East Hanover_September 2025 full

EAST HANOVER FLORHAM PARK

BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER

EAST HANOVER - For Dave

Caputo and his wife Charlene, and as well for the many Caputo’s Homemade Ice Cream customers, it was a tasty and heartwarming way to finish off a humid Saturday evening.

Caputo was running the register on August 2 when a familiar face bought an ice cream cone and paid for it.

But it was what happened next that surprised Caputo.

“He looked at me,” Caputo said regarding the customer, “and he said, ‘I want you to be a success, and I do not want you to leave. I want you to stay.’”

More to come.

A year ago, the Caputos were in Point Pleasant sitting outside an ice cream shoppe when the light bulb went on.

Caputo said, “We looked at

each other and basically said, ‘We can do something like this. We are entrepreneurial. Let us get the ball rolling.’” The Caputos did so, and 100% homemade ice cream with all the best ingredients was it. Caputo said, “We did not want to start like a real estate company or insurance company. We wanted to start something that was fun and do our best to create a hometown feel. We greet all our customers. We create a lot of smiles and a lot of laughter.”

And that goodwill is reciprocal, and it was most evident on Saturday evening, August 2. Caputo’s Homemade Ice Cream had the usual summertime full house of weekend evening customers. Caputo said, “Me, my wife,

Florham Park Rotary 5th Annual Halloween Dog Parade and Costume Contest

FLORHAM PARK - It’s time

to start searching for, or making your annual Halloween costume - for your dog! The Florham Park Rotary 4th Annual Halloween Dog Parade and Costume Contest is set for October 25, 2025. This fun event will be held at the Florham Park Gazebo and Borough Lawn from 1-3 p.m. It’s hosted by the Florham Park Rotary with Pets Supplies Plus of Florham Park providing support once again. As many as 60 dogs dressed in costume have competed in the 6 categories, teamed with their owners. Categories include Cutest, Scariest, Most Creative, Funniest, and Best Overall. With family, friends and neighbors, 150-200 onlookers have enjoyed the event annually. Residents from all surrounding communities are welcome to this fun outdoor event whether they have dogs or not. The success of these fundraisers allowed Florham Park Rotary to award five $1,000 scholarship awards to students who have shown a commitment to volunteerism. Florham Park Seniors in local high

schools demonstrating their commitment to volunteerism in Florham Park and local communities can submit applications through their High School counselors. Students should plan to contact their school counselors this January.

Dog Registration fee is $25 (in advance) or $30 at the Event. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Florham Park Diner or via the QR Code. 50/50 Raffle Tickets for $10 each will also be available at the event. Attendance is free so come and enjoy the parade, people- and dog-watching, and see the fun costumes worn by contestants!

Questions? Phone (973) 520-8654 or Email pnicolas@ optimum.net or info@florhamparkrotary.org.

Winner from August’s “Find Hank the Hornet Mascot” Contest

Ramos; Florham Park, Odete Pereira; Florham Park, Am Chin; East Hanover and Frank Manno; East Hanover. The ads that “Hank the Hornet” were in: Kam Man Supermarket, Coccia Chirstine Nagy, Bergen Debate Team, V&V Construction Co., Window Works and 200 Club. Thanks to everyone who enter and congratulations to our winners!

and our employees were working the counter and serving customers. We had probably about 12 or 13 people in the line, and the line was moving pretty quickly, and this man was next. It was his turn to buy ice cream.”

The man, who is now a regular customer by sight but not by name, after paying for his treat, said (as was previously mentioned above) to Caputo, “I want you to be a success, and I do not want you to leave. I want you to stay.” He then pulled out a fresh $100 bill, handed it to the owner, and said, “Use this to pay for everyone in the store that’s waiting.”

Caputo asked him, “Are you sure?” And he responded, “Yes.”

Customers kept entering, so the man tried to pay for as

many people as possible.

Caputo’s expressed his thanks again in an August 4 Facebook post: I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. A beautiful thing happened Saturday night at Caputo‘s Homemade Ice Cream, 424 Ridgedale Avenue, East Hanover, New Jersey. A gentleman walked in, bought himself a small ice cream, and then proceeded to give me another hundred-dollar bill and said, “Use this to pay for everyone in the store that’s waiting.”

He walked out quickly before anyone was able to thank him. If that gentleman is reading this Facebook and Instagram post everyone in the store said thank you.

Caputo said, “It makes me feel very relieved that there are good people out there.”

Good Samaritan Cools Off Ice Cream Shop Customers with $100 Gift Purchase

Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey Presentation Sept. 12

BY PETER NICOLAS GUEST WRITER

FLORHAM PARK - Wel-

come Home Vets of New Jersey (WHVNJ) has been invited by the Florham Park Rotary to give a presentation on September 12. The 25-minute presentation will be at the Rotary’s breakfast meeting at the Florham Park Diner at 8:00am.

Welcome Home Vets of New Jersey (WHVNJ) was founded by George Hanley, Esq. in 2009. The organization is based locally (on East Hanover Avenue in Cedar Knolls). It is an entirely volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping service men and women overcome obstacles in their return to civilian life. 100% of all donations are used to fulfill the mission:

“To provide care for our New Jersey Soldiers, Veterans and their Families in need.”

They continue to evolve to meet the needs of NJ Veterans and have, over the past

few years, prioritized 2 areas: NJ Veteran Homelessness and Hunger.

Rhonda Washer, Director, Veteran Outreach Services and Gene Elwood, Director, Organizational Resources will present, along with Val DiGiacinto, President/Chairman.

Gene Elwood is a lawyer and as a Combat Vietnam Veteran, wanted to help Veterans. He worked on a case Pro Bono for a Veteran and realized there was more needed than just lawyers and with the help of our Secretary/Treasurer, Guido Weber, Esq., they successfully established WHVNJ as a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Organization.

See the website of this important veterans organization at WelcomeHomeVetsOfNJ.org to learn more.

The Florham Park Rotary invites local veterans and their families to attend the meeting

and have a cup of coffee on the club!

Questions about this or any other Florham Park Rotary events may be sent to: David

Kramer, president at dkramer@florhamparkrotary.org or to Peter Nicolas, Sergeant-atArms at pnicolas@florhamparkrotary.org.

Save the Dates for these Presentations by the Historical Society of Florham Park

BY PETER NICOLAS GUEST WRITER

FLORHAM PARK - The Historical Society of Florham Park is scheduling another two great presentations this year – one in October and one in November – both events free and open to the public. Save the dates!

NJ AND THE MEDAL OF HONOR - Author Peter Zablocki returns to Florham Park to reveal the harrowing stories of New Jersey’s most valorous moments in the defense of our nation and freedom around the world.

Awarded by the President of the United States in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor commemorates those who have shaped our nation’s history and continue to inspire its future with their acts of valor, humanity, patriotism, and sacrifice. New Jersey has been credited with ninety-three honors in the state’s military history.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 at 7 pm, with 6:30 pm refreshments provided by Delaney at the Green.

Florham Park Library - Akhoury Room and via Zoom

HISTORY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF AMER-

ICA – Author Walter Choroszewski returns to Florham Park to present America’s military from its Colonial beginning to the Armed Forces of today.

In the Spring of 1775 American colonies were forced to defend themselves against a tyrannical government and this began the fight for freedom. The American Revolution for independence was won and the United States formally established Armed Forces for defense on land and sea. You may wish to plan to attend this presentation as part of your Veterans Day observances, says Dr. Robert Newhouse, WWII Veteran, Bronze Star recipient and 101-year old member of The Historical Society of Florham Park.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 at 7 pm, with 6:30 pm refreshments provided by Delaney at the Green. Florham Park Library - Akhoury Room and via Zoom Please register ahead of time for both events to ensure enough seats and pastries. Registration can be done at florhamparklib.org/events or by calling the library at (973) 377-2694. A confirmation email will give registrants the option to attend either in-person at the Library or via the Zoom link should you wish to attend remotely.

The Historical Society of Florham Park is offering this as a hybrid program, ie, people may attend this free program either at the Florham Park Library or remotely, via Zoom. Follow the registration information provided above.

Charlene and Dave Caputo (courtesy of Dave Caputo)

Hanover Park High School Senior Named National FBLA Champion

HANOVER PARK - Hanover

Park High School senior, Daniel Amalfitano, in June placed first at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Leadership Conference in Anaheim, California.

Amalfitano, who won in the Accounting 1 category, is an intern at Alan J. Preis, CPA PC in Florham Park.

