2022_09_New_Jersey_Monthly
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
O u r<br />
S tat e<br />
o f<br />
✔ Our Kids’ Futures<br />
✔ Educators’ Views<br />
✔ Unique Classes<br />
✔ Struggling Colleges<br />
✔ Pandemic Aftermath<br />
✔ Teacher Dedication<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> $4.99<br />
SCHOOL IS IN<br />
Tabitha Rice and<br />
her colleagues at<br />
Bloomfield Middle<br />
School are ready<br />
to greet the new<br />
academic year.
Build and Landscape:<br />
Creative Design & Maintenance<br />
Hardscape: Pantano Nursery<br />
Furnished by: The Wickery<br />
Featured Furniture Available<br />
and Ready for Delivery Today!<br />
the<br />
wickery<br />
VISIT OUR 10,000 sq ft Showroom - See our projects on Instagram<br />
Outdoor Wicker • Rattan • Teak & IPE • Aluminum • Poly Lumber / Marine Grade Polymer • Fire Pit Tables • Umbrellas<br />
Lloyd Flanders • Lane Venture • Ratana • Castelle • Jensen Leisure • Summer Classics<br />
Seaside Casual • Telescope • Barlow Tyrie • Sunset West • Ledge Loungers (Pool Chaises in stock!)<br />
30 Flint Road, Toms River, NJ • Garden State Parkway Exit 81 • 732-286-2322 • thewickery.com<br />
Fall/Winter Hours: Wed-Sat 10am-4pm
ADVERTISEMENT<br />
Buon Appetito!<br />
CHEF<br />
ANDRÉA<br />
Di Meglio<br />
Prepares<br />
Really Good<br />
Food, Worth<br />
A Drive<br />
A<br />
midst the boilerplate takeout<br />
restaurants and the traffic of Route<br />
27 is possibly the best bona fide<br />
Italian cuisine in the state. Known for<br />
exceptional quality and taste, Luca’s<br />
Ristorante and Owner/Chef Andréa<br />
Di Meglio have been a staple of Somerset’s<br />
growing landscape since 1994.<br />
Hailing from a small fisherman’s<br />
island off the coast of Naples called<br />
Ischia, Andréa has woven his background<br />
into every detail of Luca’s,<br />
both through the menu as well as the<br />
decor. Walking into Luca’s Ristorante<br />
is nothing short of being transported<br />
to the very island where he was<br />
raised. A slew of hand-crafted Italian<br />
ceramics covers nearly every inch of<br />
this cozy BYO.<br />
The menu boasts both fresh seafood<br />
and homemade pasta with classical<br />
and modern expressions. Dishes<br />
such as the “Luca” (homemade linguini<br />
with jumbo shrimp, scallops<br />
and lumps of crabmeat in a creamy<br />
white wine and roasted garlic sauce),<br />
Lobster Stuffed Cannelloni Pasta<br />
H<br />
House-Made<br />
Organic<br />
Pasta<br />
and pan-seared Bronzino are just a<br />
few of the mouthwatering seafood<br />
options available daily.<br />
Aside from seafood, Andréa and<br />
his team are famed for their braised<br />
dishes. With options such as a<br />
Veal Ossobuco (in a truffled plum<br />
tomato sauce), Cognac sauce roasted<br />
Lamb Shank and a massive on-thebone<br />
beef short rib there’s plenty to<br />
satisfy even the most carnivorous of<br />
appetites.<br />
Luca’s pasta all being made fresh,<br />
in-house and their 100% organic<br />
ingredients are just some of the reasons<br />
why Luca’s has received praise<br />
from the likes of the <strong>New</strong> York Times<br />
and a handful of magazines across<br />
the state of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. Famously<br />
known for the Agnolotti Di Cacao<br />
(a cocoa infused pasta stuffed with<br />
roasted butternut squash, prepared in a<br />
herb infused cream sauce and topped with<br />
roasted pumpkin seeds) Andréa enjoys<br />
pushing the envelope when it comes<br />
to creativity and balances in flavor.<br />
Although Luca’s remains unknown<br />
to many, reservations, especially on<br />
the weekend are a must. This small,<br />
sixty-seat restaurant has become a<br />
weekend staple for many and books<br />
up quickly.<br />
If you’re looking for a distinguished and extraordinary meal,<br />
LUCA’S RISTORANTE should be on your list.<br />
2019 NJ ROUTE 27, SOMERSET, NJ 08873<br />
732.297.7676 | lucasristorante.com
No more accidents.<br />
No running to<br />
the bathroom.<br />
Get your life back!<br />
The InterStim TM system for treating fecal incontinence.<br />
Bowel control problems affect tens of millions of people every day. Saint Peter’s University<br />
Hospital is now offering the InterStim procedure to patients who don’t respond to dietary<br />
changes and conservative management treatments for fecal incontinence. InterStim technology<br />
delivers gentle stimulation to the sacral nerves in the pelvic area, restoring brain and bowel<br />
communication, and ultimately reducing symptoms. This technology, approved by the Federal<br />
Drug Administration (FDA), is an adjustable treatment for fecal incontinence that can produce<br />
long-lasting results, up to an 80 percent success rate, allowing patients to resume their daily<br />
activities without the fear of embarrassment.<br />
To learn more about the InterStim procedure at Saint Peter’s University Hospital,<br />
call 732.745.6650 or visit saintpetershcs.com/interstim<br />
That’s treating you better...for life.<br />
Sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen<br />
InterStim is a trademark of Medtronic or their respective owners.
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
NJM | VOLUME 45 | NO.<strong>09</strong><br />
contents<br />
FEATURES<br />
58<br />
OUR STATE OF<br />
EDUCATION<br />
A look at how schools<br />
and students are faring<br />
as we head into the <strong>2022</strong>-<br />
2023 academic year.<br />
74<br />
MURDER AND<br />
MAYHEM IN NJ<br />
An investigation into<br />
the deaths of John<br />
and Joyce Sheridan<br />
captivates the state.<br />
By Jacqueline Mroz<br />
and Jeff Pillets<br />
SCHOOL’S BACK<br />
Sophia Sorge, an<br />
eighth grader,<br />
sits for a portrait<br />
in a classroom at<br />
Bloomfield Middle<br />
School.<br />
COVER (AND ABOVE): PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN NORMAN; DIGITAL ENHANCEMENT ON COVER BY CATCHLIGHT<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 3
home is<br />
where the<br />
heart is.<br />
GPS something for everyone<br />
KitchenS & cabinetry bathroomS lighting utility roomS<br />
1.800.CALL GPS | shopgps.com<br />
Schedule your design consultation online or by phone<br />
For a list of locations visit our website
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong><br />
NJM | VOLUME 45 | NO.<strong>09</strong><br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF JOSH ROUSH; JOHN EMERSON;<br />
COURTESY OF ROBYN VON SWANK; LAURA MOSS; COURTESY OF CAMPFIRE WOODWORKS<br />
10 FIRST WORD<br />
By Kate Tomlinson<br />
12 FEEDBACK<br />
15 GARDEN VARIETY<br />
Ping-Pong Parkinson’s; poet Nancy<br />
Reddy; and more.<br />
30 ONLY IN NEW JERSEY<br />
By Steve Adubato<br />
117 WHERE & WHEN<br />
UPFRONT<br />
31 BIGGER THAN FOOTBALL<br />
CBS Mornings’ co-host Nate<br />
Burleson. By Gary Phillips<br />
35 CHANGE ARTIST<br />
Councilman Dupré Kelly rose to<br />
fame as a rapper, now he represents<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark’s West Ward. By Gary Phillips<br />
39 JERSEY STATE OF MIND<br />
A visit with Clerks director Kevin<br />
Smith. By Ed Condran<br />
HOME & GARDEN<br />
78 PASSION PROJECT<br />
A Hunterdon County couple builds a<br />
sustainable home. By Lauren Payne<br />
EAT & DRINK<br />
120 COMFORT ZONE<br />
Old friends endow classic American<br />
with fresh appeal. By Jill P. Capuzzo<br />
123 IT’S CHEERS WITH FOOD<br />
The Bendix Diner celebrates its 75th<br />
birthday. By Jennifer Finn<br />
125 PORT AS A HAPPY HARBOR<br />
It dates back centuries, but straight or<br />
mixed, its time is now. By Shelby Vittek<br />
EXIT RAMP<br />
127 THE RISING REVISITED<br />
Twenty years later, Bruce<br />
contents<br />
39<br />
78<br />
22<br />
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS<br />
43 Select Surgeons Our exclusive<br />
list of elite bone & joint surgeons.<br />
85 Education <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> schools prepare<br />
students for long-term success.<br />
97 Medical Success Questions and<br />
answers with medical professionals.<br />
112 Five Star Legends NJ’s elite real estate<br />
agents and mortgage professionals.<br />
COMING<br />
NEXT MONTH<br />
FALL DAY TRIPS<br />
Great places to enjoy<br />
autumn’s foliage, plus<br />
harvest festivals and<br />
scary haunts!<br />
123<br />
WHAT’S<br />
GOING ON IN<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
117<br />
Springsteen’s album feels like a fuller<br />
Caption<br />
here<br />
reflection<br />
At vent<br />
than the 9/11 services we’re<br />
ut acculpa accustomed to. By Gary Phillips<br />
riberiatur<br />
NEW audi JERSEY illori MONTHLY voluptibus<br />
aute<br />
one year, $34.95 two years, $49.95 three years. Foreign orders, $30.95 for one year with payment enclosed. Single copies from the current year are available to purchase online at njmonthly.com/backissues or mail-in requests<br />
(USPS-337-470) (ISSN-0273-270X) is published monthly by <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>, LLC, 62 Elm Street, Morristown, NJ 07960-4110, a limited liability company of the State of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. All contents of<br />
this magazine are copyright © <strong>2022</strong> by <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>, LLC. All rights reserved. Repro duction of any material appearing herein without permission is strictly prohibited. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In U.S. and possessions, $19.95<br />
with payment consequam, of $4.99 plus $4.<strong>09</strong> each for postage and handling and tax to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>, Single Copy Sales, 62 Elm Street, 3rd Fl. Morristown, NJ 07960-4110. Bulk rates available upon request. Subscription inquiries and<br />
requests, as well as re mit tances and requests for service, should be sent to <strong>New</strong> Jer sey <strong>Monthly</strong>, Subscription Department, P.O. Box 6315, Harlan, IA 51593-1815. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Toll free 888-419-0419 or www.njmonthly.<br />
com. ADDRESS CHANGES with ZIP code should be ac com panied by a mailing label from a recent issue and sent to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>, Subscription Department, P.O. Box 6315, Harlan, IA 51593-1815. PERIODICALS POSTAGE paid<br />
at Morristown, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>, P.O. Box P.O. Box 6315, Harlan, IA 51593-1815. The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited<br />
manuscripts, photography, artwork, or cartoons. They will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 5
NEW JERSEY ELDER LAW<br />
Medicaid & Estate Planning Lawyers<br />
Protect All That<br />
You Love.<br />
Michael T. Willis, Esq.<br />
Michael T. Willis, Esq.<br />
How to Protect Your “Stuff ”<br />
FREE EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP<br />
Paramus<br />
9/7 5:30pm<br />
10/1 9:30am<br />
10/26 5:30pm<br />
in 3 Easy Steps!<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> City<br />
9/17 9:30am<br />
10/11 5:30pm<br />
Morristown<br />
9/21 5:30pm<br />
10/15 9:30am<br />
AVAILABLE FOR CORPORATE AND PRIVATE PRESENTATIONS<br />
CALL NOW<br />
This workshop covers frequently asked questions about:<br />
Wills & Trusts | Asset Protection | Estate Taxes | Guardianship<br />
Medicaid Qualification | Long-Term Care | Probate | Special Needs<br />
Learn strategies that enable you to preserve your savings, estate and legacy.<br />
Learn how to protect what is important to you:<br />
• Can I protect my “Stuff” from a long-term care facility? How?<br />
• What is a trust? What’s the difference between revocable<br />
and irrevocable?<br />
• How can I avoid probate? Do I need to?<br />
• Should I give my “Stuff” to the children?<br />
• If I give my “Stuff” away, will it take 60 months for it to be safe?<br />
• What is a Power of Attorney, a Living Will, and a Healthcare<br />
Proxy? What are the differences? Which do I need?<br />
• How can I plan for disabled beneficiaries?<br />
• Are my IRAs safe? Do I need special planning for them?<br />
Top Attorney<br />
Elder Law<br />
Reserve<br />
Your Seat<br />
TODAY!<br />
Limited Seating!<br />
publisher | editor in chief<br />
Kate S. Tomlinson<br />
ktomlinson@njmonthly.com<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
editor<br />
Julie Gordon<br />
jgordon@njmonthly.com<br />
deputy editor | dining editor<br />
Eric Levin<br />
elevin@njmonthly.com<br />
managing editor<br />
Deborah P. Carter<br />
dcarter@njmonthly.com<br />
art director<br />
Gail Ghezzi<br />
gghezzi@njmonthly.com<br />
associate art director<br />
Andrew Ogilvie<br />
aogilvie@njmonthly.com<br />
associate editor<br />
Jacqueline Mroz<br />
jmroz@njmonthly.com<br />
associate editor<br />
Gary Phillips<br />
gphillips@njmonthly.com<br />
digital content editor<br />
Jennifer Finn<br />
jfinn@njmonthly.com<br />
style editor<br />
Susan Brierly Bush<br />
sbrierly@njmonthly.com<br />
home & garden editor<br />
Lauren Payne<br />
lpayne@njmonthly.com<br />
copy editor<br />
Tamar Wyschogrod<br />
editorial assistants<br />
Falyn Stempler<br />
fstempler@njmonthly.com<br />
Thomas Neira<br />
tneira@njmonthly.com<br />
contributing writers<br />
Steve Adubato, Patricia Alex, Marissa Rothkopf Bates,<br />
Lindsay Berra, Monica Cardoza, Jill P. Capuzzo,<br />
Kevin Coyne, Adam Erace, Eleanor Gilman,<br />
Karen Tina Harrison, Tina Kelley, Tammy La Gorce,<br />
Maggie Leenas (Table Hopping), Kathleen Lynn,<br />
Lynn Martenstein, Leslie Garisto Pfaff,<br />
Michael Aaron Rockland, Ken Schlager, Amanda Staab,<br />
Shelby Vittek (Libations), Sharon Waters, Tom Wilk<br />
PRODUCTION<br />
production@njmonthly.com<br />
director, production operations<br />
Deborah Jay Cortelyou<br />
designer<br />
Lynn Ruane<br />
web developer<br />
Corey Salva<br />
editorial & advertising offices<br />
62 Elm Street, Morristown, NJ 07960<br />
phone: 973-539-8230 fax: 973-993-4899<br />
General Inquiries: editor@njmonthly.com<br />
WillisElderLaw.com<br />
1-877-296-2575<br />
The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts,<br />
photography, artwork or cartoons. They will not be returned<br />
unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.<br />
HACKENSACK | MORRISTOWN | JERSEY CITY | RED BANK<br />
6 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
ID CARE SOLVES<br />
HEALTH MYSTERIES<br />
OTHERS CAN’T<br />
Serious illnesses can go untreated or<br />
undiagnosed. Our team of over 50 board-<br />
certified, fellowship-trained infectious disease<br />
specialists know the body from head to toe,<br />
and where to begin to get to the root cause of<br />
your condition.<br />
If you’re feeling sick and aren’t getting better, you<br />
may have a serious virus, bacteria, fungus, or parasite<br />
which can impact your health – and life. Infectious<br />
diseases don’t wait. You shouldn’t either to get the<br />
care you need! Discover how ID Care can help.<br />
Schedule an appointment today.<br />
908-281-0221 | idcare.com<br />
NJ’S INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALISTS<br />
Infectious Disease Care | Wound Care | Infusion Care | Travel Care
publisher | editor in chief<br />
Kate S. Tomlinson<br />
ktomlinson@njmonthly.com<br />
DISCOVER<br />
SOAPSTONE<br />
SHOWROOM AND SLAB WAREHOUSE<br />
Glen Rock, NJ | 201.444.0778 | SOAPSTONES.COM<br />
ADVERTISING SALES<br />
advertising sales director<br />
Tom Marshall<br />
tmarshall@njmonthly.com<br />
sales manager<br />
Lisa O’Connor<br />
loconnor@njmonthly.com<br />
senior account executives<br />
Danielle Cortina<br />
dcortina@njmonthly.com<br />
Alison Davis<br />
adavis@njmonthly.com<br />
Diana Stroup<br />
dstroup@njmonthly.com<br />
Raymond Talamini<br />
rtalamini@njmonthly.com<br />
business development manager<br />
Melissa Drozdoff<br />
mdrozdoff@njmonthly.com<br />
sales administration<br />
Babette M. Reynolds<br />
breynolds@njmonthly.com<br />
client success managers<br />
Ann Marie Kramer<br />
akramer@njmonthly.com<br />
Dina Aponte<br />
daponte@njmonthly.com<br />
sales and marketing coordinator<br />
Brianna Edson<br />
bedson@njmonthly.com<br />
new york city sales representative<br />
Couture Marketing<br />
917-821-4429, karen@couturemarketing.com<br />
new england sales representative<br />
Lange Media<br />
781-642-0400, erklange@aim.com<br />
PROMOTIONS<br />
promotions director<br />
Beth Bressman<br />
bbressman@njmonthly.com<br />
ADMINISTRATION<br />
chief financial officer<br />
Michael R. Livesey<br />
mlivesey@njmonthly.com<br />
staff accountant<br />
Abigail Reyes<br />
areyes@njmonthly.com<br />
accounting assistant<br />
Julie Toledo<br />
jtoledo@njmonthly.com<br />
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT<br />
audience development director<br />
Anika Ansetta<br />
aansetta@njmonthly.com<br />
subscription inquiries<br />
Toll free: 888-419-0419<br />
single-copy sales| back issues<br />
973-539-8230<br />
permissions | reprints<br />
973-993-4906, permissions@njmonthly.com<br />
editorial & advertising offices<br />
62 Elm Street, Morristown, NJ 07960<br />
ph: 973-539-8230 fax: 973-993-4899<br />
8 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
shop, learn & save in-store or online at uniquephoto.com<br />
camera & video superstore<br />
we want to<br />
buy back your<br />
old cameras<br />
and lenses*<br />
or trade in<br />
and trade up<br />
over 2o,000 camera & video items in stock<br />
rentals • classes • photo lab • camera trade-in<br />
expert technical advice • repairs • film<br />
123 US HWY 46 fairfield, nj 07004 (973) 377-2007<br />
M-W: 10AM - 5PM | Thu-F: 10AM - 6PM | Sat: 10AM - 5PM | Sun: 10AM - 4PM<br />
VISIT US IN TOMS RIVER FOR A SPECIAL BUYING EVENT
FIRST WORD<br />
Becoming a member is easy.<br />
Scan QR code to learn more.<br />
*APY = Annual Percentage Yield. APY is effective as of 7/21/<strong>2022</strong>. The APY is accurate as of the latest<br />
dividend declaration date. Dividend rates and annual percentage yield are subject to change after the account<br />
is opened at our discretion without notice to you. We do not impose a limit on the amount the dividend rate<br />
and Annual Percentage Yield on your account may change. The dividend rate on your account is determined<br />
by the credit union. There is no initial deposit requirement to open this account. There is no minimum balance<br />
requirement for this account. Fees could reduce earnings on this account. One account per member allowed.<br />
If your daily balance is $4,999.99 or less, the dividend rate paid on the entire balance will be 3.44%, with an<br />
APY of 3.50%. A dividend rate of 0.55% will be paid only on the portion of your daily balance that is greater<br />
than $4,999.99. The APY for this tier will range from 3.50% to 0.61%, depending on the balance in the account.<br />
<strong>New</strong> Lessons<br />
in Learning<br />
More than two years into<br />
the pandemic, schools are<br />
still facing challenges. Yet,<br />
heading into the <strong>2022</strong>-<br />
2023 academic year, many districts are<br />
embracing those struggles as learning<br />
opportunities, using the knowledge<br />
gained during difficult months to create<br />
and enhance forward-thinking programs<br />
and course offerings.<br />
Take the Maurice River Township<br />
School District in Cumberland County—one<br />
of many systems that have<br />
increased mental health efforts after<br />
seeing their students struggling during<br />
the pandemic. This fall, the district is<br />
training its staff in suicide prevention<br />
and treating trauma in children.<br />
Other districts have instituted or<br />
ramped up their peer-led mental health<br />
programs. Our education issue delves<br />
into those pandemic-fueled lessons,<br />
as well as a number of other hot topics.<br />
We chat with <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s acting<br />
education commissioner, Angelica<br />
Allen-McMillan, about issues facing<br />
parents and students as the school year<br />
begins, from teacher shortages to the<br />
state’s focus on technology to learning<br />
loss. We also spotlight unique programs<br />
and classes in K-12 and higher education<br />
across the state, like Centenary<br />
University’s brand-new master’s degree<br />
in happiness studies and Lodi<br />
High School’s state-of-the-art biomedical<br />
lab that mimics a real hospital. And<br />
who can forget Saint Peter’s University<br />
and its miraculous NCAA Tournament<br />
run? We explore the effect their success<br />
has had on a small school in <strong>Jersey</strong> City.<br />
The education section starts on<br />
page 58.<br />
This month, we’re also giving a<br />
special shout-out to reader Matthew<br />
Cohen, who won the random drawing<br />
in our 39th annual <strong>Jersey</strong> Choice<br />
Restaurant Poll, which features reader<br />
picks for their top dining spots in the<br />
state. We hope he enjoys his dinner<br />
for two.<br />
10 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION / / NO NO ASPECT OF OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY BY THE SUPREME COURT OF OF NEW JERSEY<br />
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION / NO ASPECT OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY<br />
TTN TOWNSEND<br />
TTN<br />
TOMAIO &<br />
NEWMARK TOWNSEND<br />
L.L.C.<br />
TOMAIO &<br />
TTN<br />
NEWMARK L.L.C.<br />
TOWNSEND<br />
TOMAIO &<br />
NEWMARK L.L.C.<br />
TRUSTED FAMILY<br />
LAW TRUSTED ATTORNEYS<br />
FAMILY<br />
LAW TRUSTED ATTORNEYS FAMILY<br />
LAW ATTORNEYS<br />
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION / NO ASPECT OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY<br />
Laurie L. L.<br />
<strong>New</strong>mark<br />
Laurie L.<br />
*,**No aspect of this advertisement has been<br />
approved by <strong>New</strong>mark<br />
the Supreme Court of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
RPC7.l(a)(3). See, Superlawyers.com/about/<br />
selection_process.html<br />
Laurie L.<br />
<strong>New</strong>mark<br />
Dominic A. A.<br />
Tomaio<br />
Dominic A.<br />
Tomaio<br />
*,**No aspect of this advertisement has been<br />
approved by Dominic the Supreme A. Court of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
RPC7.l(a)(3). See, Tomaio Superlawyers.com/about/<br />
selection_process.html<br />
Paul Paul H. H.<br />
Townsend<br />
Paul H.<br />
Townsend<br />
Paul H.<br />
Townsend<br />
*,**No aspect of this advertisement has been<br />
approved by the Supreme Court of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
RPC7.l(a)(3). See, Superlawyers.com/about/<br />
selection_process.html<br />
(Back Row): Row: Christopher Jason J. Miller, R. R. Fritz, Esq.<br />
Esq., Jason J. J. Miller, Esq.<br />
(Middle Middle Row): Row: Jennifer M. M. Cornelius, Esq., Paul Nicole H. A. Townsend, A. Cioffi, Esq.**, Esq.*, Jessica Laurie S. L. S. Swenson, <strong>New</strong>mark, Esq., Esq.*, Paul John H. H. E. Townsend, Clancy, Esq.*, Esq.*,<br />
Dominic A. Tomaio, Esq.*<br />
Laurie (Back Row): L. L. <strong>New</strong>mark, Christopher Esq.*, R. John Fritz, E. E. Esq., Clancy, Jason Esq.*, J. Miller, Dominic Esq. A. A. Tomaio, Esq.*<br />
Front Row: Carly J. Steinberg, Esq., Nicole A. Cioffi, Esq.**, Angela V. Tafro, Esq., Grace Eisenberg, Esq.<br />
(Front (Middle Row): Carly Jennifer J. J. Steinberg, M. Cornelius, Esq., Esq., Kimberlin Nicole Ruiz, A. Cioffi, Esq., Esq.**, Angela Jessica V. V. Tafro, S. Esq., Swenson, Grace Esq., Eisenberg, Paul H. Esq. Townsend, Esq.*,<br />
Laurie *CHOSEN L. <strong>New</strong>mark,<br />
*CHOSEN<br />
TO SUPER Esq.*, LAWYERS John E. Clancy, **CHOSEN Esq.*, TO Dominic RISING A. STARS Tomaio, Esq.*<br />
(Front (Back Row): TO TO Christopher Carly<br />
SUPER J. Steinberg,<br />
LAWYERS<br />
R. Fritz, Esq., Esq., **CHOSEN Kimberlin Jason J. TO Miller, Ruiz, TO RISING Esq., STARS<br />
Angela V. Tafro, Esq., Grace Eisenberg, Esq.<br />
(Middle *,**No aspect Row): of Jennifer this advertisement M. Cornelius, has been Esq., approved Nicole by A. the Cioffi, Supreme Esq.**, Court Jessica of <strong>New</strong> S. <strong>Jersey</strong> Swenson, RPC7.l(a)(3). Esq., Paul See, Superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html<br />
H. Townsend, Esq.*,<br />
*CHOSEN Laurie L. <strong>New</strong>mark, TO SUPER Esq.*, LAWYERS John E. Clancy, **CHOSEN Esq.*, TO Dominic RISING A. STARS Tomaio, Esq.*<br />
(Front Row): Carly J. Steinberg, Esq., Kimberlin Ruiz, Esq., Angela V. Tafro, Esq., Grace Eisenberg, Esq.<br />
*CHOSEN TO SUPER LAWYERS<br />
“Our<br />
**CHOSEN priority<br />
TO RISING STARS<br />
today,<br />
is “Our protecting priority today, your tomorrow.”<br />
is<br />
As “Our protecting<br />
As one of of <strong>New</strong> priority your<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>’s prestigious today, tomorrow.”<br />
and wellsought-after<br />
As one of <strong>New</strong> family <strong>Jersey</strong>’s law prestigious firms, Townsend, and well-<br />
Tomaio<br />
is protecting your tomorrow.”<br />
& sought-after <strong>New</strong>mark, L.L.C. family is law is built firms, on on this Townsend, promise:<br />
Tomaio<br />
“Our & As <strong>New</strong>mark, one priority of <strong>New</strong> L.L.C. today, <strong>Jersey</strong>’s is is is built protecting prestigious on this your promise: and tomorrow.”<br />
wellsought-after<br />
priority today, family is law protecting firms, Townsend, your tomorrow.” Tomaio<br />
“Our<br />
From the most complex matter to to the simplest<br />
& <strong>New</strong>mark, L.L.C. is built on this promise:<br />
case, From this firm’s powerhouse of of attorneys<br />
“Our priority the most today, complex is protecting matter to your the tomorrow.” simplest<br />
understands case, this firm’s the powerhouse sensitive nature of attorneys of of family<br />
conflict. understands From the TTN most the is is committed complex sensitive matter nature to to providing<br />
to of the family simplest<br />
unwavering conflict. case, this TTN firm’s support is committed powerhouse and compassionate<br />
to of providing attorneys<br />
guidance unwavering understands in order support the sensitive to to and empower compassionate<br />
nature every of family client<br />
to guidance conflict. to persevere TTN in order through is committed to empower difficult to family providing every matters. client<br />
to unwavering persevere support through and difficult compassionate family matters.<br />
The firm’s experienced team of of skilled attorneys<br />
guidance in order to empower every client<br />
and The staff focus on on family law litigation and<br />
to persevere firm’s experienced through difficult team of family skilled matters. attorneys<br />
mediation. and staff focus The on firm family proudly law provides litigation four<br />
and<br />
partners mediation. The firm’s certified experienced The firm by by proudly the team Supreme provides of skilled Court four attorneys of of <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> partners and staff as as certified matrimonial focus by family the law Supreme law attorneys, litigation Court a a distinction and<br />
of <strong>New</strong><br />
obtained <strong>Jersey</strong> mediation. as matrimonial by by The only firm 2% proudly of of law attorneys attorneys, provides in in <strong>New</strong> a four distinction <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
Many obtained partners of of the certified by firm’s only 2% by partners the of attorneys Supreme are also in Court <strong>New</strong> mediators.<br />
of <strong>Jersey</strong>. <strong>New</strong><br />
Many <strong>Jersey</strong> of as the matrimonial firm’s partners law attorneys, are also mediators. a distinction<br />
With offices located in in Morris and Bergen<br />
obtained by only 2% of attorneys in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
counties, With offices the located firm represents in Morris clients and Bergen throughout<br />
Many the firm’s partners are also mediators.<br />
the counties, entire the state firm of of represents <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
clients throughout<br />
the With entire offices state located of <strong>New</strong> in Morris <strong>Jersey</strong>. and Bergen<br />
counties, the firm represents clients throughout<br />
Paul Townsend, Dominic Tomaio,<br />
Laurie <strong>New</strong>mark and John Clancy<br />
are Paul<br />
are certified Townsend, by by the Dominic<br />
the Supreme Tomaio, Court of of<br />
<strong>New</strong> Laurie <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>New</strong>mark as as Matrimonial and John Clancy Attorneys.<br />
are certified by the Supreme Court of<br />
Paul Townsend, Dominic Tomaio,<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> as Matrimonial Attorneys.<br />
Laurie <strong>New</strong>mark and John Clancy<br />
are certified by the Supreme Court of<br />
TOWNSEND, TOMAIO<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> as Matrimonial Attorneys.<br />
TOWNSEND, TOMAIO<br />
& TOWNSEND, NEWMARK, TOMAIO L.L.C.<br />
100 & NEWMARK, S. S. Jefferson Road<br />
L.L.C.<br />
TOWNSEND, TOMAIO<br />
Suite 100 S. 200<br />
& NEWMARK, Jefferson Road L.L.C.<br />
Whippany, Suite 200 NJ 07981<br />
PH: Whippany, 100 (973)<br />
S. Jefferson<br />
539-0075<br />
NJ 07981 Road<br />
FX: PH: Suite (973) (973) 200<br />
539-4151 539-0075<br />
21 FX: Whippany,<br />
21 Main (973) Street<br />
539-4151 NJ 07981<br />
Court PH: (973) Plaza 539-0075<br />
21 South<br />
Suite FX: Main (973) Street<br />
Court 207 Plaza 539-4151<br />
South<br />
Hackensack, Suite 21 Main 207Street<br />
NJ 07601<br />
PH: Hackensack, Court (201) Plaza<br />
285-5985<br />
South NJ 07601<br />
ttnlaw.com<br />
PH: Suite (201) 207285-5985<br />
Hackensack, NJ 07601<br />
ttnlaw.com<br />
PH: (201) 285-5985<br />
ATTORNEYS SELECTED TO TO SUPER LAWYERS AND AND RISING STARS WERE CHOSEN IN IN ACCORDANCE WITH WITH THE THE PROCESS ON ON PAGE S-XX. SUPER LAWYERS NEW JERSEY <strong>2022</strong> S-X<br />
ATTORNEYS SELECTED TO SUPER LAWYERS AND RISING STARS WERE CHOSEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCESS ON PAGE S-XX. SUPER LAWYERS NEW JERSEY <strong>2022</strong> S-X
®<br />
FEEDBACK<br />
NEW JERSEY MONTHLY<br />
digital<br />
Enter Our Cover Contest<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s favorite photo contest runs<br />
through September 15. Enter your most<br />
compelling images of the Garden State in<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong> and Unique Photo’s<br />
Cover Search by visiting njmonthly.com/<br />
coversearch22. The winning photo will<br />
appear on the December cover of NJM,<br />
and others will appear inside the issue.<br />
PROTECT OUR COASTLINE<br />
I was appalled (but not surprised) to read this quote from Stewart Farrell<br />
of Stockton University’s Coastal Research Center in the July article “Ten<br />
Years After Sandy”: “<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s oceanfront is actually in the best shape of<br />
anywhere in the country.” Let’s be frank. <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s oceanfront has been<br />
devastated by the Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of more than a billion<br />
dollars. And that devastation will be repeated for another 40 years. Worse,<br />
these projects have destroyed marine life along our coast. Everyone remembers<br />
being told as a child to hold a seashell to your ear and “listen to the<br />
ocean.” Good luck with that today. You can now walk hundreds of yards on<br />
most of our beaches without finding a seashell bigger than a pinkie nail. And<br />
most of this work has the sole purpose of protecting the beachfront mansions<br />
of the uber-rich. Who says money can’t buy happiness? As long as it’s<br />
your money and their happiness. Last October, a group of more than 20 conservation<br />
and environmental groups banded together to protest the damage<br />
and waste caused by these projects. The <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> coast is a treasure and<br />
a gift. The way we have treated it is shameful. We can and should do better.<br />
—Ross Kushner<br />
new jersey coastal alliance<br />
I am a federal-affairs lobbyist for local<br />
governments, including some in <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>. Our firm specializes in coastal<br />
matters. I enjoyed your article and found<br />
it to be far more informative than most<br />
that I read. There are serious issues along<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s coast and equally serious<br />
ones along its back bays. The shores of the<br />
latter lack the public access and other features<br />
that have enabled the coastal communities<br />
to get federal beach-nourishment<br />
assistance. The SHORE Act that was<br />
mentioned is a very helpful bill. However,<br />
it was not meant to be a bill that passed on<br />
its own. Some of its provisions have been<br />
incorporated into the Senate’s version of<br />
a biannual Water Resources Development<br />
Act. That bill sets policies and authorizes<br />
projects and programs. However, it does<br />
not appropriate a single dollar.<br />
—Howard Marlowe<br />
president, warwick group consultants<br />
See Your Home in NJM<br />
Does your home have a unique story?<br />
Did you complete a great renovation? Do<br />
guests love your interior design? If your<br />
abode belongs in NJM, send a description<br />
of what makes it special, plus 3-5 photos,<br />
to editor@njmonthly.com.<br />
Get Our Shore App<br />
Check out our <strong>Jersey</strong> Shore Beach Guide<br />
app, a location-based information source<br />
you’ll use until Labor Day and beyond. It<br />
covers 40+ beaches and directs you to the<br />
nearest attractions by location. Download<br />
it from the App Store or Google Play.<br />
Last year’s<br />
grand prize<br />
winner<br />
BOOKS IN BLUME<br />
I knew that so many great writers sprouted<br />
from our Garden State. But I just learned<br />
that my favorite author growing up, Judy<br />
Blume, is from my home state (“Judy<br />
Blume in Reel Life,” July)! I look forward to<br />
the documentary being made about her.<br />
—@classicguitarnj<br />
via twitter<br />
CONNECT WITH US<br />
Send letters and comments to editor@<br />
njmonthly.com or write to us at: Feedback,<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>, 62 Elm St. 3rd floor, Morristown,<br />
NJ 07960. Letters will be edited for<br />
length and clarity.<br />
Find a Top Doctor<br />
njmonthly.com/TopDocs<br />
Search for Upcoming Events<br />
njmonthly.com/events<br />
Buy a Past Issue<br />
njmonthly.myshopify.com<br />
12 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
garden<br />
variety<br />
h e a l t h<br />
SMASH<br />
David Falk of<br />
Cresskill has been<br />
playing the game<br />
with PingPongParkinson<br />
for the last<br />
several months.<br />
Playing may actually<br />
