Princeton Echo | March 2019

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M ARCH 2019

Tracking Einstein’s Brain

RWJ Medical School professor Frederick Lepore’s new book follows Einstein’s brain on its odyssey from 112 Mercer Street, above, to the autopsy table at Princeton Hospital, and, eventually, into the hands of scientists.

Page 11 PHOTO BY FRANK VERONSKY

Zoning, A Hot Topic

Everyone’s a Winner

Summer Camps

Council adopts a new ‘form-based’ zoning code, but a proposal to limit McMansions raises some eyebrows.

Page 6

Pia de Jong reflects on a culture where everyone wants their child to stand out from the crowd.

Page 22

From athletics to arts to academics, summer programs for kids of all ages and all interests.

Special Section

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LEADING OFF

New names in township & school district

April 16. He is currently director of human resources for the public schools in Hillsborough, where he early a year after longtime lives. He had previously been an Engmunicipal planner Lee Solow lish teacher, high school vice princiannounced his retirement, Prince- pal, and elementary school principal. ton has announced his replacement.

Michael La Place was introduced at Bonfield leaves library the January 28 council meeting. rinceton Public Library director Since 2007 La Place has been PasBrett Bonfield is moving to Ohio. saic County’s director of planning The Board of Trustees announced and economic development. He was that he would depart April 12 to previously director of community become chief operations officer of development in Plainsboro, where he the public library of Cincinnati and oversaw planning for the new Village Hamilton County in Ohio.

Center and public library.

Bonfield (pictured), who joined the Born in New Brunswick, La Place Princeton library in 2016, oversaw was raised in Piscataway and attendrenovations to the library’s facilities ed George Washington University, and enhanced its partnerships with where he majored in American studthe municipal government, schools, ies with a concentration in architecand area nonprofits. A new position, tural and urban history. He earned a community engagement coordinator, master’s in urban and regional planwas created during his tenure. ning from George Washington in “We have accomplished a great deal 1989. in the past three years, improving the lso recently appointed is Michael library’s physical space, its collecVolpe, whom the Board of Edu- tion, its technology, its organizational structure, its endowment allocation, cation has named assistant superthe skills and diversity of its staff, and intendent for human resources. He the range and comprehensiveness of replaces Lew Goldstein, who retired the services it offers,” Bonfield said. “I in January after 19 years with the will always cherish my time here and district. will apply the lessons I have learned Volpe starts with the district on throughout the remainder of my ca-

Digesting the message from Chris Hedges

N

T

he Echo received lots of response to Richard K. Rein’s profile of Chris Hedges, author, social advocate, and Princeton resident. Hedges had a volley of criticisms about the university, the planning board, the local media, and his fellow residents — “I don’t really like liberals,” Hedges said, “white liberals particularly.”

Interestingly, of the Echo readers who responded to the article, white liberals by and large, the overwhelming sentiment was that, while people did not always agree with Hedges, they were appreciative of the issues he raised.

Some people felt Hedges was spot on in his calling out white liberals and the “self-exultation” they derive from their particular causes. One reader called Hedges “the closest home grown thing to John the Baptist and John Brown as a force of one.” Like Hedges, this reader “never developed a taste for the cafe tethered, latte-liberals of Princeton,” who, as Hedges once said, “have never smelled the poor.”

But another reader was less impressed: “Chris Hedges finds our little town worthy enough to settle in? Perhaps McCarter will adjust its lineup to suit his likes. He proffers equal criticism for everyone and everything. Realities are indeed a downer. I would confidently bet that Chris Hedges has never had to choose between paying a bill or buying groceries. Champion for the downtrodden, or dog-and-pony show?”

Remarkably, the article was circulated among a small group of former Princeton University basketball players from the 1960s. “A sobering read,” one of these alumni noted.

One of the former basketball players in the e-mail loop was Chris Thomforde, captain of the 1969 team who later earned a doctorate in ministry and eventually served as president of St. Olaf College, Bethany College, and Moravian College before retiring in 2013. Thomforde first met Hedges when he was a freshman at Colgate and Thomforde was teaching a philosophy and religion course. “More importantly, Chris was mentored by a great teacher and friend at Colgate, Coleman Brown (Pyne Prize winner at Prince­ ton 1956, class president, and one of the organizers for Martin Luther King Jr.) I presided at Coleman’s funeral and Chris was one of the lectors.”

“I find Chris’s writing always challenging. I think it’s prophetic. He uses the language of the church and the Gospel and the Bible to call the church back to its truer self. Do I always agree?

No. But I am always better for having listened.”

P

A

The Dinky isn’t doomed

I

t has been months of no news is good news for NJ Transit and the suspended Dinky train line between Princeton and Princeton Junction, but a glimmer of hope emerged in midFebruary at a public forum with officials from the state Department of Transportation and NJ Transit.

At the meeting DOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti announced that NJ Transit planned to resume service on the Dinky line before June 30.

NJ Transit has said it will announce a firm date sometime in mid-March.

As the wait continues, residents have been free to imagine more reliable alternatives, including ones mentioned

by Ralph Widner in the January issue of the Echo. Below, Rodney Fisk, a former Borough councilman who has worked with airlines and other transportation ventures and who many years ago advocated for privatizing the Dinky, adds some ideas of his own.

Zombie attacks Dinky!

New Dinky to the rescue

By Rodney Fisk

T

here are few municipalities within three miles of a station on the Northeast Corridor that wouldn’t trade half their town hall for a traffic and weather-independent rail link to the commuter trains. Hey, isn’t that just what Princeton has?

reer,” Bonfield said in a statement.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with library staff, with the Trustees, Foundation and Friends as well as with our elected officials and colleagues in the municipality, our community partners, and our thousands of devoted donors and community members,” he said. “They are the reason this library is the best in the state, the best for its size in the country, and one of the best libraries in the world.”

The board plans to appoint an interim director and will create a committee to conduct a nation-wide search for his successor.

Some 10 years ago, NJDOT sponFinally realized, the enormous, unresored a comprehensive study of a major alized benefits of “regional transit!” regional Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) serOther proposals deserve considervice. A local team of well-intentioned ation: first, converting the Dinky to leaders quickly agreed with NJ Tran- light rail but vastly improving its level sit that converting the Dinky to BRT of service. Imagine a new Dinky meetshould be the first step. ing every train at the Junction, even A group with a compelling coun- waiting until the last possible moment terargument — Save the Dinky — for late arriving trains from New York. emerged, soon Imagine a service growing to thouso efficient that it sands of online Converting the Dinky to could forego the members. At the $3,500 per day in public presenta- light rail would vastly subsidy that NJ tion extolling improve its level of Transit rail operathe merits of tions requires — all BRT, hundreds service and forgo the while reducing the showed up to enfare. ergetically sup- $3,500 a day subsidy that What separates port retaining the current train requires. these two particuthe historic rail lar proposals is bashuttle, together sically a difference with continued in priorities and use of its historic station. Before the comparative costs. While both rely on evening ended Princeton’s governing an unimpeded, direct link over Route 1 bodies and NJ Transit unequivocally to the Northeast Corridor, the primary declared BRT dead, preserving Dinky argument for BRT rests on the value of operation indefinitely. a one-seat ride serving a much greater Now along comes a zombie proposal rider shed. In contrast the enhanced to convert the Dinky to BRT. Imagine light rail (LRT) concept focuses most the convenience of boarding a bus at intensely on reducing commuters’ total the Junction and being driven directly trip time between origin and destinato, say, the end of Snowden Lane. Then tion by adhering to carefully scheduled hopping on a similar bus the next Dinky service, aiming for a consistent morning to return to the Junction for five-minute transfer time. the daily commute to the city. Other All previous proposals were scuttled BRTs could serve similar branches, like based primarily on cost. So how do up Witherspoon Street or Route 206, or costs compare, BRT vs. LRT? The curinto Plainsboro.

See LEADING OFF, Page 6

March 2019 | Princeton Echo5

LEADING OFF, continued from page 5

rent Dinky infrastructure is valued at about $50 million. Total cost, including a new maintenance facility, to convert to optimal LRT could reach $12 million. BRT would cost some $45 million just to remove and replace the railroad with a standard roadway; a oneway choke point at the Dinky-Route 1 bridge would cost perhaps $15 million to remediate. Plus $400,000 for each bus or $60,000 for each van.

By far the largest operating-cost line item for transit services is labor. The new Dinky operation requires a single driver per shift only. A BRT service would require one driver per bus; the broader the area to be covered, the more buses and drivers needed. Absolutely no way to avoid immense operating subsidy — or clogging the streets with 40-seat buses with just a few riders.

Check out the efficiency of new privately operated services compared with NJ Transit’s current operation: NJ Transit: a set of 35 year-old, heavy electric multiple units with a crew of two and 238 seats — and a median load of 10. Electric propulsion cost of $180,000 per year. Basic fare: $3.

Light-Rail Dinky: single crewperson, 80-seat vehicle (just handling peak load) consuming $19,000 in electric power each year; capable of making the trip 30 seconds quicker, providing

additional cushion time of 20 minutes per day. Other savings add up to yield a profitable operation with fares lowered to $2.50, collected via pay enter/pay leave turnstiles at the Princeton end.

Battery-powered train: Another creative concept from one of this generation’s great railroad entrepreneurs (and Princeton alumnus) involves a different approach. Using coupled surplus London Transport 20-seat subway/surface cars, modified for battery operation, this service would operate every 15 minutes. The transfer time factor in total trip time would vary. To minimize turnaround time, there would be an engineer at each end; underway the rear crew person would collect the fares. The fare would increase modestly to $4.

Yet the January issue of the Echo reports that a distinguished urban planner — and BRT advocate — seeks a design for “a transit system that works with people the way they live.” What he really means is “where they live — and park their car.” “The way they live” is time-focused: minimum end-to-end travel time coupled with maximum convenience, even if that involves driving (gasp) to the Dinky station.