Jamie Ott, who is Amalfitano’s Hanover Park High School FBLA advisor, said, “Daniel is an excellent student and even better gentleman. He is just a mature kid who is always engaged in class conversation, and even stops and thinks about what is going on in the classroom and in the real world. He then connects those dots with questions and comments that just make you say, ‘Wow, this is just one of those reasons you get into teaching: for a kid who is not only smart and inquisitive to begin with, but then also respectful and courteous and interesting to listen to.’ He is a kid you can have a conversation with; just a super, all-around

great kid and great student.”

Amalfitano, who is a member of his school’s Stock Market Investment Club, Mock Trial Team, and The Hornet’s Sting, the school literary magazine, said that when his name was announced as the winner during the Awards of Excellence Ceremony on the conference’s final day, he recalled the hard work and preparation that went into the event.

“A week or two before, I had started studying online,” Amalfitano said. “There is a lot of online resources that you could use for studying for the FBLA events, so I was just using the online resources to help me get ready for the competition. Then we took the flight over to Anaheim, and for the first two days after I spent a lot of it just studying. It all paid off.”

Ritacco, who is FBLA advisor at Whippany Park High School, the sister school to Hanover Park High School, chaperoned Amalfitano and the rest of the FBLA students who attended the conference from June

29 to July 2. She said, “It was so exciting to be in Anaheim with Daniel for his big FBLA win! The Accounting event is one of the most competitive within FBLA. It takes a great deal of hard work and dedication to even make it to the National level, so to come in first place is truly impressive. We are all so proud of him!”

And it should come as no surprise that, for Amalfitano, a career in numbers in planned.

He said, “I think I am definitely going to want to major in accounting in college. I enjoy the numbers behind it, and I find a lot of enjoyment in the field. I think I have always been looking for a way that my number skills could be useful in the real world. Being able to help people financially through my skills is a dream of mine that I have always wanted to pursue. And I would just like to thank all the teachers and my business teachers at Hanover Park. Without them, I do not think I would have been able to get as far as I did in the competition.”

New Jersey Gymnast Crowned US National Champion

BY MEGAN ROCHE STAFF WRITER

AREA - Hezly Rivera, a 17 year old gymnast from Oradell, has earned herself another accolade: USA Gymnastics 2025 National Champion.

Rivera, who most notably competed as the youngest member of Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, started gymnastics at the age of five. She had attended a friends birthday party at a local gymnastics facility and fell in love.

While working her way through the ranks, Rivera has had the opportunity to represent the United States internationally at the 2022 DTB Pokal Cup in Germany, the 2023 Junior World Championships in Turkey, the 2024 Jesolo Trophy in Italy, and the 2025 Senior Pan American Championships in Panama.

She was a key member of the 2024 Paris Olympics Women’s Gymnastics team that won a team gold medal. During the National Championship competition in August, Rivera had a strong showing on balance beam, floor exercise, and uneven bars. She was the all-around leader after the first day of competition. Scores from the first day of competition are carried over to the second day and after the second round of

competition, both days scores are added together for the final outcome.

Rivera earned the all-around win with a final score of 112.000 to claim victory. It is her first senior national championship title. She is the youngest champion since 2017. “It means the world to me to take this national championship title home because I have worked so hard for this. It was not easy coming back after the Olympics. I took some time off, but did so much work in the gym, blood, sweat, and tears, so I am just so grateful that I am here today,” Rivera said in an NBC Sports interview after her win.

She also earned individual championship title on floor exercise and balance beam. She is a co-champion on the uneven bars alongside Skye Blakely, a University of Florida gymnast.

Along with winning the championship title, Rivera also earned herself a spot on the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team, where she will be given opportunities to compete to represent the United States on the international competition circuit.

Her next stop will be a training and evaluation camp for a spot on the U.S. Gymnastics World Championship team. The World Championship competition will take place in Indonesia in October.

Daniel Amalfitano wins first place in the Accounting 1 category (credit: FBLA)

Hezly Rivera receives her medal atop the podium at U.S. Gymnastics Championships in August. (John Cheng/USA Gymnastics)

Texas Couple Celebrates 56 Years of Marriage by Reflecting on their Special Jersey Days

BY STEVE SEARS STAFF WRITER

AREA - Maybe Denis My-

ers had it all planned when in the mid 1960s he approached Michele Cherello between classes in the conservatory of Madison’s Bayley-Ellard High School and asked to borrow her poetry book for English class.

Denis said, “I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and the only way I could think of to get her attention was to borrow a book. I knew that we would have to meet again after that.”

“We were juniors,” Michele recalled. “I thought this tall, lanky guy was very cute and had a great sense of humor. He also had sophisticated taste in music and literature. We were seated at the same table at the Girls Athletic Association Winter formal, and he was so entertaining that was it for me. I knew he was the one!”

Denis and Michele Meyers recently celebrated 56 years of marriage. She was from Morristown, and he was born in and living in the Midwest prior to moving to Chatham.

Michele said, “Morristown was a great place to grow up in the 60s. After we took the bus from high school in Madison, kids would often go to the Colonial on South Street off the Green in the middle of Morristown and then hung out at Graymat’s, a record store listening to music. Then we would walk around town and window shop at Epstein’s, a beautiful department store that is now long gone. Kids with driver’s licenses would cruise around the square and we would meet up with kids from Morristown High. At night, kids loved to drive to Sip & Sup in Morris Plains where the waitresses wore roller skates and brought food right to your car. A novelty at the time.”

Denis said regarding becoming a Jerseyan, “It was quite a culture shock for me –East Coast kids seemed a lot more sophisticated. By the time I got to high school, I had eliminated my Midwestern accent.”

After they met and started dating, the duo was inseparable. Post graduation from Bayley-Ellard in 1965, Michele went off to The College of St. Mary of the Springs in Ohio, and Denis got a job in the mailroom at Chubb & Son, Inc., in Short Hills while attending Fairleigh Dickinson University at night. He and Michele kept in touch by mail, sometimes writing to each other twice a day. But of course, both were very unhappy with their separation and looked forward to holidays and the summer when they could be together again.

Denis applied and was accepted at DeSales University in Pennsylvania and, ironical-

ly enough, when he headed to Pennsylvania for college in the fall of 1966, Michele and he crossed paths, she transferring home to attend Fairleigh Dickinson.

However, they were now just 90 minutes from each other.

“I was home almost every weekend so we could be together,” Denis remembered. “Michele graduated from FDU in June 1969, and we were married in August.”

Denis vividly recalled having to ask Michele’s Dad, Michael Cherello, for her hand in marriage.

“Now, Mr. Cherello was an imposing guy,” Denis said regarding his future father-inlaw. “He was a middle-school Principal with a Ph.D. He was a veteran of World War II and Korea and had attended Catholic University in Washington where he was captain of their

last All-American football team. I was extremely nervous when we sat down privately in their television den but finally blurted out my wish to marry his daughter. He acted very serious and stern but did not keep that up for long, and graciously welcomed me into his family.”

Pastor Stephen Conti and Fr. Edward Callahan officiated as Denis and Michele were married on August 2, 1969, at As-

sumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Morristown. Michele said, “We had a large wedding party, and all the bridesmaids wore white with light green sashes. One-hundred and sixty family, friends and relatives attended the reception at the Florham Park Country Club (now the Park Savoy). There was a lovely cocktail hour with ice sculptures and hot and cold hors

d’oeuvres, followed by a sitdown dinner in the flower filled main ballroom with an orchestra and dancing. It was a magical evening and an elegant event. Our first dance was to the ‘Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet,’ a popular film at the time.”

Denis said of that August day, “Michele was the eldest PLEASE SEE 56 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, PAGE 5

Denis and Michele Meyers after being wed on August 2, 1969. courtesy of Denis and Michele Meyers.

Garden Club of Florham Park

BY SHELIA DWYER AND JENNY ASRAL GUEST WRITERS

FLORHAM PARK - The Gar-

den Club of Florham Park held its last meeting of the spring, and a picnic dinner at the home of Tricia Lindridge Ingber on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. There was a ceremony to install the new officers for 2025/2026 and a member-prepared buffet supper was served. The following officers were installed: President – Jenny Asral. Vice president – Diane Tortorello.

Tricia Lindridge Ingber - President/Vice President, Chris Murray - President/ Vice President , Jerri Bonosky

Get 1

Ingber(President),

- Secretary, and Tracy Hunt –Treasurer.

The Garden Club would like to thank all those who supported our plant and rummage sale in May. Proceeds are used for the planting and maintenance of the gardens at the Florham Park Community Pool and Carolyn‘s Garden, located in front of the Community Center.

Look for members of the club, watering and weeding throughout the summer!

