Town Topics Newspaper, May 28 2025

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

included Vertex Pharmaceuticals founder Joshua Boger, for his biotechnology leadership which has “transformed the lives of countless individuals suffering from chronic illnesses,” according to the official University proclamation; Lex Frieden, “an architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act and a pioneer of the independent living movement;” Sherrilyn Ifill, “a leader of the modern civil rights movement,” a leader of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and founding director

Princeton Pride Flag Raising on Friday Will Launch Month of Pride Activities

do not need to fit a narrow and pre-determined label to come here and enjoy visiting and/or living ere. We are all people, we all deserve to be treated the same,

Sara Wasserman, local community organizer and queer educator at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ), that is organizing many of the Princeton Pride Month 2025 events, observed, “I think we’re going to have an even stronger, bigger, better and brighter celebration of queer joy than ever before because this is a time when we need it.”

Citing difficult times with the federal

(Photo

by Sarah Teo)

2025

Milberg Gallery | Firestone Library

library.princeton.edu

TOWN TOPICS

Princeton’s Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946

DONALD C. STUART, 1946-1981 DAN D. COYLE, 1946-1973 Founding Editors/Publishers DONALD C. STUART III, Editor/Publisher, 1981-2001

LAURIE PELLIChERO Editor BILL ALDEN, Sports Editor

DONALD gILPIN, wENDY gREENBERg, ANNE LEVIN, STUART MITChNER, NANCY PLUM, DONALD h. SANBORN

Kingston Historical Society Presents Spring Talk On Tuesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kingston Firehouse, 8 Heathcote Road and on Zoom, the Kingston Historical Society will present a talk by Carrie Fellows, executive director of New Jersey’s Crossroads of the American Revolution Association.

Crossroads of the American Revolution Association was founded in 2002 as the only statewide nonprofit organization established to offer a forum for new citizen initiatives on education, historical interpretation, site use and heritage tourism, and to raise popular appreciation of the historical significance of the American Revolution in New Jersey. Congress established the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area in 2006. The

Association was designated as the coordinating entity for the Heritage Area.

Fellows brings 30 years of experience working primarily in government and nonprofit museums. She was an active participant in Crossroads of the American Revolution’s visioning process following the 2002 National Heritage Area Feasibility Study. An active member of living history and museum organizations for more than 30 years, she has an international network of colleagues working in museums and related fields.

Fellows most recently served as director of the Hunterdon County Department of Planning & Land Use and as executive director of Hunterdon’s Cultural & Heritage Commission, with previous experience as curator, educator, and director in small and midsized

history museums. Her work as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) and the Morris County Tourism Bureau led her to form personal and professional relationships with staff and leadership in museums, historic sites, and agencies all over the United States and Canada, and directly contributed to opportunities to help sites create meaningful, impactful programming. Fellows has presented to a variety of public and professional audiences on topics such as creating historic site costume standards; managing museums, collections, and volunteers; and women’s clothing, tasks and roles in 18th and early 19th century civilian and military life.

Admission is free. Visit khsnj.org/talk. All Zoom attendants must register.

Topics In Brief A Community Bulletin

Leighton Listens: Councilman Leighton Newlin holds one-on-one conversations about issues impacting Princeton from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. On May 28 at Hinds Plaza. On June 4 at Princeton Soup and Sandwich, 30 Palmer Square. On June 11 on the steps of Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. On June 18 at Olives Bakery, 22 Witherspoon Street. On June 25 in the outside seating area of McCaffrey’s Market, Princeton Shopping Center, 301 North Harrison Street.

Young Musicians Sought: The Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra is looking for exceptional young musicians to join its advanced summer session program. Weekly sessions are Monday evenings. Auditions are June 9 and 16. Repertoire includes music from operas by Puccini, Verdi, and Bizet. Visit gpyo.org.

Food Pantry: Arm in Arm’s mobile food pantry is at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike, on Monday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. Fresh produce, eggs, milk, frozen proteins, and quality baked goods as well as canned and boxed items and personal care items are available for those in need, and different social services agencies are on site. Mcl.org.

Sustainable Princeton “Lending Library” : Sustainable Princeton offers residents and nonprofits in Princeton the opportunity to borrow sustainable home items such as electric landscape equipment, induction cooktops, and repair tools, for free, for up to two weeks. Visit sustainableprinceton.org for more information.

Scholarship Opportunity : The Dr. Esther Wollin Memorial Scholarship Fund is available to Jewish female, full-time students who will be or are already attending Rutgers University and raised by their Jewish mother in a single-parent household in the Princeton Mercer Bucks Community. Eligibility is based on financial need. Submission deadline is June 2. Visit jfcsonline.org or call Joyce at (609) 987-8100.

Summer Registration for Community Pool and More : To sign up for pool membership, camp offerings, and summer programs, visit register.communitypass. net/Princeton.

MILLSTONE VALLEY: This scenic spot is among those to be mentioned in a talk on June 10 by Carrie Fellows.

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ONE NIGHT ONLY: Renée Fleming’s appearance with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra on June 7 is a cornerstone of the 2025 Princeton Festival. Her concert

Changed Music.”

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Operatic Superstar Renée Fleming to Perform with Princeton Symphony at 2025 Princeton Festival

“Throughout history, music and the arts have given us social cohesion — it’s what enabled us to cooperate with each other and stay together.” This commentary from singer Renée Fleming has long set the tone for Fleming’s stellar multi-decade career, leading to five

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Grammy awards, a National Medal of Arts, recognition by the Kennedy Center Honors, and countless accolades worldwide. Fleming will join Princeton Symphony Orchestra on June 7 at 8 p.m. as part of the 2025 Princeton Festival, presenting “well-known gems, a few obscure discoveries and more intimate fare.” One of the most acclaimed singers of our time, Fleming is a “quintuple threat” — with international success in opera, concert stage, recording, musical theater and as an author and advocate for performance, music education and embedding the arts into health care. Her artistry has been hailed as the “gold standard of soprano sound.”

TOPICS

Of the Town

Heading into its fourth year at Morven Museum & Garden, Princeton Festival has chosen to present this very high-profile artist to build on the success of opening last year with Metropolitan Opera soprano Angel Blue and bring further attention to the wide range of Festival offerings. Princeton Symphony Music Director Rossen Milanov had collaborated with Fleming in the past, and she was eager to come to Princeton to perform in the Festival’s unique space at Morven’s Pavilion. For this year’s Festival, the seating at the Pavilion has been expanded to accommodate a much larger audience.

To opera lovers, Renée Fleming needs no introduction. Born in Indiana, Pa., to music teacher parents, Fleming seemed destined for a calling to the stage. She studied with leading teachers at a number of prestigious institutions, including the Crane and Eastman schools of music and The Juilliard School. Fleming made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Countess Almaviva in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s La nozze de Figaro, launching a career with the Met spanning more than three decades.

In recent years, Fleming has combined performing with a study of the relationship between music and health, including the incorporation of music into neuroscience research.

Collaborating with music therapists and experts in the fields of neuroscience of music and biomedical study, Fleming maintains that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other activity. In her former capacity as artistic advisor to Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Fleming launched a partnership between the Center and the National Institutes of Health, later editing the essay anthology Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness , published in 2024.

Throughout her career, Fleming has upheld a commitment to the next

Continued on Next Page

Carney

is bracketed by “Voices that

(Photo by Andrew Eccles Decca)

signature exhibition honoring the legacy of American sculptor Selma Burke featuring over 60 works by more than 30 African American artists.

Renée Fleming

Continued from Preceding Page generation of performers, acknowledging that the professional arena is now vastly different from her early years. Describing success as a combination of “natural talent, hard work, tenacity, resiliency, and luck,” Fleming advises up-and-coming artists that “with the changed media landscape, in many ways the path for young singers today is more difficult than it was for me. Singers now need to be as versatile as possible. But some advice I was given remains the same: fine-tune your skills to the best of your ability (including command of languages, acting and expressive skills, performance practice and style), and don’t accept technical limitations.”

Fleming views constructing a recital program as similar to planning a menu, taking great care to enable everyone in the audience, regardless of their individual taste or musical background, to hear something to respond to and enjoy. Her concert in Princeton reflects connections to the local community; in addition to friendships with University and Institute for Advanced Study individuals, Fleming recently premiered Princeton composer Alan Fletcher’s setting of Three American Songs , which she will be performing at the Festival. Recognizing university towns as centers of learning and research as well as vibrant arts scenes, Fleming also admires that “a wonderful city like Princeton supports a fantastic symphony orchestra, accomplished choirs, and a thriving theater.”

Fleming’s appearance with Princeton Symphony Orchestra is a cornerstone of the 2025 Princeton Festival. Her one-night-only concert is bracketed by “Voices that Changed Music,” featuring songs ranging from Elvis Presley to Gladys Knight to Prince, and “Sondheim in the City” with cabaret singer Melissa Errico. A three-performance run of Giacomo Puccini’s blockbuster opera Tosca anchors a week of dance, “Baroque Brilliance,” Motown, and the music of the 1970s Swedish band sensation ABBA. Community activities include “Yoga in the Garden;” a Community Day of music, art and food; and a Festival Farmers Market.

Fleming’s repertoire for the evening, ranging from Handel to Rodgers and Hammerstein, will no doubt set a high bar for the Festival’s diverse series of events. Princeton Symphony promises that this year’s summer showcase will have something for everyone; as Fleming remarked in a recent interview, “there’s nothing that brings our emotions out more than a musical experience.”

A forum for the expression of opinions about local and national issues.

Question of the Week:

“What do you like to do or see when you come back to town? What has changed?”

(Asked Saturday during Reunions Weekend)

(Photos by Sarah Teo)

Cheyenne: “For food places, I like Tacoria. And walking through campus is really nice — to get that feeling of being in college again. There’s always a lot of changes since the campus is expanding.”

Begum: “I like to walk by my old dorm rooms, and visit my favorite food places: Small World and Olives.”

—Cheyenne Zhang, Class of 2022, New York City, and

Calif.

Peter: “The most significant issue I’ve seen is how they’ve put new buildings on every piece of lawn that we ever knew back in my time. I understand why, but it’s not the same. We also visit Cottage, my old eating club.”

Cornelia: “We also love to see friends.”

—Peter, Class of 1975, right, and Cornelia Forrence, Peru, N.Y.

Lisa: “My dorm doesn’t exist

memories actually were

op. It’s a lovely, old-fashioned

the vegetarian food

—Nancy Plum

The Princeton Festival takes place June 6-21 and includes musical performances ranging from classical to musical theater and the popular ABBA show band ARRIVAL, as well as other varied artistic offerings. Ticket information for all Festival activities can be found princetonsymphony.org/festival/ events/2025-princetonfestival.

I

I

a

and was very involved in the LGBT things, and the Women’s Center. I wish I could go to the art museum!”

and look at my old dorms —

where I was as a freshman. I’ve noticed lots

—Mike

Begum Ortaoglu, Class of 2022, San Francisco,

Mike: “I enjoy coming back — some is just pure nostalgia. I walk campus

Brown Hall was

of changes to the athletic fields.”

Popkin, Class of 1965, Long Lake, Minn., with his grandchildren Jacob and Mia Ferrara, Princeton

—

lived in Wilson. But my fondest

at Two Dickinson Street Co-

house.

was kinda fringe: I did

co-op, spearheaded

recycling program,

—Lisa Reeves, Class of 1985, and Mindy Schiffman, New York City

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Eisgruber continued from page one of the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy at Howard University School of Law; Nancy Weiss Malkiel, “pathbreaking” Princeton University history professor emeritus and former dean of the college, one of the first women appointed to the Princeton faculty; Daniel Chee Tsui, Princeton professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering and a 1998 Nobel Prize winner in physics, known for his discoveries in experimental condensed matter physics; and Omar M. Yaghi, “a pioneer in the field of materials science,” a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the creator of the field of reticular chemistry and molecular weaving.

—Donald Gilpin

Eisgruber’s commencement address follows, as delivered:

In a few minutes, all of you will walk out of this stadium as newly minted graduates of this University. Before you do, however, long-standing tradition permits the University president to offer a few remarks about the path that lies ahead.

As I began drafting this year’s speech, I found myself reflecting on what I recall from my own graduation — which, alas, is very little: after more than 40 years, the day is mostly a blur.

I do remember leaving campus with a new, hardshell Samsonite briefcase, a gift from my beloved grandmother, intended to mark my transition from backpack-toting undergraduate to office-going adult.

The briefcase would soon yield again to the backpacks that I favored for most of my professorial career.

During that post-graduation summer, though, I proudly carried my books and papers in the briefcase, feeling suitably professional and accomplished. One of the books I was reading at the time, on the recommendation of a Princeton mentor, was Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America.

The book, but not the briefcase, accompanied me to England where I began my graduate studies. Living outside the United States for the first time since my childhood, I marveled at the 19th century Frenchman’s ability to make perceptive and durable observations about a culture different from his own.

Tocqueville admired some of what he saw during his visits to America in the 1830s, but he was deeply skeptical about the country’s ability to produce humanistic and scientific achievements of the kind that distinguish this University.

For example, he reported that “there is almost no one in the United States who gives himself over to the essentially theoretical and abstract portion of human knowledge.

He opined that the United States “still does not have a literature, properly speaking,” and he predicted a future dominated by books that could be “procured without trouble” and “quickly read.”

Tocqueville, despite all his truly magnificent insights,

did not anticipate the rise of universities like the one from which you graduate today.

He did note that Americans had a “very high and often much exaggerated idea of human reason” and were prone to “conclude that everything in the world is explicable and that nothing exceeds the bounds of intelligence.”

Tocqueville also observed that Americans “constantly unite,” forming organizations and associations “to give fetes, … found seminaries, … build inns, … raise churches, … distribute books [and] create hospitals, prisons, [or] schools.”

If Tocqueville had put together these observations— about Americans’ zealous faith in reason and their incessant associative activity — he might perhaps have predicted the network of research universities that we know today.

Be that as it may, America’s colleges and universities have changed the country for the better. The nation that Tocqueville thought ill-suited to the “theoretical and abstract portion of human knowledge” has become a magnet for the world’s leading mathematicians and scientists.

The country that Tocqueville thought might never produce a literature of its own cultivates brilliant writers and critics not only at this university but at many others, including, for example, at the famous University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Tocqueville wrote that “there is no country in the civilized world where [people] are less occupied with philosophy than the United States,” but New Jersey by itself boasts two of the world’s greatest philosophy departments, at Princeton and Rutgers.

Yet, if Tocqueville did not foresee the rise of America’s universities, his observations about democratic sentiments should alert us to a persistent tension between our scholarly institutions and the broader society upon which they depend.

The creativity that universities cultivate, the idiosyncrasies that we tolerate, and the speculative or esoteric research that we cherish: all of these can put universities at odds with the more pragmatic culture around us and thereby jeopardize the academic freedom on which our institutions vitally depend.

Tensions between the academy, public opinion, and government policy have ebbed and flowed over the course of American history. They are now at an unprecedented high point.

In this tender and pivotal moment, we must stand boldly for the freedoms and principles that define this and other great universities.

We must also, at the same time, find ways to listen to thoughtful critics and steward our relationship with the broader society upon which we depend.

Universities risk losing public support if they deviate from their core mission of teaching and research, or if they appear to become organs of partisan advocacy rather than impartial forums for the pursuit of truth and the dissemination of knowledge.

People sometimes make

this point by recommending that universities adopt a posture of “institutional neutrality,” a concept that they take from a report issued in 1967 by the Kalven Committee at the University of Chicago.

Though I agree with much that is said in the Kalven Report, I have never liked the language of “neutrality,” partly because “neutral” has multiple meanings.

“Neutral” can mean “impartial,” which is a more precise way to capture what the Kalven Committee had in mind.

Another meaning of “neutral,” however, is “lacking distinguishing quality or characteristics.”

Synonyms for “neutral” include: “innocuous,” “unobjectionable,” “harmless,” “bland,” and “colorless.”

Some current-day proponents of the neutrality standard seem to relish the term’s double meaning. They want university faculties and students to produce useful inventions, illuminate poetic beauty, and study the virtues of successful leaders, but they appear to become uneasy when, for example, scholars expose and analyze the role of race, sexuality, or prejudice in society and politics.

The actual Kalven Committee was under no such illusion. It described universities this way:

“A university faithful to its mission will provide enduring challenges to social values, policies, practices, and institutions. By design and by effect, [a university] creates discontent with the existing social arrangements and proposes new ones. In brief, a good university, like Socrates, will be upsetting.”

Like Socrates! The reference is telling. As the Kalven Committee certainly knew, Socrates was so upsetting — so colorful, so provocative, so decidedly not neutral — that the Athenians sentenced him to death for disrespecting their most sacred beliefs.

Universities might be less vulnerable to criticism and attack if they were bland, innocuous, and neutral — but then they would not be true universities.

Great universities must have a Socratic spirit.

We aim to encourage and elevate what Tocqueville depicted as the sometimes irritating tendency of Americans, and democratic citizens more generally, to believe that human intelligence can explain, critique, and improve the world.

At the heart of Princeton’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs is a commitment to inculcate a fierce independence of mind. We want you to have the skill and the courage to ask questions that are unsettling and uncomfortable to the world, and, indeed, to you.

I hope you have embraced this independence during your time here, and that you have also learned how to speak up for what you believe even when it may be uncomfortable to do so.

I hope, too, that these habits will stay with you as you venture forth into a world that needs your creativity, your learning, and your valor.

OF 2025: Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber “offered a few remarks about the path that lies ahead,” as he urged the graduates at the University’s 278th commencement ceremony on Tuesday in Princeton Stadium, to speak up for their beliefs and to “stand boldly” for the freedoms and principles that define Princeton and other great universities.

The paths that you follow from this stadium today lead into a world more fraught, turbulent, and uncertain than the one that I entered with my brand-new briefcase four decades ago. Yet, whether you depart carrying backpacks or briefcases or neither of the two, you should know, as my classmates and I did, that you will always be welcome back on this campus. Indeed, all of us on this platform hope that you will return often to Old Nassau. We will greet you then as we cheer you today, wishing you every success as Princeton University’s Great Class of 2025! Congratulations!

Police Blotter

On May 24 at 5:18 p.m., patrols were dispatched to a residence on Mountain Avenue in response to a report of criminal mischief. The investigation at the scene revealed that unknown individuals caused approximately $500 in damage to the victim’s vehicle, consisting of a shallow, horizontal scratch about 40 inches long, spanning the length of the rear driver’s side door. It is believed that this occurred sometime between 8:30 a.m. on May 23, and 8:30 a.m. on May 24. Additionally, an anti-Elon Musk sticker was placed on the victim’s other vehicle sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on May 20. Currently, there are no suspects.

On May 23 at 11:16 a.m., patrol officers responded to a residence on Nassau Street following a report of a residential burglary in progress. Upon arrival, they spoke with the homeowner, who stated that he had returned home and witnessed a male, approximately 50 years old, with a slim build and a black and gray mustache/goatee wearing a gray fitted knit hat, a black coat, dark gray/black jeans, white and black sneakers, who was carrying a black backpack as he escaped from a first-floor bathroom window on the east side of the house. Patrols on the scene determined that the suspect likely entered the home through this bathroom window, which had been unsecured at the time. Several cabinets and drawers throughout the

Experience Exceptional Senior Living

residence were found open and appeared to have been rummaged through. The total value of the stolen property is approximately $8,800. The incident has been turned over to the Detective Bureau for further investigation.