halt the progression<br />
of the disease.<br />
BOUNCING BACK<br />
Ping-Pong may help those who are suffering from Parkinson’s disease.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: JOHN EMERSON<br />
It’s Tuesday night at the Ready<br />
to Golf sports center in River<br />
Edge, and in the table-tennis<br />
room, the thump of piped-in<br />
disco mingles with the rhythmic<br />
pops of little plastic balls, creating<br />
a din that’s surprisingly cheerful. It’s<br />
certainly no deterrent to the dozen<br />
or so men and women who’ve come<br />
together this evening to have some fun<br />
and hone their Ping-Pong chops. The<br />
folks with the blue name tags have also<br />
come to face down a common adversary:<br />
Parkinson’s disease.<br />
Watching the players, though,<br />
you’d be hard pressed to distinguish<br />
between those with Parkinson’s and<br />
those without, except for their name<br />
tags (volunteers wear red). There’s<br />
something about the game that tames<br />
the uncontrollable body movements<br />
that characterize the disease and helps<br />
clear the mental fog that sometimes<br />
accompanies it.<br />
In fact, Ping-Pong does more than<br />
offer a temporary reprieve from symptoms;<br />
it can apparently actually halt<br />
the progression of the disease. That,<br />
essentially, is the idea behind Ping-<br />
PongParkinson, a nonprofit founded in<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 15
GARDEN VARIETY<br />
g a r d e n s<br />
CAN YOU DIG IT?<br />
Hands-on gardening workshop<br />
teaches about flowers.<br />
2017 by Nenad Bach, a musician who’s<br />
performed with the likes of Luciano<br />
Pavarotti and Bruce Springsteen, and<br />
who himself suffers from Parkinson’s.<br />
When a friend invited Bach to a game of<br />
table tennis, he discovered that playing<br />
improved both his mood and his motorskill<br />
symptoms—a find he deemed worth<br />
sharing. The first PingPongParkinson<br />
site opened in 2017 in Pleasantville, <strong>New</strong><br />
York. Soon after, Bach’s friend Elizabeth<br />
Kera, a neuropsychologist at Hackensack<br />
Medical Center, suggested he bring<br />
the organization to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, and in<br />
early 2020, PingPongParkinson opened<br />
at a facility in Westwood. The pandemic<br />
shuttered the charity and the facility, the<br />
latter permanently, so in March, Ping-<br />
PongParkinson reopened in its current<br />
location in River Edge. Other United<br />
States locations can be found at pingpod.<br />
com and wearespin.com.<br />
Ping-Pong isn’t the only activity that<br />
ameliorates the symptoms of Parkinson’s,<br />
which can include tremor,<br />
rigidity, slowed movement, impaired<br />
posture and balance, and changes in<br />
speech and writing. “Any physical activity<br />
that’s challenging, nuanced, and<br />
pushes a patient to work on something<br />
that doesn’t come naturally helps<br />
prolong the life span of dopamine-producing<br />
cells in the brain,” says Elena<br />
Clar, a movement-disorders neurologist<br />
at the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Brain and Spine<br />
Center and, like Kera, a member of<br />
PingPongParkinson’s advisory board.<br />
Parkinson’s attacks those cells, which<br />
RALLYING<br />
Elizabeth<br />
Kera, left, and<br />
Elena Clar.<br />
help regulate heart rate, attention,<br />
movement and mood.<br />
What makes Ping-Pong so beneficial<br />
for people with Parkinson’s, Kera<br />
explains, is that, in addition to drawing<br />
on a wide range of motor skills, like<br />
hand-eye coordination and reaction<br />
time, it also exercises cognitive abilities<br />
that can be affected by the disease.<br />
“Pongers”—the organization’s term<br />
for players with Parkinson’s—“are<br />
working on visual scanning, visual tension<br />
and problem-solving,” she says.<br />
“There’s a lot of strategy involved: You<br />
might spin the ball or hit it on the side.”<br />
It’s also social—a boon to a population<br />
that may feel increasingly isolated as<br />
the disease progresses.<br />
Like many people with Parkinson’s,<br />
Cresskill resident David Falk attends<br />
physical therapy, but finds it “regimented,”<br />
whereas Ping-Pong is pleasurable<br />
and social in nature. As we speak,<br />
the paddle in his hand shakes slightly.<br />
But “my hands aren’t as shaky when I’m<br />
playing, and I’m more focused,” he says.<br />
For Andy Lieb, a ponger from Paramus,<br />
focus is key. “If my mind isn’t on myself<br />
but on a task,” he says, “I move much<br />
more freely.” Both Falk and Lieb are<br />
PingPongParkinson regulars, two of the<br />
20 to 30 pongers who usually show up<br />
on Tuesday nights. “Parkinson’s makes<br />
you small,” Falk explains. “This,” he<br />
says, gesturing at the spirited games<br />
going on around him, “makes you a little<br />
bit bigger.”<br />
—Leslie Garisto Pfaff<br />
jardin de buis, a world-class, formalgarden<br />
estate in Hunterdon County,<br />
will host a three-day, intensive Sustainable<br />
Flowers Project workshop that<br />
takes green thumbers from soil to vase.<br />
The September 18–21 affair will be<br />
facilitated by Sustainable Floristry<br />
Network ambassadors Becky Feasby<br />
and TJ McGrath.<br />
“We will create pure magic with<br />
locally sourced, seasonal blooms as<br />
we discuss the importance of soil<br />
health, regenerative growing practices,<br />
sustainable design mechanics and<br />
the healing power of flowers,” says<br />
McGrath, a Plainfield resident. Other<br />
leading floral designers and authors<br />
will also explore groundbreaking<br />
techniques and inspire blossoming<br />
relationships among growers, designers<br />
and flower sellers.<br />
The hands-on program will happen<br />
in Califon on the 35-acre grounds<br />
of Jardin de Buis, an 18th-century<br />
dairy farm transformed into a private<br />
residence, where landscape designers<br />
and soil experts Andrea Filippone<br />
and Eric Fleisher have established and<br />
maintain vast, sustainable gardens.<br />
The fee for three days of study with<br />
industry masters is $2,800. Tuition<br />
includes catered, on-site breakfasts,<br />
lunches and a sit-down dinner, as well<br />
as all flowers and materials necessary<br />
for the zero-waste workshop. For more<br />
registration information, visit tjmcgrathdesign.com.<br />
—Susan Brierly Bush<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: (KERA AND CLAR) JOHN EMERSON; (FLOWERS) COURTESY OF TJ MCGRATH DESIGNS<br />
16 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
kean.edu/jazz-roots<br />
KEAN UNIVERSITY<br />
Music Festival<br />
Free Outdoor Concert at<br />
Kean’s East Campus, Hillside, NJ<br />
Saturday, September 24<br />
Rain Date: Sunday, September 25<br />
Live Music & F ood Trucks
GARDEN VARIETY | Q&A<br />
poems [in the book] got their<br />
start at the winter getaway that<br />
[Stockton University’s] Murphy<br />
Writing program does…. I think<br />
of “The End of Limbo”—the<br />
one about Purgatory and my<br />
grandmother—as being kind of<br />
like a secret <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> poem,<br />
because I’m sitting in a hotel<br />
room at the Seaview…. I have<br />
such a clear memory of writing it<br />
[there].... I was so specifically in<br />
that place.<br />
Are Murphy Writing workshops<br />
open to any interested writer in<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>?<br />
Yes…. It’s so welcoming to<br />
people from a really wide variety<br />
of backgrounds and levels of<br />
experience. Everyone from high<br />
school and college students, to<br />
people who are retired, to people<br />
who’ve written and published<br />
books, to people who’ve always<br />
wanted to write but weren’t really<br />
sure how to get started. And<br />
everybody finds a space.<br />
VITALS<br />
AGE 39<br />
GREW UP IN<br />
Pittsburgh<br />
LIVES IN Collingswood<br />
RÉSUMÉ Author of<br />
Pocket Universe and<br />
Double Jinx; coeditor,<br />
with Emily<br />
Pérez, of The Long<br />
Devotion: Poets<br />
Writing Motherhood;<br />
professor at<br />
Stockton University<br />
UPCOMING<br />
Featured reader<br />
in poetry tent at<br />
Collingswood Book<br />
Festival on October<br />
1; teacher at<br />
Stockton’s Murphy<br />
Writing workshops<br />
this winter<br />
a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h<br />
Nancy Reddy<br />
Collingswood-based writer<br />
Nancy Reddy’s latest collection<br />
of poems, Pocket Universe (LSU<br />
Press, <strong>2022</strong>) echoes a sentiment<br />
put forth by the late poet<br />
Muriel Rukeyser: “What would<br />
happen if one woman told the<br />
truth about her life? / The world<br />
would split open.” Through<br />
research and radical candor,<br />
Reddy explores the harsh<br />
histories and messy realities of<br />
childbearing and motherhood,<br />
alongside their poignant privileges—arriving<br />
at a portrait of<br />
domestic life that is simultaneously<br />
agonizing and elegant.<br />
There’s a poem in Pocket<br />
Universe, “The Universe Has<br />
a Temperature,” in which the<br />
speaker drives her baby to the<br />
emergency room on Atlantic<br />
City’s Pacific Avenue. You’re<br />
not a Garden State native, but is<br />
there anything distinctly <strong>Jersey</strong>esque<br />
that you feel has seeped<br />
into your writing since you’ve<br />
lived here?<br />
I’m often writing a couple of<br />
years in the past…but there are<br />
some specific <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> moments<br />
[in this book]. There’s the<br />
one you point out; that was when<br />
we lived in Ventnor.... I learned<br />
that the best children’s E.R. in<br />
the area is in Atlantic City, which<br />
makes sense—but it shares a<br />
parking lot with Caesars, which<br />
was just such a weird experience<br />
for me, to have this very sick—<br />
not life-threateningly, but very<br />
sick—baby, and I was so upset—<br />
and I was also parked in a casino.<br />
I was like, What is happening?!<br />
Where AM I?…. A couple of the<br />
Pocket Universe contains a lot of<br />
unsettling images and questions,<br />
but there’s also plenty of<br />
beauty and wonder and awe.<br />
The very last poem is wistful,<br />
but it ends on a decidedly hopeful<br />
note. Did you know early on<br />
that you wanted to conclude<br />
that way?<br />
It became clear probably pretty<br />
early on that there was gonna<br />
need to be some more points<br />
of light and joy, and I tried to<br />
kind of structure it around that:<br />
Where can we find some moments<br />
of hope and lightness? And then,<br />
ultimately, it does arc towards<br />
that. I’ve had a couple of friends<br />
read the book, and they’re like,<br />
“I got to ‘Postpartum’ and I<br />
stopped,” and I’m like, “No!<br />
Please keep going! It doesn’t stop<br />
there!” And I think it was a good<br />
practice for me, too, just in my<br />
own life, to be aware of the moments<br />
of joy here: Where are the<br />
moments of lightness even when<br />
things are hard?<br />
—Jennifer Finn<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF MISSIE JURICK<br />
18 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
PANCREATIC CANCER SCREENING<br />
Leading-edge<br />
pancreatic cancer screening<br />
LEADING<br />
to early detection.<br />
Finding pancreatic cancer early, when it is most treatable, is difficult.<br />
CentraState’s innovative program for people with a family history<br />
of the disease is designed to change that. Through genetic<br />
testing and counseling, we’ll assess your pancreatic<br />
cancer risk and provide you with a customized<br />
screening plan that enables early detection.<br />
Because when we find cancer early, we also<br />
find hope.<br />
Your cancer care—it’s personal.<br />
Learn more:<br />
centrastate.com/cancer<br />
Alexander Itskovich, MD<br />
Pancreatic Surgeon
GARDEN VARIETY<br />
s p o r t s<br />
Surf ’s Up at Shore High Schools<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s coastal teams have become highly competitive in East Coast events.<br />
CATCH A WAVE<br />
Audrey Iglay<br />
(17) surfing for<br />
Manasquan High<br />
School Surf Team<br />
in a contest between<br />
Manasquan<br />
and Point Pleasant<br />
surf clubs.<br />
It’s probably fair to say that<br />
many haven’t heard of the<br />
Manasquan High School vs.<br />
Ocean City High School surfteam<br />
rivalry.<br />
But the schools, which represent<br />
two of the Shore’s thriving surf communities,<br />
dominate state competitions.<br />
Ocean City has taken 12 titles<br />
and Manasquan eight titles, since they<br />
began competing against each other 20<br />
years ago. No other school has managed<br />
to win even a single championship.<br />
They are just two of the dozen high<br />
schools in the state that have surfing<br />
teams and compete each year in meets<br />
that run in September and October.<br />
Since the inception of high school<br />
surfing in the mid-1980s, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
has grown to feature one of the most<br />
comprehensive and organized high<br />
school surf networks of any state on the<br />
East Coast. Ten of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s high<br />
school teams have competed in the National<br />
Championships in California.<br />
Surf teams are coached by teachers<br />
who are usually surfers themselves, as<br />
well as volunteers from the community.<br />
Each school has surfers in three<br />
divisions: boys, girls and longboard.<br />
The school with the most top surfers<br />
wins the National Scholastic Surfing<br />
Association Joe Keenan High School<br />
Championship Award. Some years,<br />
the waves are tiny, but there have been<br />
legendary events where the kids are<br />
challenged by big nor’easter swells.<br />
In Ocean City High School, the sport<br />
fields meet right at the boardwalk.<br />
Its surf team has produced more pro<br />
surfers than anywhere in the state and<br />
dominated the first 25 years of wave<br />
riding, winning every year except one.<br />
Its former coach, Mark Miedama, led<br />
the Red Raiders for 35 years, with 23<br />
titles and five trips to the National<br />
Championships.<br />
A surfer himself, Miedama retired<br />
from teaching and coaching last year.<br />
“I saw so many changes in high school<br />
competitive surfing since 1986…mostly<br />
positive. I got to witness the surfers<br />
become recognized as true student athletes,<br />
and unfortunately, a slower move<br />
towards equity with girls’ representation<br />
in contests. But it’s there now,” he says.<br />
Schools that compete include St.<br />
Augustine Prep, Southern Regional,<br />
Ocean City, Mainland Regional, Atlantic<br />
City, Lower Township, Holy Spirit,<br />
Manasquan, Point Pleasant, Wall and<br />
Donovan Catholic.<br />
“It’s inspiring to see how many<br />
schools have backed surfing as a legitimate<br />
sport,” Miedama adds.<br />
—Jon Coen<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: CATALINA FRAGOSO<br />
20 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
GARDEN VARIETY<br />
l a w e n f o r c e m e n t<br />
LICENSING THE POLICE<br />
They must now pass periodic professional and<br />
psychological training classes every three years.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF EDWIN J. TORRES/NJ GOVERNOR’S OFFICE<br />
new jersey became the 47 th<br />
state to establish a police licensure<br />
program when Governor<br />
Phil Murphy signed bill S2742/<br />
A4194 into law in July <strong>2022</strong>.<br />
The new legislation, allocating<br />
$6 million for the program,<br />
requires all law enforcement<br />
officers to hold a current,<br />
valid license issued by the<br />
Police Training Commission<br />
(PTC) in order to become and<br />
remain employed anywhere in<br />
the state. To obtain a license,<br />
which must be renewed every<br />
three years, officers must pass<br />
training courses and psychological<br />
evaluations and adhere<br />
to uniform, statewide, professional<br />
standards.<br />
“Officers holding these<br />
licenses will be proven professionals<br />
who fulfill their duties<br />
with honesty and integrity,<br />
helping law enforcement<br />
strengthen and rebuild the<br />
bonds of trust between police<br />
and residents,” says Murphy.<br />
The new law also grants the<br />
PTC the authority to remove<br />
the license of any officer<br />
who violates professional<br />
standards, including being<br />
convicted of any crime or act<br />
of domestic violence, having<br />
two or more DUI offenses, and<br />
supporting violence, hatred,<br />
discrimination or bias against<br />
POLICING<br />
Governor<br />
Murphy signs<br />
legislation on<br />
licensing.<br />
any race, creed, sexual orientation<br />
or anything else protected<br />
by the federal law against<br />
discrimination.<br />
“The bill, while it is progress,<br />
is not as strong as it could<br />
or should be,” says Racquel<br />
Romans-Henry from the<br />
Trenton-based advocacy group<br />
Salvation and Social Justice.<br />
“We were looking for there to<br />
be an addition of some group<br />
that represents communities<br />
most impacted by policing,”<br />
says Yannick Wood from the<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Institute for Social<br />
Justice. His organization also<br />
calls for the creation of a<br />
public, national, governmentowned<br />
database of licensing<br />
decisions and civilian review<br />
boards for complaints of police<br />
misconduct.<br />
—Amanda Staab<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, we have your back…<br />
It’s not just about Rate!<br />
With 52+ LENDERS we’ll find you<br />
5 or more options for your<br />
OPTIMUM Mortgage!<br />
Comparing: Rate, Price, Closing<br />
Costs, and Lender Incentives<br />
For<br />
OFFERS<br />
use our<br />
QR Code<br />
Rent<br />
increase?<br />
Why rent?<br />
You Can<br />
OWN!<br />
973-440-9255 FOALends.com<br />
Enter To Win A Mortgage!<br />
Giving away up to $230k in prizes<br />
Check out our<br />
previous winner<br />
using the<br />
QR Code above<br />
Have a lender already? Check out our Check Mate Guarantee!<br />
If we can’t beat your lender’s written offer in two of our four categories…You get a $100 Amazon gift card<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 21
GARDEN VARIETY<br />
A CUT ABOVE<br />
Justin Bailey’s<br />
hand-hewned<br />
cutting boards,<br />
bread lames<br />
and more, are<br />
primarily made<br />
of ash, walnut,<br />
maple and<br />
cherry woods.<br />
ta s t e m a k e r<br />
Whittled Wonders<br />
Justin Bailey’s hand-carved utilitarian goods don’t blend into the woodwork.<br />
Woodworker Justin<br />
Bailey loves<br />
the outdoors,<br />
and it shows.<br />
Before a cutting<br />
board, saltbox or cracker tray leaves<br />
his Rahway garage turned woodshop,<br />
it’s stamped with his self-designed<br />
Campfire Woodworks logo—a flame<br />
fueled by a hammer and saw.<br />
“When I moved to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> four<br />
years ago, I started doing woodworking<br />
seriously, and I needed a name for<br />
the company. Campfire Woodworks<br />
felt natural. If I’m not in the woodshop,<br />
I spend most of my free time sitting<br />
around a campfire,” says Bailey,<br />
who works full-time as a volunteerrelations<br />
manager at a nonprofitoutdoor<br />
conservation group, the<br />
Appalachian Mountain Club.<br />
The 36-year-old, self-taught<br />
woodworker transforms walnut,<br />
maple, cherry and ash, often sourced<br />
from J.H. Monteath Lumber Co. in<br />
Old Bridge, into functional, decorative<br />
pieces. “I take everyday objects<br />
and elevate their quality and style,”<br />
he says.<br />
Among them is a tostone press. “You<br />
can find them for $5 in any supermarket<br />
with a Latin section,” he says. “I made<br />
one you’d want to hang on your wall or<br />
keep on your countertop.”<br />
When a request for a bread<br />
lame (pronounced lahm)<br />
came from one of his 22,000<br />
Instagram followers, Bailey<br />
CAMPFIRE<br />
WOODWORKS<br />
Rahway<br />
campfirewoodworks.com<br />
had to google, “What’s a bread lame?”<br />
Since making one for that customer, he<br />
estimates he’s made about 100 of the<br />
bread-scoring devices.<br />
His most requested items are one-ofa-kind<br />
display cases for collections such<br />
as military medals and presidential<br />
pins. Large items including tables, carts<br />
and stools are also made for clients in<br />
and around <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, he says.<br />
Bailey’s latest endeavors are signature<br />
product lines incorporating his favorite<br />
features: inlaid brass, the graceful<br />
curve of a serving board, or ergonomically<br />
friendly handles—just<br />
the kinds of ideas you’d<br />
expect to be sparked sitting<br />
around a roaring campfire.<br />
—Monica Cardoza<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF CAMPFIRE WOODWORKS<br />
22 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
COVER SEARCH<br />
CONTEST/<strong>2022</strong><br />
ENTER YOUR<br />
NJ PHOTOS<br />
WIN!<br />
32 GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS<br />
BEST<br />
PHOTOS<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong> and Unique Photo Present<br />
T H E COV E R S E A R C H 2 0 2 1 W I N N E R S<br />
GRAND PR IZE !<br />
W<br />
WINNING IMAGE<br />
will be showcased on our<br />
December Cover<br />
AND, win an<br />
incredible<br />
photography<br />
package<br />
$ 13,000<br />
PRIZES WORTH A TOTAL OF<br />
+<br />
1st Place<br />
Schooling<br />
the Youth<br />
By Anthony<br />
DiMatteo<br />
Last Year’s<br />
DECEMBER 2021 $4 .99<br />
Grand Prize<br />
WINNER<br />
on our COVER!<br />
DEC 2021 COVER FINAL.indd 1 11/3/21 11:12 AM<br />
GRAND PRIZE<br />
NIKON Z6 Mark II<br />
with 24-70mm f4<br />
SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS:<br />
njmonthly.com/coversearch22<br />
Enter as often as you like, through<br />
September 15.<br />
RUNNER UP<br />
A7III with 28-70<br />
MULTIPLE CATEGORIES TO ENTER, GREAT PRIZES FOR ALL!<br />
RUNNER UP IN CATEGORIES: Receive a $100 UNIQUE PHOTO Gift Card (Student runner up wins Camera)<br />
NATURE & LANDSCAPE<br />
Z50 W/ 16-50<br />
ARCHITECTURE<br />
FUJIFILM X100V<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
Panasonic G7 W 14-42<br />
PETS<br />
Sony Z-V1<br />
DOWN THE SHORE<br />
X-T30 II with 15-45<br />
WILDLIFE<br />
SIGMA 100-400MM<br />
SPECIAL<br />
including Drone and Aerial<br />
Canon RP W/ 24-105<br />
ANALOG/FILM<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
$500 worth of film<br />
STUDENT<br />
• PN ZS70<br />
• FJ MINI EVO with Film<br />
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>
GARDEN VARIETY<br />
INSTANT HEIRLOOMS<br />
Cara Brown Designs<br />
transforms artifacts into<br />
signature necklaces and<br />
vintage tweed LifeJackets,<br />
modeled above by<br />
the designer.<br />
ta s t e m a k e r<br />
Treasure Hunter<br />
Cara Brown repurposes found objects to create a legacy of bespoke fashion.<br />
J<br />
ewelry designer Cara Brown of<br />
Hopewell Township is always<br />
on the lookout for vintage artifacts<br />
to transform into one-ofa-kind,<br />
statement necklaces.<br />
“I should have been a pirate because<br />
I’m passionate about collecting old<br />
beads and unusual brooches and belt<br />
buckles,” she says. “When I sit down to<br />
design new pieces, I warn my family to<br />
steer clear. Then I spread everything<br />
out and begin creating about 50 necklaces<br />
at a time.”<br />
Brown’s mother was an interior<br />
designer, so her early years were spent<br />
surrounded by beautiful things. After<br />
graduating from Vanderbilt University,<br />
she and a partner began creating<br />
Christmas ornaments from antique<br />
jewelry and beads. Eventually, their<br />
decorative holiday baubles were sold<br />
to Neiman Marcus. Almost 20 years<br />
later, after raising three children with<br />
her husband in their 18th-century<br />
Mercer County farmhouse, Brown<br />
introduced a trendsetting collection of<br />
handcrafted necklaces.<br />
Within a year, Barneys NYC<br />
and Saks Fifth Ave picked up her<br />
two lines—some pendants made of<br />
old objects and some crafted with<br />
antique horse brasses that previously<br />
adorned the leather harnesses<br />
of working equines. Today, Brown’s<br />
jewelry can be found at luxury<br />
boutiques across the country and at<br />
carabrowndesigns.com.<br />
“Cara Brown Designs was inspired<br />
by my desire to repurpose vintage<br />
objects and transform something old<br />
into a classic art piece to layer with<br />
one’s fine jewelry,” she says. Initially,<br />
Brown made a few necklaces for herself,<br />
but people literally began<br />
buying them off her neck,<br />
CARA BROWN<br />
Hopewell Township<br />
carabrowndesigns.com<br />
in the nail salon and even<br />
on airplanes.<br />
“Each of my hand-knotted<br />
pendants includes semi-precious<br />
or antique beads to create a one-of-akind<br />
work of art that can distinguish a<br />
woman’s everyday uniform,” she says.<br />
The designer’s latest passion<br />
project, the Cara Brown LifeJacket,<br />
captures the chapters of one’s life on<br />
hand-selected, vintage tweed jackets.<br />
“Each LifeJacket tells a special<br />
story. We begin with a one-on-one<br />
consultation, then each jacket is custom<br />
tailored and hand embroidered<br />
to reflect special occasions and life<br />
events,” she says. Brown’s own Life-<br />
Jacket highlights personal milestones<br />
as well as her hometown, places she<br />
has lived, her wedding date and her<br />
children’s birthdays.<br />
Whether it’s a one-of-a-kind pendant<br />
or a tweed LifeJacket, each Cara<br />
Brown creation is an immediate<br />
conversation starter—<br />
and a future heirloom.<br />
— Susan Brierly Bush<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: (NECKLACE) COURTESY OF BENOIT CORTET; (CARA BROWN) COURTESY OF VIOLETTA PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
24 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM<br />
Follow our style editor on Instagram @susanbrierlybush
Custom content<br />
drives sales<br />
A division of<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong><br />
Content<br />
Marketing<br />
Solutions<br />
Custom Publishing<br />
WE CREATE...<br />
magazines • guides • look books • catalogs<br />
print • digital • video • social • newsletters<br />
Connect with our team of experts<br />
marketing strategy • publication design • feature writing<br />
custom photography • distribution strategy<br />
62 media group helps you build more profitable<br />
customer relationships, through beautifully presented,<br />
well-written and custom delivered publications.<br />
LET’S TALK!<br />
Melissa Drozdoff 908-295-5035<br />
mdrozdoff@njmonthly.com
GARDEN VARIETY | GIVING BACK<br />
ridgeview conservancy<br />
PROTECTING<br />
NJ’S WATERWAYS<br />
Student scientist found her passion<br />
volunteering at local conservancy.<br />
ENVIRONMENTALLY<br />
CONSCIOUS<br />
Sonja Michaluk has her<br />
very own lab, where the<br />
18-year-old studies and<br />
works to preserve <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>’s waterways.<br />
Sonja Michaluk first collected water samples<br />
from Princeton wetlands at age six. Soon after,<br />
she began exploring <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> waterways,<br />
gathering info to share with local officials.<br />
“Since fourth grade, Sonja has not only generated<br />
data, but translated it so that policy makers and the<br />
public can understand it,” says Patricia Shanley, PhD, director<br />
of stewardship at Ridgeview Conservancy, a Princeton nonprofit<br />
that preserves forests and wetlands. “She has presented<br />
her findings in compelling ways in front of daunting audiences<br />
such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.”<br />
Now an 18-year-old research scientist and student at<br />
Carnegie Mellon University, Michaluk says volunteering<br />
at Ridgeview Conservancy fostered her love of nature at a<br />
young age. As a member of the Conservancy’s Woodland<br />
Explorers, an educational program for elementary schoolchildren,<br />
she would recite entire lessons to her family while<br />
Educational<br />
programs connect<br />
students<br />
to nature by<br />
designing trails<br />
and programs to<br />
inspire observation<br />
and action.<br />
In 20<strong>09</strong>.<br />
Private donations<br />
are welcome.<br />
GIVE<br />
YOUR<br />
TIME<br />
If you are in or<br />
near Princeton,<br />
consider<br />
volunteering<br />
at Ridgeview<br />
Conservancy.<br />
The Garden State<br />
has other, similar<br />
watershed organizations<br />
that welcome<br />
volunteers<br />
as well.<br />
LEARN<br />
MORE<br />
Visit ridgeviewconservancy.org/<br />
our-initiatives.<br />
TO FIND OUT ABOUT UPCOMING BENEFITS GO TO NJMONTHLY.COM.<br />
encouraging them to walk nearby trails<br />
and try edible plants. “I grew up splashing<br />
in streams,” Michaluk adds. “I loved<br />
seeing green frogs, bullfrogs, garter<br />
snakes and milk snakes. It’s a wonderful<br />
environment to see and to explore.”<br />
From 2014 to 2020, Michaluk<br />
contributed to the preservation of<br />
ecologically sensitive wetlands and<br />
wildlife corridors in Central <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> by analyzing field data and<br />
sharing it with local and state officials.<br />
In 2019, the Hopewell Valley Central<br />
High School alumna received the<br />
Stockholm Junior Water Prize for her<br />
work monitoring the health of <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
waterways. Michaluk’s findings<br />
looked at the health of Chironomidae,<br />
a non-biting midge related to mosquitoes.<br />
“Chironomidae live in waterways<br />
all over the world—even in Antarctica,”<br />
Michaluk says. “Monitoring<br />
Chironmidae allows us to determine<br />
the health of the waterways.”<br />
Michaluk’s work has been internationally<br />
recognized, published in<br />
Encyclopaedia Britannica, presented<br />
at conferences, and featured in<br />
climate-change films. She won the<br />
President’s Environmental Youth<br />
Award from the U.S. Environmental<br />
Protection Agency, a Grand Award<br />
at the Intel International Science<br />
and Engineering Fair, and the Gloria<br />
Barron Prize for Young Heroes. In<br />
2016, the Massachusetts Institute of<br />
Technology named a minor planet<br />
after her, and she has influenced <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> construction and development<br />
regulations.<br />
Today, Michaluk still volunteers at<br />
Ridgeview Conservancy when she’s<br />
not in school. She now holds the title<br />
of scientific advisor. Her advice? Others<br />
should donate their time as well.<br />
“I got hands-on experience, was<br />
mentored by wonderful people, and<br />
had fun,” Michaluk says. “Volunteering<br />
is a good way to find your<br />
passion.” —Michele C. Hollow<br />
SUBMIT INFORMATION ABOUT A NONPROFIT OR BENEFIT VIA GIVINGBACK@NJMONTHLY.COM.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF GLORIA BARRON PRIZE FOR YOUNG HEROES<br />
28 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
EVERYTHING<br />
YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE<br />
JERSEY SHORE<br />
(ANY TIME, ANYWHERE)<br />
From the experts at<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> Shore<br />
BEACH GUIDE<br />
free!<br />
APP<br />
where<br />
to eat<br />
TOWN-BY-TOWN<br />
DINING GUIDE<br />
where<br />
to meet<br />
REAL-TIME UPDATES<br />
ON CONCERTS<br />
& FESTIVALS<br />
what<br />
to do<br />
COMPLETE LISTINGS<br />
OF YOUR FAVORITE<br />
SHORE EVENTS<br />
ALLIED BEVERAGE GROUP<br />
the best<br />
beaches<br />
DETAILS ON BEACH<br />
FEES, FACILITIES &<br />
TOP ATTRACTIONS<br />
the best<br />
bars<br />
OUR GUIDE TO<br />
SHORE NIGHTLIFE<br />
the inside<br />
story<br />
ACCESS OUR ARCHIVE<br />
OF ARTICLES & REVIEWS<br />
SPONSORED BY<br />
Get it today!<br />
njmonthly.com/beachguide<br />
GET IT ON
GARDEN VARIETY | ONLY IN NEW JERSEY<br />
MOVING<br />
AHEAD<br />
Local colleges<br />
and universities<br />
have had to rapidly<br />
adapt and<br />
evolve during<br />
the pandmic.<br />
HOW HIGHER EDUCATION<br />
HAS CHANGED FOREVER<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> schools can never go back to<br />
the way things were before the pandemic.<br />
When the pandemic hit in March<br />
2020, no sector was left unscathed.<br />
As Covid-19 evolved<br />
and the months turned into<br />
years, leaders from health care,<br />
small business, banking, nonprofits and academia<br />
continued to find ways to pivot and adapt. As a new<br />
school year begins, it is timely to talk to a leader in<br />
higher education to analyze the challenges colleges<br />
and universities have faced, the lessons learned and<br />
the idea of moving forward.<br />
Lamont O. Repollet, EdD has led Kean University<br />
as its president since May 2020. Prior to becoming<br />
Kean’s president, he served 2 1/2 years as <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s<br />
commissioner of education under Governor<br />
Phil Murphy, overseeing the shift to remote education<br />
amid the pandemic and playing a key role in<br />
planning for the 2020-2021 school year. (Full disclosure:<br />
Kean University supports a series called Urban<br />
By Steve Adubato<br />
Matters that I anchor on public broadcasting.)<br />
“When it comes to higher ed, everyone believed<br />
a brick-and-mortar institution with synchronous<br />
learning was the most effective form of instruction,”<br />
says Repollet. “But over the past 2 1/2 years,<br />
we have realized how resilient the workforce is,<br />
and that we can actually leverage technology and<br />
innovation to operate in a virtual space and facilitate<br />
learning.”<br />
While Repollet believes that virtual learning is<br />
probably not optimal for all, especially considering<br />
some inequalities and inequities we have in<br />
education, he recognizes the importance of flexibility,<br />
partnerships and collaboration to help students<br />
prepare for the year ahead and succeed.<br />
Says Repollet: “We are working diligently to<br />
prepare our campuses and our faculty to meet the<br />
unique needs of incoming students this fall. We<br />
know that with all the upheaval the pandemic created,<br />
students at all levels have suffered learning<br />
loss.” Repollet says that Kean is looking closely at<br />
its general-education courses and finding ways to<br />
address learning loss, recognizing that each student<br />
