Centenary Grad Through Literature Gives Hope to the Incarcerated
By Steve Sears
For 21-year-old Centenary University graduate, Kayla Diee, being drawn to the concept of justice and to law as a whole began when she was a child.
“My favorite game was pretending that I was Judge Judy,” Diee said with a chuckle. “I would walk around with a wooden spoon and pretend that I was sentencing my teddy bear to a time out. There has always been that fascination, and I am very lucky to have parents (James and Lisa Diee) who really nurtured that curiosity and committed themselves to empowering me to chase that dream.”
Life is a journey, but Diee is living that dream, and “sentencing” is a key word. Diee is working hard to provide a life for those incarcerated by encouraging reading and writing skills, and utilizing one or both to make a better life.
With dual degrees in English and writing, Diee –who also minored in paralegal studies - walked cap and gown with her fellow graduates in May, she already ensconced in a place where she knows she needs to be. In October 2024, she participated in Princeton University’s Prospective Ph.D. Preview (P3) program, which (per https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/prospective-phdpreview-p3) is a nationally recognized program that focuses on engaging scholars from diverse academic, research, and non-traditional experiences around the path to the Ph.D.
Diee’s long-term plan is to attend Princeton to earn her PhD.
During her time at Princeton last fall, she also looked into Prison Teaching Initiative (PTI) through which Princeton students provide the incarcerated people with an opportunity for high-quality postsecondary education and chances to earn community college credits.
Diee said, “What really inspired me is the opportunity for graduate students to teach at facilities through PTI, and help students who are incarcerated to earn certain certifications and even degrees, which is such a rare opportunity.”
When Diee was 15, she joined the New Jersey State Police Explorers program in Atlantic City through Stockton University’s CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) curriculum. Through the program, she entered a jail for the first time.
It was an eye opener.
“I learned so much about myself,” Diee said, “and the system that really governs our whole lives, and I was able to connect with really incredible people. In doing so, my understanding of the day-to-day executions of law and the bigger picture were really opened up. Many of us have the privilege of not considering the logistics of the correction system. For me, it was an incredibly harrowing experience. I am sure many people who have been involved in that setting could tell you, even just passing through that it is very overwhelming anxiety-wise, and I was just overwhelmed with the sense of needing to get involved.”
Decision made, Diee headed to her car in the parking lot, hopped in the driver’s seat, and called her mom, stating definitely, “I am going to work in prisons.”
“And she said, ‘No you are not!’” Diee recalled her mom saying.
Undeterred, Diee founded The Next Chapter Foundation, where she collected books and started a library reading program for inmates at Warren County Correctional Center.
She said, “I had started running book drives when I was in high school, but at that time, it was a very small community effort - collecting books from neighbors and family, friends and local churches were a huge proponent continued on page 6
Kayla Diee (credit: Jenna O’Connor/Centenary University)
• Dentures
• Teeth Whitening
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• Sedation Dentistry
others.
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Ira Goldberg, DDS, FAGD, DICOI
a leading authority in dental implantology, Dr. Ira Goldberg was invited to lecture in Englewood, NJ last month. His presentation discussed CT Scanning for Dental Implants, along with Digital Implant Planning & Placement. As a respected educator, its not uncommon for Dr. Goldberg to share his knowledge and expertise with • Invisalign
The AAID is the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. It has an educational branch called MaxiCourses, which are yearlong programs dentists can enroll in should they wish to learn about dental implantology. Dr. Goldberg has been invited multiple times to teach these students regarding various topics related to dental implants.
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“Dynamic navigation is a type of robotic technology,” explains Dr. Goldberg. “It utilizes tracking sensors, similar to GPS. It allows for pinpoint precision when placing dental implants. Its not necessary for all implant procedures, but when you need it, its great to have.”
Dr. Goldberg continues, “We have this equipment right in our office. Not many offices have it, nor does it make sense for them to invest in it if they are not performing implant procedures on a regular basis. We perform implant procedures regularly, so we definitely have found it an indispensable tool at times.”
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At the end of the daylong session the students had an opportunity to try their hand at dynamic guidance, and they also had a chance to speak with Dr. Goldberg to review some of their own cases one-onone.
When asked about his role as an educator to other dentists, Dr. Goldberg thoughtfully stated, “I’ve always heard that when you’re passionate about something, it shows. I’ve been providing implant services for over 30 years, and I’m always excited about it. I guess that’s why other doctors and dental professionals ask me for my thoughts and help. Its quite an honor, and I love to share.”
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Dr. Goldberg holds many honors in the field of implant dentistry. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology / Implant Dentistry, a Fellow of the AAID, and also a Diplomat of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, just to name a couple. Regarding his Diplomate status in the ABOI/ID, there are only a few hundred dentists world-wide that hold this distinction.
Dr. Goldberg is a general dentist with credentials in multiple organizations. Please visit his website for a
Ira Goldberg, DDS, FAGD, DICOI
Sophia Wayner, Serves as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2025
s a college senior, Sophia Wayner is already the owner of a thriving business focused on specialized equine massage therapy. But that’s just one item on her impressive resume. On Saturday, May 10, Wayner graduated as the valedictorian of the Centenary University Class of 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Health. She earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA).
A resident of Califon, NJ, Wayner is a competitive equestrian in the sport of dressage and recently gained acceptance to the inaugural class at the Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University. She was also a member of the Centenary University Honors Program— which first sparked the idea for her business. For her honors capstone project, Wayner attended a two-day workshop in New York to become certified in the Masterson Method, a type of equine massage therapy that responds to subtle changes in a horse’s body language to pinpoint and release tension in the muscles and nervous system.
“I love the whole holistic approach of developing a partnership with the horse,” explained Wayner, who is also certified in equipage sports massage. Her business, Lyrical, LLC, combines both forms of massage to treat her clients’ horses. “I’ve found that the combination of light touch and deep pressure massage is a better approach to making the equine nervous system more effective. My client list has been growing—people have seen me working on my own horses and word has spread.”
One of her clients is the Centenary University Equestrian Center, which offers a nationally-recognized academic and competitive program on the collegiate level, as well as
TRAC (Therapeutic Riding At Centenary), an adaptive riding program that provides equestrian opportunities for adults and children with physical and cognitive disabilities and specialized populations such as military veterans, at-risk youth, and residents of assisted living facilities. As part of her honors capstone project, Wayner conducted a series of seminars at Centenary to teach the Masterson Method to faculty and fellow students.
As a first-year student Wayner signed on as an instructor in training with TRAC and is hoping to become certified as a TRAC facilitator this year through PATH Intl., a global organization leading the advancement of professional equine-assisted services that support more than 53,000 special needs individuals, including nearly 6,000 veterans. Wayner’s diagnosis with autism at age 20 has provided her with valuable insights in working with TRAC participants.