The Garden Club of Florham Park opens its 2025/2026 season with a ‘Welcome Back’ picnic dinner in September. Regular meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month, in the Akhoury Room of the Florham Park Library. Our meetings often feature guest speakers, including Master Gardeners, covering a variety of garden-related topics. To join, or for more informations, please email Jenny Asral at gcflorhampark@gmail.com.

56 Years of Marriage...

daughter and the first to be married in the Cherello family, so the wedding could not be anything but large. The wedding party was filled with her sisters, cousins, and brother. I had to stretch to find enough guys to match up with all those bridesmaids!”

After being wed, Denis still had to complete his senior year in school, so he and Michele rented a house near his campus after Michele got a job at Bell Labs in Allentown. Denis graduated in June 1970 and was hired by his alma mater as Alumni Coordinator and Assistant Director of Development, while Michele got a job teaching with the Diocese of Allentown. The couple were Pennsylvania residents from 1972 to 2016. Denis spent five years at DeSales University before working for the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA) for over 38 years. After their three sons were born, Michele left

her teaching job, opting to stay home while they were young. Eventually she joined the Lehigh County Department of Corrections as Administrative Assistance to the Director.

The couple, now retired, resides in Hutto, Texas. The Meyers have 3 sons – Joshua, Christopher, and Alexander - and 3 grandsons with whom the love to spend time. They also enjoy traveling, and that includes heading back to the Garden

State every year to spend two weeks on Long Beach Island. It has been a wonderful journey.

Michele said, “Denis and I were so fortunate to have found each other at such a young age. And we cherish the memories of our lovely wedding!”

“I found someone I could really relate to,” Denis said. “She became more than my girlfriend. She became my best friend.”

Denis and Michele Meyers, best friends and husband and wife for 56 years. courtesy of Denis and Michele Meyers.

Pictured, L to R, are previous officers Jerri Bonosky(Secretary), Chris Murray(Vice President), Tricia Lindridge

with current president, Jenny Asral. (Not pictured, Tracy Hunt, Treasurer)

Pictured L to R, are the 2025/26 officers: Diane Tortorello (Vice President), Beth Margerison (Treasurer), and Jenny Asral (President). (Not pictured, Nancy Shaikh, Secretary).

AREA - It was 2a.m. on Sunday, July 30, 1916, on the New Jersey waterfront. The dockworkers were choking with high humidity. The temperature was predicted to go to 85 degrees. It was already 77 degrees with a threat of rain later in the morning.

After midnight, a series of small fires were discovered on the pier. Some guards fled, fearing an explosion. Others attempted to fight the fires and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department.

Suddenly at 2:08 am there was an explosion. What took place was a colossal earsplitting ground shaking glass, breaking explosion.

The second and larger explosion occurred around 2:40 am. A notable location for second explosion was around the Johnson Barge No. 17, The explosion created a detonation wave that traveled at 24,000 feet per second with enough force to lift firefighters out of their boots and into the air.

Black Tom – A Formula for Disaster

Property damage from the attack was estimated at $20,000,000 (equivalent to about $578,000,000 in 2024).

On the island, the explosion destroyed more than one hundred railroad cars, thirteen warehouses, and left a 375-by175-foot crater at the source of the explosion

Black Tom was used to store small arms and artillery ammunition were stored at the depot in freight cars and on barges, including several tons of TNT on Johnson Barge No. 17. All were waiting to be shipped to Russia.

The blast occurred on Black Tom island a misnomer for a mile-long pier on a land fill forming a peninsula that at one-time jutted out from Jersey City into the Hudson River opposite Manhattan.

The New York Times said, “At least one-million people, maybe five million, heard and were shaken by the explosion that shook New Jersey from the shore to the skyscrapers on the rock foundations of Manhattan. It tossed people out of their beds, miles away, while thousands of broken windows posed another threat close to home.”

United States had remained neutral to the war going on in Europe. The government was aware of spies and did their best to ferret them out and bring them to justice, but in those days, the German spies were smart and few were ever caught.

As smoke began to fill the air, Captain Alfred T. Clifton, of the U.S. Army Signal Corps ordered the alarm sounded, and soon women and children were evacuated to the local parade ground, near the base of the Statue of Liberty.

As the civilians made their

Large chunks of debris from the explosion traveled long distances: some lodged in the Statute of Liberty, and other fragments lodged in the clock tower of The Jersey City Journal Building, in Journal Square, more than one mile away, stopping the clock at 2:12 am. The explosion was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale and was felt as far away as Philadelphia. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. Some window panes in Times Square were shattered. The stained glass windows in St Patrick’s Cathedral were destroyed. The outer wall of Jersey City Hall was cracked and the Brooklyn Bridge was shaken. People as far away as Maryland were awakened by what they thought was an earthquake.

way to the designated safety zone, another explosion sounded, one even larger and far more devastating. This explosion came from a warehouse where an arsenal of military weapons, explosives, and other material were stored.

The force of this explosion sent shrapnel from the shells, bullets and debris, along with glass and wood from the building, plummeting down on the island, causing significant damage to the island and its structures. The shockwave from this blast was so intense, the force pushed the torch-bearing arm of the Statue of Liberty against the crown, damaging its internal framework.

When the smoke cleared later that morning, investigators and emergency personnel found all the island’s 17 buildings were seriously damaged. Glass and other debris covered the streets. Several people including women and children suffered serious trauma, and tragically, six adults and a 19-weekold baby lost their lives.

This left the U.S. government with a seemingly colossal task at the time—identify who was responsible, and how it could have happened in a relatively small, quiet community.

One of the largest obstacles was the lack of resources and structure to handle this kind of event. There were no organizations in place to investigate what appeared to be a terrorist attack on U.S. civilians.

While World War I was raging in Europe, at the time of the attack the United States was officially neutral in the conflict. As such, there were few national security laws and protocol in place to handle this type of event, and the ones that existed were vague. There was nothing like the international

intelligence agencies that operate today who would have normally been equipped to investigate what looked like crime.

The Bureau of Investigation, which later became the FBI, initially led the investigation trying to back-track into the events at Black Tom. But, partially due to its lack of resources, negligeable experience, and small size at the time (only around 260 members with a few scattered offices). Progress was at a snail’s pace, painfully slow. But people wanted to know who was responsible and punish the culprits.

There was speculation among locals and authorities that the Black Tom explosion had been simply a tragic accident. Just five years earlier, in 1911, a discarded cigarette had caused a similar explosion in Jersey City Harbor when it landed in a container of explosives being unloaded by dockworkers. Due to the mysterious nature of the Black Tom incident, to many observers it seemed to be the likely cause.

This attack was one of many during the German sabotage campaign against the neutral United States, and it contributed to the shift of public opinion against Germany, which eventually resulted in American President Woodrow Wilson’s declaration of war against Germany.

The Russian government sued the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company operating the Black Tom terminal on grounds that lax security (there was no entrance gate; and the territory was unlit) permitted the loss of their ammunition. It was argued that due to the failure to deliver them the manufacturer was obliged by the contract to replace them.

After the war, the Lehigh Valley Railroad, sought

damages against Germany by the Treaty of Berlin from the German American Mixed Claims Commission. The Mixed Claims Commission declared in 1939 that Imperial Germany had been responsible and awarded $50 million (the largest claim) in damages, which Nazi Germany refused to pay. The issue was finally settled in 1953 for $95 million (interest included) with the Federal Republic of Germany.

The final payment was made in 1979.

The Statue of Liberty’s torch was closed to the public after the explosion, due to structural damage. Access was not opened even after the 1984-1986 restoration which included repairs to the arm and installation of a new gold-plated copper torch.

German spies like Kurt Jahnke, worked as an intelligence advisor to Walter Schellenberg, a German functionary during the Nazi era. Schellenberg and his wife were captured by Soviet agents in April 1945 .

After World War II, Jahnke a naturalize American citizen set up the “Jahnke Büro”, an intelligence organization although it was eventually dissolved by April 1945. Jahnke was arrested by the Soviet Union in 1950. Kurt Jahnke was put on trial as a spy, found guilty, and executed the same day.

Lother Witzke was arrested at the Mexican border on February 1, 1918, near No-

gales, Arizona. Officials did not prosecute for the bombing but prosecuted him as a spy. A military court at Fort Sam Houston found him guilty of espionage and sentenced him to death by hanging. While in custody, he tried to escape twice, once succeeding, but he was recaptured the same day. On November 2, 1918, Witzke’s death sentence was approved by the Department Commander. However, he was not executed because of the November Armistice. In May 1920, President Woodrow Wilson commuted Witzke’s sentence to life in prison. In September 1923, Witzke, because of heroic conduct in prison and pressure for his release by the Weimar Republic, was pardoned by President Calvin Cooledge and deported to Germany. Upon his arrival, Witzke was awarded the Iron Cross First and Second Class, by the Reichswehr. Witzke later joined the Abwehr, and after World War II, lived in Hamburg. He was a monarchist who represented the German in the Hamburg Parliament from 1949 to 1952. Witzke died in 1961.