On May 22 at 7:56 p.m., a Leavitte Lane resident reported that an unknown person or persons entered his residence through an unsecured window and forced entry into the remainder of the residence by prying open a locked door located in the basement. The resident stated that multiple rooms were rummaged through and that $4,000 in cash, a 10-ounce silver bar, and 20 Silver Eagle collector’s coins were stolen from a drawer. The total value of the stolen items and cash were valued at approximately $8,200. There are no suspects at this time and the investigation is on-going.

On May 20 at 11:06 a.m., officers responded to a business on North Harrison Street to investigate a report of a past shoplifting incident. The investigation, which included reviewing surveillance footage, confirmed that the suspect, a 53-year-old Princeton female, had stolen wine valued at $25.56. As a result, she was mailed a summons and was given a court date.

On May 19, 1t 9:10 p.m., patrols were dispatched to the area of Stuart Road in response to a report of a lewdness incident. An individual, who was traveling westbound on Stuart Road in her parents’ vehicle, described an unknown male, approximately 40 years old, wearing dark-colored shorts and a blue collared

shirt. The man entered the eastbound lane, turned his back towards the vehicle, and pulled down his shorts, revealing his nude buttocks, which made the victim feel alarmed. At this time, there are no suspects.

On May 18, at 1:03 a.m., subsequent to a motor vehicle stop for Improper U-turn and Expired Registration, on Spruce Street, the driver, a 34-year-old male from Ewing, was found to be operating his motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was placed under arrest and transported to headquarters for processing. At the completion of processing, he was issued several motor vehicle summonses prior to being turned over to the custody of a sober adult.

On May 17, at 12:21 p.m., someone reported that on May 13, an iPhone that belonged to her daughter was stolen while left unattended/dropped at a business located on North Harrison Street. The iPhone was reported to be valued at approximately $350. There are no suspects at this time.

On May 13, at 1:46 p.m., someone reported that her vehicle was damaged by unknown individuals while it was parked in a parking lot on Ewing Street. She stated that the glass on her passenger-side mirror was shattered, and a sticker on the rear of her vehicle that read “HERE FOR ZERO EMISSIONS, NOT ELON” had been crossed out with a black marker. The estimated cost to repair the side mirror is approximately $700. There are currently no suspects in this case.

Unless noted, individuals arrested were later released.

CLASS

(Photo by Charles Sykes, Associated Press Images for Princeton University)

SAVE Animal Shelter at Full Capacity

As Adoption/Foster Rates Decline

With the capacity to house more than 100 animals at a time, it might seem as though SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals, has plenty of space. But the Skillman-based nonprofit shelter, which receives no funding at the federal, state, or local level, is running out of space — especially for dogs that need homes.

SAVE Executive Director Heather Achenbach has recently taken to social media to ask the public for help. A number of foster applications have resulted from her effort, but more fosters, adoptions, and monetary donations are needed.

“This is unfortunately not news for animal shelters nationally,” she said. “It’s definitely not news in the state of New Jersey. It’s heartbreaking.”

SAVE has space for 75 cats and 25 dogs. With cats, the shelter takes in “hundreds in a short time,” Achenbach said. “What we haven’t been able to leverage as a society, or even locally, is the same foster response for dogs. We recognize that cats and dogs are not the same – you can take home five kittens, but not five puppies. We need help.”

While SAVE was nearly emptied during the pandemic, “The world post-pandemic wants to pick up and leave home and not worry about their dog,” Achenbach said. “So, fewer people want to commit to a dog, period.”

Another major factor is the rising cost of veterinary fees.

“By the time you do early care to preventive care for a dog, you are in for thousands of dollars a year,” Achenbach said. “This is not how it was pre-pandemic. It is now almost unaffordable.

The cost of vet care has gone through the roof. And that means that the surrender and abandon rates are through the roof.”

It isn’t only the pit bulls and large breeds that have become difficult to place.

“It’s not true anymore that the smaller dogs get adopted faster,” Achenbach said.

“The community has to understand that if they continue to purchase from a puppy mill instead of rescuing, the problem will continue. I’ve had cockapoo puppies here that people will buy for $1,500 from a puppy mill. And I couldn’t get them out of here. In 2019, if I had told the public I had them, I would have had a line out the door.”

“Just yesterday,” she continued, “a Hillsborough family had to surrender their poodle and Yorkie because of allergies. A Shih Tzu was abandoned in a cat carrier at a motel. Someone wants to surrender their seven-yearold Yellow Lab because of caring for a relative. We have every breed coming in here that people have paid really big money for.”

Founded in 1941 by Dr. Cornelia Jaynes as the Small Animal Veterinary Endowment, SAVE was located on Herrontown Road before moving to its 10-acre property in Skillman a decade ago, after merging with the Friends of Homeless Animals. While 11 towns contract with the shelter to hold their lost and stray animals, paying a nominal fee for use of the space, key support comes from private funding.

SAVE’s six core programs of rescue, shelter, health and welfare, spay/neuter, foster, and adoption are focused on “the rehabilitation and successful placement of

“I

treatable and adoptable animals,” according to its website (savehomelessanimals. org). “SAVE endeavors to build, foster, and strengthen the human-animal bond.”

While Achenbach is encouraged by the response to her social media efforts, it isn’t enough.

“I want the public to foster, adopt, and donate,” she

said. “Volunteering is great, but I need them [animals] to go home. We need space if we want to help animals. You have to take them home. Please give them a home, and please give us your money. Because if you don’t, we might not be here to help.”

–Anne Levin

Get ready to ride! Get Ready to Ride!

We are celebrating National Bike Month! FOR THE 20TH YEAR, five times in May we will wait at a randomly chosen Princeton street corner to give the first 6 bicyclists who ride by over $60 in gift cards from local businesses. Participating businesses include:

Whole Earth Center • bent spoon • small world coffee • Labyrinth Books

Nassau Street Seafood • Blue Point Grill • Witherspoon Grill • Kristine’s

Mediterra • Eno Terra • Teresa Caffe • Terra Momo Bread Company

Yankee Doodle Tap Room • Nassau Inn • Miya Table & Home

Meeting House • Triumph Brewing • Orvana • McCarter Theatre

Homestead Princeton • Princeton Tour Company

Tipple & Rose • Tico’s Eatery & Juice Bar

Princeton Soup & Sandwich • Olives

Jammin’ Crepes • Hinkson’s • LiLLiPiES Princeton Record Exchange

Olsson’s Fine Foods • jaZams

Princeton Recreation Department Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop

Sustainable Princeton Issues

Call for Sustainable Yards Princeton residents who have taken action at home to protect the local ecosystem are being sought by Sustainable Princeton to feature in the nonprofit’s blog and videos.

Projects to be featured can include prioritizing native plants, installing green infrastructure such as rain gardens and green roofs, eliminating pesticide usage, using electric lawn equipment, and more. Anyone who would like to be featured, or knows someone who would, is asked to email the organization at info@sustainableprinceton.org.

Sustainable Princeton has also announced that Ciclovia Princeton will take place on Sunday, June 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Ciclovia” is a Spanish term that means bike path, or a temporary closing of streets to automobiles for cyclists and pedestrians.

A few roads in town will be “reimagined” for the event: Walnut Lane from Hamilton Avenue to Guyot Avenue. Activities for all ages that bring people together to socialize, get creative, and move freely will be included. Participants can walk, run, bike, skate, roll, push strollers, dance — anything that is car-free.

Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Historian Rick Atkinson Delivers Cadwalader Lecture

Rick Atkinson, renowned historian of the American Revolution, will deliver the Princeton Battlefield Society’s (PBS) third Cadwalader Lecture in conjunction with the Friends of Washington’s Crossing Park on June 10 at 7 p.m. at 1112 River Road Washington Crossing, Pa. Atkinson, who has just released The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780, the second book in his trilogy of the American Revolution, will talk about the war from shortly after the Battle of Princeton through the middle years of the War.

“We are excited that Rick will help us celebrate the Semiquincentennial of our nation’s independence, the 250th anniversary of Washington’s Christmas Day Crossing of the Delaware, and the SemiQuint of the Battle of Princeton by delivering the latest Cadwalader Lecture,” said PBS President Ben Strong, “and we are also excited that the Friends of Washington Crossing Park has invited us to partner with them on the Atkinson event.

“We’re honored to partner with our friends at Princeton Battlefield to welcome a writer and a historian of Rick’s stature to this event,” said Jennifer Martin, executive director of Friends of Washington Crossing Park. “As we approach the 250th anniversary, these collaborations allow us to tell a deeper and more connected story of how the Revolution shaped our nation, our region, and our history.”

PBS launched the Cadwalader Lectures, a new educational series, last fall to showcase issues and authors relevant to the Battle of Princeton and the struggle for Independence as part of PBS’ program to honor the 250th anniversaries of the Nation, the State of New Jersey, and the Battle of Princeton.

In November, PBS welcomed historian Richard Brookhiser to speak at its inaugural Cadwalader Lecture to speak about the “Artist of the American Revolution,” Jonathan Trumbull, and in February local historian, John U. Rees, with Morven Museum & and Gardens, to speak about the Black soldiers fighting in the revolutionary American Army, and now welcomes Atkinson to its podium.

Atkinson is the author of seven previous works of history, including The Long Gray Line , the Liberation Trilogy ( An Army at Dawn , The Day of Battle , and The Guns at Last Light ), and The British Are Coming , the first volume of the Revolution Trilogy. Among his honors are Pulitzer Prizes for history and journalism.

Tickets are $40; $65 for those who purchase the book. Visit washington crossingpark.org.

Legislative Day Set For State House

Housing Initiatives of Princeton invites the public to join them at the State House in Trenton on Thursday, June 12 for Legislative Day.

The day is an opportunity to learn more about issues affecting New Jersey’s community development sector and the solutions being worked on through current legislative priorities: growing the affordable housing trust fund without diversions, ending the criminalization of homelessness, strengthening tenant voices, and empowering CDCs and nonprofit developers.

Participants can speak with representatives about supporting public policy that will help HouseNJ. Talking points and fact sheets will be provided. The day is an opportunity to connect with others in the housing and community development sector, tour the State House, hone advocacy skills for communicating with decision-makers, and attend legislative hearings.

Register at hcdnnj.memberclicks.net.

Chamber to Celebrate Women of Achievement

On Wednesday, June 25 from 8-10:30 a.m., the Princeton Mercer Chamber’s Women in Business Alliance will celebrate the three winners of this year’s Women of Achievement Award at Jasna Polana.

Ivonne diaz-Claisse, founder and CEO of HISPA; Tricia Baker, co-founder of Attitudes in Reverse; and Nina Melker, senior vice president private banking at Mid Penn Bank are the honorees.

The award is given each year to outstanding female leaders in the local business community. Since its inception in 2013, 48 leaders have been recognized for having made a substantial contribution to the growth, health, and vibrancy of the region. Past winners have included Mary Gay Abbott Young, Piper Burrows, Barbara Fox, Connie Mercer, Judy Hutton, Barbara Hillier, Melissa Tenzer, and several others. Member tickets to the event are $65; non-members pay $80. Visit princetonmercerchamber.org.

NEED DOG PEOPLE”: Heather Achenbach, Executive Director of SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals, is urging the public to adopt, foster, and donate funds to help find homes for dogs like Chiki, who recently arrived at the shelter.

Experience Princeton Wins $150,000 Grant

For America 250th Anniversary Preparations

A Transformation Grant for $150,000 has been awarded to Princeton Experience for an economic feasibility study, technology upgrades, and promotional activities, as well as plantings, furniture, and signage, as America’s 250th anniversary celebrations approach.

“In preparation for the 250th anniversary of the U.S., we will do a targeted marketing spend through our website and online applications to raise the profile of businesses in Princeton,” Experience Princeton Executive Director Isaac Kramer wrote in an email. “This will complement the work of Morven Museum & Garden, which Experience Princeton is partnering with, and the two grants from Mercer County that Experience Princeton has already received to support this work.”

The addition of plantings and seating to Witherspoon Street north of the Public Library and Arts Council and also along Nassau Street east of Moore Street is also on the agenda, as is the purchase of a one-year license to provide data to assist businesses and partners of Experience Princeton to better understand visitation patterns in order to better target marketing and attract new businesses.

Princeton was designated as one of 29 communities recognized by Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) after a competitive application process.

”Receiving the Main Street

New Jersey designation is a significant honor and a reflection of our ongoing efforts to promote economic development and growth,” said Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, as quoted in an Experience Princeton press release. “This grant allows us to invest in a range of valuable initiatives that support our local business and property owners.”

The funding from MSNJ is part of a larger effort by Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, which administers MSNJ, to commit more resources to community revitalization programs that focus on small businesses and neighborhood improvement projects.

“This grant is a smart investment in Princeton’s future,” said New Jersey State Sen. Andrew Zwicker.

“Not only will this money strengthen our small business community and ensure downtown Princeton remains vibrant and inclusive, but we can now look forward to showcasing the town’s rich history for America’s 250th anniversary. I’m proud to see Princeton recognized as a Main Street New Jersey community and grateful for the state’s continued commitment to local economic development.”

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson emphasized, “Princeton is a must-see for tourists coming to Mercer and New Jersey, making it a great fit for Main Street

designation and this transformation grant. Princeton has always been innovative in both economic development and the creation of tourism opportunities for locals and visitors alike.”

Experience Princeton and the town of Princeton have collaborated to plan and get approval for a number of projects, some of which will start immediately and others that will be implemented in the coming months, with all work planned to be completed by June 1, 2026.

Also now under the auspices of Experience Princeton and in the news last week was a new installation presented by the Princeton Einstein Museum of Science at Dohm Alley off Nassau Street next to Starbucks.

Experience Princeton has taken over from Princeton Future in overseeing and supporting Dohm Alley exhibits and performances. The current exhibit, “Einstein’s Brain: Mind of A Genius,” features several illustrative panels titled “Albert’s Thought Process,” “Albert’s Thought Experiment,” “Think Like a Genius,” “Your Thought Experiment,” “Understanding Differently,” and more.

—Donald Gilpin

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Town Topics

YWCA to Hold Annual 5K Firecracker Run/Walk

YWCA Princeton has announced its 21st Annual Firecracker 5K Run/Walk, taking place on Sunday, June 8 at Veteran’s Park, 2206 Kuser Road, Hamilton.

This community event supports the Pearl Bates Scholarship Fund at The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center, honoring Pearl Bates, a dedicated YWCA Princeton volunteer who passed away in 1963. The fund provides essential financial assistance to families seeking high-quality, year-round childcare at The Burke Foundation Early Childhood Center at YWCA Princeton.

“Events like the Firecracker 5K do more than raise funds — they ignite awareness about the urgent need for accessible early childhood education,” said Rose Wong, CEO of YWCA Princeton. “Through the Pearl Bates Scholarship Fund, we are breaking down financial barriers so that every child, regardless of their family’s income, has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. Supporting working families in this way strengthens the fabric of our entire community.”

Nearly half of the children enrolled at The Burke

JUNCTION

BARBER SHOP

33 Princeton-Hightstown Rd Ellsworth’s Center (Near Train Station) 799-8554

Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm; Sat 8:30am-3:30pm

GARDENS IN BLOOM: The Rocky Brook Garden Club’s “Petals & Palettes” Garden Tour is on Saturday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gardens to visit are in Hightstown, East Windsor and Cranbury. Tickets: $20 pre-sale/$25 day of garden tour. Buy pre-sale tickets at Happiness is Homemade in Cranbury, or Hair by Sharon in Hightstown. (From Rocky Brook Garden Club on Facebook)

Foundation Early Childhood Center receive financial assistance, including support from the Pearl Bates Scholarship Fund. These scholarships enable families to access full-day, year-round programs that prepare children for kindergarten and support parents in achieving stability through work or education.

The Firecracker 5K is more than just a race; it’s a familyfriendly celebration featuring a USATF-certified 5K course, 50-yard dash or a 100-yard dash for children (ages 3-8), lawn games, prizes, and a

live DJ. Travelin’ Toms Coffee Truck will be on site as well. Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finishers overall, as well as the top three male and female runners in 16 different age groups. Participants who register by May 31 are guaranteed a T-shirt.

Early registration, which is $40, ends June 7 at 11:59 p.m. Race Day registration is $45; available online or at the park. Visit ywcaprinceton.org/firecracker5k to learn more.

government targeting the queer community, “especially our trans kids,” and corporate sponsors divesting from DEI associated organizations, BRCSJ Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber predicted “an even more fraught future ahead,” adding, “and that’s why our powerful Pride and awesome After-Party become so much more meaningful, because we can gather together and celebrate queer joy.”

Pride Month began as a commemoration of the June 1969 Stonewall Uprising, when patrons of a New York City gay bar and their supporters fought back against police officers raiding the bar. In the following decades many celebrated what they called Gay Pride Day in June each year, until in the mid-1990s June was officially proclaimed as LGBT History Month. Over the past few years, thousands of Princeton residents and visitors have participated in the Princeton Pride Parade each year.

Friday’s Pride Flag raising will be followed on Saturday, May 31 by the HITOPS Queer Prom, “Queernival,” for young people ages 11 to 18 at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) from 5 to 8 p.m.. “Come dressed as your boldest and most fabulous self,” the HITOPS flyer reads. “Come as a colorful clown, a dazzling ringmaster, the tattooed superstar you’ve always dreamed of, or slay in your favorite prom look. Anything goes at the Queernival!”

Then, on Monday, June 3 at 11:30 a.m., the BRCSJ

will host New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin at the BRCSJ on Stockton Street for a community conversation about police reform and transparency as it impacts the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Pride Month speaks to the best values of our communities, of our state, and of our country,” said Platkin, as quoted in a BRCSJ email.

“From fighting bias and hate to re-imagining policing, we’re building a safer, more inclusive state. We stand with New Jersey’s trans community and we will continue to fight for your right to live openly and authentically.”

Pride on the Plaza on Friday, June 6, from 7 to 10 p.m. will be a community allages disco dance party with live music by The Einstein Alley Disco Funk Machine, marking the 50th anniversary of the height of the disco era.

The event will also feature an appearance by drag artist Divinity Banks and a chance for everyone to join in on the dancing in Hinds Plaza. “Get your groove on by wearing clothing inspired by the era,” reads the flyer from Princeton Public Library (PPL), which is sponsoring the event along with ACP, HiTOPS, McCarter Theatre, the Municipality of Princeton, and Princeton University.

“Our mission for Pride on the Plaza is to create a welcoming, safe, and fun gathering space for multigenerational LGBTQIA+ individuals, our families (given/ chosen), and allies to celebrate and commemorate the LGBTQIA+ community and its Pride, to connect, and to share resources,” PPL Adult Programming Manager Janie Hermann wrote in an email.

She described attendees “coming together to party, eat, dance, play, and meet new people in a joyful space where all belong.”

She went on, “This event will truly be a celebratory way to show our strong support for the LGBTQ community as well as a chance to boogie down with pride for Pride!”

On Saturday morning, June 14, the Pride Parade will assemble at the Municipal Building and prepare to start its “march in strength and solidarity,” as Wasserman states, at 11 a.m. “The route travels through the historic Witherspoon Jackson neighborhood to represent the intersectionality of our mission and our respect for the families and community members very often unrecognized in Princeton at such events,” she added.

Wasserman and Seda-Schreiber, in a May 23 phone conversation, discussed the importance of Pride Month and the Pride Parade at a time when “our queer community is under attack and our LGBTQIA+ youth are more at risk than ever before.”

“It is the best of us in the worst of times,” SedaSchreiber said. “One of the things the queer community does best, and certainly our organization thrives on, is the gathering and the strength of our beloved community, and that’s what the Pride Parade is, a gathering of people who are brave and strong and completely authentic in themselves, getting together to celebrate at a time when we are not necessarily celebrated.”

He went on to urge local businesses, organizations, and community members to

step up and lend support to the Pride Month events.