enters the classroom with different needs. He<br />
says it is all about taking a “student-centered approach”<br />
while creating flexibility for faculty.<br />
Yet, Repollet reminds us, we can’t stop with academics,<br />
adding, “Students need social-emotional<br />
support outside the classroom as well. All of our<br />
lives have been impacted by Covid-19, and some<br />
students have had their lives completely upended.”<br />
Since Kean serves a diverse student population, including<br />
a large percentage of first-generation students<br />
and adult learners, the university is developing<br />
an advising model to help ensure every student<br />
feels connected and supported.<br />
And while we all agree that <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> and the<br />
nation can never go back to the way things were<br />
pre-pandemic, Repollet says, “some wonderful opportunities<br />
abound, like leveraging connections<br />
students made all over the world via Zoom to create<br />
tangible experiential learning through internships<br />
and travel-learns.”<br />
For colleges and universities, the pandemic<br />
brought transformation and innovation at a speed<br />
never seen before. It has changed higher education<br />
forever. This isn’t a question of whether it is<br />
simply good or bad, but rather, how all of us, but<br />
particularly students and those who teach them,<br />
adapt and evolve.<br />
STEVE ADUBATO, PHD, is the author of five books including his latest, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy® Award-winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJ PBS.<br />
Check out steveadubato.org. Steve has appeared on CNN, FOX5 in NY and NBC’s Today Show and his “Lessons in Leadership” video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays<br />
at 10 am on <strong>New</strong>s 12+. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. For more information,<br />
visit stand-deliver.com.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: SUSAN TUCKER/SHUTTERSTOCK<br />
30 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
A REAL CATCH<br />
Nate Burleson<br />
used to play for the<br />
Vikings, Seahawks<br />
and Lions. Now the<br />
former NFL wide<br />
receiver is a c0host<br />
on CBS Mornings.<br />
PEOPLE<br />
Bigger Than Football<br />
NJ resident Nate Burleson spent 11 years catching passes in the NFL. Now he’s enjoying a<br />
meteoric broadcasting career that’s transcended sports. By Gary Phillips<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF MICHELE CROWE/CBS<br />
Peter Schrager remembers<br />
the research Nate<br />
Burleson put into his<br />
move to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
A former NFL wide<br />
receiver turned Emmy-winning broadcaster,<br />
Burleson lived in Arizona at the<br />
time. He had just accepted a job as a<br />
host on NFL Network’s Good Morning<br />
Football show, which debuted in 2016,<br />
and he was ready to take his family East.<br />
So Burleson leaned heavily on Schrager,<br />
an NFL Network teammate and Freehold<br />
native, in an effort to find the best<br />
high school for his three kids. The two<br />
talked about countless public and private<br />
schools, the state of their athletic<br />
programs, and famous alumni.<br />
“Tell me about Delbarton. Tell me<br />
about Don Bosco. Tell me about Bergen<br />
Catholic,” Schrager remembers Burleson<br />
saying as he took notes with pen<br />
and pad. Never mind that all three of<br />
Burleson’s children—sons Nathaniel II,<br />
18, and Nehemiah, 16, and daughter Mia,<br />
12—were all years away from attending<br />
high school at the time. Burleson was<br />
going to make an informed decision. “I<br />
was his encyclopedia,” Schrager says.<br />
“It was almost like a recruiting informational<br />
session based on something years<br />
down the line.”<br />
It’s no surprise that Burleson was<br />
thinking about the future in that moment,<br />
though, as he has gotten ahead by<br />
thinking ahead.<br />
Now a Franklin Lakes resident and<br />
a cohost on CBS Mornings, Burleson<br />
planted the seeds for his burgeoning<br />
media career while he was still corralling<br />
passes. The third-round pick spent<br />
11 years in the NFL, totaling 135 games,<br />
457 catches, 5,630 receiving yards and 39<br />
touchdowns—plus return duties—while<br />
suiting up for the Vikings, Seahawks and<br />
Lions between 2003 and 2013. But when<br />
Burleson wasn’t busy playing football,<br />
the Canadian native found himself<br />
learning how to talk about it in front of a<br />
camera or microphone.<br />
A communications major at the<br />
University of Reno, Nevada, Burleson<br />
started doing television and local radio<br />
while he was still an active player. The<br />
40-year-old also appeared in his teams’<br />
multimedia content and attended the<br />
NFL’s Broadcast Bootcamp, which prepares<br />
players for potential media gigs.<br />
But a creative job was the original<br />
goal for Burleson, who imagined life as<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 31
JANUARY <strong>2022</strong> $4.99<br />
JAN <strong>2022</strong>_Cover_FINAL.indd 1<br />
2/7/ 2 4: 3 PM<br />
Take in a<br />
panoramic<br />
view of <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> at<br />
High Point<br />
State Park.<br />
12/8/21 1:37 PM<br />
Take Take control control of of your your<br />
financial future.<br />
Financial Planning<br />
Investment Management<br />
Retirement Planning<br />
Estate Planning<br />
Tax Planning<br />
We’ll show you how.<br />
Call 800.919.5010<br />
egan.hightoweradvisors.com<br />
Securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC member FINRA/SIPA. Hightower Advisors, LLC is a SEC registered investment advisor.<br />
PEOPLE<br />
a world-traveling poet or painter when<br />
he was a kid. Then came on-screen aspirations.<br />
When puberty hit, Burleson<br />
realized sports could be a vehicle for<br />
his dreams.<br />
“If you were to ask me as a young kid<br />
what I wanted to be, of course I would<br />
probably quickly yell out, ‘I want to play<br />
in the NBA or NFL,’” Burleson says.<br />
“But if you sat me down and talked to<br />
me about my interests, football would<br />
be the fourth or fifth thing on the list. As<br />
much as I loved the NFL—here’s a strong<br />
statement, and I’ll stick by it—even when<br />
I was playing in it, it wasn’t the most important<br />
thing in my life. I had this sixth<br />
sense that it was going to end soon. And<br />
maybe that was just me understanding<br />
that careers don’t last long.”<br />
Burleson still works in the NFL<br />
media space, lending his expertise to<br />
CBS’s pregame show, The NFL Today,<br />
Nickelodeon’s kid-friendly football<br />
programming, and the NFL Network.<br />
In May, he won his second consecutive<br />
Emmy for outstanding sports personality/studio<br />
analyst.<br />
But Burleson felt he “was put in a<br />
box just talking about football” when he<br />
was only appearing on shows dedicated<br />
to the sport. “Not to say that sports are<br />
surface level, but there were days where<br />
I felt like that. There were more important<br />
things to talk about,” Burleson says.<br />
“I didn’t feel fulfilled.”<br />
On CBS Mornings, no such problem<br />
exists. No subject is off limits, including<br />
abortion rights, mass shootings, white<br />
NJ LIVING<br />
The Burlesons<br />
now call Franklin<br />
Lakes home<br />
after moving<br />
around <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
supremacy and mental<br />
health.<br />
HOW COVID CHANGED<br />
THE WAY WE WORK IN NJ<br />
WILL LEGAL MARIJUANA BASKETBALL ROYALTY LIVES<br />
IN NJ GO UP IN SMOKE? AND THRIVES IN CAMDEN<br />
40+<br />
MUSEUMS<br />
to Discover<br />
Under-the-Radar Places to Visit in NJ<br />
52<br />
M A RC H 202 2 $4.99<br />
MAR 2_Cover_FINAL.indd 2 2/7/ 2 4: 3 PM<br />
THINGS<br />
YOU MUST DO<br />
IN NEW JERSEY<br />
The Best<br />
Places and Experiences<br />
To Check Out in <strong>2022</strong><br />
Black Swan chef<br />
James Avery ro ls up<br />
his sleeves for a meal<br />
at his restaurant.<br />
BEST NEW<br />
Dig into what NJ’s hottest<br />
chefs are cooking up.<br />
RESTAURANTS<br />
Subscribe or Give a Gift<br />
FEBRUARY <strong>2022</strong> $4.99<br />
FEB 2_Cover_FINAL.in d 1 1/4/ 2 3:27 PM<br />
Renew or pay your bill online. It’s fast & secure!<br />
Call Toll Free 888-419-0419 or Visit njmonthly.com<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF LAUREN ANZEVINO<br />
32 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
PEOPLE<br />
“I watch him on CBS and I’m impressed.<br />
I’m also a little bit amazed<br />
because, in all of our conversations, [the<br />
war in] Ukraine wasn’t going to come<br />
up, on [Good Morning Football] or off,”<br />
Schrager says, citing an example of<br />
Burleson’s versatility. “And there he is,<br />
speaking eloquently on Ukraine. He’s<br />
incredibly well-read and he puts the<br />
work in. If he did feel boxed in, he certainly<br />
didn’t show that to us, because he<br />
gave us 100 percent just talking about<br />
running backs and tight ends.”<br />
Schrager added that Burleson has arguably<br />
already enjoyed a more successful<br />
broadcasting career than playing<br />
career. Prior to joining CBS Mornings in<br />
September 2021, Burleson also worked<br />
as an entertainment correspondent<br />
for Extra. There, he interviewed <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> Senator Cory Booker, former<br />
First Lady Michelle Obama and actor<br />
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, among<br />
many others, as he pursued topics beyond<br />
football.<br />
Burleson never thought he was out of<br />
his element when talking about matters<br />
unrelated to sports, but he recognizes<br />
that some may still question his qualifications.<br />
After years of sharing a locker<br />
room with players like Calvin Johnson,<br />
Matthew Stafford, Shaun Alexander and<br />
Randy Moss, CBS Mornings has Burleson<br />
working alongside veteran journalists<br />
Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil. As a<br />
former football player, Burleson knows<br />
some may view him in a certain light.<br />
“I know how people see me,” Burleson<br />
says. “I can’t shed that. No matter how<br />
nice my suit is or how clean my haircut<br />
is or how bright my smile is, when people<br />
see me, they see a helmet and shoulder<br />
pads. I can’t do anything about that. All I<br />
can do is try to improve at my job.”<br />
Clearly, CBS has no interest in<br />
Burleson sticking to sports. This fall, he<br />
will cohost Superfan, the network’s new<br />
competition series in which contestants<br />
try to show they know the most about<br />
their favorite musicians.<br />
Burleson also keeps busy when he’s<br />
not in front of a camera. Other ventures<br />
include a podcast on Uninterupted,<br />
voiceover work for Draft Kings, his own<br />
company that helps athletes invest their<br />
money, restaurants, clothing labels and a<br />
jewelry line. Burleson has also produced<br />
art and poetry—just like he wanted to<br />
The pool of your dreams for less than you imagine…<br />
CONTEMPORARY<br />
Pools & Spas<br />
DEP Experienced • Concrete, Fiberglass, Vinyl • GO GREEN with Solar Heating<br />
NEW CONSTRUCTION, DESIGN & COMPLETE RENOVATIONS<br />
Pool Houses • Sheds • Cabanas • Outdoor Furniture<br />
contemporarypools.net • 973-459-1354 • Green Township, NJ<br />
Member BBB, Metro Spa and Pool Association Design Award, CB&R Association of NJ<br />
Community Builders and Remodelers Association of NJ Awards, Award of Excellence 2013, 2014<br />
Metro NY/NJ Award and APSP International Award 2014, 2015<br />
mwf-nj monthly august <strong>2022</strong>.pdf 1 6/15/<strong>2022</strong> 6:33:27 PM<br />
Licenses: 13V02865900, H-10895-A6, WC - 18435-H06, PC3282, Member: NAHB CBANJ PBA NESPA<br />
houzz<br />
Draperies & Shades • Blinds & Shutters • Bedding & Reupholstery • Fabrics<br />
Are your windows ready<br />
for the Holidays?<br />
*Excludes restricted products<br />
Silhouette ® Quartette ® Window Shadings shown<br />
If you are looking for<br />
Custom Window Fashions -<br />
Call the Experts!<br />
Our professional decorators<br />
will come directly<br />
to your home or office.<br />
Call Today<br />
877-722-1100<br />
for your FREE consultation.<br />
Green Brook - Paramus<br />
Livingston - Lebanon<br />
Basking Ridge<br />
Sparta - Branchville<br />
NJ Family Business of the Year<br />
National Retailer of the Year<br />
Family Owned Since 1934<br />
To request an appointment, call or visit us at windowfashions.com<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 33
PEOPLE<br />
KEYNOTE CO-SPONSOR<br />
KEYNOTE CO-SPONSOR<br />
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7<br />
Evening Keynote Event<br />
featuring FRANK BRUNI at<br />
Mayo Performing Arts Center.<br />
Tickets on sale now!<br />
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8<br />
All-day FREE Festival with 60+ authors<br />
including Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry,<br />
Fantasy, and Young Adult writers!<br />
S P E C I A L E V E N T S P O N S O R<br />
Bring your kids to meet some of<br />
their favorite authors, plus fun<br />
activities for all ages!<br />
K<br />
I D F E S T<br />
Morristown Festival of Books is a fund of the Community Foundation<br />
of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, a non-profit corporation, and we proudly support<br />
literacy and education in our community, this year through a<br />
partnership with Literacy Volunteers of Morris County.<br />
when he was a kid—and he’s even been<br />
featured on a few rap songs under the<br />
stage name <strong>New</strong> Balance.<br />
“He always has a bigger vision. He’s<br />
never satisfied. It’s not a ruthless ambition.<br />
It’s self-motivating,” says Schrager,<br />
who shared a dressing room with Burleson<br />
for five years. “I think he just wants<br />
whatever he can get in this life.”<br />
In addition to everything else Burleson<br />
does, he must also carve out time for his<br />
wife of 19 years, Atoya, and his children.<br />
They are all consulted and encouraged<br />
to speak their minds when<br />
Burleson is offered a new job; he once<br />
turned down a chance to host a show<br />
in Los Angeles because Nehemiah, the<br />
middle child, expressed concern over<br />
Burleson missing important moments<br />
and milestones.<br />
While Schrager has jokingly chided<br />
Burleson for not spending his summers<br />
at the <strong>Jersey</strong> Shore, the family does<br />
have a few favorite spots in the northern<br />
part of the state. Brownstone Pancake<br />
Factory in Edgewater, where Burleson<br />
initially moved after taking the Good<br />
Morning Football job, is a favorite, and<br />
he adores the town of Ridgewood, his<br />
second <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> stop. His current<br />
town, Franklin Lakes, reminds him of<br />
where he grew up in Seattle.<br />
Both of Burleson’s sons play football<br />
for Ramapo High School in Franklin<br />
Lakes after stints at Don Bosco. With<br />
the help of naps, Burleson plans to assist<br />
the team when his busy schedule<br />
allows him to. “Maybe seven, eight years<br />
from now, you’ll be talking about the<br />
Burleson boys in the NFL,” he says—but<br />
he’s not pressuring any of his three kids<br />
to become professional athletes.<br />
If they want to, great. If not, that’s<br />
fine too. But whatever the Burleson<br />
youngsters want to do, they will have<br />
contingency plans. As in more than one.<br />
Dad has already laid the groundwork<br />
for that.<br />
“I think I am a walking representation<br />
of having a backup plan,” Burleson<br />
says. “Sports won’t last forever. I don’t<br />
care how talented they are or if they<br />
want to pursue it. They could have a<br />
career that lasts 11 days. They can have<br />
a career that lasts 11 years. But what I<br />
do know is that the Burleson boys and<br />
my daughter will have a plan after their<br />
plan A, B and C.”<br />
34 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
DOITALL<br />
FOR CITY HALL<br />
Dupré Kelly grew up<br />
in <strong>New</strong>ark’s West<br />
Ward before his rap<br />
career took off. Now<br />
he reps his home<br />
ward as a councilman.<br />
POLITICS<br />
What were your experiences growing<br />
up in the West Ward?<br />
I’m a young male who was raised by<br />
a single mom. That breeds a different<br />
maneuvering…that was an experience<br />
for her. Parents...they don’t let you feel<br />
the brunt of what’s going on, or they try<br />
not to. So when you don’t have food in<br />
the house, you don’t really know that<br />
those hot dogs and beans are the only<br />
things that you have…. Back then in the<br />
West Ward, there was a lot of community<br />
with neighbors…. I think that we<br />
lost the feel of community, and it’s time<br />
to rebuild that trust.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: JASMINE HSU<br />
Change Artist<br />
Dupré Kelly rose to fame as a rapper with Lords of<br />
the Underground. Now he represents <strong>New</strong>ark’s West Ward.<br />
By Gary Phillips<br />
Music aficionados<br />
know Dupré Kelly<br />
as DoItAll from<br />
his work with the<br />
golden-age rap<br />
group Lords of the Underground.<br />
These days, however, the platinumselling<br />
emcee goes by councilman.<br />
Kelly now represents <strong>New</strong>ark’s<br />
diverse West Ward, the neighborhood<br />
he grew up in. Backed by Mayor Ras<br />
Baraka, Kelly won a nonpartisan city<br />
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.<br />
council runoff election on June 14.<br />
Sworn in on July 1, the Democrat is believed<br />
to be America’s first major rapper<br />
elected to public office.<br />
“I am what hip-hop looks like grown<br />
up,” Kelly says. He adds that he is eager<br />
to “govern where I grew.”<br />
Speaking with <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>,<br />
Kelly, 51, discussed his upbringing,<br />
hopes for the ward he still calls home,<br />
and an eye-opening conversation he<br />
had with the late Tupac Shakur.<br />
How did those experiences influence<br />
your desire to help your community?<br />
Her raising me influenced me to want<br />
to do good so I could make it out of that<br />
community. I wanted to make it out. As<br />
I got older, I realized that it’s not about<br />
making it out. It’s about making where<br />
you come from better.<br />
Your music career helped you do<br />
that…<br />
Making it out means making it out of<br />
poverty. You don’t have to just make it<br />
out of poverty through rap…. It’s just one<br />
of the ways that I made it out. And that<br />
started with school first. Making it out<br />
for me was going away to Shaw University,<br />
which was one of the greatest<br />
HBCUs in my eyes…. Sometimes young,<br />
black males in cities like <strong>New</strong>ark, we<br />
look for mentors…. We don’t wanna be<br />
in the mess. We want to make it out, but<br />
our options are limited. And when we<br />
look for mentors and can’t find them, we<br />
have to become those mentors.<br />
When did you realize school and music<br />
were effective tools for fostering<br />
change?<br />
Even before getting to Shaw, I had a<br />
brother by the name Hafiz Farid who<br />
was a legislative aide for a councilman<br />
at the time, Ralph Grant Sr…. He took<br />
me under his wing and showed me what<br />
community was and had me engage<br />
with the people. And when I saw ways<br />
to make myself and my family better, I<br />
wanted to educate people who were still<br />
in that mess. So the vehicle that I used,<br />
music, that was just—I don’t wanna say<br />
luck, but it was the right timing. The<br />
universe put it in play.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 35
POLITICS<br />
MY SHELTER PETS ARE<br />
MY BEST FRIENDS<br />
OLIVIA MUNN WITH CHANCE AND FRANKIE:<br />
ADOPTED 2014 AND 2016.<br />
Get a mentor.<br />
Be a mentor.<br />
SE HABLA ESPAÑOL<br />
877-HOPENET | 877.467.3638<br />
cancerhopenetwork.org<br />
THESHELTERPETPROJECT.ORG<br />
How did Tupac Shakur awaken your<br />
political side?<br />
Twenty-one years old, Orlando,<br />
Florida. We’re in a motel. We were on<br />
tour.... Pac came to my motel room. He<br />
had a T-shirt in his arm, a <strong>New</strong>port<br />
behind his ear, and a 40-ounce of malt<br />
liquor. He came to my room after a<br />
disagreement.... I’m expecting him<br />
to be confrontational, and he wasn’t.<br />
These were like peace offerings.... He<br />
started saying, ‘Dude, we can’t move<br />
from where we’re from.’” He said all<br />
the popular rappers back then—Common<br />
in Chicago, me and Redman in<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark, Treach in East Orange, Ice<br />
Cube in South Central, himself in<br />
Oakland—have to stay where we were<br />
raised at. And then we have to turn all<br />
of our fans into voters so that they can<br />
vote for us in elections. And I was like,<br />
“‘Vote for us!? What do you mean?’”<br />
He said, ‘Yeah, we have to deal with<br />
legislation. If we don’t do that, those<br />
laws will never be made for us.’ I said,<br />
‘Man, we rappers. We’re not no politicians.’<br />
He said, ‘That’s our problem. We<br />
have to get to the table and be included<br />
in the conversation.’ I had never heard<br />
anybody that young, my peer, or my age<br />
talk like that.<br />
All the things that we spoke of in that<br />
room, I’ve actually done…. I know he’s<br />
looking down, as they say, but I just pray<br />
and wish that he could’ve been there,<br />
man. I know he would’ve been smiling.<br />
But then again, he might have been the<br />
mayor of Oakland or the governor of<br />
California or something by now.<br />
Being a hometown rapper, you had<br />
name recognition in your election.<br />
But did anyone try to peg you as ‘just<br />
a rapper’ who wasn’t fit for this job?<br />
Yes. Remember, I ran in 2018, and we<br />
lost it. It wasn’t a loss, but we didn’t<br />
get the seat. It shows you that popularity<br />
does not win elections. Votes win<br />
elections, and you have to really run the<br />
right campaign to make those people<br />
in your community believe in you. The<br />
only way they’re gonna believe in you<br />
in cities like <strong>New</strong>ark is if they can see<br />
the receipts of the work that you have<br />
done.... I am the young, male child in<br />
our community that our ancestors and<br />
our elders prayed for. You prayed for<br />
36 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
POLITICS<br />
me to make it out. You prayed for me<br />
to do better. You prayed for me not to<br />
fall victim. You prayed for me to not<br />
become a statistic. So now, don’t shoot<br />
me down when those prayers have been<br />
answered just because of a career that I<br />
took money out of my pocket to help the<br />
people with. I didn’t only go platinum<br />
for myself. I went platinum for <strong>New</strong>ark.<br />
I went platinum for the people, so I can<br />
take those same dollars and put them<br />
right back into the community. And<br />
there’s receipts to all of that.<br />
Do you hope this victory motivates<br />
other hip-hop artists to run for office?<br />
Most definitely. I wanna reignite the<br />
spark that Tupac started.... I pray that<br />
I spark a whole generation, and I know<br />
I’m already doing it. That’s what this is<br />
for. People gotta understand, hip-hop is<br />
not just music. Hip-hop is a culture, and<br />
as of right now, hip-hop is the pop culture....<br />
In my 50 years of living, whatever<br />
the pop culture was, it always moved<br />
society forward.... It’s about movement.<br />
The naysayers, they hate movement.<br />
They hate to hear a march coming. They<br />
hate to hear the stomping of the feet.<br />
They want you to be stagnant.... Hip-hop<br />
is that movement.<br />
Getting into ideas you ran on, your<br />
nonprofit, 211 Community Impact,<br />
does a lot for kids. <strong>New</strong>ark’s youth<br />
were a focus of your campaign. How<br />
are you looking to invest in them as a<br />
public official?<br />
Well, the core of my campaign was getting<br />
the people to change their mindset.<br />
No matter what legislation we create, if<br />
we don’t change the mindset of the people,<br />
if we don’t get the people to believe<br />
in themselves and understand that they<br />
really have the power, I don’t care what<br />
we build or develop…. But if children are<br />
truly the future, like <strong>New</strong>arker Whitney<br />
Houston said, then we have to focus on<br />
them first.<br />
You also mentioned revitalizing the<br />
West Ward and improving quality of<br />
life. How do you do that?<br />
It takes communication and comprehension,<br />
having an understanding. It<br />
takes getting with the business owners,<br />
talking about what we’re doing<br />
around your workspace. What does<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> Farmers & Markets<br />
➔<br />
Inspected and Certified <strong>Jersey</strong> Grown – Buy Specialty Crops<br />
Alstede Farms Melick’s Town Farm Bernardsville Millburn<br />
Chickadee Creek Farm Miladinov Brothers Chatham Montgomery<br />
Clifford Family Farm Ort Farms Highland Park Morristown<br />
Country Stand Farm Silver Lake Farm Kearny Riverdale<br />
Fairgrown Farms Stony Hill Gardens Kenilworth Roselle Park<br />
Farmer Al’s Market Union Hill Farms Madison South Orange<br />
Hensler Farms Valley View Farms Maplewood Springfield<br />
Jeff’s Organic VonThun’s Country Farm Metuchen<br />
SUPPORTING FARMERS<br />
ALGAE • CHICKPEAS • CHRISTMAS TREES • COCOA • COFFEE • CUT FLOWER • DRY EDIBLE BEANS • DRY PEAS<br />
FOLIAGE • FRUITS • WINE GRAPES • GARLIC • GINGER ROOT • GINSENG • HOPS • KAVA • LAVENDER • LENTILS<br />
MAPLE SYRUP • MUSHROOMS • ORGANIC FRUITS • ORGANIC VEGETABLES • PEPPERMINT • POTATOES<br />
SEAWEED • SPEARMINT • SWEET CORN • SWEET SORGHUM • VANILLA • VEGETABLES • VEGETABLE SEEDS<br />
There are many ways<br />
to help kids<br />
who stutter...<br />
Doing nothing is<br />
not one of them!<br />
800-992-9392<br />
StutteringHelp.org<br />
tartamudez.org<br />
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES<br />
THE<br />
STUTTERING<br />
➔<br />
®<br />
FOUNDATION<br />
A Nonprofit Organization<br />
Since 1947—Helping Those Who Stutter<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 37
the latest and greatest on<br />
what’s happening<br />
at the<br />
JERSEY SHORE<br />
Get Our Free <strong>New</strong>sletter<br />
SIGN UP @<br />
njmonthly.com/newsletters<br />
POLITICS<br />
this area need? What can we do? How<br />
is it gonna make your business more<br />
successful? But more importantly,<br />
how does it make our neighborhoods<br />
more successful?<br />
Rather than stripping resources,<br />
you advocated for collaboration<br />
with police. How did you land on that<br />
approach at a time when the topic of<br />
policing is heavily debated, especially<br />
in communities of color? What<br />
do you hope those efforts look like in<br />
the West Ward moving forward?<br />
I landed on that space from my own<br />
experiences. Policing is tough, and I<br />
salute all of the police out there. At a<br />
younger age, I might not have talked<br />
like this, because we always looked at<br />
police as being bad guys, because they<br />
did bad things to people who look like<br />
me and our communities. But police<br />
are not all bad.... I believe that if you<br />
bring more police presence, you deter<br />
what’s going to happen with crime….<br />
We don’t want to defund the police,<br />
but we wanna take money and utilize<br />
it in our community to be proactive.<br />
Things like officer violence and<br />
prevention, programs that train them<br />
to be able to deal with the community.<br />
Put more police that actually live in<br />
our community. If they don’t live in<br />
our community, they have to spend<br />
certain hours and certain time in<br />
those communities.<br />
You mentioned making where you<br />
come from better. You’ve spent most<br />
of your life helping the West Ward.<br />
Do you have political aspirations<br />
beyond the ward and <strong>New</strong>ark?<br />
No, right now my political aspirations<br />
are to make the West Ward the best<br />
ward that I can make it. I always treat<br />
my journeys like a highway.... On this<br />
highway, you’ve got headlights on your<br />
vehicle. You only see 200 feet in front of<br />
you, but that’s when you’re not moving.<br />
When you move a little bit, you see another<br />
200 feet…. You start to see things<br />
that you couldn’t see off in the distance.<br />
You start to see exit ramps and onramps<br />
and destination signs that you<br />
didn’t even know you would be interested<br />
in. So I can’t really answer that in<br />
its completion because my journey has<br />
just begun .<br />
38 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SUPER HERO<br />
Director Kevin<br />
Smith in his comic<br />
book shop, Jay and<br />
Silent Bob’s Secret<br />
Stash, which he’s<br />
owned in Red Bank<br />
for 25 years.<br />
PEOPLE<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> State of Mind<br />
Director Kevin Smith proves the Garden State is not just a quick stop as he returns to launch a film<br />
house and reboot his original, cult-classic film, Clerks. By Ed Condran<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF JOSH ROUSH<br />
Kevin Smith will once<br />
again reside in <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>. The Red Bank<br />
native will still be<br />
based in Los Angeles,<br />
but Smith is returning part-time to<br />
hang in the Highlands, where he came<br />
of age during the ’80s.<br />
The writer/director/actor recently<br />
purchased the Highlands’ Atlantic<br />
Movie House. “I just bought the movie<br />
theater where I watched movies as a<br />
kid,” Smith says in a call from his Los<br />
Angeles home. “The theater comes with<br />
a living space above it. It’s a dream come<br />
true for a fat kid from <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> who<br />
spent his childhood at the movies. I can<br />
just go down in my bathrobe and watch<br />
the latest releases on my screens.”<br />
Smith, who is the opposite of his character<br />
Silent Bob, cheerfully provides end-<br />
less details about his theater. The venue,<br />
which is a stone’s throw from the Shore,<br />
is a charming, five-screen theater that<br />
originally opened in a garage in 1912. The<br />
Movie House became a theater in 1921.<br />
“It’s like home to me,” Smith says.<br />
The Atlantic Movie House may not be<br />
Smith’s only Garden State purchase in<br />
<strong>2022</strong>. Smith, who owns Red Bank’s ubercool<br />
comic book shop Jay and Silent<br />
Bob’s Secret Stash (named after characters<br />
from Smith’s films) is trying to strike<br />
a deal with the owners of Leonardo’s<br />
Quick Stop—the shop where he worked<br />
and shot the iconic Clerks a generation<br />
ago—to buy the convenience store.<br />
While shooting Clerks 3 in 2021,<br />
Smith was completely blissed out while<br />
once again working at the Quick Stop,<br />
albeit in a very different capacity. “It<br />
was like the fantasy camp of a lifetime,”<br />
Smith says. “I was back doing my favorite<br />
thing, which was hanging out, and this<br />
time, making a movie. I loved being at<br />
Quick Stop when I was 20. I just hated<br />
working there. This time, I didn’t have to<br />
ring up any customers. It was like having<br />
your own Death Star set up.” (For the<br />
uninitiated, in Star Wars, the Death Star<br />
is the Empire’s ultimate weapon.)<br />
Smith, 52, remembers what it was<br />
like to toil at the convenience store before<br />
the cell phone and Internet era.<br />
“I would bitch about being there,”<br />
Smith recalls. “Then we would close<br />
at 10:30 [pm], and after we lowered the<br />
steel shutters, we would hang out until<br />
three in the morning talking about movies,<br />
hockey and comic books.”<br />
It would have been easy for Smith to<br />
move on from filming at Quick Stop for<br />
Clerks. Building a Quick Stop set would<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 39
PEOPLE<br />
have been no problem. “But all of the<br />
magic happened at the real Quick Stop,”<br />
he says. “I had to shoot there. I have a fake<br />
Quick Stop in the back of the Secret Stash.<br />
But there’s nothing like the real [one]. I<br />
had to talk to Rajiv Thapar (the longtime<br />
owner) about buying their Quick Stop.”<br />
“I’ve known Kevin since he made the<br />
first movie when we were all young,” says<br />
Thapar. “I didn’t see the vision back then.<br />
It’s nice to see someone become a success<br />
due to a story that came out of his mind.”<br />
The irony of his Quick Stop devotion<br />
isn’t lost on Smith. “I remember thinking,<br />
I hate this place, and this job would<br />
be great without the customers.” He now<br />
realizes that those regulars, who had the<br />
audacity to interrupt his viewing of Beverly<br />
Hills 90120 to buy cigarettes, paved<br />
the way for his cinematic future. “I remember<br />
thinking that someone should<br />
make a movie about this experience,<br />
and that someone was me,” Smith says.<br />
Smith maxed out a bunch of credit<br />
cards and made Clerks for less than<br />
$30,000. “It could have been a disaster,”<br />
he says. “What if no one was interested<br />
in the film?” But it was a critical and<br />
commercial success. The film grossed<br />
$3.2 million and was selected for preservation<br />
by the United States National<br />
Film Registry by the Library of Congress<br />
as “culturally, historically or aesthetically<br />
significant.” The quirky black-andwhite<br />
movie set Smith up as a filmmaker<br />
who earned further acclaim by crafting<br />
such flicks as Chasing Amy and Dogma.<br />
Clerks 3 will make its second world<br />
premiere September 4 at the Count Basie<br />
Theater, after a viewing at the Atlantic<br />
Movie House in August.<br />
“Clerks 3 was the first time since<br />
Clerks that I was able to shoot an entire<br />
movie in the Garden State,” he says. “It<br />
was an amazing experience.”<br />
Clerks 3 is a meta film. Clerks protagonist<br />
Randall has a heart attack and<br />
almost dies, just like Smith did in 2018.<br />
Randall realizes he’s been watching films<br />
his entire life, but never made his own.<br />
Randall and his pal Dante write and direct<br />
Inconvenience, which is essentially Clerks.<br />
“To make the movie work properly,<br />
we had to shoot it at the real deal,”<br />
