Clifton Merchant Magazine - August 2023

So we start this trip back in the summer of 1999. Back then myself and others parents were concerned with the fact that Clifton did not offer enough social and recreational programs for teens. So we did something about it.

That previous fall, we worked with Debbie Oliver of Clifton Rec and Big Bob Foster of the Boys & Girls Club to create a new program called Clifton Teen Scene.

Clifton’s Board of Education agreed to open Woodrow Wilson Middle School and offer gym, music and snacks on Friday nights. A handful of volunteer adults, as well as the newly formed Clifton Community Police officers, would help keep things running smoothly. One Friday night we even convinced Bob Foster to hold a dance at the B&G Club. But that is a mosh pit story for another column.

Hawrylko

Every morning as I enter my office I see George Telesh in 1957, strutting across Clifton Stadium as a track star. A panel away is Anthony Giordano with his arm on Coach

Ron Anello as they celebrate the 2006 football championship. Our office is a gallery of Mustang milestones, from photos of legendary moments to portraits of the everyday heroes of our hometown. For this month’s magazine, we guide you down Mustang memory lane.

That summer of 1999, school was out and it was a little more difficult to open and staff WWMS so the indoor program was not an option. Recreational soccer leagues were off for the summer. My son Joseph and his classmates had no organized programs for their eighth grade summer.

So a few Clifton Stallions Rec coaches got together and we came up with a competitive mini-league. The only place we could make a pitch was the dusty field behind School 2 on Van Houten Ave. Played on Wednesday nights, the summer soccer league attracted about 50 kids.

Looking back on those days almost 25 years ago, we had a lot of fun. I wanted to add this note in this magazine as all those teens, now adults, and us coaches, now grandparents, are a footnote in Clifton Sports History.

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Ariana Puzzo

Business Mgr.

Irene Kulyk

On a late August evening, when the dusty air was turning twilight, four teams went into the semi final games of the Teen Scene Summer Soccer League and both the games were decided on penalty kicks.

The Championship Game for the Clifton City Cup was being played between the Bulldogs and Burn. While I do not recall who won, I do vividly recall myself and the other coaches and parents turning on our minivans so as to shine lights onto the field.

For the record, here are the names of the 1999 teams, coaches and most players.

Bulldogs Coaches Jerry Vitello and Val Florio. Players: Nicholas Vitello, Raymond Tulling, Dinis Santos, Robert DeGraaff, Richard Peterson, Christopher Florio, Joe Mazzone, Anthony Florio, Nicholas DeGraaff, John Ferrari.

Devils Coaches Chuck Rogers and Wally Lares.

Players: Michael Rogers, William Guirales, Bert Hartmann, Michael Conway, Paul Pomykala, Pablo Zirpolo, Fernando Guevara, David Sierra, Andre Richards, Christopher Lima.

Burn Coaches Pete Perehinec and Steve Crawford.

Players: Adam Nwandu, Danny Feghhi, Andrew Krycki, John Perehinec, Nery Barreda, Steven Poon, Scott Eustace.

Tomahawks Coaches Tom Hawrylko and George

Arana. Players: Samuel Arana, Adrian Torres, Adam Bartlett, Anthony Minervini, Jonathan Donini, Andres Arana, Thomas Hawrylko jr., Joseph Hawrylko, Jesse Hastings, Ryan Hoyt.

Looking back at some of the kids in 1999. Below, other legendary Mustangs across the decades.

that have contributed to Clifton’s sports legacy in a single magazine—in fact, it would take volumes.

The stories and pictures contained within are but a few of the fond athletic memories that Clifton fans share. If your favorite sport, player, coach, or team is not mentioned in this issue, don’t worry— there’s a tremendous vault of sports history still waiting to be rediscovered. Drop us a note, send us a photo and let us know the team, sport, or person you would like to hear about.

Clifton’s big time love affair with sports began before the turn of the century. Operating before Clifton became New Jersey’s 12th city in 1917, the Clifton Racetrack

In 1889, Lonnie Clayton began his professional riding career in Clifton. Three years later, he won the Kentucky Derby and still holds the record as the youngest jockey to ever win the crown. The Clifton Track, above, courtesy of E. A. Smyk; Lonnie Clayton photos from the Keeneland Library Hemment Collection.

brought the sporting crowd into the fledgling town during the 1890s.

Located on the grounds of Main Memorial Park, Clifton Racetrack attracted big crowds and a flood of gamblers and “fast types.” Reformers helped close the track after numerous complaints about the gamblers’ evil ways. Later, an arena for bicycle racing was built on the racetrack grounds.

In 1896-97, Clifton was home to two of base-

Circa 1908: After the court-ordered closing of the Clifton Race Track, the 25-acre property was converted into a velodrome for

ball’s greatest personalities—Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner and Ed Barrow, who would later become general manager of the New York Yankees. Barrow ran Paterson’s Atlantic League club that played at Olympic Park (now the site of Corrado’s market on Main Avenue), and Wagner was the team’s star before beginning his major league career. Olympic Park was built for $4,000 by Garrett A. Hobart and remained in use well into this century.

Harry Doherty and his Silk Sox continued Clifton’s great baseball legacy, and numerous Hall of Famers, including the great Babe Ruth and recent inductee Smokey Joe Williams, performed at the Doherty Oval, also on Main Avenue.

The Silk Sox won over 400 games from 1916-1927 and dominated other white semi-pro teams. They had a 73-61-4 record against Negro League squads—including the Cuban Stars and Lincoln Giants—and played over 30 games against major league competition.

In the 1920s through the 1950s, Clifton was a hotbed for sports with countless athletic clubs, organizations, and sandlot teams in action. Squads like the Wessingtons, who battled football’s New York Giants and Philadelphia Ea-

gles, and later baseball’s Clifton Dodgers competed on area fields.

But the city gained an identity that endures today when Joe Grecco took over as head football coach at Clifton High School in 1945.

Baseball might be America’s National Pastime, but in Clifton, the sport that defines the city is football. In the 1940s through the 1980s, the sport became a driving force in Clifton and a source of tremendous pride for its residents.

Behind Coach Grecco and later Coach Bill Vander Closter, Clifton enjoyed an incredible run of victories and state championships.

Basketball and baseball also have enduring legacies at Clifton High School, much of it made possible by the dedication of Emil Bednarcik, who coached both sports, beginning in the early 1930s. Bednarcik was CHS basketball coach until the early 1970s.

Over the years, other sports like soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, and softball have grown in stature at CHS and football has enjoyed a rebirth so far this century.

Representative of Clifton’s diversity, when the “Fighting Mustangs” are mentioned today, many fans think of

Smokey Joe Williams and Ed Barrow

the boys soccer and the tremendous teams that have delighted crowds over the last few years.

Semi-pro baseball teams may not have the place that they once did in the city. The Clifton Phillies no longer perform at Nash Park, winning more often than not, and attracting

hardball fans like the Silk Sox did years ago. But a legacy remains. And on Clifton playgrounds, basketball courts and indoor gyms, young girls and boys practice shots and moves hoping to earn a spot on the Mustang varsity team.

So now... sit back, relax, read, and play ball!

The Doherty Oval is Clifton’s lost “Field

Dreams.” Located behind the former silk mill at 1550 Main Ave. near the Paterson border, the Doherty Oval was probably the finest diamond in the nation until Yankee Stadium was built in 1923. Major leaguers who played there said it was superior to any big league ballpark field.

Harry Fabian, head groundskeeper of the Polo Grounds, designed the field in 1915, and it was maintained and improved upon under Doherty’s watchful eye throughout the 1920s. By the mid-1920s, it held about 8,500 fans with standing room for more. A game in 1923 against Babe Ruth and the Yankees drew about 15,000 and ended after the Babe’s homer in the late innings caused a near riot.

The Doherty Oval was a field built for the people. All gate receipts from Sunday games pitting the Silk Sox against all comers were given to the Red Cross. Every worker in Doherty’s mill was given a season’s pass to all games. Clifton High was also allowed to use the field freeof-charge for their football and baseball games, as did other schools and organizations.

Doherty operated the Oval until 1928 when his business turned sour and he was forced to sell the Silk Sox. Getty Ave. soon cut through the center and right field portions of the Doherty Oval and a factory now sits where most of the remaining diamond was located.

The photo above shows Henry Doherty and brother Ray addressing the fans at the Doherty Oval before a game between the New York Giants and the Silk Sox on May 20, 1917. The Giants went on to beat the Sox that day, 7-3, before 6,500 people.

of

Bibbs Raymond was a standout player for the Doherty Silk Sox from 1915-1927. He hit the first home run at the Oval and was signed by the Yankees but quit because he was homesick for the fans of Clifton.

Honus Wagner (above) and Babe Ruth.

From left in 1924: Coach Harry Collester, Emil Bodinell, Emil Bednarcik, Ernest De Lorenzo, Nick Perzel, George Young, Joseph Puzio, Louis Cross, Ernest Tomai, Bill Dobbelaar, Phil De Lorenzo, Alfred Moro, George Barna, John Mikulik, Mgr.

A 1975 reunion held at Gene Boyle’s on Passaic Ave. brought out members of the CHS 1924 undefeated baseball squad. They are looking at an old picture of the team held by manager John Mikulik.

In the front as young men in 1975: Ray Smith, Ernest De Lorenzo, Emil Bednarcik, and Emil Bondinell. In the back: Ernie Tomai, Bill Dobbelaar, and Lou Cross.

Dobbelaar (with glasses) might have been the best baseball player Clifton High ever produced. He batted .620 during the 1924 season as the team’s shortstop and ace pitcher.

After high school, Dobbelaar had tryouts with the New York Giants and Yankees, gaining a handshake agreement with the Bronx Bombers to join them after finishing college.

A sore arm ruined Dobbelaar’s career and he never made it to the major leagues. What’s ironic about Dobbelaar’s playing career is that he was never a Clifton resident–he was from Lodi but played for the Mustangs

because his hometown did not have a high school. He also played four games with Clifton’s Doherty Silk Sox as a senior. Dobbelaar later became head baseball coach at CHS.

Clifton’s First Little League All Star Team was named in the summer of 1949. The crew included Alan Foca, Captain Roger Fardin, Barry Lemke, Richard Agnolet, John Servoch, Dennis Jaffe, Frank Macaluso, George Bolton, Carl Carlson, Kenneth Olson, Albert Reisch, Ronald Paranya, Charles Volpe, Donald Obey, Nick Solanko, Clark Genneken and Norman Fray. Coaches: Bill Genneken, Roger Fardin, Al McPartland and Al Foca.

Clifton High School’s 1920 baseball team; unfortunately, names are not known.

This 1912 photo is of the Olympic A.C. team, which played at Lexington and Clifton Ave., where the Calvery Church is now located. Top row from left: Rudy Eckert, Andy Korinda, Mgr. Niveth, George Fanning, Lenny Van Lenten. Middle row from left: Fred Nelson, John Lucinski, John Vanyo, Emil Albreck. Bottom row from left: Ed McDonald, Team Mascot and Bennie Siedler.

In 1952, they won 27 straight games and were known as the Recreation Blues–the School 8 championship team. The group was the winners of the National League Championship, Clifton City Championship and Northern New Jersey Herald News Tournament. Top row are R. Koper, coach; J. German, right field; J. Turow, catcher; G. Hild, first base; M. Marchioni, right Field; R. Fardin, pitcher and second base; R. Liptak, left field; R. Fardin Sr., mgr. Kneeling are D. Beyers, left field; J. Rau, outfield; V. Marchioni, center field; R. Promin, short stop; P. Nesterok, third base.

On August 15-20, 1956, these boys represented our town as the First Clifton Team at the All American Baseball Association Tournament held at Johnstown, Pa. The trip was sponsored by the Board Of Recreation. Team members and officials included R. Pilkington, Sr. coach; R. Pilkington Jr., infielder; R. Fardin, pitcher and infielder; B. Pilkington, bat boy; J. Fayko, infielder; M. Albanese, outfielder; J. Keivet, outfielder; J. Albanese, infielder; J. Bay, pitcher; K. Yurga, outfielder; R. Ungemah, infielder and outfielder; D. Dario, benefactor; J. D’Agostino, commissioner of AAABA; E. Bondinell, director of athletics, B. Patterson, infielder; H. Klehr, outfielder; B. Ricucci, catcher; J. Pascrell, catcher; R. Olson, catcher; J. Ruff, Infield; T. Reiter, pitcher.