“It made so much sense, and has also helped me to relate to TRAC participants,” she said of the diagnosis. “My nervous system has always been in fight or flight mode, triggered by specific noises or different textures. Now, it’s something I embrace—this is what makes me be me. It’s easy to see the lows in a diagnosis like autism, but then you miss the advantages. For instance, the visual arts have always been a huge strength for me, and now I use that strength to educate others.”
As she reflects on her Centenary career, Wayner credits professionals at Centenary’s equine center and Disability Services Office, as well as her family and friends, with providing the encouragement to explore her interests. “I’m thankful for the support of my parents and boyfriend,
Nic Radovanic—this year’s first-generation valedictorian— as well as people at the Centenary University Equestrian Center such as Dr. Jesslyn Bryk-Lucy, Dr. Lynn Taylor, and Karen Brittle,” Wayner said. “In high school, everybody gets caught up in the names of schools, like big-name and Ivy League colleges. But there’s nothing better than a small school, where faculty encourage you to discover your talents and flourish. At Centenary, everyone embraces your differences and helps you to find your superpower.”
Hope to the Incarcerated...
But when I got to Centenary, I was really given the opportunity to take it off the ground.”
Warren County Correctional was the closest institution to Centenary, and Diee contacted the facility and gave them a brief background on herself and her project idea.
“Within the hour, they had called me back and said, ‘Absolutely.’ We talked through logistics, and the book drive was up and running the next week. It was a very quick project, and it would not have been so successful if I did not have the immediate and overwhelming support from so many different corners of the community.”
The reading program now started at WCCC, Diee then suggested her teaching a writing program to inmates. By the end of the day, she and the facility administration were able to establish a rough idea of what that class would look like.
appreciated.
Diee said, “Just the experience of incarceration is isolating enough as it is, and when there is no real space to see yourself on a page, there is no support in that aspect of identity. It is very important for me to change that.”
When the writing class started, Diee noticed that a lot of the students kept to themselves and were very hesitant to share their work. However, by the end of the 16-week course, people were asking if mini open mics could be scheduled.
“It was just beautiful to see friendships thrive and to see people’s confidence bloom, which is really what my hope was for this program,” Diee said.
Some of the writings occasionally brought tears to her eyes occasionally. She said, “It was a very touching thing. I remember after every class I would go and cry in my car, just totally overwhelmed with gratitude and pride in the work that they had done.”
Her class was predominantly men, and the students ages ranged from 17 to 72, and part of her hope as a graduate student and as a person and as a writer was to give individuals who are incarcerated that opportunity to have their voice heard and
If anyone has books that they want off their hands to go to a loving home, they can absolutely reach out to Diee at kayladiee@ yahoo.com. For more information about The Next Chapter Foundation, visit https:// www.instagram.com/nextchapterfnd/. continued from front page
By Evan Wechman
DDenville Volunteer Continues Quest for Living Kidney Donors
enville’s Donna Tissot doesn’t want to be referred to as a hero or have any awards presented to her. However, what she has been doing for the last eight years is nothing short of selfless. She has been working tirelessly to find living kidney donors for people in New Jersey who are in desperate need for one.
For Tissot, what started
as an attempt to save a family member’s life several years ago, has now become a full-time mission to help others who need a kidney.
“I have a passion for helping people, and I just I took this on. And it all started with my brotherin-law, who had chronic kidney disease. I said, I have to do something to save his life. So, I started sending out flyers, and started with social media. And this is
how I started advocating. I got the donor. We had five great years of life, and then word got around, so people started to contact me, and I started helping people from all over. To date, I have helped save 26 lives, and I have people waiting for me that want me to help, but I just have to get these other recipients transplants first,” Tissot said.
Tissot, is consistently educating others about the
550 US Route 57, Port Murray 973-943-1466 gabriel.rivera88.mil@army.mil www.njarmyguard.com
process. For instance, many people don’t realize that you can live a healthy life with just one kidney. Also, if your healthy, without diabetes, cancer, or high blood pressure, the kidney transplant procedure should be relatively easy. The donors will also be able to recuperate quickly and will forever know they helped save a life.
Tissot also wants people to understand the paired exchange program. In this program, if a living donor is willing to donate a kidney on your behalf, but you are incompatible with the donor or want to try to find a better match, the kidney paired exchange program will donate their kidney to another recipient in exchange for a compatible kidney for you.
Tissot is actively looking for living donors who want to help touch others with the gift of life.
“It’s beneficial to get a living donor, because your
chances of longevity are much better than getting a deceased donor. A lot of hospitals, will tell you, try to go out and get a living donor, and that’s where people contact me and say that I really need a living donor. So that’s when I go into action, because organ donation means so many different things, because it’s hope, it’s an unselfish act of kindness and it is a gift,” Tissot said.
Tissot has become very close with the people she is seeking donors for, as most have families they want to help raise, and they know they can probably only remain on dialysis for a limited time. As a result, Tissot spends much of her free time at events at schools and medical centers advocating for these people and trying to find someone who wants to help continue with the gift of life.
Tissot is not looking for accolades but sees the real heroes as the people who step forward to donate their kidney. Right now, she is actively looking for donors for six recipients. Karen Zabriskie, Jigisha Desai, and Maria Powers are all local residents who have families that need them. If someone is interested in being a living donor, they can contact the hospital at http:// cbmclivingdonor.org. Tissot also needs help finding a donor for Kate Bowen, a 37year old EMS Chief in New Jersey and more information can be found at the website www.nkr.org/GVN469
By Henry M. Holden
No state has been so frequently mocked, maligned or misunderstood as New Jersey. And the state is filled with amazing people born in New Jersey and ready to receive the honors they deserve.
New Jersey has an astounding variety of talents. There are wetlands, mountains, coastal plains, and Pine Barrens. There are over 2,600 species of Flora more than many of the largest states. A high proportion of New Jersey is covered by forest, 40-percent more than many other states, The same diversity characterizes New Jersey people.
How many readers know of John Stevens(1749-1838)? He built and ran the first steam locomotive and the first steamboat.
In New Jersey Talent Flourishes
Or what about the design of the Stars and Stripes?
Legend has it that Betsy Ross was to have sewn the first flag, but historians believe designing it should be attributed to Francis Hopkinson (1737 – 1791) a singer of the Declaration of Independence and designer the first flag, on June 14,1777, later to be designated Flag Day.
Bruce Springsteen was born and raised in Freehold.
The New Jersey state of mind is sometimes hard to understand. When Springsteen was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, in 2008, in a video audience he described the “Garden State Benediction,” expressed the essence of Jersey Proud “New Jersey is for me, he said. “It is a music repository of my time on earth. The memory,
the music I’ve made, my friendships in my life… it’s all buried here in a box somewhere in the sand down along the Central Jersey coast. I can’t imagine having it any other way which strikingly reflects the long-standing low brow, image of our state, and a sarcastic, but affectionate kind of pride in New Jersey in that image.”’