“Now is the time to show who you really are, how you love in community, and how you understand that we all deserve the same respect, the same recognition, and the same love.”

Instead of a celebrity grand marshal leading the parade as in past years, said SedaSchreiber, “the grand marshal of this year’s Pride is you, and we mean our community, each and every person who shows up. That’s the person who is going to lead the parade, inspire us, and encourage us to move forward together, each and every one of us.”

Wasserman pointed out that the BRCSJ had seen a significant increase recently in people seeking out their queer safe space at the Stockton Street headquarters, with expanded hours since the fall election. “We are now open seven days a week because there is such a need in the community for people to have a space where they can go and feel safe,” she said.

She cited the strong support BRCSJ has received from local and state officials:

Mayor Mark Freda, State Senator Andrew Zwicker, County Executive Dan Benson, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Senator Andy Kim, and more.

“We are so thrilled that this town is so accepting, so welcoming,” said SedaSchreiber. “Everybody from our police to the mayor to all council members, and the businesses. They’ve been supportive, encouraging and respectful, and they understand the impact of their

support at this time and how this is so very pivotal at this moment.”

Seda-Schreiber and Wasserman urge those who would like to support “Princeton Pride ’25 — Pride Saves Lives” to visit rustincenter.org.

“Rainbows Sponsors” can purchase handmade signs displaying the BRCSJ Rainbow.

Other Pride month events in Princeton include the screening of Pride Shorts at the Garden Theatre from the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) on Saturday, June 7 at 10 a.m. as part of the theatre’s family matinee series.

“This is a chance for the Garden’s community of kids and families to celebrate diversity and practice empathy through the movies,” states a Garden Theatre press release. These stories of queer people from around the world have been “thoughtfully curated for ages 10 and up,” according to the website.

“Schoolyard matchmakers, a Belgian teen, a group of indigenous Hawaiian mahu, and more highlight the power that comes from embracing who you are,” according to the NYICFF’s website. Visit princetongardentheatre.org for more information and ticket reservations.

“Every Pride allows folks across the rainbow spectrum to see the potential and promise of how they can live their lives fully, who they can love openly and simply and beautifully, who they can be, who they are — Angelic troublemakers assemble,” Wasserman urged.

—Donald Gilpin

The kiosks were first installed in the late 1980s and began life as public phone booths and newspaper box receptacles. Over time, they have taken different forms, eventually becoming a place to post flyers for everything from searches for roommates to meetings of special interest groups. Attempts by the town to clean them up or remove them have met with considerable public protest. The resolution does not indicate any plans to replace the kiosk at Witherspoon Street.

—Anne Levin

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Celebrate National Prosecco Week (yes, it’s a real thing!) with us.

Prosecco is the most beloved sparkling wines in the world hailing from the north eastern corner of Italy near Venice, in an area spanning the Veneto and FriuliVenezia Giulia.

One of the biggest differences between Prosecco and other sparkling wines is how it’s made. Prosecco uses the “tank method” which enlists the use of some very high tech fermentation tanks. The tanks were first developed during the industrial era in the late 1800s and are capable of producing wines with up to

atmospheres of pressure!

Questioning PILOT for Proposed Stockton Street Development Project Based on ANR Designation

To the Editor:

Regarding the controversy over the proposed Stockton Street development:

In his letter raising concerns about the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) that the town has granted the developer of the Stockton Street site [“Proposed High Rise Development Project at Stockton Street Needs a Substantial Rethink,” Mailbox, May 21], Steve Snyder notes that this “substantial ‘gift’” is based on our Council’s designation of the area as an ANR (or “Area in Need of Redevelopment”).

The State of New Jersey allows municipalities to designate ANRs “to arrest and reverse conditions of deterioration of housing, commercial and industrial facilities” in areas that meet various conditions, including “substandard, unsafe, unsanitary, dilapidated, or obsolescent” buildings which are deemed “detrimental to the safety, health, morals, or welfare of the community” (Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, NJSA 40A:12A-1 et seq.).

How is this relevant? It certainly came as a surprise to me that the Princeton Theological Seminary, which then as now owns the property in question, was responsible for anything that might conceivably meet such criteria!

After a little digging, I find that in 2018 the town Council, on the recommendation of the Princeton Planning Board, decided (Resolution 18-336) that some poorly maintained buildings belonging to the seminary did so qualify; and then in 2019 subsequently found (Resolution 19-188) that additional properties from the adjoining area also met the (sub) standard. Who knew?

Next, I find that the Seminary demolished the buildings in 2022, effectively rendering obsolete what was a questionable designation in the first place. No matter, apparently. Under redevelopment plans approved last year on the basis of a now obsolete designation, the council awarded a $40 million PILOT anyway, at the direct expense of Princeton taxpayers. What is going on here? I can see the virtue of sensible redevelopment. But I can’t see the virtue of incentivizing developers to build massive megaliths at the expense of the town. And I don’t mean only its character. I mean also our pocketbooks.

PILOTs reduce the property tax burden of and thus the cost to developers for the designated properties. According to the law, they are intended for “areas which would otherwise not attract private investment.” The Stockton Street parcel is prime real estate in the middle of historic Princeton, including a portion of the Mercer Hill Historic District. As Snyder points out, there is no reason to suppose that a responsible developer could not be found to build in the area without paying them an additional sweetener to do so.

A sweetener to the developer is in this instance a bitter pill to the rest of us. Aren’t we already being PILOTed to death? Why does a city-sized, luxury apartment complex in the heart of historic Princeton require the enormous financial incentives intended for reclaiming neglected urban slums? Or did I just answer my own question?

As a longtime Princeton resident and taxpayer, it seems to me that the Council and the Planning Board have some explaining to do.

MICHAEL MERRILL Maple Street

Making a Case for Ranked Choice Voting in Future New Jersey Elections

To the Editor:

Like many N.J. voters, I am in the process of deciding who to vote for in the N.J. Primary election. The number of gubernatorial candidates, especially, has me wishing that Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) was a part of our electoral system as it is in the states of Alaska and Maine, many municipalities, big and small, across the country, as well as in many foreign countries. I hate that I feel the need to make a strategic choice in order to avoid losing my vote due to the “spoiler effect” that discourages me from voting for the candidate of my choice because polls suggest he/she cannot win. In addition, while RCV requires a winner to have majority support, our present system almost ensures that the winning candidate will not receive the majority of votes. We are currently experiencing minority rule nationally and, to say the least, it is not good for democracy. Another plus for RCV from which N.J. could benefit is that it has been shown to increase voter turnout (recent voting history shows low voter turnout, 10 percent of registered voters voted in the June 2023 Primary).

N.J. communities are demonstrating their interest in Ranked Choice Voting by passing resolutions and trigger ordinances that will facilitate their adoption of RCV contingent on a local ballot measure after the Legislature authorizes it by passing S1622 and A4042, the “Municipal and School Board Options Act.” Princeton, and most recently South Brunswick, have passed such resolutions to add to the six other N.J. communities that have already done so. Ranked Choice Voting has been endorsed by Steven Fulop and Ras Baraka, gubernatorial candidates, and among our local Assembly candidates, by Mahmoud Desouky. Other candidates remain neutral or are against RCV. I hope you will urge your elected representatives to advocate for RCV so that this electoral reform will be available to allow us more choice in future elections.

SUSAN COLBY RepresentUs New Jersey Chapter Bunn Drive

Thanking All Who Supported Trinity Church Choirs’ Recent English Tea Fundraiser

To the Editor:

The English Tea given on May 18 to support the Trinity Church Choirs’ 2026 singing trip to England was a wonderful event! Guests enjoyed a traditional and elegant English tea followed by a beautiful choral Evensong service in the church. In 2026 the combined Trinity choirs will sing daily services for a week at both Ely Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. We thank all of you who joined us to enjoy this afternoon with friends and our choirs.

Letters to the Editor Policy

Town Topics welcomes letters to the Editor, preferably on subjects related to Princeton. Letters must have a valid street address (only the street name will be printed with the writer’s name). Priority will be given to letters that are received for publication no later than Monday noon for publication in that week’s Wednesday edition. Letters must be no longer than 500 words and have no more than four signatures.

All letters are subject to editing and to available space.

At least a month’s time must pass before another letter from the same writer can be considered for publication.

Letters are welcome with views about actions, policies, ordinances, events, performances, buildings, etc. However, we will not publish letters that include content that is, or may be perceived as, negative towards local figures, politicians, or political candidates as individuals.

When necessary, letters with negative content may be shared with the person/group in question in order to allow them the courtesy of a response, with the understanding that the communications end there.

Letters to the Editor may be submitted, preferably by email, to editor@towntopics.com, or by post to Town Topics, PO Box 125, Kingston, N.J. 08528. Letters submitted via mail must have a valid signature.

Let yourself be swept away by

TERRI BROWN Fieldston Road

LESLIE EDWARDS

Geary’s Ridge Road

PEGI STENGEL Prospect Avenue

SYLVIA TEMMER Hamilton Avenue

Frenchtown Bookshop Hosts Workshop

On Kurt Vonnegut’s Advice to Writers

Join award-winning editor and writing profes -

sor Suzanne McConnell for a workshop on prose writing, based on the book she co-wrote with the late Kurt Vonnegut, Pity the Reader: On Writing With Style, at Frenchtown Bookshop, 18 Bdidge, on Sunday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Kurt Vonnegut was finishing Slaugherhouse-Five when he became McConnell’s teacher at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and then her friend. The Vonnegut

Trust asked her to distill his writing advice into this book. The Daily Vonnegut called it “a must-read for aspiring writers, and also a primer on making the arts a regular part of one’s life.” Pity the Reader has been translated into multiple languages for use worldwide as an indispensable writing guide. McConnell taught writing at Hunter College for three decades and is the fiction editor of the Bellevue Literary Review. At this free workshop, she will talk

about the art of prose writing and will sign copies of Pity the Reader

“The blend of memory, fact, keen observation, spellbinding descriptiveness and zany characters that populated Vonnegut’s work is on full display here, in a kind of workshop forum, with explanations by the writer himself, as recorded by a fellow writer, McConnell, who knew Vonnegut for decades,” said author James McBride, a National Book Award-winner.

“The result is Vonnegut as we’ve never seen him before, a man of kindness and generosity, humility, and extraordinary introspection, whose humor and creativity served as a kind of protectorate, a shield, and most importantly a fountain of creativity to quench his lifelong thirst for a better, kinder planet. It’s a must read for any young writer.”

Books (published by Seven Stories Press) can be purchased at frenchtownbookshop.com/events.

Visit Labyrinth Books On NJ Bookstore Crawl

Labyrinth Books is part of the New Jersey Bookstore Crawl on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, 8, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the bookstore, 122 Nassau Street.

Shoppers who visit any of the 50 participating bookstores, including Labyrinth, can enter to win raffle prizes — including Labyrinth merchandise.

The bookstore crawl was organized by Kerri Sullivan of Jersey Collective, a librarian and the editor of the book New Jersey Fan Club Additional co-organizers who provided support and sponsorship include Hello Art Design and Rutgers University Press.

For more information, visit njbookstorecrawl. com or follow @njbookstorecrawl on Instagram.

Book Brunch with Molly Jong-Fast At Princeton Public Library

Political writer and podcaster Molly Jong-Fast discusses her just released memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, with Diana Weymar at a brunch program at the Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street, on Sunday, June 8 from 11 a.m. to 12-p.m. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Registration is requested but not required. Those who register will be admitted first when doors open at 10:30 a.m. Remaining seats will be filled at 10:55 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.

Coffee and pastries will be served starting at 10:40 a.m. Register at

princetonlibrary.libnet.info/ event/13494068.

Jong-Fast is the only child of a writer Erica Jong, whose sensational book Fear of Flying launched her into second-wave feminist stardom. According to the publisher’s statement, (Viking, $28), “she grew up yearning for a connection with her dreamy, glamorous, just out of reach mother, who always seemed to be heading somewhere that

wasn’t with Molly. When, in 2023, Erica was diagnosed with dementia just as Molly’s husband discovered he had a rare cancer, Jong-Fast was catapulted into a transformative year.”

Writer Anne Lamott says, “Molly Jong-Fast’s memoir is mesmerizing, intimate, wise, unputdownable, crazily honest, heartbreaking, funny, illuminating — beautiful and painful at the same time, just like real life.”

Jong-Fast is a contributing writer at Vanity Fair, a political analyst at MSNBC News, and host of the podcast “Fast Politics with Molly Jong-Fast.” She is the author of three previous books. She lives in Manhattan.

Weymar grew up in the wilderness of British Columbia, studied creative writing at Princeton University, and worked in film in New York City. For the past decade, she has been threading the needle to create a material record of our times. She is the creator and curator of the public art projects Interwoven Stories and Tiny Pricks Project.

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Spotlight on Hightstown and the Windsors Town Topics

West Windsor Prepares to Help Celebrate Nation’s 250th Anniversary

The 250th anniversary of the American Revolution is not going unnoticed in West Windsor, where its predecessor, Windsor Township, was the site of several high-profile events, including some of the “Ten Crucial Days” that helped reverse the course of the war.

“Our country was born amid conflict,” opens the Revolution West Windsor website (westwindsorhistory.com/revhistory). “Years of colonial resistance to the British empire led to the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and the United States Constitution. And all the while, West Windsor played a unique role!”

The concept of honoring West Windsor’s role is to familiarize everyone with the events in the region 250 years ago, said Historical Society of West Windsor President Paul Ligeti. “West Windsor has grown a lot and there has been a lot of development,” he explained. “Many of the residents didn’t grow up learning the same way or learning the history of the area, if they are not from here. We want to teach a deeper appreciation for the history, and the realization that everywhere you look, there is history — everybody’s history.”

Actually, West Windsor did not exist in 1776. Windsor Township, which had formed around 1730/31, according to Ligeti, included all present-day West Windsor, East Windsor, Robbinsville, and Hightstown, as well as portions of Millstone and Monroe Townships, and all of Princeton southeast of Nassau and Stockton streets. In 1797, the area split into West Windsor and East Windsor, and part of West Windsor was ceded to Princeton Borough in 1838 (the remaining land northeast of the Delaware and Raritan Canal was annexed by Princeton Township in 1853).

“The present-day West Windsor borders have shifted, and overlap with Princeton history,” said Ligeti.

At its May 5 meeting, the township passed a resolution endorsing the formation of the Revolution West Windsor committee, which already has events planned. One new event in the works is a time capsule, and the Parks and Recreation Department is planning a Colonial Ball, and a variety of tours.

A logo contest for the entire celebration is ongoing until June 1, sponsored by the Historical Society and West Windsor Arts, to depict

West Windsor’s role in the American Revolution. The logo will be placed on websites, merchandise, and promotional material. The winner will be announced June 14 at the township picnic, which is a new event. More information about the logo contest can be found on the website.

During the American Revolution, dozens of Windsor Township residents enlisted, and through the Battles of Trenton and Princeton in late 1776/early 1777, the Continental Army “achieved much-needed victories, repelling the British, reinvigorating the troops, and providing a lifeline for the American cause,” says the website history section.

Ligeti pointed out that several individuals known for their activities in 1776 have ties to West Windsor.

Declaration of Independence signer Richard Stockton lived in what is now Princeton, but he owned about 300 acres of land at the time in what is now West Windsor.

West Windsor native Jacob Bergen let Congress use his French Arms Tavern in Trenton, (considered the country’s ninth capitol building), in late 1784. He later owned an inn in the Dutch Neck section of the township, where the West Windsor Township government met.

Hugh Mercer, for whom Mercer County is named, fought alongside George Washington in the battles of Trenton and Assunpink Creek, but died in the Battle of Princeton. Mercer County Park and Mercer Lake in West Windsor are named for him, and a bygone community, Port Mercer.

Also in West Windsor, a British loyalist, Thomas Hooper, had to flee to Canada after his wife was killed. And Princeton’s second mayor, Erkuries Beatty, was also an officer and an integral member of West Windsor Township’s government.

Some 40 individuals who may have served as soldiers are known by the Historical Society of West Windsor, who, collectively, fought in most (if not all) major battles of the Revolution. West Windsor suffered damages by British troops which ransacked properties.

Another West Windsor connection to the Revolution, pointed out Ligeti, was on December 30, 1776, when Gen. George Washington captured a British group foraging at a West Windsor farm off Clarksville Road, and got information that Gen. Charles Cornwallis was planning to recapture Trenton. And, on January 3, Washington’s army marched through West Windsor between the 2nd Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton.

“There is a rich history, and a strong historical relationship with Princeton,” said Ligeti. “So much has changed, and there are so many new people,” said Ligeti. But the most dramatic change came between 1980 and 2000, when West Windsor’s population surged from about 8,500 to about 22,000 residents, and the formerly agrarian area transformed into suburbia. Its government restructured in 1993 to a nonpartisan mayor-council format. And its demographics evolved, seeing dramatic ethnic, racial, ideological, and religious diversification.

West Windsor also wants to acknowledge the slavery that existed, said Ligeti. The website history notes that

“slavery was a regrettable institution for well over a century. In fact, West Windsor may have had one of the last enslaved individuals in the entire state.”

Community groups and volunteers are creating new events or recasting annual events.

Spearheading Revolution West Windsor are the historical society West Windsor Township Division of Parks and Recreation, West Windsor Arts, West Windsor Community Farmers Market, West Windsor Volunteer Fire Company, Daughters of the American Revolution, West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance, and Princeton Junction Volunteer Fire Company, the West Windsor

Police Department, and Lions International. Some of the events honor the past, others celebrate the present. In addition to the Community Picnic June 14 at Community Park, from 12 to 4 p.m., coming up is a June 12 history lecture, “New Jersey and the Revolution,” presented by the Historical Society of West Windsor (times and location to be announced.) Other events will include booths at the farmers market, a bike fest, and museum open houses. For event updates, visit westwindsorhistory.com/ revevents.

–Wendy Greenberg

BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE: A reenactor at Schenck Farmstead, home of the West Windsor History Museum, 50 Southfield Road, West Windsor. Revolution West Windsor aims to bring the area’s Revolutionary War heritage to a new population.

Spotlight on Hightstown And the Windsors Town Topics

Continued from Page 17

Hightstown’s Rise Lifts the Community With Summer Program and Much More

Summer in Hightstown is in a class by itself for youths who participate in Rise’s Summer Academic Enrichment Program, a multifaceted program of classes, combined with the fun of summer camp.

How is the program unique? Rise Executive Director Leslie Koppel answered, “Let me count the ways.” Not only is the program an academic enrichment program, said Koppel, but it’s a full summer camp experience, with activities like yoga and sports clubs, and trips to the beach, Red Bulls soccer games, and Liberty Science Center. The academic sessions, taught by New Jersey certified teachers, bolster fundamental skills, incorporating the Hightstown/East Windsor curriculum to ensure all summer reading and book reports are completed, and students are ready for the fall school year. The afternoons are enriched with visits from special guests like firefighters, and local dignitaries.

“It’s affordable for everyone, no one is turned away,” said Koppel. “There is family involvement. It’s not just ‘drop your child off.’ We make an effort to involve families, and there is an end of year picnic involving families and siblings.” The last week also features a talent show, guided by the staff.

This year for the first time, the older participants are invited to take part in a five-day, four-night summer bridge experience at the Princeton-Blairstown Center July 21 to July 25. This will feature an environmentaland food justice-themed STEM and STEAM curriculum, as well as traditional outdoor experiences like hiking, swimming, climbing, canoeing, and stargazing.

“The kids come back year after year,” said Koppel of the six-week summer program. “They express appreciation, and they form bonds with other campers who they don’t see in their elementary school but know a few people when they get to middle school.”

