, A. Vermeulen; secretary, Roy Dale; treasurer, William Sharrah. “Pleasure is the sole object of the club members.”

August Nathan, real estate and insurance Madison Ave and Third St Clifton, offered “a workingman’s opportunity; two new onefamily homes for sale.”

The homes located near Burgess Place “are two stories, five rooms, pump in kitchen and cellar, piped for gas, slate roof, lot 27x125 with a $1,850 price and terms of $300 cash then $13 a month.” Prospective buyers were told “you have been going to do it for a long time; ‘DO IT NOW.’” The Acquackanonk School Board “reported a subcommittee had visited the Albion Pl School (#5 on Gould St) and could not find that surface drainage had caused damage to Mr. Carney’s barns and that one of the barns was practically worthless.” The board voted against paying any damages to Mr. Carney.

Bicycle and motorcycle racing continued at Clifton Stadium.

“Motor cyclists had narrow

escapes; Derosier and T. M. Samuelson kept their heads and steered clear of death” after their chains snapped on their vehicles.

Bicyclist Jake Derosier broke his own one-half mile world record going the distance in 27 1/5 seconds. Hugh McLean, going 40 1/3 miles in one hour, won the “Great American Derby,” out distancing George Riley and Elmer Collins.

Clifton Fire Company No 1 held its first prize fair Oct. 15, 16, and 17. The fair opened with a parade and continued with a sale of “fancy and useful articles,” auction, children’s day, and Saturday evening prizes were awarded.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

85

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Another attraction of the fair was the post office operated by Misses Mathilde Genthon and Ella Burrows; selling postal cards of “scenes familiar to every Cliftonite, being all the principal points of interest in the municipality and several pictures of the fire company.” One of the prizes awarded Saturday evening was the “Historic Trumpet” won by the Albion Place Chemical Fire Co. No. 1.

Proved by the engraving on the trumpet that reads “Clifton Fire Co. No. 1 Trophy Contested For By Volunteer Firemen of Passaic, Essex, and Bergen Counties, Won

by Albion Place Fire Co., Oct. 17, 1908.” Their firehouse was constructed in 1906 and destroyed by fire in 1914. It was located where the present School No. 5 is on Valley Rd. A newspaper reported about a barred rock pullet—a chicken commonly found on small farms, circa 1900 valued for their hardiness, large size, gentle nature and great egg production—which followed his young master, Tracey Storms, around the neighborhood, and even to school.

The plan for the new Clifton High School was presented in October 1958. They called for three classroom wings (1, 2 & 3) of three stories each with the middle wing also housing the heating plant in a basement. Plans also included specialized areas common to all students, such as a library (4), cafeteria (5), industrial arts (6 & 7) girls gym (8), lockers and showers (9), boys gym (10), administration (11), auditorium (12), homemaking (13) and music (14).

October 1958 The School Board rejected “the initial plans of the new high school with its main theme being separated classes according to grades.” An open courtyard enclosed by interconnected buildings was Architect Arthur Rigolo’s plan. The Superintendent of Schools endorsed the segregation of students by grades; while School Board President Gerard Hollander was “opposed to the ‘single schools’ for sophomores, juniors and seniors and called it ‘mass education.’”

Council Chambers on Main and Harding Aves are “installing loud speakers so that everyone in the chamber will be able to hear all that is going on up front…”

New building construction in Clifton dropped considerably from the previous September going from $911,665 in 1957 to $598,609 in 1958.

The Council moves to build road despite land owner’s protest, a

paper reported: “the City Council Tuesday night passed two ordinances to permit a street to be cut through from the Plymouth Rock development to Van Houten Ave. One ordinance authorizes the construction of Priscilla St. through the Richfield Nursery operated by Conrad Maarschalk opposite School 2 on Van Houten Ave” On Oct. 21, Board of Education members dedicated the new 13 room addition to School 2 on Van Houten Ave County Supt. J. Harold Straub complimented Clifton officials on their school building program. He said Clifton was doing a good job keeping abreast of the pressing school situation by meeting the needs for new schools.