Buzz Aldren (born in 1931 in Glen Ridge) Aldren graduated third in the class from the US military Academy at West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was commissioned into the United States Air Force and served as a fighter pilot during the Korean War. He flew 66 combat missions and shot down two Mig 15 enemy aircraft. He went on to earn a Doctor of Science degree in astronautics from
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Aldrin was selected as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Group 3, making him the first astronaut with a doctoral degree.
His first space flight was in 1966, on Gemini 12, during which he spent over five hours on extravehicular activity. Three years later, on Apollo 11, Aldrin became the second man to walk on the Moon (Neil Armstrong was the first and Michael Collins was the Ap0110 capsule commander. on July 21, 1969.) A Presbyterian elder, Aldrin became the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon, when he privately took communion.
William James Count” Basie (August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984 Red Bank ) an American
The Moon legacy involved Buzz Aldren (Right, on Apollo 11, Aldrin became the second man to walk on the Moon (Neil Armstrong Left was the first and Michael Collins was the Ap011o capsule commander.)
(Photo credit NASA)
jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer William Basie. By 2011, four recordings of Count Basie had been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have “qualitative or historical significance.”
James Fenimore
David Copperfield’s television specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards, winning 21. (Photo credit David Copperfield.)
Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851 Burlington) James Fenimore Cooper introduced the themes of the frontier, white/Indian conflict, and America’s westward expansion as proper subjects for literary works. Perhaps even more importantly, he began to shape the romantic idea of the American West. Samuel Anthony Alito continued on page 9
NJ Talent Flourishes...
Jr. (Born April 1, 1950 Trenton) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School. Alito is the second Italian American justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Alito has written majority opinions in the landmark cases McDonald v. Chicago (2010) on firearm rights, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014) on insurance coverage, Janus v. AFSCME (2018) on public-sector union security agreements, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) on abortion.
Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016 Trenton) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the t Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual anchor for he originalist and textualist position in the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative wing. For catalyzing an originalist and textualist movement in American law, he has been described as one of the most influential jurists of the twentieth century, and one of the most important justices in the history of the Supreme Court Scalia played an important role as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. Not only was he regarded as one of the most important justices in the history of the court, but he was also considered one of the most influential jurists of the 20th century. He was posthumously honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Judith Blume (born February 12, 1938 Elizabeth) is an American writer of children›s, young adult, and adult fiction. [1] Blume began writing in 1959 and has published more than 26 novels. Among her best-known work is Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962, Perth Amboy) known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He has released 16 studio albums with his band. He attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, during two solo albums. Bon Jovi was his freshman and sophomore year. He later transferred to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey.
William Joseph Brennan Jr. · (April 25, 1906 - July 24, 1997, Newark) American lawyer and jurist who served as a Supreme Court justice from 1956 to 1990. The firstgeneration American who served as an
Army Colonel in World War II, became a reform-minded New Jersey judge, and was a consensus builder on the Supreme Court. He served 34 terms with the Court under three Chief Justices. He published over 1,250 opinions, including 450 majority opinions and 400 dissents. During Earl Warren’s tenure as Chief Justice, Brennan voted with the liberal majority for nearly 98 percent of the time and even went a full year without writing a dissent.
David Copperfield David Seth Kotkin (September 16, 1956, Metuchen) is an American stage magician and illusionist described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician.
Known professionally as David Copperfield’s television specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards, winning 21. Known for his combination of storytelling and illusion, his performance, in a career spanning more than 40 years, have earned 11 Guinness World Records, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a knighthood by the French government. He has been named a Living Legend by the US Library of Congress.
Daniel (Danny) Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944 Neptune) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He plays Frank Reynolds on the FXX sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2006–present).
Shaquille O’Neal (March 6, 1972Newark) is an American former basketball player who currently works as a sports analyst. Considered one of the greatest basket ballers ever, O›Neal was also one of the heaviest and tallest players of all time. One of the most important players in the history of LA Lakers, O’Neal helped the team win three consecutive NBA championships between 2000 and 2002.
Whitney Houston (August 9, 1963 –Feb 11, 2012 Newark) Among the bestselling recording artists of all time and an inspiration to millions of budding artists, Whitney Houston achieved stardom with her eponymous debut album. The success of her later albums consolidated her position and earned her a spot in the Guinness World Records as the most awarded female artist of all time. She struggled with drug abuse and troubled marriage and died of drowning in her hotel’s bathtub.
Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14 Hoboken) “Old Blue Eyes “is
continued from page 8 continued on page 10
NJ Talent Flourishes...
continued from page 8
no longer with us but the legacy he left behind will keep him never longing for fans. Among the most popular singers of the 20th century and one of the bestselling artists of all time, Frank Sinatra began his musical career singing with bands and later established his successful solo career with albums like The Voice of Frank Sinatra. Also, an award-winning actor, he featured in movies like From Here to Eternity and The Manchurian Candidate.
Dennis Rodman (May 13, 1961 Trenton) Former professional basketball player, Dennis Rodman, came to prominence in the 1980s as a power forward known for his defensive and rebounding abilities. Hailed as “arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history,” he earned NBA AllDefensive First Team honors seven times. He has a media presence as well and has appeared in many TV shows.
Stewart (August 3, 1941, Jersey City) The founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Martha Stewart has found success with several business ventures. She is also the publisher of a magazine called Martha Stewart Living and has written many bestselling books. Although
she was convicted of charges pertaining to the ImClone stock trading case, she made a comeback and became chairwoman of her company.
Dionne Warwick( December 12, 1940 East Orange) is an American singer, TV host, actress, and former FAO Goodwill Ambassador. Warwick was one of the most successful singers between 1955 and 1999, ranking among the 40 biggest hitmakers according to the Billboard Hot 100. Eighty of her singles have been featured on Billboard’s music charts, making Warwick one of the most-charted female singers in history.
Ray Liotta (Dec 18, 1954, May 26- Feb2022 Newark ) was an American actor who voiced the central character, Tommy Vercetti, in one of the most popular video games of all time, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Liotta’s incredible journey from being an abandoned child, who was adopted from an orphanage, to becoming a popular actor is a ray of hope for many people.
James Gandolfini (Sept 18, 1961- June 19, 2013 Eastw00d) was an American actor who achieved the rare feat of being identified more as the character he performed rather than as himself. Years of performing the
role of a powerful crime boss for the TV series, The Sopranos, defined Gandolfini’s legacy forever as a character actor, a legacy he gracefully carried over to the big screen.