Let the town that gave its name to “the smallest of the world’s great universities” finally have an exemplary transit service befitting the community’s reputation.

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REAL ESTATE

Why zoning is now a hot topic

By Hye-Jin Kim

J

ust glance at Princeton’s new zoning code, and you will notice at least one major change. Interspersed between the usual pages of dry, bulleted text, are colorful house diagrams — more like an architect’s sketchbook than your average zoning handbook.

The models show the types of driveways, garages, walkways, facades, and orientations that are acceptable. It’s a shift away from abstract zoning measures, like floor area ratios and minimum yard setbacks, to an approach that focuses on what homes actually look like on their lots.

Adopted unanimously by Princeton’s council in November, the latest zoning reform did more than just tweak traditional measures. For lots under one-half acre in size, the new zoning replaces the code with a host of new standards, regulating building elements traditionally left up to developers like home orientation, garage placement, driveway style, and facades.

It also grants more flexibility to renovate homes on the town’s smallest lots, mostly located downtown.

In effect, these changes aim to pre-

serve the town’s walkable, neighborhood character and discourage outsized development. Moreover, it signals Princeton’s shift away from traditional zoning methods towards an alternative: form-based code.

Form-based code is different from traditional zoning in its basic approach to shaping development. Traditional zoning divides a town by land-use to control development, applying blanket regulations on what can and can’t be built (maximum heights, minimum setbacks, density limits, etc.) in a particular zone.

Form-based code, on the other end, regulates development by specifying what can and should be built.

In Prince­ton this is a driveway with a narrow opening, a home with its front door oriented to the street, and a walkway leading from the sidewalk to the front door instead of the driveway.

According to council member and architect David Cohen, existing homes shaped the rules of Princeton’s formbased codes, instead of a vision for brand new development like other form-based codes.

“This presented a greater challenge,” said Cohen, “but is also what allows us

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to bill the changes as ‘preserving neigh- have to be recessed a minimum of eight borhood character.’” feet. And if they’re completely behind These zoning changes stem from the the home’s rear wall (the ideal set-up first half of a comprehensive “Neigh- for maintaining pedestrian character), borhood Character and Zoning Initia- the garages won’t count towards the tive” that kicked off last January. The lot’s impervious coverage limit at all. initiative’s goal is outlined on the town’s Other mandatory changes for new website: “to address the spate of tear- development include a home’s oriendowns and out-of-scale, out-of-place tation on the lot and private walkways new construction occurring in many — all requirements focused on a neighneighborhoods throughout town.” borhood’s pedestrian character. For the The recent ordinance focuses on safety of pedestrians, driveways must regulating new development so it’s not be narrow at the property line, under out-of-character.

10 feet, and the The next half of front facade of new the initiative will The new form-based homes must face address ways to the street. If the sustain the afford- zoning aims to make street has a public able housing stock houses relate to the sidewalk, a private for middle-class walkway must run street in a way that families. from the sidewalk So what does to the home’s front this all mean for is consistent with the door. Homes on Princeton home- neighborhood. lots larger than a owners and develhalf acre, or those opers? with U-shaped For developers building a single- driveways, are exempt. family house on a vacant lot, it creates The new zoning code also closes a both carrots and sticks to influence developer’s loophole for building unthe final result. Most notably, the code characteristically tall homes. It clarioutlaws the construction of “snout fies how a building’s height is mea­houses,” with garages that dominate a sured to discourage developers from home’s front facade by protruding to- “mounding” dirt on a flat lot to erect wards the street. taller homes without violating height Under the new code, street-facing requirements. If a lot’s average finished garages must be at least 16 feet behind grade is higher than its original elevathe front facade. If the garages face tion, the building’s height is measured away from the main street, they only See ZONING, Page 8

Zoning’s mixed reviews

P

rinceton’s new zoning initiatives got two public reviews late in February. A Saturday morning meeting of Princeton Future attracted about 100 residents to discuss “form-based” zoning and how it might help new and remodeled houses on smaller lots fit in more harmoniously with their neighbors.

The other, a public hearing at the February 25 Council meeting, addressed a proposed elimination of a provision in the code that enables the construction of larger houses on smaller lots. The proposed change, sought by the town’s zoning office since 2015, is intended to reduce the number of tear downs and McMansion replacements. It was opposed, oddly enough, by a cadre of residents who appeared to be opposed to tear downs and McMansions. Council decided to continue the hearing on Monday, March 25.

As Princeton Future’s Kevin Wilkes explained, the new form-based zoning, which applies to half-acre lots or smaller, uses schematic drawings to depict its requirements instead of written statements. “You’d be surprised how many lawyers can find different meanings in the same sentence,” he said. “A diagram is harder to interpret differently.”

Panelists and some residents looked at form-based zoning as just a beginning. “I think we can do better,” said Kirsten Thoft, the architect and developer. “Energy efficiency, affordability, walkability — none of that has been addressed yet.”

Several people questioned parking requirements. “If we just eliminate parking minimums it would be magical,” said architect Marina Rubina, who suggested property owners pay into an accessibility fund in lieu of providing on-site parking spaces.

A concern raised by Rubina, about how the permitted floor area ratio (FAR) is calculated for houses on small lots, cast a cloud over the proposed revision to that calculation.

Currently such houses are permitted to be proportionately larger than those on a larger lot. That has enabled developers to buy small houses and replace them with houses that are built to the upper limit of FAR. Rubina researched properties on Leigh Avenue and Western Way and found that most every house is larger than the proposed FAR. Without the bonus even the smallest expansion of an existing house would require a zoning variance.

Council still plans to consider creating accessory dwelling units and “granny” flats in existing housing.

The zoning drama is not over.

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Zoning Board agenda

T PRINCETON Madolyn Greve $530,000 MLS# NJME100218

PRINCETON Maura Mills $1,850,000 MLS# NJME203606

PRINCETON Laura A Huntsman $649,000 MLS# NJME202006

PRINCETON Linda Twining $1,999,000 MLS# 1000275256

he following applications were scheduled to be heard at the February 27 Zoning Board meeting (after this edition of the Echo went to press): 394 Ridgeview Road, Ridgeview Properties, owner-applicant. A continuation of a hearing seeking a lot area variance for new single family home.

415 Franklin Avenue, Orit Kendall, owner-applicant. Variances to permit relocation of existing detached garage and construction of a 40-square-foot connection between the garage and the main house.

1107 Great Road, Tal and Esther Kalif, owners-applicants. A hardship variance to permit construction of a new single-family house on a nonconforming lot that does not meet the minimum required lot area.

76 Valley Road, Kirsten Thoft and Ted Nadeau, owners-applicants. Variances for lot width, lot frontage and prevailing front yard setback for new house.

7 Madison Street, Stephen Gilbert and Jenny Hartshorne, owners-applicants. A variance to permit dormer in detached garage.

Recent transactions

PRINCETON Jane Henderson Kenyon $845,000 MLS# 1007162356

PRINCETON Maura Mills $2,645,000 MLS# NJME203424

PRINCETON Barbara Blackwell $965,000 MLS# 1009323048

PRINCETON Norman T Callaway $3,275,000 MLS# 1000266343

T

he following listings of residential home sales are based on public records and tax files. The number in parentheses after the closing price indicates the amount it was above or below the original listing price.

175 Bertrand Drive. Seller: Sarkis Messerlian and Tina Caruana.

Buyer: Shaun and Hetal Weber. Twostory Colonial/Dutch in Littlebrook.

5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths. $1,850,000 (-$400,000).

437 Ewing Street. Seller: Keith and Eleonore Nunes. Buyer: Diana Bolton.

ZONING, continued from page 7

PRINCETON Yalian ‘Eileen’ Fan $999,000 MLS# NJME100440

PRINCETON Norman T Callaway, Jr $3,300,000 MLS# 1000864482

CallawayHenderson.com LAMBERTVILLE 609.397.1974

MONTGOMERY 908.874.0000

PENNINGTON 609.737.7765

PRINCETON 609.921.1050

Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Subject To Errors, Omissions, Prior Sale Or Withdrawal Without Notice.

8 Princeton Echo | March 2019

from the latter. At the same time, the law increases the maximum height in township districts to 35 feet for singlefamily homes and to 40 feet for twofamily or multi-family dwellings.

For homeowners looking to expand or alter an existing home, the new zoning could mean escaping the onus of applying for a zoning variance — a process that involves legal notification of neighbors, extensive forms detailing the nature of the application, and often the hiring of an attorney.

For example, older and smaller properties that pre-date modern zoning regulations might fit snugly into a neighborhood’s character but not comply with current standards regarding area, frontage, width, and depth. Now, some expansion on these undersized lots is possible without a zoning variance —

One-story Colonial. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. $500,000 (-$75,000).

52 Maple Street. Seller: William Hurley Estate. Buyer: Julia Rotenberg.

Two-story Colonial. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. $675,000 (-$85,000).

61 Pine Street. Seller: Jay Edson and Ksenia Rodionova. Buyer: Marian Persico. Two-story townhouse. 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. $639,000.

42 Mccomb Road. Seller: Jean Valery Martin and Emanuelle Boshet.

Buyer: Sara and Justin Bojarski. Twostory Colonial in Campbell Woods. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. $735,000.

379 Ewing Street. Seller: Merrill Hemond. Buyer: Anmei Deng. Twostory, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths. $585,000.

48 Philip Drive. Seller: George, Jacom and Samuel Farmer. Buyer: Casey and Anne Lu-Wong. Two-story Colonial in Riverside. 5 bedrooms, 4 baths. $1,150,000 ($155,000).

39 Benjamin Rush Lane. Seller: Daniel and Julie Kim. Buyer: Sam and Yuanyuan Li. Two-story Colonial/Traditional in Washington Oaks. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. $670,000 (-$25,000).

33 Monroe Lane. Seller: David and Lynn Cornell. Buyer: Minge Xie and Eugenia Xu. Two-story Traditional in Littlebrook. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. $780,000 ($30,000).