Landfill projects eventually incorporated Black Tom into Liberty State Park. Nothing remains of the munition’s depot with the Black Tom peninsula and all traces of physical damage are gone. A plaque marks the site where an explosion rocked the nation.’

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Essex Fells Presenting the Requiem in D

AREA - The St. Peter’s Choir will join with the Caldwell University Choir and the Choir of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church, West Orange to present the Requiem in D minor by Gabriel Fauré on Sunday, November 2 at 4 p.m., conducted by Mark Trautman and featuring award-winning baritone Kevin Johnson. A small chamber ensemble will accompany the work.

We begin rehearsals in September, and interested members of the community are welcome to sing.

The “Commemoration of All Faithful Departed” commonly called “All Souls,” has been celebrated on November 2 for centuries. We will remember those who have gone before us during a this public service of thanksgiving that will include an opportunity for the names of the departed to be read during the service. We welcome the communi-

ty to enter into the music and prayers, and to give thanks for the blessings of the saints who have gone before us, the saints among us, and the saints yet to come. The event is free and everyone is welcome; a reception will follow.

Mark Trautman is Director of Music and Administrator at St Peter’, aprofessional church musician since his teens, he has a broad range of experience building and strengthening music programs and developing congregational song. He is an award-winning organist, and has performed throughout the United States, England, and Germany. He has been described as a “clear and communicative conductor” by Classical New Jersey, and he has conducted at the State Theatre and George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark. He has also been a featured organist on CNN and

Minor by Gabriel Fauré on Nov. 2

New Jersey Public Television. Mr. Trautman earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organ performance and church music with honors and distinction from Towson University in Baltimore and Westminster Choir College in Princeton and studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, Germany. He served for 11 years at Music Director of St. Paul’s, Englewood, where founded the award-winning St. Paul’s Choir School. Prior to that, he served Christ Church in New Brunswick for 17 years, and is responsible for commissioning their unique Richards, Fowkes & Company mechanical action pipe organ and developing a full time, multi-generational choral program and an award-winning concert series. His choruses have sung onstage with the award-winning ensemble The Chieftains and Kristen Chenoweth. He is in demand as a teacher, conductor, consultant, and guest lecturer, and has served as an adjudicator for events sponsored by the American Choral Directors’ Association, the American Guild of Organists, and the New Jersey Folk Festival.

with Ember, the Schola Repertory Singers, and the select Schola Sing Solo! of Schola Cantorum on Hudson for over 10 years including performances in the chorus with the NY Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She has performed in concerts and recitals in Ohio, Vermont, and the New York Metropolitan area specializing in the music of women composers.

Dr. Greenwald earned her DMA from the Manhattan

School of Music, her BME from Baldwin-Wallace College, and an MM in Voice Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. She is the choir director at the Church of the Holy Innocents in West Orange and the proud mother of trumpeter, Andrew Strom.

Kevin Johnson, bass, is a native of Hackensack. He has performed with the Repertory Opera Theater of Washington, Atlanta Opera, DaCorneta Opera, Maryland Lyric Opera,

Love Is The Key To Heaven’s Door, And Forgiveness Is The Force That Unlocks The Bolt

BY RICHARD MABEY, JR. STAFF WRITER

Sr and Lou, Jr

Laura Greenwald is the Music Department Chair and Director of Vocal Studies at Caldwell University where she teaches voice, Women in Music, Music and the Arts, and directs the University Chorale and Opera/Music Theatre Workshop. She directed the Caldwell University Concert Series for twenty years, presenting professional concerts and recitals to the community, and prepared the University Chorale as the chorus for the Garden State Opera for seven seasons. The Chorale performs at all University masses and has performed in concerts with other choirs at Carnegie Hall, Princeton University Chapel, and on campus. In 2011, Dr. Greenwald was honored to receive the Caldwell College Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Greenwald sang

AREA - Now at 71 and fighting an advanced case of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, I have thought more and more about what Heaven is like. Jesus of Nazareth told us that there are many mansions in Heaven. I think that Heaven is a vast place, with many places and nooks and crannies. I want to be reverent and respectful here. My main point is that death is not something to fear, but rather to be looked upon as simply entering another room. As if you are simply walking from your kitchen to your living room.

God blessed me with a kind, patient, loving mother, and a strong, hard working, practical father. I grew up in a Christian home and began attending Sunday School at the age of three. In my early childhood, my mother would read me Bible stories, before I fell asleep at night.

I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Heaven is a real place. And, our life does not end when the heart stops breathing and the lungs stop taking in air. Death is nothing to be feared. But, it is important to prepare for one’s passing, in both practical ways and in spiritual ways.

Having recently been to a few doctors and gone through even more cardiac tests and procedures, my doctors have

told me that my heart has gotten worse in the past year or so. As the chest pains increase, in both degrees of discomfort and frequency, I find myself more and more preparing for my own journey to cross over from this physical world to the Heavenly World. My two basic elements of preparation, for this journey, lie in reading the Holy Bible more and more and in praying with more focus and concentration.

I believe love is the key to opening the door to Heaven’s Gate. And, as a corollary to this poetic image, forgiveness is the force that unlocks the bolt to Heaven’s Gate.

If you are faced with a terminal illness, please do not panic and allow your heart to

be filled with dreaded anxieties. Take time to read the holy scriptures of your faith. Pray, pray and pray for God to bring comfort to your heart and wash away any and all anxieties that may be plaguing your heart and mind. Please know that this universe was not created by accident, but rather by an Infinite Wisdom that is far beyond our human comprehension to fully understand. Please know that God loves you, more than you will ever know.

Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He has had two books published. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@ gmail.com.

Lyric Opera of Chicago, HUB opera, Center for Contemporary Opera and Bel Cantanti Opera. He earned degrees in music at Morehouse College, The Chicago Conservatory of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He is the bass section leader at St. Peter’s in Essex Fells.

My late parents, Richard Sr. and Janet Mabey, taught me from a very young age that God loves me more than I will ever know. My mother was a kind and gentle woman who read Bible stories to me every night, when I was a little boy. My father was a stong, hard-working man. Dad taught me the prevalence of God’s love in the wooded forest, in our many hikes together upon the Appalachian Trail.

The Transistor – the Tiny Giant That Changed the World

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN

AREA - In 1936, Mervin J. Kelly, then director of research at Bell Laboratories (Bell Labs) and later their president told William Shockley a young physicist working in the vacuum tube department that it was his belief that telephone exchanges would work better and faster if they were electronic.

Around this time, engineers at American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) realized that vacuum-tube circuits could not keep pace with the growing demand for increased phone call capacity due to their poor reliability and large power requirements. Kelly assigned Shockley to explore semiconductor technology as a replacement for vacuum tubes.

With that information, Shockley began tinkering with the notion of adapting electronic techniques to switching and began exchanging ideas with Walter Brattain, and John Bardeen all, young Bell physicists whose special interest was copper oxide rectifiers. The problem was that the use of electronics in switching would require an amplifier better than the vacuum tube which required too much power and generated too much heat.

The hunt for a better amplifier started with Shockley, and a Bell Telephone Laboratories program of basic research on solid-state physics in 1936. That research eventually produced a replacement for the vacuum tube in the 1950s and eventually gave us integrated circuits and microprocessors. It spawned a huge semiconductor industry generating hundreds of billions in sales. The fruit of their conversations in December 1939 was what Shockley called “in principle a sound concept of a semi-conductor amplifier” or what was to become known as a transistor.

Shockley and the other physicists continued their ex-

periments for the next two months, but the early results were not encouraging, and their energies were redirected to the World War II efforts. They resumed their experiments after the war.

However, behind this story of invention is one of collaborative genius, serendipitous mishaps, and secret research. We’ll look back on this period that launched the serious study of solid-state devices. We’ll also look at the early history of vacuum tubes and transistor development.

The transistor, revolutionized electronics and paved the way for modern computing, communication, and countless technologies we rely on today.

Lee de Forest was an electrical engineer and the self-described “Father of Radio” and a pioneer in the development of sound-on-film recording used for motion pictures. He had over 300 patents, but also a tumultuous career; boasting that he made (then lost) four fortunes. He was also involved in several major patent lawsuits and spent a large part of his income on legal bills.

His most famous invention in 1908 was the three-element “audion” (triode) vacuum tube: the first practical amplification device. That would lead to the transistor. These made radio broadcasting and long-distance telephone lines possible.