Jerry Lewis (March 16, 1926, - Aug 20,2017 Newark) One half of the popular American comedy duo Martin & Lewis, Jerry Lewis was nicknamed The King of Comedy for his comedic skills. Also, a filmmaker, Jerry Lewis helped develop video assist and went on to popularize the system, which is widely used today. Also,
a humanitarian, Lewis worked closely with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, raising awareness about muscular dystrophy. Nancy Sinatra (June 8, 1949, Jersey City) The oldest daughter of Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra established herself as a popular singer and actress during the 1960s and 1970s. At the age of 54, she posed for Playboy magazine, becoming one of the oldest women to do so. In 2006, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Troubadour Concerts Presents Our Annual Classic Rock Party
On Friday June 20, The Troubadour presents its annual Classic Rock Party, a play-along, sing-along, and dance-along night at the Troubadour, where Folk Project members sign up to be lead vocalist on stage, backed by our all-star, electric Broadway Boogie Band, consisting of:
Alan LeBoeuf: Singer, songwriter, RCA recording artist, bass guitarist, performing and recording with the Wrecking Crew and actor who played Paul McCartney in
Beatlemania, member of Baillie & The Boys. Steve Gibb: Award-winning guitarist who has played in Broadway shows: Jersey Boys, Dear Evan Hansen, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, and School of Rock.
Ted Brancato: A fantastic jazz pianist and accomplished composer, arranger and recording artist who has performed and recorded with Houston Person, Ron Carter, Christian McBride, Milt Jackson, Ernestine Anderson, and Paquito D’Rivera among others.
Gethsemane Lutheran Church 409 East Baldwin Street • Hackettstown 908-852-2156
Email: gethsemanehtown@gmail.com • www.gethsemane-preschool.org
Church website: www.glc.church
Distinctive, Creative, Child-Centered Christian Program for 3, 4, and 5 year olds
Please call the church office to register NO REGISTRATION FEE IF BEFORE JUNE 15th
REGISTER NOW FOR 2025-2026
John Hone: Singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer who is the Folk Project’s favorite percussionist and a major talent. Attendees are encouraged to bring their instruments and play along from the audience. Lyrics and chords are projected
on-screen so audience members can sing along or play along from their seats on acoustic instruments. The music and the spirit are over-the-top fun. Info at https:// folkproject.org/mec-events/2025-06-20/ .
Join the Spectrum Circle – A Social Group for High-Functioning Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum
Are you a high-functioning young adult on the autism spectrum living in Morris, Warren, or Sussex County? Looking to meet new people, share laughs, and just be yourself in a fun and welcoming environment? The Spectrum Circle is a brand-new social group for young adults ages 20–35 who are ready to connect, make friends, and enjoy good times together— while supporting each other. Whether we’re playing games, watching movies,
going on outings, or just hanging out, this is a safe, positive space where you can be you. Come and sign up for our very first meeting—we’re so excited to start this group! First meeting date & location will be determined once we have rsvps.
*A family member is welcome to join you for the first meeting if you’d like. For more information or to RSVP, contact Grace at 917-716-4813/grace.stampf@ gmail.com
What’s happening in your school or organization? Celebrating a special birthday, anniversary, graduation? Have a human interest story or something you would like to share? Email us at production@mylifepublications.com
By Richard Mabey Jr.
As I write this article,
it is night time, Thursday, the first of May. On Saturday, the tenth of May, I will say farewell to my Florida home in The Villages. My sister and I are moving to Northern Ocala. It’s a long story, but it’s just time to move. Having purchased this home in June of 2008, I’ve lived in this home for nearly 17 years now. That’s a bit of a long time.
My desk, in my bedroom, looks out to my front yard. I conservatively estimate that I have written well over 3,00 articles and true-life stories at this desk. I’ve seen all so many people walk by house. No doubt, a few hundred people, over the years walked by my front yard. Some I became good friends with, some I barely knew and some I knew not at all. It’s just the way it is in The Villages.
It’s all bittersweet. In some ways, I’m looking forward to moving on. In some ways, I’m very sad. From 2009 till 2016, I wrote and published a little monthly neighborhood newsletter. Then from 2010 till 2025, I had the honor to
Goodbye Dear Old 438
The old 438 marker in my front yard. To the left hand side is the very window that I look out from, as I once wrote all so many stories and articles.
serve as the Editor-in-Chief of a twice weekly newsletter that was published by The Villages Diabetic Support Group. I wrote stories and articles for my church newsletter. And wrote some public relations articles for my church, that were published in local newspapers. And, for a few years, I wrote a regular column for a weekly newspaper in Belleview, Florida. Plus writing many articles and true-life stories for several New Jersey based newspapers. And, I wrote two books from this desk and self-published both of them.
I love to write. It is a gift that the dear Lord has given to me. It truly is just that, a gift from God. I give
all the credit to God. I’m very serious about that.
Life is all so strange at times. My life has been filled with all so many twists and turns. Although I never married, I was blessed to know the love of a few very fine women. I never met any of them at the alter. Sometimes their Daddy didn’t like me and put a wedge between myself and my beloved. Other times, religious differences brought a degree of strife.
At one point in my life, I dated a very wonderful woman who was a devout Catholic. At the time, I was earnestly serving as an Elder, School School Teacher and Youth Minister at the First Reformed Church of Lincoln Park. I just felt all so strongly that God wanted me to
stay at FRC. My beloved, at the time, became more and more upset with me for not wanting to convert to be Catholic. I look back now, with a tinge of sorrow. Now at 71, tonight I wonder what view awaits me when I sit at my new home,
looking out the window and writing my heart out, a symphony of true-life stories. There are many stories alive within my heart that I long to write. I hope and pray that the dear Lord gives me the time to write them all down.
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.
Shelter’s Eviction Notice Threatens Safe Haven for Abused Women
By Cheryl Conway
After decades of providing a safe haven to abused women and their children, one of the five houses operated by a shelter program in Passaic County is in jeopardy.
On May 13 the tenants— quite ironic to the 13 current women who live at the Fay House shelter on Old Route 23 in New Foundland— found an eviction notice on their front door by the Township of West Milford.
The red note read: “This building is declared unsafe for human occupancy! No individual is to occupy this building until the structure is rendered safe and secure.”
The notice left Strengthen Our Sisters shelter program and its Founder/Executive Director Sandra Ramos in a difficult situation for the tenants who live there. It is in desperate need of support, financially and perhaps petitions and letters
to officials as a call for help and suggest alternative solutions to remedy the problem.
“The town of West Milford is looking to close our home for senior women in Newfoundland leaving those women with nowhere to go,” shares Ramos. “We have an architect and lawyer on board to comply with their wishes and filed an appeal.”
Attorney Joel Bacher of Wayne placed an application to the Construction Board of Appeals on May 19 stating the position of SOS and explaining the nature of its relief sought.
SOS runs two daycare programs, a thrift store, five shelters and a food pantry in Wanque, he writes.
“This is an entirely volunteer organization,” writes Bacher. “No one is paid for their efforts or time. This organization always needs funds and relies on
donations to pay the bills.
“At present 13 people are living at Old Route 23,” he continues. “If they are forced out, they will have no place to go and will be homeless. SOS is more than willing to do whatever is necessary to bring the house into compliance and will do so if given sufficient time. SOS is in touch with an architect and builders who will volunteer their time and materials to accomplish what needs to be done.”
Bacher then requested a “stay of the order to vacate the premises.”