The summer program runs from July 7 to August 15, and is located at the Perry L. Drew School, 70 Twin Rivers Drive North, East Windsor, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We couldn’t hold the program if not for the use of the Drew School,” said Koppel.

Youths ages 5 to 17 are eligible, and tuition is on a sliding scale based on family income. Free breakfast and lunch are provided.

In addition to donations, funding comes from the Princeton Area Community Foundation, which recently approved a grant of $25,000 for the Summer Academic Enrichment Program.

A June 7 fundraiser at Working Dog Winery, 610 Windsor Perrineville Road, Hightstown, at 1 p.m., will honor of the late RISE board member Al Rosenberg, also an East Windsor Councilman.

Rise is a Hightstown social service agency that offers support to residents beyond the camp. It started in 1967 when a small group of community stakeholders founded the Community Action Service Center, Inc., one of four neighborhood centers located throughout Mercer County, under the county’s Community Action Partnership.

In 1982 Rise became a private, nonprofit agency, and in 2008, after 40 years of service, changed its name to Rise | A Community Service Partnership.

In 2021 the headquarters moved to 219 Franklin Street in Hightstown, where Rise purchased and renovated the historic building, and the expanded space allowed greater support, food distribution, school supplies, infant diapers, and meal delivery to the elderly.

The Rise Youth Council has grown to over 50 members in a few years. This group of teens, led by a Rise staff member, supports each other, the community, and causes they are passionate about. They’ve embarked on college visits, enjoyed tubing trips down the Delaware River, and engaged in various community activities including installing a rain garden.

A Rise food pantry at 133 Broad Street operates

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon, and the first and third Wednesday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m.

In addition to non-perishable groceries, it distributes fresh produce, personal products, baby items, household cleaning supplies, coats, children’s books, and pet products.

Changes are coming to the food pantry, said Koppel, which will enable users to choose their food, rather than be handed a bag. There will be a section for the aging, more healthy choices, and appointments. “We are refinishing floors, getting permits, handicapped access, we are really excited,” said Koppel.

Rise also operates a thrift store located at 114 Rogers Avenue in Hightstown. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shopping can also be done online at the Rise eBay and Etsy websites.

The Rise Thrift Store opened in 2006 after a series of fundraising garage sales. In 2017, Rise invested in the building that now houses the store. Koppel suggested that “the store is a great place to volunteer, meet people connect in a positive way. It’s important that we feel that our neighbors are kind.”

Rise supports those in the community who need a helping hand for day-today needs and future goals. Case managers are trained to identify an individual’s or family’s needs and help them connect to resources

Hightstown/Windsors

Town Topics

Cohousing Trend Comes to Hightstown

Rocky Brook Cohousing, a new community initiative, held its first public meeting on May 15. This innovative housing concept aims to create a new communityoriented neighborhood in Hightstown.

Rocky Brook Cohousing will be a custom-built neighborhood co-designed by its residents with a focus on fostering community. The project draws inspiration from successful cohousing models across North America and Europe, which have shown to enhance quality of life and promote sustainable living.

The May 15 kick-off, which provided an opportunity for interested individuals and families to learn more about the cohousing concept and the specific plans for Rocky Brook Cohousing, was held at the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown. Charles Durrett, who coined the term “cohousing,” brought the idea to America, and has designed over 50 cohousing developments, led the presentation.

Cohousing communities are collaborative housing developments that combine extensive common facilities with private homes to create resilient, successful, and functional neighborhoods. Design features and neighborhood size (typically 20 to 30 homes) promote frequent interactions and close relationships. Neighbors play together, cook for one another, share tools and work collaboratively. Common property is managed and maintained by community members, providing more opportunities for growing relationships, according to the Rocky Brook promotional materials.

For more information about the project, visit rockybrookcohousing. org or email rockybrook cohousing@gmail.com.

Tomato Patch Summer Workshops at MCCC

The next stars of stage and screen may be getting their start this summer with the Tomato Patch Summer Workshops at Mercer County Community College (MCCC). Registration is open for sessions that begin June 30.

In its 25th year, Tomato Patch, at 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, is the longest-running multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts program in Central New Jersey, with classes for all school-age students, and taught by a staff of professional artists and theater professionals, according to tomatopatch.org.

Tomato Patch workshops allow students to major in one subject while taking classes in other areas. Classes are offered in theater, dance, music, visual art, and video production. Students will have the opportunity to choose from one area as a major, with mornings spent in a major class. Afternoons will be spent in elective classes.

Former Tomato Patch participants have seen success

on Broadway, on television, and in feature length movies, according to Kitty Getlik, artistic director at MCCC’s Kelsey Theatre.

Since 1973, over 7,300 junior and senior high school students have spent several weeks of their summer exploring the visual arts, dance, theater, and vocal music under the guidance of a staff of teaching professional artists.

Students will have the opportunity to choose from one of five majors: acting, vocal, dance, visual arts, or video production. Each morning will be spent in a major class. Students will also choose from a list of classes for the four afternoon elective classes.

For ages 10-18, Tomato Patch offers a multidisciplinary full-day performing and visual arts summer programs in two sessions: Session 1 (ages 13-18, JulyAugust), and Session 2 (ages 10-12, July-August).

For ages 13-18, there is the Tomato Patch Master Class, a full-day theaterworkshop intensive summer programs in two sessions: Session 1 (July-August), and Session 2 (July-August).

For ages 5-12, there is a Saturday morning theater workshop exploring creativity, movement, improvisation, and more from September through June, Tomato Patch Jr.

An Evening of the Arts performance will be held on the last night of the session in which the students will perform what they have learned in their classes for their parents.

For more information on Tomato Patch Workshops, to view class schedules, and to register, visit tomatopatch. org or call (609) 570-3566.

Kelsey Theatre is wheelchair accessible, with free

Spotlight on Hightstown And the Windsors

parking next to the theater. For a complete listing of adult and children’s events, visit the Kelsey website or call the box office for a brochure.

East Windsor Offers

Summer Recreation

Children who live in East Windsor can sign up for the Recreation Department’s Summer Camp. The Township offers three different camp opportunities. The Explorer camp is designed for campers entering kindergarten and first grade. The Adventure camp is designed for campers entering grades two, three, four, five, and six. The 2025 Travel camps are offered for campers entering grades five through nine. Camp Care for before and after care of campers is also available for an additional fee.

To register for the East Windsor Township Summer Camp, visit east-windsor. nj.us/ewt-summer-camps. For additional information about the Recreation Department camps, call (609) 443-4000, ext. 414.

Summer Camp at

West Windsor Arts

West Windsor Arts is running a summer camp. The arts organization, at 952 Alexander Road, Princeton Junction, offers 10 weeks of summer fun and creativity in the visual and performing arts, as well as spring and fall break sessions. Campers can choose from full-day summer camps for ages 6 to 13 or morning camps for ages 13 to 17. Spring and fall break sessions are flexible to meet your scheduling needs.

One week of full-day camp is available June 23 to August 20, with camp hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Halfday camp options for teens 13 to 17 are from 9 a.m. to noon, July 7 to August 15.

FESTIVE FLOWERS: Members of the Rocky Brook Garden Club planted flowers in downtown Hightstown at Memorial Park just in time for the Borough of Hightstown Memorial Day Parade, Hightstown Fun Fridays, and the Hightstown-East Windsor Historical Society Walking Tour.

Performing Arts

“Fiddler on the Roof” Comes to Kelsey Theater

A beloved musical following a family’s celebration of life and all of its challenges, Fiddler on the Roof comes to Kelsey Theater June 6-15 on the West Windsor Campus of Mercer County Community College.

Presented by Theater To Go, this internationally celebrated musical delivers a message of resilience, unity, and hope, making it as relevant today as when it debuted on Broadway in 1964. Set in the Russian village of Anatevka, the show follows Tevye, a humble Jewish milkman, as he struggles to maintain his family’s

traditions while navigating a rapidly changing world. As his daughters seek to forge their own paths, Tevye must confront the shifting social and political landscape around him.

“In these times, when our world feels more divided than ever, Fiddler on the Roof serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of tradition, community, and family in an ever-changing world,” said director Ruth Markoe. “But even in difficult times, joy can transcend adversity, as we see in some of the beloved music in Fiddler.”

Dates and showtimes are Friday, June 6 and June 13,

and Saturday, June 7, at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8 and June 15 at 2 p.m. at the Kelsey Theatre on MCCC’s West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Tickets are $26 for adults and $24 for children and students. Visit kelseytheatre.org of call (609) 5703333.

Garden Theatre Screens Pride Shorts for Kids

The Princeton Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau Street, will offer a special Pride edition of the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) on Saturday, June 7 at 10 a.m.

Sunday, June 8, 10-1pm

9am – 10am: Yoga in the Garden 10am – 1pm: Farmers’ Market 12pm – 3pm: Family Fun and Magic!

4pm - Performance: Sondheim in the City with Melissa Errico

This is a chance for the Garden’s community of kids and families to celebrate diversity and practice empathy through the movies. The screening is featured as part of the theater’s $5 Family Matinees series, which is free for members of the nonprofit cinema.

The Garden has brought selections from the NYICFF to Princeton since 2023. Kid Flicks: Pride is the first time the stories will specifically focus on the experiences of young queer people from around the globe. The program has been curated for ages 10 and up, with works that range in identity and style.

“Schoolyard matchmakers, a Belgian teen, a group of Indigenous Hawaiian mahu, and more highlight the power that comes from embracing who you are,” according to the NYICFF’s website, which also has a complete list of titles at nyicff.org. Purchase tickets at the door or online at gardentheater.org.

McCarter Theatre Gets New Ebeneezer Scrooge

McCarter Theatre Center has announced that Cameron Knight, a classically trained actor, director, and educator, will lead the cast as Ebenezer Scrooge in this year’s production of A Christmas Carol , adapted and directed by Lauren Keating. The beloved holiday tradition returns December 9-28, with tickets now on sale at mccarter.org.

“Cameron possesses such incredible talent and delightful humor. Audiences loved him as Mr. Fezziwig last season, so I’m especially excited to see his take on the legendary role of Scrooge,” said McCarter Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen. “He understands the drama, heart, and comedy at the core of Dickens’ creation. His love of language and deep sense of humanity will bring something truly special to this production.”

Blue Bloods , Widows , and The World Without You. He is a native of Flint, Mich.

“I’m thrilled to be taking on this role with this group of amazing artists,” said Knight. “I got to experience how special this production is last year, and to be invited back to play Scrooge is humbling. I love this story and what it brings to an audience and community. Working at such a reputable theater as McCarter on such an iconic role, at this stage in my career, means the world to me. This story gets more relevant every year. I’m standing on a lot of shoulders, and I’m excited to add to the next chapter of this timeless story.”

This marks 45 years of McCarter’s production of the play. Additional casting will be announced soon.

Lewis Center Awards Grants to Students

The Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University has announced more than $145,000 in awards to support the summer projects and research of 55 Princeton undergraduates. While all first, second, and third-year students are eligible to apply for the awards, for many recipients the funding provides vital resources to conduct research, undertake training, and pursue other opportunities critical to achieving their senior independent creative project goals in the arts. The grants range from $300 to

in spring 2026. A mechanical engineering major pursuing minors in dance and computer science, Sessions plans to spend her summer in Japan, San Francisco, San Jose, and Chicago taking classes and workshops, conducting research, and attending performances. Her experiences will lead to choreographing a new dance as her senior independent work in the Program in Dance to be performed in spring 2026.

Near Eastern studies major and theater minor Allache will utilize her funding to conduct research and write a new play based on the folktales passed down in her family for generations among the Amazigh, the indigenous people of North Africa. She will begin by transcribing the stories recorded by her grandmother in the Tamazight language before the stories are lost forever.

Rising seniors Nsebong Adah and Destine HarrisonWilliams have been selected for funding through the Mallach Senior Thesis Fund. This award, established by Douglas J. Mallach ’91, supports the realization of proposed senior independent projects that incorporate historical research and create an alternative path to learning history.

Director Lauren Keating added, “Cameron brings incredible skill, ingenuity, and spirit to the role. He was beloved by the company last year – especially by the young actors – and brings great heart, flexibility, and inspired ideas to the process. When the opportunity arose to invite a new actor to bring Dickens’ character to life, he immediately came to mind.

Rising seniors Julianna Martin, Maya Sessions, and Nadine Allache have been selected for the Alex Adam ’07 Award. Established in memory of Alexander Jay Adam ’07 and made possible through a generous gift from his family, the award provides each student with $7,500 to spend the summer pursuing a project that will result in the creation of new artistic work. While a student at Princeton, Alex Adam pursued artistic interests in creative writing and theater. Joyce Carol Oates, his creative writing professor, praised Adam’s work as “sharp-edged, unexpectedly corrosive, and very funny.” Additionally, Adam was an actor and performed with the Princeton Shakespeare Company, Theatre Intime, and the Program in Theater.

Knight, who played Mr. Fezziwig in the 2024 production on McCarter’s stage, currently heads the BFA Acting Program at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, Knight’s credits include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Kennedy Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. On screen, he’s appeared in The Orville , Chicago Med ,

“Compelling creative work requires bold exploration and rigorous research,” said Lewis Center Chair Judith Hamera when announcing the awards. “We are so grateful to the Alex Adam ’07 family and all whose generosity provides our students the summer funding to do both and are eager to see where these opportunities take them.”

Martin, who is majoring in the practice of art in the Department of Art and Archaeology, will spend her summer developing experimental photography-based work for her senior thesis exhibition

Adah, an African American studies major who is also pursuing minors in visual arts and African studies, will return to Cape Town, South Africa, to continue working on his ongoing photo series Rhythms of Labor. English major Harrison-Williams, who is pursuing minors in creative writing, theater and music theater, and African American studies, will conduct research in the Black community in Philadelphia to inform his original play inspired by the city’s deep history of Black theatrical resistance and arts activism during political crises.

In addition to funding for projects and research, some students received support to undertake internships. The Bernstein Fund for the Arts Fellowship supports student summer fellowships at prominent arts institutions, such as American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, The Public Theater in New York City, Ireland’s Abbey Theatre, the Brooklyn Museum, McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, and with the organization Maestra Music.

Maya Sessions ’26

Nadine Allache ’26

(Photo by Jon Sweeney)

Julianna Martin ’26

Cameron Knight

TRADITION: R.J. Lewis stars as Tevye the milkman in Theater To Go’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” June 6-15.

RHYTHM AND HUES: Vidushi Pavana B. Achar, a noted player of the veena, an ancient stringed instrument, will be accompanied by two percussionists at the Prionceton Makes artist cooperative in the Princeton Shopping Center on Thursday, May 29 at 6 p.m. Princeton Makes’ artists will paint during the performance.

Princeton Makes Hosts

Rhythm and Hues event

Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, will host Rhythm and Hues, a musical and artistic collaborative event, in the courtyard of the Princeton Shopping Center, 301 North Harrison Street, on Thursday, May 29 at 6 p.m.

The event will feature Vidushi Pavana B. Achar, who is a noted player of the veena, an ancient stringed instrument from the Indian sub-continent. She will be accompanied by two percussionists — Vignesh Prakash, a senior at NJIT, and Sarvesh Premkumar, a senior at JP Stevens High School, both of whom play traditional Indian percussion instruments. Inspired by the music they create, Princeton Makes’ artists will paint during the performance. Attendees are invited to enjoy the collaboration or bring in their own art materials and join in the fun.

Achar founded Kalaspandana in Manipal, India, where she has been mentoring music enthusiasts to play the veena for the past 30 years, and herself earning the musical title of vidushi. Achar leads Vipanchi — a veena ensemble that has performed extensively all over India in prestigious venues.

In addition to numerous solo veena performances, Achar’s musical accomplishments include thematic presentations as ensembles of over hundred veenas, and the revitalization of the classical tradition of playing the veena during Hindu rituals. Her outstanding contributions to popularizing the veena in communal venues and redefining the public’s perception of this classical Indian instrument have earned her numerous accolades, including a felicitation by the former president of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, several state awards, and numerous titles. Achar notes that “I am a firm believer in music as an art form that transcends geographical barriers, binds communities, and enables broad cultural conversations.”

Princeton Makes is a cooperative comprised of 40 local artists who work across a range of artistic genres, including painting, drawing, stained glass, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, and jewelry. Customers will be able to support local artists by shopping for a wide variety of

art, including large paintings, prints, custom-made greeting cards, stained glass lamps and window hangings, jewelry in a variety of designs and patterns, and more.

For more information, visit princetonmakes.com.

Ice Cream Social at Trent House Museum

The Trent House Association will hold its annual ice cream social to celebrate the day the Trent House Museum was opened in 1939. This free event will take place rain or shine on Sunday, June 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Museum, 15 Market Street, Trenton. Free parking is available behind the property off William Trent Place.

On June 1, 1939, the restored Trent House was opened to the public as a museum. The house, then known as Woodlawn, had been given to the city of Trenton in 1929 by the last private owner, Edward A. Stokes. The gift required that the house be restored to its original colonial condition with its elaborate and extensive Gilded Age additions removed. This work was impossible for the city to undertake as the Great Depression was just beginning, so it was not until 1934 that restoration began under the auspices of the Workers Progress Administration.

On June 1, all are invited to celebrate the 86th anniversary of the museum’s opening with ice cream, music, and children’s games and crafts. Tours of the historic house and of exhibits in the visitor center will also be offered. For more information, visit Jersey Council for the Humanities, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission with funding from the New Jersey Historical Commission, and the Bunbury Fund and the New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund of the Princeton Area Community

Foundation; and by contributions from NJM Insurance Group and Orion General Contractors. For more information, visit trenthouse.org.

Small World Coffee Hosts Pop-Ups at Nassau Café

Small World Coffee has a motto: “Support your local everything.” That is the driving force behind a new Artist Pop-Up series at their Nassau location, to be held on select days in May and June. These one-day-only sales invite community members and visitors alike to shop directly from local makers working in paint, ceramics, vintage, stickers, pins, tees, totes, and more.

“Supporting local creatives has been at the heart of Small World since day one,” said owner Jessica Durrie. “Whether it’s art on the walls, music in the air, or a pop-up full of handmade goods, it brings life to our cafés and reminds us of the incredible talent in our community. Thirty-one years in, and it still makes everything better.”

Vendor Nook & Fern kicked off the series in April with sourced and handmade home decor, followed by painter and former “Worlding” Jacqui Alexander with mini paintings at affordable prices. In early May, local consignment boutique Crow and Teapot sold new and gently used clothing and accessories.

The schedule of upcoming Nassau Artist Pop-Ups is as follows: May 29 — Off the Chain Studios; May 31— Nightbird Vintage; June 12 — Yardsale Press; June 14 - Minako Ota; June 25 — Nook and Fern; and June 28 - Nightbird Vintage.

The Pop-Ups are at 254 Nassau Street, 10 a.m. to -2 p.m. Dates will resume in August. To be considered for a Nassau Artist Pop-Up, email Durrie at jessica@smallworldcoffee. com. For more information, visit Small World Coffee.com.

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Our free virtual classes are led by artist Barbara DiLorenzo and inspired by our collections. In partnership with the Arts Council of

Bird’s-Eye View In the Round

Thursday, June 5

Thursday, June 12

Wednesday, June 18

Combining Representation and Abstraction

Thursday, June 26

ARTIST POP-UPS AT SMALL WORLD: Small World Coffee has hosted three artist pop-up shows at their Nassau Street location, shining a light on the creative talents of local and regional vendors. There are more opportunities to shop small coming up through June. Pictured is Local artist Jacqui Alexander.

7 from 4 to 6 p.m.

