NUTLEYJOURNAL NOVEMVBER 2025
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Blessing of the pets
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Celebrating the rosary
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NHS cheer champions!
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elite homes
VOL. 37 NO. 04
Raiders return for 60th reunion By Joe Ungaro Editor There’s something special about Nutley. “I always say there’s a bond, a Nutley bond,” said Ronald Negra, president of the Nutley High School Class of 1965. The Class of `65 got together again recently to celebrate their 60th reunion. It was the ninth time they got together as a class since graduation and would have been the tenth had it not been for COVID. “I’ve said this for many years, we grew up at the right place at the right time,” Negra said. “Nutley was a great, united town. My class was very united, athletically, socially.” The year of graduation, 1965, was an interesting one. The Beatles and The Rolling Stone were on top of the charts, with “Help” and "(I Can't Get No) SatisPhotos by Steve Ellmore faction" respectively, “My Fair Lady” won Members of the Class of 1965 Reunion Committee are pictured at the best picture at the Academy Awards and event. From left are Kathy Battaglia, Lorraine and Mike Travers, Phyllis the Vietnam War was escalating with Kropp, Ron and Val Negra and Lou Albert. Below, class President Ron more troops being sent there and PresiNegra speaks to his classmates. dent Lyndon Johnson announcing that had their own website for a long time the number of young men being drafted though it has fallen out of use. Many would double. members of the class went on to great suc“A lot of the kids in the class were concess, owning their own businesses, cerned if they weren’t going to college,” according to Travers, who added that Negra said. “A bunch went into service, everyone is retired now though. there was concern about the unknown.” Negra, whose father was a captain with About 468 people graduated from Nutthe Nutley Police Department and also ley High that year and 60 made it to the president of his class at Nutley High reunion at Bella Napoli Ristorante in School, recently wrote a book called Bloomfield. “Waves of Hope.” “The turnout was always much larger The book is about his mother who had but we are losing people,” Negra said. “I’m a short wave radio, which she used to lisvery proud of this group.” ten to broadcasts from Radio Berlin durPeople came from California, Florida, ing World War II. Radio Berlin would North Carolina and New York City among read the names of American servicemen other places for the event and many who had been captured and were prisonattended the Friday night football game, ers of war. Agnes Negra, whose husband bringing a banner that said “Class of was fighting in Europe at the time, would The reunion was held during the day 1965,” according to Lorraine Travers, who for the first time, something that happens then contact the families of the soldiers is on the reunion committee. who had been captured. “Over the years, we always made a with reunions as people get older. The restaurant was decorated for the “Normally we did them in the evening weekend out of it,” Travers said. “So peoreunion, with pictures from previous ple who had to travel would have some- but people are older now,” Travers said. The class has always been close. They See ALL ROADS, Page 2 thing to do.”
Matthew De Fede The Knowledge & Experience You Can Trust