67 Locust Lane. Seller: William and Maria Flynn. Buyer: Chloe Brown and Hal Friedlander. Split-level in Littlebrook. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. $794,000 ($5,000).

49 Palmer Square West Unit J. Seller: Manfred and Mechtild Bitter.

Buyer: Bruce Boman. Condo. 1 bedroom, 1 bath. $265,000 (-$10,000).

133 Library Place. Seller: Judy Scheide. Buyer: Jonathan and Justine Hopkins. 2.5-level Tudor. 5 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 3 half baths. $2,225,000 (-$570,000). as long as the final building complies with all form-based requirements.

On the town’s smallest lots, renovations that violate yard setback requirements may also be exempt. Under the new code, homes on narrow lots can be enlarged up to the existing yard setback if it meets certain conditions, like sitting at least three feet from the property line. All lots under 6,000 square feet or less than 60 feet wide qualify for this exemption, as do homes in the R-4 borough and R-9 township districts, encompassing most areas of the Witherspoon-Jackson and tree street neighborhoods.

There are other exemptions that apply to all Princeton homes. Porches, A/C units, generators, and fuel tanks are generally exempt from being counted as impervious coverage. Porches, in particular, can now project into yard See ZONING, Page 10

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March 2019 | Princeton Echo9

ZONING, continued from page 8

setbacks, which town officials hope will encourage their construction.

At the November 19 town meeting where the new zoning ordinance was adopted, councilmember Cohen defended these exemptions as an effective way to discourage teardowns.

“We’ve seen a lot of teardowns and the reason is that homeowners in that circumstance are intimidated by the challenge of going for a variance, the expense for going for a variance. So they throw up their hands and find a developer who will just tear down the house because they’re not intimidated by the variance process,” Cohen said.

The exemptions make it less expensive to replace aging structures with safer, energy-efficient ones — an issue that disproportionately affects homeowners who can only afford older homes on undersized lots, according to Cohen and the town’s consultant, Jim Constantine of the planning firm Looney, Ricks & Kiss on Nassau Street.

Chris Consenza of Looney, Ricks also consulted on the project.

“During our analysis of the existing zoning, it became evident that many of Princeton’s more affordable smaller homes located near the center of town were situated on undersized lots with setbacks less than required by current zoning,” Constantine said.

This bundle of exemptions will hopefully detract from the appeal of

selling, razing, and replacing, by lowering the bar that residents must hurdle for small-scale renovations — helping “preserve and sustain” this portion of the affordable housing stock, according to Constantine. “It is a waste of their time and taxpayer money to require

The new code hopefully will detract from the appeal of selling, razing, and replacing, by lowering the bar for small-scale renovations. this type of onerous process when the conclusion is foregone,” Cohen said at the council meeting.

But some residents have been skeptical of this logic. Might freely granting exemptions have the opposite effect, and encourage teardowns instead?

At the November 19 town meeting Princeton residents Walter Bliss and Virginia Kerr spoke against variance exemptions for non-conforming lots — the original draft granted the exemption to any type of work, new construction or renovation of an existing structure.

In response, the clause was amended to exclude new construction. The variance exemption now applies to just renovations on existing homes, though Bliss remains skeptical of the clause altogether. “I think major alterations or major enlargements pose the same threat or similar threat to the character of the neighborhood as new construction,” said Bliss, “if in fact there is the intent to develop a large, imposing structure that wasn’t there before.”

There are also aspects of neighborhood character this new zoning doesn’t address. The original draft recommendations included a section on landscaping and green space, such as regulating the number of trees in the front yard and requiring developers to replace trees that were clear-cut. None of these landscaping requirements made it into the final ordinance, in part due to legal limits.

In New Jersey local zoning laws must walk a fine line between a home’s physical form and its style. Under the state’s land use law, homes outside of historic districts cannot be subject to “site plan” review — a process that regulates style components like the species of allowed trees, signage, and facade details. Interpretation of the state’s land use law varies; some towns consider basic landscaping guidelines to fall under municipal zoning, while others like Princeton, might hold a more conservative view.

indoorairtech.com 10 Princeton Echo | March 2019

Neither does the adoption of this form-based code put to rest the controversy surrounding variance exemptions for non-conforming lots. The town could pass an ordinance in the near future to amend this grandfather clause, according to Cohen.

In fact, a policy encouraging teardowns in certain neighborhoods could result from the next phase of the Neighborhood Character Study. New construction like duplexes replacing single-family homes could diversify Princeton’s housing stock and make it more affordable for middle-class residents. “We might want to encourage teardowns in order to replace singlefamily homes with two-family homes that fit into the character of the neighborhood,” Cohen said at the council meeting.

“There is a part B of the Neighborhood Character Study which is going to look at density and the possibility of introducing two-family dwellings in neighborhoods where they’re currently not permitted — accessory dwelling units, a lot of things that we’re hoping will address the issue of the ‘missing middle,’” Cohen said.

Princeton’s form-based code is unique in that it applies to lots one half acre or less in the entire town. “In comparison, many other form-based codes are overlays limited to specific areas,” Constantine said, such as historical neighborhoods or downtown districts.

A brain with a history all its own

By Melissa Drift

O

n April 18, 1955, Dr. Thomas Harvey, the pathologist at Princeton Hospital received a fateful call. Albert Einstein had died earlier that morning, at the age of 76, from a burst aortic aneurism. Harvey was to perform the autopsy.

In his New York Times obituary the following day, the writer notes: “The body was cremated without ceremony … after the removal, for scientific study, of vital organs, among them the brain that had worked out the theory of relativity and made possible the development of nuclear fission.” The eyes were also taken, by Einstein’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Henry Abrams, without Harvey’s knowledge or permission, most likely while Harvey was talking to reporters outside the hospital. Abrams’ motives and the whereabouts of the eyes are unknown to this day.

This came as a surprise to Einstein’s surviving family, son Hans Albert and step-daughter Margot. (His youngest son, Eduard, had schizophrenia and was institutionalized.) The cremation was in accordance with Einstein’s wishes, but there were no provisions in his will about what he wanted done with his body. Hans Albert was initially unhappy and confronted Harvey, but as a professor of hydraulic engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, he saw the brain’s scientific significance and allowed Harvey to keep the brain under the condition that it would be only be used for serious scientific research.

Harvey infused the brain with formalin, a preservative, and encased it in a plastic material called celloidin. He meticulously photographed it from all angles and then cut it into 240 pieces, some of which were further sliced into thin strips and mounted onto slides for study under a microscope. Harvey carried most of the material with him through a nomadic life that took him from New Jersey to his native Midwest and back to New Jersey, where he died at age 94 in 2007.

“People say [Dr. Harvey] stole it. No he really didn’t, not in that era. In the 1950s, the understanding was that pathologists were people of high purpose and that if they studied the specimen, then they could keep the specimen indefinitely and continue to study it,” says Frederick Lepore, a Princeton resident, neuro-ophthalmologist, and professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, whose book, “Finding Einstein’s Brain,” was published in 2018

by Rutgers University Press. Consent forms and the threat of lawsuits was less of a concern in those days, and any consent forms that may have existed,

Food for Thought: Much has been written about the odd story of the Princeton Medical Center pathologist who took Einstein’s brain before his body was cremated in 1955. But Robert Wood Johnson Medical School professor — and Princeton resident — Frederick Lepore took a more scientific approach: What, if anything, could be learned by studying the physiology of a genius’ brain? The result is Lepore’s book, published last year, ‘Finding Einstein’s Brain.’

Photo by Frank Veronsky along with the autopsy report, have been lost to history. “Harvey just made the pitch of his life,” Lepore says. “He just said, ‘Well this is an unparalleled opportunity. We’re never going to get a brain like this again and I want to study it scientifically.’”

As the Princeton community prepares to celebrate “Pi Day” on Saturday, March 9, and on Einstein’s actual birthday, Thursday, March 14 (see sidebar, page 14), the history of Einstein and his brain is worth a closer look through the lens of Lepore’s new book. He calls the work “a biography of a brain.” Lepore found the prefrontal cortex of Einstein’s brain extraordinary, not in size, but in its makeup. The right prefrontal area included a fourth gyrus, or ridge, one more than typical, which, Lepore said, may have contributed to some of his remarkable cognitive abilities.

In addition, the researchers theorized that Einstein’s unusual-looking parietal lobes offered clues to the sci-

entist’s visuospatial and mathematical skills.

The book, he says, also points to how “we can’t really cross that chasm, the mind-brain explanatory gap. It’s still to me, one of the most fascinating, if not the most fascinating question that faces us today.”

The right man for the job

W

hile Harvey has been subject of a lot of criticism, he was also uniquely qualified to study Einstein’s brain. He was criticized for removing the brain in the first place, for not publishing his own study of it, for not giving it to an institution that would study it, and for his seemingly casual custodianship of it. “Posterity has not been very kind to him. He really was a scholarly guy,” Lepore says.

Harvey earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Yale, where

he studied some of the 20th century’s pioneers of neuroscience. As a medical student in the 1930s he was influenced

by Harvey Cushing, who had encouraged him to go into the fledgling field of neurosurgery. Cushing trained the doctors who would later define neurosurgery in the 20th century. Harvey decided to be a pediatrician instead, but that plan was derailed by a bought of tuberculosis in 1939 that required a long stay in a sanatorium. He decided to become a pathologist instead and became an assistant to Fredric Henry Lewey at the University of Pennsylvania. Lewey is best known for discovering the “Lewy body,” a neuronal inclusion — a buildup of protein in a nerve cell — that is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease [and, oddly, spelled differently from its namesake].

During the eight months after Einstein’s death Harvey enlisted the help of one of Lewey’s technicians, Marta Keller, to preserve the brain. She was an expert in preserving brain tissue in celloidin and was one of only 11 technicians in the United States who was qualified to slice the brain with a device called a Sartorius microtome, which she used to further cut many of Harvey’s original 240 pieces. They made 2,400 slides with the rationale that the secret to Einstein’s intellect would most likely be found on a cellular level.