The legendary Bob Potts was honored by dedicating the field at Nash Park on April 29, 2012 in his name, a fitting tribute to Clifton’s Mr. Base ball. Until his death in 2007, Potts nurtured many baseball programs and players.

His Phillies and Silk Sox teams played 35 seasons at Nash Park. Bob was most proud that seven players from his Phillies teams made it to the major leagues.

In 1972, Potts’s career with the Phillies almost ended. A change of hours at the Paterson Evening News (where he worked as a pressman) made getting to Nash Park by game time impossible.

In a 2003 story, he recalled: “We had an outstanding centerfielder who told me, ‘Don’t worry, Bob. I’ll take everything until you get here.’ That was Len Coleman, former National League president. He played centerfield for us for nine seasons, and would come to see us whenever he was in town.”

Others include 1975 NL Rookie of the Year John “the Count” Montefusco, the Chicago

Cub’s Willie Prall, and Frank MacCormack, who pitched for Seattle and Detroit. “I’ve had about 90 players signed from my team into pro ball,” Potts added.

Clifton also produced some great native talent. “Pat Grady was one of my greatest players,” Potts said. “We won three straight championships with him in the outfield. Dan Sinisi was another. Years ago, Dennis Cesar was one of my all-time best outfielders. Another of Potts’ favorites is former Clifton High coach Paul Pignatello. He was an employee of Clifton Recreation where he administered sports programs for 17 years before his retirement in August 2003.

Potts touched the lives of thousands of young men. To most he was known as “Mr. Baseball.” His knowledge of the games surpassed most. What he was most well known for were the semi-professional baseball teams that he ran, and originally played for: the Fair Lawn BBCs (1954-1958), the Paterson Phillies (1959-1967), the Clifton Phillies (19681999), and Clifton Silk Sox (2002-2004).

Top of page, a Clifton Phillies team with Bob Potts at inset. From left, some who played for Bob Potts include: Willie Prall, John “The Count” Montefusco, Jim Bouton, Eddie Sanicki, Len Coleman.

Football, Family & Freedom A Great Mustang’s Life & Legacy Is A Story For The Ages

By Jack DeVries

Stop George Telesh!

Montclair coach Clary Anderson pounded those words into his play ers’ heads during the week lead ing up to the game. Each time he drew Xs and Os on the blackboard, a “T” for “Telesh” was drawn inside one of the Os. Stop Clifton’s great senior fullback and the Mustangs were done.

In 1956, the Mounties had done just that. Before 16,400 fans, Montclair pinched the middle of its line and gang-tackled the mighty Telesh, leaving Clifton Stadium with a 19-7 win. The defeat ruined Clifton’s season-the school’s only loss against eight victories.

By November 1957, both schools were again undefeated, but the Mounties had not lost in 37 straight contests—their last defeat coming in 1953. Montclair had beaten Clifton every season since 1947. This year’s game would be played in the not so friendly confines of Montclair’s Woodman Field, before 14,000 fans—a turf war that polarized the cities.

Throughout his young life, Telesh had been an unstoppable force. He had lived through war, poverty, and death. He had been chased, starved, relocated. By the time he was 10, he moved across an ocean to a strange new land, so different from the one he knew.

Nothing had ever slowed him for long. Montclair would not stop him again.

On November 16, 1957, behind a rock-solid defense and lethal offense, the Mustangs pounded the Mounties, 26-0. Telesh was the best player on the field that day, scoring three touchdowns, kicking two extra points, and rushing for 200 yards.

During the game, Clifton fans held up a huge sign proclaiming “Telesh for Mayor.” After the victory, they went wild. CHS fans swarmed the field, ripping down the Montclair goal posts, despite police objections. There were fights in the parking area, and Mustang rooters blasted their horns through the

streets, trumpeting their win. When the team returned to Clifton Stadium, over 2,000 fans greeted them.

Was this the best moment of Telesh’s life? When asked about it that day, he replied, “This is my second greatest thrill. My greatest wish came true Wednesday (before the game) when I was naturalized an American citizen. Too many youngsters don’t realize what a great country this is.”

Fans will always debate who was Clifton’s greatest running back. Stars like Bobby Boettcher, Walt Semon, Ed Sanicki, and Mark Winkler have their supporters. Others point to Jim Jenkins, Paul Fego, Gary Shenton, and Joe Haro.

But no runner went through what George Telesh did just to play for Clifton High.

When he turned five, Telesh and his family were on the run. “I was born on June 11, 1939, in the city of Pinsk, which was then considered part of Poland,” said the late Telesh in November of 1998. “My family and I were ‘White Russians.’ Today, it’s part of a country called Belarus—’Bela’ in Russian meaning ‘white.’”

Telesh’s father was a missionary. He had visited Passaic in 1919, but returned to Pinsk, married, and began rais-

The 1954 Black Hawks School 13 Soccer Team. Telesh is fourth from left rear.

ing his nine children. The elder Telesh wanted to move his family to the U.S., but was prevented by the start of WWII.

German troops advanced through Eastern Europe and occupied Pinsk. But as the war dragged on, the Nazis were forced to retreat as the Russian Army began its march toward Germany.

“With the Bolsheviks coming back in,” Telesh explains, “we made the decision to leave with the Germans and go to Germany. Before WWII, Stalin had executed thousand of White Russians because they’d fought against his communist regime. So we went to Hamburg near the end of 1944.”

The Nazis cared little for refugees. Telesh and his family worked in a labor camp, living in a shanty under the shadow of bombed-out buildings. It was there his father died of pneumonia. The son almost followed. The Nazis refused to feed young George, or any other child under 10, saying they were too small to work. To keep Telesh alive, his mother shared her meager rations until they were liberated. The family spent the next five years in displaced persons camps in Germany. In 1949, the day before Thanksgiving, they finally made it to America, settling in Clifton.

A Desire to Excel

Because he spoke almost no English, Telesh used sports to “cave in the walls” between him and his School 13 classmates.

“In the seventh grade,” he remembers, “I organized a soccer team, called the ‘Black Hawks.’ The fellow who sponsored us was a tugboat captain, and the only jerseys he could get us said ‘Coast Artillery.’”

On the advice of his brother-in-law, he tried out

From left, Coach Vander Closter, Telesh and Coach Grecco.

for Clifton’s freshman football team in 1954, with a dream of earning a college scholarship. Telesh arrived at tryouts in dungarees—and beat all but teammate Larry Kolk in a footrace. Both were picked as running backs.

Telesh credits soccer in aiding his football career. “It helped me tremendously, especially in getting by an opponent. In soccer, you dribbled the ball with your feet; in football, you held it in your hand.

“Football came relatively easy to me,” he continues, “but I wasn’t polished. When I got through the line, I didn’t know which way to go—I didn’t have the grasp of it until the end of my sophomore year. Then I made a couple of breakaway runs and thought, ‘This is the way it’s done.’ Then there was no stopping me.”

Clifton Superstar

After winning the starting fullback job late in 1955, Telesh began establishing his legend. In 1956, he led CHS to an 8-1 mark and the Passaic Valley Conference Championship.

Telesh also took the state’s scoring honors, totaling 155 points, including 37 in a 61-0 rout of Eastside. For the season, the 5’11’’, 170-pound back scored 20 touchdowns and kicked 35 extra points, while also handling Clifton’s punting duties.

“In my freshman and sophomore years,” Telesh remembers. “I’d be nervous as a chicken, but in my junior and senior years, I could fall asleep before the game.”

In 1957, with every opposing defense keyed to stop him, the Mustang co-captain scored 129 points and rushed for an incredible 2,747 yards on 272 carries.

“He would find a hole where none existed,” remembers former CHS star Walt Semon, then Telesh’s backfield coach. “George was so quick getting through the line that sometimes the other kids didn’t realize he was already

gone.” Along with being named All-State, Telesh was a Scholastic, Sporting News, and Teen Magazine All-American selection. During his junior and senior years, he carried the ball 492 times, good for an astounding 4,727 yards.

Off the field, Telesh also excelled. He was president of the student council in his freshman and senior years, class president in his junior year, and maintained an A-B grade average. He thought nothing of helping the band raise funds for a trip to the 1959 Rose Bowl by waxing cars. And, as a senior, Telesh really did get to be Clifton’s “mayor,” serving during Youth Week.

“When you come from having absolutely nothing,” Telesh says of his achievements, “then come here and all these opportunities are available, it was like being in a candy store.”

Telesh also credits his coach, Joe Grecco, for his success. “Coach Grecco was my mentor,” he says. “His football players will tell you he set the tone for our lives. We respected him, he was no-nonsense, and he was fair.” Grecco also made playing the games a joy. “I hated the practices,” Telesh adds. “Coach would run us till we dropped. The games were a snap.”

With his grades and athletic ability, Telesh was one of the most sought-after athletes in the nation, fielding

From left in 1999, Grecco’s Fighting Mustangs, Bob Smith, Coach Bill Vander Closter (who followed Grecco as coach in 1964), Larry Kolk, Bob Gursky, Pete Lehr, Mike Novack, George Telesh and Bob Leciston. In front, that’s Rich Imhoffer and Ernie Niederer. Inscribed with the 1957 win over the Montclair Mounties, the wood was actually taken by Imhoffer’s father from a seat at Montclair’s stadium when the Mustangs whipped the Mounties.

60 scholarship offers. But instead of joining a football power, Telesh chose the Ivy League’s Cornell. He wanted to become a doctor.

At Cornell, Telesh had a successful, yet injury-ridden career. Midway through his junior year, he injured his left knee, ending his season. In the second game of his senior season, after scoring three touchdowns in the opener against Colgate, he injured his right knee, tearing ligaments.

Doctors told him his football career was over. Telesh said he’d be back.

By the end of the season, he was. Telesh led Cornell to two final victories, rushing for 91 yards against Dartmouth, then scoring two touchdowns against Penn in a 31-0 win. After the season, he received the “Pop Warner Trophy” as Cornell’s MVP and was a second team All-Ivy League selection.

After graduating in 1962, Telesh received his M.D. degree in 1967 from Cornell Medical College. He joined the Navy soon after and completed his internship at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Fla.

Telesh then entered the space program, hoping to be an astronaut.

But when budget cuts limited future missions, he left the program and continued his medical career, rising to the rank of captain and medical director of the U.S. Naval Hospital in Orlando, Fla.

Telesh ended up laying roots in Orlando with his wife, Madelyn, and their four children. He served as chief of Orthopaedic Surgery of the Florida Health Care Plans. At the age of 80, he passed away on Oct. 23, 2019.

Clifton Ties A Part Of His Life

“I still keep in touch with my teammates,” Telesh told us at the time. “Pete Lehr lives near Tampa, and we still see each other. Ernie Niederer, who was a man of iron when we played, has come down from Clifton to see me for the last 18 years. Larry Kolk is in Tallahassee, and we see each other once in a while. And Bob Gursky’s in Totowa. I don’t see Dave Bosson or Roger Fardin that much, but they remain friends. And I have other good friends who were not on the team that I still talk to, like Dave Giovacco and Mike Novak.”

Who was the greatest running back in CHS history? The debate goes on. But there is no doubt George Telesh made Clifton proud.

Telesh with varsity sweater on the right next to Coach Greco and teammates.

Clifton has its own former Olympic swimmer in Nadia Stavko.

For nearly 25 years, the Boys & Girls of Clifton’s Aquatics Director has taught thousands of kids the basics of swimming. Born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine — then still a part of the Soviet Union — Stavko has found a way to teach American children while supporting her beloved home country of Ukraine.

“I cannot express how difficult it is hearing about a lot of people dying and the bombings,” said Stavko, 65. “Of some towns not existing anymore.”

Stavko keeps a close eye on the news and last visited her native Dnipropetrovsk in 2016. At the BGCC, she’s learned that Clifton not only cares for its kids, but the city has empathy for those outside their borders.

Following the February 2022 Russian escalation of the war in Ukraine, the Club fundraised with the swim team last December. Stavko said they collected money to send anything the Ukrainian Army needed. They also donated to fund-raiser Lenny Krayzelburg. Born in Odessa (then Soviet Union, now Ukraine), Krayzelburg swam for the U.S. in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. He won a total of four Olympic gold medals.