Although de Forest had only a limited understanding of how it worked, it became the foundation of electronics, making possible radio broadcasting, local and long-distance telephone calls, and talking motion pictures.

My attention to electronics began at an early age when I received a basic radio kit called a Crystal Radio, from my parents.

A good antenna and ground were needed for reception.

My crystal radio employed a galena crystal with a “cat’s whisker” for detection, a homemade coil with slider for tuning, and headphones. This common circuit did not use a tuning capacitor but used the capacitance of the antenna to form the tuned circuit with the coil.

As a young engineer with New York Telephone, I was present for the last gasp of the mechanical switching techniques used to allow a subscriber to make local and long-distance calls. I went to work when the mechanical switching techniques of the “Cross Bar 1” office (c 1938) which at the time I joined had more than 20 - years in service.

The switching of subscriber calls in the network involved the operation of hundreds of relays to advance the 24 and 48 volt Direct Current for operating voltages needed in the network. The challenge was to make sure that the relays which collectively amounted to thousands of contact points passed through the network. Any carbon deposits created by the relays halted the call until the carbon deposits were burnished off the relay contacts.

The next step was the introduction of “Cross Bar 5” which introduced IBM-type punch cards. They did little to speed up the call and nothing to ease the heavy maintenance required. That would be the job of the transistor.

The invention of semiconductor devices made it possible to produce solid-state electronic devices, which are smaller, safer, cooler, and more efficient, reliable, durable, and economical than thermionic tubes.’

On December 16, 1947, William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter H. Brattain, all Bell Laboratories engineers, in Murray Hill, New Jersey

invented the electrical device known as the transistor. For this, they were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics.

Beginning in the mid1960s, thermionic tubes were being replaced by the transistor. However, the cathode-ray tube (CRT), functionally an electron tube/valve although not usually so named, remained in use for electronic visual displays in television receivers, computer monitors, and oscilloscopes until the early 21st century,when flat screens became available.

The transistor could manipulate external electrical current through controlling creating and amplifying them.

The transistor is widely considered the greatest invention of the 20th century because the introduction of semiconductors sparked a revolution in electronics on par with that of steel in the Industrial Revolution.

Using improved semiconductor materials developed for radar detectors during the war, Shockley experimented with a field-effect amplifier, similar in concept to those patented by other scientists, but had failed to work.

By the early 1950s advancements in semiconductor devices made it possible to develop solid-state electronics like the transistor ,smaller, cooler, more efficient, and more reliable than vacuum tubes. Despite this, cathode-ray tubes remained essential for visual displays in televisions and computer monitor into the 21st century.

Advancements in semiconductor devices made it possible to develop solid-state electronics—smaller, cooler, more efficient, and more reliable than vacuum tubes. Never the less, the cathode-ray tubes remained essential for visual displays in televisions and monitors into the 21st century.

On December 16, 1947, their research culminated in a successful semiconductor amplifier. The germanium crystal they had set up in contact with two wires two thousandths of an inch apart began to amplify a signal forty times. The “transistor effect” had been discovered.

On December 23 they demonstrated their device to Bell Lab officials and in June 1948, Bell Labs publicly announced the revolutionary solid-state device they called a “transistor.”

Life would not be as we know it, without the transistor, which was invented just over seven decades ago. It is considered by researchers and historians leading to groundbreaking advances in computing, communications, medicine, and practically every technically related field. Without it, developments such as the personal computer, cellphones, the GPS system, pacemakers, hearing aids, and the Internet would not exist.

The transistor revolutionized electronics and became the foundation for modern computing, and countless technologies. Its name implies a

“transfer of resistance,” and its development marked a turning point in technological history. The impact of the transistor can be traced through the evolution of integrated circuits, the microprocessor, and the massive growth of the semiconductor industry, which today generates hundreds of billions of dollars in sales.

Bill Gates once said his “first stop on any time-travel expedition would be Bell Labs.” Before transistors, most electronic devices such as computers and radios relied on electronic vacuum tubes. They consisted of electrodes in an evacuated bulb through which an electric current could be passed and controlled. This allowed the tubes to function as amplifiers and switches. Life as we know it would be unimaginable without the transistor. In the more than seven decades since its invention, it has enabled advances in computing, communications, medicine, and nearly every technical field. Personal computers, cellphones, GPS, pacemakers, hearing aids, and the Internet all owe their existence to this tiny, transformative device.

SCCC Offers Free Certificate to Train Community Journalists

AREA - For the second year in a row, SCCC has received a grant to continue offering a FREE Community Journalist Certificate. The training focuses on helping community members develop the skills needed to serve as community journalists, covering community-centered news happening in their hometowns and county. The grant is from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and designed with input from the Journalism + Design department at the New School. The certificate—Becoming a Community Journalist—will be offered at SCCC during the fall semester, from September 23 through November 11. The program will offer a hands-on exploration of how journalism works. Participants will learn the tools needed for understanding the local issues that are affecting them and their neighbors, how to report important stories and make connections with publishers seeking current news and fresh ideas to circulate to their readers and listeners.

perience as a reporter and editor for community newspapers and magazines, as well as publisher of her online publication in her hometown.

Prof. Cheryl Conway will return as the instructor of the certificate course. Conway teaches Journalism I and II at SCCC and has decades of ex-

best

Conway said, “I want the participants to begin thinking like journalists and be prepared to effectively engage with their neighbors and local government. Our aim is to prepare them to become more civically active, get involved in the community media ecosystem and seek the confidence to become a published writer.”

Nancy Gallo, director of the Center for Lifelong Learning, wrote the grant application on

behalf of SCCC and the Center and previously worked as a community reporter covering events in her hometown. As the grant administrator, Gallo said, “We are so appreciative to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities for choosing SCCC as a worthy recipient of this grant.” SCCC was one of only three community colleges statewide chosen to participate.

“We want to train local citizens on how to write news articles and be part of the democratic system of providing information that leads to informed citizens and decisions.”

“This grant promises to have far-reaching and longterm benefits for our county and its citizens,” Gallo added. “The certificate is designed to teach journalism skills and design practices for anyone in greater Sussex County who wants to share stories and information that their communities need to thrive.”

The certificate will be offered in person and online beginning September 23. The in-person workshops will meet 8 consecutive Tuesdays on the SCCC campus from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The online version

of the certificate course is offered asynchronously and will also be taught by Prof. Conway. All participants should be computer-savvy and have access to the internet and email. Students will be expected to type their assignments and turn them in via the online Canvas portal. To register, please send an email to Sierra LoCicero, Academic & Student Affairs Executive Assistant, at slocicero@ sussex.edu and she will assist you with registration. Space is limited and seats are filling quickly, so please contact Sierra today to reserve your spot!

William, Shockley (seated) John Bardeen (left) and Walter Brattain at the Labs in 1948. The three won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1956 for the invention of the transistor in 1948. (Bell Labs photo)

BY DANA JACKSON

Q: Is the series “China Beach” available to stream anywhere? Also, is Dana Delany in anything else right now? I loved that show. -- I.N.

A: Two years ago, TVLine published their list of the 10 most-requested shows not yet available on a major streaming service. One of those was “China Beach,” the Vietnam-Warera drama starring Dana Delany and Marg Helgenberger that aired on ABC from 1988-1991. Since this wish list was posted, six of the shows have been picked up by streamers: “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Knots Landing,” “Moonlighting,” “Sisters,” “Northern Exposure,” and now ... “China Beach!”

Roku’s new ad-free streaming service called Howdy (subscriptions are just $2.99 a month) is the exclusive streamer of “China Beach.” As for Delany, she was a regular on the hit series “Des-

BY DEMI TAVERAS

Celebrity Extra Couch Theater ENTERTAINMENT

“Elio” (PG) -- Pixar’s latest film released earlier this summer in theaters, and although it didn’t turn much of a profit, “Elio” received positive reviews and gives us a break from Pixar’s parent company’s constant remakes. Fifteen-year-old newcomer Yonas Kibreab plays the titular character, while notable names in the cast include Zoe Saldana (“Emilia Perez”) and Jameela Jamil (“Star Trek: Prodigy”). The sci-fi adventure film follows orphan Elio, who doesn’t seem to fit in with the world around him. He longs to be abducted by aliens after wandering into an exhibit on a Voyager 1 spacecraft, and after a brush with bullies, he finally gets his wish. Elio is welcomed

perate Housewives” from 20072012 before starring in another successful drama called “Body of Proof.” She’s also returning for her third season on the hit show “Tulsa King,” which returns to Paramount+ with new episodes beginning on Sept. 21. As for the final four shows that made TVLine’s list two years ago? Fans of “Ed,” “Murphy Brown,” “Chicago Hope,” and “Boston Public” are still hoping that the shows will find their streaming homes, but it’s very likely that the usual obstacles, such as music clearances, are responsible for the delay.

