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Community Supports Salvatore Piccolo Jr.
BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER
FLORHAM PARK - The community of Florham Park and its neighboring towns have donated and are continuing to donate love, time, money, and prayers for four-year-old Salvatore Piccolo Jr., who as of June was in remission after suffering with leukemia. Police Officer Conor DeCoursey of the Florham Park Police Department suggested the event, which raised $4,800. Salvatore Piccolo Sr. describes his son. “He is as much as a boy could be a boy. Even with everything going on, he’s bouncing off the walls to have fun. He likes everything boys love. He loves being in the dirt, he loves digging holes, he
loves construction vehicles and cars, and all kinds of machines. And he loves being outside and absolutely loves the beach. He’ll dig a hole from here to China when he’s on the beach. We have a lot of support, and he’s a very loved child.” DeCoursey says of the planning for the “Skate with a Cop” event, “We found out that actually three young children in our town all had some type of disease or cancer, and we tried doing an event per child. I chose to do one for Salvatore because I’ve known Salvatore’s father for a very long time, and I’ve known Salvatore’s mother, Anna Marie, for a long time.”
DeBousey, after seeing Salvatore Sr. post about his son’s illness on social media, proposed his fundraiser idea to both the Florham Park Roller Rink and the PBA. “Everyone said let’s do it,” he says. Those attending the event wore “Team Salvatore” t-shirts and sweatshirts made by National Sportswear in Belleville, and Madison’s Main Street Submarines donated pizzas for the hungry attendees. “I can’t believe people are still coming out of the woodwork to help,” Salvatore Sr. says. “It’s just nonstop, and it just brings you to tears. Sometimes it’s hard to talk to people without breaking down. It’s
just that he’s young, so I want him to remember but I don’t, because he’s going to remember bad things. Hopefully one day we can sit down when he’s in his teens or even older, when he’s feeling down and out, and I’ll just want to show him all these pictures and tell him, ‘Look, this is what people did for you. You were someone special then, and you’re on your way to being someone special now. Don’t ever let anything get in your way.” The Piccolo family has a Venmo account set up for Salvatore Jr.’s medical needs. To donate, visit https://venmo. com/u/Anna_MariaPiccolo.
Carolyn’s Garden
Four-year-old Salvatore Piccolo Jr. at the “Skate with a Cop” fundraiser (credit Salvatore Piccolo Sr.)
Michael Gottfried Named Teacher of the Year – Twice
Flight Instructor Kevin Wadsworth (l) with new pilot, Michael Gottfried (r)
BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER Unveiling of the Carolyn’s Garden at the Florham Park Recreation Center.
FLORHAM PARK - Family and friends of Carolyn Setzer gathered Saturday morning, July 22, to unveil a sign made in the garden dedicated to her memory outside the Florham Park Community & Recreation Center. In the 43 years she lived in town until her passing in 2006, she served on numerous boards and organizations. Carolyn was an officer and member of the Garden Club for 40 years and a dedicated volunteer in the Florham Park community. She was also an officer and member of the Florham Park AARP Chapter for eight years, and a member of the Board of
Elections in Florham Park for 30 years. She volunteered at the Lyons VA Medical Center and Greystone Hospital to help with floral decorations, was a Florham Park Library volunteer for 15 years, a Girl Scout leader in Florham Park for five years, and a program manager of the Florham Park Theater Group for 25 years where she ran 5 Broadway plays annually. The Garden Club of Florham Park has planted a variety of plants and flowers at the garden including Thyme, Lavender, Vinca, Salvia, Russian Sage, Red Twig Dogwood. It is appropriate that the Memorial garden is just past the park-
Winners From July’s “Find Hank The Hornet Mascot” Contest
AREA - The winners from July’s “Find Hank the Hornet Mascot” are Judith Harris; Florham Park, Barbara Piccolo; E Hanover, Debra Manno; East Hanover, and Jennifer Healey; Florham Park. The ads
that “Hank the Hornet” were in: Olymic Pools, Planks to You, 200 Club, Longevity Center and Jag Paving. Thanks to everyone who enter and congratulations to our winners!
ing lot next to the Recreation Center which are both in front of the former Men’s Softball Fields used 1972-1989. There, Carolyn sat in the bleachers as she watched her loving husband Dave and son Chris play.
Visit the garden and check the Garden Club of Florham Park FACEBOOK page to learn more. https://www.facebook.com/gardenclubofflorhampark/
Your Chance to Win a $25 Gift Card with the “Find Hank The Hornet Mascot” Contest AREA - Check out our mascot...Hank the Hornet. Look for him in the ads in this issue and enter (no purchase nec-
essary) to win a $25.00 gift card (4 winners). It is easy to enter. Look through the paper and read the ads and look for
“Hank” in the ads. He will be located throughout the paper in 6 random ads. Then go to www.easthanoverflorham-
parklife.com scroll down and fill out the form to be entered. Winners will be notified and printed in the next issue.
FLORHAM PARK- 2023 has been a good year thus far for Roxbury High School aviation, physics and geophysical science teacher, Dr. Michael Gottfried. Gottfried was named Teacher of the Year by both Roxbury High School, and by the local Air and Space Forces Association (AFA) Shooting Star Chapter 195 of Florham Park. In addition, Gottfried earned his pilot’s license, where he learned alongside students in the school’s aviation program. Gottfried, who was raised in Roxbury and went through the school system, learned of his awards in early May. Gottfried says, “I’m extremely humbled, especially considering that, at Roxbury High School, we have upwards of 170 staff members in the school who were eligible for this award. To be the person that was selected really means a lot to me, considering there are so many great teachers in Roxbury High School.” Gottfried was also invited to the school’s Top 10 Dinner, which honors students ranked in the high school’s academic top 10, to speak on behalf of one of his students. The student invites the teacher that has had the biggest impact on them during their kindergarten through grade 12 education in Roxbury. Gottfried says, “The student speaks about the teacher and then the teacher gets a chance to speak about the student, and then we enjoy dinner and dessert together. It’s a nice program.”
Matthew Mawn, Grades 7-12 Supervisor of Science, Engineering, Technology, Design, & Visual Arts, says of Gottfried, “Not only has he started our pilot program here for our students - really taking a dream and creating it to reality - he’s led by example. He’s someone who started a program without his pilot’s license and was encouraging students to get their pilot license and is doing it alongside them. He really is being a mentor, just showing students what hard work gets you, and what staying determined and dedicated gets you. He’s more than a teacher; he’s more than delivering curriculum to students and taking a test. He’s what every school and every parent wants their child’s teacher to be.” Gottfried, a 2009 Roxbury High School graduate who attended Penn State University for his bachelor’s degree, Centenary University for his master’s degree, and received in 2019 his Education Specialist’s degree and in 2021 his doctorate, both from Seton Hall University, was lauded as well by Jim Morgan, Vice-President of the AFA Shooting Star Chapter 195. Morgan says, “We were very pleased to award Dr. Michael Gottfried as one of our Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) “Shooting Star” Chapter 195 “Teachers of the Year”, especially since he was already a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Aerospace Education PLEASE SEE TEACHER OF THE YEAR, PAGE 2