The human brain is made up of many different types of cells with different purposes. At the time it was thought that a person with unusual intellectual abilities may have higher numbers of certain types of cells in certain areas.

Harvey sent specimens to some researchers in the 1950s, although the records are incomplete on exactly how many and to whom. Some of the people he sent slides to didn’t return them and did no known research on them, an experience that made him wary of sending samples to just any researcher who asked. Nothing remarkable was discovered among the researchers who did use the slides, so interest waned for the next 35 years.

During that time, Harvey’s personal life took many twists and turns and the brain came along with him. His contract with Princeton Hospital was terminated in 1960. He divorced his wife of 20 years and worked a series of pathology and medical jobs in the central New Jersey area in the 1960s. In 1972, having remarried, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, and got a supervisor job at a large commercial lab. The general public didn’t know the whereabouts of the brain until NJ Monthly reporter Steven Levy tracked Harvey down in Kansas for a 1978 story titled “The Search for Einstein’s Brain” that set off a wave of See EINSTEIN, Page 12

March 2019 | Princeton Echo11

In 1951 Einstein, along with several other distinguished scientists, traveled to Massachusetts General Hospital for EEG testing on their brains.

Nothing remarkable was noted, and no study was ever published.

At right: The front page of the Princeton student newspaper announcing the death of Einstein. The byline was that of R.W. Apple, who was later a celebrated reporter for the New York Times.

EINSTEIN, continued from page 11

renewed interest. Articles in various magazines followed.

It took until 1985 for the first peerreviewed study of the brain to be published. That year, Marian C. Diamond, a neuro-anatomist at UC Berkeley, after several years of persistent requests, received, according to Lepore, “four sugar cube-sized pieces” of Einstein’s brain. She cut the samples to produce new microscope slides and dyed them with a more modern type of stain than what was used in the 1950s. The new dye made it easier to distinguish different types of cells. She found that Einstein had more glial cells per neuron than the average man. Glial cells produce the substance myelin, which is the protective coating that encases neurons.

Diamond’s conclusion and her research methods were called into question by some critics. They questioned the fact that the 11 men in her control group were from Veterans Affairs hospitals, the possibility that the dye she used really wasn’t the best, and that she could have misidentified certain cell types. But her study set the ball rolling nonetheless. Maybe there really was something to this.

In 1999 Canadian neuroscientist Sandra Witelson set off another wave of interest with her finding that the architecture of Einstein’s brain, especially in his uncommonly large parietal lobes — 15 percent wider and more symmetrical than an average person’s — may have given him an unusual capacity for visualizing complex ideas. The parietal lobes are important to the function and processing of sensory information, spatial orientation, and body awareness.

Einstein was known for what he called his gedanken experiments, or thought experiments. While most scientists would be absorbed in proofs full of numbers and symbols, Einstein would run complex visual simulations of hypothetical situations through his mind in order to work out his theories about math and physics. It was speculated that the larger parietal lobes may have contributed to this unique ability.

12 Princeton Echo | March 2019

A new doctor on the case

I

nspired by Witelson’s study, Lepore wrote his own article, “Dissecting Genius: Einstein’s Brain and the Search for the Neural Basis of Intellect,” in 2000 in the Dana Foundation’s journal, Cerebrum. Lepore visited Harvey at his home in Titusville in June of that year and was shown a box full of microscope slides Harvey had kept; he had returned the majority of the brain to Princeton Medical Center by that point. Lepore was also allowed to visit the autopsy room at Princeton Medical Center, where he took the last and only known color photos of the remaining remnants of the brain. One of those photos appeared on the cover of the journal Cerebrum.

For the past 25 years, Lepore has lived in Princeton, a stone’s throw away from Albert Einstein’s home on Mercer Street. He grew up in Englewood.

His mother was a homemaker, and his father was a professor of gastroenterology at New York University Medical School. He has always been fascinated by the philosophy of consciousness and the mind-brain connection. He majored in English at Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1971, but he had always intended to go into medicine. “My father was a doctor and he loved the field. He really loved medicine, and he was very enthusiastic. So I think that was kind of infectious, his interest in medicine.”

Lepore attended medical school at the University of Rochester.

He had entertained thoughts of becoming a psychiatrist, but the more practical nature of neurology appealed to him more. “I was a liberal arts major, I was an English major, and very frequently liberal arts majors, when they go to medical school, they say well what’s the closest thing to the humanities in a medical school setting? They think about psychiatry. And we had good psychiatry, but I just realized that psychiatry circa the 1970s was still very, very descriptive. I mean we still to this day don’t really know why people are schizophrenic. If you were interested

in the mind, the neurologist worked a little bit more on the brain.” Neurology offered more concrete solutions to help patients than psychiatry did at the time.

For example, Lepore says, “If there was something wrong with the left side of your brain, then I knew that you might have speech or language difficulties.”

Lepore, who has been teaching and practicing medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School since 1980, treats patients with rare vision disorders. He is one of fewer than 10 neuro-ophthalmologists practicing in the state of New Jersey. A neuroophthalmologist is a subspecialist who deals with disorders of the visual system that have to do with the brain and the optic nerves, as opposed to a regular ophthalmologist, who deals with more common eye problems like cataracts

Einstein would ‘probably be fairly positive about [this research]; he was a restless intellect. But neuroscience wasn’t so much on the radar in his heyday. he had more than enough compelling questions.’ and glaucoma. He is essentially both a neurologist and an ophthalmologist.

“We see people who have optic neuritis (pain in the optic nerve) because they’re developing multiple sclerosis, we see patients with double vision. We see people who’ve had a stroke and it’s caused visual field loss. Or certain types of higher perceptual problems,” Lepore says. “Certain types of strokes can cause something called agnosia, where you can see something, but you can’t recognize it. If you see a carrot, but you don’t know it’s a carrot, even though you can see it, because the way we interpret that is not working prop-

erly. You can have people who just have plain old migraines and they see flashing lights and they’re worried about the flashing lights, so a neuro-ophthalmologist might take care of those.”

I

ronically, being in such a highly specialized field allows one to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades, professionally speaking. In addition to teaching, seeing patients, and writing “Finding Einstein’s Brain” — his first book — Lepore has invented a clinical tool called the optic nerve test card and has written more than 125 pieces that have appeared in peer-reviewed scientific journals. “You can’t become a tenured professor without writing a lot of articles, and because I’m in such an esoteric field, there’s so few people who do neuro ophthalmology, stuff that you consider kind of bread-and-butter clinical observations you can write up and publish as contributions to clinical medicine,” he says.

Lepore’s research runs the gamut. In the 1980s he traveled to Guam to describe the visual findings in patients with a disease, Lytico-Bodig, that is thankfully vanishing. “It’s a horrible combination of motor neuron disease and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s that was just endemic in this little island of Guam,” Lepore says. “So like a lot of academics, when an interesting question turned up I would try to pursue it and I would try to amass some data and write some conclusions.”

But seeing patients is what Lepore has always enjoyed most. “At the core of it I was always a clinician,” he says. “I listen to my patients, and if you listen hard, they tell you things and you start to see patterns. You start to become aware of patterns of symptoms, and the patterns may suggest causes and sometimes solutions.”

Some problems in neurology can be straightforward, but other issues seen by a neurologist raise deep questions about humanity. “I think you get a little more philosophical as time goes by and you get into the specialty.” A lot of neuSee EINSTEIN, Page 13

at Princeton Hospital, was still in their Titusville house. rology, he explains, can be done on the Lepore called Wheatley, who instrictly scientific basis of how the huformed him that she still had a box of man nervous system is known to be items in her basement. Before he could wired. If, for example, a muscle in your examine the contents — photographs, hand is malfunctioning, a neurologist documents, and hundreds of slides of can pinpoint what nerve is causing the brain tissue — Harvey’s family donated problem and know what pathway that the material to the National Museum nerve uses to communicate with the of Health and Medicine in Maryland, brain. where access to it is restricted. Lepore here it gets philosophical, Lepore and Falk finally got in for a single day says, is “when you have people in September, 2011.

What they wanted to see were the who have the kind of stuff [like] mind photographs Harvey had taken before blindness, where they have a stroke in the brain was dissected. The few grainy the occipital temporal pathways (the images that accompanied Witelson’s visual pathway to the temporal lobe) journal article were the only ones preand they can look at a pear or an apple, viously available. At the National Muand they see it, but they don’t recognize seum they found dozens more, from it. They have a perception without any different angles. meaning. That’s fascinating. You start Lepore took photos of the photos, to get to the bedrock of how the mind and in the new photos Falk noticed works and why would a lesion from the several differences in the anatomical occiput (the back of the skull) to the structure that Witelson hadn’t previtemporal lobe (on the side of the brain) ously seen. The pictures were com… cause you to still be able to see stuff pared to two standard brain anatomy but not be able to recognize it? Those atlases, one from 1950 and one from are profound questions.”

1990, which researchers agree show the “And if you take a step back from the standard depiction of a normal human everyday of treating headaches or treat- brain. The two most notable differences ing somebody to prevent a stroke, you were that Einstein had an extra frontal start to say well gyrus, a series of what do these 86 folds in the midbillion neurons One researcher found frontal lobe, which that we have have is used for making to do with writ- that Einstein’s brain plans and working a symphony had more glial cells per ing memory. And or recognizing a she found physical friend? It’s mirac- neuron than that of the evidence that he ulous, but it’s so played the violin. commonplace,” average man. Glial cells He had something Lepore says. “I produce the substance called the Omega am by no means a sign, a U-shaped philosopher, but myelin, the protective outgrowth of the Einstein at large is coating that encases area on the right kind of the mindside of the brain, brain issue, you neurons. which controls the know? Why does fingers of the left this 1,230 grams hand. Studies have of gray matter that we have looked at shown that kids who learn the violin the photographs of, why did it create for one year will develop this. Pianist a guy who was the genius of our time? get them too, but on the opposite side.