Smith says. “It all worked out.”<br />
The only downer for Smith was filming<br />
during the pandemic. “I’ve always<br />
been like, ‘Hey, everybody watch,’”<br />
he says. “It couldn’t be that way this<br />
time, but I had the chance to spend a<br />
lot of time in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. We have the<br />
weather [in Los Angeles] all year long,<br />
but <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> has everything else.”<br />
Smith spent considerable time at his<br />
beloved Secret Stash while shooting<br />
Clerks 3. “I was back at the Stash last<br />
year and this year as well, since this is<br />
the year-long celebration of the Stash’s<br />
25th anniversary,” Smith says. “The<br />
Stash is one of the great side accomplishments<br />
of my career. Who has a<br />
“ We have the weather in [Los Angeles]<br />
all year long, but <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> has everything<br />
else.”—Kevin Smith<br />
brick-and-mortar shop that still stands<br />
after 25 years? Not many people.”<br />
“I was thinking back in my 20s that<br />
I would retire and have a comic book<br />
shop,” Smith says. “But back in (1996),<br />
the guy who owned the store (Comicology)<br />
that me and my friends used to<br />
go to all of the time offered to sell me<br />
his store. The guy, who I always called<br />
Steve-Dave, since I didn’t know if he<br />
was Steve or Dave, said he would sell<br />
me everything, all the comic books<br />
and the client list, for $60,000. I said,<br />
“$60,000?” And in that instant Steve-<br />
Dave countered himself by asking for<br />
$30,000. I thought, Man, that’s as much<br />
as I spent for Clerks. I can do this.”<br />
Smith asked his close friend Walt Flanagan,<br />
who turned him on to comics back<br />
in the ’80s, to manage the store. “I thought<br />
it would be a done deal,” Smith says. “But<br />
Walt said he had to stay with his day job<br />
since he had security working there.”<br />
Smith offered him double his pay,<br />
and in 1999, Flanagan finally agreed<br />
to manage the Secret Stash. In 2011,<br />
AMC green lit a reality show about the<br />
store. When Smith asked Flanagan to<br />
star in the series, he once again turned<br />
down his pal. “Walt said he didn’t want<br />
to be Snooki,” Smith says. “I said, “Who<br />
wouldn’t want to be Snooki?”<br />
Flanagan eventually signed on, and<br />
AMC dubbed the series Comic Book Men,<br />
featuring Smith and current Stash manager<br />
Mike Zapcic. The show ran for seven<br />
seasons. “I loved being part of the show,<br />
and I enjoy working at this comic book<br />
shop like you can’t believe,” Zapcic says.<br />
The Secret Stash is akin to Planet<br />
Hollywood thanks to Smith, who showcases<br />
cool memorabilia throughout the<br />
shop. There’s Silent Bob’s wardrobe<br />
from Clerks, the Bluntman and Chronic<br />
pages from Chasing Amy, and best of all,<br />
the Buddy Christ statue from Dogma.<br />
The latter is special for Smith since<br />
he wrote in the voice of his comedy hero,<br />
George Carlin, who was hilarious as the<br />
Cardinal in Dogma. While doing press<br />
for Smith’s <strong>Jersey</strong> Girl in 2004, Carlin<br />
gave a parting message as the film was<br />
wrapping: “What I said to him at Dogma<br />
was, ‘Kevin, if you ever need somebody<br />
to strangle six children, I’m your guy.’”<br />
In the audio from the 2004 interview,<br />
the verbose Smith pulled a Silent<br />
Bob for a lengthy pause. “I loved hearing<br />
his voice say my name in life, and in<br />
death, it’s even more precious,” Smith<br />
says. “That’s because George isn’t saying<br />
anything new. Hearing him reference<br />
me was touching, and it reminds<br />
me of a golden period of my life and career.<br />
When I had the world on a string, it<br />
wasn’t about money or drugs or sex for<br />
me. My dream was to work with George<br />
Carlin, the world’s greatest comedian.<br />
While growing up in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, Carlin<br />
was who informed my vocabulary. And<br />
I had the chance to write in his voice.<br />
I’m very proud of that.”<br />
Smith says he has many more movies<br />
to make. “I remember thinking when I<br />
was having the heart attack that I can’t<br />
go out on (2016’s) Yoga Hosers,” Smith<br />
quipped. “I’m healthy. I’m vegan. I want<br />
to make Clerks movies till the day I die.<br />
It’s my favorite story of all of the stories<br />
I’ve told. It’s the most relatable. So<br />
many people have crappy jobs. Making a<br />
manifesto to the working man isn’t what<br />
I wanted to do. I wanted to make a manifesto<br />
for my friends to watch. It worked.<br />
If I don’t make Clerks 10 then I’ve failed.<br />
And there’s nothing like making the<br />
Clerks films in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. The root of<br />
my inspiration is in the Garden State.”<br />
Ed Condran is a frequent contributor to<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>.<br />
40 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
NJM <strong>New</strong>sletters<br />
YOUR GUIDE TO THE<br />
Best NJ Events<br />
& Entertainment.<br />
It's Free<br />
Delivered FREE<br />
to your in-box<br />
every week<br />
Sign Up Now<br />
njmonthly.com/newsletters<br />
Get Our Other Free <strong>New</strong>sletters THE GIST, SIDE DISH, and SHORECAST
Congratulations to our<br />
<strong>2022</strong> Select Surgeons<br />
Bone & Joint<br />
Evan S. Fischer, MD<br />
Hand Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Wrist Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Wrist Minimally Invasive<br />
Ross J. Fox, MD<br />
Hand Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Wrist Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Oncologic Surgery<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD<br />
Hip Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Hip Minimally Invasive<br />
Knee Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Knee Arthroscopic<br />
Knee Minimally Invasive<br />
Trauma Surgery<br />
Marco Ucciferri, DPM<br />
Foot-Forefoot & Midfoot<br />
Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Foot-Forefoot & Midfoot<br />
Minimally Invasive<br />
Oscar Vazquez, MD<br />
Shoulder Minimally Invasive<br />
Elbow, Knee Minimally Invasive<br />
Sports Medicine<br />
Matthew H. Zornitzer, MD<br />
Elbow, Hand Minimally Invasive<br />
Wrist Arthroscopic<br />
Wrist Minimally Invasive<br />
For more information about our specialists,<br />
visit summithealth.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
An Exclusive List of<br />
Elite Bone & Joint Surgeons<br />
THE<br />
in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
BEST<br />
ALLEVIATING PAIN AND RESTORING FUNCTION IN BONES<br />
AND JOINTS CAN OFTEN TRANSFORM A PATIENT’S LIFE.<br />
No one knows that better than the<br />
surgeons who treat these issues.<br />
That’s why <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong> is<br />
proud to publish the Select Surgeons<br />
Bone & Joint list, an elite grouping of<br />
the state’s top Orthopedic Surgeons,<br />
Neurosurgeons, Plastic & Reconstructive<br />
Surgeons, and Podiatrists across<br />
13 Bone & Joint procedure categories.<br />
The procedure categories include<br />
those for Shoulder, Elbow, Hand,<br />
Wrist, Hip, Knee, Forefoot & Midfoot,<br />
Rearfoot, Spine, Sports Medicine<br />
Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Oncologic<br />
Surgery and Trauma Surgery. Only<br />
the top doctors in each category are<br />
named to the Select Surgeons Bone<br />
& Joint list.<br />
This distinction is based on a number of criteria, including experience, qualifications,<br />
surgical volume, years in practice, and reputation.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 43
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
The HONOREES<br />
ELBOW<br />
Rocco Bassora, MD Montvale<br />
Frank J. Corrigan, MD Sparta<br />
Christopher Doumas, MD Wall<br />
James Taylor Monica, MD Somerset<br />
Mark Spencer Rekant, MD Cherry Hill<br />
Oscar Vazquez, MD Hackensack<br />
Matthew H. Zornitzer, MD West Orange<br />
FOOT-FOREFOOT & MIDFOOT<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Eric Baskin, DPM Manahawkin<br />
Stuart E. Levine, MD Princeton<br />
Mark Ephraim Solomon, DPM Cedar Knolls<br />
Marco Ucciferri, DPM Martinsville<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Craig J. Bachman, DPM Old Bridge<br />
Jeffrey Conforti, DPM Paramus<br />
Glenn Gacula Gabisan, MD Tinton Falls<br />
Michael I. Goldberger, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Aron M. Green, MD Ocean<br />
Christopher Eric Hubbard, MD Wayne<br />
Stuart E. Levine, MD Princeton<br />
Megan E. Lubin, DPM Toms River<br />
Anthony R. Sergi, DPM Edison<br />
Marco Ucciferri, DPM Martinsville<br />
Kevin S. White, DO Sparta<br />
FOOT-REARFOOT & ANKLE<br />
• Arthroscopic<br />
Glenn Gacula Gabisan, MD Tinton Falls<br />
Michael I. Goldberger, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Suneel K. Basra, DPM Flemington<br />
Ira M. Fox, DPM Somers Point<br />
Glenn Gacula Gabisan, MD Tinton Falls<br />
Michael I. Goldberger, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Aron M. Green, MD Ocean<br />
Christopher Eric Hubbard, MD Wayne<br />
Stuart E. Levine, MD Princeton<br />
Sheldon S. Lin, MD <strong>New</strong>ark<br />
Megan E. Lubin, DPM Toms River<br />
Chad Wayne Rappaport, DPM Franklin Lakes<br />
Kevin S. White, DO Sparta<br />
HAND<br />
• Arthroscopic<br />
Teddy L. Atik, MD Eatontown<br />
Joseph Thomas Gower, MD Ocean<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Teddy L. Atik, MD Eatontown<br />
Frank J. Corrigan, MD Sparta<br />
Keith M. Crivello, MD Hamilton<br />
Raymond G. Decker Jr., MD Eatontown<br />
Richard Y. Kim, MD Maywood<br />
Gary M. Pess, MD Eatontown<br />
Steven Lloyd Shoen, MD Metuchen<br />
Matthew H. Zornitzer, MD West Orange<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Teddy L. Atik, MD Eatontown<br />
Evan S. Fischer, MD Montclair<br />
Ross J. Fox, MD Denville<br />
Richard Y. Kim, MD Maywood<br />
Alexander Michael Marcus, MD Edison<br />
Kevin C. McDaid, MD Ocean<br />
Gary M. Pess, MD Eatontown<br />
Mark Spencer Rekant, MD Cherry Hill<br />
Samir C. Sodha, MD Paramus<br />
Arthur P. Vasen, MD Ocean<br />
HIP<br />
• Arthroscopic<br />
Joshua Scott Hornstein, MD Hamilton Twp.<br />
Stephen A. Hunt, MD Bedminster<br />
John Paul Salvo, MD Marlton<br />
Richard Meyer Seldes, MD Hackensack<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Frank P. Femino, MD Nutley<br />
Robert T. Goldman, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Walter T. Gutowski, MD Princeton<br />
Rajesh K. Jain, MD Voorhees<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD Morristown<br />
Stephen Kayiaros, MD Somerset<br />
Gregg Roger Klein, MD Montvale<br />
Fabio R. Orozco, MD Linwood<br />
David Josef Rodricks, MD Brick<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
David A. Harwood, MD Somerset<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD Morristown<br />
Stephen Kayiaros, MD Somerset<br />
Gregg Roger Klein, MD Montville<br />
Jeffrey Leary, MD <strong>New</strong> Providence<br />
Harlan Brett Levine, MD Paramus<br />
Arthur K. Mark, MD Ocean<br />
William A. Matarese, MD Wayne<br />
Arjun Saxena, MD Hamilton Twp.<br />
Richard Meyer Seldes, MD Hackensack<br />
KNEE<br />
• Arthroscopic<br />
James W. Cahill, MD Hackensack<br />
Robert Anthony DeFalco, DO Sparta<br />
Robert T. Goldman, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Steven H. Kahn, DO Cherry Hill<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD Morristown<br />
John Paul Salvo, MD Marlton<br />
Richard Meyer Seldes, MD Hackensack<br />
Christopher John Spagnuola, MD Ocean<br />
Tony S. Wanich, MD Wayne<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Frank P. Femino, MD Nutley<br />
Walter T. Gutowski, MD Princeton<br />
Rajesh K. Jain, MD Voorhees<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD Morristown<br />
Stephen Kayiaros, MD Somerset<br />
Gregg Roger Klein, MD Montvale<br />
Fabio R. Orozco, MD Linwood<br />
David Josef Rodricks, MD Brick<br />
Scott D. Schoifet, MD Voorhees<br />
Oscar Vazquez, MD Hackensack<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Robert T. Goldman, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
David A. Harwood, MD Somerset<br />
Steven H. Kahn, DO Cherry Hill<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD Morristown<br />
Gregg Roger Klein, MD Montvale<br />
Harlan Brett Levine, MD Paramus<br />
Arthur K. Mark, MD Ocean<br />
William A. Matarese, MD Wayne<br />
Arjun Saxena, MD Hamilton Twp.<br />
Richard Meyer Seldes, MD Hackensack<br />
ONCOLOGIC SURGERY<br />
Ross J. Fox, MD Denville<br />
James C. Wittig, MD Morristown<br />
PEDIATRIC<br />
• Cerebral Palsy<br />
& Neuromuscular Disorders<br />
Tamir Bloom, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Alice Chu, MD <strong>New</strong>ark<br />
Joshua E. Hyman, MD Englewood<br />
• Extremity Disorders<br />
Tamir Bloom, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Alice Chu, MD <strong>New</strong>ark<br />
Paul T. Haynes, MD Ocean<br />
• Hip Disorders<br />
Joshua E. Hyman, MD Englewood<br />
• Spine<br />
Keith D. Baldwin, MD Voorhees<br />
Jason E. Lowenstein, MD Morristown<br />
Mark A. Rieger, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
• Sports Medicine<br />
Tamir Bloom, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Samara Friedman, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Paul T. Haynes, MD Ocean<br />
David Y. Lin, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Mark A. Rieger, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Joshua A. Strassberg, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
44 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
FOR THE ONLINE Select Surgeons Bone & Joint directory page with complete<br />
contact information, please visit: njmonthly.com/select-surgeons-bone-and-joint<br />
• Trauma<br />
Keith D. Baldwin, MD Voorhees<br />
Tamir Bloom, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Alice Chu, MD <strong>New</strong>ark<br />
Samara Friedman, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Joshua E. Hyman, MD Englewood<br />
David Y. Lin, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Mark A. Rieger, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
Joshua A. Strassberg, MD Cedar Knolls<br />
SHOULDER<br />
• Arthroscopic<br />
Jeffrey S. Abrams, MD Princeton<br />
Francis Gerard Alberta, MD Paramus<br />
Rocco Bassora, MD Montvale<br />
James W. Cahill, MD Hackensack<br />
Kenneth Y. Chern, MD Ocean<br />
Joshua Scott Hornstein, MD Hamilton Twp.<br />
Michael T. Lu, MD Avenel<br />
Michael Edward Pollack, MD Flemington<br />
Richard Meyer Seldes, MD Hackensack<br />
Christopher John Spagnuola, MD Ocean<br />
Bruce Dumont Stamos, MD Brick<br />
Sunil Rajan Thacker, MD Ocean<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Rocco Bassora, MD Montvale<br />
Andrea Bowers, MD Mount Laurel<br />
Michael Edward Pollack, MD Flemington<br />
Bruce Dumont Stamos, MD Brick<br />
Oscar Vazquez, MD Hackensack<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Francis Gerard Alberta, MD Paramus<br />
Rocco Bassora, MD Montvale<br />
Michael Edward Pollack, MD Flemington<br />
Christopher John Spagnuola, MD Ocean<br />
Bruce Dumont Stamos, MD Brick<br />
SPINE<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Nomaan Ashraf, MD Westwood<br />
Mark R. Drzala, MD Summit<br />
Grigory Goldberg, MD Ocean Township<br />
Michael Guenther Kaiser, MD Ridgewood<br />
Justin P. Kubeck, MD Toms River<br />
Jason E. Lowenstein, MD Morristown<br />
Richard J. Meagher, MD Mullica Hill<br />
Ronniel Nazarian, MD Princeton<br />
Hoan-Vu Tran Nguyen, MD Ocean<br />
Steven J. Paragioudakis, MD Shrewsbury<br />
Kenneth J. Rieger, MD Chatham<br />
Praveen K. Yalamanchili, MD Ocean<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Ramil S. Bhatnagar, MD Manasquan<br />
Gino Chiappetta, MD Somerset<br />
J. Scott Clark-Schoeb, MD Chatham<br />
Mark R. Drzala, MD Summit<br />
John D. Lipani, MD Hamilton<br />
Jason E. Lowenstein, MD Morristown<br />
George Salem Naseef, MD Morristown<br />
Hoan-Vu Tran Nguyen, MD Ocean<br />
Kenneth J. Rieger, MD Chatham<br />
Kumar Gautam Sinha, MD Wayne<br />
Praveen K. Yalamanchili, MD Ocean<br />
SPORTS MEDICINE<br />
Nicholas J. Avallone, MD Phillipsburg<br />
Rocco Bassora, MD Montvale<br />
Kenneth Y. Chern, MD Ocean<br />
Robert Anthony DeFalco, DO Sparta<br />
Michael Edward Pollack, MD Flemington<br />
John Paul Salvo, MD Marlton<br />
Sunil Rajan Thacker, MD Ocean<br />
Fotios P. Tjoumakaris, MD Egg Harbor Township<br />
Oscar Vazquez, MD Hackensack<br />
Tony S. Wanich, MD Wayne<br />
TRAUMA SURGERY<br />
Kenneth W. Graf, MD Medford<br />
James G. Kanellakos, MD Morristown<br />
Jeffrey Leary, MD <strong>New</strong> Providence<br />
Samir Mehta, MD Cherry Hill<br />
David Polonet, MD Wall Township<br />
Mark Cameron Reilly, MD <strong>New</strong>ark<br />
Carlos Alberto Sagebien, MD Somerset<br />
Richard S. Schenk, MD Whippany<br />
Mark G. Schwartz, MD Mount Laurel<br />
WRIST<br />
• Arthroscopic<br />
Raymond G. Decker Jr., MD Eatontown<br />
Gary M. Pess, MD Eatontown<br />
Samir C. Sodha, MD Paramus<br />
Matthew H. Zornitzer, MD West Orange<br />
• Minimally Invasive<br />
Frank J. Corrigan, MD Sparta<br />
Raymond G. Decker Jr., MD Eatontown<br />
Peter H. DeNoble, MD Wayne<br />
Evan S. Fischer, MD Montclair<br />
James Taylor Monica, MD Somerset<br />
Gary M. Pess, MD Eatontown<br />
Steven Lloyd Shoen, MD Metuchen<br />
Matthew H. Zornitzer, MD West Orange<br />
• Open Repair & Reconstruction<br />
Frank J. Corrigan, MD Sparta<br />
Peter H. DeNoble, MD Wayne<br />
Evan S. Fischer, MD Montclair<br />
Ross J. Fox, MD Denville<br />
Alexander Michael Marcus, MD Edison<br />
Kevin C. McDaid, MD Ocean<br />
Gary M. Pess, MD Eatontown<br />
Mark Spencer Rekant, MD Cherry Hill<br />
Samir C. Sodha, MD Paramus<br />
Arthur P. Vasen, MD Ocean<br />
HOW IS A<br />
DOCTOR CHOSEN?<br />
Select Surgeons takes a 360 degree look<br />
at <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s bone and joint surgeons,<br />
reviewing 10 criteria across 13 procedure<br />
categories to arrive at the most comprehensive<br />
evaluation of leading bone and<br />
joint surgeons in the state.<br />
Our honorees include those with MD, DO, and DPM<br />
degrees and formal training in multiple specialties<br />
including Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Plastic<br />
& Reconstructive Surgery, and Podiatry.<br />
Methodology<br />
Select Surgeons worked with the noted research<br />
firm Leflein Associates to develop a selection<br />
process evaluating the following criteria:<br />
• Fellowship and specialty training<br />
• Board certification<br />
• Sub-specialty certification<br />
• NJ state board license and disciplinary actions<br />
• Years in practice<br />
• Malpractice actions<br />
• Number of specific procedures performed<br />
• History of Top Doctor awards<br />
• Online patient reviews<br />
• Previous Select Surgeon Awards<br />
The procedure categories are:<br />
1. Elbow<br />
2. Foot-Forefoot and Midfoot (Arthroscopic<br />
Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery,<br />
Open Repair & Reconstruction Surgery)<br />
3. Foot-Rearfoot and Ankle (Arthroscopic<br />
Surgery, Open Repair & Reconstruction Surgery)<br />
4. Hand (Arthroscopic Surgery, Minimally Invasive<br />
Surgery, Open Repair & Reconstruction Surgery)<br />
5. Hip (Arthroscopic Surgery, Minimally Invasive<br />
Surgery, Open Reconstruction & Replacement Surgery)<br />
6. Knee (Arthroscopic Surgery, Minimally Invasive<br />
Surgery, Open Reconstruction & Replacement Surgery)<br />
7. Oncologic Surgery<br />
8. Pediatric Surgery (Scoliosis & Spine Disorders,<br />
Cerebral Palsy & Neuromuscular Disorders,<br />
Trauma, Sports Medicine, Extremity Disorders,<br />
Pediatric Hip Disorders)<br />
9. Shoulder (Arthroscopic Surgery, Minimally<br />
Invasive Surgery, Open Reconstruction<br />
& Replacement Surgery)<br />
10. Spine (Open Repair & Reconstruction Surgery,<br />
Minimally Invasive Surgery)<br />
11. Sports Medicine Surgery<br />
12. Trauma Surgery<br />
13. Wrist (Arthroscopic Surgery, Minimally Invasive<br />
Surgery, Open Repair & Reconstruction Surgery)<br />
Select Surgeons, LLC is located in Scotch Plains, NJ, and has developed a proprietary system of<br />
identifying and recognizing top-performing surgeons. Select Surgeons, LLC is an independent<br />
company and not affiliated with <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>. Copyright © <strong>2022</strong> by Select Surgeons, LLC.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 45
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
From left: Dr. Joshua A. Strassberg; Dr. David Y. Lin; Dr. Mark E. Solomon<br />
Tamir Bloom, md, faaos | PEDIATRIC SURGEON<br />
Samara Friedman, md, faaos | PEDIATRIC SURGEON (Sports Medicine and Trauma)<br />
David Y. Lin, md, faaos | PEDIATRIC SURGEON (Sports Medicine and Trauma)<br />
(Cerebral Palsy & Neuromuscular Disorders,<br />
Extremity Disorders, Sports Medicine, Trauma)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-bloom<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-friedman<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-lin<br />
The Pediatric Orthopedic Center<br />
covers all aspects of orthopedic<br />
issues involving sports, spine, and<br />
all problems related to bones,<br />
joints, and muscles, including sports<br />
injuries, fractures, ACL tears, sprains,<br />
scoliosis, hip dysplasia, and clubfoot. The<br />
practice uses the most innovative nonoperative<br />
and minimally invasive surgical<br />
techniques available, including arthroscopy,<br />
to enable maximum outcomes and a rapid<br />
return to activities for patients. With<br />
offices in Cedar Knolls, Springfield, Wayne,<br />
and <strong>Jersey</strong> City, it is the largest pediatric<br />
orthopedic practice in the tri-state area.<br />
The Pediatric Orthopedic Center also<br />
continues to be a pioneer in cutting-edge<br />
diagnostic tools. It is the only private<br />
practice in northern <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> to have<br />
the EOS imaging system, which uses<br />
X-rays to create 3-D images of the spine<br />
and lower extremities using 10 to 50<br />
times less radiation than standard X-rays.<br />
The practice consists of seven pediatric<br />
orthopedic surgeons who are all board<br />
certified and/or fellowship trained at<br />
nationally and internationally renowned<br />
programs, a pediatric specialized foot and<br />
ankle surgeon who is board certified, and<br />
a nationally certified orthopedic physician<br />
assistant.<br />
“My office is convenient and unique<br />
since I can evaluate a patient with scoliosis,<br />
order a low-radiation EOS image, and have<br />
my patients fitted for bracing, when needed,<br />
all in the same office. Also, I am the only<br />
doctor in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> certified in Ponseti<br />
non-operative treatment of clubfoot,” says<br />
Dr. Mark Rieger, whose expertise lies<br />
in musculoskeletal disorders, including<br />
scoliosis, sports injuries, and fractures.<br />
Dr. Joshua Strassberg specializes in<br />
pediatric and adolescent trauma, sports<br />
injuries, and hip disorders. “I will always<br />
recommend for my patients what I would<br />
recommend for my own children,” he says.<br />
“I want to achieve the best results via the<br />
safest and least invasive means necessary.”<br />
An expert in the field of pediatric<br />
sports medicine, Dr. David Lin has a<br />
special interest in fractures and trauma<br />
care. “Being a pediatric orthopedist keeps<br />
me humble because it is a profession<br />
where I am constantly learning and being<br />
46 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
From left: Dr. Mark A. Rieger; Dr. Tamir Bloom; Dr. Samara Friedman<br />
Mark A. Rieger, md, faaos | PEDIATRIC SURGEON (Spine, Sports Medicine, and Trauma)<br />
Mark E. Solomon, dpm, facfas | FOOT-FOREFOOT & MIDFOOT SURGEON (Minimally Invasive)<br />
Joshua A. Strassberg, md, faaos | PEDIATRIC SURGEON (Sports Medicine, Trauma)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-rieger<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-solomon<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-strassberg<br />
challenged to think on my feet,” he says.<br />
“Because the ability to walk is something<br />
that many people may take for granted,<br />
there is no greater reward in my job than<br />
helping patients regain that ability,” says Dr.<br />
Mark Solomon.<br />
“It is my belief that every child is unique,<br />
and I am committed to understanding<br />
how their condition or injury impacts their<br />
life and their relationships with parents,<br />
families, and caregivers,” says Dr. Tamir<br />
Bloom, a former Olympian. “I specialize in<br />
treating pediatric athlete injuries, pediatric<br />
fractures, hip dysplasia, clubfoot, and other<br />
foot and ankle conditions.”<br />
“It is truly a privilege to be able to<br />
take care of children and have them feel<br />
comfortable with having surgery or other<br />
treatment that is best for their long-term<br />
health,” says Dr. Samara Friedman, who<br />
leads the practice’s new Center of Excellence<br />
for the Female Athlete.<br />
The physicians at the Pediatric<br />
Orthopedic Center are trained in general<br />
pediatric orthopedics, and they all have<br />
a subspecialty. This assures that all<br />
conditions that impact a child’s bones,<br />
joints, or muscles will be treated at TPOC<br />
by a physician with specialized pediatric<br />
orthopedic expertise.<br />
“Your children’s health is our main<br />
concern, and we take pride in providing<br />
safe and compassionate care while earning<br />
your trust in every way,” says Dr. Rieger.<br />
“My mentor, Dr. John Hall, taught me never<br />
try to seek a reputation—do good work<br />
and treat patients as your family and your<br />
reputation will find you. And that is what<br />
we do at the Pediatric Orthopedic Center<br />
every day.”<br />
THE PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIC CENTER,<br />
A Member of Consensus Health<br />
Locations in Cedar Knolls, Wayne, Springfield, and <strong>Jersey</strong> City<br />
973-538-7700 • PediatricOrthopedics.com<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 47
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Keith D. Baldwin, md, mph, mspt | PEDIATRIC SURGEON (Spine and Trauma)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-baldwin<br />
I<br />
specialize in pediatric and adolescent<br />
scoliosis and fracture surgery, which<br />
I perform at the Children’s Hospital<br />
of Philadelphia. Due to the nature of this<br />
specialization, the injury/deformity in<br />
each case is unique, so my attention is<br />
turned to understanding the situation<br />
as fully as possible and how I can best<br />
treat the issue at hand. A key feature of<br />
my job is a dedication to skillful, nonsurgical<br />
care. I also need to have an acute<br />
understanding of the natural history of<br />
the injuries/deformities and how they<br />
are likely to behave in the future, as this<br />
informs what treatment is pursued.<br />
My wife has scoliosis, and my children<br />
are at risk of the same. As such, when<br />
people ask what would I do if it were my<br />
child, my answer is always that it might<br />
be someday. That’s why my approach<br />
is to give each child the best chance to<br />
not need surgery. If a child does need<br />
surgery, my focus is to perform it as<br />
safely as possible using the standard-ofcare<br />
treatment with the least chance of<br />
needing future surgery.<br />
My nurse practitioner Kathy Abel<br />
and I try to have a very personalized<br />
relationship with our surgical patients.<br />
Their successes are our successes. I think<br />
this has served us well with families, and I<br />
200 Bowman Drive, Voorhees, NJ 08043<br />
856-404-0635<br />
chop.edu/doctors/baldwin-keith-d<br />
know when I see someone professionally,<br />
I would like them to know that I am<br />
personally invested in their outcome. This<br />
is what I try to strive for in my practice.<br />
48 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
From left: Dr. Ramil S. Bhatnagar; Dr. Bruce D. Stamos; Dr. David J. Rodricks<br />
Ramil S. Bhatnagar, md | SPINE SURGEON (Open Repair & Reconstruction)<br />
David J. Rodricks, md | HIP SURGEON (Minimally Invasive) and KNEE SURGEON (Minimally Invasive)<br />
Bruce D. Stamos, md | SHOULDER SURGEON (Arthroscopic, Minimally Invasive, and Open Repair & Reconstruction)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs/bhatnagar<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs/rodricks<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs/stamos<br />
The multi-disciplinary team at<br />
Orthopaedic Institute Brielle<br />
Orthopaedics utilizes the experience<br />
and expertise of board-certified orthopaedic<br />
surgeons, joint replacement specialists, and<br />
pain and management specialists as well as<br />
sports medicine specialists to diagnose and<br />
treat injuries of the bones, joints, muscles,<br />
and spine. The practice, which recently<br />
merged with OrthoNJ, one of the state’s<br />
largest and most prominent orthopaedic<br />
groups, offers the most advanced nonsurgical<br />
and minimally invasive surgical<br />
treatment options available in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
In addition to its newest location in<br />
Manahawkin, the practice also has a walkin<br />
orthopaedic urgent care location in Wall<br />
with on-site X-rays plus extended evening<br />
and weekend hours.<br />
Dr. Ramil S. Bhatnagar, who specializes<br />
in orthopaedic spine surgery, says, “Caring<br />
for patients is the reason I became a physician.<br />
Whether that requires counseling,<br />
medication, therapy, or surgery, a satisfied<br />
patient is an ultimate goal.”<br />
Dr. David Rodricks focuses exclusively<br />
on total hip and knee replacements and<br />
specializes in minimally invasive total joints<br />
with a rapid recovery program. “Joint<br />
replacements are real surgeries,” he says.<br />
“Patients should expect the full recovery to<br />
Orthopaedic Institute Brielle Orthopaedics<br />
Locations in Wall, Brick, Toms River, Freehold,<br />
Red Bank, Edison, Lacey, and Manahawkin.<br />
732-974-0404 • orthoinstitute.com<br />
take some weeks. They should also expect<br />
to see improvements every day and quickly<br />
feel better than how they felt prior to<br />
surgery.”<br />
“No matter what level athlete or how<br />
they were injured, I feel all patients should<br />
be treated like professional athletes,” says<br />
Dr. Bruce Stamos, who specializes in sports<br />
medicine and shoulder surgery. “Our whole<br />
team strives to provide the highest level of<br />
quality, evidence-based, and personalized<br />
treatment.”<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 49
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Jeffrey Conforti, dpm | FOOT-FOREFOOT & MIDFOOT SURGEON<br />
(Open Repair & Reconstruction)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs/conforti<br />
I’ve been in practice in Bergen County<br />
since 1987 and am board certified by<br />
both the American Board of Foot and<br />
Ankle Surgery and the American Board of<br />
Podiatric Medicine. After being in private<br />
practice for three decades, I now work for<br />
Hackensack University Medical Center,<br />
the lead hospital of Hackensack Meridian<br />
Health, where I perform all surgeries and<br />
have access to a tremendous amount of<br />
resources.<br />
I provide comprehensive foot and<br />
ankle care, including the diagnosing and<br />
treatment of everything from infections<br />
to fractures to bunion surgery, along with<br />
other foot deformities and problems.<br />
People come to me because they know they<br />
will receive the proper care. For example,<br />
there are many different ways to surgically<br />
correct a bunion, but without using the<br />
proper procedure, the chance of it coming<br />
back is high. The care I provide is based on<br />
each patient’s specific needs and condition.<br />
I entered the field of podiatry because<br />
my right leg was paralyzed for two and a<br />
half years after I underwent an orthopedic<br />
surgical procedure when I was 15 years old.<br />
I remember what it was like not being able<br />
to walk or run. Because of that experience, I<br />
decided to become a healthcare professional<br />
to help people. Our office is modern, with<br />
all the equipment necessary for proper<br />
treatment. That, combined with the<br />
resources available to my patients through<br />
Hackensack University Medical Center,<br />
enables our patients to receive exceptional<br />
care. Seeing patients who are happy with<br />
their results is my favorite part of the job.<br />
2 Sears Drive, Suite 201, Paramus, NJ 07652<br />
201-986-1900<br />
drjeffreyconforti.com<br />
50 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Richard Y. Kim, md | HAND SURGEON (Minimally Invasive and<br />
Open Repair & Reconstruction)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs/kim<br />
There are two important things<br />
patients should know about me.<br />
First is that I am always open for<br />
communication. Treating a problem mostly<br />
does not happen in an operating room. I<br />
personally talk with patients about test<br />
results and answer any questions they may<br />
have about their condition or surgery. I<br />
am generally conservative with surgery.<br />
I’ll discuss all non-surgical and surgical<br />
options, the risks and benefits of each, and<br />
the realistic results they can expect. Then,<br />
I offer what I would choose for myself, my<br />
brother, my parents, or my own children.<br />
I specialize in any problem below<br />
the elbow. My most common procedures<br />
are for carpal tunnel syndrome, thumb<br />
arthritis, trigger fingers, wrist/hand<br />
fractures, and tendon/nerve injuries. I treat<br />
infants, children, and adults. My overall<br />
approach to a procedure is to stay current<br />
with knowledge and research, tailor each<br />
procedure to the patient because everyone’s<br />
anatomy is singularly specific, and educate<br />
patients about the procedure and how to<br />
recover afterward. I hope patients find their<br />
experience to be personal, compassionate,<br />
and timely.<br />
I started practicing in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
in 2007, after completing my surgical<br />
training at Brown, Harvard, and Columbia<br />
Universities. I am very proud of the<br />
teaching honors I have received from<br />