“Celebrating Color & Light” Exhibition at Artists’ Gallery Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville will present “Celebrating Color & Light,” a visually rich exhibition featuring the work of Jane Adriance and Claudia Fouse Fountaine, June 5 through July 6. The show invites visitors to experience the artists’ shared love of luminosity, expressive color, and the vibrant energy of the natural world.

An opening reception with the artists and light refreshments is on Saturday, June 7, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Adriance is a local artist from Princeton whose paintings have captivated viewers for years. Her recent retrospective at the Arts Council of Princeton highlighted her enduring commitment to “open up new perspectives,” a goal reflected in her bold and dreamlike imagery. Adriance’s work, often open to interpretation, evokes the influence of Surrealism and possibly Georgia O’Keeffe, while standing uniquely her own. Her mediums include watercolor and oil. She has exhibited widely, won numerous awards, and studied at prestigious institutions including the Barnes Foundation and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her paintings are startling, contradictory, and always infused with sumptuous color.

Fountaine is a Bucks County artist with art degrees from Carnegie Mellon and Pratt Institute. After working as an illustrator in New York, she moved to Pennsylvania to raise a family, also volunteering in the local school art program. Becoming a docent at the Princeton Art Museum deepened her art appreciation and education in art history. As the years passed, she spent more time painting, always intrigued by her surroundings and interpreting them through a lens of soft light and brilliant color. Whether the subject is a platter of oysters or the Grand Canyon, it’s the quality of light, and the strong color that tie them all together.

Located at 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, Artists’ Gallery is celebrating 30 years as an art space dedicated to showcasing the works of exceptional artists across various mediums., the gallery provides a platform for artists to share their unique perspectives and connect with art enthusiasts. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit lambertvillearts.com.

Area Exhibits

Art@Bainbridge, 158 Nassau Street, has “Roberto Lugo: Orange and Black” through July 6. Artmuseum. princeton.edu.

Artists’ Gallery, 18 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Still & Wild” through June 1. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lambertvillearts.com.

Arts Council of Princeton, 102 Witherspoon Street, has “Instant Gratificationz” and “Being Present: Exploration of Abstraction” through June 14. “Hours of Homecoming” is on view through June 12. Artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography, 14 Mercer Street, Hopewell, has “John Stritzinger: How Trees See the World” and “Dutch Bagley: The Creative Tool” through June 15. Gallery14.org.

Gourgaud Gallery, 23-A North Main Street, Cranbury, has works by Stonebridge Photography Club members June 3 through June 27. Cranburyartscouncil.org.

Green Building Center, 67 Bridge Street, Lambertville, has “Awakenings” through June 20. Greenbuildingcenter.com.

Historical Society of Princeton, Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, has “Princeton Reflected: Stories from HSP’s Collection” and “Einstein Salon and Innovator’s Gallery.” Museum hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m. Princetonhistory.org

Exploring Michener Art Museum as the historical site of the Bucks County Jail

The Short Line by acclaimed artist jackie sumell uses detoxifying plants like clover, sunflower, and willow in a garden bed that traces the footprint of "the short line," a former corridor of jail cells.

December 31, 2026. Mercermuseum.org.

Michener Art Museum, 138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “Yesterday’s Dreams Are Real” through July 27 and “Judith Schaechter: Super/Natural” through September 14. Michenerartmuseum .org

Milberg Gallery at Firestone Library, Princeton University, has “The Most Formidable Weapon Against Errors: The Sid Lapidus ’59 Collection & the Age of Reason” through June 8. Library.princeton.edu/ lapidus2025.

Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, has “Historic Morven: A Window Into America’s Past” (ongoing). Morven.org.

The Nassau Club, 6 Mercer Street, has “Held Together” through June 5. Catherinejmartzloff.com.

Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa., has “The Selma Burke Invitational African American Art Show” May 31 through June 29. Phillipsmill.org.

Silva Gallery of Art, Pennington School, 113 West Delaware Avenue, Pennington, has “The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America” through June 6. Pennington.org.

Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street, has works by Karen Stolper through June 3. Works by Sophie Dennehy are at the 254 Nassau Street location through June 3. Smallworldcoffee.com.

Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, 299 Parkside Avenue, Trenton, has “Cultural Connections: Eastern European Artists from the Greater Trenton Area” through June 8. Ellarslie.org.

Mercer Museum, 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown, Pa., has “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution” through

West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road, West Windsor, has “Member Show: Your Visual Story Through Art” through May 31. Westwindsorarts.org.

The Short Line has been supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage as part of the multi-year community engagement initiative Behind These Walls: Reckoning with Incarceration

jackie sumell working in the Solitary Gardens on Andry Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo: Maiwenn Raoult

“LILY DEFIANCE”: this oil painting by Jane Adriance is featured in “Celebrating Color & Light,” her dual exhibit with Claudia Fouse Fountaine, on view June 5 through July 6 at Artists’ Gallery in Lambertville. An opening reception is on June

Town Topics | Mark Your Calendar

Wednesday, May 28

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens : Councilman Leighton Newlin holds one-on-one conversations about issues impacting Princeton at Hinds Plaza.

Thursday, May 29

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Off the Chain Studios jewelry company takes part in the Nassau Artist PopUp at Small World Coffee, 254 Nassau Street. Over 150 chains and charms. Smallworldcoffee.com.

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos holds a weekly event titled Our Common Ground: Literature and Poetry in Community with People & Stories at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.libnet.info/ event/13266655.

5:30-7:30 p.m.: Sips & Succulent Gardens at Terhune Orchards , 330 Cold Soil Road. Lisa Miccolis of Bountiful Gardens leads a class in the winery on making a succulent garden. $55 includes the class, a flight of Terhune wine, and all materials. Terhuneorchards.com.

6:30-8 p.m.: Princeton Festival Opera Workshop at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. Princeton University Professor Rochelle Ellis and live opera singers demonstrate and discuss opera. Register at mcl.org.

Friday, May 30

12 p.m.: Pride flagraising event at Monument Hall , presented by HiTOPS and the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice. Princetonnj.gov.

1-2:30 p.m.: FOPOS Book Club discusses Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver at Mountain Lakes House, 57 Mountain Avenue. Led by Princeton University faculty member Diana Newby. Fopos.org.

8 p.m.: Andrew Dice Clay is live in concert at State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. $39-$79. Stnj.org.

Saturday, May 31

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Princeton Junction train station southbound side. More than 50 local farms and vendors. Wwcfm.org.

10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Nightbird Vintage takes part in the Nassau Artist PopUp at Small World Coffee, 254 Nassau Street. Vintage clothing from the 60s-80s and more. Smallworldcoffee.com.

10 a.m.-12 p.m.: May Nature Walk presented by Friends of Princeton Open Space at Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 57 Mountain Avenue. Fopos.org.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Strawberry Festival at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Strawberry picking, tractor rides, children’s games, pony rides, and more. From 12-6 p.m.: Spring Winery Weekend Music. Music from 1-4 p.m. by Audio Pilot Terhuneorchards.com.

10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Haying and Wagon Rides at Howell Living History Farm, 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township. Learn how to make hay the old-fashioned way. Free. Howellfarm.org.

4-7 p.m.: ArtWalk 2025 , fundraiser for West Windsor Arts, 952 Alexander Road. Family-fun walk featuring a scavenger hunt, live music, fitness challenges, massage therapy, arts and crafts, silent auction, food, and more. $25 per family or $10 individuals. Westwindsorarts.org.

6-10 p.m.: Mystery Under the Stars at Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker road. A “whodunit” fundraiser for the Historical Society of Princeton to support its history education initiatives. Princeton history.org.

7 p.m.: Westminster Community Orchestra presents “Viennese Celebration” at Hillman Hall in the Cullen Center, Westminster campus, Walnut Lane. Ruth Ochs conducts and Esma Pasic-Filipovic is the piano soloist; works by Schubert, Beethoven, and J. Strauss. Free with suggested admission of $10. Email conservatory@rider.edu for more information.

7:30 p.m.: Greg Giannascoli and Friends perform “Americana Meets Old Masters: Classical Favorites for Marimba, Vibraphone, and Piano” at Historic Hunterdon County Courthouse, 71 Main Street, Flemington. $25. RaritanRiverMusic.org.

8 p.m.: The Fab Faux perform the Beatles’ albums A Hard Day’s Night and Abbey Road in their entireties at State Theatre New Jersey, 15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick. $73.26$118.86. Stnj.org.

Sunday, June 1

9:30-10:30 a.m.: Friends of Herrontown Woods Community Collage Project at Herrontown Woods, 600 Snowden Lane. Embellish a canvas with any media or find inspiration in the woods; for a collective collage to be displayed online and at Herrontown Woods. $10 per canvas tile. Herrontownwoods.org/ events.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Strawberry Festival at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Strawberry picking, tractor rides, children’s games, pony rides, and more. From 12-5 p.m.: Winery Weekend Music Series . Wine, food, farm strolls, and music from 2-5 p.m. by Kindred Spirit Terhuneorchards.com.

3 p.m.: Author William Lewis discusses his book Preserving the Pines: New Jersey and the Origins of Environmentalism at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau Street. Labyrinthbooks.com.

4-5:15 p.m.: No Control kicks off the Listen Local series at Hinds Plaza with an homage to Eddie Money and rock and Motown favorites. Princetonlibrary.org.

4 p.m.: Bucks County Choral Society presents “Leonard Bernstein: From Broadway to Lincoln Center” at Lenape Middle School, 313 West State Street, Doylestown, Pa. Vocal writing for solo and choir. Buckschoral.org.

7:30 p.m.: Bass player Stanley Clarke performs at McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, as part of the Jazz in June festival Mccarter.org.

Monday, June 2

Recycling

6-7:30 p.m.: “Understanding SOGIE and Affirming Our Youth,” a talk by Thomas Foley, HiTOPS senior education manager, on the changing concepts and understanding around sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression that create safe and affirming communities. At Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

Tuesday, June 3

9:30 and 11 a.m.: Read & Pick Program: Farm Animals at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Hands-on farm activity followed by stories and strawberry picking. $12. Terhuneorchards.com.

1-5 p.m.: Princeton Mercer Chamber Job Fair at Rider University’s Bart Luedeke Center, Lawrence Township. Princetonmercer.org.

7 p.m.: Artists’ Roundtable presented by The Princeton Festival Guild at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Panelists will discuss the upcoming production of Tosca , preparing for a role, and the joys and challenges of the opera business. Free. Princetonlibrary.org.

Wednesday, June 4

11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Leighton Listens. Councilman Leighton Newlin holds one-on-one conversations about issues impacting Princeton at Princeton Soup and Sandwich, 30 Palmer Square.

7 p.m.: Author Edward Tenner discusses his book Why the Hindenburg Had a Smoking Lounge: Essays in Unintended Consequences at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.org.

Thursday, June 5

10 a.m.: Meeting of the 55 Plus Club of Princeton at The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau Street, and on Zoom. Ross Baker, Rutgers political science professor emeritus, will speak on “The House and Senate: The Non-Identical Twins.” Free ($5 donation suggested). Princeton55plus.org.

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos holds a weekly event titled Our Common Ground: Literature and Poetry in Community with People & Stories at Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon Street. Princetonlibrary.libnet.info/ event/13266655.

7:30 p.m.: Stella Cole performs at McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, as part of the Jazz in June festival. Mccarter.org.

Friday, June 6

12-8 p.m.: Sunset Sips & Sounds at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road. Wine, music, light bites in the apple orchard. Music from 5-8 p.m. by ALBO Terhuneorchards.com.

7 p.m.: The Princeton Festival opens with “ICON: The Voices that Changed Music” in the tent behind Morven, 55 Stockton Street. Princetonsymphony.org/festival or (609) 497-0020.

7-10 p.m.: “Pride on the Plaza” community disco dance party to kick off Pride Month at Hinds Plaza. Live music by EAMC Disco Funk Machine; wear clothing inspired by the disco era. Free. Princetonlibrary.org.

MAY-JUNE

7:30 p.m.: Special Shabbat service honoring the legacy of Har Sinai Temple , which is closing. At Congregation Beth Chaim, 329 Village Road East, Princeton Junction. All are welcome. (609) 799-9401.

8 p.m.: Fiddler on the Roof is performed by Theater to Go at Kelsey Theater, Mercer County Community College, West Windsor. $24-$26. Kelseytheater.org or (609) 570-3333.

Saturday, June 7

9 a.m.-1 p.m.: West Windsor Community Farmers Market, Princeton Junction train station southbound side. More than 50 local farms and vendors. Wwcfm.org.

7 p.m.: Chris Harford and the Band of Changes perform at the Hopewell Theater, 5 South Greenwood Avenue, Hopewell. $35. Available on Eventbrite.com.

8-10 a.m.: Spring Bird Walk with Winnie Hughes Spar at Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 57 Mountain Avenue. Presented by Friends of Princeton Open Space. Fopos.org.

Get the scoop from

S ports

Developing

into an All-American

for PU Open Crew, Senior George Primed for Big Finish at NCAA Regatta

Growing up in Chearsley, England, Katherine George dabbled in a lot of sports including swimming, lacrosse, field hockey, and netball.

But not excelling at any of them by the age of 15, George decided to take up rowing and immediately found a home on the water.

“I really enjoyed it, I knew it was something I wanted to do,” said George. “My dad rowed when he was younger, he never pressured me to do it or anything. I just knew that it was a sport that existed and he had been good at it.”

Getting off to a relatively late start, it took a while for George to become accomplished on the water.

“I was actually not very good when I was in high school,” said George. “I was doing well on the erg because I had power and fitness but my boat skills were pretty shabby. It was not great. I got into it because I was showing potential. I was just taking a bit longer to develop. We were only able to row twice a week on the water which is a part of why it took me longer to develop on the water. I didn’t really have much of fitness base before getting into the sport.”

Developing her fitness base, George turned heads as she rose through ranks of English rowing.

“I did junior trials when I was 16,17,” said George. “I did well on the ergs for that. I came in the top five for them, so that allowed me to start talking to U.S. universities.”

Turning her focus to joining an Ivy League program, George ended up choosing Princeton over Yale.

on the launch and watching the practices here, there was so much enthusiasm and so much energy. The girls on the team just seemed so authentic. It was much more of a gut feeling rather than something that stands out. It just felt like this is the right place to be and I was right.”

Upon arriving at Princeton in 2021, George showed the right stuff, developing into a star for the Tiger women’s open crew. She made the varsity eight as a freshman and helped it finish third at the NCAA Championships.

George built on that strong start by earning All-American honors as a sophomore and junior. Serving as a team co-captain this spring, George helped the varsity eight place first at the Ivy Championships

This weekend, George will be looking to end her Tiger career on a high note as Princeton competes in the NCAA Championships from May 30-June 1 at Mercer Lake.

In reflecting on her progress, taking a gap year due to the COVID-19 pandemic made a big difference for George.

“That is when I really came into myself as an athlete, I had actually had the time to just focus on sports and focus on the rowing,” said George. “I was rowing at the Leander Club. A lot of the time I ended up just training at home by myself. It wasn’t the classic picturesque go on a gap year. It was very much ‘ohhhh, I am stuck at home and seeing nobody but I am erging all day, every day.’”

In subsequently joining the Princeton program, George had to make a quick transi -

way that Lori was wanting it because everybody has to be doing the same thing.”

The team’s more experienced rowers helped George get up to speed.

“The whole environment from the get-go being here has been that everybody lifts each other up,” said George. “Everyone is always rooting for everyone else’s success, which was very appreciated.”

Princeton head coach Dauphiny credited George with being a quick study.

“She may have arrived with less experience than some of her peers, it never showed in how she approached rowing,” said Dauphiny of George. “Honestly, I don’t even remember thinking of her as inexperienced—her talent was immediately obvious. What stood out even more was her coachability and her eagerness to learn. She soaked up feedback, put in the extra work, and consistently made strides year after year.”

That work helped George earn All-American honors. “I knew it was a big accolade and I was like ‘that’s cool,’” said George. “That is amazing, nothing like that exists in the U.K. Looking at the other names on the list that got rewarded with this, I felt a lot of pride. I was very honored to be on this list with those other amazing athletes.”

A year later, George was a finalist for the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Athlete of the Year in addition to making All-American for a second straight season.

to Tennessee and Yale in regular season regattas.

“We have had a bit of an up-and-down season, but I think setbacks are fundamental to learning and improving,” said George, who has been rowing in the 5-seat on the top boat. “You can’t get better unless have setbacks. When you have a setback, the challenge is to not stay in this, in the sad light. You have to use it as a launch pad to get better, to motivate you and propel you forward. We lost this year but what are we going to do: change things and what went wrong. This is what we can do to improve, so using it to motivate you.”

In her role as a captain, along with classmate Ella Barry, George has assumed extra responsibility to motivate her teammates.

was confident that the Tigers would rise to the

“We have already lost to Yale, we have nothing else to lose,” said George. “We have so much to gain and not as much to lose. The pressure was on them. We had so much opportunity. I think we did a good job of seeing it as an exciting opportunity rather than being stressed about it which I think was a very positive way of getting into it. We put down a really solid heat. We raced it, not just time wise but also execution of the race.”

Producing a superb race in the Ivy grand final, Princeton took first, handing Yale its first defeat of the season in the process.

If we perform how we know we can, that will be enough. It has given everyone some more excitement and motivation in training.”

George’s performance over her Princeton career was recognized as she was named as one of five finalists for the C. Otto von Kienbusch Award given annually to a Princeton senior woman of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman.

“I visited Princeton and Yale when I was in my ju nior year of high school and Princeton felt much more like the place for me,” said George. “I really got on with Lori (head coach Lori Dau phiny) and Steve (former assistant coach Steve Cop pola). I could see myself hav ing a good relationship with them, so being coached by them was something that I really wanted. Lori had an amazing track record, she is a phenomenal coach. Sitting

“I have always just been trying to improve myself and how can I keep getting better,” said George. “In doing so, no one is ever perfect and there is always more you can do. You can always keep getting better and better and keep pushing yourself forward and pushing your team forward. Just seeing it being recognized said yes you are trying to get better but look where you are at the moment. It was a very surreal feeling like ‘oh this is actually where you stand.’”

This spring, the Tiger varsity eight has experienced some tough moments, losing

“It is by encouraging people that you can return things around,” said George. “Nothing is set, things can change and it is all about how you apply yourself and how you put yourself into these situations. You are capable of changing this around.”

In Dauphiny’s view, George’s leadership has helped keep the Tigers on track as they prepared for postseason competition.

“Katherine leads by example in all that she does,” said Dauphiny. “She never asks anything of her teammates that she wouldn’t do herself, and that consistency has earned her great respect within the team. She holds herself to incredibly high standards and encourages those around her to rise to their best as well.”

Heading into Ivy League Championships, George

“Once we got into the final, we were so determined to execute what we knew, we could execute and in doing so we would beat Yale or we would be closer,” said George. “We just went in very determined and had this confidence, which won the race.”

In George’s view, that triumph was the product of a year-long process.

“It was amazing because we had been working so hard across the board, the whole boathouse has been working so hard all year,” said George. “From day one when everyone gets to campus, it is “what are our goals.” Performing well at Ivies and winning Ivies, that is a goal that everyone always says. From September, the whole boathouse has been working towards this. It was the 1V that won that event but it takes the entire boathouse to make a fast team and make fast boats. It was a very cool experience.”

Looking ahead to the NCAAs, George believes that Princeton can build on its performance at the Ivy regatta.

“I think it has given us a lot more confidence going into it,” said George. “It is a case of keeping the ball rolling. We don’t have to start over, we are just continuing. We have got the momentum, it is “keep going.”