SOS is grassroots, community based, nonprofit, shelter program serving battered/homeless women and children. The mission of SOS is dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence, poverty and abuse by restoring balance and harmony through individual empowerment.
The program has been guided by Ramos since 1970 when she founded the first shelter for battered women in North America.
Serving hundreds of women each year, SOS programs and services include emergency shelter, short-term shelter, longer term shelter housing, comprehensive housing solutions and other integrated services. A team of dedicated, non-paid volunteers help provide supportive compassionate services.
In addition to residential services, SOS runs a thrift store providing gently-used clothing, household items and furniture to families directly or sold at its thrift store to raise money for its programs.
Ramos didn’t just start the first domestic violence shelter in America, she empowered them to change their lives, start their own nonprofit organizations and carry on the principles to achieve the mission of healing, and breaking the cycle of domestic violence, poverty and abuse.
The success stories are many, as she and her colleagues have created a safe haven to prevent women and children from falling deeper between the cracks of a system or society that has failed them.
“I was temporarily disabled after working my whole life. I was hurt and unable to work, displaced and ended up living in my car,” writes one victim. “I couldn’t get help anywhere. A lawyer at legal aid called Strengthen Our Sisters (SOS), and they didn’t have an opening. Then, at the office of Human Services, they called SOS, and they were able to take me in. It was like it came from heaven, and I felt welcomed from that moment on. I didn’t feel like a throwaway anymore, and my healing began at their
home for senior women. I was told that I could stay as long as I needed, but I got up every day and sat there making calls until I made a breakthrough. A family friend, not knowing of my situation, was able to find me an apartment. It took a month and after three months I was able to move.”
As a resident who sought refuge at SOS around 2012, Cheryl Bullock explains, “Many of the women at Strengthen Our Sisters have fallen through the cracks in the system, and have no safe alternative, nowhere else to go. I came because I was in need and ended up volunteering my time as staff.”
Bullock— who serves as volunteer assistant to Ramos, acted as house mother and thrift store manager—knows firsthand the need women seek when in a tough situation. A victim herself, she has also been there to support the other women and children over the years and realizes how SOS has made a huge impact in so many lives.
The Fay House shelter is just one of Ramos’ safe havens for women faced with abuse. Without this house, they face homelessness.
It was owned by Monika Phillippe who ran a bed and breakfast, explains Bullock. She began to house senior women and would end up selling it to SOS that continued to house their senior women who were victims of domestic violence and eventually homeless. SOS has operated there as a shelter for more than 25 years.
SOS has been faced with challenges before and it has overcome, hanging on a limb to survive.
Explains Ramos, “In addition to providing a clean and safe environment for single women and women with children fleeing
domestic violence, we were able to have needed repairs done and pay for them to remain housed as they strived toward selfsufficiency. We were able to do these things without funding from the State of New Jersey. However, to continue providing services to this underserved population, and keep single women and women with children safe from their abusers, we need assistance to bring the additional residences up to code according to State Standards for shelters.
“Strengthen Our Sisters has survived the fear of foreclosure and battled very tough obstacles to continue serving those in need,” says Ramos. “Rising costs are just one of the challenges that many face in this world.” With support from the media and the community, SOS has survived foreclosure over the years, adds Ramos. It has “been able to keep the lights on by raising $100K.” SOS needs greater help, now more than ever, with the recent eviction notice.
“We need financial support and even possibly a sprinkler system,” says Bullock.
Visit https:// strengthenoursisters.org/ to help! Readers can also write to Construction Board of Appeals Office, 401 Grand Street, Paterson, N.J., 07505, to appeal for the support and understanding to keep these women sheltered and safe.
Sandra Ramos
Elevate Your Menu for a Legendary Backyard Barbecue
with ground pork.
Family and friends will love this elevated twist on a summer favorite that is oh-so-deliciously different than the traditional beef patty. These Pork and Bacon Burgers are made with Heritage Duroc pork, known for its rich flavor and juiciness, and will be a hit at your next barbecue. The crispy bacon adds another level of texture and flavor, making these juicy burgers a gourmet treat that rivals any takeout burger.
Celebrating 150 years as the premium all-natural meat choice for families, Coleman All Natural Meats offers a variety of products that are sourced from American family farmers who humanely raise livestock with no antibiotics ever and no added hormones.
Find more recipes to elevate your
grilling experience at ColemanNatural.com.
Pork and Bacon Burgers
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
2 pounds Coleman Ground Pork
1/4 pound ground pork chorizo
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 cheese slices (optional)
6 hamburger buns
6-8 strips Coleman Hickory
Smoked Uncured Bacon, cooked
tomato slices (optional) red onion slices (optional) lettuce (optional) ketchup (optional) mayonnaise (optional)
Preheat grill to medium heat.
In large mixing bowl, combine ground pork, chorizo, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
Gently mix ingredients, being careful not to overwork meat.
Divide meat into six burger patties.
Cook burgers 3-4 minutes per side until continued on page 15
continued from page 14
internal temperature reaches 145 F or desired doneness.
During last 2-3 minutes of cooking, place cheese slices on top of burgers to melt, if desired.
Transfer burgers to platter. Assemble burgers with buns, bacon, tomato slices,
red onion slices, lettuce, ketchup and mayonnaise, as desired.
Tip: Burger patties may be frozen up to 1 month. Fully defrost before cooking. Coleman Natural Foods. (Family Features)
By Megan Roche
A Warrior’s Story: The Life and Legacy of Jamie Smith
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. Somalia, 1993.
Jamie Smith was deployed to Somalia as part of a U.S. humanitarian effort in 1993. The U.S. Army Ranger worked tirelessly to help distribute food and supplies to the Somali people as war lords took over the country.
What nobody expected was for the humanitarian effort to turn into one of the bloodiest battles in American military history.
Smith and the Army Rangers set out to capture Mohammed Farrah Aidid, one of the war lords who began attacking UN peacekeepers and disrupting humanitarian efforts. The US then began to shift their focus to capturing Aidid and his lieutenants on October 3. When two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down during that operation, the mission turned into a large firefight and rescue mission.
Lieutenant Larry Perino, a young grad of West Point, was alongside Corporal Smith during the battle.
“From the very beginning, Corporal Smith was one of my leaders in my helicopter. He would go into one of the blocking positions on the chopper,” Perino recalls.
According to a site dedicated to the history of Black Hawk Down, Smith was a part of Ranger Chalk One during the Battle of Mogadishu, who’s mission was to cover the
south-east corner of the target building while the Delta assault force arrested the targets of the operation. Smith was also labeled the “best shot” of the chalk. After Black Hawk Super-Six-One was hit by a RPG (Rocket-Propelled Grenade) and crashed into the city, Chalk One, along with the Delta assault force and Ranger Chalk Three, were ordered to fight their way to the crash site and establish a defense perimeter until the rescue convoy arrived. While moving up to the crash alongside Lieutenant Perino and several other Rangers, Smith was shot in the femoral artery.