How does that work?”

Their resulting article appeared in Apart from casual conversations, Brain: A Journal of Neurology and was when his neighborhood walks took titled “The Cerebral Cortex of Albert him past the Einstein house at 112 Einstein: A Description and PrelimiMercer Street, Lepore set Einstein aside nary Analysis of Unpublished Photoafter his 2000 article. Seven years later graphs.” The article was downloaded he was contacted by Dean Falk, a pa- 50,000 times. “That’s 50,000 downloads leoanthropologist and professor at of pure neuro-anatomy,” Lepore says.

Florida State who was also intrigued “If you have a sleep disturbance, try by the brain. She is a renowned expert reading that 24-page article. It’s just in the evolution of the brain and cog- pure morphology — this gyrus that, nition in primates. She studies fossils that gyrus this. That’s when you realto see how the brains of primitive hu- ize, ‘Oh my God,’ people are really, reman species evolved over time and how ally interested in Einstein’s brain.” The the changes may have correlated with article set off more public interest, and changes in cognitive abilities. “Dean is the media came calling. It was written literally one of a handful of people who about in several popular magazines can look at this cortical anatomy and and Lepore and Falk were interviewed see the nuances that distinguish Ein- for an episode of the PBS show “Nova stein’s anatomy from normal human Science Now” in 2012. brains,” Lepore says. Could he help Einstein “is the poster boy for the her? Harvey had died, but his compan- intellectual attainments of humanity,” ion, Cleora Wheatley, a former nurse See EINSTEIN, Page 14

EINSTEIN, continued from page 12

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EINSTEIN, continued from page 13

Happy birthday, Albert!

Lepore says. “Part of the reason this thing has garnered attention is that we lbert Einstein didn’t specify what don’t have any comparable brain. We to do with his body in his will, don’t have a Newton. We don’t have a and he also didn’t leave any instrucGalileo.” The architecture of Einstein’s tion for future birthday celebrabrain could be just a fluke because there tions. But fear not: Mimi Omiecinis only one to study. “But it is kind of ski’s Princeton Tour Company has it intriguing that his brain surface is difcovered. ferent and his intellectual legacy is so Thursday, March 14, would have profound. The minute you start saying, been Einstein’s 140th birthday and ‘oh I think I got it now. It’s got to be that the date — 3/14 — conveniently frontal lobe’ they’re going to say you’re matches the first three digits of the a very slick modern day phrenologist. mathematical constant pi. The result?

And we really have to bend over backPi Day Princeton, a day-long celebrawards to say no, we’re just giving you tion of all things Einstein scheduled the data points.” for Saturday, March 9, and additional This begs the question of confirmaevents on the day itself, Thursday, tion bias. Did the researchers only noMarch 14. tice differences in Einstein’s brain beThe event, first envisioned in 2010 cause they were expecting to? Are the

by Omiecinski, owner of the tour anatomical differences unique enough company and a booster of all things that a scientist could identify Einstein’s Princeton, includes some Among the brain out of a lineup? “I believe that a day’s many events are pie eating, pie ‘blinded,’ neuroanatomically sophistibaking, pi recitation (it’s an endless cated observer would see that Einstein’s number so the sky is the limit), and brain is different but would not be able to recognize the brain (unless he/she was thoroughly familiar with our pa- the connections between the cells. The per) as specifically Einstein’s,” Lepore new field of connectomics promises to says. It’s not currently possible to iden- bridge this gap. tify brains with superior intellect just Connectomics is the mapping of by looking at cortical anatomy. connections between individual neuThe way to know for sure would be rons, on a microscopic level, to create to study lots of other genius brains and a so-called “wiring diagram,” called compare them to the brains of all kinds the connectome. This kind of map is of other people. But Lepore doesn’t see thought to be a key to understanding that happening any time soon because the brain, though researchers are far no one like Einstein has donated his or from being able to map a whole human her brain for study brain.

Modern and also because staining and cutthe funding just In addition to teaching, ting techniques isn’t there. The pamay someday per on Einstein’s seeing patients, make it possible brain received to analyze the and writing ‘Finding no outside fundremaining uning and was what Einstein’s Brain,’ Lepore cut sections of he called “a work Einstein’s brain of sweat equity.” has invented a clinical for this type of Finding the neu- tool called the optic research. Genetral basis of genius ics, on the other is not a huge pri- nerve test card and has hand, cannot be ority when there analyzed, as the written more than 125 many more imbrain was kept at portant problems peer-reviewed articles room temperathat need to be reture, which defor scientific journals. searched. Lepore stroyed the DNA. doesn’t think any Unfortunately government agenit’s no longer easy cy would be willto get access to ing to get behind this kind of project. most of the Einstein brain samples. In “They’re looking for cures for cancer or 1998 Harvey handed the 170 chunks Alzheimer’s, and I don’t blame them, so of brain still in his possession to Elliot I think that would be hard,” he says.

Kraus, the current chief pathologist at the University Medical Center of epore does not anticipate any perPrinceton at Plainsboro. There are an sonal involvement in Einstein- additional 567 microscope slides at the related research, but he would love to National Museum of Health and Medisee others continue where he and his cine in Silver Spring, Maryland. Of collaborators left off. As it turns out, those, 350 were used to create a digital the predominant 1950s idea that the archive for an iPad app called the Einkey to genius might be found on the stein Brain Atlas that allows users to microscopic level is not wrong. Tra- look at them as seen through a microditionally scientists were interested in scope. Forty-six slides were also given counting cells, but today the focus is on to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.

A

L

14 Princeton Echo | March 2019

Steve and Mimi Omiecinski, the brains behind Princeton’s Pi Day.

Einstein look-alike contests, special tours and lectures, a pub crawl, and a performance by the Einstein Alley Musician Cooperative at the Arts Council of Princeton.

Among the highlights on March 9 is an Einstein in Princeton guided

What would Einstein think?

A

ll of this begs the question: What would Einstein think about all of this if he could have somehow known what was to play out? He did show an interest in the mind and brain and participated in neuroscience research during his lifetime. According to Otto Nathan, Einstein’s friend and the executor of his estate, he had “remarked, from time to time, on the usefulness of the human body after death,” even though he hadn’t left any specific provisions regarding this in his will. In the 1940s he wrote a detailed description of his thought processes in “The Mathematician’s Mind,” a book by colleague Jacques Hadamard about mathematical creativity and how mathematicians’ minds work.

In 1945 he had Dr. Gustav Bucky, a friend who was a doctor in Princeton, perform an X-ray of his skull, not that an X-ray of the skull would tell you much about the brain in those days.

The films sold at auction in 2010 for $38,750. “Einstein had a skull X-ray, not because he had a clinical problem, but because he said, ‘let’s just see what we can see,’” Lepore says.

In 1951 Einstein, along with mathematicians John Von Neumann and Norbert Wiener, underwent EEG tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to look for any changes in his brain waves while he relaxed and thought about problems of relativity. The results didn’t show anything significant, and the experiment was never written up in a scientific journal. It was, however, featured in Life Magazine.

As for the tracings from those EEG test? That’s unknown. “Stuff gets thrown away. I mean it’s the same thing

walking tour from 10 a.m. to noon; a discussion of memory techniques by a former world record holder for reciting the value of pi (to more than 10,000 digits), David Fiore, at 1 p.m.; and a book signing at the Public Library with Wil Mara, author of “Albert Einstein,” a children’s biography published in January, at 2 p.m.

On Thursday, March 14, Einsteinrelated events will include a tour of Landau’s Albert Einstein Museum at 102 Nassau Street, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., with T-shirt sales to benefit the new Einstein Museum in Ulm, Germany; and a talk and book signing with Seth Fletcher of Scientific American, author of “Einstein’s Shadow,” which follows a team of scientists on a mission to capture the first photograph of a black hole, a concept that springs from Einstein’s theory of relativity, at 6 p.m. at the Public Library.

For more information and a complete schedule visit princetontourcompany.com/activities/pi-day. from when Einstein was a patent clerk — imagine, he spent from 1902 to 1909 in Switzerland and he would review these patents and he would write professional opinions and judgements and notations. Those were all destroyed.

This was a period when this guy was going to in 1905, have his annus mirabilis where he’s going to write five or six incredible articles, but the patent reviews are gone, so, you know, stuff disappears,” Lepore says.

“He’d probably be fairly positive about [this research]; he was a restless intellect. I think neuroscience wasn’t quite so much on the radar in his heyday. He had more than enough compelling questions,” Lepore says. He believes Einstein would be more interested in physics if he were alive today, than anything, but that he would have also taken an active interest in neuroscience.

“The day he died, at his hospital bedside, there were pages of calculations where he was still trying to do the math to figure out a way that you could unify quantum mechanics and gravity and electromagnetism. I don’t know if he would’ve bought into the concept that the physical trappings of the brain will explain the mind.”

Lepore hopes that his research will shed at least a little bit of light in this regard. “It was just a very interesting story. And people are very interested in this. So why do you do it? You learn something, and it might be useful. Having written the article and the book, Lepore concludes that “people are so very interested in him because of his genius and because I think he was probably a really good guy. Aside from the picturesque appearance of the crazy hair and all that, I think he was a nice person.”

And pretty smart, as well.

HAPPENING 3/1 • Les Agrements de musique

Friday March 1

3/2 & 3 • Laurie Berkner Band Shabbat dinner and a study session on social change. $25. Register. 6:30 p.m.

Fluidity and Sedimentation in RemLes Agrements de Musique, Taplin Aubrandt’s Christ Carrying the Cross, Wolfensohn Hall, Institute for Advanced ditorium, Fine Hall, 609-480-8092. French Study, 1 Einstein Drive. www.ias.edu. Yale Baroque music. Free. 7:30 p.m.