“I am incredibly honored to be among them, it is so inspiring to be surrounded by so many female athletes,” said George of the award which went to track and cross country star Mena Scatchard, who also hails from England. “There are so many athletes from all different sports and from so many different backgrounds that come to Princeton wanting to perform for the university, for themselves and for their teams. I know how hard everyone works and how committed everyone is so to be named as one of the top five is amazing. I am extremely grateful and honored.”

Reflecting on her overall Princeton experience, George is grateful for how she has grown on and off the water over the last four years.

“It has taught me so much about who I am as a person,” said George, who will be joining the UK national rowing program after graduation. “It has taught me what it is to truly work hard, how to manage your time, how important balance is in your life and the importance of keeping your friends close to you. I think being captain has taught me a lot as well, just leading a group of 60 women. I think that has been a very good lesson and helped me grow a lot; managing all of these different relations and wanting to do what is right. I think that been massive.”

And there can be no doubt that George has made a massive impact on Tiger women’s rowing.

—Bill Alden

BY GEORGE: Princeton University women’s open rower Katherine George, center, displays her form in a race earlier this spring. Senior star George, a two-time All-America, is looking to end her Tiger career on a high note as Princeton competes in the NCAA Championships from May 30-June 1 at Mercer Lake.

(Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

occasion.

Women’s Track Star Scatchard, Water Polo’s Pozaric

Receive Princeton’s Top Senior Athletic Awards

One is a petite, wiry runner from England while the other is a chiseled 6’4 bruiser from Croatia who dominates in the pool.

Coming to Princeton from Europe in 2021, the two athletes, Mena Scatchard and Roko Pozaric, produced stellar college careers. Scatchard established herself as one of the most accomplished distance runners in the 47-year history of Princeton women’s track and field. Pozaric, for his part, ended his Tiger men’s water polo career with the most goals in program history.

Last Thursday evening, Scatchard and Pozaric were honored as the top Princeton senior athletes at the Gary Walters ’67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet. Scatchard received the C. Otto von Kienbusch Award given annually to a Princeton

senior woman of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman. Pozaric won the William Winston Roper Trophy awarded annually to a Princeton senior man of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportsman.

Scatchard displayed her quality time and time again as an eight-time Ivy League champion. A 2025 NCAA indoor runner-up in the mile, Scatchard is just the second Tiger woman to place that high at nationals - and she did it while climbing from 10th to second with the fastest final two laps in the entire field.

At the conference level, Scatchard won individual Ivy titles in four events, while winning four 4x800 relay

titles. She set four facility records during her championship performances. Additionally, Scatchard, a native of North Yorkshire, U.K., is a nine-time first team and three-time second team All-Ivy honoree. Scatchard has rewritten the Princeton record books during her four years. She holds seven program records, including the 800 meters, 1,500, 5,000, 3,000, mile, and as a part of 4x800 and distance medley relays. She also ranks second all-time in the Princeton record books in three other events, while making the all-time top-10 in four more. Scatchard’s performances have landed her in the Ivy League all-time top-10, allmeets in seven events.

A rare middle distance runner who also excels on the cross country course, Scatchard is a two-time

MAKING A SPLASH: Princeton University men’s water polo player Roko Pozaric unloads the ball in action this season. Pozaric, who tallied a program-record 281 goals in his Tiger career, was named last Thursday as the recipient of the William Winston Roper Trophy awarded annually to a Princeton senior man of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportsman. (Photo by Shelley M. Szwast, provided

All-Ivy performer and finished second overall last fall to lead the Tigers to their first cross country Heps title in nine years. Scatchard’s individual achievements and leadership have guided Princeton women’s cross country and women’s track and field to new heights this year, helping the program complete its first Triple Crown (Ivy cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track titles) since 2011 and third all-time — two milestones that will be cemented and cherished in the history of the program.

Pozaric made history of his own for the Tiger men’s water polo team as a four-time All-American and three time conference Northeast Water

Polo Conference (NWPC) Player of the Year. He is Princeton’s all-time leading goal scorer with 281 tallies while also ranking second all-time in assists, ranking Pozaric as arguably the best player in program history. Pozaric who hails from Zagreb Croatia, made an immediate impact when he arrived at Princeton, being named the NWPC Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the NWPC Tournament on his way to his first All-American honors.

In 2023, Pozaric had a career year with 76 goals and 47 assists and received recognition as the NWPC Tournament MVP and was named a Cutino Award finalist, an award presented annually by

the Olympic Club to honor the nation’s most outstanding Division I male and female water polo athletes.

During his carer, Pozaric has helped transform the program into a national contender as the Tigers have won the conference title four years in a row, making it to the NCAA Final Four in 2023 and earning a program-record 28 wins, finishing ranked fifth in the country the last two seasons and beating two of the water polo “big four,” in Cal and Stanford, during his career. Pozaric is a four-time first-team All-NWPC performer and a 14-time conference Player of the Week.

—Bill Alden

AWARDS SHOW:Princeton University women’s track and cross country star Mena Scatchard, left, is all smiles as she receives the C. Otto von Kienbusch Award from Princeton Director of Athletics John Mack last Thursday evening at the Gary Walters ’67 Princeton Varsity Club Awards Banquet. The award is given annually to a Princeton senior woman of high scholastic rank who has demonstrated general proficiency in athletics and the qualities of a true sportswoman. During her Tiger career, Scatchard was eight-time Ivy League champion and a 2025 NCAA indoor runner-up in the mile.

courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

PU Field Hockey’s Schenck Makes US U-21 Squad

Princeton University field hockey player Talia Schenck has been named to the United States U-21 team.

Schenck and her USA teammates will travel to Asuncion, Paraguay, for the Junior Pan American Games August 9-19.

The former Lawrence High standout is a two-time All-Ivy League selection at Princeton. Rising senior Schenck had five goals and four assists last year as the Tigers went 7-0 in the Ivy League and reached the NCAA quarterfinals.

This will be Schenck’s debut on a USA national team. It will also be the first time field hockey is included in the Junior Pan Am Games.

PU Men’s Lacrosse has 7 Earn All-American Honors

In the wake of a superb campaign that saw it go 13-4 and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team had seven players earn United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America honors.

Senior attacker Coulter Mackesy, already a Tewaaraton Award finalist and the all-time leading goal scorer in program history, was named a USILA first-team All-American.

Colin Mulshine, a senior defenseman, was a secondteam selection, while junior midfielder Chad Palumbo was named to the third team. Princeton had four honorable mention selections: sophomore attackman Nate Kabiri, sophomore midfielder Tucker Wade, sophomore shortstick defensive midfielder Cooper Mueller and junior goalie Ryan Croddick.

Mackesy finished his senior season with 44 goals and 19 assists. He holds the

Princeton records for goals in a career (167) and single season (55 in 2023), and his 248 points (167 goals, 81 assists) are second all-time at Princeton. He was the No. 4 overall selection in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Draft, by the Boston Cannons.

Mulshine was a fouryear starter on defense who regularly guarded the other team’s top attackman. Mulshine, a two-time first-team All-Ivy League selection, had eight caused turnovers and 16 ground balls this season. Mulshine has signed with the Boston Cannons of the PLL.

Palumbo followed up a big sophomore season with a bigger junior year, finishing with 28 goals and 19 assists. He also tied the program record for goals in an NCAA tournament game with six against Syracuse in the quarterfinals, where his eight points were the second-highest single-game NCAA total in Princeton history.

Kabiri had 32 goals and 29 assists, becoming the first Princeton player with at least 30 goals and 25 assists as both a freshman and sophomore. Wade had 27 goals and eight assists, joining his father Ryan (UNC) as a USILA All-American. Mueller became the first Princeton shortstick ever to put up these numbers without ever taking a faceoff: six goals, 12 caused turnovers and 36 ground balls. Croddick’s 241 saves were the second-most ever by a Princeton goalie in a single-season. The firmer Hun School standout also became the first Princeton goalie in 52 years to have three points (all assists) in a season.

Women’s Hockey Coach Gardner Morey Resigns to be GM for Vancouver in PWHL

Cara Gardner Morey has resigned her position as head coach of Princeton University women’s ice hockey team to accept a new role as general manager of Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Vancouver, an expansion franchise set

to begin play in the 202526 season.

Gardner Morey has spent 14 seasons as a member of Princeton’s coaching staff, including the last eight as head coach.

The second-winningest head coach in program history with a 120-82-24 record in her tenure at the helm, Gardner Morey guided the Tigers to the 2020 ECAC Hockey Championship. During her time at Princeton, the Tigers qualified for three NCAA Tournaments, once while she was an assistant and twice during her tenure as head coach. She was also part of two Ivy League championships — in 2016 as an assistant and 2019 as head coach.

Princeton will conduct a national search for its next head coach.

Seniors Coene, Rosini

Receive Sailer Award

Women’s hockey player Mia Coene and men’s squash player Thomas Rosini were named last Thursday as the winners of the 2025 Chris Sailer Leadership Award given in honor of Chris Sailer, Hall of Fame women’s lacrosse coach at Princeton from 1987-2022.

The award, made possible by Lucy Small DeStefano ‘99 S94 and Chris DeStefano ‘94 S99, is awarded annually to senior studentathletes who demonstrate exceptional leadership and a commitment to serving others.

Senior Coene excelled as a forward and two-year captain for Princeton women’s ice hockey. A reliable, two-way player known for her leadership and commitment to both ends of the ice, Coene appeared in more than 120 games during her career, including serving as the center for the team’s checking line.

A two-time ECAC All-Academic Team honoree and record-setting performer in the weight room, Coene is regarded as one of the most respected players and impactful leaders to come through the program. Off the ice, Coene has supported her team as a SCORRE (Strength in Coaching on Relationships, Respect and Equality) leader to promote healthy interpersonal relationships, and served on the Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (VSAAC), helping to enhance the collective student-athlete experience. Additionally, Coene has worked as a research assistant on campus,

CELEBRATING THE SEASON: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player McKenzie Blake celebrates after a goal in a game this spring. Last week, senior star Blake was named as a second-team All-American by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (IWLCA). Blake, the 2025 unanimous Ivy League Attacker of the Year, produced a historic senior campaign as she set a new single-season Ivy League and Princeton record with 89 goals. Blake ended her career with a program-record total of 231 goals. Tiger junior attacker Haven Dora was also a second-team IWLCA All-American selection, having set Princeton’s single-season assist record with 60 this past season. Junior defender Dylan Allen chosen as a third-team IWLCA AllAmerican in a season which saw her come up with 21 caused turnovers and 24 ground balls for the Tigers. The play of Blake, Dora, and Allen helped Princeton go 16-4 this spring and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.

volunteered with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and interned with Let Her Play, a nonprofit promoting girls participation in sports programming. Coene was a politics major from Clayton, N.Y.

Senior Rosini was a twoyear captain for Princeton men’s squash. A College Squash Association (CSA) first-team All-American, Rosini helped the Tigers to the 2024 Ivy League championship in a 5-4 win over Penn in the last match ever played in Jadwin Gym. Rosini’s versatility and selflessness have been on display throughout his career, anchoring the Tiger ladder anywhere from the No. 1 to No. 6 positions. In his role as team captain, Rosini spearheaded collaboration with the coaching staff to implement helpful improvements to the program’s operations, which helped propel the Tigers to back-to-back CSA Potter Cup semifinal appearances. Rosini demonstrated an uncanny ability to inspire others and drive meaningful and lasting change. A CSA Scholar-Athlete and Gladwyne, Pa., native, Rosini majored in Philosophy with a minor in Computer Science. He served as an elected Undergraduate Student-Representative for Princeton’s Department of Philosophy.

Mudashiru, Seltzer

Win Art Lane Award

Men’s soccer player Issa Mudashiru and women’s diver Maddie Seltzer were named last Thursday as the recipients of the 2025 Art Lane ’34 Award, which is presented annually to recogn ize selfless contribution to sport and society.

Mudashiru, a s enior captain and defender for

Princeton men’s soccer, helped the Tigers to both an Ivy League r egular season and Ivy League tournament championship during his four years at Princeton. A 2025 Schwarzman Scholar and Spirit of Princeton Award recipient, Mudashiru has displayed a commitment to service, participating in both the Tiger Pals mentoring program and Reading with the Tigers initiatives. Additionally, he founded his own nonprofit, the Dunya Soccer Foundation to help bring equipment and his love for soccer to youth in West Africa. Mudashiru had served as vice president of the Black Premedical Society and as a Global Health Scholar for the Princeton Center of Health and Wellbeing. A student-athlete wellness leader, he has also mentored undergraduate students with the Princeton University Mentoring Program and recently completed an internship with the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding. From Bethesda, Md., Mudashiru was a medical anthropology major pursuing certificates in East Asian studies and global health and health policy.

Seltzer, a senior diver for Princeton women’s swimming and diving, helped the Tigers to a three-peat as Ivy League champions. Seltzer is a three-time NCAA Zone Championships participant. Out of the pool, senior Seltzer has been a two-year fellow for Team IMPACT, pairing children with serious illnesses and disabilities with Princeton teams to create life changing experiences. Under her guidance and leadership, Princeton was named the 2023-24 Division I Team IMPACT Fellowship Campus of the

Year, honoring meaningful team partnerships and outstanding campus leadership. Seltzer is also a recipient of the 2025 Spirit of Princeton Award, recognizing her impact on the campus community. As a two-year Co-President of the StudentAthlete Service Council, she has helped shape broadbased service offerings for Princeton student-athletes. Additionally, Seltzer has taught underserved students in Vietnam as part of the Coach for College initiative and is a co-founder of the Jewish Student-Athlete Collective. A sociology major from Scarsdale, NY, Seltzer completed an additional certificate in Entrepreneurship. Crew Coxswain Zhao Receives Class of 1916 Cup Caroline Zhao, a coxswain for the men’s lightweight program, was named last Thursday as the recipient of the Class of 1916 Cup, which is presented annually to the Princeton University varsity letter winner who has achieved the highest academic standing at graduation. The award was given by the Class of 1916 on the occasion of its 50th reunion.

A Westfield native, Zhao majored in chemical and biological engineering with certificates in computer science and finance.

Zhao has volunteered with the Special Olympics as part of their partnership with Princeton Rowing, and supported undergraduate students within her major as President of the Princeton Engineering Council. A twotime Shapiro Prize recipient, Zhao was also one of two students awarded the George B. Wood Legacy Prize, in recognition of exceptional academic achievement during their junior year.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

With Thomson Emerging as a Key Performer, PHS Boys’ Lax Primed for

Over the last four years, Matt Thomson has gone from being part of the supporting cast for the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team to emerging as one of the squad’s key performers.

“Freshman year, I was just riding the bench and learning from the older guys like Will Doran,” said senior attacker Thomson. “I would say my role, especially on offense, is that role player where I go for the ground balls and try to get it to the next guy and find opportunities to cut and score.”

Last Thursday, Thomson filled that role, scooping up some ground balls, leveling some big hits on the ride, and scoring a fourth quarter goal as PHS battled hard in a 14-5 loss to Pingry in a game played at Princeton Day School in a driving rainstorm.

“On the offense, it was rough there in the beginning but we got stuff going in the third and fourth quarters,” said Thomson. “It was let’s just start working hard and start playing together and give it all we have got. It is put everything on the line as a senior.”

On his goal, Thomson converted a feed from classmate Braden Barlag.

“I just saw space,” said Thomson. “I saw Braden coming up the corner and I just saw a good opportunity.”

Playing with Barlag and a third classmate, Brendan Beatty, has helped Thomson hone his game.

“It is great, us three, we are always practicing together,” said Thomson,

State Tournament

who has tallied 23 goals and nine assists this season.

“Offseason, we were playing together all of the time passing and shooting.”

While the result against Pingry was disappointing, Thomson saw the game as a good tune-up for the state tourney. The Tigers, now 10-8, will be starting play in New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament where they are seeded eighth and will host ninth-seeded Red Bank Regional in a firstround contest on May 29.

“I would say it was good; we actually had a good second half and we are confident going into states,” said Thomson. “I would say keeping up with our defense and implementing more offensive work, just finding the next guy and to have more scoring opportunities.”

PHS head coach Chip Casto also viewed the matchup with Pingry as good prep for the states.

“It is tremendous, it is the day after the state cutoff so both teams know you can just play,” said Casto. “They are obviously a really, really good team, well coached and all. It gave us a chance to try a couple of things. We tried two new things on defense. We will dissect that and analyze that tomorrow.”

With top scorer Beatty currently sidelined with an injury, the Tigers were also working on some offensive wrinkles against Pingry.

“We were just trying to maintain the ball and have

some possessions,” said Casto. “Without Brendan, nobody can beat a defender clean and maybe put some pressure on the defense. We are trying to figure out if we have to play without him how to do it. Gavin [Pomraning] is trying. He had a lot of turnovers and we were telling him just keep doing it, keep doing it. Braden feels the price of this being the end of his career so it is good.”

Casto credits Thomson with playing hard throughout his PHS career.

“He has been everything for his four years; he has been in all sorts of roles,” said Casto of Thomson. “He is not a born attackman but he has been doing that for us all year. He had a nice pop on a guy.”

Looking ahead to the state tournament, Casto believes the Tigers can make a nice run.

“They are scrapping, they are going to play hard to the end,” said Casto. “The keys are winning face-offs and playing defense, that is always the case.”

Thomson is determined to scrap to the final whistle of his career.

“I am working my tail off and playing with my brothers,” said Thomson, who is heading to Lehigh University this fall and may play for its club lax program. “Over the four years I have always loved playing with this program. I have missed it every year in the offseason. I am glad I am in it now.”

—Bill Alden

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GOING TO THE MATT: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse Matt Thomson brings the ball upfield in recent action. Last Thursday, senior attacker Thomson tallied a goal as PHS fell 14-5 to Pingry in moving to 10-8. In upcoming action, the Tigers will be starting play in New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament where they are seeded eighth and will host ninth-seeded Red Bank Regional in a first-round contest on May 29.

(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Peng Making the Most of His Final Campaign

As PDS Boys’ Tennis Reaches Non-Public Quarters

Rain forced the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team to play its New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA)

South Jersey Non-Public tournament first round match against Wildwood Catholic indoors at the Mercer County Tennis Facility but that suited Jaylen Peng just fine.

PDS senior Peng rolled to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Evan Papageorgiou at third singles, helping the seventh-seeded Panthers prevail 5-0 over 10th-seeded Crusaders in the May 21 contest as they improved to 9-5.

“I generally like playing indoors, I feel like it is easier for me to play my full game,” said Peng. “I feel like pretty much everything was working for me. I was serving pretty well, being indoors helps with that. I was just hitting pretty cleanly.”

Peng has played very well since taking third at third singles Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament last month.

“What builds confidence from that was that I was able to push through a couple of really tight matches

there,” said Peng. “Being able to deal with those pressure moments gave me the confidence that I could do that again in other matches that matter and other tight moments as well.”

Having played doubles earlier in his PDS career and first singles last year, moving to third singles this spring required Peng to tweak his game.

“It is a different type of player that I see, it was challenging to adjust to it,” said Peng. “They are more consistent and are more steady which is something I wasn’t used to playing last year. Over time, especially at the CVC tournament, I was playing many of those matches so I was able to adjust more.”

In adjusting to his new spot in the lineup, Peng had focused on bringing more variety to the court.

“I am coming into net when I want but also adding some variety, like slices and drop shots,” said Peng. “It’s also knowing when to attack and when to be more patient and stay in the rally. What usually happens to me is throughout the season I

improve because I am getting back in the rhythm of things. From last year, I definitely have a bit more variety in my game especially in the backhand side. I am more steady and more patient with just a little more experience. When things get tight or things don’t work, I don’t panic. I am able to figure things out and stay with it.”