Stavko said the BGCC has provided “significant help” to four local Ukrainian families. There are also children who have already shown tremendous swimming talent. Two are Daniel Antonyshyn, 11, and Nazar Antonyshyn, 7, whose family is originally from Ukraine.

The siblings attended the National Boys and Girls Swimming Championships in St. Petersburg, Florida from March 31 – April 2. Competing in eight events,

Nazar took first place overall and Daniel placed second overall in their age groups. Clifton took second for the Team Spirit Award. Seeing young Ukrainian swimmers thrive makes the work Stavko does even more worthwhile. “Working in this atmosphere is not only taking, but giving to people who [are in] need,” she said. “The kids are our future.”

Conquering Fears

Based on her first experience in a pool, the last career one might have predicted for Nadia Stavko was that of an Olympic swimmer. “I was really afraid,” said Stavko. “I couldn’t even put my face in the water.”

But since a relative worked at the pool, Stavko could stay and swim with her older sister Luba. Despite her fear, a young coach would not let her quit. Stavko recalled the coach as persistent.

“She said we were lucky girls to have the opportunity to swim,” said Stavko. “Then she heard that I really couldn’t swim and insisted, ‘No. This girl will swim.’” Swim, she did. After conquering her fear, Stavko soon understood that she was fast in the water — faster than the other girls at the pool. Faster than anyone in her hometown. Instruction began and success followed. Stavko became

the women’s backstroke champion of Ukraine. Next, she became a national champion during rigorous competitions throughout the 15-nation bloc of countries, comprising the former USSR.

By age 14, Stavko set the Soviet record in the women’s 100-meter backstroke. By 18, she was competing at the Olympic Games in Montreal.

A native Ukrainian, Nadia Stavko in her youth while she competed for the USSR Olympic Team.

“I absolutely enjoyed my life as a swimmer,” said Stavko. “If I were young, I would do it all over again.”

As a teenager, Stavko trained in facilities throughout the former Soviet Union. She traveled the world — visiting North America, South America, and Europe — and placing in international competitions. Since Stavko was a star athlete, she benefited from the Soviet policy of financially supporting athletes.

The USSR’s investment in Stavko paid off. From 1974 to 1977, she ranked in the Top 10 worldwide in women’s 200-meter backstroke, for which she captured the European Cup in 1976.

All that remained was to win a medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Unfortunately, the chance to win any medal would be denied by forces beyond her control.

Olympic Glory Denied

Television portrays only the pageantry and competition of the Olympic Games. Stavko’s Olympic experience was quite different. While other athletes lived in the Olympic Village, the Soviet team was isolated, often training at offsite pools.

The Soviet government, fearing that athletes may defect, monitored them closely.

“It was a bit crazy,” recalled Stavko. “There were men from the KGB watching us. We couldn’t talk much with other athletes. We couldn’t exchange swimming suits, a common practice to show friendship, or have other athletes visit our rooms.”

The 1976 Games saw the dawn of a new world swim power: the East Germans. Although East Germany had never won a gold medal in women’s swimming, remarkably the East German “wonder girls” placed first in 11 of 13 events. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, their secret was revealed and the suspicions of many were confirmed — the East German swimmers had used steroids to

improve their performance.

“You could just look at the girls and know [it] by how big they were,” said Stavko. “You would hear their voices in the locker room while you were changing, and you would be shocked, thinking that men were in there.”

Stavko had come to the Olympics expecting to win at least one medal. Instead, competing in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, Stavko finished sixth and fourth, respectively. The substance that fueled the East German athletes — some as young as age 10 — was a little blue pill called Oral Turinabol.

Doctors and coaches told the swimmers that the powerful steroid was a vitamin.

“I can remember getting 10 tablets at a time. Thirty a day,” East German swimmer Carola Nitschke said during an ABC-TV’s 20/20 report in October 2000.

Years later, several of the coaches and doctors who administered the drugs were prosecuted. Yet it brought little comfort to the former wonder girls — many of whom suffered from related chronic health problems. Stavko underscored that not all of the athletes from Communist East European countries and the USSR used steroids.

“But yes, every separate country did have their separate little secrets,” admitted Stavko.

More than 40 years later, Stavko still had a strong opinion about the continuing use of steroids and doping among competitive athletes.

“There should be no drugs of any kind in athletics,” said Stavko. “None. The entire basis for competitive sports is winning by merit. I am not concerned about not winning a medal, no. I am concerned why these drugs are still being used. Why the health of young athletes is being destroyed.”

“Here, we teach young people to be honest and fair,” continued Stavko. “Using enhancing drugs is not fair at all. There should be no difference between what they learn as children and what they do as adults.”

Stavko knew that not enough was being done to screen, catch, or punish those who use or push the use of performance enhancing drugs. The advent of new technology is something she thinks should make more of a difference in the screening for drug use.

Stavko also believed that besides stringent monitoring, there needs to be immediate and severe punishment. Serious consequences for using these drugs, such as being banned from the sport, steep fines, legal prosecution, and stripping athletes of medals and honors.

New Life

By 1979, Stavko realized her time as a world class swimmer was coming to an end. After seven years at the top, her times were no longer improving. Rather than see younger athletes overtake her, she retired.

“Mentally, I couldn’t handle being second,” said Stavko.

In 1989, she was married to husband, Ben, and had a young son, Alexander, now 43. At Ben’s urging, she made the bold decision to leave Ukraine for the United States. The family arrived in 1991, settling in Andover Township, where Catholic Services found them a small apartment.

Stavko remembered that the first year in her new country was difficult. Five days after arriving, she did find work in a nursing home. Yet living isolated in a rural area and unable to speak English, she thought often about returning to Ukraine.

Alternatively, with the Soviet Union collapsing, the future of her homeland was uncertain. “Our beginning was very difficult,” said Stavko. “Like it was for many. But what impressed me most, and I still remember today, is the kindness. Americans were, and I believe still are, kind.”

“Neighbors, perfect strangers, when they learned we had no furniture, not even a decent pot, began to bring us a table, some chairs, [and] a cooked meal,” she continued. “Catholic Services helped us, but also a neighbor told us about their church, invited us to come, and they helped. We were very moved by the generosity of strangers.”

Through the American Red Cross, Stavko met Betty Opalka of the YM & YWHA in Clifton. Opalka helped Stavko take the required courses needed to get back into swimming, despite a language barrier, and her life began to improve.

After a year at the former YM & YWHA, Stavko got a job as a swimming instructor at the Boys & Girls Club of Union, where she worked for seven years before coming to Clifton in 1999.

Today, Stavko supervises the programs around the competition-size pool in the Nicholas Martini Aquatic Center. Their swimmer numbers remained high in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We were not able to work from March 13 and reopened in June as a swim program,” she said. “The only difference was that it was more difficult. Parents were not allowed in the building, and we needed to collect children outside. There were a lot of procedures.”

Club programs through the years included Learn-toSwim, Mom-n-Tot classes, water exercise, adult lap swim, open swims for youth and family, and the competitive swim team, the Seahawks.

Stavko came to Clifton with the opening of the Club’s new building and the completion of the new pool and aquatics center. She recalled a favorite memory from those early years spent with the Seahawks.

The team was invited to compete in the national Boys & Girls Club swim meet in Sarasota, Fla. — a first for Clifton.

“We received the invitation,” said Stavko, “one month before the actual meet. To go, we needed $13,000. I told the parents there was no way this could be done. They told me, ‘You don’t know Clifton parents.’”

“So I said, ‘OK’. But honestly, I didn’t really believe that the money could be raised,” she said. “They did it. I understood quickly that the community in Clifton cares for kids.”

Today at her home with son Alex who’s holding Nicolas, his wife Ksenia, their daughter Ana, and Nadia with grandchild Alex Jr.

SPORTS HISTORY

Emily Urciuoli

By the time she had fin ished her athletic career at Clifton High School, Emily Urciuoli had arguably become one of the top 10 most decorated athletes in the his tory of Mustang sports. She was truly a model studentathlete—self-motivated, tal ented and dedicated to perform ing well in both the classroom and the pit. Ironically, it was all due to what Ur ciuoli referred to as a “lucky accident.”

A gymnast for 12 years, Urciuoli de veloped an interest in track and field following a conversation between her father, former Clifton Board of Education commissioner Mike, and then-Clifton girls track coach Andy Piotrowski.

The latter had learned about Urci uoli’s athletic background, and sug gested to Mike that she might enjoy his summer pole vault camp during the summer before her freshman year. The rest, as they say, is history.

“Coach Piotrowski always said that gymnasts and soccer players made great pole vaulters,” Urciuoli recalled. “I had a productive summer, but needed quite a bit of work. Luckily, I liked it enough to join the indoor track team after [my freshman] gymnastics season ended.

My parents wanted me to participate in a sport every season, and my brother was a member of the track team, so I happily obliged. After a few weeks, I fell in love with the sport and quit gymnastics.”

The change seemed to work out for her, as, by the time she finished her career in indoor and spring track, she had broken records and accomplished more than any girls track athlete before her. For her many achievements in Mustang maroon, she was honored with another in October of 2015—a spot as an inductee in the Clifton High School 2015 Athletic Hall of Fame.

As a junior in the spring of 2009, she added that perhaps the greatest feather in her cap was winning an individual state title and a gold medal at the state Meet of Champions. She set a MOC record of 12-6. As a senior, she came close to repeating, ultimately taking second.

She earned a silver in the pole vault during the winter season as a 12th-grader, as well. The Star-Ledger named her a First Team All-State vaulter twice and she also won the Passaic County Coaches’ Association’s Athlete of the Year award in 2010.

Overall, Urciuoli earned nine placements on the All-Passaic County First Team (seven for indoor and spring track, one for girls volleyball, one for gymnastics).

After graduating from Clifton, she competed at Yale University, never missing a meet and graduating with a double major in psychology and eco-

She now works for Morgan Stanley as their People Analytics vice president. Even with all of her successes away from the land of the Mustangs, Urciuoli has credited her hometown with preparing her for any challenge she may face in her life—which made her induction into the Hall of Fame even more satisfying.

“Growing up in Clifton was the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” she said. “It was just luck of the draw, so I feel lucky. It made me into the person that I am today. I learned more in my time in Clifton than I did in college. When you grow up in a town like Clifton, you have a good idea of what the world is like—from a diversity perspective, as well as from the things you learn in the classes. The support I received from CHS was wonderful, too. It is a place where teachers and administrators really, truly care.”

The 1998 Lady Mustangs captured the program’s second straight Group 4 State championship with yet another unblemished 31-0 record. Back row, from left, Tamara Tinijero, Kim Anzaldi, Danielle Brill, Candice D’Andrea, Jamie Anzaldi, Jen Carlo, Amanda Bongiorno, Bobbi-Jo Gonnello and Megan Doci. Front row, from left, Kim Alongi, Ashley Gonnello, Erin Burke, Lara Foster, Vickie Benitez and Jackie Barnes. Lying down in front is Laura Tynio.

1989: The original Charmers Softball Team included players from Clifton Central and Clifton Western Little League. At left from the first row are: Danielle Fischer, Randi Meyers, Wendy Paulicek, Tracey McDonald, Cara Kling, Dana Jeannetti, Lori Costanza, Sharon Wilkos and Dawn Finer. At left from the second row are Dawn Smith, Vivian Kwasnik, Jodi Lampman, Kelly Felton, Yvonne Mendyk and Jen Lampman.

1923: Clifton High School Girls Basketball Team. While the order is uncertain, from left are Jo (Macaluso) Ognibene, Frieda (Hilbert) Hamer, Mabel (Harbison) Fischer, Harriet (Harbison) Richardson Jr., Hope (McCullough) George Newbold, E. Shirley (Busch), C. Mezzanette (Moroni), Lee Adams, Mgr.; G. Burt, M. Hannah, Coach Sally (Musson) Stackpole.

Photo Kathy Burke.

SPORTS HISTORY

Keiko Tokuda, CHS 1998, Tennis

Tokuda had an unprecedented four straight NJSIAA singles titles, an undefeated 86-0 record and a long-lasting imprint on Mustang athletics. She ranked 10th in the USA for girls U-18, 650th in the world, and played the junior circuit U.S. Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.