Brown University, Columbia University,<br />
and Rutgers University. Most of my free<br />
time is spent with my family. I cherish<br />
being a husband and a father. My work<br />
gives me purpose; my family gives me<br />
meaning. Life is full.<br />
113 West Essex Street, Suite 203, Maywood, NJ 07607<br />
201-880-7766<br />
richardkimmd.com<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 51
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Justin P. Kubeck, md, faaos | SPINE SURGEON (Minimally Invasive)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs/kubeck<br />
When people hear that I’m a spine<br />
surgeon, they automatically think<br />
I’m in the business of operating<br />
on people. That’s just not accurate. I<br />
always tell new patients that we need to<br />
see what makes sense for their individual<br />
circumstances—whether it’s medication,<br />
therapy, or, ultimately, surgery. There is a<br />
protocol that I follow: I don’t ever just go in<br />
and do surgery. For me, developing the best<br />
treatment plan for an individual patient is<br />
very proceduralized. Once we determine<br />
the problem, then I say, “Here’s what you<br />
can expect, here are your options, and here<br />
is what we will decide together.”<br />
An important part of my job is<br />
alleviating fear. I can see that in my<br />
patients’ eyes when they walk in to my<br />
office. They’re afraid of the pain; they’re<br />
afraid of the surgery; they’re afraid they<br />
will never get back to normal. My job is<br />
to understand their fear and help them<br />
to trust that I have their best interests at<br />
heart. I’m also transparent with my patients<br />
and get them involved in the process<br />
from the start. If they know what is going<br />
on and remain engaged with their care,<br />
then their fears go down dramatically. My<br />
patients get to know me, and we build a<br />
relationship. That’s how we build trust,<br />
and trust facilitates healing. What I want<br />
all of my patients to take away from our<br />
first meeting is hope. I want my patients to<br />
know that they can get their lives back and<br />
live without pain.<br />
OCEAN ORTHOPEDIC ASSOCIATES<br />
530 Lakehurst Road, #101, Toms River, NJ 08755<br />
2 Hospital Plaza Drive, Suite 310, Old Bridge, NJ 08857<br />
732-349-8454 • precisespine@gmail.com • precisionprocedure.com<br />
52 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Jason E. Lowenstein, md | PEDIATRIC SURGEON (Spine) and<br />
SPINE SURGEON (Minimally Invasive, Open Repair & Reconstruction)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-lowenstein<br />
Being diagnosed with scoliosis or<br />
spinal deformity can present a<br />
challenging situation for patients<br />
of all ages. As a board-certified orthopedic<br />
spine surgeon, I focus my practice on<br />
treating pediatric and adult patients with<br />
complex spinal disorders, such as scoliosis,<br />
kyphosis and spondylolisthesis. Some<br />
patients have newly discovered spinal<br />
deformities, while others have been living<br />
with theirs for many years. In either case, I<br />
strive to learn from each patient how their<br />
individual deformity is affecting their life,<br />
and then formulate a treatment plan to help<br />
that patient best achieve his or her personal<br />
goals. Ultimately, my hope is to maximally<br />
correct my patients spinal deformities,<br />
using minimally invasive techniques<br />
whenever possible, to allow them to recover<br />
and return to their normal activities as<br />
quickly as possible.<br />
Patients who have had previous surgery<br />
for scoliosis and require further treatment<br />
or have had previous spine surgery<br />
and have developed subsequent spinal<br />
deformity present a unique challenge.<br />
Often times these patients may have<br />
neurological disorders such as weakness or<br />
a foot drop. Additionally, there is frequently<br />
abundant scar tissue associated with<br />
the previous surgical approaches which<br />
must be delicately treated. As a complex<br />
spine surgeon, my practice focuses on<br />
these unusual revision cases. By carefully<br />
evaluating and accurately diagnosing the<br />
cause of their symptoms, these challenging<br />
patients can be successfully treated,<br />
alleviating their pain, improving their<br />
function and allowing them to enjoy a<br />
better overall quality of life.<br />
THE ADVANCED SPINE CENTER<br />
160 East Hanover Avenue, Suite 201, Morristown, NJ 07960<br />
333 Mt. Hope Avenue, Suite 140, Rockaway, NJ 07866<br />
1125 US-22, Bridgewater, NJ 08807<br />
973-538-<strong>09</strong>00 • theadvancedspinecenter.com • jasonlowensteinmd.com<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 53
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
George Naseef, md, faaos | SPINE SURGEON (Open Repair & Reconstruction)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-naseef<br />
My genuine concern for each<br />
patient’s regard as an individual,<br />
combined with specialized<br />
cutting-edge training in my field and<br />
abundance of knowledge that comes with<br />
practicing orthopedic spine surgery for 19<br />
years, allow me to offer outstanding care for<br />
my patients. Board-certified in orthopedic<br />
surgery and fellowship trained in spine<br />
surgery, I am fully committed to excellence<br />
in spinal care and place great emphasis<br />
on thorough evaluations and accurate<br />
diagnoses. I have extensive experience in<br />
treating a wide array of spinal conditions<br />
including cervical, lumbar and thoracic disc<br />
herniations; stenosis; traumatic injuries;<br />
scoliosis; spinal deformities; work-related<br />
spinal injuries; and tumors. I also perform<br />
complicated revision procedures for<br />
patients whose previous surgeries failed.<br />
I’m proud to be a ten-time <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
<strong>Monthly</strong> Top Doctor and the recipient of<br />
other honors such as the Patient’s Choice<br />
and Most Compassionate Doctors awards<br />
from vitals.com.<br />
I devote my practice to exploring nonoperative<br />
measures before considering<br />
surgical options. My patients benefit from<br />
being listened to very carefully and assessed<br />
as a whole because sometimes diagnostic<br />
studies don’t reveal the full story. That’s why<br />
I take a thorough approach incorporating<br />
a patient’s comorbidities, medical history<br />
and social needs when generating the best<br />
possible treatment plan.<br />
I aim to relieve patients’ pain and restore<br />
them to function at their maximal potential,<br />
allowing them to enjoy better qualities of<br />
life. Without a doubt, my greatest reward in<br />
surgical practice is witnessing my patients<br />
thrive under the care I provide for them.<br />
THE ADVANCED SPINE CENTER<br />
160 East Hanover Avenue, Suite 201, Morristown, NJ 07960<br />
333 Mt. Hope Avenue, Suite 140, Rockaway, NJ 07866<br />
1125 US 22, Bridgewater, NJ 08807<br />
973-538-<strong>09</strong>00 • theadvancedspinecenter.com • georgenaseef.com<br />
54 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Michael E. Pollack, md | SHOULDER SURGEON<br />
(Arthroscopic, Minimally Invasive, and Open Repair & Reconstruction), SPORTS MEDICINE SURGEON<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-pollack<br />
As an orthopedic surgeon, I strive<br />
to exhaust conservative treatment<br />
measures, including injections,<br />
home exercises, physical therapy, rest and<br />
activity modification, for all my patients<br />
prior to recommending and pursuing<br />
surgical treatments. My approach to surgery<br />
is always as a last resort for my patients.<br />
When necessary, I employ the most current<br />
and minimally invasive techniques to<br />
minimize pain and accelerate recovery.<br />
I specialize in shoulder arthroscopy<br />
including rotator cuff repairs, labral<br />
repairs, biceps tenodesis, SLAP repairs and<br />
shoulder stabilizations. I also specialize in<br />
anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction<br />
surgery, total and reverse shoulder<br />
arthroplasty and knee arthroplasty.<br />
I received my training in orthopedic surgery<br />
in <strong>New</strong> York City at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt<br />
Hospital Center and pursued advanced<br />
fellowship training in shoulder and<br />
arthroscopic surgery at California Pacific<br />
Medical Center in San Francisco. I’ve been<br />
in practice for more than 20 years and I’m<br />
most proud of the tens of thousands of<br />
patients I have helped and thousands of<br />
successful surgeries I have performed. I’m<br />
also proud to have been named a <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
<strong>Monthly</strong> Top Doctor three times and also a<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong> Bone and Joint Select<br />
Surgeon the last four years running. I am<br />
very clear, compassionate and direct with<br />
my patients and treat them as I’d treat a<br />
family member or friend. My favorite part<br />
of my job is restoring my patients to a high<br />
quality of life and helping them return to<br />
their desired recreational activities and<br />
passions. In my free time I enjoy spending<br />
as much time as possible with my wife, two<br />
teenage daughters and dogs Daisy and Peri.<br />
I also enjoy exercise and travel.<br />
MIDJERSEY ORTHOPAEDICS<br />
8100 Wescott Drive, Suite 101, Flemington, NJ 08822<br />
908-782-0600<br />
midjerseyortho.com<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 55
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Richard M. Seldes, md | HIP SURGEON (Arthroscopic and Open Repair<br />
& Reconstruction), KNEE SURGEON (Arthroscopic and Open Repair & Reconstruction), and<br />
SHOULDER SURGEON (Arthroscopic)<br />
Exclusive video at<br />
njmonthly.com/bjs-seldes<br />
Iam a hip, knee, and shoulder<br />
orthopedic specialist with offices in<br />
Hackensack, Manhattan, and Queens.<br />
In practice for 22 years, I am one of the<br />
few surgeons in Bergen County who<br />
performs a high volume of hip arthroscopy,<br />
a minimally invasive procedure to treat<br />
cartilage tears of the hip. This is a newer<br />
procedure that has saved many patients<br />
from getting unnecessary hip replacements.<br />
The ideal patient for hip arthroscopy is<br />
active, has minimal arthritis in the hip, and<br />
has a tear of the labrum. Those patients<br />
usually return to their activities fairly<br />
quickly without restrictions.<br />
Patients can expect to be treated as if<br />
they were my family members. They will<br />
get a detailed description of their condition<br />
and all non-surgical and surgical treatment<br />
options. The most important thing a patient<br />
should know about me as their surgeon is<br />
that I am always completely prepared for<br />
the day of surgery. I spend a lot of time<br />
planning the surgeries and thinking about<br />
different scenarios that may occur during<br />
the case. I have high-level expertise and<br />
skill in the operating room and will provide<br />
the best result possible.<br />
My favorite part of my job is helping<br />
people. It is an honor that patients allow<br />
me to perform surgery on them. It is<br />
very gratifying to see a patient who can’t<br />
function in society because of their pain<br />
be able to get back to work, play with their<br />
kids or grandkids again, or get back on the<br />
golf course, basketball court, etc., because<br />
of the surgery I performed.<br />
401 Hackensack Avenue, Tenth floor, Hackensack, NJ 07601<br />
201-343-3999<br />
seldesmd.com<br />
facebook.com/DrSeldesOrtho<br />
56 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Read all about<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
iPad<br />
9:45 AM 100%<br />
Awardwinning<br />
writing<br />
iPad<br />
9:45 AM<br />
Awardwinning<br />
design<br />
NJ’S BEST SUMMER FESTIVALS<br />
Designed by: ZQ | www.designbolts.<br />
SUBSCRIBE AND DOWNLOAD<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong> magazine<br />
njmonthly.com/digital
PHOTOGRAPH: (GIRL) iSTOCK/SLAVA OLSHEVSKAYA
More than two years into the pandemic, school life as we knew it<br />
has transformed. Students, educators and parents are still<br />
experiencing challenges. many districts have embraced innovations<br />
in learning and mental health to help. Here, we explore<br />
what our Schools are facing in the <strong>2022</strong>-2023 academic year.<br />
he student was depressed and wanted to<br />
end it all. But in the throes of that darkness,<br />
the teen turned to a classmate who<br />
urged the student to seek help. Together,<br />
they approached a staff member at the<br />
Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School<br />
District, located in Atlantic County. The employee, working<br />
with the district’s mental health specialists, helped the<br />
teen get treatment. “Just this year, we’ve had a few students<br />
reporting thoughts about self-harm,” says James M. Reina,<br />
superintendent of the district, which includes three high<br />
schools. “This student had a plan, and had the means, and<br />
a reason they were going to take this tragic step. Their<br />
peer said, ‘You’ve got to share this.’ We helped the kid<br />
get access to an inpatient facility.”<br />
It’s all part of a support system that will greet<br />
students in the new school year. It revolves around<br />
raising awareness among students and staff about<br />
mental health and providing guidance and resources<br />
to those who need them. Students and teachers will be<br />
trained to reach out to others who are struggling. By recognizing<br />
that mental health is as important as physical health,<br />
it will be destigmatized.<br />
“It is part of our training for our staff, and it’s embedded<br />
in our curriculum,” Reina says of the focus on mental wellness,<br />
which the district began incorporating several years<br />
ago and bolstered during the pandemic.<br />
In the <strong>2022</strong>-2023 academic year, school districts across<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> say they will integrate mental health into everything<br />
from the curriculum to activities to cafeteria seating,<br />
as the number of children—from pre-kindergarten through<br />
high school—struggling with anxiety, depression and suicidal<br />
thoughts has grown from worrisome before the pandemic to<br />
what federal officials have now declared a national emergency.<br />
While learning loss during the pandemic prompted some<br />
districts to hire tutors, offer extra hours of classroom instruction<br />
to at-risk kids, and take other steps to help students,<br />
the social impact of lockdowns and the disorientation<br />
it created has pushed mental wellness to the fore in teaching<br />
and extracurricular activities, school officials say.<br />
Many districts have implemented state and national initiatives,<br />
like Handle With Care, in which law-enforcement<br />
officers who respond to a potentially traumatizing situation<br />
for a child will alert the school without divulging details<br />
about the incident. The idea is that with that knowledge,<br />
school staff can then handle the student more<br />
mindfully, watching for signs of trauma, providing<br />
emotional support, and allowing them more time<br />
to complete class work. This school year, numerous<br />
districts will employ Social Emotional Learning,<br />
which teaches empathy, self-awareness, managing emotions<br />
and relationship skills, among other things.<br />
The Bloomfield School District has embraced mental<br />
wellness as a priority since before the pandemic, when<br />
it incorporated Start With Hello, a program created by<br />
Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization founded<br />
by families of children who were killed at the Sandy Hook<br />
Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012. Through activities<br />
and classroom lessons, the program aims to eliminate<br />
social isolation by teaching children to include others and<br />
lift spirits through simple acts of kindness. In the <strong>2022</strong>-<br />
2023 school year, parent and student volunteers will post<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: (CHALKBOARD) SHUTTERSTOCK/VOLUROL<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 59
Our STATE of EDUCATION<br />
“<br />
signs with positive messages such as, “You<br />
are strong,” “You are beautiful,” and “You can<br />
do it.” On other occasions, students will leave<br />
anonymous “kindness notes,” complimenting<br />
or encouraging a classmate.<br />
“You can make someone’s day just by saying<br />
hello to someone,” says Joseph Fleres,<br />
the assistant superintendent.<br />
The district also enhanced its social-emotional<br />
learning agenda by adding the Wingman<br />
program, which trains students to be leaders<br />
in creating an empathetic and inclusive environment.<br />
The program was created by another<br />
Sandy Hook parent, Ian Hockley, whose<br />
6-year-old son died in the massacre. Hockley<br />
says he liked the concept of the wingman, a<br />
term in the Air Force for someone who has<br />
another’s back.<br />
Gina Rosamilla, the principal of the<br />
Watsessing Elementary School in Bloomfield,<br />
says that at-home learning during<br />
the pandemic was particularly trying for<br />
her students. “Our socioeconomic status<br />
is lower,” Rosamilla says. “Some kids were<br />
sitting at the kitchen table [doing schoolwork],<br />
and they had to take care of their<br />
younger siblings. Some lost family members<br />
[to Covid-19], and they were trying to learn<br />
as they were dealing with loss. They were trying to learn as their<br />
relatives worried about keeping their jobs.”<br />
With Covid surges and outbreaks not yet things of the past,<br />
Bloomfield schools, like others across the state, are prepared<br />
to continue mental wellness remotely, they say. Earlier in the<br />
pandemic, Mike Bruno, the district supervisor of guidance,<br />
WE WILL be<br />
talking to<br />
students about<br />
setting Internet<br />
boundaries<br />
and using screen<br />
time in a way that<br />
promotes<br />
good social and<br />
emotional<br />
well-being.<br />
Tabitha Rice<br />
Media Specialist, Bloomfield Midle School<br />
pushed for programs like Wingman to continue<br />
even as schools were forced to shift to<br />
remote learning. If ever the kids needed an<br />
emotional boost, he told district officials,<br />
it was then.<br />
“We had student leaders join students<br />
in lower grade levels for sharing circles on<br />
Google Meet to have a true sense of inclusivity,”<br />
says Laura Foster, a teacher at Watsessing<br />
and a Wingman program coordinator.<br />
Wingman student leaders in the upper<br />
middle school grades work with younger<br />
”<br />
students on social and emotional learning,<br />
even succeeding in motivating some who<br />
are introverted to become Wingmen.<br />
The program is so popular that enrollment<br />
in the middle school for the coming<br />
school year has nearly doubled to more than<br />
80 from 44.“It’s the most, by far, we’ve had<br />
sign up,” says Greg Murray, a computer science<br />
teacher involved with the Wingman<br />
program at Bloomfield Middle School.<br />
“There was one student who didn’t want<br />
to participate,” says Wingman and ninthgrader<br />
Sophia Sorge. “She didn’t want to<br />
speak to anyone she didn’t know. So any<br />
time we went to her classroom, we’d pair<br />
her with a Wingman so she could share her<br />
ideas on the activities we were doing. Each time, she got a bit<br />
more comfortable.”<br />
One boy was often teased because of speech issues, Foster says.<br />
He was usually alone on the playground while other kids socialized<br />
with friends. A teacher encouraged him to be a Wingman leader.<br />
“He really took on the role,” Foster says. “It shifted the dynamic<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN NORMAN<br />
TAKING<br />
THE LEAD<br />
In Bloomfield,<br />
the Wingman<br />
program participants<br />
help peers<br />
develop empathy<br />
and inclusivity.<br />
Left: Wingman<br />
students with Michael<br />
Bruno, district<br />
supervisor of<br />
guidance (in the<br />
rear). Right: Staff<br />
member Gregory<br />
Murray, left,<br />
works with two<br />
students.<br />
60 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
from him being a loner to being a leader, and when he saw someone<br />
sitting by himself, he went up to them and got them to play a<br />
game.” The boy, who is now thriving socially and academically,<br />
credited the program with changing his life.<br />
“He was able to reach other students who were the loner or<br />
the quirky one, who he identified with, and he brought them out<br />
of their shell and comfort zone,” Foster says.<br />
Tabitha Rice, librarian and media specialist at Bloomfield<br />
Middle School, says the library's lunchtime activities can be a<br />
haven for students who don't want to spend the period in the<br />
cafeteria. “We tend to get loners and kids who need community,”<br />
she explains. “We do projects such as arts and crafts, we have a<br />
Lego wall, we’ve melted down Jolly Ranchers and made roses<br />
with them, and we do STEM [activities]. It’s so every kid has a<br />
safe place that’s comfortable for them.”<br />
In September, the Maurice River Township School District<br />
staff will be trained in suicide prevention and how to identify<br />
and handle trauma in children. “Coming out of this pandemic, we<br />
saw that the mental health needs of the kids were exacerbated,”<br />
says Jeremy Cohen, the chief school administrator of the district.<br />
“These kids have lost so many social skills over the pandemic.<br />
We’re seeing the mental health needs in [even] younger kids. I<br />
have pre-K and kindergarten kids who have some severe mental<br />
health needs. Parents don’t know where to go for help, so right<br />
now, they’re turning to the schools.”<br />
The district formed a partnership last year with Rowan<br />
College, which has a Social Emotional Learning program<br />
that trains staff and provides counseling to students on a<br />
monthly basis. For the first time, all district teachers became certified<br />
in Youth Mental Health First Aid, and four employees received<br />
their certification in the Nurtured Heart Approach, which stresses<br />
building children’s self-esteem. The district is also one of hundreds<br />
across the country that works with Care Solace, a California-based<br />
company launched in 2020 that connects schools and families with<br />
local and online mental health resources.<br />
“Having these programs run parallel to one another has been<br />
phenomenal,” Cohen says. “In Cumberland County, there aren’t<br />
many community-based mental health programs.”<br />
Like other school administrators, Cohen says the pandemic<br />
emotionally drained teachers and other staff members. “It wasn’t<br />
just the kids. The mental health needs of the staff were magnified<br />
by 1,000—they hadn’t been around the kids,” he says. “The needs<br />
of these kids and the staff have still been rising. We won’t see the<br />
full toll for another year or two.”<br />
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported<br />
that pre-pandemic, one in five children ages 3–7 had a mental,<br />
emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder. And yet, the<br />
American Academy of Pediatrics said in a 2019 report, few got<br />
the services they critically needed for their disorders—which,<br />
it noted, “could jeopardize their health long into adulthood”—<br />
because of barriers such as stigma, a shortage of mental health<br />
providers, and affordability.<br />
High school students who revealed feeling hopelessness soared<br />
by 40 percent between 20<strong>09</strong> and 2019, with 19 percent considering<br />
suicide and 16 percent having made a plan to carry it out. In<br />
2020, more than 6,600 people ages 10–24 died by suicide.<br />
In December, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sounded<br />
the alarm, issuing an advisory on the mental health crisis among<br />
youth. Murthy said the pandemic had intensified existing problems<br />
among youth of isolation, financial hardship, bullying and anxiety.<br />
His warning followed a move in October by three groups—the<br />
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of<br />
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association—to<br />
declare a national state of emergency in children’s<br />
mental health. The declaration emphasized the important ability<br />
of schools to detect and monitor signs of mental illness and<br />
provide resources that can improve mental health. The coalition<br />
recommended, among other things, increased implementation<br />
and funding for school-based mental health care and boosting<br />
suicide-prevention programs in schools and other settings.<br />
A<br />
report in June by the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Hospital Association<br />
revealed that mental illness in youth is driving an increase<br />
in inpatient admissions. NJHA said depression was the<br />
leading diagnosis among youth ages 12–17. Between 2019 and 2021,<br />
the organization noted that hospitalization due to self-harm jumped<br />
95 percent, and admissions due to anxiety rose 54 percent.<br />
“We are witnessing the extended impact of the pandemic on the<br />
demand for mental health services,” says Cathy Bennett, NJHA<br />
president and CEO. “The emergency department is very often the<br />
first point of contact for youths in mental health crisis, but now we<br />
see that journey continuing into inpatient care in our hospitals.”<br />
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in April<br />
reported that young people who felt close to people at school—<br />
whether in-person or virtually—experienced better mental health<br />
than those who did not. Making students comfortable about<br />
confiding in someone at school, be it a classmate, a teacher or another<br />
staff member, has become a pillar of mental wellness at the<br />
Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District, says Reina.<br />
The area has seen suicide attempts by high school and middle<br />
Continued on page 83<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 61
taking<br />
flight<br />
Math, history and...happiness? <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s schools and colleges<br />
offer an array of unique programs and courses, from Centenary<br />
University’s brand-new Master’s in Happiness Studies to Lodi High<br />
School’s biomedical lab that looks and feels like a real hospital.<br />
You’ve probably heard of overpriced, oversold<br />
promises from self-help coaches and <strong>New</strong> Age retreats<br />
before.<br />
Yet the trailblazing Master of Arts degree in happiness<br />
studies—the first of its kind in the country— promises<br />
to be different. It’s being offered at Hackettstown’s Centenary<br />
University this fall.<br />
“I always say to students, first and foremost, ‘This is an academic<br />
program,’” says Tal Ben-Shahar, the program’s founder<br />
and a professor of happiness studies. “This is not some self-help<br />
or <strong>New</strong> Age program. It’s not just that it feels good to feel good.<br />
Increasing levels of happiness has numerous by-products.”<br />
The interdisciplinary degree is an online, 30-credit program<br />
consisting of eight classes, says Ben-Shahar, a former<br />
Harvard professor who taught the Ivy League’s two largest<br />
classes in its history, on positive psychology and the psychology<br />
of leadership. It’s geared toward anyone who feels they<br />
could benefit from the practical knowledge offered via the<br />
degree, and it can help those who wish to be more creative,<br />
productive, present and kind, he says.<br />
Students are set to study a diverse array of disciplines,<br />
from thousand-year-old philosophies such as Taoism, a<br />
belief system birthed in China and aimed at living a simple<br />
and balanced life in harmony with nature, to the modern field<br />
of positive psychology, the scientific study of what makes<br />
life worth living.<br />
The program is even going to scrutinize cinema, such as the<br />
hit film 1998 The Truman Show, a psychological science fiction<br />
satire starring Jim Carrey as a man who realizes that he has<br />
been living his entire life as part of a reality television show.<br />
“It asks, ‘How can I help myself and how can I help others<br />
increase their levels of well-being?’” Ben-Shahar says of the<br />
curriculum. “Having this knowledge can help a manager who<br />
is running a team or organization, it can help a teacher leading<br />
a classroom, it can very much help coaches and therapists, not<br />
to mention, it can help parents become better role models for<br />
their children.”<br />
The program’s partnership with Centenary University, a<br />
private 155-year-old liberal arts institution was serendipitous<br />
for both parties, says president Bruce Murphy.<br />
“Like most people, when you hear masters in Happiness<br />
Studies, you’re like, Wait a minute? What is this?” he jokes.<br />
However, Murphy says, he was impressed by its rigor and<br />
sound academic basis, studying theoreticians, scholars and<br />
philosophers all the way back to Aristotle and Confucius.<br />
Will happiness studies fall victim to the same criticism<br />
that the billion-dollar wellness industry has endured, namely<br />
that it’s taking advantage of people? Ben-Shahar admits that<br />
some of the complaints are well deserved, but he rejects the<br />
notion that pursuing happiness is either selfish or selfless.<br />
“We get our best ideas when we stop and reflect—when we<br />
ask questions—and this is exactly what we are asking of our<br />
students.” Not doing so, he believes, “is compromising our<br />
potential for making the most of our life.” —Falyn Stempler<br />
Illustration by Anna Godeassi<br />
62 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
PAGING LODI<br />
STUDENTS<br />
Lodi High School<br />
has opened a<br />
biomedical lab,<br />
part of which<br />
is designed to<br />
look like a real<br />
hospital.<br />
HANDS-ON MEDICAL<br />
LEARNING AT LODI HIGH<br />
Is there a doctor in the school? Students<br />
at Lodi High School who are interested<br />
in pursuing a medical career<br />
gained a unique opportunity this year when<br />
Bergen County school unveiled its biomedical<br />
and exercise science lab.<br />
Led by science teacher and former EMT<br />
Virginia Fasulo, the lab features high-tech<br />
equipment to help students become familiar<br />
with treating patients. Part of the lab is made<br />
to look like a hospital, with hospital beds separated<br />
by curtains and two mannequins in<br />
hospital gowns. Named Aries and Juno, the<br />
mannequins have moving eyes that can be<br />
changed to different colors to represent various<br />
illnesses and moving torsos to simulate<br />
breathing. Monitors behind the “patients”<br />
display their vitals.<br />
Students use a tablet to control the mannequins<br />
and a virtual-reality headset to look<br />
at organs and more, giving them a closer look<br />
at how the human body works.<br />
The lab, which cost about $1 million to<br />
build, also has machines for students interested<br />
in exercise science and physical<br />
therapy.<br />
The lab is used in classes including Honors<br />
anatomy and physiology, AP biology and<br />
dynamics in healthcare, and by the premed<br />
club, which is open to all students.<br />
The hands-on learning is key for students.<br />
“It feels like a conversation more<br />
than a class,” says Anthony Rodriguez, while<br />
Shaniya Richberg adds, “It gives us...a greater,<br />
broader perspective, as opposed to just reading<br />
stuff in textbooks.”<br />
The school also opened an engineering<br />
and construction lab last year, which features<br />
3-D printers, a vinyl cutter, laser-cutting<br />
technology and woodshop equipment.<br />
The lab also has a T-shirt and hat press. The<br />
robotics team, the Roborams, used it to make<br />
a logo for their team uniform, and principal<br />
Frank D’Amico says students plan to create<br />
lettering for logos and mottos to put up on<br />
the school’s walls. —Thomas Neira<br />
ARTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES IN<br />
SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD<br />
Most math classes don’t require<br />
drums, but the Scotch Plains-Fanwood<br />
public schools march to a<br />
different beat than most.<br />
The K-12 Union County district is a big believer<br />
in its Arts Integration program, which<br />
blends core-curriculum subjects with creative<br />
lessons. For example, a math class focused<br />
on fractions incorporates djembes<br />
and tubanos, two types of African drums.<br />
Students learn about the Holocaust through<br />
dance and about the anatomy of arthropods<br />
through drawing.<br />
The program allows students to learn various<br />
skills and subjects while also building a<br />
deeper understanding of themselves and their<br />
own interests. Artsy, interactive lessons can<br />
also make standard subjects more fun. “You<br />
might have a student who isn’t into math or<br />
understanding his fractions,” says Barbara Prestridge,<br />
the district’s Arts Integration specialist<br />
and coach. “But this kid, who happens to be a<br />
drummer in the band, is drumming all the time<br />
in fractions. Musical notation is just another<br />
form of fractions. All of a sudden, that guy is<br />
newly engaged in his math class.”<br />
Prestridge’s position was created in 2019<br />
after the longtime visual arts teacher found<br />
herself weaving other subjects into her classes.<br />
She realized bringing the arts into other<br />
subjects could galvanize teachers and students<br />
alike, and she soon began training and<br />
collaborating with other faculty members.<br />
With a background in art, Prestridge needs<br />
other teachers to make this program work.<br />
Fortunately, her peers have bought in, with<br />
over 300 teachers and administrators participating<br />
in professional-development arts<br />
workshops pertaining to painting, drawing,<br />
African drumming, opera, Japanese bunraku<br />
puppetry, writing and more.<br />
Prestridge says the Arts Integration program<br />
has enthused teachers, allowing them<br />
to awaken their inner artists. More importantly,<br />
she says, “kids are engaging in a way we’ve<br />
never seen before.” —Gary Phillips<br />
RAISE A GLASS FOR NEW<br />