***

Q:I just read that there’s going to be another “Yellowstone” spin-off. Is this in addition to the one with Beth and Rip? I hope that one is still a go. -- S.P.

A:There are at least two new and upcoming “Yellowstone” spin-offs since the flagship se-

into the Communiverse, where aliens from different worlds can speak to each other, and his entire world opens up in a way that he never thought possible. Out now to rent. (Amazon Prime Video)

“Love Island USA: Season 7 Reunion” (TV-MA) -- After a record-breaking season that catapulted the series to the No. 1 original streaming title during its finale (according to Nielsen), the recent “Love Island USA” cast joins hosts Andy Cohen and Ariana Madix to break down everything that went down this season. Of course, there are a few exceptions to who will be joining, like Cierra Ortega, who was kicked off the show after a video resurfaced of

ries from creator Taylor Sheridan ended last December. First up is “Y: Marshals,” where Luke Grimes will reprise his role of Kayce Dutton in his next incarnation as a U.S. marshal. As for a premiere date, Entertainment Weekly reported that the show will begin airing midway through the 2025-26 broadcast season on CBS.

As for Beth and Rip, their love story will continue sometime in 2026 with stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser on their new ranch in Montana. A series title hasn’t been announced, but the the show will air exclusively on Paramount+.

***

Q: Are any of the original cast from “Buffy” going to be in the reboot series? I’ve only heard that Sarah Michelle Gellar is involved in some capacity. -- K.S.

A:While Sarah Michelle Gel-

her saying a racial slur. But this doesn’t mean there won’t be a large supply of drama coming our way in this reunion. Expect the self-pitiful Huda Mustafa, who’s gathered a large social media following since her whiny antics in the villa, and the cutthroat runner-up Olandria Carthen to give us some of the juicy moments we’ve been missing! Premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 25. (Peacock)

“Wednesday: Season 2” (TV-14) -- “Here We Woe Again,” reads the first episode title of the follow-up season to the hit Netflix series “Wednesday,” and it couldn’t be a better teaser of what’s to come. Split into two parts, with the second part premiering on Sept.

lar is expected to appear in the planned sequel series of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” as a mentor to a new young slayer, no other actors from the original series have been announced. I would imagine that several will be asked to reprise their roles in a guest-starring capacity, but the Hulu series is still in its early stages of development.

Ryan Kiera Armstrong has been cast as Nova, the new slayer of Sunnydale. Her credits include “Stick,” “American Horror Story,” and “It Chapter Two.” The series will be produced by Gellar, along with Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (both producers of “Poker Face”) as the showrunners. The pilot episode will be directed by Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”).

Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail. com.

3, the second season picks up as Wednesday returns to Nevermore Academy as a celebrity after having saved the school. A new mystery awaits the reluctant Wednesday after private investigator Carl Bradbury is murdered by “crows.” Stepping

into bigger roles this season are Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, who gets offered to run a fundraising committee for the school, and Wednesday’s brother, Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez), who enrolls as a student at Nevermore. Special recurring

guests this season include Steve Buscemi, Lady Gaga, Anthony Michael Hall, and Christopher Lloyd. Stream the first four episodes now! (Netflix) (c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

Dana Delany as Margaret Deveraux in “Tulsa King”

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+. (c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.

Jenna Ortega, left and Thandiwe Newton star in “Wednesday: Season 2.” Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix.

Christopher Columbus Did Not Discover New Jersey

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN STAFF WRITER

AREA - Christopher Columbus discovered America, but he did not discover New Jersey. That kudo belongs to Giovanni da Verrazzano, who in 1524, was the first European to see the land that one day would become New Jersey

There were probably a few million native human beings living here when Columbus and Verrazzano showed up, so for accuracy we’ll call them explorers who were the first to bring back descriptions of worlds they had found to the Europeans.

Verrazzano was one of the great men of the ages. He was an explorer who, like Copernicus, redefined the shape of the solar system, and Michaelangelo who redefined the image of man. What Verrazzano did was redefine the map of the world. So, what little we know of Verrazzano comes from fragments gathered long after his death. Some historians disagree on where he was born albeit we know when and the cause of his death.

He embarked for the American coast probably in 1508 in the company of Captain Thomas Aubert, on the ship La Pensée. He explored the region of Newfoundland, possibly during a fishing trip, and possibly the St. Lawrence River in Canada; on other occasions, he made numerous voyages to the eastern Mediterranean.

In September 1522, the Magellan expedition returned to Spain, having successfully navigating the world. Now Verrazzano embarked for the American coast. Competition in trade was becoming urgent, especially with Portugal.

French merchants and financiers urged King Francis I of France to establish new trade routes. In 1523, the king asked Verrazzano to explore on France›s behalf an area between Florida and Newfoundland, intending to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.

The expedition was funded by a consortium of Florentine merchants and friends based in Lyon and Rouen. Enough money was raised, with Verrazzano himself contributing as both captain and investor.

Within months, four ships set sail due west for the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, but a violent storm and rough seas caused the loss of two ships. The remaining two damaged ships, La Dauphine and La Normande, were forced to return to Brittany.

Repairs were completed in the final weeks of 1523, and the ships set sail again. This time, the ships headed south toward

Verrazzano was born about 1485 to wealthy and cultured parents south of Florence, the capital and main city of the Republic of Florence. Verrazzano was an explorer living in France. He led most of his later expeditions, including the one to America, in the service of King Francis I of France. He is renowned as the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between Florida and New Brunswick in 1524, In contrast to his detailed account of his voyages to North America, little is definitively known about his personal life. After 1506, he settled in the port of Dieppe, Kingdom of France, where he began his career as a navigator.

calmer waters under Spanish and Portuguese control.

After a stop in Madeira, complications forced La Normande back to home port, but Verrazzano’s ship La Dauphin departed on January 17, 1524, and headed once more for the North American continent.

It a letter to Francis I, Verrazzano described by historians as the Cèllere Codex, one of three surviving copies of a manuscript letter sent by Verrazzano to King Francis 1 of France. Verrazzano wrote that he was convinced that it was the beginning of the Pacific Ocean from which access could be gained to China.

Continuing to explore the coast further northwards, Verrazzano and his crew met Native people living on the coast. However, he did not notice the entrances to the Chesapeake Bay or the mouth of the Delaware River.

In New York Bay, he encountered about 30Lenape canoes with friendly inhabitants and observed what he deemed to be a large lake but was really the entrance to the Hudson River. He then sailed along Long Island and entered Narragansett Bay, where he received a delegation of Wampanoag and Narragansett people.

He discovered Cape Cod is one of three surviving copies of a manuscript letter sent by Giovanni da Verrazzano (1481–1528) in 1524 to King Francis I his claim being proven by a map of 1529 that clearly outlined Cape Cod. He named the cape after a general, calling it Pallavicino. He then followed the coast up to modern Maine, southeastern Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, and he then

returned to France by July 8, 1524. Verrazzano named the region Francesca in honor of the French king, but his brother’s map labelled it Nova Gallia (New France).

Verrazzano arranged a second voyage, with financial support from those who knew him well. The exposition departed from Dieppe with four ships early in 1527. One ship was separated from the others in a gale near the Cape Verde Islands. Still, Verrazzano reached the coast of Brazil with two ships and harvested a cargo of brazilwood before returning to Dieppe in September. The third ship returned later, also with a cargo of brazilwood.

The partial success did not find the desired passage to the Pacific Ocean, but it inspired Verrazzano’s final voyage, which left Dieppe in early 1528.

There are conflicting accounts of Verrazzano’s death. In one version, during his third voyage to North America in 1528, after he had explored Florida, the Bahamas, and the Lesser Antilles, Verrazzano anchored out to sea and rowed ashore, probably on the island of Guadeloupe. He was allegedly killed and eaten by the native Caribs. The fleet of three ships was anchored out of gunshot range, and no one could respond in time.

A 1527 map by Visconte Maggiolo showing the east coast of North America with “Tera Florida” at top right and Labrador at bottom left. The information supposedly came from Giovanni da Verrazzano’s voyage in 1524.