With PDS slated to play at second-seeded Moorestown Friends in a quarterfinal contest on May 27 and the victor advancing to the semis on May 29, Peng believes the Panthers can make a deep run in the tournament.

“I think we have a pretty good shot with this team,” said Peng. “I have been with the program for many years so I have seen the roster change a lot. Our coach (Michael Augsberger) was saying our team this year has depth which we didn’t have last year. I definitely think we have a good shot of going far.”

Peng and classmate Steven Li have been looking to mentor the squad’s younger players this spring.

“There is a lot of potential with the team,” said Peng. “Me and Steven as the captains have just been trying to make sure to lead them as best we can.”

PDS head coach Augsberger credits Peng with making sure to treat his opponents with respect.

“Just the other day at Trenton High he had a similar match to today 6-0, 6-0 and at the end of the match I see him talking with the opponent, teaching and showing him this is something I think you could work on your serve,” said Augsberger. “The kid was absorbing basically everything. Jaylen was very free with the wisdom he has picked up so he is helping others. That kind of sportsmanship is really nice.”

Peng has also imparted that wisdom to his PDS teammates. “Jaylen has been in the program now for four years so he knows the way we do things; he has won big matches at the Prep level,” added Augsberger. “He has sealed championships for us in the past. He has really taken the young guys under his wing, saying this is the way we want to treat our opponents and this is the way we want to play offensive tennis but also not swing for the fences. Everybody kind of comes in as a freshman wanting to do that. Controlled aggression is what you want and Jaylen understands that now and is trying to impart that to the younger guys.”

The PDS second doubles pair of freshman Faizan Mohammad and junior Archie Douglas posted a 6-0, 6-1 win against Wildwood

Catholic as they built on winning the second doubles at the Prep B state tournament earlier in May.

“That was big time, second doubles played the match of their lives to win the Prep B tournament against MKA,” said Augsberger. “That really solidified Mo and Douglas as the second doubles team. The way they played against MKA, they really rose to the occasion and they have carried through into now.”

PDS rose to the occasion collectively last Wednesday as the Panthers won each match in straight sets.

“Everyone else was able to be offensive and really take charge of the matches which was good to see,” said Augsberger. “The closest one was first singles with Bryan Kim Short. against Chris [Papageorgiou]. Chris was able to make Bryan hit some good shots and have to hit some winners and not just rely on Chris to make some mistakes.”

At second singles, sophomore Abhishek Srinivasan continues to make progress.

“Abhishek has showed a lot of growth, he has a lot of grit,” said Augsberger. “He won the only match we won that day against Princeton (a 4-1 loss on May 12). He has been in some real fights for match tiebreaks. A lot of his matches come down to that and so he had to really dig deep, learn about himself and how do I deal with pressure. He is learning from that, having to pay those matches and over again has said a lot about his mettle.”

At first doubles, the pair of juniors Avi Saran and Li

Since [1950] Conte’s has become a Princeton destination; a great old-school bar that also happens to serve some of New Jersey’s best pizza, thin-crusted and bubbly. The restaurant hasn’t changed much since then; even the tables are the same. It’s a simple, no-frills space, but if you visit during peak times, be prepared to wait well over an hour for a table.

have been displaying their mettle as well.

“Now that Steven is healthy, they are meshing well together,” said Augsberger. “Avi is starting to understand when to be aggressive and when not to be, dialing back the first serve and pulling the trigger when he needs to. They have good chemistry together, they both have a lot of energy.”

Looking ahead, Augsberger viewed the quarterfinal match against Moorestown Friends as a key litmus test.

“We played that team here last year and that was the match where Steven was injured, he finished the match but that made it 3-2 for them,” said Augsberger. “We know that we were neck and neck with them. We feel like we are a better team than last year, we are deeper than last year. I think it is going to come down to the singles guys. We think that we are deep at doubles. It is a good one for us because that is what we know from last year.”

No matter how far the Panthers go in the tournament, Peng has enjoyed a good ride with the program.

“I really appreciate the different experiences I have been able to have,” said Peng, who is headed to Georgetown University this fall. “As a freshman and sophomore I was able to play doubles and I was with a lot more experienced guys who I was able to learn from. Now coming on the other side of that being the older one, I have been playing singles. I really appreciate the range of what this has been able to give me.”

—Bill Alden

J-TRAIN: Princeton Day School boys’ tennis player Jaylen Peng hits a forehand in a match earlier this spring. Last Wednesday, senior Peng posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles to help seventh-seeded PDS defeated 10th-seeded Wildwood Catholic 5-0 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA)

tour nament. The Panthers, who improved to 9-5 with the

seeded Moorestown Friends in a

on May 27 with the

the semis on May 29. (Photo

Lee Enjoys Special Senior Day for

Stuart Lacrosse, Scoring 5 Goals to Help Tartans Edge Lawrence 12-11

Allison Lee experienced a roller-coaster ride as she celebrated her Senior Day for the Stuart Country Day School lacrosse team last week.

Before the May 20 contest against visiting Lawrence High, Lee and her fellow seniors, Emily Harlan, Maya Dev, Lola Lopez-Spencer, Elise Hwang, and Annarose Bourgoin, were honored.

“It is kind of crazy that it is already here, I remember my freshman year of lacrosse and it goes very fast,” said senior star midfielder Lee, reflecting on the pregame ceremony. “There are just so many emotions, some sadness but just excitement to play again with all of my friends.”

Fueled by that emotion, Stuart jumped out to a 4-0 lead with Lee scoring one goal in the run. Lawrence, though, outscored the Tartans 10-3 over the next two quarters to seize momentum.

“We started off really well, we had a little bit of a lull,” said Lee.

In the third quarter, Lee hit a roadblock, limping off the field with a leg injury. She was treated by the trainer and got her leg iced, apparently finished for the day.

But with Stuart trailing 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter, a gimpy Lee returned to the contest.

“I was like I have to get back in and finish it out,” said Lee.

Sparked by Lee’s presence, Stuart rallied to pull out a dramatic 12-11 win as fellow senior Harlan scored the winning goal with 3.1 seconds left in regulation.

Lee tallied a goal that knotted the contest at 11-11.

“I just know that they were a man down and I could keep it in the middle of the eight and it would be hard for them to stop it,” said Lee, who ended up with five goals and one assist in the win.

With Stuart having lost 15-12 to Pennington before edging Immaculata 12-11 in its previous two contests, the squad has grown accustomed to tight contests.

“We have definitely had a lot of close games, especially the

last few games,” said Lee. “They have been exciting wins.”

A day later, Lee came through in another exciting win, scoring four goals as the Tartans defeated the Wilberforce School 10-7 to end the spring with a 6-10 record. Lee tallied 81 goals this season to bring her career total to a programrecord 335.

“It is such an honor, especially to it with all of these girls,” said Lee, reflecting on her record-breaking career. “I really could not have done it without them and all of the people who came before me as well. I am just really privileged to play with this team.”

Playing with her younger sister, sophomore standout Lauren, has been a privilege for Lee.

“It has been amazing, it has been so fun,” said Lee. “It is awesome that we have that chemistry together. It is going to be the last time that I get to play with her. We work really well together with each other, we communicate well. I think that translates to the rest of the team.”

Lee will be joining a new team this fall as she has committed to attend Williams College and played for its women’s lacrosse program.

“I was looking at a bunch of NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) schools, they are all amazing programs,” said Lee. “At Williams, when I stepped on campus everyone was so friendly and kind. It was the kindness.”

Stuart head coach Paige Meszaros credited her seniors with stepping up over their time with the program.

“They are the best, three of them that were captains last year, Allison, Emily, and Maya, and then coming back this year, they have helped me out so much,” said Meszaros.

Lee has been a huge help to the program with her production and leadership.

“She is so much fun to watch,” said Meszaros of Lee. “That last goal she scored where she hit the top

off the pipe and down, Missy [Bruvik] and I just looked at each other and we were wow. Her presence on the field makes a big difference. The girls all really look up to her. She is a good role model for them. Her and Lauren both will talk the girls through a lot of things.”

With the Tartans having been outscored 6-1 by Lawrence in the third quarter, there were some things to talk through heading into the final 12 minutes of the contest.

“It was just that we have to pick it up, we become complacent once we are up and the others teams chip away, chip away and come back,” said Meszaros. “We then had to do that. They do a great job with that when we are down. We even do better when we are man down. We are better in the face of adversity.”

Meszaros was excited to see Harlan pick up the winning tally.

“What a picture perfect ending there for a senior to score that goal with seconds to go,” said Meszaros of Harlan, who had two goals and one assists in the victory. “She has been a great help down there too, she is one of our low attackers. She has been great, strong with the ball.”

With Stuart ending the season on a three-game winning streak, Meszaros has seen some great progress down the stretch from her squad.

“I would say our transition coming down and then on defense we have been doing a lot better job riding all the way through,” said Meszaros. “It is also playing in the midfield area; we really struggled with that earlier and teams would just be running by us and there were easy goals. A lot of the girls have played now and this is their second year playing together. They have been getting to learn each other better and who is going where. Our plays are working more. It has really been cool to see the growth as a team and as players.”

A number of players have shown growth down the stretch.

“Najima Tahiri on defense and having Annarose [Bourgoin] back there too and Lola [Lopez-Spencer], she is very athletic,” said Meszaros. “They have done a really wonderful job. Our middies, Abby [Chirik] and Lauren [Lee], are just really great athletes.”

Guiding the Tartans this spring has been a great experience for Meszaros.

“They are great athletes and they are also really great kids,” said Meszaros. “They are really fun to coach.”

Lee, for her part, credits her success to the great support she has received from her teammates.

“Everything I was able to accomplish we were able to accomplish as a team,” said Lee. “It is just such a testament to Stuart itself; the people you see out here and when you walk the halls, everyone is just so genuine and kind. They are just willing to help people out, everyone here wants you to succeed. We have all pushed each other so much and I have just seen so much growth over the years.”

—Bill Alden

Former PDS Athletic Director Williams Pens Book,

Providing a Step-By-Step Guide To Landing an AD Job

Having been a full-time athletic director at independent schools since 2001, Tim Williams has gained a wealth of experience in running sports programs.

Williams, who served as the athletic director at Princeton Day School from 2011-2020, has decided to impart some of that considerable wisdom in connection with the AD interview process.

After making presentations on the subject at some summer conferences, Williams decided to turn his remarks into a book.

“This is one of the subjects that I was talking about,” said Williams, who is currently the AD at the University School of Milwaukee. “From that subject matter, I was thinking this could be a real good book, a how-to manual, that type of thing.

Working on the project over 2023-24, Williams initially self-published the book, The Essential Interview Guide for Independent School Athletic Directors last year. Williams then put his 57-page work on Amazon and it can be purchased there.

The book contains four chapters and two appendices that set forth a step-bystep approach to the process of seeking, obtaining, and then sealing the deal in landing an independent school AD position.

“It is a chronological piece,” said Williams. “It is going from thinking about a job and then going about selecting where you want to go and all the way to the end to hey I just got a job offer, what do I do now.”

In order to get the book completed, Williams made time in his busy schedule.

“It was definitely nights and weekends and a big push over spring break,” said Williams. “That was really helpful. I did a lot of outlining and brainstorming about how it might come together.”

Filling in the outline, Williams relied on his years in the AD field.

“It is really experiential,” said Williams. “I have interviewed for job a Virginia, for a job in Kentucky, the one of Princeton and the one here. Then I have been interviewing people. It really follows a formula whether it is an athletic director or some other type of administrator or teacher when they come in. At independent schools, they bring you in, whether you are from in town or from distance, and you get the full day treatment.”

Noting that interviewing is a skill that can be improved with training and preparation, Williams includes a number of tidbits that can help an applicant ranging from what to say, what not to say, what to wear, and how to improve one’s Zoom game.

“It is really geared to those who are interviewing in particular, whether you are searching for your first job or maybe your third job,” said Williams. “It can be very enlightening because of things that you don’t know or just reminding you of the things that are really important because we are not interviewing every other year hopefully. You may

Williams’

have been interviewing for eight, nine years but you haven’t had an interview. It is different from who you have been interviewing. It is making them as familiar with the process so they feel comfortable with it and be the best version of themselves. They can feel comfortable and really present themselves in the best light.”

Williams has received positive feedback to the book and a 5-star review on Amazon.

“The first groups that have gotten the book really enjoyed it,” said Williams, who is planning to write other books on interviewing for any independent school job and a primer on succeeding as an AD. “They said that is is very practical and that is exactly what I wanted it to be. I wanted it to be a book that you could say, take x, y, or z suggestion and put it right to work in your own personal interview. I have been really happy with that it translates directly to the presentation that I do at my summer conferences.”

“What has really helped me write this book and given me inspiration for the others is all of the people I have had the chance to work with and work

said Williams. “They have really helped me to form what I believe in as far as my philosophy in being

I hope that I can help others get into it but also be more prepared when you start up. It is a

—Bill Alden

FAST FINISH: Stuart Country Day School lacrosse player Allison Lee races upfield in recent action. On May 20, star midfielder and Williams College commit Lee tallied five goals and one assist on the program’s Senior Day to help Stuart edge Lawrence High 12-11. Last Wednesday, Lee scored four goals as the Tartans defeated the Wilberforce School 10-7 to end the season with a 6-10 record. Lee tallied 81 goals this spring to bring her career total to a program-record 335. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Lawrenceville

Boys’ Lacrosse : Ending another banner season on a high note, Lawrenceville defeated the Salisbury School (Conn.) 12-4 in its season finale on May 18. The Big Red finished the spring with a 17-3 record and ranked No. 1 nationally by Inside Lacrosse.

seeded Hightstown on May 27 in a first-round contest.

Softball : Natalie Hester and Mia Abrams-Sartor each scored one run as PHS fell 12-2 to Marlboro last week to wrap up its 2025 season. The defeat in the May 19 contest left the Tigers with 4-13 record.

organization that aids disabled athletes), Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, and the Princeton High Triathlon Club.

YWCA Firecracker 5K

Slated for June 8

The YWCA Princeton Firecracker 5K Run/Walk is slated for June 8 at Veteran’s Park at 2206 Kuser Road in Hamilton.

Same-day registration begins at 7 a.m. with the race starting at 8 a.m.

Baseball : Gavin Ross went 1 for 3 with one RBI for PDS as it fell 2-1 to Pingry last Saturday. The Panthers, now 9-16, are next in action when they start play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public South Jersey Group B tournament where they are seeded seventh and will host 10th-seeded Wildwood Catholic in a first-round contest on May 28.

Girls’ Lacrosse : Sparked by Shelby Ruf, PDS defeated Hamilton West 18-2 last Thursday in its season finale. Senior star and Merrimack College standout Ruf tallied seven goals and two assists in the victory as the Panthers ended the spring with a 9-9 record.

PHS PDS

Baseball : James Schiavone starred as PHS defeated WW/P-North 5-2 last week in its regular season finale. Schiavone pitched a complete game, giving up five hits with three strikeouts, and also chipped in one RBI in the May 19 contest for the Tigers, now 9-11. In upcoming action, PHS will be starting play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey Group 4 tournament where it is seeded 13th and was slated to play at fourth-

Girls’ Lacrosse : Leah Bornstein tallied two goals and one assist in a losing cause as PHS fell 16-4 to Moorestown last Thursday. The Tigers, now 12-9, are next in action when they compete in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament where they are seeded 11th and will play at sixth-seeded Red Bank Regional on May 29 in a first-round contest.

Local Sports

1st-Ever Princeton Triathlon

Scheduled for June 7

The first-ever Princeton Tri athlon is being held on June 7 and will include a super sprint triathlon, super sprint triathlon relay, duathlon, and aquabike which are for all ages 13 and above along with a youth tri athlon event for those ages 7-12.

All events start and finish at the Community Park Pool at 380 Witherspoon Street in Princeton with primary park ing at the Community Park School at 372 Witherspoon Street.

Packet pickup, check-in, and transition opens at 5:30 a.m. on June 7 with warmup opening and pre-race briefing beginning at 6:45 a.m. The tri athlon swim start and duathlon run start are slated to start at 7 a.m.

There will be an awards ceremony starting at approximately 9 a.m. There will be awards for the overall male and female, top three male, and female runners, along with the top male and female runners in 16 different age groups.

For more information on the race and to register online, log onto YWCA Princeton’s Firecracker 5K (runsignup.com).

For race information and to register, log onto runsignup. com/Race/NJ/Princeton/ PrincetonTriathlon.

All participants will receive a shirt upon checking in on race day along with a medal upon finishing.

Beneficiaries of the event are Dare2Tri (a national nonprofit

Obituaries

Robert Edward Biddlecome May 9, 1930 – May 17, 2025 may be heard on more than 30 recordings with the ABQ.

Robert Biddlecome, esteemed bass trombonist, educator, and arts administrator, died on May 17, 2025. He was 95.

Mr. Biddlecome served as principal bass trombonist of the New York City Ballet Orchestra for an extraordinary 47 years, retiring in 2010, after playing his final Nutcracker. His work with the orchestra formed the foundation of a distinguished career that spanned concert halls, recording studios, and classrooms across the country.

During his long career he was selected by Leopold Stokowski as bass trombonist of the American Symphony Orchestra, was bass trombonist and manager of the Aspen Festival Orchestra for 30 years as well as a member of the Aspen Festival administration for more than 20 years. He played a key role in shaping the Festival’s artistic and educational programs and was also an artist-inresidence, contributing to its musical excellence both on stage and behind the scenes. He was bass trombonist of the American Brass Quintet (ABQ) for 28 years and was directly responsible for establishing the bass trombone in chamber music and building that repertory. He

Mr. Biddlecome was president of The American Brass Chamber Music Association, served as a board member of Chamber Music America, and was former president of the American Symphony Orchestra. He also served on the faculties of the Brooklyn College Conservatory, the Mannes School of Music and the Juilliard School. His principal teachers were Simone Mantia and Roger Smith. He was born in Somerville, NJ, and graduated from Somerville High School after which he attended the Juilliard School of Music where he received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Following his studies, he joined The United States Army Band, serving as assistant first trombone and later solo euphonium. Upon returning to New York in 1961, he resumed performing with ensembles such as the Goldman Band and various symphony orchestras. He is survived by three brothers, five sons, one daughter, one stepson, 11 grandchildren, and many great- and great-greatgrandchildren. He will be remembered not only for his exceptional

musicianship but also for his devotion to family, education, and the advancement of brass music.

Family and friends are invited to attend a funeral Mass on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ.

Arrangements are under the direction of MatherHodge Funeral Home, Princeton, NJ.

Valerie A. McKinney

With a beautiful and infectious spirit, Valerie Ann Berger McKinney, was born February 21, 1959 in Lakewood, Ohio, and died in Princeton, New Jersey on May 19, 2025 at the age of 66 of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

An adored wife of 43 years to James “Jim” McKinney; loving mother to Mitchell (Nancy) McKinney and Ellen (Greg) Vandeloo; doting grandmother to Madelyn McKinney, Harper Vandeloo, Maxwell McKinney, and Olivia Vandeloo; devoted sister to Gregory (Phoebe) Berger, Jeff Berger and Nancy Johnson; attentive aunt to Fritz (Elizabeth) Schaub, Rachel Johnson and David (Ginny) Johnson; fond sister-in-law to Susan Laurence, and a steadfast enthusiastic personal friend to all she met.

Valerie’s parents, Wanda G. (Richardson) Talmage and Jack H. Berger, predeceased her.

All who knew her cherished Valerie for her compelling and compassionate personality, which bridged all facets of her life. In work, personal life, civic engagements, and with family and friends, she was generous, curious, offering a dry sense of humor, and a clear sense of direction as a leader. Big hearted but intolerant of bullshit.