“Jamie was right up front. When we made that left hand turn onto that street, it was like a giant wall of lead and he was the lead element. He kept pushing all the way through. We had guys falling left and right and he didn’t stop,” Perino said.
The site continues to explain that with Perino by his side, Delta medic Kurt Schmid got Smith into a nearby building where they attempted to save his life. Schmid realized that the only way to stop the bleeding was to find the severed femoral artery and clamp it. When told this, Smith asked for a morphine drip before Schmid attempted it, but because morphine would lower his heart rate too far (which could kill Smith) Schmid denied the request. Unfortunately, Schmid’s attempts to clamp the femoral artery ended in failure.
“It was really, really emotional. You could tell that Jamie was in a little bit of pain and that he was starting to go into shock. It was pretty hard and pretty gruesome. We knew it was a bleeder and we knew it was arterial. I was scared the entire time and that was the first time that I thought he may not make it,” Perino recalls.
After this, Perino and Ranger Captain Mike Steele
pushed for JOC (the battle’s command center) to send a medevac for Smith and Ranger Carlo Rodriguez, who was also mortally wounded. Because of four black hawks being hit with RPGs, JOC relayed that Smith would have to hang on until the rescue convoy arrived. Sadly, Smith would bleed out before the convoy could make it.
The battle ultimately lasted 18 hours and Perino remembers it almost vividly.
“He was what I would call the quintessential Ranger. I knew he was an athlete, I knew he was a big team player, he got along with everybody in the platoon. He died doing what he loved to do,” Perino said.
A Warrior’s Story: The Life and Legacy of Jamie Smith will continue in the July 2025 issue, where you’ll learn how news of Smith’s passing was felt at home and in the hallways of West Morris Central.
First Lieutenant Larry Perino, left, Sergeant Aaron Williamson, center, and Corporal Jamie Smith, right, stand by a helicopter while in Somalia in 1993.
100 Years Ago This Month: Historical Events from May 1925
The month of May has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in May 1925.
• King Alexander of Yugoslavia signs a decree to have his brother, Prince George, interned as mentally incompetent on May 2. Prince George remained confined in an asylum for nearly two decades until his release was ordered by German occupying forces during World War II. Perhaps thanks to his internment, Prince George was the lone member of the royal family to avoid being exiled and named an enemy of the state upon conclusion of the war.
• James Naismith becomes a United States citizen on May 4. The 64-yearold Naismith, who invented the sport of basketball, was born in Canada but had lived inn the U.S. for 35 years before becoming an American citizen.
• Biology teacher John Scopes is arrested in Tennessee on May 5. Scopes is arrested teaching evolution, which was illegal in Tennessee. Scopes’s arrest led to one of the most notable trials in American history.
• Two students and a teacher are killed during the Wilno school massacre in Poland on May 6. Two eighth-grade students, one of whom was carrying a hand grenade and
a pistol, instigated the massacre by attacking teachers.
• New York Yankees manager Miller Huggins benches Everett Scott on May 6, thus ending the player’s record of 1,307 consecutive games played, a streak that began in 1916.
• African American river worker Tom Lee saves 32 passengers who had been aboard the steamboat M.E. Norman on May 8. The steamboat capsized and sank on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tennessee, killing 23 passengers and crew.
• Malcolm Little is born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19. Little would grow up and become a central figure in the American civil rights movement, by which time he was known as Malcolm X.
• Visitors from states along the United States and Canada border flock to Ontario on May 21 after legal 4.4 beer goes on sale in the province.
• The Brooklyn Bridge reopens to vehicle traffic for the first time in almost three years on May 12. The bridge was closed in July 1922 due to problems with two suspension cables.
• American Martha Wise is convicted of murder on May 12. Wise poisoned 17 members of her family, killing three. Wise is sentenced to life in prison, where she ultimately died in 1971.
• Editorials in Japanese news media decry American plans to strengthen the naval base at Pearl Harbor on May 15. Some Japanese suggest the decision to strengthen the base is a harbinger of future American aggression towards Japan.
• Casey Stengel plays in his final Major League Baseball game on May 19, ending a 14-year playing career.
• The crew of the N25 seaplane, part of the Amundsen Polar Expedition led by explorer Roald Amundsen, is forced to touch down on ice on May 22. An accompanying plane, the N24, witnesses the landing and touches down as well. The explorers were attempting to be the first to fly to the North Pole, but spend weeks after touching down trying to chisel a runway out of the ice.
• Chicago mobster Angelo “Bloody Angelo” Genna is shot numerous times during a high-speed car chase on May 26. The North Side Gang is behind the attack, and Genna ultimately dies from his wounds.
• The Los Angeles police announce on May 30 they had foiled a kidnapping plot that targeted Hollywood stars Mary Pickford, Pola Negri and Buster Keaton.
• Peter DePaolo wins the 1925 Indianapolis 500 on May 30. DePaolo becomes the first driver to complete the course in fewer than five hours.
By Henry M. Holden
ANew Jersey woman who deserves to be remembered for her famous “first” call back in the summer of 1909. Alice Hurley Ramsey became the first woman to drive coast to coast.
Alice Ramsey was born on Nov. 11, 1886, in New Barbados Township., On January 10, 1906, in Hackensack, Ramsey married Congressman John Ramsey (1862–1933), with whom she had two children.
At the age of 22 she was the first woman to drive an automobile coast to coast.
The wife of a Hackensack attorney and Congressman could have lived a life of ease, but she had a taste for danger. She was appealing, self-possessed, and selfconfident. To keep her from riding horses, which her husband considered too dangerous, he ordered a new automobile. This was just before the age of the Ford mass-produced model- T, and cars were just considered exotic and expensive toys.
Ramsey attended Vassar College from 1903 to 1905. In 1908 her husband bought her a new Maxwell runabout. That summer she drove over 6,000 miles around and near their Hackensack home.
Ramsey proved to be an excellent driver, and ace mechanic. In rallies, and in long-distance trips, she established a reputation as one of the best drivers in the Northeast.
A sales manager from the Maxwell Company had a public relations inspiration: Why not have a woman drive from New York City to San Francisco? When Ramsey heard him out she said, “I was embarrassed: My face was like a fireball, and I would like to crawl under the table.” The more she thought about it the more challenging it became. “So, I decided to
Woman Drives Coast to Coast in an Automobile
take the challenge. I had three sisters-in laws and an unmarried female friend from Hackensack to be my chaperones. It was 1909 and Ramsey still had to get her husband’s permission to make the trip.
Her vehicle was a Maxwell 1909 four-cylinder with the potential for 30-horsepower or 40mph. By today’s standards the vehicle was primitive. A wooden yard stick was inserted into a special 20-gallon gas tank to measure the remaining gas. To start the car there was a front-mounted crank. There were no treads on the tires, which made it more dangerous on muddy roads. A canvas top was the only protection from rain or snow. The headlights were “lit” by dropping a pellet in water to generate gas which was then ignited with a match. The first leg of the trip, from New York to Chicago took 14 days. In September 1908, she drove one of the three Maxwells which were entered in that year’s American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Montauk Point Endurance Race. She was one of only two women entered. She won a bronze medal by getting a perfect score in the race.