The geographic information derived from this voyage signifi-

cantly influenced sixteenth-century cartographers. Despite his discoveries, Verrazzano’s reputation did not spread as well as other explorers of that era. For example, Verrazzano gave the European name Francesca to the new land that he had seen, in accordance with contemporary practices, after the French king in whose name he sailed. That and other names he bestowed on features he discovered have not survived. He had the misfortune of making significant discoveries shortly after the years (1519 to 1521) that the dramatic Conquest of the Aztec Empire and the first circumnavigation of the world occurred.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a great debate in the United States about the authenticity of the letters that Verrazzano ostensibly wrote to Francis I describing the geography, flora, fauna, and native population of the east coast of North America. Others thought that they were authentic, since the discovery of the Cèllere Codex in 1909. This is the most widely held opinion today particularly after the discovery of a letter signed by Francis I, which referred to Verrazzano›s letter.

Verrazzano’s reputation was partially obscured in New York City, where the 1609 voyage of

Henry Hudson on behalf of the Dutch Republic came to be regarded as the de facto start of European exploration of New York

Estêvão Gomes’s trip of 1524 was also forgotten. It was only by a real effort of the Italian American community in 1909, and then in the 1940s and 1950s that Verrazzano’s name and reputation were reestablished as the European discoverer of the harbor, culminating in initiative to name the newly built Narrows bridge after him.

Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is a long-span suspension bridge spanning New York Harbor from Brooklyn to Staten Island, built from 1959 to 1964. The bridge was an exceptionally expensive engineering project largely because of the problem of land acquisition. Its total cost was more than $325 million. It is the longest suspension bridge in the United States and the 17th longest in the world. This author completed two New York City Marathons each having the starting point on the Staten Island side of the bridge. The most alarming part of the race was having thousands of runners pounding the concrete bridge and feeling the bridge sway like waves raising from the concrete.

Local Pet Sitter Turns Writing Pastime into Published Novel

BY STEFANIE SEARS STAFF WRITER

AREA - Nancy Genung has a lot of various interests. She is best known for her full-time passion, a pet sitting business called Nancy’s Critter Sitters, which has been in operation for about 40 years. Now, Genung has decided to explore a new venture. The local hometown hero (as referred to by her publicist Joseph A. Federico of JFederico Marketing and Anchors To Dusk Publishing, LLC due to her presence in her community) has debuted her first novel in January 2024 and just completed a brief summer book signing tour with stops at East Hanover, Millburn, and Morristown.

Described as a combination of “The Sopranos” and 50 Shades of Grey without the kinkiness, Cousins – Where Loyalty and Betrayal Collide: An Italian Family Drama Meets the Jersey Mob centers on New Jersey Italian close cousins Christopher and Giuseppe Ya-

cenda whose lives are upended by a falling out and the mob. They take opposite paths in life: one for construction, the other for destruction. The question is, will this New Jersey family ever make amends?

Genung has a background in the police department and emergency medical services. She currently works in the records department for the East Hanover Police Department and has been a member of the department since the 1980s when she first served as a Special Police Officer. It was this background that inspired her tale. She heard a bunch of stories throughout her career, especially one rather unique one.

“There was a story about how we had a case that was going to court and the defendants were fighting with each other,” says Genung. “There were two people that were fighting with each other, and when they went to court, one of the guys saw

the other defendant’s car and he decided to throw a bucket of crap into his car.”

A highlight of Genung’s novel is that one cousin does this to the other’s Jaguar.

“That story is not something you hear every day. So I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to stick that in the back of my mind.’”

But interestingly, Genung does not have any Italian roots herself. Her surrounding influences is what helped her develop the dynamics of her characters. There is so much accuracy that people have told her that it felt like she wrote about their own families.

“In the town that I grew up in, which is East Hanover, it was 98% Italian when I was growing up. I happened to be part of that 2% that was not. I kind of learned all the Italian stuff from all my friends. Every single one of them are Italian, loving, warm. So that’s the atmosphere of the Italian

background and family. Family tightness is where I got the idea.”

This is actually Genung’s first writing attempt. She initially treated it like a hobby jotting down different ideas and it has now expanded to a more full-fledged endeavor.

“It was like taking me out of reality and putting me in like a fantasy world. These thoughts would come and it was just taking a break from everyday routine. It was more exciting to sit down behind the keyboard and just forget about whatever was going on. That’s what really kept me going. It took me approximately seven years to do this book. I had a big gap in between work. I would write down all these ideas and it started to flow. So as it started to flow, I got more interest. Those couple of years in between where I had no thought about the book, I just let it go, and then all of a sudden, came

Why is Washington D.C. the Capital and Not Trenton?

BY HENRY M. HOLDEN

WRITER

AREA - Did you know that Trenton was at one point the capitol of the United States?

Philadelphia was also under consideration along with New York City. How did the country end up with Washington DC?

After the Revolutionary War, Trenton was the capital of the United States from November and December of 1784. Many of the residents thought the city should be considered as a permanent capital.

The Founding Fathers were debating fundamental rights and the relationship between protections of liberty and the separation of powers. On the agenda was whether the capital of the new United States should remain in New Jersey. Many delegates favored New Jersey with access to the Delaware River just outside Trenton.

The Continental Congress met in Trenton in November and December of 1783. Trenton was a permanent capital, by some of its residence but the southern states favored a location further south.

But for providence, the Garden State would today be the home of the capital. It would have the Trenton Monument, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and everything we associate with Washington D.C.

How did the Nation’s capital end up in Washington D.C.?

There is a saying in real state, that “Its location, location, location.” But it is not al-

ways the best location. Trenton was not an easy city to reach for anyone. Today, a typical trip from Trenton to Washington takes about two hours on the Acella high- speed train. The trip is about three and one-half hours by car on a light traffic day. Imagine the trip in the transportation of the day, horseback or horse and buggy. Things moved very slowly in those days.

Several factors played a role in Philadelphia’s consideration. Philadelphia was geographically centrally located among the original thirteen states. Congress was in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence had been signed there, and the Articles of Confederation were drafted there. Philadelphia was also the center of the “nationalist” faction: Merchants and investors wanted a strong national government that could insure a stable economy. Having just fought a war against a central government most delegates wanted the power to reside instead with the individual states. Philadelphia had roughly 30,000 residents. But in the eighteenth century, Philadelphia would look like a giant megalopolis, and likely the largest city in the English-speaking world.

Trenton was preferred by New England and other northern states as a permanent capital for the U.S., but the southern states prevailed in their

choice of a location south of the Mason–Dixon line.

At the time, Newark was not seriously looked on as a candidate since it was referred to as a township, not a city. It wasn’t incorporated as a city until 1836.

In October 1783, many delegates voted to build the national’s capital on the New Jersey site. But the southern delegates refused to concede the issue and threatened to block the two-thirds vote necessary to appropriate the funds to build the new capital combined with the nationalists who wanted to move back to Philadelphia and build two capitals.

To break the stalemate Congress voted a few weeks later to repeal the earlier decision and build two capitals, one on the Potomac River and one on the Delaware River. The government would spend half a year in each.

Proposals came in from states and towns across the country to be host. The town of Kingston, New York, was the first with an offer of a square mile of land. The state of Maryland offered 300 acres in Annapolis, including existing government buildings and the promise of building thirteen official residences for the delegates from the states.

It was further decided that until construction was completed Congress would alternate between Annapolis, Maryland and Trenton, New Jersey.

A Warriors Story: The Life and Legacy of Jamie Smith

BY MEGAN ROCHE STAFF WRITER

AREA - In A Warrior’s Story, you’ll meet and learn about all the sides of Jamie Smith. Smith was a West Morris Central (WMC) High School graduate who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving as a US Army Ranger during the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. You’ll hear from Jamie’s former teachers, his Army Ranger battle buddies, and how his legacy still lives on to this day in the halls of WMC. This series will be an on-going feature in the months ahead.

While Jamie has been gone for over two decades, his Long Valley legacy has remained. It was only in 2019 that the state of New Jersey put together legislation to remember him. In 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that designates every October 3 as Corporal Jamie Smith Day.

“Sergeant Pilla and Corporal Smith served our country courageously and selflessly, protecting the people of our nation,” said Governor Murphy in a 2019 interview. “It is my honor to sign this legislation and recognize the incredible service and sacrifice of these two heroic individuals.”

Locally in Long Valley, the road leading to the Long Valley Raiders football field at Rock Spring Park is named Cpl. Jamie Smith Drive. Smith’s name also lives on at Picatinny Arsenal, where there is a building named in his honor.

For Smith’s former teacher Dennis O’Connell, he hopes Jamie’s legacy lives on forever.

“I remember Jamie as a caring selfless young man who loved his Country, loved being of service to others, a team player with a fantastic sense of humor. I hope that people can learn from Jamie’s legacy that he represented the very best character traits in what it means to be an American…. to care for others, to ‘step up’ when others can’t. He was in Somalia originally on a humanitarian mission to stop the warlords from stealing food and starving their own population. Jamie demonstrated the best values of what it meant to

be an American regardless of your faith, your race or your politics….Jamie’s legacy to me…be kind, be caring, step up to help those who can’t help themselves…that was the America that he believed in and died for,” O’Connell said.