With a scholarship to Stanford University, Tokuda played four years of tennis. She was a two-year captain, leading the team to three championships and earning All-American distinction. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations, focusing on political science and economics, and minored in psychology. Tokuda went on to play a year in the Pro Tour, reaching as high as the 400s in singles and 300s in doubles.

Nicole ‘Nikki’ Krzysik, CHS 2005, Soccer

Heavily recruited, the Cliftonite shunned soccer powerhouse IHA for Mustang Maroon, and became a star midfielder/defend er at CHS.

At age 13 she was accepted into the U.S. Olympic Develop ment Program, a process that requires a series of tryouts and selection for participation on regional teams and training camps. Krzysik was chosen to attend the under-14 National Develop ment Camp in California, her first exposure to youth soccer at its highest level.

As a Mustang, Krzysik helped lead her team to league and county titles as well as the state tournament final game in her freshman year.

In addition to CHS, Krzysik played summers with the under-16 and later the under-19 U.S. na tional teams. The summer before her senior year at CHS, she traveled with the under-19 national team to China. Later that fall, she went with the team to Thailand for the under-19 World Championship games, where the U.S. advanced to the semifinals before losing to Germany.

As a four-year honor student at CHS, Krzysik was also a member of the CHS spring track team on which she excelled in the 800-meter event.

Picked as a Parade magazine High School All-American, Krzysik went on to shine on the soccer field for the University of Virginia on a full athletic scholarship. She was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s First Team All-American and was selected as a semifinalist for the pres tigious Herman Trophy, an award considered to be the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer.

Were you on the edge of your seat during the 2006–2007 Mustang sports season? You weren’t alone.

One game that kept everyone on their toes saw Clifton down 14-17 against the public school powerhouse Ridgewood on a cold, rainy October night.

It was the decisive game in an amazing season for the Fighting Mustangs. Who can forget how senior Mustang quarterback Anthony Giordano (CHS 2007) asked Clifton coach Ron Anello to call a QB keeper, rather than go for the tie?

That instinct, and a collective team effort, paid off with the Mustangs finishing 20-17 and a highly memorable game.

Is it really a surprise that Giordano now coaches the same team that remains a force to be reckoned with nearly two decades later?

Finally, this generation has a state championship to brag about, cherish and remember.

Like so many decades ago, the Fighting Mustangs of Clifton High School are the undisputed kings of football—Group IV State Champions—beating Paterson Eastside, 26-0. On December 2, Coach Ron Anello and his players gave the city a memory it would treasure forever as cavernous Giants Stadium became “East Clifton.” From the opening staccato beat of the drums as the Marching Mustang Band paraded into the stadium to the final seconds when the field and stands exploded with Clifton pride, this night belonged to us.

The newspapers claim 8,000 Clifton people were inside. Don’t believe it… it felt as if the entire city was there. The fans came—from every section of town, representing every age group—to see their Mustangs. Clifton rooters filled almost a third of the lower bowl of Giants Stadium, spilling upward to the lower concourse, happy to be one large mass of Maroon and Gray pride. And what a game they witnessed! As the band played “Ghostbusters” in the stands, the Mustangs dominated Eastside, a team that had beaten Clifton earlier this season. Our boys neutralized Eastside’s running game and then stole the Ghosts’passing attack, making each replay shown on the huge stadium monitors a “must see” event.

The many Mustangs—the football players, the band, the cheerleaders and the student fans (some with their faces and other body parts painted maroon, gray and white)—made us proud.

And now it’s our turn to do the same. We need to Vote “Yes” on the December 12 School Bond Referendum. Are politics part of football? Usually not, but like the recent game at Giants

Lady Mustangs Champions

The Lady Mustangs softball team is back where it belongs. For the eighth time since 1990, Clifton is heading to the Group 4 State Championship Game in Toms River.

Led by second year head coach Cara Boseski, Clifton has rolled past its competition this year to a 29-3 record and a North 1, Group 4 sectional crown.

The team’s latest victim was North 2 champ North Hunterdon (22-7) whom the ‘Stangs beat 2-0 in the Group 4 semifinal at Whippany Park High School on Tuesday.

With the win, Clifton advances to the Group 4 title game against Toms River East (31-1) at 11 am on Saturday. A win there would clinch the program’s fourth state championship. The previous three came in 1993, 1997 and 1998.

Coach Boseski was a senior on the ‘97 team that won it all. She said winning has a completely different feeling when you’re the coach. “It’s not about wanting it for me anymore,” she said. “I’ve never been more proud of a team.”

The Lady Mustangs are led on the field by star pitcher Deanna Giordano. She is 28-3 with 283 strikeouts and an earned run average south of 0.70. “Without her, we wouldn’t be where we are this year,” said Boseski.

Cliftonites will always remember the CHS Class of 2007 for their gritty football team that captured a North 1, Group 4 State Championship by silencing the Paterson Eastside Ghosts at Giants Stadium, 26-0.

Yet they weren’t the only ones who defined a 2006–2007 championship year. In June 2007, Jessica Torres told Clifton Merchant that her greatest achievement was “being part of the track teams that were able to win the League Championship for nine seasons in a row.”

Clifton rode a particular high when the triumphant Mustang Softball team on June 9 picked up its fourth Group 4 State Championship. There was also plenty of excitement to go around when the boys and girls cross country team, and boys volleyball and golf teams, secured league titles.

We didn’t forget about Girls Winter Track or boys and girls Bowling teams — they were crowned both league and county champs! In The City of Champions, it was certainly a great season to be a Mustang.

The Clifton Mustangs won the boys soccer state championship on Nov. 17, 2019 and Coach Stan Lembryk couldn’t be prouder.

“It’s been amazing,” said Lembryk, smiling days after the win. “It’s a major reflection on the great kids we have here. We have a great town and this is one example of it.”

The undefeated Mustangs beat Hunterdon Central in the Group IV final on penalty kicks, 5-4, after two scoreless overtimes. CHS finished 21-01, the Star-Ledger’s No. 1 team in the state.

Played at Kean University, Lembryk described in 2019 the game’s final moments:

Story by Jack DeVries

Photos by Steve Cohen

“It kind of slowed down, it was very calm. And then [goalkeeper] Eryk [Dymora] made the save of the season. But we’re still down, 3-2. I felt [late CHS Coach Fernando] Rossi looking down, the people in the stands there—it all came down to that moment.

“One of the things we said to the boys is we’ve been through every situation this year; we have worked so hard to go over every single detail. We did not leave anything unturned. We reminded everybody of that.

“And then we said who wants it? Because at that point you can’t tell a kid to take it because he’s your best player. The best player doesn’t necessarily mean he’s your best penalty kicker. And we left it up to them. Five of those guys raised their hand up and said, ‘We got it, we want it.’

“Eryk said, ‘I’m taking the shot.’ I didn’t move. I stood still for the entire sequence of shots just looking. And then Eryk takes the PK and drills it in, and we’re 3-3.

“Next, they shoot and they score. Our turn. You can pick anybody to shoot. At that point, I don’t even know how Eryk stepped up. He said, ‘I got it.’ He had just taken the last kick to tie it. And then he drilled his next one into the opposite corner.

“Now it’s tied again, 4-4. The Hunterdon Central kid comes up, Eryk walks over to the ball and just looked at the kid… and walks back to in front of the goal. He takes his shot and Eryk saves it. The place is going nuts. Eryk saved two penalties and scored two penalties. Then our next shooter, our seventh shooter comes up.

“Again, I’m not even near the players because they’re in the center of the field. Jason Suarez, a junior captain like Eryk, steps up. He drills the game winner!

“I just looked around for what seemed like a long time, but probably it was just 10 seconds. Then the boys ran into the stands.”

Enduring Legacy

The story of Clifton soccer is one of resilience. It begins in 1962 when teacher and future coach, Severin Palydowycz, proposed forming a soccer team to CHS administrators. They laughed. Clifton was a football town.

But Palydowycz would not take no for an answer. They permitted him to form an intermural program in 1963 and a boys varsity team the next year. By 1967, the Mustangs were state champs. Palydowycz went 93-14 in nine seasons, followed by Rossi, who coached from 1978 to 2001 and led Clifton to a 353-95-51 mark.

Rossi, who died on Feb. 23, 2010, remains a guiding force in the program. “He was not just a coach; he was our friend,” said Lembryk. “We would go over his house for dinner, and we would watch and talk soccer. He made it more than just a program.” Rossi’s son Giuseppe, an international player, worked with the Mustangs in 2019 and the team would FaceTime with him after he returned to Spain. “On the sidelines,” Lembryk said, “he was so into the games. When we missed a goal, you’d see him lying on the ground. He had so much passion.”

Lembryk, who followed Coach Joe Vespignani (who took over for Rossi), believes his old coach is always with

“I still use his desk,” the coach said. “On the desk is a bumper sticker that says ‘America – A beautiful Italian name.’ I left it as is. I was so happy when I came back that his things were all still there.”

“I’m first-generation American,” said Lembryk, “and he was straight from Italy.

He used to tell us to use the game. We get ourselves into college, we become professionals, and we become good people. I’ve held that close to me. No one in my family went to college, so he helped me with that. We all owe a lot to him.”

Rossi also knew soccer was a great sport for Clifton’s diverse population. New students are often asked if they play soccer.

“And you see the faces brighten up a little bit,” said Lembryk. “They think, ‘I do that, I can be part of that.’ Our team has a diverse background with players from South America, Central America, Europe and the Middle East. It brings us all together and

says we’re coming with the whole band.

“When the team heard the band, they could have run through the stadium. They didn’t stop. When the band played, it was let’s go! And then we won—the band was playing and kids were running up in the stands. That’s what that high school experience should be about.”

However, Lembryk knows preparing for that memorable high school experience begins much earlier.

“We would never be as successful if it wasn’t for our feeder programs,” he said. “We are blessed. The Clifton Stallions are a massive program. There aren’t many communities that can say that they have a recreation program with over 1,000 kids in it— twice a year, spring and fall.

“And then you tie in the Boys and Girls Club with its indoor soccer league. I played in their indoor soccer league, 40-something years ago. We started with two big cones in the gymnasium. Now it’s massive.

“High school soccer is the end result but it would never happen without the amount of support we have.” Guiding young players, Lembryk said, are many dedicated adults who volunteer their time.

Lembryk, who starred for the Mustangs in 1983-86, who went on to play for Loyola University and in the professional ranks believes the 2019 championship means much to his homwtown.

“For example,” said Lembryk, “the Robotics Club was waiting for us and we walked through them as we were getting on the bus. They gave us a mechanical Mustang we kept on the sideline. Those little things were amazing.”

Lembryk talks of the police escort to the final game, Mustang football players in the stands, and the Marching Mustangs making an appearance at the county finals.

“They’re busy, too,” said Lembryk, “it’s their season. But when we were in the county finals, Brian [Stepneski] looked at his schedule and said we’re free. And then he

“There’s people like Bobby Cardillo who runs the Stallions, Frank Pajuelo, Bob Foster, Cindy Winkler, Tommy DiDonna, Maurice Marsilla, Anna Marie Natale and so, so many others.” He also appreciates the parents, booster club and fans, including a section of veteran Mustangs rooters dubbed, “The Jury,” for their never-ending support.

“They come to every game, enjoying their retirement with the boys,” he said. “We lost a bunch of guys on The Jury, my dad being one of them. But a bunch are still there—Kenny Kurnath, Bob D’Arco, Bob Murphy, Rich Ashton—they still come.”

The coach recognizes his staff. “Five of them played for Clifton—Marlon Flores. Joe Borrajo, Danny Obrycki, Matt Ahumada and Michael Algieri. Frank Pajuelo does do much for youth soccer and Shirah Wittwer is great. I couldn’t do it without them—my staff has been tremendous.”

SPORTS HISTORY

But in the end, Lembryk knows it’s his players—his state champion Mustangs— who deserve accolades.

“Their resilience came through time and time again,” he said, “along with their attention to detail and discipline. Way before the season, they said, ‘Coach, we’re gonna do this.’”

The Mustangs character manifested itself in off-season workouts, attended by 40-50 players throughout the year. It showed in the weight training program, led by Coach John Silva. And it was demonstrated in off-season play, both outdoor and indoor. “They were there for everything,” Lembryk said. “The dedication was there. The desire was there. It’s remarkable to see young people come together and put their mind to something.

“They can do anything when they do.”

Before the shootout at the 2019 Group IV Finals and coaches Severin Palydowycz, Fernando Rossi and Stas Lembryk.