University art history professor Nicola Suthor Saturday March 2 presents. Register. 5:30 p.m.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss, Cotsen ChilPrinceton Women’s Basketball, Jadwin dren’s Library, Frist Campus Center, 609Gymnasium. www.goprincetontigers.com.

258-5428. cotsen.princeton.edu. Celebrate Dartmouth. 6 p.m. the children’s author’s 115th birthday. Free.

Egger Shabbaton Scholar in Residence, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Jewish Center Princeton, 435 Nassau Local Authors’ Day, Public Library, 65 Street, 609-921-0100. www.thejewishcenWitherspoon Street, 609-924-9529. prince­ ter.org. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz hosts a

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3/5 • Calmus Vocal Ensemble at Miller Chapel

tonlibrary.org. Meet more than 30 area authors. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

0103. Choirs perform in support for homeless and trafficked youth. Free. 5 p.m.

Princeton Women’s Basketball, Jadwin Laurie Berkner Band, McCarter Theater, 609-258-2787. www.mccarter.org. The Gymnasium. Harvard. 5 p.m.

Princeton native performs children’s songs.

Princeton Singers: The Sceptered Isle, Sensory-friendly performance at 11 a.m. $15- University Art Museum, 1-800-838-3006. $40. Also March 3. 3 p.m. www.princetonsingers.org. Music of the BritThe Great Healthy Yard Project, Moun- ish choral tradition. 5:30 and 8 p.m. tain Lakes House, 57 Mountain Avenue.

Music from the British Isles, Westminwww.fopos.org. Diane Lewis presents on cre- ster Choir College, Bristol Chapel, Walnut ating yards without synthetic fertilizers. $40. Lane, 609-921-2663. www.rider.edu/arts.

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Chamber works of Charles Villiers Stanford

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See EVENTS, Page 16

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March 2019 | Princeton Echo15

3/6 • Ken Ludwig and Emily Mann

3/8 & 9 • JJ Penna at Westminster

3/8 & 9 • Princeton University Orchestra at Richardson Auditorium

EVENTS, continued from page 15

Real and Mystical Is Life, Bristol Cha- Monday March 4 pel, Westminster Choir College, 101 Walnut Phonographic Memory, Labyrinth Sunday March 3 Lane, 609-921-7100. www.rider.edu/arts. ReBooks, 122 Nassau Street, 609-497-1600. cital of American art songs.

Free.

3 p.m.

Sunday Music Brunch, Princeton Public www.labyrinthbooks.com. Presenters are Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924Sangam - A Confluence, South Asian given 10 to 12 minutes to tell a personal story 9529. www.princetonlibrary.org. Sheri Miller Studies, Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall. music. about a record in their collection and then performs music by Judy Garland, Ella Fitzger- princeton.edu. Concert brings together the play a song from that album. 6 p.m. ald, Patsy Cline, and Lady Gaga to celebrate traditions of gospel music from Trineice RobWomen’s History Month. 11 a.m. inson, Sufi poetry from Fauzia Farooqui, and Tuesday March 5 Women, War and Peace II: Part 1, Princ- Tagore songs by Somdatta Pal. Free. 3 p.m.

Ornamentalism, Labyrinth Books, 122 eton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, Palcoscenico Fragile - Italy Upends the Nassau Street, 609-497-1600. www.laby609-924-9529. www.princetonlibrary.org. World Stage, Dorothea’s House, 120 John rinthbooks.com. Princeton professor Anne An all-female slate of directors presents the Street. www.dorotheashouse.org. Interna- Cheng discusses Asiatic femininity in western never-before-told stories about women who tional affairs analyst Jeffrey Laurenti discuss- culture. Free. 6 p.m. risked their lives for peace and changed his- es current governmental shifts and where Grand Homes and Gardens, Morven tory in the process. 2 p.m.

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The Holocaust as Related by a Survivor, Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924-9529. Daniel Goldsmith, who survived the Holocaust as a child in Belgium, shares his story accompanied by a slide presentation by volunteers from the Jewish War Veterans of the USA. 6:30 p.m.

Calmus Vocal Ensemble, Miller Chapel, Princeton Theological Seminary. www.music. princeton.edu. The Princeton University Glee Club will join the ensemble to perform movements from Brumel’s “Earthquake” Mass.

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3/8 & 9 • Soundbox Percussion at the Institute for Advanced Study 3/9 • Kimme Carlos at Princeton

Wednesday March 6 IAS Film Series: Crisis and Critique, Wolfensohn Hall, Institute for Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Drive. www.library.ias.edu.

Films exploring the discourse on crisis, followed by discussion. Free. Register. 4 p.m.

Recreating Thomas Gainsborough’s Living Room, Princeton University Art Museum. www.princetonsymphony.org.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra performs works by the artist’s composer friends. 5:30 and 8 p.m.

Notable Words, The Nassau Club, 6 Mercer Street. www.peopleandstories.org.

Emily Mann and Ken Ludwig in conversation. Silent auction and dessert reception to follow. Proceeds benefit People and Stories/ Gente y Cuentos. $100. 7 p.m.

Arts, Culture, and Business Round- Friday March 8 table, Monument Hall, 1 Monument Drive.

Princeton Men’s Basketball, Jadwin Joseph P. Riley, the former mayor of CharlesGymnasium.

Brown. 7 p.m. ton for over 40 years, discusses boosting local business, improving downtown and pubLindsey Christiansen Art Song Festival: lic spaces, and dealing with the challenges of Speak Louder, Westminster Choir College, parking and traffic. 5 p.m.

Bristol Chapel, Walnut Lane, 609-921-2663.

Screw Consent: A Better Politics of www.rider.edu/arts. Celebrating 150 years of Sexual Justice, Labyrinth Books, 122 Nas- women writing for the voice. Performances sau Street, 609-497-1600. www.labyrinth- by pianist JJ Penna and Westminster stubooks.com. Yale professor Joseph Fischel and dents. $15. Continues March 9. 7:30 p.m.

Princeton professor Regina Kunzel debate Princeton University Orchestra, Richconsent. Free. 6 p.m. ardson Auditorium. music.princeton.edu.

Todashi Tokieda, Princeton University Soloist spotlight. Also March 9. 7:30 p.m.

Public Lectures, McDonnell Hall A02. lecOpening Reception, Small World Coftures.princeton.edu. Stanford math professor Todashi Tokieda demonstrates “A World From a Sheet of Paper.” Free. 6 p.m.

Taste of Suppers: A Celebration of Herbs and Spices, Princeton Public LiThursday March 7 brary, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924Princeton Farmers Market, Princeton 9529. Herbalist and documentary filmmaker YMCA, 59 Paul Robeson Place. www.prince­ Tish Streeten and nutrition coach Jenna Richtonfarmersmarket.com. Also March 21. 10 ardson present. Register. 6:30 p.m. a.m.

Piano Recital, Taplin Auditorium, Fine Vladimir Putin and the United States: Hall, Fine Hall. music.princeton.edu. Pianist Russian-American Relations in the 21st Francine Kay performs. Free. 7:30 p.m.

Century, 55Plus, Jewish Center of Princeton, Using Israeli Technology To Take On 435 Nassau Street. Presented by David FoThe World, The Jewish Center Princeton, glesong, Rutgers history professor. $3 dona435 Nassau Street. www.thejewishcenter. tion suggested. 10 a.m. org. Allon Bloch, CEO and co-founder of Afternoon Concert, Princeton Universi- Vroom, explains how he built major compaty Chapel. Free. Every Thursday. 12:30 p.m. nies such as Wix. $5. 8 p.m.

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3/9 • The Rage Thormbones with PLOrk

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fee, 14 Witherspoon Street. www.jaymepoursout.com. Work by Jayme Fahrer, running through April 2. 8 p.m.

Soundbox Percussion, Institute for Advanced Study, Wolfensohn Hall, 609-7348000. www.ias.edu. With actor Paul Lazar.

Register. Free. Also March 9. 8 p.m.

Saturday March 9 Citizens’ Climate Lobby Meeting, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Road, 609-240-2425. citizensclimatelobby.org/chapters/NJ_Princeton.

Advocacy organization. 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

See EVENTS, Page 18

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3/10 • Joyce DiDonato

3/14 • Andreas Staier with Alexander Melnikov

EVENTS, continued from page 17

Ceol agus Cairde, Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924A Father-Daughter Conversation on 9529. www.princetonlibrary.org. Helen Mental Health, Social Justice, and A Hope O’Shea and Shenanigans perform new and For Tomorrow, Urban Mental Health Alliold songs of Ireland. 2 p.m. ance, Taylor Auditorium, Frick Chemistry Lab, Mezzo-Soprano Joyce DiDonato, Princ609-610-7603. www.urbanmentalhealthalliance.org. Motivational speaker and 1968 eton University Concerts, Richardson AudiOlympian Dr. John W. Carlos and his daugh- torium, 609-258-2800. www.princetonuniter, Kimme Carlos, founder and executive versityconcerts.org. $15-$45. 3 p.m. director of the Urban Mental Health Alliance, Monday March 11 share perspectives. Register. $50. 3 p.m.

Meetings, PFLAG Princeton, Trinity My Stroke of Luck, Suzanne Patterson Building, 45 Stockton Street, 609-924-7108. Church, 33 Mercer Street. www.pflagprincwww.princetonsenior.org. Diana Barnes per- eton.org. Support group for families and forms her one-woman show. $20. Register. 5 friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals. 7 p.m. p.m.

Voices Chorale, Trinity Episcopal Princeton Men’s Basketball, Jadwin Church, 33 Mercer Street. www.voiceschoGymnasium. Yale. 6 p.m. ralenj.org. “Shakespeare in Love.” 8 p.m.

Princeton Laptop Orchestra, Princeton University Chapel. music.princeton.edu. Tuesday March 12 Featuring the Rage Thormbones. Premiering Remorseless Cannibals and Loving a new work by PhD candidate Christopher Scribes, Firestone Library. library.princDouthit. Free. 8 p.m. eton.edu. Samples and highlights from Princeton University’s Collection of Ethiopian Sunday March 10 Manuscripts. Open to the public. 4:30 p.m.