Sounds of the Cold War: “at 7 pm tonight [Oct. 23] a Statewide Civil Defense alert entitled ‘Operation Pre-Attack’ will be staged. Only one siren signal will be sounded – ALERT (steady three minute blast of sirens).”

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Local Boys Lost in Pacific Four Cliftonites among hundreds downed with Juneau in 1942

War was raging in the Pacific in 1942 and it took a heavy toll on the U.S. Navy.

Between Aug. 6 and Nov. 13, more than 5,000 men and 20 ships were lost, but the disastrous casualties began even earlier that year.

Story by Jordan Schwartz and Rich DeLotto On May 8, the USS Lexington was sunk at the Battle of Coral Sea. The USS Yorktown went down a month later at the Battle of Midway. The USS Wasp was lost 150 miles southeast of San Cristobal Island on Sept. 15. And several Japanese torpedoes struck the USS Hornet at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on Oct. 26.

But the loss that really hit home was the sinking of the USS Juneau at the Battle of Guadalcanal on Nov. 13.

The Juneau was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding Company of Kearny on May 27, 1940, launched on Oct. 25, 1941 and commissioned on Feb. 14, 1942.

The cruiser left for the Pacific Theater on Aug. 22 with 30 sets of 88

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

brothers on board, including the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, the four Rogers brothers from New Haven, Connecticut, and the Weeks brothers from Delawanna.

The ship supported three actions at Guadalcanal: the Buin-FasiTonolai Raid; the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands; and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, which is sometimes referred to as the Third Battle of Savo Island.

During the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 1942, the Juneau and other American ships became engaged with a Japanese force made up of two battleships, one light cruiser and nine destroyers.

During the battle, a torpedo hit Juneau on her port side causing a dramatic list, halting her movement and forcing a withdrawal.

About nine hours later, Juneau left the Guadalcanal area when a second torpedo struck the ship, causing an explosion that sunk the cruiser in 20 seconds.

Only about 100 of the nearly 700 men on board survived the sinking, but many of those sailors were killed by sharks or the elements as they waited eight days in the open ocean before being rescued. By that time, only 10 men were left alive. One of them was Frank Holmgren, 85, who is the last living survivor.

“We were only able to get three life rafts down,” remembered the Eatontown resident. “I can’t even swim, so I thought I was dead, but a life jacket got around me somehow. I’m one of the luckiest men in the world.”

Others weren’t as fortunate.

The sinking of the Juneau made headlines across the country because all five Sullivan brothers died. Three of the men were killed instantly after the second torpedo

Cliftonites William (left) and Harold Weeks were killed aboard the USS Juneau in 1942.

hit, while the remaining two perished while waiting to be rescued.

Two of the four Rogers siblings transferred to another ship before the sinking and so only half of the boys died.

But Clifton’s Weeks family wasn’t as lucky. On Jan. 11, 1943, William and Dorothy Weeks were notified of their sons’ deaths.

“Hard upon the telegrams came the Navy’s announcement of the names of the eleven warships lost in the hard fighting from October 21 to December 1 in the Southwestern Pacific,” wrote The Herald-News beneath the screaming headline “Local Boys Lost in Pacific.”

“It was earth shaking for the family to have this happen,” said Robert Weeks, who was 18 when his two older brothers were killed.

Mary Weeks Ochipa, the sole daughter in the family, was just 14 at the time.

“I was so upset that I didn’t go to school for six months,” said the 80-year-old widow who now lives in Miami. “They kind of just treated me special because I was the girl and I was the youngest. I remember someone poisoned my dog and my oldest brother went to a pet shop and got me another.”

Mary eventually married and lived in Passaic with her husband who was an Army veteran of Saipan.

William Weeks, 23, was born on Christmas Day in 1919. His younger brother Harold, 21, came along two years later. The siblings grew up at 35 William St., graduating from School 8 and Clifton High. They were boy scouts and Herald-News delivery boys, while also attending St. Clare’s Church.

Mr. Weeks worked with his three sons at U.S. Rubber Company in Passaic.