In the fall of 1994, the Clifton Mustangs, under the tutelage of Coach Fernando Rossi, were rolling over everyone. Their season record was 23-0-1 and when they won the NJ Championship game with a punishing score of 3–0 over the favored Kearny High team, it capped another great season and became a history–making moment.

Ranked third in the nation by the Associated Press and Parade Magazine, they were also All–League and All–Passaic County, All–Area, All–State (Coaches Association), All–East, All–America and All–State by the Star Ledger. The team included Dave Ricca, John Babula, Albert Piotrowski, Tim O’Conner, Mike Tynio, Stan Bednarz, Luis Aboal, Macuj Bodyziak, Peter Miskov, Jowell Amores, Alex Shuster, Mike Husni, Wojtek Krakowlak, Chris Halupka, William Diaz, Hector Luis and Mike Stepien.

By Tom Szieber

Giuseppe Rossi knows the time is right. The Clifton-born international soccer star was intent on concluding his playing career with his head held high, and on July 22, he did just that. That was the day Rossi announced his retirement as an active player, at peace and ready to pass his immense knowledge of the game on to a new generation of budding talents.

“I just think it’s the right time to do so and concentrate more on my family,” Rossi said in the aftermath. “It’s been 19 years playing professionally, 24 years away from home.”

Indeed, it has been a long and storied road for Rossi, who attended School 3 and Christopher Columbus Middle School.

Then at age 12, moving with his dad Fernando from Clifton to Italy, he played for the youth team of Parma Calcio 1913. Five years later, Rossi was acquired by Manchester United of the English Premier League.

In 2007, he was sold to Villareal of La Liga (Spain), where he would remain for nearly six years. His tenure with Villareal peaked when he scored 32 goals during the 2010-11 season.

Over the ensuing two seasons, he suffered two ACL injuries, causing him to miss significant time. Although he would end his Villareal tenure as the club’s then-all-time leading scorer, his body was showing signs of wear and tear.

At age 17, Giuseppe Rossi signed with Manchester United. He is pictured with his dad Fernando, mom

Cleo and sister Tina.

“I have had eight surgeries on my knees,” Rossi said. “It takes a toll on you as an athlete.”

After a move to Fiorentina (Italy) in 2013, he dealt with meniscus and MCL injuries. He bounced around for the next several years, having short stint with Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. He finished his career with S.P.A.L. (Italy) earlier this year.

“The reason I came back [to play for S.P.A.L.] was because I didn’t want to leave the game because of injuries,” Rossi said. “I wanted to go out on my own terms.”

In international play, Rossi’s most enduring moment may have been during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, when he scored two goals for Italy against the United States to spearhead a 3-1 Italian victory.

Now, his focus has shifted to sharing his love and knowledge of the game and making a difference in the lives of young players— much like his father, legendary Clifton boys soccer coach Fernando Rossi—did.

He will do it, most notably, via the Giuseppe Rossi Academy, his newly founded training organization. Its first camp for 14- to 16-year oldswill be at CHS Aug. 14-18.

“Not playing anymore, I thought about starting this academy and giving back to kids around the area,” Rossi said. “I think it’s important to give those who are serious about this sport a chance to excel, learn and play the game the right way.”

Rossi has maintained, and will continue to maintain, a strong relationship with current Clifton head coach Stan Lembryk.

Rossi speaks of his connection to the Mustangs not just because he is a Clifton native, but because both of his parents taught at CHS.

The Mustangs embrace any chance they get to absorb Rossi’s expertise. Although the program is already known for its toughness, it can and will certainly benefit from interacting with a man of uncanny moxie.

“I would probably say, one thing I would like for people to see is [my] resiliency,” said Rossi. “There were moments where I was at the top of my game and considered one of the best players out there, but dealt with major injuries. I was still able to see the dream and believe it. Anything I can give back, especially from a soccer standpoint, it’s an honor to do so. I would give anything to the program to help it to excel.”

From Palmer To Cinque

While Clifton’s football legacy has been one of state championships and packed stadiums, it’s also been one of rocky fields, political bickering, and disappointment. Twenty coaches have lived through those seasons, all leaving their mark on Clifton’s football history. On these pages are the photos of those coaches who have guided generations of young men on the gridiron...

Below are the names and dates of service of two Clifton Football coaches that pictures are not available for: Clifford S. Hurlburt (1922-1923) and Steve Holster (1925)

Carlton Palmer (1921)

Joe Grecco (1945-1963)

Harry Steinmark (1924)

Bill Vander Closter (1964-1979)

Art Donnelly 1926-1934

John Lischak (1980-1981)

Al Lesko (1935-1940)

Jack Jones (1982-1984)

Vic Dragon (1941-1944)

Dennis Heck (1985-1987)

Alex Kaplanovich (1988-1989)

Ron Anello (2004-2010)

John Iannucci (1990-1992)

Steve Covello (2011-2014)

James Kelly (1993-1997)

Ralph Cinque (2015-Present)

James D. Hill (1998) Chet Parlavecchio (1999-2003)

By Ariana Puzzo & Madison Molner

When Lakeview’s Garden Palace closed amidst the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020 and never reopened at full capacity, it sealed the fate of a decadeslong recreational tradition in our city. In the not-so-distant past, Clifton was home to a number of bowling centers, boasting nearly 150 lanes.

Families, workers, and friends would meet at bowling alleys, after work or on the weekend, to pass the time or compete in a league. Kids met there for birthday parties or for end-of-the-school-year celebrations. However, things changed over the decades and it’s why, on the follow-

ing pages, we look back at the history of bowling in our hometown.

Bowlero offered ’round the clock bowling on 50 lanes, with parking for 1,000 cars. Calling it the ‘Bowling Showplace of America’, an expansive colorful brochure offered directions from NYC to the intersection of Routes 3 and 46 when Bowlero opened in Clifton in 1953.

‘Gleaming polished lanes, inviting approaches, comfortable bowlers’ benches, softly padded spectator seats and carpeted promenade — all in a spick and span motif—greet the bowler and fan alike at New Jersey’s fabulous Bowlero.’

tomatic Pinspotters — as opposed to pinboys manually setting the spares. Intimate booth sections surrounded a two-level cocktail lounge (above) with a rotating center island, where Eddie Waine performed at the Hammond Organ.

Bowlero’s pro shop was run by Angelo (whose last name we could not find), a man with a mountain of patience, recalled Karen Molner who participated in the Saturday morning girls’ league in her youth. “He would venture out from drilling holes in balls to provide bowling tips to those kids who showed some promise.”

“Years later, after Bowlero closed, I bowled in a company-sponsored summer league at Parkway Lanes,” continued Molner in 2015. “Angelo was still sharing approach and release tips to the grown-up bowlers — I can still hear his enthusiastic voice and picture his bespectacled face and toothy smile.”

For reasons unknown, Bowlero closed in the mid-1970s. After a renovation, the intersection of Routes 3 and 46 became the location of Fette Ford, Kia, and Infiniti since 1977, a Clifton destination in the automotive world that has undergone its own upgrades through the decades.

First Family of Bowling

The Pezzanos have long been Bowling’s first family in Clifton. The clan was headed up by Chuck Pezzano Sr., a member of both the Professional Bowlers Association and American Bowling Congress Halls of Fame, two of the highest honors the sport can bestow.

Pezzano was the first national collegiate bowler to bowl an 800 series while a student at Rutgers University in Newark. He captained some of the most successful teams in New Jersey history and was one of the 33 pioneers to form the Professional Bowlers Association in 1958.

A sportswriter who specialized in bowling, Pezzano wrote for more than 50 publications around the world and 12 books on the sport. He took part in more than 1,000 network TV bowling shows and served as the president of the New York, National and World Bowling Writers Associations. His bowling skills and contributions to the sport earned the 40–plus years Clifton resident election to 17 Halls of Fame.

Sons Chuck Jr., Craig, and twins Curt and Clay carried on their father’s tradition. All were varsity bowlers at Clifton High School. While at CHS, their teams won league, county, and state championships. Clay posted the highest average ever for a high-school bowler at that time, 205 in 1980. Meanwhile, Curt rolled a 299 single game. Curt was named all–county four times and Clay, three.

They were also named high school athletes of the year

by the North Jersey Old Timers.

Chuck Jr. went on to star at Pace University, Curt at the University of Miami, and Clay at William Paterson University.

For 46 years, Chuck Jr. conducted weekly tournaments in the Northeast for the Junior Bowlers Tour until July, 2021. The tournament group gave young bowlers a chance to win scholarships. Craig operated the bowling pro shop at Van Houten Lanes, which closed in May of 2015. Curt was the general manager of a bowling center in Delaware, while Clay was an outstanding pro until sidelined by back surgery.

The Pezzanos are in the bowling record book as a family, the first father and four sons to all have rolled a sanctioned 300 game.

The tradition continued with Amanda Pezzano, daughter of Chuck Jr., who made the all-county bowling team as a freshman at Hawthorne High School.

When Bowlero (now Fette Ford) and Astro Bowl (then Rizzuto-Berra) opened in the 1950s, they drew much attention and publicity as the leading bowling centers in the area.

Pezzano, the most famous and prolific bowling journalist of all time, passed away in January of 2015 at the age of 86, but his bowling legacy continued with the work and success of his sons and his granddaughter.

The Pezzanos in 1999, from left are Chuck Jr., Curt, Craig, Clay, Chuck Sr.

Rizzuto-Berra Lanes in Styertowne 1959

For two Yankee Hall of Famers, Clifton held the key to their next venture. Now off of the baseball diamond, they were onto the polished lanes of a new bowling alley.

The lanes of Astro Bowl, then RizuttoBerra lanes, made their debut in 1959 with famed Yankees Lawrence “Yogi” Berra and Phil “The Scooter” Rizzuto, along with nine other investors at the helm.

Rizzuto enlisted his brother Fred to manage the lanes on a day-to-day basis, making sure the borrowed shoes came back and got sprayed and bar counters were cleaned. Rizzuto-Berra Lanes quickly became the pride of Styertowne, with Yogi making guest appearances behind the baseball diamond shaped bar or rolling balls with patrons as Rizzuto charmed customers with small talk.

Past patrons remember the characteristic “stadium seating” behind each lane so team members and competitors had a good view as the balls quickly glided toward the crashing pins.

However, before the doors opened in ’59, Robert Stier, son of Styertowne developer Albert A. Stier, recalled the sound of pile-drivers digging into the ground as the structure for the 40-lane alley was taking shape. Stier said that the ground was mostly quicksand and was a nuisance for early construction in 1958.

Aside from the famously owned bowling alley, Albert built the 344-unit Styertowne Apartments and the rest of the Styertowne Shopping Center, which continues to provide jobs for hundreds — Albert’s original vision.

Shortly after opening, Berra and Rizzuto took a step back. Sometime later, the name changed to Astro Bowl. In 1981, a few lanes were taken out and converted into Ashley’s Restaurant. Astro Bowl maintained oiled lanes and quick pinsetters until the Spring of 1999 when it shut its doors. In 1999, the Stier family also sold the Styertowne Property, which is owned today by Jacob Enterprises, Inc. of Clifton.

Stier, a bowling pinsetter in his younger years, reflected as Astro Bowl was being transformed into stores in that

each lane was cut into three small pieces. The chopped alley was then sold to construction outfits, who used the reclaimed wood to furnish tables, chairs, and home flooring.

Today, Michaels, Lucille Roberts: The Women’s Gym, and Sherwin-Williams Paints now stand in place of Astro Bowl.

Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra at the ground breaking for the Rizzuto-Berra Lanes in Styertowne in 1958. At right is developer Albert A. Stier.

Then There Was Just 32 Lanes 1999

The next casualty for Clifton bowling emporiums was Van Houten Lanes in May of 2015.

For over 80 years, the Clifton icon stood strong in the Athenia section, attracting customers with its nostalgic, no-frills atmosphere and affordable game prices.

Opened in the 1920s as the 10-lane Pin Boy Bowling Center, Van Houten Lanes did not expand to its 16-lane glory until the late 1950s as the bowling craze took over Clifton. Along with the additional six lanes, then owners Marty and Vera Budnicki added a bar and snack counter.

In 1977, the Brady Sheft Corp. purchased the business and in 1985, the Sheft family took over and hired Eric Sudhalter as the general manager, a position he held until the end.