Sara Caswell Trio, Princeton University Knowledge, Power, and Academic Chapel. music.princeton.edu. Performing Freedom, Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau music of the jazz tradition. Free. 11 a.m.

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Street, 609-497-1600. www.labyrinthbooks. Friday March 15 com. Institute of Advanced Study professor Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale, PrincJoan Wallach Scott and Princeton professor eton Day School, 650 Great Road. www.

Carolyn Rouse present. Free. 6 p.m. bmandwbooks.com. Continues through Grand Homes and Gardens, Morven March 19. 10 a.m.

Museum and Gardens, 55 Stockton Street.

Martin Grosswendt and Susanne Sawww.morven.org. Gary Lawrance presents. lem Schatz, Princeton Folk Music Society, $15-$60. Register. 6:30 p.m.

Christ Congregation Church, 50 Walnut Lane, Julian Zelizer and Kevin Kruse, Princ- 609-799-0944. www.princetonfolk.org. $20. eton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 7:30 p.m.

609-924-9529. www.princetonlibrary.org.

Ranky Tanky, McCarter Theater, 91 UniPrinceton professors Julian Zelizer and Kevin Kruse discuss their book, “Fault Lines: A His- versity Place, 609-258-2787. www.mccarter. tory of the United States Since 1974,” which org. Charleston-based jazz quartet performs examines the divisive domestic politics of the the music of Gullah culture. 8 p.m. last 40 years. 7 p.m.

The Gods of Comedy, McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, 609-258-2787. www.mccarter.org. A young Princeton Classics professor puts her career and her love life in peril, and calls on the gods of Ancient Greece to save her. When the gods who show up are the gods of Comedy, things don’t go according to plan. By Ken Ludwig. Through March 31. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday March 13

Saturday March 16

The Healing Garden: 18th Century Herbs Workshop, Morven Museum, 55 Stockton Street. www.morven.org. Virginia Kopacki discusses 18th century gardens, herbal healing, and recipes. $20. 11 a.m.

Labyrinth Live at the Library, Princeton Public Library, Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street, 609-497-1600. Susan Robeson presents “Grandpa Stops a War: A Paul Robeson Story.” Ages 4 and up. Free. 1 p.m.

Topics & Trends in Education, Lewis Don’t Talk about the Baby, Princeton School of Princeton, 53 Bayard Lane, 609- Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609924-8120. www.lewisschool.org. Seminar on 924-9529. Explore the stigmas surrounding “The Multilingual Child.” Register. 1 to 2:30 pregnancy loss and infertility. 4 p.m. p.m.

Twenty Years of Music Making: TrenAn Evening with Marc Boutavant, ton Music Makers’ 20th Anniversary ParPrinceton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon ty, Springdale Golf Club, 1895 Clubhouse Street, 609-924-9529. The French children’s Drive. www.trentonmusicmakers.org. Trenauthor and illustrator presents, plus a sign- ton Music Makers honors El Sistema USA for ing. 6 p.m.

20 years of support. $125. Register. 6 p.m.

Jazz Vespers, Princeton University ChaA World of Strings, McCarter Theater, pel. music.princeton.edu. A service of poetry, 91 University Place, 609-258-2787. www. music, and meditation. Free. 8 p.m. mccarter.org. Japan’s Wu Man, master of the pipa, is joined by representatives from MadaThursday March 14 gascar, Mali, and Morocco playing plucked Change’s in Manet’s Paintings, Prince- string instruments. 8 p.m. ton University Art Museum. Manet scholar Juliet Wilson-Bareau and museum conserva- Sunday March 17 tor Bart Devolder present. Free. 5:30 p.m.

Women, War and Peace II: Part 2, Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, Alexander Melnikov and Andreas Staier, Princeton University Concerts, Rich- 609-924-9529. Untold stories about women ardson Auditorium, 609-258-2800. www. who risked their lives for peace. 2 p.m. princetonuniversityconcerts.org. Music for Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita, McCarter two pianos. $25-$55. 8 p.m.

Theater, 91 University Place, 609-258-2787.

3/15 • Ranky Tanky at McCarter Theater

3/16 • The Healing Garden: 18th Century Herbs at Morven

3/25 • Anne Waldman

discuss the relation of pleasurable activities Red Oak Chamber Ensemble, Princeton to bodily health and to the health of the body Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609Sunday Book Brunch, Princeton Public politic. Free. 6 p.m.

924-9529. Montgomery High School stuLibrary, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924dents perform music by Debussy, Beethoven, Carmina Burana, Richardson Audito- 9529. Authors Janet Benton and Medline Friday March 29 and Bach, as well as contemporary pieces. 3 rium, 609-683-5122. www.princetonpromu- Miller. Tea and pastries served. 11 a.m.

Ready Player One, Princeton Public p.m. sica.org. Featuring Roxey Ballet. $25-$60. 4 Social Justice and Interfaith Leadership Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924La Fiocco, Christ Congregation, 50 Walp.m.

Conference, La Convivencia, Friend Center, 9529. Stephen Spielberg’s fantasy thriller nut Lane. www.lafiocco.org. A program of 65 Olden Street. www.laconvivencia.org. based on the novel by Ernest Cline. 6 p.m.

Monday March 18 music and dance from the courts of France, Workshops on social justice, empathy and Spain, and Italy. $10-$25. 7:30 p.m.

Monthly Meeting, Women’s College Saturday March 30 empowerment. $10-$15. Register. 1 p.m.

Club of Princeton, All Saints’ Episcopal New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra Sa- Sunday March 31 Rising Smoke, Princeton Public Library, Church, Terhune Road. www.wccpnj.org. Sociologist Thomas Espenshade speaks about 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924-9529. Per- lon: Homage, Morven Museum & Garden, Book Launch: U.S. 1 Worksheets, Princforming classic rock, jazz, pop, doo-wop, and 55 Stockton Street. www.morven.org. Mix eton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, the New Jersey Families Study. Free. 1 p.m. of contemporary and classical works. Free. 3 609-924-9529. U.S. 1 Poets’ Cooperative more. 3 p.m.

Library Live at Labyrinth, Princeton p.m. launches Volume 64 of its journal. 1:15 p.m.

Public Library, Labyrinth Books, 122 NasJazz composer Sosa joins Senegalese kora master and vocalist Keita for “Transparent Water.” 3 p.m.

sau Street, 609-497-1600. “This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto against Ageism” by author and activist Ashton Applewhite. 6 p.m.

Jan Lisiecki, McCarter Theater, 91 University Place, 609-258-2787. www.mccarter. org. Polish-Canadian pianist performs works of Ravel, Schumann, and Chopin. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday March 19 Celtic Harp, Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924-9529. William Jackson performs. 7 p.m.

Sunday March 24

Monday March 25

Anne Waldman Reading, Hinds Library. www.princeton.edu. Presented by the Contemporary Poetry Colloquium at Princeton University. 5 p.m.

From Berlin to Hollywood and Beyond, Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street, 609497-1600. Marianne Farrin presents her immigration experience. Free. 6 p.m.

Summer Camp

Full and 1/2 Day Table Tennis Lessons

Tuesday March 26

War for Peace and Genealogies of a Violent Ideal in Western and Islamic Thought, Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Thursday March 21 Street, 609-497-1600. rofessors Murad Idris, In the Company of Trees, Johnson EduAndrew Cole, and Dan-el Padilla Peralta prescation Center, 1 Preservation Place, 609ent. Free. 6 p.m.

924-4646. www.drgreenway.org. Author Andrea Fereshteh leads an outdoor meditation Wednesday March 27 workshop. Free. Register. 5 p.m.

Sophisticated Giant: The Life and LegTower to Town Talks, Princeton Public acy of Dexter Gordon, Labyrinth Books, Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, 609-924- 122 Nassau Street, 609-497-1600. Maxine 9529. www.princetonlibrary.org. University Gordon, historian, and wife of Dexter Gordon, researchers discuss their work. 7 p.m. and Richard Lawn, former dean at the University of the Arts, discuss the late saxophonSaturday March 23 ist and Oscar-nominated actor. 6 p.m.

Meet The Music, Princeton University Concerts, Richardson Auditorium, 609-258- Thursday March 28 9220. www.princetonuniversityconcerts.org.

Portraits of England, Princeton UniverChamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and sity Art Museum. The Princeton Chamber the Princeton Girlchoir perform. $10. 1 p.m.

Music Society performs works by Abel, WilDvorak & Lieberman, Princeton Sym- liams, and more. 5:30 p.m. phony Orchestra, Richardson Auditorium, The Chinese Pleasure Books, Labyrinth 609-497-0020. www.princetonsymphony. Books, 122 Nassau Street, 609-497-1600. org. Chelsea Knox on flute. Pre-concert talk Professors Michael Nylan and Robert Kaster at 7 p.m. Also March 24 at 4 p.m. 8 p.m.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Restaurants on the move

By Michele Alperin

W

hatever the complaints about Prince­ ton’s new parking meters, one driving force in the planning was the evolution of the town from retail to entertainment and dining. Although some new restaurants are still on the drawing boards and not ready to share their plans publicly, a number shared their ideas for new and refurbished eating and drinking establishments.

Small Bites by Local Greek. Tony Kanterakis, the owner of Local Greek at 44 Leigh Avenue, which opened in November, 2017, is ready to open Small Bites by Local Greek at 20 Nassau Street. He says Small Bites is like “an extension of Local Greek for students and walk-up traffic.” The building owners approached him, first offering him a spot on Chambers Street, but when Dynasty Art went out of business, he grabbed the spot on Nassau.

“The area is more boutique-like, more New York City-like,” he says.

Because students “don’t come down” to Local Greek, except maybe on weekend for brunch, Kanterakis says, “it was a good opportunity to do a grab-and-go like Hoagie Haven.”