RUTGERS WINE PROGRAM<br />
When Dr. Beverly Tepper isn’t<br />
teaching Rutgers University students<br />
how to evaluate taste and<br />
smell, the food science professor can be<br />
found tending some 8 acres of grapevines<br />
in neatly planted rows on her 78-acre farm<br />
in Allentown.<br />
Lately, she has harnessed her teaching and<br />
farming skills to create a certificate program<br />
to produce a skilled workforce for the state’s<br />
growing wine industry. “It’s been clear for<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF LODI HIGH SCHOOL<br />
64 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Our STATE of EDUCATION<br />
some time that we need a program at Rutgers<br />
to help support the winery industry,” Tepper<br />
says. “In <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, there’s a need for workers<br />
both in the field and in the tasting room,<br />
as well as in the production facility.”<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> boasts more than 50 licensed<br />
wineries, up from 38 just 10 years ago, according<br />
to the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Wine Growers Association.<br />
A 2016 economic-impact study found<br />
that wine, grape and related industries accounted<br />
for 1,979 jobs in the state, up 35.4 percent<br />
from 2011. Jobs in the wineries and vineyards<br />
generated a payroll of $85.57 million.<br />
Tepper entered the wine business in 2015<br />
when she and her partner, Mark Pausch, a retired<br />
pharmaceutical research scientist, purchased<br />
a former soybean farm. A year later,<br />
they planted 19 varieties of grape vines. Three<br />
years after that, they began making small<br />
batches of wine. Their 2019 Estate Riesling<br />
won a gold medal and was recognized as best<br />
in show among white wines at the 2020 Wine-<br />
Maker Magazine amateur wine competition.<br />
“I was developing much more of an interest<br />
in the area of grapes and wine, and I know how<br />
to put programs together,” Tepper says. “It just<br />
seemed like a no-brainer to link my professional<br />
abilities as an instructor and educator with<br />
helping the industry move forward.”<br />
The question was, if they built it, would<br />
they come? Apparently, yes. The results of<br />
surveys last year by the Rutgers Office of<br />
Continuing Professional Education found enthusiasm<br />
for the program from undergraduates<br />
and alumni. <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> winery owners,<br />
meanwhile, indicated they could accommodate<br />
student internships and would be willing<br />
to hire students who completed the program.<br />
Tepper took a five-month sabbatical in<br />
January to organize the program. The result is<br />
the Grape and Wine Science Certificate Program,<br />
which ran this August for four weeks<br />
and consisted of in-class learning, hands-on<br />
workshops, and visits to vineyards and wineries<br />
in the state, followed by a paid internship<br />
at a winery. It covered grape growing, winemaking<br />
and business operations, and was<br />
open to college students and adult learners.<br />
The program is set to run each August in<br />
the future. —Monica Cardoza<br />
“<br />
This is not some<br />
self-help or <strong>New</strong><br />
age program. It<br />
asks, How can I help<br />
myself and how can<br />
I help others increase<br />
their levels<br />
”<br />
of well-being?<br />
— Tal Ben-Shahar<br />
Professor and founder of the Happiness Studies<br />
program at Centenary University<br />
MADISON PREPS FUTURE<br />
GOVERNMENT LEADERS<br />
Before the pandemic began, Shari<br />
Castelli found herself brainstorming<br />
a high school program dedicated<br />
to teaching students about government and<br />
civics. When the coronavirus spread—among<br />
other newsworthy and political events—she<br />
realized such a program was a necessity.<br />
“If the last couple of years have taught us<br />
anything, we need civic engagement,” Castelli,<br />
assistant superintendent for curriculum<br />
and instruction at the Morris County Vocational<br />
School District, says now. “We need<br />
leadership. We need folks who really want to<br />
inherit and care for our society.”<br />
And so the Academy for Government and<br />
Leadership, a joint effort between the Vocational<br />
School District and Madison High<br />
School, was born. The four-year program<br />
begins this September, with the goal of educating<br />
students in all matters of government<br />
and leadership, including public policy and<br />
administration, ethics, and international relations.<br />
The program culminates with a senior-year<br />
internship.<br />
Madison High School is hosting the academy,<br />
but all Morris County students can apply.<br />
Accepted members become full-time Madison<br />
High School students, regardless of their<br />
home district. This means they will complete<br />
all required classwork at Madison—not just<br />
academy courses—and they can participate<br />
in all Madison extracurricular activities, such<br />
as athletics. David Drechsel, Madison High<br />
School’s principal, says that 10-12 students<br />
from outside the Madison district are part of<br />
the academy’s inaugural class. Students may<br />
drop out of the program if they wish, though<br />
non-Madison residents would have to return<br />
to their home districts.<br />
“The onus is on us in Madison to make sure<br />
that students feel like they are getting a really<br />
meaningful experience,” says Dan Ross, Madison<br />
public schools’ assistant superintendent<br />
for curriculum, instruction and personnel. The<br />
hope is that the academy’s unique offerings<br />
and opportunities will achieve that.<br />
Courses include intro to public administration,<br />
international relations and diplomacy,<br />
and AP government and politics. Relevant<br />
speakers from the community are set to in-<br />
Most Likely to Succeed: NJ alums remember when...<br />
Dylan<br />
Tom<br />
Dylan Dreyer<br />
Co-host, 3rd hour of TODAY;<br />
NBC meteorologist; author of Misty the<br />
Cloud: Friends Through Rain or Shine<br />
Manalapan High School Class of 1999<br />
Give us a six-word bio of who you<br />
were in high school: A hard-working<br />
athlete and a studious student.<br />
Favorite thing: Playing sports. I played<br />
field hockey and softball.<br />
Least favorite thing: Just the drama of<br />
being that age.<br />
tom perrotta<br />
Author<br />
David Brearley Regional High School<br />
Class of 1979<br />
Give us a six-word bio of who you were<br />
in high school: Big reader, failed quarterback,<br />
wannabe guitarist.<br />
Favorite thing: My teachers. I had some<br />
amazing, life-changing teachers in high<br />
school. I can’t thank them enough.<br />
Least favorite thing: High school, in the<br />
1970s, was a place where bullies often<br />
operated with impunity.<br />
Leia Gaccione<br />
Chef/owner of South + Pine, Morristown<br />
DePaul Catholic High School Class of 2001<br />
Give us a six-word bio of who you were<br />
in high school: Goody two-shoes, kinda<br />
dorky, artsy.<br />
Favorite thing: Art class, my kind of<br />
people.<br />
Least favorite thing: Kids can be so mean.<br />
I hated high school for that. I wasn’t athletic,<br />
didn’t go to parties. But I still have friends<br />
from high school.<br />
Leia<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 65
Our STATE of EDUCATION<br />
teract with students, and an already-existing<br />
relationship between the district and local<br />
government can help seniors land internships<br />
that could springboard them into government<br />
careers and other relevant professions.<br />
—Gary Phillips<br />
CUMBERLAND STUDENTS<br />
MENTOR EACH OTHER<br />
Ten years ago, parents of freshmen<br />
at Cumberland Regional High School<br />
were concerned when their children<br />
were chosen to participate in the inaugural<br />
senior mentorship program. They didn't want<br />
their kids, who were struggling academically, to<br />
be singled out, recalls Terence Johnson, assistant<br />
principal of the school.<br />
But now, he says, parents—and students—are<br />
fighting over the few dozen spots.<br />
“Through a rigorous selection process, Johnson<br />
collaborates with guidance counselors<br />
and teachers from the seven districts that<br />
comprise the regional high school’s student<br />
body to flag incoming freshmen who would<br />
be a good fit. Those students are then coupled<br />
with a compatible senior whose “sole responsibility<br />
is to help them in their transition<br />
into high school, socially, intellectually and<br />
emotionally,” Johnson says.<br />
“A lot of things that freshmen wouldn’t<br />
communicate or share with their parents,<br />
from a day-to-day perspective, they have a<br />
big brother or sister as a senior mentor that<br />
they will share with,” Johnson says.<br />
The program includes a class that meets<br />
daily for one semester, plus outside activities.<br />
For the first month, the class features bonding<br />
activities, so that the program’s selection committee<br />
can best pair up the freshmen and seniors.<br />
Each senior is then assigned two or three<br />
freshmen, with about 100 freshmen total in the<br />
program at a time. “We don’t just immediately<br />
assign kids to a mentor, because it’s all about<br />
who is best for who,” Johnson says.<br />
The remainder of the semester is spent on<br />
a curriculum based on Joseph M. Hoedel’s<br />
textbook, Role Models: Examples of Character<br />
and Leadership, which teaches the value of<br />
qualities such as preparation, perseverance,<br />
respect, honesty and courage. The program<br />
has improved students’ self-awareness, selfmanagement,<br />
social awareness, relational and<br />
decision-making skills, says Matt Lawrence-<br />
Evans, the high school’s wellness counselor.<br />
The program is project heavy. One interesting<br />
project involves the freshmen writing<br />
letters—to their role models, which they read<br />
aloud at a ceremony. —Falyn Stempler<br />
EDUCATING STUDENTS IN<br />
CHALLENGING TIMES<br />
Teacher shortages, safety and mental health are on the<br />
agenda for Angelica Allen-McMillan this school year.<br />
[ ]<br />
&<br />
A<br />
by jacqueline mroz<br />
ACTING EDUCATION COMMISSIONER ANGELICA<br />
Allen-McMillan welcomes the opportunity to increase<br />
educational equity for <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s 1.4 million students.<br />
She faces multiple challenges as the state’s commissioner,<br />
including educating students during a pandemic, keeping<br />
children and educators safe, teacher shortages, mentalhealth<br />
issues and aging school buildings.<br />
Allen-McMillan has spent 25 years in public education.<br />
A Cedar Grove resident and a parent of three, she has been a teacher, served on a school<br />
board, launched a charter school, served as a principal and an assistant superintendent,<br />
and was interim executive county superintendent for Morris County. Her permanent<br />
appointment awaits state Senate confirmation.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF JAMAR CHAMPION, SPECIAL ASSISTANT<br />
TO THE COMMISSIONER<br />
66 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF STEVEN VAN ZANDT/KIRSTI HOVDE<br />
QWhat are some of the biggest chal-<br />
you face as commissioner?<br />
alenges<br />
I’m focusing on continuing to have<br />
students and educators in safe<br />
buildings. We’re also ensuring the physical,<br />
social and emotional well-being of our<br />
students to promote optimal learning.<br />
We’ve been thrown into a virtual teaching<br />
reality without a lot of warning, so<br />
we need to learn how to take the best of<br />
technology and reacclimate ourselves to<br />
brick-and-mortar learning. And we’re not<br />
just capturing what was missed; we’re<br />
focusing on learning acceleration, and on<br />
big ideas. We’re moving students forward,<br />
using technology and training to make<br />
connections meaningful for them and<br />
to sustain their learning. Universal preschool<br />
is one of the governor’s hallmark<br />
positions. We believe that education for<br />
every 3- and 4-year-old in the state will<br />
pay dividends for years to come.<br />
QCan you talk about learning loss for<br />
students during the pandemic and<br />
what is being done on the state level to<br />
aalleviate this? Is there a long-term plan?<br />
We term it disrupted learning.<br />
We’re engaging students differently<br />
now. We’ve been able to use funds from<br />
the federal government to support initiatives<br />
to help with this, and 90 percent<br />
of these funds have been allocated to be<br />
shared with our school districts.<br />
Our goal was initially to get devices into<br />
the hands of children, but now we’re looking<br />
beyond that. What is the research telling us?<br />
We’re dividing funding and leveraging more<br />
toward STEM, and we’re taking a portion<br />
for literacy and visual and performing arts.<br />
We know that creative performance leads<br />
to growth. We’re also directing $30 million<br />
for mental health support.<br />
The funding also allows for one-on-one<br />
intensive tutoring, after-school programs<br />
and summer learning.... It will take time<br />
for districts to find their footing again<br />
now that they’re back in their buildings.<br />
QWhat is being done to address the<br />
mental health issues that students<br />
ahave faced in the past two years?<br />
We’re improving our ability to provide<br />
support to schools. If there’s<br />
a need, we want them to come to us for<br />
resources. We have a new mental health<br />
staff member working with our districts.<br />
In our county offices, we have a county<br />
special education specialist as well. Our<br />
goal is to build on what we know works<br />
and to train and advance initiatives that<br />
are moving forward.<br />
QCan you talk about school construction<br />
and what’s being done in terms<br />
aof failing buildings around the state?<br />
We have many older buildings<br />
across our state. The Murphy administration<br />
wants to ensure that $75<br />
million earmarked in this budget will<br />
support this initiative. It’s monumental<br />
that we have the support in place. We’re<br />
encouraging the maintenance of buildings<br />
through inspections to ensure that<br />
buildings remain in optimal condition.<br />
QAre teacher shortages going to be a<br />
aproblem for schools going forward?<br />
We have long known about areas<br />
where school districts have teacher<br />
shortages, such as the sciences, mainly<br />
physics, as well as in bilingual education<br />
and special education. The pandemic has<br />
amplified this problem. We’re continuing<br />
to support districts in two ways: by implementing<br />
the hiring of highly experienced<br />
retired teachers, and with a five-year pilot<br />
program which allows people who want<br />
to become teachers to do so by meeting a<br />
minimum GPA score on their assessment.<br />
If you are able to meet the benchmark, a<br />
district will hire you without first having<br />
to obtain certification.<br />
QWhat are some of your goals for the<br />
anew academic year?<br />
To maintain a safe learning environment.<br />
The safe opening of<br />
schools is paramount. And to have as<br />
much normalcy and continuity as possible.<br />
QWhat changes will families see in<br />
aeducation this school year?<br />
We’ll continue to ensure the social<br />
and emotional health of students<br />
and educators. We’ll be offering highquality<br />
preschool, starting at age three.<br />
And we want to prepare students for jobs<br />
in the future in STEM and computer science.<br />
We also want to enable students to<br />
stay in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> and make their homes<br />
here. We want to ensure that every student<br />
can graduate high school with a plan<br />
and be enrolled, employed or enlisted. I<br />
hope we can make that a reality.<br />
ROCK N’ ROLL<br />
High School<br />
I<br />
F ANYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE<br />
life-altering power of the arts,<br />
it’s E Street Band guitarist Steven<br />
Van Zandt.<br />
When educators approached Van<br />
Zandt more than 15 years ago with news<br />
that arts programs in their schools<br />
were disappearing amid an increased<br />
emphasis on testing, Van Zandt wanted<br />
to help. Through his Rock and Soul<br />
Forever Foundation, Van Zandt worked<br />
with a team of ethnomusicologists and<br />
educators to develop an interdisciplinary<br />
music curriculum called TeachRock.<br />
“We need to teach our kids how to<br />
think, not what to think,” Van Zandt<br />
told <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong> in an August<br />
2021 interview.<br />
Nearly 60,000 educators representing<br />
all 50 states are currently<br />
registered at teachrock.org for its<br />
free lesson plans and materials, which<br />
have been endorsed by the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
School Boards Association.<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> is home to TeachRock’s<br />
first district-wide partnership, with the<br />
four schools comprising the Hopatcong<br />
Borough Schools District. Launched in<br />
2020, the collaboration was a significant<br />
step for TeachRock—“something that<br />
we hold very dear to us,” says program<br />
officer Christine Nick.<br />
TeachRock lessons implemented<br />
in Hopatcong range from “Designing<br />
an Electric Guitar With Shapes” for<br />
elementary school students to “What Is<br />
Sampling?” for middle and high school<br />
students. One English teacher taught<br />
the latter lesson in the context of researching<br />
and citing sources when writing<br />
papers, spurring a discussion about<br />
plagiarism. “It was really interesting to<br />
hear students…conceptualize academic<br />
integrity through the lens of sampling,”<br />
says Nick, who observed the curriculum<br />
in action. —Jennifer Finn<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 67
To the Rescue<br />
Small colleges are struggling with reduced resources and other<br />
challenges in a changing landscape. wILL THEY SURVIVE?<br />
M<br />
ontclair State University has<br />
thrown a multimillion-dollar lifeline<br />
to Bloomfield College, agreeing<br />
to provide financial support<br />
for the struggling private school to stay open during<br />
the <strong>2022</strong>-2023 school year as the schools hash<br />
out the details of a more permanent arrangement<br />
that could include a merger.<br />
In June, Rider University in Lawrenceville announced<br />
deep program cuts and layoffs to address<br />
a $20 million deficit after an earlier plan to sell its<br />
venerable Westminster Choir College fell apart.<br />
These are tough times for some small private<br />
By Kathleen Lynn and Patricia Alex<br />
colleges and universities in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> and<br />
around the nation. Many have been forced to cut<br />
staffing and programs or sell property following<br />
a decade of enrollment declines. Those losses<br />
accelerated during the pandemic, destabilizing<br />
the tuition-dependent schools.<br />
“Net revenue is stagnant or declining, and<br />
[the schools] are being asked to do ever more,<br />
even before you consider inflation,” says Susan<br />
Fitzgerald, associate managing director<br />
of Moody’s, the credit-rating agency. “They’re<br />
being squeezed on both sides—on the income<br />
side and the expense side.”<br />
ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA GODEASSI<br />
68 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
A SHRINKING POOL OF STUDENTS<br />
About one in five undergraduates and one in three graduate<br />
students in the state is enrolled in one of the 16 private, nonprofit,<br />
four-year colleges. Enrollment in these schools dropped from a<br />
peak of more than 79,000 in 20<strong>09</strong> to under 64,000 in fall 2021, a<br />
decline of about 20 percent, according to the state Office of the<br />
Secretary of Higher Education. The baby bust that started during<br />
the 2008 recession means that the pool of 18-year-olds—the<br />
traditional college freshmen—is about to shrink further.<br />
Enrollment at the most selective schools—Princeton University<br />
and Stevens Institute of Technology—is<br />
buoyed by demand. The larger of the<br />
“<br />
schools—Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton<br />
Hall universities—generally have more<br />
resources to absorb enrollment declines.<br />
But the smaller schools—from Bloomfield,<br />
with an enrollment of 1,300, to<br />
Monmouth University, with about 5,400<br />
students—often have the hardest time because<br />
they are more reliant on tuition than<br />
are their public counterparts. Cuts were<br />
not uncommon during the pandemic. Monmouth,<br />
for example, implemented a hiring<br />
freeze, suspended capital projects, and reduced<br />
spending and administrative salaries.<br />
This year’s state budget increased operating<br />
aid to the private schools from $7<br />
million to $10.5 million, and individual<br />
schools received millions more in state<br />
grants. The sector also received $161<br />
million in state and federal pandemicrelated<br />
aid, according to the Independent<br />
Colleges and Universities of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>,<br />
which represents the schools. But the<br />
schools are likely to face a more difficult<br />
financial situation in 2023, analysts at<br />
Moody’s predict.<br />
LOOKING FOR REMEDIES<br />
The Bloomfield-Montclair agreement is perhaps the boldest of<br />
remedies to date. Founded by Presbyterians as a German theological<br />
school in 1868, Bloomfield is essentially a secular liberal<br />
arts school now, serving a predominantly Black and Hispanic<br />
student body. Affiliation with Montclair, a public university with<br />
20,000 students, will give Bloomfield financial stability and additional<br />
programming. Montclair will gain a downtown campus<br />
about 6 miles away from its suburban location.<br />
“Obviously, the geography makes a lot of sense, and we are<br />
committed to maintaining and enhancing the legacy of Bloomfield.<br />
We have similar missions of creating accessible high-quality<br />
education,” Montclair president Jonathan Koppell tells <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>.<br />
During this coming year, the two schools will hash out the<br />
details of a more permanent arrangement, “such as a merger or<br />
an affiliation,” according to a statement from the schools.<br />
Many small schools around the country are looking for partnerships.<br />
Two in the Philadelphia area, the University of the<br />
Sciences and St. Joseph’s University, recently merged, giving<br />
“OVERALL these<br />
small colleges<br />
are very resilient.<br />
They’ve got a lot of<br />
stakeholders who<br />
are interested in<br />
their success,<br />
including some<br />
who may be in state<br />
government. In<br />
some cases, these<br />
[schools] are important<br />
economic drivers<br />
in their area.”<br />
—Susan Fitzgerald<br />
Associate managing director, Moody’s<br />
the latter more science and technology offerings. “If you have<br />
something to offer a larger university, it’s attractive,” says Lawrence<br />
Ladd, senior consultant with the Association of Governing<br />
Boards of Universities and Colleges. “It’s usually location or<br />
programming or both.”<br />
Other schools have sought to raise funds by selling real estate,<br />
including Drew University in Madison, which has proposed the sale<br />
of 53 acres of its iconic, leafy campus. Proceeds would “go directly<br />
to improving the strength of Drew’s endowment, which provides<br />
scholarships and academic opportunities to our students,” Drew<br />
president Thomas J. Schwarz tells <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
<strong>Monthly</strong>. Local environmental groups<br />
are advocating that the land be purchased<br />
for conservation.<br />
Georgian Court University in Lakewood,<br />
where enrollment is down more<br />
than 11 percent since 2019, recently announced<br />
an agreement to sell 42 acres of<br />
its 150-acre campus to a nearby yeshiva,<br />
with plans to use part of the proceeds to<br />
build a new nursing and health sciences<br />
center and to create a student center.<br />
GENEROUS AID PACKAGES<br />
Students and their families often believe<br />
that private-school tuition—even with<br />
aid—can’t compete with public options.<br />
But experts say students need to “look<br />
beyond the sticker price.”<br />
Most of the schools offer generous aid<br />
packages that slash the cost of attending,<br />
”<br />
says Steve Reynolds, president of the Independent<br />
Colleges and Universities of<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. Reynolds and others extoll the<br />
benefits of the small colleges, especially for<br />
students seeking small classes and close<br />
relationships with faculty.<br />
Being at a smaller school meant a lot to Andrew Bernstein, 21,<br />
a senior majoring in political science at Rider, where he leveraged<br />
the school’s Rebovich Institute for <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Politics to find<br />
internships. “They opened a lot of doors,” Bernstein, of Freehold,<br />
says. “I had a list going in [to college] of things I wanted to do. I<br />
have been able to do those things, and then some.”<br />
“They offer a different experience than, say, a community college,<br />
which can be transactional,” says Ladd, from the national<br />
governing association. “These colleges offer a fuller experience.<br />
You’re more likely to live in a residence hall; there is much more<br />
interaction with peers and faculty,” he says. “The difficulty right<br />
now is, less people are willing to pay for it.”<br />
At Saint Peter’s, a Jesuit university with 3,000 students in<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> City, no student pays the advertised $39,000 tuition, says<br />
president Eugene Cornacchia. Most qualify for state and federal<br />
aid and also receive institutional aid, thanks to a relatively robust<br />
donor base. The school’s fortunes were boosted this year by the<br />
success of the men’s basketball team, but the national attention<br />
has not yet translated into an enrollment hike, Cornacchia says.<br />
Cornacchia says Saint Peter’s small size makes it “more nimble...<br />
Continued on page 83<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 69
Our STATE of EDUCATION<br />
CHAMPION OF DIVERSITY<br />
With a focus on diversity, Teik Lim is bringing a unique<br />
perspective during his inaugural year as president of NJIT.<br />
[ ]<br />
&<br />
A<br />
by jacqueline mroz<br />
TEIK LIM IS KICKING OFF HIS FIRST FALL AS PRESIdent<br />
of the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Institute of Technology in <strong>New</strong>ark. The<br />
ninth leader of the lauded polytechnical research university<br />
and the first president of color to lead the institution, Lim, 57,<br />
a mechanical engineer, is a renowned scholar and educator.<br />
He is of Chinese descent, and grew up in Malaysia, where he<br />
endured racism as an ethnic minority. He hopes to use his<br />
position to ensure that NJIT is welcoming to students of all<br />
backgrounds. He also wants to create a strong technological and physical infrastructure<br />
at the school and help it adapt to the digital revolution.<br />
QCan you talk about representation<br />
and the significance of being the<br />
afirst Asian-American president of NJIT?<br />
In all my time in higher ed, I have<br />
championed diversity, equity<br />
and inclusion. Diversity is a strength<br />
that helps our academics and research<br />
flourish. Having a person of color to be<br />
president here for the first time is very<br />
significant. This school has a diverse<br />
student population and employees, and<br />
in terms of representation, (my appoint-<br />
ment) shows the commitment of this institution.<br />
QGrowing up in Malaysia as an ethnic<br />
minority, can you talk about the rac-<br />
you experienced? aism<br />
I came to this country 40 years ago<br />
to get an education and to be free<br />
from the racism, bigotry and inequity I<br />
endured for most of my teenage life. I’m<br />
forever grateful to my adopted country.<br />
In high school, I was beaten and called<br />
names daily. They told me to go back to<br />
China, even though I was born in Malaysia.<br />
When I graduated, I applied for a<br />
scholarship to attend college there, but<br />
was told I didn’t qualify because of my<br />
ethnicity. For nearly 20 years, I would<br />
wake up at night with nightmares,<br />
screaming. Then I traveled to Malaysia<br />
and visited my high school, and after that,<br />
the nightmares were gone.<br />
QHow does that experience inform<br />
your leadership at the helm of one<br />
of the most diverse public colleges in the<br />
state, with students of color comprising<br />
a60% of enrollment?<br />
I learned to forgive and forget and<br />
to use that experience to champion<br />
equity and belonging, because I know how<br />
important that is. I hope I can play a part<br />
in helping every student at NJIT find their<br />
dream, without the experiences that I had.<br />
QWhat are the main challenges<br />
ayou’re facing at NJIT?<br />
The challenge is to keep going on<br />
the college’s amazing trajectory, to<br />
further the rise of NJIT, and to become a<br />
preeminent public polytechnic research<br />
university in the country and globally.<br />
We need to embrace the use of digital<br />
technology in everything we do and use<br />
it to enhance learning.<br />
QWhat are some of your goals as the<br />
anew president of NJIT?<br />
Higher education is in the midst<br />
of a digital revolution. For NJIT<br />
to excel, we must create a technological<br />
and physical infrastructure so that our<br />
core enterprises are unbound by space<br />
or time. We must also assure that NJIT is<br />
accessible to students of all backgrounds<br />
and is a truly welcoming and inclusive<br />
community where everyone is respected<br />
and can be successful.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY<br />
70 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Cinderella’s Epilogue<br />
Saint Peter’s miraculous NCAA Tournament run has touched<br />
the university far beyond the basketball court.<br />
R<br />
achelle Paul had no choice but to put her husband<br />
to work. As the athletic director at a school with a<br />
shoestring budget, Paul prioritized fiscal responsibility<br />
after Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team<br />
won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament on<br />
March 12, securing an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.<br />
That meant that if her spouse, Tim, wanted to be part of the<br />
Peacocks’ traveling party, he had to earn his spot. So Paul left<br />
him in charge of tickets.<br />
The school had to buy a minimum of 350 tickets for its March<br />
Madness opener against Kentucky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in<br />
Indiana. Reselling that many tickets for a road contest would<br />
have been easy for a powerhouse program with diehard fans,<br />
but Saint Peter’s—a tiny, commuter, Jesuit university in <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
City—is no blue blood.<br />
“At this point, we had 40 season ticket holders,” Paul says.<br />
“There was no way we were selling 350 tickets.”<br />
So Paul’s husband thought it might be worthwhile to call<br />
Kentucky to see if the Wildcats were interested in the Peacocks’<br />
extra tickets. However, Kentucky respectfully informed Tim<br />
that it had no use for the leftover stubs, as the annual juggernaut<br />
planned on selling ticket packages for the entire weekend, a slate<br />
of two games for whoever won the opener. Kentucky’s bundle<br />
anticipated a win over Saint Peter’s, which is what most of the<br />
college basketball world expected.<br />
But Paul knew to believe then and there. “We’re going to win<br />
this game,” she told her partner.<br />
“You don’t sell a ticket package for Thursday and Saturday<br />
when you’re not guaranteed a Saturday game,” the admittedly<br />
superstitious Paul says now, still in disbelief. “You just don’t put<br />
By Gary Phillips<br />
STRUT UP<br />
Led by head<br />
coach Shaheen<br />
Holloway, the<br />
Peacocks went<br />
on an improbable,<br />
universityaltering<br />
March<br />
Madness run<br />
earlier this year.<br />
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF SAINT PETERS/RICH SHULTZ<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 71
Our STATE of EDUCATION<br />
A LASTING<br />
LEGACY While<br />
coach Shaheen<br />
Holloway and<br />
many of Saint<br />
Peter’s players,<br />
including Doug<br />
Edert, have<br />
moved on to<br />
new schools,<br />
their imprint on<br />
the university<br />
remains.<br />
the cart before the horse.”<br />
The rest is history.<br />
Saint Peter’s stunned Kentucky with an 85-79 overtime win<br />
on March 17, the first jaw-dropping result during an improbable<br />
run. Two days later, the Peacocks advanced to the Sweet 16<br />
after beating Murray State. Another gargantuan upset came on<br />
March 25 when SPU outlasted Purdue in Philadelphia, a more<br />
accessible location for the school’s modest fan base.<br />
Led by an underdog group of players, including <strong>Jersey</strong> products<br />
Daryl Banks III (Somerset), Doug Edert (Nutley) and Isiah<br />
Dasher (<strong>Jersey</strong> City), and head coach Shaheen Holloway, a former<br />
Seton Hall star, Saint Peter’s became<br />
the NCAA Tournament’s first-ever 15 seed<br />
to reach the Elite 8.<br />
Ultimately, the magic ran out against<br />
North Carolina, the tournament’s eventual<br />
runner-up, on March 27, when Saint<br />
Peter's lost 69-49. But the Peacocks had<br />
already cemented themselves as an alltime<br />
Cinderella story. What’s more, their<br />
play left a permanent imprint on their<br />
university, one that has already been felt<br />
beyond the basketball court.<br />
“We put Saint Peter’s on the map,”<br />
Edert says. “There’s people all over the<br />
country that didn’t really know Saint Peter’s.<br />
We were able to put the school out<br />
there and get people to realize that it’s a<br />
good school.”<br />
As Eugene J. Cornacchia, Saint Peter’s president,<br />
watched the Kentucky game from the school’s section<br />