Sudhalter began working at the lanes as a teenager, fitting in shifts after school. From setting pins to oiling lanes and sweeping under tables, he worked hard to maintain Van Houten Lanes. Over the years, Van Houten Lanes remained a training ground for CHS bowlers, a place where Passaic County USBC Hall of Famers broke records, and where the Pezzano family continued their bowling legacy.

For many patrons, the closing of Van Houten Lanes was not just a loss of yet another bowling alley, but of the no-nonsense places of the past. Van Houten Lanes was a classic and that is why people continued to come.

On Wednesday nights, for a meager $4.50, customers got a game, shoe rental and a mug of draft beer. For a few extra cents, one could spring for a song on the jukebox. Van Houten Lanes was always the place for the Tuesday Morning Cerebral Palsy League and of countless birthday party celebrations that were never complete without a slice from the adjoining pizza restaurant.

In 1999 at Van Houten Lanes, Eric Sudhalter, at left, with his daughter Ashley and Rick Lamonico with his son Skye.

The Final 16 Gone 2020 0

Sixteen lanes remained in 2015. Across town, Garden Palace remained a bowling fixture for some 77 years, opening Jan. 21, 1938. Located at 42 Lakeview Ave., the building was once part of a huge industrial complex. Lanes were added as the years went on, until it reached its final size, also 16 lanes.

In the late 1930s and 1940s, Garden Palace was a hub of major league bowling activity. It housed the North Jersey Major League and hosted headto-head matches, featuring all-time great Hall of Famers such as Junie McMahon, Eddie Botten, Lou Campi, and Alfred “Lindy” Faragalli. All of the top bowlers in the state rolled there, as well as many of the nation’s best staged clinics and exhibitions.

Nationwide Bowling took over in 1977 and Bob Cumming was hired as general manager. He had spent his entire life in bowling and had a special love for the game. He further had great experience as a bowler and bowling official. So much so that for his contributions to bowling, Cumming was inducted into the Passaic County Men’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame.

Fast forward several decades, and the unthinkable happened. For the first time in almost 100 years, rollers couldn’t find a spot to bowl in Clifton.

As most businesses closed their doors in adherence with the March 17, 2020 lockdown orders, Garden Palace Lanes was no exception. As the months continued, NorthJersey. com reported a September 2020 real estate listing for the 16-lane Garden Palace. The asking price was $1.3 million for the iconic property, ultimately selling for $1.2 million in May of 2021.

When Clifton Merchant asked in December of 2021 why they were selling, an employee who answered the phone referenced New Jersey’s COVID-19 reopening limits, stating, “Twenty-five percent capacity? You can’t make it with four lanes.”

Although buffing your balls and shining your shoes may feel like a distant memory for frequents of the now vacant alley, we enjoy keeping the history and nostalgia alive on our pages.

In 1999, General Manager Bob Cumming with Andy Stone, Assistant Manager, of Garden Palace.

Kilroy

WAS HERE

Those of a certain vintage and fingers hanging over a wall with the writing Kil roy was Here! Thus, when we heard about boxer Billy Ramoth some years ago, who would have thought that phrase may have had its origins in a Clifton character?

In February of 2008, writer Jordan Schwartz tracked down Ramoth (aka Kilroy) at his Toms River home to get his story.

A boxer, veteran, Clifton Police Officer, movie stuntman, poet and much, much more, the man known to many as Kilroy was a person of legendary tales and famous friends.

But Schwartz also recounted how Kilroy was equally as fond of his lifetime Clifton pals and the years he spent here. Kilroy passed away in Toms River in April of 2011 and his tale of good fortune lives on, to be told once again.

Will the real Marlon Brando please stand up? Billy Kilroy (at right) did some of Brando’s fight scenes in the 1954 movie On the Waterfront. Bottom: Kilroy with Paul Newman.

Most 80-year-old men have a scrapbook lying around their house somewhere, docu menting accomplishments of a lifetime. Some, more successful men, may have two books. Billy ‘Kilroy’ Ramoth has four.

During an interview on a mild January afternoon at his Toms River home, the octogenarian leans over the dining room table, flipping through the volumes that illustrate his life. There are clips of his boxing triumphs in the 40’s over the likes of Sal Belloise, Gene Boland and Rocky Castellani. Pictures of his days as a Clifton cop and movie stuntman in the 50’s, brushing shoulders with Marlon Brando and Paul Newman. And even a 1966 letter from a First Lady thanking him for his beautiful poetry.

As he readies to narrate his legendary tales, Kilroy ignores the offer to sit — he’s always been more comfortable on his feet.

“A Real Sensation”

The first binder tells of Kilroy’s days as a fighter. Born in Wallington in 1927, the pugilist grew up in East Rutherford and began boxing when he was just a sinewy teenager.

“I was always a rough kid,” he said. By the time he was 15, Kilroy was already on the circuit, training at Whitey Plunkett’s gym in Paterson and being featured in seven amateur fights at Kantors Auditorium in Passaic.

“He fought in the Diamond Gloves and was a real sensation,” said New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame President Henry

Like many in his generation, a 17-year-old Kilroy enlisted in the Navy during World War II.

Stationed out of Jacksonville, Florida and working as a radio operator, Kilroy continued to box, becoming an All-Service Middleweight Champion.

By this time, Billy, whose real last name is Ramoth, began fighting under his mother’s maiden name of Kilroe. Some changed this to the similarsounding Kilroy, after the WWII pop culture expression

“Kilroy was here.” Legend has it that during his first bout in the Navy, those in attendance began chanting the phrase and it stuck. That’s one version of how Kilroy got his ring name.

There’s another story about a sports writer misspelling ‘Kilroe’ in an article, and that leading to the alias.

Ramoth can’t remember which tale is true, but from that point forward, he was Billy Kilroy.

After he was discharged from the Navy in 1946, the boxer turned pro.

“I was a stand-up fighter with a fast jab and a good right hand cross,” recalled Kilroy.

“I was pretty fast,” he added, “and I would make my opponents miss quite a bit so they would get tired.”

That became a winning strategy as Kilroy went undefeated through his first 24 professional fights, scoring victories in gyms and halls from the Jersey Shore to Hudson County.

Kilroy eventually lost to Tommy Marra and Rocky Castellani in a rematch, but he said his toughest fight came against Walter Cartier on Jan. 20, 1948 in White Plains.

Ramoth

opened

Neutral Corner Bar at Highland and Second St. in 1975. From left, Jerry White, Ronnie Bouse, Ray Nolan, Billy, Ira “Cook” Van Dorn and former Canadian welterweight champion Fitzie Pruden. Inset Did Ramoth tell his friend Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter that the cops were out to get him?

“That was the hardest I was ever hit and they stopped the fight.”

Kilroy remembered being knocked down six times before the match was called and he lost a TKO. “He was a beautiful puncher and I left myself open and he got me.”

Seven months later, Kilroy fought Charley Zack in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

“Charlie and I had a war and I hit him with a good shot and he collapsed in the ring and had a cerebral hemorrhage,” Kilroy said. “He was paralyzed and never fought again. I started thinking that could easily be me.”

After delivering the devastating blow, Kilroy appeared on just six more cards, getting TKO’d in the first round of his final fight against Georges Chappe on May 20, 1949 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“I didn’t realize that in fighting, you had to get hurt no matter how great you were,” said Kilroy. “Sooner or later, you’re going to get hurt in that game and when you start thinking like that, you can’t fight. I started to have the wrong thoughts in my mind to be a fighter.”

So Kilroy retired from professional boxing with a record of 35-7, including 21 knock outs. At one point during his career, he was ranked the 13th best middleweight on the planet, but at the age of just 22, Kilroy turned in his gloves for a pair of handcuffs.

Walking the Clifton Beat

In 1949, Billy Kilroy purchased a home on Dawson Ave. in Richfield with his wife, Doris, a high school classmate whom he married two years earlier at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in East Rutherford.

On the first day of 1950, Ramoth took the oath as a Clifton Police Officer and thus began the second scrapbook of his life. “My beat was the whole city of Clifton,” he said. “The roughest parts were down Main Ave. by the Paterson border.”

When Ramoth first joined the force, he was shown the ropes by Casey DeGroot, father of Det. Sgt. John DeGroot, who was tried and acquitted of the infamous 1966 Judi Kavanaugh murder.

A few years later, Ramoth returned the mentoring favor when Ira “Cook” Van Dorn started with the CPD. “He had the nicest personality of anyone in the police department,” said Van Dorn, who went on to become a lieutenant.

The two became great pals and the Ramoths would frequently attend parties thrown by Van Dorn and his wife, Anne, at their Sylvan Ave. home, a few miles away. Being a cop and an ex-fighter, Ramoth was somewhat of a celebrity at these family gatherings.

“Billy was the nicest guy in the world, you just didn’t want to fight him,” said Cook’s nephew John Van Dorn, a Clifton firefighter and former boxer. “To look at him, you would think he was a poet.”

and five business associates

the

SPORTS HISTORY

“It’s a privilege to know Billy,” said Ira’s son Pete, who lives on Huemmer Terr. in Clifton.

Cook and Billy developed such a close relationship, that in the 70’s, they joined with four other men to open the Neutral Corner Bar at Highland Ave. and Second St. near the Passaic border.

Two decades later, the old police buddies even retired down to Toms River at the same time in 1996.

Back on the force, Ramoth was as much of a hero as he was in the ring. Following a bad rain storm in early 1962, an elderly woman in a car got stuck on a flooded road down by Styertowne Shopping Center. “He ruined his uniform going through the water, but he got her out,” said Doris, pointing out a picture in the photo album of Mrs. F. Schwartz, who was planting a kiss on the man who saved her.

Kilroy had a lot of admirers during his time walking the beat, but it wasn’t just for his bravery.

Big Screen Stuntman

The third book in the life of Billy Kilroy began a few years after joining the Clifton Police.

While off duty, Ramoth took a ride to Hoboken where he heard former heavyweight boxer Anthony ‘Two Tons’ Galento would be for the filming of a motion picture titled On the Waterfront. Drinking a beer and sporting a leather jacket in a local bar, Ramoth caught the eye of Elia Kazan, the movie’s director.

Kazan thought Ramoth looked a lot like the film’s star, Marlon Brando, and he hired the ex-boxer to act as Brando’s body double in the picture’s fight scenes.

At the age of 27, Kilroy reprised his stage name for his new career. He got to meet Brando, as well as co-star Eva Marie Saint, on the set of the movie that the American Film Institute named in 2007 as the 19th greatest of all time. After On the Waterfront won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1954, Kilroy’s buddies back on the force teased him by giving Billy a baseball trophy that they dubbed ‘a replica Oscar.’ On the beat, women began approaching the officer to get his autograph.

“All the girls loved him,” said Doris, his wife of 60 years.

But the Clifton cop’s brush with Hollywood didn’t end there. He acted in fight scenes and worked as a technical adviser in 12 other movies, appearing as Paul Newman’s stunt double in Somebody Up There Likes Me and The Hustler.

Some 50 years later in his Toms River home, Kilroy flips to a page in his scrapbook with a picture of Newman in a wheel barrel while Billy looks on laughing. Kilroy tells a story of how the actors spent their down time on the set joking and smoking.

“In between takes, Paul lost a card game and he made me go to the bank to get him $100 in pennies to pay off the debt to another man,” recalled Kilroy.

While filming The Hustler, the Clifton patrolman ran out of vacation days and Chief Joseph A. Nee wouldn’t give him any more time off so he couldn’t complete the movie. Newman heard this and personally phoned City Manager William Holster to ask him to give Billy more time. Kilroy said Holster’s secretary nearly passed out when she realized who was calling.

Kilroy went on to make guest appearances on a number of television programs such as I’ve Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth.

But in 1962, Kilroy left the entertainment world and traded the company of national celebrities for that of international criminals.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Ramoth

After 12 years and eight months of service to the Clifton Police, William Ramoth left the department to join the U.S. Marshals Service. This, after newly appointed District of New Jersey Marshal and former Paterson politician Leo A. Mault suggested he make the move.

Clifton Officers Agnoli (at left) and Harry Sims (at right) look on as Kilroy kisses a trophy they gave him after On the Waterfront won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1954. Kilroy appeared in the movie as Marlon Brando’s stunt double.