She was proud of her lifelong mission of empowering women at every age, a legacy that lives on with all she touched.

neighborhoods where there was a shortage of able-bodied leaders, and a scholarship for young women in need of financial support to go to college upon their having achieved the highest recognition in scouting (the Gold Award).

Of course, scouting was of value in her home life. Valerie bragged that she was the best builder of bonfires on frigid fall nights.

In her professional career Valerie was known for her compassion and love for her peers and subordinates. Most important was her leadership and encouragement of rising women teaching them leadership skills while instilling personal belief in themselves and confidence to be strategic achievers. At her alma mater, Purdue, she created the McKinney Scholarship to provide undergraduate scholarships for female students enrolled in the university’s Integrated Business and Engineering Program.

Valerie graduated from Fairmont East High School in 1977 where she achieved outstanding scholastic accomplishments. She was President of the Student Council, a cheerleader, and actively engaged in numerous extracurricular civic activities. This culminated in her receiving the highly esteemed Rayburn Award for the school’s Senior Student Body Leader of the Year.

Enrolling at Purdue University, Valerie’s heart and soul was her Pi Beta Phi sorority where she became Social Chairman, a role she maintained for her class in the following decades. She served on the Senior Board for the Grand Prix Kart Race as the Ambassador in charge of Purdue Grand Prix campus activities. All while achieving her degree in Industrial Engineering in1981.

Following graduation, Valerie moved to Evansville, IN to work at ALCOA as a Senior Industrial Engineer. In 1994 she became a Senior Industrial Engineer at Bristol-Myers Squibb. She rose to Pharmaceutical Packaging Director, Plant Manager, Operations Director for Distribution, and ultimately moved to BMS offices in New Jersey to become Logistics Lead, and Global Serialization Business Integration Lead.

feathered creatures of all kinds. Truly, she never met a dog she didn’t love. Many pleasant afternoon strolls were interrupted by her necessity to pet every dog on the walking path. Her muchloved pet labradors, Snickers and Emily, will keep her company for eternity.

In lieu of flowers, Valerie requested donations to either McKinney Fund for Girl Scouts – GSSI, 5000 E. Virginia Street, Evansville,

IN 47715 or the ALS Association, 1300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22209.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, May 29, 2025 from 4 until 6 p.m. at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton.

A Celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 30, 2025 at the funeral home.

Continued on Next Page

www.princetonmagazinestore.com

10am at the

Inn Palmer Square

princetonanglican.org

Valerie’s blood was Girl Scout Green from her dedication to scouting and its positive impact on young women. At the age of 23, she started her own Girl Scout troop in an economically challenged part of Evansville, Indiana where she was a leader for 28 years. She became a board member of the Girl Scouts of Southwestern Indiana, serving for 18 years and eventually as President of the Board. She led her young women in camping locally as well as internationally with trips to Mexico, Great Britain, France and Switzerland. In recognition of her service to Girl Scouting, she was awarded the Thanks Badge II, the highest honor given to a Girl Scout volunteer. Valerie created the McKinney Fund to pay for girls to be in scouting, securing troop leadership in

In 2014, after retiring from BMS, Valerie joined the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies, U.S. team to become Director of Supply Chain. Eventually she ascended to the position of Executive Director of Commercial Manufacturing Operations. Reflecting on her career at Otsuka, her heritage was best known for coaching and mentoring others to realize their potential. She had the ability to recognize and cherish each person’s best strengths before they could see it in themselves.

Beyond Valerie’s dedication to her family, she served as President of the Junior League of Evansville, was on the Evansville Board of Public Works, in Princeton and Evansville served on the Leadership Team for the Fund for Women and Girls of the respective community foundations, and engaged in numerous other civic organizations.

Valerie’s big heart was not only a gift to her fellow humans, but also to furry and

Reflections of a Vibrant Past, a book of poetry by Rev. Gregrory S. Smith, and the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood, a brief socio-pictorial history by Adam Welch.

Michael Stone Mathews

Michael Mathews, age 84, died peacefully, with family by his side, on May 17 at Princeton Medical Center from acute respiratory failure. Born in Columbus Ohio, he made Princeton his home for over 50 years.

Michael was known for his quick wit, charming toasts, and adventurous spirit. He scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef, traveled to Borneo to see the orangutans, sailed the Irrawaddy by paddle boat, followed Genghis Khan’s footsteps on the Silk Road, and even taught Paul McCartney’s daughters to waterski in Barbados. He loved gardening, even taming the thorny hedges that lined their home on Elm Road. He loved the outdoors — hiking in the French Alps, paddling on Adirondack lakes, and applying lessons learned early as a Junior Maine Guide. He read voraciously and loved sharing the odd turn of phrase in the Economist with his wife late at night. He graduated with the Class of ’62 from Princeton,

where he was Editor of the Daily Princetonian and recipient of the Detwiler Prize. A graduate of University of Michigan Law School, Class of ’65, where he served as student body president, he began the practice of law at White & Case in New York City. He soon switched to investment banking when he joined Smith Barney in corporate finance. From there, he focused his career on Scandinavia, helping start investment banking and US operations for Swedish and Norwegian banks. In 1992, he became an independent financial consultant, public company director and private equity investor. He welcomed every opportunity to mentor young people both in business and life.

Michael believed cultural exchange to be a crucial cornerstone for peace and acted on his conviction. He served on the executive committee of the American Field Service; as trustee of the American Scandinavian Foundation; director of International Schools Services in Princeton; and member of the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. From 2019 until his death, he was a Trustee of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, also serving as treasurer. He volunteered his time with social clubs where people could build new personal connections: The University Club of New York, where he served for years on the Council and as a Vice President, and Cap and Gown Club of Princeton, where he was on the graduate board for more than 40 years and Chairman for 13 years. He was a member of

Pretty Brook Tennis Club and The Nassau Club, continuously growing his circle and enjoying decades-long friendships.

The most important focus of his life was his marriage to Cecilia in 1967 and the family they created together. He is survived by Cecilia and their children: Brandon (Kristina), Mark (Vickie) and Alexander and five grandchildren whom he adored — Elise, Cate, Nico, Jane, and Max.

A memorial service will be held this fall in Princeton. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that you might consider a contribution to the Princeton Symphony Orchestra or the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake, NY.

Galina Astashkina, a deeply beloved mom, grandmother, wife, and friend, passed away on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell, NJ, after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 72. Galina was born in Moscow, Russia, and immigrated

to the United States with her husband Anatoliy and their son Denis in 1993. Originally a musician in Russia, Galina was incredibly outgoing, loved to be around people, and loved to laugh. In the United States, Galina found her professional calling as a department store sales associate and worked at Lord & Taylor in the Quakerbridge Mall in Lawrenceville, NJ, for 20 years. Impeccable taste for fashion, great eye for detail and color combinations, and warm, caring personality earned Galina a dedicated following of multi-generational clientele at the store.

Galina’s true legacy is her family. First and foremost, she was an incredible mom. She was feminine, gentle, loving, and nurturing as the bedrock of moral support, yet firm and uncompromising when it came to values and work ethic. She pushed us to dream big and reach for the stars. She was incredibly proud when her son Denis was accepted to California Institute of Technology for undergraduate study and even prouder when Denis earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University. Naturally, Galina took every opportunity to weave this into her conversations. When her grandson Alexander was born in 2020, Galina found new happiness and passion as a deeply involved grandmother.

Galina had an incredible thirst for life and laughter. When she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in August 2023, Galina was determined to wrestle every possible day away from the disease, driven by the desire to see her grandson grow up. She fought valiantly, inspiring many, including the medical professionals who treated her. Seeing her grandson turn 5 was one of her biggest rewards.

Gilda Kugler Aronovic

Gilda K. Aronovic grew up in a poor, immigrant Jewish family in New York City on the Lower East Side. Born on May 26th, 1929, a few minutes after her twin sister Hilda, they were the first children of David and Anna Steir Kugler, joined a few years later by sister Frieda and brother Michael. It was a family that expected hard work from every member, yet was also a loving one. David was a chicken butcher, and Anna took care of the home and children. They both worked hard to give their children opportunities in their wonderful, adopted country.

took him in to live in their house and even taught him to paint in his 90s, his works proudly displayed in a few shows in Princeton.

In the 1970s, Gilda took a course and became a real estate agent, joining John T. Henderson and Company, a firm later sold to Sotheby’s. Gilda worked hard and thrived in her job as a real estate agent, becoming the primary breadwinner for her family. She inspired her children as someone who could pivot when necessary and succeed. She worked in real estate into her 80s, walking across town to work when possible, and noticing when places were for sale by owner to secure listings. She also helped Jewish families new to Princeton integrate into the Jewish Community. Sandy passed away in 2016, and Gilda continued to paint and walk all over town into her early 90s.

After COVID and the onset of cognitive decline, which saw her son Asher taking care of her for a couple of years, she needed a more structured place to live and became a resident at Ciel Princeton. The people at Ciel took good care of Gilda, always marveling at her ability to clap, sing, and dance when the music started, until she couldn’t anymore. Gilda passed away on May 21, 2025, five days before her 96 th birthday. It was a well-lived life, and she is survived by her sons, Daniel Aronovic and Asher Yaron, and daughter, Diane Aronovic, as well as her grandchildren: Stephanie Levy, Allison Hason, Margo Netzer, Anna Aronovic, and Sofia Yaron. Finally, too, by her great-grandchildren, Jonathan Levy, Tia Levy, and Atai Hason.

There will be a Memorial Service for Gilda on June 1st at 10 a.m. at the Jewish Center of Princeton, 435 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ.

Galina’s departure left an enormous hole in our hearts. Her bubbly person ality and strong presence were larger than life. Yet, we take comfort in the end to the suffering, and in her reunification with her dearly departed parents, Ivan and Ekaterina.

Galina is survived by her husband Anatoliy, her son Denis, her daughter-in-law Jess, and her grandson Alexander.

Graveside service for Galina was on Monday, May 19, 2025 at Princeton Cemetery.

Growing up, Gilda was an excellent student who loved to read and was very athletic. She did well in school but also had to help with the family poultry business, delivering packages to Brooklyn via the subway. She graduated from Brooklyn College and became a math teacher. Unfortunately, her first placement was at a school in Harlem, and it proved to be a challenging experience. Around the same time, she met Sanford Aronovic, a PhD Analytical Chemist, and they raised a family. After a few moves, they landed in Princeton, NJ. Both Gilda and Sandy

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you. ITS EASIER

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you

pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you. ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal,

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection. We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of monument selection.

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you. ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of

We pride ourselves on being a small, personal, and service oriented family business. With five generations of experience, we are here to help guide you through the difficult process of

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you.

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

MEMORIAL

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you

We encourage you to make an appointment, with no obligation, to discuss the many options available to you

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

ITS EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO MAKE THE PERFECT MEMORIAL

Galina Astashkina

Town Topics CLASSIFIEDS

YARD SALE +

TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIED = GREAT WEEKEND!

Put an ad in the TOWN TOPICS to let everyone know! Call (609) 924-2200 ext. 10; classifieds@towntopics.com

DEADLINE: Tues before 12 noon tf

HOUSECLEANING: Experienced, English-speaking, great references, reliable with own transportation. Weekly & bi-weekly cleaning. Green cleaning available. Call Susan at (732) 873-3168.

07-30

HOME HEALTH AIDE: 25 years of experience. Available mornings to take care of your loved one, transport to appointments, run errands. I am well known in Princeton. Top care, excellent references. The best! Call (609) 356-2951 or (609) 751-1396. tf

LOLIO’S WINDOW WASHING & POWER WASHING: Free estimate. Next day service. Fully insured. Gutter cleaning available. References available upon request. 30 years experience. (609) 271-8860.

tf JOE’S LANDSCAPING INC. OF PRINCETON Property Maintenance and Specialty Jobs Commercial/Residential Over 45 Years of Experience • Fully Insured • Free Consultations Email: joeslandscapingprinceton@ gmail.com Text (only): (609) 356-9201 Office: (609) 216-7936 Princeton References • Green Company HIC #13VH07549500 tf HOME REPAIR

FURNISHED COTTAGE FOR RENT –10 MINS FROM PRINCETON

Charming, freestanding efficiencystyle cottage on a beautiful oneacre+ property just outside Princeton. Features include a queen-size Murphy bed, leather sectional, 70” TV, skylight, kitchenette, and full bath. Enjoy a private deck overlooking a creek.

The property offers patios, a fire pit, and a new outdoor basketball half court.

$2,300/month – all utilities included. Two friendly dogs live on the property – must be pet-friendly. Will consider shorter-term rentals.

Available now. Message John to schedule a viewing! (703) 4023204.

05-28

24/7 LIVE-IN CAREGIVER SEEKING EMPLOYMENT

I was a live-in caregiver for a Princeton-area family for over two years, looking for a new position. Many years of experience working in NY, NJ & CT NY State Dept of Health Certified Home Health Aide Complete references Please contact Natia: (631) 332-8243. 05-28

REPAIRS NEEDED: If you’re able to fix, and hopefully pick up and deliver, tv/vcr combos, please leave message anytime: (609) 683-5456, fab4casper@yahoo.com. 05-28

COMMUNITY YARD SALE:

SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 9 AM - 1 PM

Come find treasures and great deals! 10+ houses participating, featuring: household goods, quality furniture, new and gently used kids’ items, sports equipment, kayaks, and more.

Date: Sunday, June 1st, 9 AM – 1 PM

Location: Southern Way and Western Way, Princeton tf

BUYING: Antiques, paintings, Oriental rugs, coins, clocks, furniture, old toys, military, books, cameras, silver, costume & fine jewelry. Guitars & musical instruments. I buy single items to entire estates. Free appraisals. (609) 306-0613. tf TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIEDS GET TOP RESULTS!

Whether it’s selling furniture, finding a lost pet, or having a garage sale, TOWN TOPICS is the way to go! We deliver to ALL of Princeton as well as surrounding areas. (609) 924-2200 ext. 10; classifieds@towntopics.com

ESTATE LIQUIDATION SERVICE:

I will clean out attics, basements, garages & houses. Single items to entire estates. No job too big or small. In business over 35 years, serving all of Mercer County. Call (609) 306-0613. tf

WE BUY CARS

Belle Mead Garage (908) 359-8131 Ask for Chris

FOR SALE: PELLA FRENCH

DOOR, 48”x82 1/2”. Aluminum-clad. 5/8” insulated glass. Brand new, never installed. $2100. Call (908) 200-1829. 06-11

WHAT’S A GREAT GIFT FOR A FORMER PRINCETONIAN?

A Gift Subscription! Call (609) 924-2200, ext 10 circulation@towntopics.com tf

HOUSECLEANING: Experienced, English-speaking, great with references, reliable with own transportation. Saturday and Sunday only. Call (609) 933-1437. 06-04

YARD SALE +

TOWN TOPICS CLASSIFIED = GREAT WEEKEND!

Put an ad in the TOWN TOPICS to let everyone know! Call (609) 924-2200 ext. 10; classifieds@towntopics.com

DEADLINE: Tues before 12 noon tf

HOUSECLEANING: Experienced, English-speaking, great references, reliable with own transportation. Weekly & bi-weekly cleaning. Green cleaning available. Call Susan at (732) 873-3168.

07-30

HOME HEALTH AIDE: 25 years of experience. Available mornings to take care of your loved one, transport to appointments, run errands. I am well known in Princeton. Top care, excellent references. The best! Call (609) 356-2951 or (609) 751-1396. tf

LOLIO’S WINDOW WASHING & POWER WASHING: Free estimate. Next day service. Fully insured. Gutter cleaning available. References available upon request. 30 years experience. (609) 271-8860. tf

24/7 LIVE-IN CAREGIVER SEEKING EMPLOYMENT

I was a live-in caregiver for a Princeton-area family for over two years, looking for a new position. Many years of experience working in NY, NJ & CT NY State Dept of Health Certified Home Health Aide

Complete references

Please contact Natia: (631) 332-8243. 05-28

REPAIRS NEEDED: If you’re able to fix, and hopefully pick up and deliver, tv/vcr combos, please leave message anytime: (609) 683-5456, fab4casper@yahoo.com. 05-28

COMMUNITY YARD SALE: SUNDAY, JUNE

24/7 PROFESSIONAL NURSES AND AIDES

Personal care, nutrition, social activities, support, respite care & family relief. Live-in and live-out in the greater Princeton and other NJ areas.

Personal Home Care of Hillsborough (609) 216-5000 or (908) 306-0985 tf TK PAINTING: Interior, exterior. Power-washing, wallpaper removal, plaster repair, deck staining. Renovation of kitchen cabinets. Front door & window refinishing. Excellent references. Free estimates. Call (609) 947-3917.

07-30

FURNISHED COTTAGE FOR RENT –10 MINS FROM PRINCETON

Charming, freestanding efficiencystyle cottage on a beautiful oneacre+ property just outside Princeton. Features include a queen-size Murphy bed, leather sectional, 70” TV, skylight, kitchenette, and full bath. Enjoy a private deck overlooking a creek.

The property offers patios, a fire pit, and a new outdoor basketball half court.

$2,300/month – all utilities included. Two friendly dogs live on the property – must be pet-friendly. Will consider shorter-term rentals.

Available now. Message John to schedule a viewing! (703) 4023204. 05-28

Happy Summer!

As we step into the warmth of summer after an unexpectedly chilly Memorial Day weekend, I want to wish each of you a joyful and sunny season ahead! While the cold may have lingered a little longer than we hoped, brighter days are here, and it’s time to embrace everything summer has to offer.

Whether you're planning backyard BBQs, road trips, beach vacations, or simply soaking up the sun in your own backyard, I hope this season brings you happiness, rest, and plenty of celebration.

A big congratulations to all the graduates your hard work has paid off! And cheers to everyone celebrating weddings, new beginnings, and other exciting milestones. May this season mark a beautiful chapter in your lives.

Most importantly stay safe! Keep hydrated, protect your skin, and travel smart. Let’s make this summer one to remember for all the right reasons.

Introducing: 280 Carter Road

Hopewell Township, NJ | $5,850,000 Owen (“Jones”) Toland: 609.731.5953 callawayhenderson.com/id/PR5KGF

Introducing: 563 Cherry Valley Road Montgomery Township, NJ | $2,300,000

Kathryn Baxter: 516.521.7771 callawayhenderson.com/id/WK3QRV

339 Hamilton Avenue Princeton, NJ | $1,195,000

Mark Davies: 215.248.2727 callawayhenderson.com/id/8EGLRW

Introducing: 124 South Main Street

Pennington Borough, NJ | $924,000

Alyce Murray: 609.731.9029 callawayhenderson.com/id/KE3EMF

Introducing: 87 Library Place Princeton, NJ | $5,800,000 Susan L. (“Suzy”) DiMeglio: 609.915.5645 callawayhenderson.com/id/Q4CVXW

Introducing: 173 Christopher Drive Princeton, NJ | $1,975,000

Introducing: 30 Maclean Street Princeton, NJ | $5,400,000 Susan L. (“Suzy”) DiMeglio: 609.915.5645 callawayhenderson.com/id/TJ5HNT

Beth Kearns: 609.847.5173 callawayhenderson.com/id/4PH9B6 Introducing: 25

Introducing: 357 Cold Soil Road Lawrence Township, NJ | $1,100,000 Grant Wagner, David M. Schure: 609.331.0573 callawayhenderson.com/id/FGX585

Introducing: 20 Hillside Avenue Princeton, NJ | $765,000

Barbara Blackwell: 609.915.5000 callawayhenderson.com/id/42LR99