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, the two eldest sons enlisted in the Navy. Harold was engaged at the time, but the Weeks came from a long line of patriots. Their grandfather, Francis J. Wynne, was a Navy veteran of the Spanish American War. Harold and William attended boot camp in Newport, Rhode Island for two weeks before joining the fleet.

William was assigned to the USS Macomb before meeting up with his brother aboard the Juneau, which operated in the Atlantic Theater for approximately four months before moving to the Pacific.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

89

Robert Weeks enlisted in the service in July 1942, right after graduating CHS, but he hadn’t actually joined a fleet yet by the time his brothers were killed.

“My mother was against me going but my dad signed me up,” he remembered.

Robert spent the following 34 years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer. He retired in 1976 and currently lives in Austin, Texas.

But the Weeks were not the only Cliftonites affected by the Juneau tragedy. Two other city residents perished in the disaster.

Israel Rabkin, 27, of 119 Madeline Ave. was also killed. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Max Rabkin, owned the Rabkin Confectionary directly across the street from Ace and George’s Deli.

“My mother and father seemed to just age overnight after hearing the news,” said Israel’s sister,

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

Israel Rabkin of Madeline Ave. also died in the Juneau tragedy.

Hannah Gilbert, who was just 16 at the time.

Israel, who graduated CHS in 1934, liked to ride his motorcycle around town.

In addition to Hannah, he had two brothers, Hyman and Aaron.

Three years ago, Hannah’s daughter surprised her with an 80th birthday trip to the Juneau monument in Alaska.

“It was quite emotional,” she said. “I took my finger and rubbed it over my brother’s name. It was my last tribute to him.”

Peter Pagnillo, 24, was the fourth city resident killed aboard the Juneau.

He was born, raised and schooled in Paterson, but moved to 43 Center St. in Clifton for six months before entering the service. Pagnillo was survived by his wife of a year, Josephine Pasetto, and parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pagnillo.

He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and three campaign medals. Three 19-year-old Passaic residents were also on the Juneau. They were Lawrence Edward Saxer, Edward Eustace, Jr., and Charles Kalinich, Jr.

At our Sept. 5th ceremony to honor our deceased members, remember the MIA /POW and install officers. Pictured: (top left) Top row, from left: Carmine Delcore, Domenick Chiappone, Mike Gimon & Joe Nikischer. Middle: Stephen Scelba, Ted Harsaghy, Louis Poles & Robert Cordaro. Bottom row: Frank Smith & Ed Jazwinski. Ladies Auxiliary: Top from left: Edith Pettke, Amy Delcore, Sallyann Chiappone, Louise Van Decker, Dot Constantine, Gloria Turba & Madia Andrikanich. Bottom: Martha Jazwinski, Joan Campbell, Adele Gimon, Dorothy Saunders & Carol Westdyke. Bottom pic: Top from left: Chris Sotiro, Walter Marut, Angelo Guerra, Don Franz, Cipriano Zallagnoni & Walter Turba. Bottom: Joe Constantine, Frank Neceskas, Anton Taschler, Anthony Furino & Willie Gumann.

October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

91

Birthdays & Celebrations!

Noel Oliver Coronel turns 4 on Oct. 16th.

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Happy 17th Anniversary to Frances and Saverio Greco who wed on Oct. 26, 1991.

Saverio also celebrated his 43rd birthday on Sept. 26.

Happy 60th Birthday to Edward Holster Sr. on Oct. 18.

Happy Belated 88th Birthday to Wanda Jakubczyk who celebrated on Sept. 12.