Shortly after joining the Marshals in 1962, Ramoth went to work on the trial of Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, during which he guarded defendants.

Ramoth also worked the trial of John Butenko, who was accused of spying for the Russians. Butenko was found guilty of treason on Dec. 2, 1964 and there’s a picture of Ramoth escorting the handcuffed spy within the pages of his fourth scrapbook.

The Deputy may have even played a small role in the infamous Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter case. In his autobiography, The 16th Round, Carter claims he was warned in advance by a dozen policemen that the authorities were out to get him.

“Quite a few people who I could call my friends were lawmen,” he wrote. “There was Billy Kilroy, a U.S. marshal and an old friend...”

Ramoth just smiles and laughs when asked if this is true. “I knew Hurricane from Tex Pelty’s gym in Paterson,” he said. “He’d come to our house in Clifton sometimes.”

“I can’t see Billy tipping off anybody,” said Clifton defense attorney Miles Feinstein, who represented Arthur Dexter Bradley, one of the witnesses who testified against Hurricane.

Feinstein, who was also John DeGroot’s lawyer during the 1966 Kavanaugh murder trial, described Ramoth as a decent, very soft spoken man.

“One time he invited me to go to the veteran fighters dinner in Brooklyn with his boxing buddies Fitzie Pruden and Tippy Larkin,” Feinstein said. “We picked up Rocky Graziano too, which was a thrill for me because my father and I were big boxing fans.”

Ramoth said he utilized his experience in the ring during his time as a Marshal. As a former fighter, he was able to identify with the prisoners.

“A lot of people get the wrong impression of them, but they’re just guys who got themselves into jams,” said Ramoth. “Most of the prisoners would always rather be guarded by me than anyone else.”

“The Bard of Federal Square”

While serving 18 years as a Deputy United States Marshal, Ramoth began writing poems about the inmates he would transport from jail to the courtroom and back again.

He became so well known for his verses that HeraldNews writer Les Plosia once labeled Ramoth “the Bard of Federal Square” in a 1973 article.

But the poet wrote about more than just prisoners. His pieces also explored his days as a fighter and his love for his country. In 1966, Ramoth sent a poem about beautification to the First Lady.

“The preservation and restoration of our Nation’s beauty is indeed an appropriate subject for poetry, and I appreciate your sharing your creative efforts with me,” Lady Bird Johnson replied in a thank-you letter to Ramoth.

Old Billy Kilroy doesn’t write much poetry these days. The one-time local celebrity has been out of the limelight since 1979, when he was inducted into the NJ Boxing Hall of Fame. That same year, the city of Clifton drafted a resolution recognizing his boxing achievements.

In 1996, Ramoth and his wife left the town that had been their home for 47 years, and moved south to Toms River with their good friends Ira and Anne Van Dorn.

Not too many people hear from Billy anymore except maybe his daughters Nancy and Irene. He keeps to himself aside from the occasional lunch with his old pal Cook. But ask Kilroy about the glory years, and he’ll be more than happy to fetch the four scrapbooks and put up his dukes for a picture. He’s still got it.

Billy, at right, escorts federal prisoner John Butenko, a Russian spy, in 1964.

Mustang Memory Lane

Living on East Third Street in Clifton in the 1950s, that Lakeview neighborhood was a blue-collar working-class American dream. Many returning WWII GI’s purchased their first home using their low interest VA mortgages which made home ownership possible. Among them was my father, Peter Finegan.

Along with other families in our neighborhood, generations lived together—grandparents to grandkids— which helped teach us a sense of caring and responsibility that also included extended family members. For instance, Uncle Joe, my mother’s older brother, lived with us, along with my maternal grandmother.

The economy was booming, but working class folks still found it a challenge to pay the bills. Like many other dads, my dad worked full-and-part-time jobs, such as cutting grass for neighbors on weekends. At the end of the month, my mom would repeat the timehonored saying, “Rob Peter to pay Paul.”

Vegetable gardens were popular on East Third Street, not only as a way to stretch the budget but also a way for the older generation to stay active and do their share in keeping the family together. My grandma, Helen Kudlac (soon to be) Allen, took pride in her garden, which covered half of our backyard.

Grandma grew a massive variety of vegetables including beans, onions, cauliflower and cabbage, (kapusta) but the big crop and her pride were tomatoes. Big, red and juicy plump tomatoes were the topic of discussion and competition on East Third, especially among the older generation with European ancestry.

with Mike Finegan

Returning this month with more Clifton Nostalgia & History is Mike Finegan who publishes daily on FB with his “Clifton New Jersey: The Golden Years”.

It was a friendly competition but it was serious. Mr. Chappa, a retired shoemaker, lived across the street from us, and any time my grandma was in view, he’d invite her over to see his garden. Often the meeting would lead to a heated debate of who grew the better tomato.

The heated conversation always got the attention of Mrs. Pavlovski, who had the largest garden, and joined in with her comments.

Within a short time, tempers flared, and a mix of loud voices could be heard all speaking in their ancestral language, Italian, Slovak, and Polish. It came to a point when no one knew what the other was saying.

Canning season would begin at summer’s end. Grandma would make the rounds of local hardware stores in her 1939 Pontiac buying up every available package of rubber gaskets for the rows of Ball Brand glass canning jars that sat on shelves in our basement the season which followed. Many of the vegetables would be canned, but Grandma also made root beer and canned peaches.

For some reason, the farmer’s market in Perth Amboy was the place to go for peaches, too far for Grandma to drive, so her son, my Uncle Joe, would drive her on the

yearly pilgrimage in his 1953 Pontiac. On one trip as the tension grew and after the peaches were purchased, around this time when the Pontiac was new, Grandma slammed the car door on her finger.

I remember the bloody day vividly.

Uncle Joe opened the trunk of the car to show two huge bushel baskets of peaches. Instant pride and joy turned into instant surprise and sorrow when Grandma stepped out of the car holding up a mangled, bandaged finger.

Nothing serious, she assured us, as a few stitches wasn’t going to stop Grandma from the joy of canning.

The following year, Grandma Kudlac was a widow so she married a widower friend. Next, I had a new Grandpa Bill Allen. The couple soon moved to Fairview.

Grandma would drive Grandpa Bill’s 1951 stick shift Plymouth to Clifton weekly, to take my mom grocery shopping and to share Sunday dinner with us.

Without her green thumb, Grandma’s garden in Lakeview slowly began to wither on the vine. I miss those summer days in Grandma’s garden but I’m glad to bring them back to life for this short read for the pages of this magazine to be filed under Clifton Nostalgia and History!

Same Monument, New Location.

Purple Heart Day on Aug. 7 is a meaningful date for vets who, like Joe Tuzzolino, pictured above left, were wounded on the battlefield. This Aug. 7 is profound for another reason — it will mark the re-dedication of the Military Order of the Purple Heart’s Clifton Purple Heart Monument.

Located since 1995 at Main Memorial Library, 292 Piaget Ave., the monument pays tribute to those who gave some and to those who gave all.

It is being moved to the Avenue of Flags with a re-dedication ceremony Aug. 7 at 6 pm at the Flag Barn. Volunteers will put up and take down the 283 Flags of Clifton’s Killed in Action.

The roughly 4-ft by 4-ft monument, to be placed in front of the Field of Honor (KIA section), is in the shape of a heart with the image of George Washington in the center and an inscribed quote. “It’s not a big, bodacious monument, but it serves its purpose,” said Tuzzolino, 72. “It has a lot of meaning for guys who were wounded in battle.”

Tuzzolino, a lifelong resident, is Clifton Avenue of Flags’ chairman. He connected with the group about seven years ago and succeeds co-founder Keith Oakley, who retired earlier this year. The relocation of the monument is a project that Tuzzolino has felt strongly about for a while.

“I’m a Purple Heart veteran from the Vietnam War and like the monument, but I didn’t like how it was placed,” said Tuzzolino. “It’s 10 ft. off the street and the intersection is very busy and noisy. Whenever there’s a ceremony there, you can’t get a lot of people there and you can’t hear,” he added. “That was something that was bothering me.”

By Ariana Puzzo

Mayor Jim Anzaldi and Councilman Lester Herrschaft in 1995 at the Purple Heart Monument at Piaget and Third. Herrschaft served in the US Army during WWII and was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. The battle lasted from Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 28, 1945 and was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought against the Nazis by the US in WWII and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. The monument is being moved to the Avenue of Flags.

For the Veterans

Tuzzolino’s first phone call was to the MOPH Chapter 366, NJ, based in Clifton until its move to Belleville in June of 2021. He said they were immediately receptive to his pitch to relocate it and the proposal later garnered support from “some City Council members and the city manager.”

Tuzzolino added that the DPW built a strong, original base in the sidewalk and Diamond Monuments will move the stone. The other individuals that he credited are the “great people working for us” at the Avenue of Flags.

“We’re happy we’re doing it,” said Tuzzolino of his all-volunteer team. “There are four other people who are involved on the committee with me that get the job done up here. We’re there mostly every morning trying to upkeep the grounds and flags. Making sure that everything looks good.”

Giving back to his country and community isn’t unprecedented. Tuzzolino enlisted in the Marine Corps and served with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines from 1968 to 1971, concluding with a rank of Lance Corporal.

Tuzzolino served with the Clifton Police Department for 29 years, working with the Bomb Squad and the SWAT Team, the Honor Guard before retiring as a detective. Now he’s a different kind of busy and appreciates the work that Oakley did more than ever. “Keith really worked his tail off. That guy was a whirlwind,” said Tuzzolino. “He did everything for all of these different organizations. Taking care of the flags is enough.”

“There’s a lot of work involved, especially getting the monument up here,” he added. “I really like it. We do it for the veterans and we do it for our wounded and those Killed in Action.”

Seventy years ago, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953 to “ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved.” It was signed by representatives of the US, UN, North Korea, the Korean People’s Army (KPA), and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army. During the three year war, nearly five million people died, more than half of these—about 10% of Korea’s prewar population—were civilians. This rate of civilian casualties was higher than World War II’s and the Vietnam War’s. Almost 40,000 Americans died in action in Korea, and more than 100,000 were wounded. At right, in November 2000, we wrote about the many Cliftonites who served during that bloody conflict. Pictured on the cover, from left, are: John Biegel Jr., Andrew Den Bleyker, Tom Miller, Ken Supko and in front, John Ryan, superimposed over a map of Korea.

Councilwoman Rosie Pino collaborated with other volunteers and the Paulison Avenue Shoprite on July 22 and 23 to collect hundreds of bags of food for over 400 families. Pino, who is also leading the Passaic County Republican ticket as a candidate for Passaic County Clerk, with Commissioner candidates Andrea Pagel and Kelly Amico. The volunteers of Team Pino worked with various sources to collect and distribute the food.

EVENTS & BRIEFS

Troop 21 Scouts affiliated with St. Philip the Apostle Church spent Memorial Day Weekend visiting Gettysburg National Military Park. One of the highlights was placing flags at the National Cemetery where President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863. Here at home, Pack 21 and Troop 21 members honored their former Cubmaster Joe Esposito with a tree dedication. Esposito, who passed away in May 2022, led the all-boy pack sponsored by St. Philip the Apostle Church, located at 797 Valley Rd. For info on Scouting, write: troopwebhostcs.org/Pack21Clifton.

The Clifton Garden Club’s next meeting is Aug. 8 from 6:30–8:30 pm at the Allwood Library, 44 Lyall Rd. Speaker Philip Peters presents “Don’t Mess With Mother Nature” History of The Green Harvest. The two-time author served in Guatemala in the Peace Corps as an agricultural advisor. Guests are welcome. Contact Donna Fantacone at 973-473-0577 with any questions.

Support Clifton and enjoy great food on Sept. 3 at the Food Truck, Vendors, Crafts, and Music Festival. Held at the Clifton Municipal Complex, 900 Clifton Ave, the event promises fun activities for people of all ages, from 11 am to 7 pm. Event proceeds benefit the Clifton Veterans Committee, which runs Memorial Day events and the Veterans Day Parade, as well as the Clifton Recreation Department’s Art in the Park Program. Browse through exhibits of local artists, find your new favorite brew at the beer garden, sign Christmas Cards for our troops, and plenty more. Admission is $5 and children 36” and under are free. Free parking is available at city hall and CHS, 333 Colfax Ave. For more info go to cliftonrec.com.