One of the other Maxwell drivers was Carl Kelsey, who did publicity for Maxwell-Briscoe. It was during this event that Kelsey proposed that she attempt a transcontinental journey, with Maxwell-Briscoe›s company’s backing. The company would supply a 1909 touring car for the journey and would also provide assistance and parts as needed. Hotel arrangements were also provided. The drive was originally meant as a publicity stunt for Maxwell-Briscoe, and would also prove to be part of Maxwell›s ongoing strategy of specifically marketing to women. At that time, women were not encouraged to drive cars.
On June 9, 1909, the 22-year-old began a 3,800mile journey from New York City to San Francisco in a green, four-cylinder, 30-horsepower Maxwell DA. On her trip she was accompanied by her older sisters-in-law and 19-yearold female friend Hermine Jahns. They were chaperons and none of whom could drive the car.
The women used maps from the American Automobile Association to make the journey. Only 152 of the 3,600 miles, that the group traveled were paved. Over the course of the drive, Ramsey changed 11 tires, cleaned the spark plugs, repaired a broken brake pedal and had to sleep in the car when it was stuck in mud.
Ramsey mostly navigated by following the telephone poles with more wires in hopes that they would lead to a town.
Along the way, they crossed the trail of a manhunt for a killer in Nebraska. Ramsey received a case of bedbugs from a hotel. In Nevada, they were surrounded by a Native American hunting party with bows and arrows drawn. Sitting Bull, one of the more notorious Native Americans had passed away and the tribes were at peace with the white settlers.
But it was still a perilous undertaking. Outside of one or two big cities, there were virtually no paved roads in the towns and no road maps to help. Friends advised Ramsay to take a gun because it was such a dangerous undertaking, but she refused to carry a firearm.
“I had good days driving 130 miles to Chicago on the bumpy first 14-day leg,” she said.
There was no storage space, so the luggage, spare tires, water, and tools had to be stowed in the back, and on the running boards.
Conditions deteriorated after they passed over the
Mississippi River. In places there were no signs that a road ever existed. If they were careful and vigilant they could “sense” the vestiges of a roadway by the wagon wheels that left ruts in the ground or by some crushed sagebrush. Ramsey became an expert on chuck holes, prairie dogs holes, mud holes, and arroyos. “Sometimes I got too far ahead of myself and had to be towed back to safety. I had to be towed out with my horse three times and actually it took 13 days of hard driving to make it to just Iowa. Iowa’s weather posed challenges. There was “no gumbo too thick” for the Maxwell, said its manufacturers, but some potholed, muddy roads proved practically impassable for the treadless tires. From time to time, as conditions worsen her fellow travelers would hop a train, if available.
Ramsey persevered, taking 13 days to conquer 360 miles (and relying on horses for towing at times!). The maximum speed for the car was 40 miles per hour.
San Francisco, crowds awaited them at the St. James Hotel. In later years, she lived in West
Covina, California, where in 1961 she wrote and published the story of her journey, Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron, between 1909 and 1975.
After her husband’s death in 1933, Ramsey lived with sister-in-law Anna Graham
continued on page 19
By Henry M. Holden
NNew Jersey’s Extraordinary Inventors and their Legacies
ew Jersey, often referred to as the Garden State, has been a fertile ground for cultivating a remarkable collection of talent across various fields. From groundbreaking inventors and powerful politicians to iconic performers and sports legends, these lists not only made significant contributions to their respective provinces but has also left an indelible mark on the international stage. Here is a sample list of famous people from New Jersey showcasing their extraordinary accomplishments and influence in different areas of life.
Every day we use dozens of inventions, rarely thinking
about who invented them. Inventors create solutions to problems to share with the world making life a little bit easier. Did you know that New Jersey ranks 5th in the number of patents granted in the United States? Here are just a few inventors most from the ingenious Garden State.
Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Fielding and Chavannes sealed two shower curtains together, creating a smattering of air bubbles, which they originally tried to sell as wallpaper. When the product turned out to be unsuccessful as wallpaper, the team sold it
Woman Drives...
continued from page 15
Harris in New Jersey, and then later in West Covina, California, until Anna’s death in 1953, and eventually with Elizabeth Elliott from 1968 until Ramsey’s death on September 10, 1983, in Covina, California.
Ramsey completed the trip on August 7, 1909, covering 3,800 miles in 59 days, although about three weeks later than originally planned. Ramsey was an American and the first woman to drive an automobile across the United States coast to coast.
After her brief bout with fame, Ramsey returned to New Jersey by train, where she resumed a relatively low-key profile raising two children. She continued her cross-country drives, losing count after
as greenhouse insulation. Although Bubble Wrap was branded by Sealed Air Corporation in 1960, it was not until a year later (1961) that its usefulness in protective usage was discovered. As a packaging material, Bubble Wrap’s first client was IBM, which used the product to protect the IBM 1401 computer during shipment. Fielding and Chavannes were inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in 1993. Sealed Air celebrated Bubble Wrap›s 50th birthday in January 2010.
George Franklin Grant (September 15, 1846 – August 21, 1910) was the first African American professor at Harvard. He was also a Boston dentist, and
an inventor of an early composite golf tee made from wood and natural rubber (specifically, guttapercha) tubing.
Norman Joseph Woodland - and Bernard Silver
Born in Atlantic City, Woodland (and Silver) invented the barcode by figuring out a way to encode information using simple lines. They patented it in the US in 1952. The invention was based on Morse code that was extended to thin and thick bars. However, it took over twenty years before this invention became commercially successful.
and the magnetic iron ore separator. In total, Edison had 1,093 inventions.
Les Paul - Inventor of the harmonica holder, electric guitar and multi-track tape recorders. He moved to Mahwah in 1951, the same year he and his future wife Mary Ford topped the charts with “How High the Moon.” The song stood at #1 on the Billboard Magazine chart for nine weeks. Les Paul is the only person ever inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame.
her thirtieth. In 1960, the Automobile Manufacturers Association named her their “First Lady of Automotive Travel” for her trek across a “trackless land.”
Ramsey was named the “Woman Motorist of the Century” by AAA in 1960. She also set an example set by not having a problem with the authorities: throughout her entire driving career, she received just one ticket. She had made an illegal U-turn— though not, of course, on her famed crosscountry trip.
Ramsey passed away on September 10, 1983. October 17, 2000, Ramsey was the first woman inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
Alexander Cartwright While Abner Doubleday is often mistakenly credited with inventing baseball, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) states that the real inventor is Alexander Cartwright. Cartwright is credited with developing the modern rules of baseball in 1845, forming the basis for the game we know today.