Christopher Phillips . . . . . . . 10/7 Jilian Fueshko . . . . . . . . . . . 10/8 Nick Kacmarcik . . . . . . . . . 10/8 Eileen Patterson . . . . . . . . 10/11 Anthony Shackil . . . . . . . . 10/11 Michael D. Rice . . . . . . . . 10/12 Stepanie M. Palomba . . . 10/13 Kimberly Beirne. . . . . . . . . 10/14 Lil Geiger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/14 Mary Anne Kowalczyk. . . 10/14 Andrea Kovalcik. . . . . . . . 10/15 Stephen Kovalcik . . . . . . . 10/15 Marianne Meyer. . . . . . . . 10/15 Devin DeVries . . . . . . . . . . 10/18 Matthew Fabiano . . . . . . 10/18

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October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

1380

Sarah Bekheet . . . . . . . . . . 10/1 Melissa Szwec . . . . . . . . . . . 10/2 Nancy Csaszar . . . . . . . . . . 10/3 Awilda Gorman . . . . . . . . . 10/3 Ashley Messick . . . . . . . . . . 10/3 Charlene Rivera . . . . . . . . . 10/3 Grace Robol . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/3 Frank Antoniello . . . . . . . . . 10/4 John Brock Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . 10/4 Kayla Galka . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/4 Lisa Junda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10/4 Alan Merena. . . . . . . . . . . . 10/4 Bruce Merena. . . . . . . . . . . 10/4 Rosalie D. Konopinski . . . . . 10/5 Gene D’Amico . . . . . . . . . . 10/6 Nicole Nettleton . . . . . . . . . 10/6

Visit us in Downtown Clifton: 1103 Main Ave • 973-473-4999

Happy 7th Birthday on Oct. 4 Renee Kimiko Angello & Jeffrey Joseph Angello.

We Don’t Sell Parts… …We Sell Service Machine Shop On Location No Order Too Large Or Small FREE DELIVERY

Two Stores In Clifton 973-473-1997

973-473-4999

802 Van Houten Ave • Clifton Mon-Fri 8-6pm • Sat 8-5pm • Sun 9-1pm

1103 Main Ave • Downtown Clifton Mon-Fri 8-6pm • Sat 8-5pm • Sun Closed

Our Other Locations:

Christopher Michael Rold & Kimberly Ann Calabro were engaged on Aug. 28. An Oct. 2010 wedding is planned.

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614 Pompton Ave • Cedar Grove New Location

201. 261.0411

October 5 • Noon to 5 • Free

59A E. Ridgewood Ave • Paramus New Location

973.338.9292 1278 Broad St • Bloomfield New Location

973-694-2228 1168 Hamburg Turnpike • Wayne New Location

973-423-1700 93 Goffle Rd • Hawthorne New Location 1036

Visit us in Athenia: 802 Van Houten Ave • 973-473-1997 October 2008 • Clifton Merchant

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Join the Marching Mustangs’ first Drum Majorette, Marie (Vullo) Giunta at the band’s 70th anniversary dinner at 6:30 pm on Nov. 29 at Johnny’s Bar and Grill on Ackerman Ave. No tickets will be sold at the door, so reserve seats by calling 973-777-1781. Tickets are $35 for CMBAA members and $40 for non-members. For more info, visit mustangbandalumni.org. Also, UNICO members host the 2nd Annual Columbus Day Benefit Beefsteak Oct. 12 at 6 pm at the Clifton Boys & Girls Club. Tickets are $50 and all proceeds benefit the band’s uniform fund.

Call Dave D’Arco at 973-417-0731 for info.

1938 Majorette Marie Giunta

2008 Drum Major John Komar

November Pack The Pantry Food Drive October Collecting non-perishable food Spinal Health Month December for the needy.

Take care of your Skeleton Shar ing the Holidays Toy Drive Thanksgiving Week for Halloween Colle cting for Toys for Kids service for E CHARG NO l pm new or current potentia Tuesday 10/21 at 6 Tuesday 12/16 at 6 pm Call for appointment Advanced Health Advanced Health & Healing Tuesday 11/18 at 6 pm & Healing Secrets Secrets, Psychological Level Your Next Advanced Health & Give the Gift of Health Healing Secrets, Biomechanical $150 Gift Certificates for $40 It is our goal to reach & educate the community on the

profound positive effects chiropractic care has on one’s quality of life, health & wellness. Through free ongoing workshops & programs, we hope to make reaching your health goals a reality. Call to reserve your seat & start living “Your Life Without Limits.”

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PRSRT STD US Postage PA I D CLIFTON, NJ

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