“It will be more of a casual spot,” he says. They won’t have entrees or sit-down eating like they do at Local Greek. “Customers will order at the counter, and we will have 20 to 25 seats inside — a social table and a couple of other little tables — and outside in street when it is warm.”

The fare — including gourmet gyros, salads, kabobs, Greek-style burgers, as well as breakfast, with “super Greek” eggs in a skillet, pancake, waffles, spinach-feta omelet, savory pastries, and spinach, cheese, and meat pies — will be “like a healthier version of fast food,” Kanterakis says. Also, “we will have more sweets and pastries” — and, of course, wi-fi.

He expects the biggest draw to be the loukoumades, Greek-style donuts — fried in the window “like a show, pretty much” — and homemade Greek yogurt and ice cream (including a baklava flavor) with different toppings. “We’re really focusing on the Greek donuts — that’s going to change the whole scene. At any festival you go to or farmer’s market, the line is bigger than anyone else,” he says. Kanterakis hopes to open at the end of March or beginning of April. www.localgreeknj.com Sakrid Coffee Roasters. Jonathan Haley will be opening Sakrid Coffee Roasters. Promising a “modern take” on the “tried and true Espresso bar,” he explains that Sakrid will go beyond “espressobased drinks, served quickly while standing at a bar and having a quick chat with the barista.” Building on this culture, Sakrid will also offer “smooth cold brew concoctions on tap along with water-based drinks infused form locally harvested fruits, vegetables, and herbs.”

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are of the opinion it’s extremely difficult to have too many coffee offerings in one place.”

The bar will have two or three seats with a view at the bar, next to the barista; space at the window ledge for standing or sitting, as well as a few banquette seats “for those looking to have a seat or conversation with company.” They will also offer “small bites that complement the amazing offerings already available (and soon available) at 20 Nassau.”

Haley is targeting April or May to open. www.sakridcoffee.com Bon Appetit kiosk at Carnevale Plaza. Inspired by a freestanding kiosk in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, Bon Appetit’s owner William Lettier designed the kiosk, owned by the Carnevale Group, that stands in front of the Carnevale Plaza apartments at 255 Nassau Street.

Talking about the “cool feel” of the New York structure, Lettier says, “I like that fact that you can have a walk-up kiosk — there are none in Princeton where you can order and go to the other window and pick up.” They will be offering sandwiches, crepes, espresso drinks, cappuccino, and will have a little gelato cart in the summer. The wall inspections are done, the sinks in, and they are waiting for the rest of the inspections to be completed.

Citing “building up” on that side of town, which is “getting busier as you go farther north on Nassau,” Lettier says he is “hoping to get a lot of folks from Princeton University” as well as people renting bikes from Jay’s, going to the post office, hanging out, or living in Carnevale Plaza to “drop in to get lunch or cappuccino or coffee.”

“The menu is going to stay flexible, but I want it to be fun. We look forward to opening.” He hopes to open in midMarch. www.bonappetitfinefoods. com Winberie’s. Renovations at Winberie’s Princeton began the week of February 11, and the restaurant is looking to reopen in late March, though Todd Sheppard of Select Restaurants writes in an email that “the exact timeline is unknown at this point.”

He continues, “The restaurant’s footprint is not changing, but guests will

The nearly complete kiosk in Carnevale Plaza will be operated by Bon Appetit and offer sandwiches, crepes, and coffee drinks.

instantly feel a warmer ambience with the inclusion of upholstered booths and table cloths for an updated dining experience. Again, many of the guest favorites on the menu will remain, but we’re excited for people to try the new additions that include daily featured specials.” princeton.winberies.com

S

everal other companies have plans in the works, but are not yet ready to share details.

Triumph Brewing Company is planning to move its operations to Palmer Square. So far it has secured the old post office building, and the project has been approved by the planning board.

Lauren Swanekamp at Fenwick Hospitality wrote in response to an email about a potential restaurant at the former Two Sevens space. “There is not a confirmed idea that we can share with the public just yet.”

According to liquor license proceedings at an August, 2018, Princeton Council meeting, JM Group plans to open a restaurant called Kristine’s in the space formerly occupied by Rouge, next to Witherspoon Grill. JM Group owner Jack Morrison did not respond to requests for comment.

And a few restaurants have departed.

Marhaba at 182 Nassau Street closed one day in October and never reopened. Its Lambertville location is still open. 30 Burgers, at 124 Nassau Street, has also closed, but a new location has opened in Quaker Bridge Mall.

Ready, set, eat

T

he Princeton Merchants Association has organized a Princeton Restaurant Week to take place from Sunday, March 10, through Sunday, March 17. Participating restaurants will be offering three-course prix-fixe dinner menus for $35 and a prix-fixe lunch menu for $20.

Visit www.princetonrestaurantweek.com for a list of participating restaurants.

Tel: (609) 520-8883 415 Nassau Park Blvd., Princeton, NJ 08540 (near Sam’s Club)

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March 2019 | Princeton Echo21

PARTING SHOT

Letters for leaders is part of the culture. Everyone is lookBy Pia de Jong

‘A

s a natural leader, he always takes the lead and knows how to motivate others ... Curious and creative, he takes the initiative to go off the beaten path. He loves intellectual challenges, which cannot be complex enough for him. His analytical qualities and scientific interests are beyond his years. In addition, he has a strong empathic capacity. “ That’s a fragment from a letter of recommendation written for the son a friend of ours for admission to a very selective private school. Mind you, this is for kindergarten. The boy was five.

His intellectual achievements so far consist of stacking blocks. And what toddler does not go off the beaten path, especially at the table with a plate of pasta in front of him or her? Six letters were needed when applying to this school, which the parents had set their sights on. Once he was admitted, they hoped, he would surely be on the fast track to a top-notch high school, then on an Ivy League university.

In America you spend a lot of time crafting recommendation letters.

Teachers write for all their students, but parents, friends, alumni, and colleagues are also summoned to duty. It

ing for the same qualities: a completely unique person — bursting with leadership ability, analytical insight, creativity, intelligence and passion. If you read the collected letters, everyone is an Einstein or an Oprah. Because, oh woe, if you turn out to be average.

Most people are, of course, average.

That’s why averages exist. They’re a bit of this, a bit of that. Not all-stars. But here you have to be all of the above. So the recommenders perjure themselves and gild the lily. Never mind that the empathetic five-year-old probably snatched a puzzle from another child, pulled it apart, and then threw it across the room. Then, at the urging of his panicked mother, was required to say sorry to the screaming girl that the got pieces plastered against her cheek.

Creative, excellent, solution-oriented, empathetic thinking — it was all there waiting to be discovered.

America is a little like Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon, “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” For example, every high school sports team has a closing evening after the season where medals are distributed to kids, friends, parents and grandparents. For everything, not just

Illustration by Eliane Gerrits

for winning. For the highest score, the most chances, leadership qualities, empathy, teamwork, insight, etc. In the end everyone gets a medal. All are No. 1.

At one of those evenings, I realized that the parents near me became angry because their son did not descend from the stage with a shiny leadership trophy in his hand. “What a decline,” said the father, a successful plastic surgeon, after his fourteen-year-old son proudly showed him the prize for the most helpful team member. “You have certainly filled the water bottles.” How much would this help his case when applying to the best colleges? Whole

generations before him had won the leadership trophy.

At this moment the letter-writing circus is in full swing. Everyone who has applied for something has created a dire shortage of superlatives. Excellent, exemplary, eminent, exceptional, exquisite — the thesaurus has been drained. It is wonderful to see that everyone is special and unique.

Actually, I agree with that.

Pia de Jong is a Dutch writer who lives in Princeton. Her bestselling memoir, “Charlotte,” was published in 2017 in the U.S. She can be contacted at piadejong. com.

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March 2019 | Princeton Echo23

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1179 NEWARK, NJ

148 HERRONTOWN ROAD Littlebrook Area - Princeton, NJ

NEW CONSTRUCTION IN LITTLEBROOK, 6 BEDROOMS, 5/2 BATHS, 2 FIREPLACES, FINISHED BASEMENT, 4,700 SQ. FT. BACKS TO A PRIVATE PARK

3Institute OBER ROAD Area - Princeton, NJ

4 BEDROOMS, 4 FULL BATHS, 2 FIREPLACES, INGROUND POOL ON .98 ACRES OF STUNNING GROUNDS, REAR EXPANSIONS WITH AN OPEN FLOOR PLAN

16 ANDREWS LANE Walk-To-Town - Princeton, NJ

28 STONE CLIFF ROAD Ettl Farm - Princeton, NJ

4/5 BEDROOMS, 4 FULL BATHS, FIREPLACE, FINISHED BASEMENT, FIRST FLOOR MASTER SUITE, VAULTED FIRST & SECOND FLOOR CEILINGS, LOTS OF SUNLIGHT

EXPANDED CUSTOM CARMEL MODEL, 7 BEDROOMS, 6.5 BATHS, WALK-OUT FINISHED BASEMENT. MULTIPLE BEDROOM/ GUEST/ HOME OFFICE USES

H H H

Heidi A. Hartmann Hartm mann C ll / Text T 6 658 Call 609.658.3771 E: HeidiHartmannHomes@gmail.com W: See Above Abovve W: See

10 Nassau St, Princeton - (609) 921 - 1411

24 Princeton Echo | March 2019

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CONTEMPORARY LINES, 4 BEDROOMS, 3.5 BATHS, 2 FIREPLACES, PRIVATE STUDY, ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS MAKE FOR A UNIQUE FLOOR PLAN

75 Ettl ETTL CIRCLE Farm - Princeton, NJ

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COMING TO THE MARKET UNDER NDE $1 MILLION LLIO 28 WARREN COURT - Washington Oaks - PRINCETON 6 TYSON LANE - Littlebrook PRINCETON

12 WOODLAND DRIVE - Hillside Terrace - PRINCETON