Thomas Edison – Is America’s greatest and most influential inventor. While Edison was born in Ohio and grew up in Michigan, he began his career in Newark, New Jersey. Some of his most famous inventions include the phonograph, the light bulb, motion picture, electrographic vote recorder
Irwin Gerszberg aka “Mr. DSL” - As you may expect by his nickname, Gerszberg was a leader in Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology. In other words, he gave us the ability to obtain vast amounts of digital data from the Internet at high speeds. He lived in Kendall Park, New Jersey.
Anthony E. Winston The man from East Brunswick who has surely helped you smile bigger and brighter. Winston received thirteen patents for using baking soda to create toothpaste, gels and tartar-control agents.
A deodorizer, an earwax removal aid and laundry detergents are also among his inventions. In addition to assisting with your personal hygiene, Winston also created products to help farmers kill harmful fungi on plants.
Arthur Nobile – (May 6, 1920 -Jan. 6, 2004) invented Prednisone in the early 1950s. Prednisone is a synthetic drug for autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, kidney diseases, and to prevent and treat rejection in organ transplantation. Nobile was inducted into the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.
Forrest E. Mars, Sr (March 21 - 1904 -July -21-1999) is the son of the candy giant, Frank C. Mars, the creator of the Milky Way and 3 Musketeers candy bars. After a riff in their father and son relationship, Forrest left his father’s company to start his own. After traveling overseas to Europe and continued on page 21
The candlestick phone was popular from thre late 1880 to about the 1930s although it remained. In until the end of WWII
Photo author’s collection
Extraordinary Inventors...
continued from page 19
working under another food giant Nestle, he learned more about the candy and food business to aid in his quest to start his own. It›s said that during his travels, he came across soldiers during the Spanish Civil War eating small pellets of candy-covered chocolate and that›s what gave him the idea to start his own candy business featuring M&Ms candies.
Sidney Pestka - Dr. Pestka was born in Poland on May 26,1936 and died on
December 22, 2016. He moved to Trenton at age eight. Called “The Father of Interferon,” Pestka’s work has led to cures for cancers and viral diseases. He has paved the way for the possibilities of prevention, diagnosis and cures for many fatal diseases. Dr. Pestka, a resident of North Caldwell, died in December 2016. Hoffmann-La Roche, where Dr. Pestka worked, was one of the first companies to receive an FDA license in 1986 for the use of a drug to treat a rare form of leukemia.
Alfred Lewis Vail Alfred Vail was born on January 9, 1807, in Morristown, to Betsey Youngs and Stephen Vail. He passed on January 18, 1859. His father was a notable businessperson who founded the Speedwell Ironworks, where Alfred and Samuel Morse would later demonstrate their first electric telegraph. Vail attended public school and later worked as an iron molder in his father›s ironworks. In 1832, he enrolled at New York University, where he studied theology and became an active member of the Euclidian Society.
Vail’s encounter with Samuel Morse’s telegraph experiments in 1837 sparked his interest in the technology. He proposed to Morse to refine the device at his father’s factory in exchange for a 25-percent share of any future commercial profits. However, Morse later brought in Francis Smith as a partner, reducing Vail’s share to one-eighth.
Along with Samuel Morse, Vail was central in developing and commercializing American electrical telegraphy between 1837 and 1844.
Vail and Morse were the first two telegraph operators on Morse’s first experimental line between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and Vail took charge of building and managing several early telegraph lines between 1845 and 1848.
Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 – January 7, 1943) was a Serbian-American engineer,
futurist, and inventor. He is known for his knowledge and contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.
Alexander Graham Bell In the 1870s, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell independently designed devices that could transmit speech electrically. Both men rushed their respective designs for these prototype telephones to the patent office within hours of each other. Bell patented his telephone first and later emerged the victor in a legal dispute with Gray.
Today, Bell’s name is synonymous with the history of the telephone, while Gray is largely forgotten.
Bill Gates and his Windows software opened home computers to the world. The usability of his software provided an intuitive interface that proved a catalyst for the adoption of PCs and the worlds digital transformation. When Charles Babbage debuted his “mechanical calculating machine” in 1833 (that he continued to refine until his death in 1871), it’s unlikely he realized how important his concept would become over the next 177 years. Interestingly, Babbage also invented the printer (that was likely more reliable than the average modern one!), as his “mechanical calculator” printed its answers on paper. Presumably because he hadn’t gotten around to inventing the monitor yet!
By Megan Roche
TRutgers Gymnastics ‘Team 50’ Celebrates 50 Years of Scarlet Knight Gymnastics
he Rutgers University Gymnastics Team had one of its best seasons in 2025 which helped celebrate 50 years since the creation of the program.
“One of our biggest assets was the freshman class that came in,” head coach Anastasia Candia said. “We had a really strong group of women and they were ready to go. They really pushed our upperclassmen. It really gave us that nice, fresh group to join us. Once the season started, the entire team was just ready.”
During the 2025 regular season, on Jan. 11, Rutgers clinched a narrow victory at the Rutgers January Quad Meet, edging out UPenn with a final floor routine by Gabrielle Dildy. On Feb. 15, In a tri-meet celebrating the program’s 50th anniversary, Rutgers posted a season-high score of 195.350, defeating Kent State but falling to Michigan. On March 16, The Scarlet Knights achieved their highest team score of the season, 196.550, in a victory over the University of New Hampshire.
Heading into the BIG10 Championships, Candia knew that the team needed a certain score to potentially earn a berth to the NCAA tournament.
“I was really hoping that the girls weren’t putting that pressure on themselves to earn that score. Up to that point, they had been really doing a good job of just staying within our bubble. Once we started the meet, I could tell that they were locked in. Going into our last event, I wasn’t really looking at placement or the scores, but it was really a storybook ending as we all waited for that last score to come in,” Candia said.
With a final score of 196.225, the team earned its first berth to the NCAA tournament since 2014.
Rutgers qualified for the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional but was eliminated in the first round after a close contest against Clemson. Leading by 0.325 points after three rotations, the Scarlet Knights were overtaken in the final floor exercise, concluding with a score of 193.875 to Clemson’s 195.400.
“The girls really just enjoyed every moment. The pressure got to us a little bit at the end which is just one of those things. This really was the first scenario for us where we had to beat the other team to advance so it added a little bit of extra pressure. They got a taste of it and they really want more of that going forward,” Candia said.
Beautiful Transformation in 100 Days!
Following the conclusion of the season, Candia was appointed as the full-time head coach after serving as the interim head coach during the year. Candia, who competed for Rutgers University as a gymnast, is looking forward to her first full year as the official head coach of the program.
“It’s just an honor to be in this position, to have that full trust and belief not just from the team but also the athletics department
and the university. It’s been somewhere I’ve called home for 11 years now as an athlete and as a coach so I’m very proud to represent this program and to continue to show how special it really is,” Candia said. With the 2025 season in the books, Candia has already begun recruiting the next generation of Scarlet Knight gymnasts. To learn more about the team, visit www. scarletknights.com.
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