at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, he noticed an arena security<br />
guard kept looking at him. Finally, with the score tied at halftime,<br />
the guard approached and said, “I just gotta tell you, your guys<br />
are amazing. I thought they were going to be blown out of the<br />
water in the first five minutes.” An honest Cornacchia says he<br />
replied, “You and me both, buddy.”<br />
Soon after the buzzer sounded, Cornacchia’s phone blew<br />
up with similar interactions from trustees and alumni. Meanwhile,<br />
a wave of curious hoops fans crashed the university’s<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: (EDERT) COURTESY OF SAINT PETERS/RICH SHULTZ;<br />
(CAMPUS) COURTESY OF SAINT PETERS/AL FERREIRA PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
72 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF GABE RHODES<br />
“<br />
website, and thousands followed its social<br />
media channels as people across the<br />
country discovered the Peacocks.<br />
“This is really going to be a big lift for<br />
us,” Cornacchia said at the time.<br />
He was right. Saint Peter’s estimates that<br />
the entire tournament run generated about<br />
5.3 billion media impressions, and the victories<br />
over Kentucky and Murray State were<br />
among the 20 most-watched prime time<br />
television events during the week of March<br />
13, according to the Nielsen Ratings.<br />
“We never would have had this kind<br />
of exposure,” says Cornacchia, who lost<br />
track of the interview requests he received<br />
throughout March Madness.<br />
Saint Peter’s enjoyed all kinds of boons<br />
as a result of that publicity and what the<br />
men’s basketball team accomplished.<br />
Angeline Boyer, director of university<br />
communications, says SPU’s admissions<br />
department received 131 new applications<br />
from March 17 through 26, a span covering<br />
all of the Peacocks’ NCAA Tournament<br />
wins. That figure represented a 59 percent<br />
increase compared to the same time<br />
period in 2021, and Saint Peter’s saw a<br />
57 percent increase in submitted applications between March<br />
17 and July 1, which is around the time this story was written.<br />
Cornacchia adds that more resources have been poured into<br />
marketing, and “giving went through the roof ” throughout the<br />
Peacocks’ postseason, which began on March 9 with the start<br />
of the MAAC Tournament. Between then and March 26, Saint<br />
Peter’s received 414 donations worth $2,294,783 in total commitments,<br />
per Chris Aliano, associate athletic director for digital<br />
media and communications. That same stretch in 2021 netted<br />
the school 149 gifts for $475,452.<br />
Folks on campus were eager to spend their money on merchandise,<br />
as Saint Peter’s counted $47,000 in sales on school<br />
grounds from March 17-24. March 24, the day before the Sweet<br />
16 game, accounted for $15,000 in merch sales alone. For reference,<br />
the campus made just $20,000 in sales during the entire<br />
fall semester. But it wasn’t just those in <strong>Jersey</strong> City buying<br />
Peacocks gear, as online orders came from 45 different states in<br />
the two days that followed the Kentucky game. Licensed Saint<br />
Peter’s products generated more than $100,000 during the first<br />
weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The first eight months of<br />
the fiscal year garnered $50,000.<br />
“This is the perfect, textbook example of the impact that a<br />
successful athletics program can have on a university, financially<br />
and otherwise,” says Paul, who adds that renovation projects at<br />
SPU may move more quickly than originally planned. “It’s great<br />
to actually be in a position now where folks on the other side of<br />
campus are recognizing that, and they’re also reaping the benefits.”<br />
Of course, the influx in resources and increased attention<br />
will help Paul’s athletic department, too.<br />
She added one strength and conditioning staffer to assist all<br />
of Saint Peter’s athletics, and she raised the salaries for sports<br />
This is the<br />
perfect, textbook<br />
example of<br />
the impact that<br />
a successful<br />
athletics program<br />
can have on a<br />
”<br />
university.<br />
Rachelle Paul<br />
Athletic Director, Saint Peter's<br />
medicine-department positions after<br />
learning one such job went vacant all of<br />
last school year due to uncompetitive pay.<br />
Paul notes that former Peacocks have<br />
been clamoring for additional alumni<br />
events, and she is confident the men’s<br />
basketball team will sell more than 40<br />
season tickets this coming campaign (a<br />
digital ticketing service now handles such<br />
matters, instead of Paul’s husband). The<br />
program, meanwhile, earned a larger operating<br />
budget, which comes with hope of<br />
prolonged success. “They did something<br />
really extraordinary for us,” Cornacchia<br />
says of Saint Peter’s basketball. “And I’m<br />
convinced we’re going to be back.”<br />
Adds Paul: “In order to maintain and<br />
sustain this excitement, we just gotta keep<br />
winning.”<br />
Returning to the NCAA Tournament<br />
will not be easy for SPU after the<br />
men’s basketball team underwent<br />
numerous off-season changes.<br />
Several key players transferred, including<br />
Banks (St. Bonaventure), Edert (Bryant), KC<br />
Ndefo (Seton Hall), Matthew Lee (Missouri<br />
State), and twins Hassan and Fousseyni Drame (La Salle). Holloway<br />
became the head coach at his alma mater, Seton Hall—an expected<br />
and typical rise up the ranks when a small-school coach shines at<br />
the Big Dance. <strong>Jersey</strong> City native Bashir Mason succeeded Holloway.<br />
“Another great coach,” Cornacchia says. “He’s gonna show<br />
us a lot of great things to come.”<br />
With a turned-over roster and coaching staff in place and a<br />
new school year underway, growth at Saint Peter’s University is<br />
still a work in progress. It has been less than a year since the epic<br />
NCAA Tournament appearance, leading Paul to wonder what<br />
gains have yet to be reaped or realized. “There are so many things<br />
that we can’t yet identify as a result of this run,” she claims.<br />
While immeasurable, Cornacchia is certain that pride—or<br />
“strut,” as the Peacocks call it—is at an all-time high across SPU’s<br />
campus. “Everybody here now has a kind of renewed sense of<br />
commitment to the institution,” he says. “We’re always a proud<br />
institution, but even more so now. People know us now.”<br />
Cornacchia went on to say that last year’s tough, confident<br />
team properly represented not only Saint Peter’s, but <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
City and the Garden State as a whole. “It truly was a unifying<br />
event for the campus community and the surrounding <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
City community,” Paul concurs.<br />
While many of the faces that made that happen are now gone,<br />
they are certainly not forgotten. Paul insists that they never will<br />
be at Saint Peter’s.<br />
“Their impact on the university will forever be felt, and we<br />
will celebrate them,” she says. “We will continue to celebrate<br />
them. They’ve left a lasting legacy on Saint Peter’s—on the men’s<br />
basketball program and the university as a whole. Nothing can<br />
take that away from them.<br />
“We are so proud of them.”<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 73
M
POLITICAL LIVES,<br />
PARALLEL MYSTERIES<br />
MURDER AND MAYHEM IN JERSEY<br />
“I THINK MY<br />
PARENTS WERE<br />
MURDERED;<br />
THERE’S NOTH-<br />
ING TO SUGGEST<br />
OTHERWISE.”<br />
—Mark Sheridan<br />
MARK SHERIDAN, A PROMINENT NEW JERSEY LAWYER, WAS READING THE<br />
newspaper one morning this past January when an article about an unsolved,<br />
8-year-old murder caught his eye. The story was about Sean Caddle, a littleknown<br />
Democratic operative from <strong>Jersey</strong> City who was appearing in federal<br />
court to admit that he’d paid a Mob-connected hit man to kill Michael Galdieri,<br />
a friend and colleague who also worked the North <strong>Jersey</strong> political circuit.<br />
But Sheridan really sat up and took notice when he came to the description<br />
of how Galdieri had died—he‘d been stabbed multiple times in his <strong>Jersey</strong> City<br />
apartment by a home invader who then proceeded to set the scene on fire.<br />
Practically the same gruesome thing had happened to his own parents,<br />
John and Joyce Sheridan, who had been found stabbed to death in a burning<br />
bedroom of their home just north of Princeton on September 28, 2014 —just<br />
four months after Galdieri was killed.<br />
John Sheridan was a health care CEO and former cabinet officer in Trenton,<br />
where governors of both parties had sought out his skills as a lawyer and<br />
legislative expert.<br />
The Sheridan deaths, like the murder of Galdieri, had gone unsolved<br />
for years—although they had originally been designated a<br />
murder-suicide by authorities, that was later reversed and the cause<br />
was listed as undetermined.<br />
There was more. The hit man responsible for killing Galdieri was<br />
arrested in Connecticut on September 30, 2014, just about 24<br />
hours after Sheridan‘s parents’ bodies had been found. The lead<br />
hit man, George Bratsenis, a career criminal and Mafia enforcer,<br />
was carrying rubber gloves, a homemade mask and a long-handled<br />
kitchen knife in his car when police pulled him over.<br />
It just so happened that a long-handled kitchen knife was also missing from<br />
the kitchen of John and Joyce Sheridan’s house, where it had been stored<br />
in a block by a rear door that any intruder would have passed. The sharp<br />
weapon medical examiners said had been used to slice into John’s jugular<br />
and kill him had never been found.<br />
Could it possibly be a match for the hit man’s knife?<br />
By Jacqueline Mroz and Jeff Pillets n illustration by taylor callery<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 75
STRIKING SIMILARITIES<br />
A<br />
soft-spoken<br />
corporate attorney,<br />
Mark Sheridan is a commercial<br />
litigator by trade who also worked<br />
for many years as general counsel for the <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> State Republican Committee. He speaks<br />
in measured, analytical paragraphs. He does not<br />
excite easily and is not given to exaggeration.<br />
Soon after reading about Bratsenis and his<br />
kitchen knife, Sheridan dashed off a letter to the<br />
state Attorney General’s Office asking that the<br />
investigation of his parents’ deaths be reopened<br />
in light of what he described as the “eerily similar”<br />
circumstances surrounding the murder of<br />
Michael Galdieri.<br />
“You’d have to be blind not to see the similarities,’’<br />
Sheridan said in a recent interview with<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong>.<br />
Sheridan says he never heard back from the<br />
attorney general. But on May 31 of this year, the<br />
office of acting attorney general Matt Platkin<br />
confirmed that they were indeed taking another<br />
look at the Sheridan case.<br />
Platkin’s decision may have been prompted by a<br />
series of podcasts produced by WNYC Public Radio<br />
that revisited the Sheridan deaths and raised troubling questions<br />
about an allegedly botched investigation and other issues.<br />
“At this point, after all this time, I’m not sure what can be<br />
uncovered by a new investigation. But I’m grateful to know<br />
somebody is finally making an attempt to set the record right,’’<br />
Sheridan tells us. “There are so many questions. Who knows<br />
where it might go?’’<br />
Federal agents, meanwhile, continue to work with Caddle<br />
in what they have cryptically termed “a major investigation.”<br />
Even after admitting to arranging Galdieri’s murder, Caddle<br />
remains out of prison in the relative comfort of home confinement,<br />
wearing not shackles, but an ankle monitor. Prosecutors,<br />
who have postponed his sentencing for months, say Caddle<br />
isn’t a flight risk.<br />
So now, with investigators digging again into the Sheridan<br />
case and continuing to press Caddle, the state is awash in intrigue<br />
about what comes next. What secrets might ooze out as<br />
investigators probe the deaths of two men who made careers<br />
in the rough-and-tumble world of <strong>Jersey</strong> politics?<br />
In and out of Trenton, elected officials, lobbyists, and everyone<br />
else who is part of that political world have been waiting<br />
anxiously for some other shoe to drop. Just where and when<br />
it might fall, and on whom, makes for the kind of parlor game<br />
played here since Jimmy Hoffa’s body was allegedly dumped<br />
in the Meadowlands.<br />
The cases are in many respects parallel mysteries: Both John<br />
Sheridan and Michael Galdieri died amid fire in late-night<br />
scenes of extraordinary violence.<br />
Both men had tussled with powerful political forces and may<br />
have paid a price for it.<br />
The only reason for his parents’ deaths that Sheridan could<br />
come up with was that someone killed them.<br />
GRIEF A memorial<br />
service for Joyce and<br />
John Sheridan was<br />
held on Oct. 7, 2014,<br />
in Trenton, days after<br />
they were found dead.<br />
A CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE<br />
Galdieri was a college dropout who played bit parts<br />
for the Hudson County Democratic machine. He’d<br />
been arrested on drug charges and spent two years<br />
in prison before going to work for Caddle, a political consultant<br />
who allegedly created a string of dark-money political funds.<br />
At the end, he was living alone in a tiny second-floor apartment<br />
over a barber shop in the west end of <strong>Jersey</strong> City.<br />
His political struggles began in 2005, when he decided to run<br />
for <strong>Jersey</strong> City Council, a move that put him in direct conflict<br />
with a Hudson County Democratic machine that had strict<br />
control over elections and public jobs.<br />
During the campaign, Galdieri threatened to expose wrongdoing<br />
inside city government, including what he alleged to be ongoing<br />
corruption in the <strong>Jersey</strong> City water-supply agency. In a public<br />
debate held before the election, Galdieri announced that he would<br />
hold a press conference and identify corrupt local officials.<br />
“I…uncovered a scam where a systematic diversion of <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
City’s water had been ongoing,’’ Galdieri later wrote in an email<br />
to a popular local blog, Hudson County Facts.<br />
On the eve of the election, in 2005, Galdieri was arrested and<br />
charged by Hudson County prosecutors with possessing illegal<br />
drugs. He admitted to having ecstasy, methamphetamines and<br />
cocaine, and served two years of a five-year prison sentence.<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> state investigators later found widespread financial<br />
abuses at the water authority and discovered that some<br />
300 million gallons of water had been illegally diverted during<br />
a period when the authority was raising rates for water users.<br />
Galdieri never ran for office again and was murdered in May<br />
2014 by hit men hired by his boss and colleague, Sean Caddle,<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS (SHERIDANS):AP PHOTO/MEL EVANS; (GALDIERI CRIME SCENE): RICHARD J. MCCORMACK/THE JERSEY JOURNAL<br />
76 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
who admitted paying off Bratsenis and his partner, Bomani<br />
Africa, the day after Galdieri was killed.<br />
Caddle’s story is especially riveting stuff for the Democratic bigwigs<br />
for whom he consulted in Hudson County and beyond. Former<br />
state senator Ray Lesniak, who hired Caddle to run key campaigns,<br />
including his 2017 run for governor, says Caddle could be unreliable<br />
at times, but never showed signs of being a homicidal monster.<br />
Caddle, Lesniak says, infuriated him by calling him up to chat<br />
about politics after news broke of the Galdieri murder plot and<br />
his continuing cooperation with the feds. He says he hung up<br />
the phone in fury and told Caddle their relationship was over.<br />
“Caddle...was going door-to-door on our campaigns while he<br />
was plotting this guy’s murder,’’ Lesniak told <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> <strong>Monthly</strong><br />
in an interview. “How do you do that?”<br />
Caddle’s motive and his ongoing cooperation with federal<br />
authorities have riveted political circles as much as any topic<br />
since the deaths of Joyce and John Sheridan—just four months<br />
after Galdieri was killed.<br />
MISSED OPPORTUNITY<br />
John Sheridan was an elite lawyer who had a storybook<br />
family and home life, raising four boys in a large<br />
colonial house set amid the pastureland and country<br />
clubs outside Princeton. In his final years, he was CEO of Cooper<br />
University Health System in Camden and helped engineer a dramatic<br />
expansion of the hospital.<br />
Sheridan, like Galdieri, had found himself on the outs with<br />
local political forces. In his case, the subject was real estate and<br />
lucrative state subsidies that were targeted for the long-suffering<br />
city of Camden.<br />
In 2014, a new state tax-break program that would eventually<br />
lavish more than $1 billion on the city attracted companies from<br />
all over <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> to consider new projects in Camden and its<br />
MYSTERY Investigators<br />
outside the<br />
apartment of Michael<br />
Galdieri, who was found<br />
stabbed to death inside<br />
his home in May 2014.<br />
run-down waterfront on the Delaware River.<br />
At the head of this wave was Sheridan’s employer, Cooper<br />
Medical System, an ever-expanding entity that was a bright<br />
spot in a blighted city.<br />
In addition to working as Cooper’s chief, Sheridan volunteered<br />
as an unpaid director for Camden’s oldest and most respected<br />
community-development group, the Cooper’s Ferry Partnership,<br />
a nonprofit that was also looking to use the new tax subsidies to<br />
buy property on the waterfront.<br />
Sheridan suddenly found himself caught up in what became<br />
a massive tug-of-war between two powerful entities to control<br />
a critical—and potentially lucrative—chunk of Camden.<br />
The two sides were tussling over the right to purchase and<br />
develop a business park located across from Philadelphia.<br />
Sheridan says the final months of his father’s life were spent<br />
entangled in strife between these formidable local competitors.<br />
At certain points, he says, his father’s job was at risk as he<br />
navigated the treacherous waters. John’s brilliant career was in<br />
danger of ending in disappointment and discord.<br />
“This whole conflict very much affected my father near the<br />
end of his life. He was under a lot of stress,’’ Sheridan says. “You<br />
have to remember that Camden in 2014 was on the brink of a<br />
huge building spree that would be financed with those tax breaks.<br />
Think of all the money at stake. Millions of dollars were changing<br />
hands. My father was in the middle of all that.’’<br />
When investigators arrived at the Sheridan house the morning<br />
after the deaths, they found a tumble of documents spread out<br />
on the dining room table. Those documents—handwritten notes,<br />
memos and copies of emails—were all part of the development<br />
saga that had cast anxiety over the final months of John Sheridan.<br />
Sheridan keeps carefully collated copies of the paper trail in a<br />
thick file close at hand. Paging through it, he shakes his head.<br />
The documents show a man in distress, a man seeking just<br />
solutions to a local land dispute that appeared to have grown<br />
personal and vindictive. At points, John appears to be writing<br />
memos to himself as he tries to sort out his responsibilities between<br />
the competing factions. At best, it is a fragmented paper<br />
trail, but it offers a tantalizing glimpse of the thorny issues that<br />
dominated the final months of Sheridan’s life.<br />
“The investigators wanted to know what might have been<br />
bothering my father at the end; what was going on with him,’’ he<br />
says. “This—this was it. But they never cared about looking into<br />
it. They never really pursued it.”<br />
Now that the case is re-opened, investigators have to decide how<br />
far they will go to reconstruct John’s final days. Matt Plakin, <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>’s acting attorney general, isn’t giving interviews.<br />
Who will investigators talk to? How far will they delve into the<br />
fraught territory of political power struggles and real estate squabbles?<br />
Whatever path investigators follow, it’s a good bet they’ll start<br />
with the clues John left on his dining room table.<br />
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?<br />
The four Sheridan brothers have spent eight<br />
frustrating years seeking answers to the mysteries<br />
that still hang over their parents’ deaths. What<br />
Continued on page 116<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 77
NEW JERSEY<br />
HOME & GARDEN<br />
Passion<br />
Project<br />
DEVOTED TO DOING THEIR PART TO PROTECT THE<br />
ENVIRONMENT, THIS HUNTERDON COUNTY COUPLE TAKES GREAT<br />
CARE TO METICULOUSLY BUILD A SUSTAINABLE HOME.<br />
By Lauren Payne Photographs by LAURA MOSS<br />
78 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
NEW JERSEY<br />
HOME & GARDEN<br />
Farm Life<br />
The DeSalvos new<br />
home generates its own<br />
energy from 72 southfacing<br />
solar panels. The<br />
couple does their part to<br />
preserve and revitalize<br />
their 43 acres; they’ve<br />
planted 10 acres of grain<br />
to mill their own flour.<br />
Deborah and Jason DeSalvo<br />
are passionate about the<br />
environment and their<br />
personal impact on it.<br />
With that in mind, they<br />
embarked on a multiyear journey to design<br />
and build an energy-efficient, locally<br />
sourced, forever home with a minimal<br />
carbon footprint that is holistically integrated<br />
into the land around it. Together<br />
they put together a crack design/build<br />
team with the same tenacious can-do<br />
spirit. The result is Cold Brook Farm,<br />
a homestead that not only produces its<br />
own energy, but also heals the land on<br />
which it sits.<br />
Longtime residents of Montclair, their<br />
two children grown, the DeSalvos were<br />
eager for a new adventure. She, a Master<br />
Gardener, environmental educator and<br />
avid birdwatcher, and he, a businessman,<br />
serial entrepreneur and amateur musician,<br />
had long been dedicated to living a<br />
sustainable lifestyle and were ready to take<br />
it to the next level. They found 43 acres of<br />
rolling farmland in Hunterdon County and<br />
hunkered down, exhaustively researching<br />
what and how to build. Ever respectful of<br />
the rich history of their locale, the pair<br />
wanted a traditional farmhouse that would<br />
look appropriate to the area. Beneath that<br />
façade, they wanted it to be packed with<br />
features to help protect the environment.<br />
“The house doesn’t look like a freak show,”<br />
says Jason. “It looks like a farmhouse.”<br />
With their lengthy must-have list in hand<br />
(“Multiple pages,” says Deborah; “seven to<br />
ten pages,” adds Jason), the DeSalvos approached<br />
architect Bill Kaufman, principal<br />
at WESKetch Architecture and Construction<br />
in Millington, and challenged him to join<br />
their project. On that long list: The house had<br />
to generate its own energy, so solar panels<br />
and a geothermal heating/cooling system<br />
were key. All materials were to be locally<br />
sourced, certainly from the United States<br />
and ideally manufactured as close to home<br />
as possible. “Also, no toxins, no gas, no pro-<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 79
NEW JERSEY<br />
HOME & GARDEN<br />
pane. All electric appliances, all EPA rated,”<br />
says Deborah.<br />
“Our builder would probably say I’m the<br />
most difficult client ever,” concedes Jason.<br />
“I wasn’t willing to compromise.”<br />
Kaufman was game and started researching<br />
and sketching. He purposefully<br />
employed the small-house architectural<br />
theory, a well-worn label that does not<br />
necessarily mean small in square footage;<br />
rather, it means small in footprint, creating<br />
minimal impact on its environment. In<br />
a true small house, spaces multitask; for<br />
instance, a home office might convert to a<br />
guest room. The DeSalvos house is 4,000<br />
square feet, but feels much larger. “We<br />
built spaces to live in,” says Jason. “Every<br />
room gets used every day.” Additionally,<br />
the design allows for aging in place. “We<br />
wanted first-floor living, where it is all accessible,”<br />
he adds. “There are no barriers.”<br />
As both architect and builder, Kaufman<br />
had a challenging task. Ultimately, his plan<br />
has outward simplicity but inward complexity,<br />
he explains. The end result, he says,<br />
is “an attractive, livable home, leaving the<br />
majority of the product invisible and undetectable<br />
to the occupants.”<br />
Design and function go hand in hand.<br />
Seventy-two south-facing solar panels and<br />
a complex, seven-zone, geothermal heating/cooling<br />
system offer enough energy<br />
for the house to be considered net zero.<br />
“It generates all the energy required by our<br />
household over the course of the year,” says<br />
Jason. (Not coincidentally, the energy generated<br />
is also sufficient to charge two electric<br />
cars to cover 15,000 miles a year each,<br />
per year.) A tight envelope of insulation<br />
helps protect from outside temperature<br />
fluctuations. Deep eaves, created by the<br />
overhang of the roof, allow sunlight into the<br />
house during the winter months, when the<br />
sun is low, and blocks it during the summer<br />
months. Aside from temperature regula-<br />
80 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
tion, the wall of windows with southern<br />
exposure maximizes natural light. “With<br />
so many windows, we don’t need to turn<br />
on the lights during the day,” Jason says.<br />
Inside, the home is welcoming, yet all<br />
materials are purposeful. Explains Jason,<br />
“Whenever we could, we purchased materials<br />
as close to home as possible. We drove<br />
our architects and designers crazy with<br />
this one.” The DeSalvos brought in interior<br />
designer Anastasia Harrison, principal with<br />
ADH & Co. in Garwood, and her thorough<br />
team. “Everything came from America. Local<br />
craftsmen, local companies,” she says.<br />
“We always looked at sustainability and<br />
what everything was made of.” The walnut<br />
beams in the living room were crafted from<br />
trees felled on the property. Ceramic tile<br />
looks like brick; countertops are soapstone.<br />
“Neither needs a sealant,” which can produce<br />
toxins, explains Harrison. All paint is<br />
non-VOC. Some furniture was repurposed<br />
from the DeSalvos’ former home, much of<br />
it hand-me-downs and family heirlooms.<br />
Anything new was exhaustively researched.<br />
“We even researched the foam (on the new<br />
Made in America<br />
Materials were locally sourced;<br />
live-sawn white-oak floors are<br />
from a sustainably-managed<br />
forest in Connecticut, soapstone<br />
countertops are from Virginia,<br />
tools on the dining-area wall are<br />
from a farm auction in North<br />
Carolina. Folding Nano doors in<br />
the family room open fully, creating<br />
an indoor/outdoor space.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 81
NEW JERSEY<br />
HOME & GARDEN<br />
Perfect Pantry<br />
The DeSalvos are avid<br />
cooks and healthy<br />
eaters. Their walk-in<br />
pantry stores jars holding<br />
organic grains. The<br />
floor is ceramic tile,<br />
fashioned to resemble<br />
brick. A composting bin<br />
sits at the far end.<br />
sofa and chair cushions),” says Harrison.<br />
“There are no noxious chemicals.” Deborah<br />
continues, “There are no petroleum products<br />
used in this house. No shingles, no tiles,<br />
no gas lights, no generators.”<br />
Outside, the DeSalvos have taken care<br />
to preserve and revitalize their land. The<br />
couple is devoted to organic, regenerative<br />
farming practices—no pesticides, herbicides<br />
or fungicides. Together, they grow<br />
healthy, organic food on about 12.5 acres<br />
of their land (10 acres of which is grain<br />
they mill into flour); they have preserved<br />
more than 5 acres of wetland and another<br />
25 acres of natural woodland. They have<br />
reintroduced native plant species while<br />
removing invasive species. “In and around<br />
the house, there are no ornamental plantings,”<br />
says Deborah. “It’s either to eat or to<br />
help the wildlife. Even our ground cover<br />
is edible.”<br />
The DeSalvos concede that their commitment<br />
to sustainability came with a price<br />
tag. “We did the full monty,” says Jason. “We<br />
pushed it to the state of the art.” Even so he<br />
estimates their premium to be about 30 percent<br />
over traditional construction costs. But,<br />
he’s quick to add, “you can get to 90 percent<br />
of what we did for a 10-20 percent premium<br />
on a conventional build.” And importantly,<br />
it pays back over time by reducing annual<br />
operating costs. The DeSalvos anticipate<br />
their own payback in about 10 years. “But<br />
what about the environmental savings?”<br />
asks Jason. “That whole time, we’re doing<br />
right by the world.”<br />
resources: Architect and builder: William Kaufman<br />
and Tom Vierschilling, WESKetch Architecture +<br />
Construction, Millington; 908-647-8200; wesketch.<br />
com. Designer: Anastasia Harrison, AIA, AHD & Co.,<br />
Garwood; 908-591-1945; ahdandco.com.<br />
LEARN MORE<br />
The design concepts incorporated into Cold<br />
Brook Farm are far too complex to be fully<br />
covered in this short article. To learn more<br />
about the project step by step, we encourage<br />
you to explore architect Bill Kaufman’s<br />
12-part blog about his design process.<br />
Fwesketch.com/blog<br />
Jason and Deborah have also created a factfilled<br />
website:<br />
Fcoldbrookfarmnj.com<br />
82 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
education<br />
small colleges<br />
Continued from page 61<br />
school students over the years. According<br />
to Reina, the district was stunned by the<br />
suicide a few years ago of a senior two weeks<br />
before his graduation. He’d been in the top<br />
three of his class and seemed to have everything<br />
going for him. “He broke all the<br />
stereotypes of what that crisis looks like,”<br />
says Brenda Callaghan, the district supervisor<br />
of special projects.<br />
The tragedy strengthened the district’s<br />
“resolve to reach every kid,” says Reina.<br />
“Nothing is more important than the fact<br />
that every student has two or three adults<br />
they’re comfortable going to,” he says, adding<br />
that it could be about their own struggles or<br />
concerns they have about a fellow student. “If<br />
you do have a student thinking about doing<br />
harm to themselves or others, kids will say<br />
‘I have to go tell Mrs. Smith.’ They know our<br />
teachers are trained,” he says.<br />
Ninth-graders attend suicide-prevention<br />
seminars, and tenth-graders are trained to<br />
provide peer support. “They ask questions,<br />
they persuade their peer to seek help and<br />
also to tell that trusted adult,” Reina says.<br />
In an effort to destigmatize mental illness,<br />
Reina has spoken to students about his issues.<br />
“I’ve stood in front of people and talked about<br />
my struggle with anxiety over the years,” he<br />
says. “If we can get students, when they’re<br />
teenagers, to see the value of being open with<br />
mental health, just as we are with physical<br />
health, maybe it will happen globally.”<br />
Callaghan agrees being proactive is critical<br />
for mental health. She said the district has<br />
done that by making mental wellness part<br />
of the curriculum, incorporating social-emotional<br />
learning tools to help students communicate<br />
and make wise decisions. The district<br />
has broadened the use of therapy dogs in the<br />
schools, which were present sporadically<br />
but can now be brought in by any teacher. A<br />
librarian often brings in a therapy dog, and<br />
twice a week, a science-class teacher walks<br />
one through the building twice a day.<br />
But often, those programs are not enough,<br />
Callaghan admits, and mental health professionals<br />
must step in to provide the level of expertise<br />
only they possess in given situations.<br />
For instance, the district has long partnered<br />
with AtlantiCare Behavioral Health,<br />
which operates a teen center at Oakcrest<br />
High School and several other schools in<br />
South <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
“We have AtlantiCare in each of our<br />
buildings,” Callaghan says. “Intervention can<br />
keep something from turning [into a crisis].<br />
“One of the challenges is, often you have<br />
programs, you can embed them in the curriculum,<br />
but sometimes you need an extra layer.”<br />
The Paterson school district, serving one<br />
of the poorest populations in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, has<br />
received $9.5 million in federal relief funding<br />
to hire five additional behavioral analysts and<br />
two substance abuse coordinators tasked<br />
with identifying and helping at-risk students,<br />
according to an Associated Press report.<br />
The Maurice River Township School<br />
District is stepping up the mental health<br />
resources available to students. In the new<br />
school year, it is bringing in a full-time childstudy<br />
team, says Cohen. The team will include<br />
a school psychologist, a social worker, a<br />
registered behavior technician and a consultant<br />
for the learning disabled, among others.<br />
“We’re going to have our own people,<br />
in-house, five days a week, eight hours a<br />
day,” Cohen says. “We’re going to be able<br />
to really focus on the mental health needs<br />
of our students.”<br />
Many school districts have adapted their<br />
teaching models—often with government<br />
pandemic-relief funds—to address the disruptions<br />
in learning that occurred during<br />
lockdown.<br />
Bloomfield, for example, formed Backstop,<br />
a program that provides additional<br />