For 20 years, volunteer Greg Komeshok, left, has brought Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra to Passaic’s Third Ward Park at Van Houten and Passaic Aves. Come out Aug. 31 for a free concert at 7 pm and an evening with the 18time Grammy Award-winning polka band. Sturr and His Orchestra will also take the stage at the St. John Kanty Church picnic, 49 Speer Ave., on Sept. 10 at 3:30 pm.

Maryann Kosciolek Zawojski was elected as the first female President of the Board of the Ukrainian Center, a significant milestone for the Ukrainian community.

Since its founding in 1959, the Ukrainian Center, at 240 Hope Ave., Passaic, has a storied history. Memories have been made at weddings, baptisms, political fundraisers, volleyball leagues and community events in its spacious rental hall. On the ground floor, a large bar also offers a gathering place for members and friends.

Zawojski said the Board’s commitment to building investments and engaging the community reflects their dedication to providing a well-maintained space for all Ukrainians. Equally important is the active involvement and support of the larger Clifton-Passaic community.

“When members of the Ukrainian community come together to participate in events, activities, and initiatives organized by the Ukrainian Center, it fosters a sense of belonging,” she said recently. “We are building a sense of community that is essential for years to come.”

Upcoming events include a member appreciation night on Sept. 8. That will be followed with Rocktoberfest on Oct. 28. Follow the Uki Center on Instagram: @ukrainiancenterpassaic and FB: Ukrainian Center Passaic.For hall rentals, bar, meeting rooms and membership info, call 973473-3379 or email: ukrainiancenter@gmail.com.

At the Ukrainian Center from front left: Mykhaylo Yemtchuk, Catie Russell, Irene Lesiw, Maryann Kosciolek Zawojski, Lillianna Chudolij, Daria Patti. Standing from left: Michael Perebzak, Pavlo Figol, Roman Witek, Peter Mychalko, Michael Betley, Walter Diduch, Jerry Zawojski, Zenon Betley. Other trustees not pictured: Christian Hyra, Roman Diduch, Richard Hoholuk, Roman Posiko, Halyna Semenyak and Peter Zielonka.

The Clifton Cable TV invites residents to share pictures from Memorial Day to Sept. 15. Photos may include family parties, planting a garden, enjoying the beach or parks, or summer camp or concerts. Share pics for the city’s on-air slideshows by emailing: Cliftoncable7740@ cliftonnj.org or msolomon@cliftonnj.org. Photos accepted through Sept. 15.

A teen entrepreneurship business course is Aug. 7–11 at the Community Recreation Center, 1232 Main Ave., open to residents and non-residents ages 13–16. Classes are from 12:30–3:30 pm and cost $155. Instruction is by Minds In Motion, and participants must bring their own laptop and use or create their own social media accounts. Register at cliftonrec.com and call 973-470-5956.

Enjoy food, music, and good company at the Athenia Veterans Post Cookout on Aug. 20, from 1–4 pm, 147 Huron Ave. The cookout will offer burgers, hot dogs, salad, as well as refreshments for purchase in the lounge. Price is $6 for members and $8 for non-members. Bring a lawn chair for the outdoor area and enjoy the musical stylings of Ken the Music Man. Call 973-778-0931.

The Art of Printing with Veggies is for kids 6-12, on Aug. 19 from 12:30–2 pm. Registration and online payment ($25) are required. Visit cliftonartscenter.org/classes for more info and follow @cliftonartscenter on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. Held at the Clifton Arts Center, 900 Clifton Ave., the instructor is MaryAnn Baskinger, a 30-year Clifton Public School Art Teacher & Supervisor. Children will learn about color mixing and develop concentration skills with a variety of vegetables as painting tools. All materials are supplied.

The Community of St. Brendan and St. George will host its 3rd Annual Tricky Tray on Sept. 9 in the church hall, 154 E 1st St. Entry tickets are $30 until Sept. 4, regular price $35 and includes two small prize sheets. Value packs cost $40. Parties of 10 can reserve a private tent with a table and chairs for limited availability. No one under 16 is permitted. For more information, details or to purchase tickets call 973-772-1115 or go online and visit stbrendan-george.org/tricky-tray.

Athenia Business Association’s Street Fair is along Van Houten Avenue on Sept. 17, from 11 am to 5 pm. In its 21st year, clubs and organizations can be a part of the event. To vend, call Chris at 201-410-1686 or Laurie at 973-202-8578.

EVENTS & BRIEFS

Join School 13 for 100 years of education and excellence on Sept. 24 from 10 am to 2 pm. The Centennial Celebration, at 782 Van Houten Ave, offers fun for the entire community. Rain date: Oct. 1. To vend, email schoolpta13@ gmail.com. Follow on Instagram: @school13clifton and @cliftonschool13pta.

Clifton’s Got Talent! is a fundraiser for Clifton Education Foundation on Oct. 11 from 5-9 pm at Uno Pizzeria and Grill, Rt. 3 West. Musical, comedic and vocal acts are invited. The MC will be CHS Choral Director Leo Weismantel. Now in its 25th year, the CEF’s mission is to provide extra funding for projects in Clifton Schools. Visit cliftoneducationfoundation.com to sign up, or purchase an ad in their 25th Anniversary Ad Journal. Follow the CEF on Instagram @cliftoneducationfoundation.

The Ukrainian Festival at St. Nicholas Church on 217 President St. in Passaic is Sept. 17 at noon. Visitors will enjoy Ukrainian delicacies, craft vendors, music, games and arts for kids. Admission is $5. Visit stnicholasucc.org.

Clifton Health and Human Services presents the Senior Barbeque, Sept. 22 from 11 am to 2 pm. The free event is at the Clifton Senior Center, 900 Clifton Ave. Residents aged 65 and older are welcome. Registration is required. Call 973-470-2234 and find out about the services that the city offers its senior citizens, from weekly activities to nutrition programs and transportation.

Clifton Family Camp Out returns to Albion Park under the stars on Aug. 18 at 4 pm. Families can set up a tent and sleep in the great outdoors on the fields of the Maplewood Ave. park. Enjoy a fun night of camping, family games, activities, dinner, and dessert. Gather around a real campfire Friday night, make s’mores, and share in live entertainment. The following morning enjoy breakfast, cooking, crafts, family fun, and more. Cost is $3 per person for all over the age of 2; registration ends Aug. 16. Go to cliftonrec.com or call 973-470-5956.

The Avenue of Flags offers 2,265 displays of patriotism on the grounds of City Hall. The cost for a flag and pole is $120. The next display is Patriot Day, Sept. 11, then Veterans Day, Nov. 11. To volunteer or for info, call 973-3652630 or chair Joe Tuzzolino at 973-632-9225.

The B&G Club’s 10th Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show is Sept. 10 at 9 am at 1255 Broad St., Clifton. All years, vintages and styles of vehicles are invited to display. Vehicle registration is $20. Admission is free for browsers. The day starts early, so come out, browse the vehicles, have something to eat, and join in the festivities to help raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton. For more info, email Maureen Cameron at mcameron@bgcclifton.org or call 973-773-0966 x 144.

The Clifton Arts Center offers a low brass recital on Aug. 19 at 4 pm with Clifton residents Wes and Julie Krygsman, joined by pianist Martha Locker. A group of accomplished musicians, Wes plays the tuba, is a teacher of band in Clifton elementary schools and tuba at Kean University, and has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, and many others.

Julie is a trombonist in addition to an aerial musician (she and Wes were featured in our Feb. 2014 magazine) and has performed alongside acts including Maroon 5 and Cirque du Soleil. She is the Asst. Marching Band Director at Cresskill High School and coach in residence for the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra. Martha is a piano soloist and teacher, and has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble and the New York University Symphony Orchestra among many others.

She is a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, is an adjunct at the Packer Collegiate Institute and collaborative pianist at Juilliard and NYU. A $10 donation is suggested to support the Arts Center and musicians. Info: cliftonartscenter.org.

The Theater League of Clifton and the Clifton Arts Center host a musical revue fundraiser entitled “A Toast To Broadway” Aug. 25, 26 and 27 at the Arts Center. Pictured (left to right) are performers Jason Tamashausky, Dorothy Dobkowski, Mingo Long, Kim Mesiti, and Jalmari Vanamo, musical director. Tickets can be purchased online at cliftonartscenter.org/fundraisers. Tickets are $40 online and $45 at the door. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis (no advanced seating assignments). Along with the music, the event will include Prosecco and light refreshments. There also will be a display of posters of TLC’s musical productions over the years.

Have Clifton Merchant Mailed.

$50 per year $80 for two

Kelly and Ragsdale viewed a House of Representatives session live from the chambers gallery. They also met with the offices of senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez.

“Being in Washington gave me a preview of what real legislative work is,” said Ragsdale. “Learning about the small gears that keep our government running was especially beneficial, because I have plans to advocate for youth my age and especially for my community.”

From left, Club leaders Tyler Andreas and Breyanna Fields with Alias Ragsdale, Congressman Bill Pascrell and Deijah Kelly.

Clifton B&G Club kids took on the US Capitol last month when they went with Club leaders to the Boys & Girls Club of America’s “The Summit, For America’s Youth.”

Club leaders Tyler Andreas and Breyanna Fields accompanied the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton’s 2023 Youth of the Year Alias Ragsdale (CHS 2024) and rising PCTI senior Deijah Kelly as they traveled to Washington, D.C., pictured here with Congressman Bill Pascrell.

The annual summit lasted for four days and brought Club youth from across the country to the nation’s capital for a week of learning and advocating.

Representing the BGCC was a great experience for Kelly, who is a lifelong member. She greatly appreciated getting the chance to meet other clubs from other states.

“From the meetings with congressional people to seeing different sites in Washington D.C., it was just a joyous time to get away and learn about different architectural and historical features of the United States, while interacting with people of multiple diversities,” said Kelly.

Kevin Kurnath turns 58 on Aug. 30! Emilie Oakley will be 30 on Aug. 22. Aubrey

Lynn Toro turns 15 on Aug. 8. Reilly Tedesco turns 20 on Aug. 31. Josie Louise

Bivaletz was born on May 27 and is seen in the arms of her big sister Lyla Marie

Proud parents are Eddie and Casey (Hawrylko) Bivaletz

Elena Vatasin is 29 on Aug 30. Kateryna and Bohdan Baran celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary August 3

Luciana Meneses will turn 17 on Aug. 23. When you see Donald D. Dunn wish him Happy Birthday on Aug. 22.

Peter & Christina Kedl celebrate their 19th anniversary on Aug. 21. Their children Ottilia Kedl turned 17 on July 23 and her brother Alexander celebrates his 15th birthday on Aug. 28.

Bruce and Diane Drake will celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary on Aug. 22.

Jack & Anne Houston celebrate their 37th anniversary on Aug. 8.

Passaic County’s working families, small businesses, and retirees deserve positive change.

Passaic County’s working families, small businesses, and retirees deserve positive change.

Rosie Pino, Andrena “Andie” Pegel & Kelley Amico are ready to deliver it!

Rosie Pino, Andrena “Andie” Pegel & Kelley Amico are ready to deliver it!

AFFORDABLE COMMUNITIES where we can raise families, start a business, and retire

AFFORDABLE COMMUNITIES where we can raise families, start a business, and retire

SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS where we support law enforcement to fight crime and illegal drugs

SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS where we support law enforcement to fight crime and illegal drugs

FIRST-RATE SCHOOLS where parent’s rights are protected, curriculum is appropriate, and students are safe

FIRST-RATE SCHOOLS where parent’s rights are protected, curriculum is appropriate, and students are safe

EFFICIENT COUNTY GOVERNMENT that spends tax dollars wisely and eliminates waste

EFFICIENT COUNTY GOVERNMENT that spends tax dollars wisely and eliminates waste

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES that improve the quality of life for seniors, veterans, and the disabled

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES that improve the quality of life for seniors, veterans, and the disabled

Elect Rosie Pino County Clerk

Elect Rosie Pino County Clerk

Andrena “Andie” Pegel County Commissioner Kelley Amico

County Commissioner

Andrena “Andie” Pegel County Commissioner Kelley Amico County Commissioner

H ENSURE that our elections are secure, convenient, and safe

H GUARANTEE accurate records that are readily available to residents

H ENHANCE technology and communication for County

H