Jamie’s story of bravery is told in the 2025 Netflix docuseries, Surviving Black Hawk Down. In the show, you’ll meet some of Jamie’s Army Ranger pals, hear from the doctor who tried to save his life, and more.

For more information on the series, visit Netflix.com.

Two sites had emerged as the favorite. One on the Delaware River near Trenton, and the other on the Potomac River near Georgetown on the Virginia Maryland border

The New Jersey legislature promised to provide #30,000( pounds) to any community in the state that petitioned to become the permanent seat of Congress, and several towns, including, Newark, New Brunswick, and Elizabeth applied.

Congress decided that the best alternative would be to build an entirely new city on vacant land where the government could establish its own laws and authority.

As agreed, to Congress left Princeton for Annapolis in November 1783 and onto Trenton in November of the following year.

At the meeting in Trenton, the delegates began to reconsider the wisdom of their decision. There had been a great deal of criticism of the proposal. “To talk of building cities when they can scarcely furnish money for the paper on which to draw the plans,” wrote one observer “appears to mean something different from wisdom, prudence or policy.”

Other criticisms sarcastically suggested that Congress put sails on government buildings so they could float from city to city. Another said Congress should put Congress on a floating wooden statue of George Washington. Others said build a giant pendulum in the sky that would swing from the Potomac River to the Delaware River.

More serious were reports that European powers were beginning to doubt the stability of the American government. A committee was appointed to pick a site “not more than eight miles above or below the falls of the Delaware.”

Until the capital was completed it was agreed to move the Congress and the government to New York City. Although Trenton had been hos-

pitable, the small country town was too crowded to suit the delegates.

Before progress could be made on building a new capital other matters got in the way. The growing dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation. The nationals were pressing their campaign for a strong government that lead to the celebrated gathering in Philadelphia that produced the Constitution.

Meanwhile, in Congress, the southern delegates were still anxious for a capital on the Potomac and blocked appropriations for construction of one on the Delaware.

Those who favored limited government thought that the dual capital scheme would prevent the growth of a bloated bureaucracy. They needed to reconsider the two-part government. That is when Does it was just that delegates changed their minds again they voted to establish a single capital located on the Delaware

and authorize $100,000 for construction. The new capital would make a stronger central government. Meanwhile, the southern delegates were still anxious for capital on the Potomac, and blocked administrative appropriations for construction of the Delaware website. With the strong influence of Alexander Hamilton who was Washington’s Sectary of the Treasury and George Washington the Potomac became the capital of Washington D.C., and the federal government. New Jersey by vote approved overwhelming their new Constitution.

The most influential opponent was America’s hero General George Washington, who said, “Fixing the seat of the empire at any spot on the Delaware is in my humble opinion is demonstrably wrong.” Coincidentally, the general’s home, Mount Vernon, was just a few miles south on the Potomac site.

The street sign that memorializes Jamie at Rock Spring Park.

NJStarz

NJ Starz: Gerry Cooney Hometown: Fanwood

BY EVAN WECHMAN STAFF WRITER

AREA - Retired boxing legend

Gerry Cooney spends most of his time these days helping people recover from prior mistakes. He himself is no stranger to second chances. There’s an adage that “a champion always rises.” For Cooney that has been true both in and out of the ring.

Cooney is well known for his 1982 title challenge against World Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes in what was one of the most anticipated fights of all time. Cooney was the leading undefeated contender for the championship and was coming off a quick and dominating one round knockout win over former champion Ken Norton.

Fans of Cooney were ecstatic about their chances of winning the title and consequently,

the fight drew a then-record gate of $7.29 million. Fans not only packed Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas but fight afficionados throughout the country watched the fight on closed circuit television in jammed theaters and clubs.

Though Cooney fought valiantly and rose back up from the mat after being floored by Holmes in the second round, the fight was eventually stopped in round 13 as Holmes retained the championship.

Though Cooney gave Holmes all the champion could handle, he fought sparingly during the next several years until his retirement in 1990.

According to Cooney, high profile fights such as the won he fought against champion Larry Holmes were both intense and glamorous.

“You’re in the dressing room and someone knocks on the door, and they open the door, and they say, ‘Cooney, you’re next.’ And the first thing is, you negotiate, then you walk down the second corridor, and your life passes before you. And then they open the door to the stadium, and you hear the roar from the crowd, and that’s where the magic happens. That’s where you figure it out. That’s when you make a plan. So, it’s a process, like everything”

This foray into the limelight was where Cooney thrived. He is still viewed by most boxing experts as a great puncher who had not only a highly successful professional career, but delighted fans as an amateur while capturing two New York Golden Gloves titles.

In fact, Cooney’s triumphs in the Golden Gloves earned him a punching bag from the then popular sporting goods chain, Hermans. Also, he was featured a multitude of times on the cover of the sports section of various New York City newspapers for his amateur conquests.

However, Cooney’s greatest triumphs probably occurred after his boxing career concluded. He not only co-hosts a boxing talk show on Sirius Radio, “Friday Night at the Fights,” but has taken the initiative in various non-profit pursuits.

For example, he has continued to help former boxers and troubled youth find meaning in their lives, and most personal to him, help alcoholics rise off the floor and embrace sobriety.

Though Cooney was raised in Huntington, NY, he now has called Fanwood, NJ home for over two and a half decades. He is happily married to his wife Jennifer and has raised three children in the small borough in Union County.

However, his successful and happy post-boxing period almost never came to fruition due to his inclination to consume alcohol.

Cooney admits he started off on the wrong path when he was a young adult trying to pursue a career in the fight game.

“I got caught up in the fast lane. I grew up with it in my family,” Cooney said. “My father was a heavy drinker, and I was never going to be like him. And I think that the pressures of life came on and I really got a chance to get to a high level in amateur boxing. And obviously I’d go and fight, but then I’d have some beers and then it took me a long time to stop that. I’ve been without alcohol for over 37 years.”

“ I was under a lot of pressure; my father was a very angry man. I took to fighting to help me express the anger I felt through all that stuff,’ he added.

This anger helped fuel the power and ferociousness Cooney displayed in the ring where he won his first 25 fights leading up to his prime-time fight against Holmes.

However, his fascination with the spotlight and the rise in his self-esteem from the crowd cheering him on to victory almost cost Cooney everything. These same issues however have cost many former boxers from being able to move past boxing once their career has hit its downside.

“It’s a tough game, you’re in the spotlight and you’re making big money,” Cooney said. “You think it’s never going to end, but it does, and most guys are not taught to pay attention and to protect themselves and to not spend all their money and get too crazy. I paid attention to that. I was never really a big spender, so I held on to my money, mostly. It’s a tough

game. You think it’s never going to end, but it does. The rainy day is coming. We don’t know when, we don’t know where, but it’s coming so you have to protect yourself.”

Cooney has not only trained fighters in the ring on sharpening their skills but works with both them and former greats on the business aspects of life.

Since boxing is often a shortlived career, the Fanwood resident helps show his colleagues how to save money, learn job skills and often transition to a different career.

Cooney also finds great satisfaction in helping people in turmoil. He often speaks with young kids going through conflict in various group homes throughout New Jersey. He finds that they often see him as a mentor, and he grows as well by seeing the changes they can make in their life.

The same can be said for the multitude of jails and prisons he visits often to inspire others, many of whom have wound up behind bars due to an addiction to alcohol or other drugs. Cooney serves as an inspiration and model of someone who has fallen but always gets back up.

“I still get around and talk to people in trouble,” Cooney said. “Sometimes I go to prisons and share my story, about how I got knocked down, and

got back up for success, how I turned the page and got on with my life and found out what’s next for me to do. So, I mean, that’s something that’s been forgotten about. The family system is broken down. And so, a lot of these guys, they drink, or they take drugs, and they wind up doing stupid things and wind up in jail. So, I like to communicate that in order to stop that process, you’ve got to stop drinking, you got to stop drugs, and then you have other options. We have options in life, but once you put a drink or drug in your system, it’s over. There’s no more options.” Cooney is an ardent believer of the process and power of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He contends that the camaraderie and reliability of the anonymous meetings is what drives people on to sobriety. He has supported countless individuals in AA but refuses to provide any names or pertinent information about them, stressing that the heart of the AA program lies in its focus on anonymity.

Regardless, Cooney believes wholeheartedly in the enduring spirit of people and their ability to overcome adversity.

“We can become a champion by putting it (drink or drug) down and doing the program.”