in-class instruction time during the school<br />
year and summer to K-6 students deemed<br />
to have fallen behind during remote learning.<br />
It is funded through 2024.<br />
“As good as our virtual learning was,”<br />
says Reina, “it can never replace classroom<br />
learning. We’re focusing mainly on the areas<br />
of math and language arts —unfortunately<br />
those two suffered during the pandemic.”<br />
Maurice River has expanded its Esports<br />
program, which redirected students who<br />
spent more time on their computers during<br />
lockdown into an activity that put everyone<br />
on a level playing field with athletic youths.<br />
“We took kids who weren’t really social<br />
or who struggled through the pandemic,<br />
and we formed Esports teams,” Cohen says.<br />
“They’re playing competitive games like<br />
soccer on the computer. It’s not just about<br />
playing games. This program was bringing<br />
kids who are severely autistic and can’t<br />
play sports with football stars, and now<br />
they’re playing together. These types of<br />
programs focus on the social-emotional<br />
learning needs of our students.”<br />
Elizabeth Lorente’s work has appeared in<br />
Forbes, the <strong>New</strong> York Times and AARP.<br />
Continued from page 69<br />
We’re constantly scanning the marketplace<br />
and seeing what employers want,” he says,<br />
noting new graduate programs in data science<br />
and analytics.<br />
COURTING ADULT LEARNERS<br />
In hopes of shoring up enrollments and<br />
meeting student demand, many of the private<br />
schools are adding career-oriented<br />
programs, especially graduate and certificate<br />
programs in business, technology, education<br />
and health care.<br />
The schools are branching into the unexpected.<br />
Centenary has added an online<br />
master’s degree in happiness studies (see<br />
story, page 62), which this fall is expected<br />
to enroll between 50 and 100 students—<br />
mostly adult learners from a range of fields.<br />
Caldwell University has introduced women’s<br />
acrobatics and tumbling as a varsity<br />
sport in the hopes of attracting students<br />
interested in the activity.<br />
With the number of traditional collegeage<br />
students in decline, the schools have<br />
courted adult learners and transfer students.<br />
Natalie Marks Saint-Preux, 31, of Hackensack,<br />
enrolled in Caldwell for a nursing<br />
degree. She chose Caldwell in part because<br />
it was generous with financial aid. She<br />
appreciated the vibe at Caldwell, with its<br />
suburban campus and small enrollment. “I<br />
had relationships with all of my professors,”<br />
said Marks Saint-Preux, who graduated in<br />
May. “They kind of get you and know what<br />
to expect from you.”<br />
Despite challenges, most of the schools<br />
are expected to survive, says Fitzgerald, of<br />
Moody’s. “Overall, these small colleges are<br />
very resilient. They’ve got a lot of stakeholders<br />
who are interested in their success,<br />
including some who may be in state government.<br />
In some cases, these are important<br />
economic drivers in their area.”<br />
Ladd, from the national governing<br />
boards association, agreed. “Experts like<br />
me predicted more closures than have<br />
happened, because these institutions are<br />
tough,” says Ladd, noting the tenacity of<br />
alumni networks. “They believe in their<br />
mission, have a long history, and will work<br />
hard to survive.”<br />
Patricia Alex and Kathleen Lynn are<br />
contributing writers for <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
<strong>Monthly</strong>, and former reporters and editors<br />
at The Record of Bergen County.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 83
An exceptional education must include<br />
A Healthy Sense<br />
of Balance<br />
It’s been the heart of MBS for decades<br />
Scan to learn<br />
more or to<br />
schedule a tour.<br />
A COED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL, GRADES 6-12
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
EXCELLENCE<br />
IN EDUCATION<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> schools prepare students for long-term success<br />
MORRISTOWN<br />
BEARD SCHOOL<br />
A Place of Possibilities<br />
Ensuring the growth and well-being<br />
of each student has always been the<br />
cornerstone of the philosophy at<br />
Morristown Beard School (MBS),<br />
an independent, co-educational day<br />
school for grades 6 to 12 with an<br />
enrollment of approximately 600<br />
students representing 80-plus communities<br />
in northern <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
At MBS, each student is empowered<br />
to discover an intellectual pathway<br />
that excites and inspires them.<br />
Signature academic programs in<br />
Middle School and Upper School offer<br />
students a wide range of options<br />
for learning as well as the support<br />
and structure needed to succeed in<br />
their individual academic journeys.<br />
Balanced with a commitment to experiential<br />
learning and social-emotional<br />
development, these programs<br />
provide a robust learning experience<br />
that engages each student.<br />
“Our excellent academic experience<br />
challenges students in the<br />
classroom, on the stage, on the<br />
fields, and throughout the campus,<br />
and allows them to develop character<br />
and learn to live a balanced life<br />
that promotes wellness,” says Head<br />
of School Liz Morrison.<br />
MBS also encourages students<br />
to become self-reflective and aware<br />
of the needs of others through its<br />
Community Service Program. Every<br />
semester, each student is required to<br />
complete community service hours<br />
and reflections about the experience.<br />
In 2019, the school opened its<br />
Center for Innovation & Design,<br />
where students cultivate essential<br />
skills in critical reasoning, teamwork,<br />
and problem-solving through<br />
hands-on experience.<br />
Students leave Morristown Beard<br />
School well-prepared for the chal-<br />
lenges of college and university<br />
studies. Their skills in analytical<br />
thinking, academic writing, and<br />
time management set them apart,<br />
while the habits of mind they develop<br />
position them for long-term<br />
success.<br />
70 Whippany Road<br />
Morristown, NJ 07960<br />
973-539-3032<br />
mbs.net<br />
Our excellent academic experience challenges students<br />
in the classroom, on the stage, on the fields, and<br />
throughout the campus, and allows them to develop<br />
character and learn to live a balanced life that promotes<br />
wellness.” —Liz Morrison, Head of School, Morristown Beard School<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 85
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
SETON HALL<br />
UNIVERSITY<br />
Developing Students in Mind, Heart,<br />
and Spirit<br />
Named after the first Americanborn<br />
saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton,<br />
Seton Hall University is one of the<br />
country’s leading Catholic universities.<br />
Since 1856, the university has<br />
been developing students in mind,<br />
heart, and spirit. Home to more<br />
than 10,000 students, Seton Hall<br />
offers more than 90 undergraduate<br />
majors and 140 graduate programs.<br />
society,” says Seton Hall President<br />
Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D.<br />
Athletics, too, is a big part of life<br />
at Seton Hall. The university has 14<br />
men’s and women’s varsity athletic<br />
teams—known as the Pirates—competing<br />
in the renowned Big East<br />
Conference.<br />
400 South Orange Avenue<br />
South Orange, NJ 07079<br />
973-761-9000<br />
shu.edu<br />
TRINITY HALL<br />
Excellence Is What We Deliver, and<br />
What Our Students Deserve<br />
for the well-being and safety of students<br />
while maintaining small class<br />
sizes and hands-on, immersive academic<br />
experiences. The school offers<br />
an award-winning arts program that<br />
includes two annual theatrical productions,<br />
a student orchestra, and<br />
opportunities in fine, studio, and<br />
industrial arts. The award-winning<br />
athletics program competes against<br />
public, parochial, and independent<br />
schools in Monmouth County and<br />
throughout the state at the junior<br />
varsity and varsity levels.<br />
Head of School Mary Kate Blaine<br />
emphasizes the importance of every<br />
girl in the school community. “Each<br />
student is offered the opportunity to<br />
discover herself and gain experiences<br />
she will take with her to college<br />
Seton Hall University, South Orange<br />
The university has three campuses:<br />
the 58-acre main campus in<br />
South Orange, the School of Law<br />
in <strong>New</strong>ark, and the Interprofessional<br />
Health Sciences Campus in<br />
Clifton and Nutley, which opened<br />
in 2018 and houses Seton Hall’s<br />
College of Nursing, School of Health<br />
and Medical Sciences, and the new<br />
Hackensack Meridian School of<br />
Medicine.<br />
Seton Hall’s standing as one of<br />
the most diverse national Catholic<br />
universities in the country attracts<br />
students from every corner of the<br />
United States and from more than<br />
70 countries worldwide. “Our diversity<br />
is a central value of the university.<br />
It stimulates innovative teaching<br />
and learning, and prepares our<br />
students to live and work in a global<br />
Trinity Hall is an innovative, independent<br />
all-girls college preparatory<br />
school educating and empowering<br />
young women in the Catholic<br />
tradition. The school has a technology-rich<br />
learning environment, a<br />
superior faculty, and a challenging<br />
curricular program that fosters the<br />
core values of leadership, respect,<br />
perseverance, and faith.<br />
Students benefit from the<br />
experienced and highly qualified<br />
faculty, small class sizes, and focus<br />
on technology in the classroom. The<br />
rigorous academic program offers<br />
interdisciplinary projects, a fouryear<br />
engineering curriculum, and a<br />
physics-first model that allows for<br />
greater scientific literacy.<br />
Trinity Hall graduates are accomplished<br />
leaders equipped to handle<br />
challenges and become active<br />
participants in their communities.<br />
The Class of <strong>2022</strong> was awarded over<br />
$10 million in merit scholarships,<br />
with students matriculating to Ivy<br />
League colleges, military academies,<br />
and honors programs throughout<br />
the country.<br />
In 2019, Trinity Hall completed a<br />
20,000-square-foot school building<br />
addition, providing plenty of space<br />
Trinity Hall, Tinton Falls<br />
and beyond,” says Blaine. “During<br />
her time at Trinity Hall, every girl’s<br />
personal talents and interests are<br />
valued and celebrated. Our unique<br />
‘Circle of Support’ allows our girls to<br />
build their confidence while taking<br />
risks they may not otherwise attempt.<br />
Every day, we work to ensure<br />
the limitless potential of Trinity Hall<br />
for generations of girls to come.<br />
Excellence is what we deliver, and<br />
what our students deserve.”<br />
101 Corregidor Road<br />
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724<br />
732-291-1297<br />
trinityhallnj.org<br />
86 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
SADDLE RIVER<br />
DAY SCHOOL<br />
Inspiring Academic and Personal<br />
Excellence<br />
Under the leadership of Jalaj<br />
Desai, head of school since April<br />
2020, Saddle River Day School<br />
has recently launched a number of<br />
new programs. A capstone research<br />
Saddle River Day School, Saddle River<br />
project for Middle School (grades<br />
5–8) students is a yearlong program<br />
that is student directed with the<br />
guidance of a mentor and advisor.<br />
An Upper School (grades 9–12)<br />
honors diploma program combines<br />
independent study with a rigorous<br />
academic program and leadership<br />
positions on campus. The school<br />
also offers nineteen advancedplacement<br />
courses, including two<br />
new ones in psychology and human<br />
geography, along with college-level<br />
math classes. “We offer the type of<br />
curriculum that sets our students<br />
apart when applying to colleges,”<br />
says Geoff Bowman, director of<br />
admissions.<br />
Saddle River Day School<br />
147 Chestnut Ridge Road<br />
Saddle River, NJ 07458<br />
201-327-4050<br />
saddleriverday.org<br />
SAINT<br />
ELIZABETH<br />
UNIVERSITY<br />
Developing Leadership and Social<br />
Responsibility to Serve Others<br />
Founded in 1899 by the Sisters of<br />
Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Saint<br />
Elizabeth University (SEU) is a<br />
Catholic, co-educational, liberal<br />
arts university with a deep commitment<br />
to health sciences for people<br />
of diverse ages, backgrounds, and<br />
cultures. It is a designated Hispanic-<br />
Serving Institution (HSI).<br />
“We are grounded in a history<br />
of social responsibility and leadership<br />
in service to others,” says SEU<br />
President Gary B. Crosby, Ph.D. “We<br />
give students a well-rounded, highquality<br />
education, and many of our<br />
graduates return to their communities<br />
to make a difference for others.”<br />
SEU is a close-knit community of<br />
approximately 1,100 students with<br />
an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. Forty<br />
percent of the undergraduates at<br />
President Gary B. Crosby, PhD,<br />
Saint Elizabeth University<br />
this NCAA Division III school are<br />
scholar-athletes.<br />
The university offers 50-plus<br />
undergraduate programs (majors<br />
and minors) and more than 35<br />
graduate programs, including two<br />
doctoral degrees. It was ranked<br />
among <strong>2022</strong>–2023 Colleges of<br />
Distinction in career development,<br />
business, education, and nursing.<br />
It also ranked third in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
for earnings outcomes for students<br />
three years after graduation by the<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Education to Earnings<br />
Data System (NJEEDS).<br />
“SEU is committed to working<br />
closely with our students, providing<br />
the tools they need to succeed<br />
academically and personally,” says<br />
Crosby. “We help turn passions into<br />
real-world professions and attract<br />
learners with strong convictions.”<br />
2 Convent Road<br />
Morristown, NJ 07960-6989<br />
973-290-4000<br />
steu.edu<br />
NEWARK<br />
ACADEMY<br />
Passion for Learning, Standard of<br />
Excellence, Generosity of Spirit<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark Academy (NA) is a coeducational<br />
day school that serves<br />
more than 660 students in grades<br />
6 through 12 from more than 90<br />
towns across <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. Founded<br />
in 1774 in the city of <strong>New</strong>ark before<br />
moving to its present 68-acre location<br />
in Livingston, <strong>New</strong>ark Academy<br />
has earned its outstanding reputation<br />
for transforming the lives<br />
of students through its dynamic<br />
program and student-centered approach.<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark Academy students<br />
develop a true love of learning<br />
through innovative and engaging<br />
classroom experiences while challenging<br />
themselves in the school’s<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark Academy, Livingston<br />
88 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SEPT. 1−NOV. 23<br />
Liberty Hall Academic Center<br />
Exhibition Hall and Gallery<br />
Union, <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
WH ad 721:Layout 1 7/27/21 12:45 PM Page 1<br />
signature immersive and global<br />
programs: International Baccalaureate®,<br />
June Term, capstone experiences,<br />
and immersion experiences.<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark Academy has a diverse<br />
population and fosters an inclusive<br />
learning community, with<br />
students of color making up over<br />
60 percent of the student body<br />
and more than $3 million per year<br />
dedicated toward financial aid. Over<br />
the course of their academy careers,<br />
students develop a genuine sense<br />
of belonging, cultivated by deep<br />
and meaningful relationships with<br />
their teachers and peers. <strong>New</strong>ark<br />
Academy graduates possess the<br />
knowledge and skills to be leaders in<br />
their fields, their communities, and<br />
the broader world.<br />
“In every part of the NA experience,<br />
students are encouraged to become<br />
creative and critical thinkers<br />
and empowered to explore diverse<br />
interests,” says Director of Admission<br />
Keith Fischer. “Our students often<br />
find their passion in more than<br />
just a single area, becoming highly<br />
accomplished scholars, artists, and<br />
athletes.”<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark Academy’s award-winning<br />
arts and athletics programs<br />
foster these passions while also<br />
helping students become better<br />
leaders and teammates.<br />
The school’s commitment to<br />
athletic excellence resulted in eight<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> State Interscholastic<br />
Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state<br />
championships during the 2021–<br />
<strong>2022</strong> school year. <strong>New</strong>ark Academy<br />
recently debuted its state-of-the-art,<br />
700-seat Coraci Performance Hall—<br />
a central hub for its many talented<br />
performing arts groups as well as<br />
regular gatherings for the tight-knit<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark Academy community.<br />
91 South Orange Avenue<br />
Livingston, NJ 07039<br />
973-992-7000<br />
<strong>New</strong>arka.edu<br />
WARDLAW+HARTRIDGE<br />
Pioneering. Thinkers.<br />
A WORLD-CHANGING PREP SCHOOL SINCE 1882<br />
PREK3-GRADE 12<br />
Explore W+H Today!<br />
Our tradition of excellence continues after 140 139 years!<br />
• Early Childhood Program<br />
• Global Scholars Program<br />
• <strong>New</strong> Berry Performing Arts Center<br />
• Three state-of-the-art STEM labs<br />
• Three art studios<br />
• Snowdon Library with a Center<br />
for Global Learning and<br />
videoconferencing center<br />
• Television studio with broadcast<br />
editing<br />
• Outdoor classrooms and<br />
amphitheatre<br />
• Two gymnasiums<br />
• 25-yard swimming pool<br />
• Eight tennis courts<br />
• Two new athletic turf fields<br />
THE<br />
WARDLAW<br />
+HARTRIDGE<br />
SCHOOL<br />
A World-Changing Prep School<br />
The Wardlaw+Hartridge School is a<br />
co-educational, college preparatory<br />
day school with 475 students in pre-<br />
K (starting at age three) through<br />
grade 12. From an early childhood<br />
program that offers hands-on experiential<br />
learning to an Upper School<br />
with rich academic offerings, the<br />
Wardlaw+Hartridge School is large<br />
enough to offer twenty advancedplacement<br />
classes for high school<br />
students yet small enough to provide<br />
an intimate learning environment<br />
for all. The 36-acre campus<br />
houses a new performing arts center,<br />
the Center for Global Learning,<br />
a multi-media broadcasting studio,<br />
an amphitheater, two gymnasiums,<br />
a 25-yard swimming pool, eight tennis<br />
courts, and two new athletic turf<br />
fields. The school truly embodies its<br />
six core values: integrity, opportunity,<br />
support, diversity, community,<br />
and sustainability.<br />
1295 Inman Avenue<br />
Edison, NJ 08820<br />
908-754-1882<br />
WHschool.org<br />
WHschool.org/admission<br />
The Wardlaw+Hartridge School, Edison<br />
90 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
See how we are reimagining rigor<br />
ATTEND AN OPEN HOUSE<br />
THRIVING TOGETHER<br />
Feel a sense of belonging from a<br />
supportive and welcoming community<br />
CELEBRATING CHALLENGE<br />
Develop a genuine love of<br />
learning and delight in discovery<br />
INSPIRING INTEGRITY<br />
Achieve personal growth through<br />
character-based education<br />
GRADES 6-12 in<br />
Northern <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong><br />
SCAN for MORE INFORMATION<br />
Middle School OPEN HOUSE:<br />
Sunday, October 2<br />
Saturday, November 5<br />
Upper School OPEN HOUSE:<br />
Sunday, October 23<br />
Saturday, November 12<br />
Virtual OPEN HOUSE: Wednesday, December 7 at 7PM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
KEAN<br />
UNIVERSITY<br />
Cougars Climb Higher<br />
Kean University, designated as <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>’s urban research university, is<br />
at the forefront of conducting solution-driven<br />
research and developing<br />
innovative policies to strengthen underserved<br />
communities and bolster<br />
economies throughout the state.<br />
“Kean students are making a<br />
difference on campus, in their communities,<br />
and around the world,<br />
and this designation from the<br />
state allows them to make an even<br />
greater impact,” says Kean President<br />
Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. “It also<br />
brings us closer to becoming the<br />
state’s next great research institution<br />
and receiving Carnegie R2 research<br />
status.”<br />
Kean has doubled its support for<br />
faculty research. Its students begin<br />
to engage in real-world research<br />
in their first year on campus. The<br />
university also offers a variety of internships<br />
and experiential learning<br />
opportunities to prepare them for<br />
the changing global economy.<br />
Kean prioritizes equity, diversity,<br />
and academic excellence. U.S. <strong>New</strong>s<br />
& World Report ranks it as a topperforming<br />
school for social mobility<br />
and innovation.<br />
“We’re here to help all students<br />
succeed, and we do everything we<br />
can to ensure they have a chance to<br />
thrive long after they graduate from<br />
Kean,” says Repollet.<br />
Kean University has also been<br />
recognized as a First-gen Forward<br />
institution by the Center for Firstgeneration<br />
Student Success® for<br />
its support and advancement of<br />
students who are the first in their<br />
families to attend college. A new<br />
post-doctoral fellowship program is<br />
Kean University, Union<br />
enhancing Kean’s standing as one<br />
of the most diverse universities in<br />
the nation by attracting post-graduate<br />
students from all backgrounds<br />
with two-year fellowships to teach<br />
and conduct research at Kean.<br />
The university offers a wide<br />
range of academic programs at<br />
state-of-the-art facilities throughout<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, including the<br />
180-acre main campus in Union,<br />
Kean Ocean in Toms River and<br />
TOP FIVE<br />
REASONS<br />
TO APPLY<br />
TO SEU<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
AFFORDABILITY<br />
Financial support along many paths: scholarships, work-study<br />
opportunities and low-interest loans.<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
Abundant support and 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio.<br />
LOCATION<br />
1-hour train ride to NYC: exciting internships and networking<br />
opportunities.<br />
PERSONALIZED ENROLLMENT PROCESS<br />
Free application, no required test scores and personalized<br />
guidance through the application process.<br />
SEU PROMISE<br />
Graduates who are not employed or in graduate school within<br />
six months receive a six month paid internship.<br />
Visit www.steu.edu/apply to submit your FREE application todayl<br />
WHY SEU?<br />
BECAUSE HERE, YOU WILL SOAR!<br />
92 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
Manahawkin, and Kean Skylands<br />
in rural Jefferson Township. Kean<br />
also welcomes students from around<br />
the world to its English-speaking<br />
campus at Wenzhou-Kean University<br />
in China.<br />
1000 Morris Avenue<br />
Union, NJ 07083<br />
908-737-KEAN (5326)<br />
kean.edu<br />
Delbarton affordable for every<br />
qualified applicant. The real cost of<br />
attending Delbarton is usually much<br />
lower than families realize.”<br />
230 Mendham Road<br />
Morristown, NJ 07960<br />
973-538-3231<br />
delbarton.org<br />
APPLE<br />
MONTESSORI<br />
SCHOOLS<br />
Nurturing the Whole Child<br />
Apple Montessori is celebrating its<br />
50th anniversary, and its longev-<br />
DELBARTON<br />
SCHOOL<br />
Building Brotherhood for Life<br />
Delbarton is an independent Benedictine<br />
Catholic school for young<br />
men in grades 7 through 12. Located<br />
on a 187-acre, college-like campus in<br />
vibrant Morristown, the school challenges<br />
its students to pursue excellence,<br />
build character, and develop<br />
leadership through service. Independent<br />
thinking, spirited dialogue,<br />
Delbarton School, Morristown<br />
and entrepreneurial innovation are<br />
core competencies of the Delbarton<br />
experience. “The brotherhood<br />
at Delbarton is truly lifelong, as a<br />
sense of community unites our newest<br />
students hailing from 100 towns<br />
and 10 counties in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> to the<br />
thousands of our alumni worldwide,”<br />
says David Donovan, Ph.D.,<br />
dean of admissions and director of<br />
financial aid. “Best of all, our robust,<br />
need-based financial aid program<br />
makes the opportunity to attend<br />
At Seton Hall, we foster those defining<br />
moments when passion becomes a<br />
profession — when a new idea leads to a<br />
deep personal discovery. With rigorous<br />
academics that elevate expectations<br />
and faculty mentorship that leads to<br />
career-shaping discoveries, we help our<br />
students live these moments every day.<br />
Then they show the world the greatness<br />
they can accomplish.<br />
What great minds can do.<br />
www.shu.edu/explore<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 93
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
WELL-ROUNDED<br />
DEVELOPMENT<br />
IN SCHOOL AND<br />
FOR LIFE.<br />
At Apple Montessori Schools, our approach to child care and education<br />
encourages academic excellence, as well as the growth of your child’s social<br />
and emotional skills. Our nurturing educators, well-rounded curriculum and<br />
enrichment programs create an unmatched early childhood learning experience<br />
while inspiring a lifelong love of learning.<br />
Programs: Infant to Elementary* | Multiple Locations Throughout NJ<br />
*programs vary by location<br />
Scan to learn more:<br />
INNOVATORS<br />
have an entrepreneurial mindset.<br />
THINKERS<br />
learn and grow by doing.<br />
LEADERS<br />
excel with confidence.<br />
Apple Montessori Schools, throughout NJ<br />
ity is due, in part, to the schools’<br />
approach toward quality education.<br />
“We nurture and inspire children to<br />
fulfill their innate desire to learn,”<br />
says Colleen Donado, assistant<br />
director of training.<br />
In traditional classrooms, students<br />
follow the same lessons—leaving<br />
some children behind while<br />
others pull ahead. In Montessori<br />
classrooms, students develop at<br />
different paces and challenge<br />
themselves when they’re ready. This<br />
approach fosters greater personal<br />
independence and confidence.<br />
“We put materials and information<br />
into the child’s hands and make<br />
learning experiences concrete. In<br />
turn, our students become more<br />
inquisitive and independent. It’s<br />
not about moving on to the next<br />
task; it’s about enjoying the learning<br />
experience,” says Donado.<br />
Apple Montessori offers infant,<br />
toddler, preschool, kindergarten,<br />
and elementary programs in<br />
multiple locations throughout <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
applemontessorischools.com<br />
SRDS empowers high school<br />
students through internships,<br />
faculty collaboration, Honors<br />
diploma options, 20 AP courses<br />
and more—setting the precedent<br />
in shaping the innovators, thinkers<br />
and leaders of tomorrow, today.<br />
Pre-K 3 to Grade 12<br />
Saddle River, NJ • 201-327-4050<br />
ATTEND OUR OPEN HOUSE<br />
ON OCTOBER 1 OR SCHEDULE<br />
AN INDIVIDUAL TOUR.<br />
SaddleRiverDay.org/Today<br />
94 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
RUTGERS PREP<br />
Creating Leaders Through Excellence<br />
in Education<br />
RUTGERS PREP<br />
FALL OPEN HOUSE<br />
Founded in 1766 in Somerset, <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>, this co-ed pre-K through<br />
grade 12 college preparatory school<br />
is committed to a diverse student<br />
body. Lower School and Middle<br />
School students are encouraged to<br />
explore arts and athletics at a young<br />
age, while Upper School students<br />
can pursue a customized course of<br />
study designed to lead graduates to<br />
top universities and colleges across<br />
the country. Rutgers Prep’s 41-acre<br />
RUTGERS PREPARATORY SCHOOL<br />
est. 1766<br />
Saturday, October 1 @ 10 a.m.<br />
Visit rutgersprep.org or call<br />
732-545-5600 to register<br />
Rutgers Preparatory School, Somerset<br />
RPS October Open House 1/3.indd 1<br />
7/29/22 2:33 PM<br />
campus features an array of unique<br />
spaces, including state-of-the-art<br />
science labs, a black box theater, and<br />
a Bloomberg Lab for business/entrepreneurship<br />
studies. Financial aid<br />
is available for families that qualify.<br />
“Small class sizes promote individualized<br />
attention and the opportunity<br />
to pursue passions,” says Tara<br />
Klipstein, admissions director. “Our<br />
faculty strives to inspire students<br />
to become leaders and encourages<br />
curiosity and creativity.”<br />
1345 Easton Avenue<br />
Somerset, NJ 08873<br />
732-545-5600<br />
rutgersprep.org<br />
HE IS CALLED TO<br />
EXCELLENCE<br />
AT DELBARTON WE WILL ANSWER HIS CALL<br />
Register now for our<br />
Open HOuse<br />
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2<br />
MORRISTOWN, NJ<br />
O<br />
DELBARTON.ORG<br />
A Benedictine Catholic college preparatory<br />
school educating young men, grades 7–12,<br />
in mind, body, and spirit<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 95
Care Like No Other ®<br />
is Coming to<br />
Paramus in 2023!<br />
The Valley Hospital in Paramus will be the centerpiece<br />
of our new healthcare campus, which will include<br />
Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care; our<br />
same-day surgery center; and a medical office building,<br />
home to women’s and children’s outpatient services.<br />
The new hospital has been designed with the needs<br />
of patients and families as the top priority, featuring<br />
single-patient rooms, a vastly expanded Emergency<br />
Department, and the latest in healthcare, all while<br />
retaining Valley’s renowned personal touch and<br />
emphasis on compassionate care.<br />
Care Like No Other ®<br />
ValleyHealth.com/<strong>New</strong>Hospital
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
MEDICAL SUCCESS<br />
Q & A with Medical Professionals Treating a Variety of Issues<br />
VALLEY HEALTH<br />
SYSTEM<br />
Dr. Rajiv Tayal, director, The Valley<br />
Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization<br />
Laboratory and Structural Heart<br />
Program<br />
Q: Why was a patient with a<br />
mild cough that was becoming<br />
progressively worse referred<br />
to you, a cardiac specialist?<br />
A: It had gotten to the point<br />
where it was affecting his everyday<br />
activities. Even after a healthcare<br />
provider prescribed medications<br />
to treat those symptoms, there<br />
were no signs of improvement.<br />
That’s when a cardiac condition<br />
was suspected and the patient<br />
contacted The Valley Hospital.<br />
Q: What did initial tests<br />
reveal?<br />
A: An echocardiogram revealed<br />
that the patient’s heart function<br />
was severely reduced, preventing<br />
the heart from receiving enough<br />
oxygen. He was experiencing a<br />
myocardial infarction, or heart attack,<br />
leading to cardiogenic shock<br />
where only 15 percent of his heart<br />
was functioning. Cardiogenic<br />
shock happens when your heart<br />
suddenly cannot pump enough<br />
blood and oxygen to meet your<br />
body’s needs. It is a challenging<br />
clinical scenario that has up to a<br />
50 percent mortality rate.<br />
Q: What action was taken?<br />
A: I implanted stents to open<br />
critical blockages in all three major<br />
arteries of his heart and restore<br />
adequate blood flow. To treat the<br />
cardiogenic shock, I implanted the<br />
Impella® ventricular support system.<br />
It’s a pump with an<br />
electric motor designed<br />
to provide short-term<br />
blood flow support<br />
by pumping blood<br />
throughout the body.<br />
The device bypasses the<br />
left ventricle, which is<br />
responsible for pumping<br />
oxygenated blood to<br />
tissues all over the body,<br />
thereby allowing it to<br />
rest and recover.<br />
Q: What were the<br />
results?<br />
A: Two days after<br />
receiving the Impella<br />
implant, the patient’s<br />
left ventricle recovered.<br />
The implant was then<br />
removed without the<br />
need for surgery, and<br />
the patient was released<br />
from the hospital. This<br />
was a collaborative effort between<br />
The Valley Heart and Vascular<br />
Institute’s cardiology team, the<br />
interventional cardiology team,<br />
and the Center for Comprehensive<br />
Heart Failure Care.<br />
223 North Van Dien Avenue<br />
Ridgewood, NJ 07450<br />
201-447-8000<br />
ValleyHealth.com<br />
Two days after receiving<br />
the Impella implant, the<br />
patient’s left ventricle<br />
recovered.” Rajiv Tayal, MD<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 97
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
ID CARE<br />
Dr. Ronald Nahass, president<br />
Q: What is ID Care’s main role?<br />
A: Our more than 50 physicians<br />
across <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> use their expertise<br />
to identify, evaluate, and effectively<br />
treat infectious diseases.<br />
Over the past two years, our focus<br />
has been on evaluating more than<br />
30,000 patients with COVID-19.<br />
We were integral to the success of<br />
was first identified by an ID Care<br />
physician.<br />
Q: How does ID Care help<br />
reduce the risk of healthcare,<br />
particularly in hospitals where<br />
infections can be acquired?<br />
A: We have taken a lead in understanding<br />
how to maintain great<br />
outcomes while limiting costs and<br />
improving patient experiences,<br />
helping to avoid hospital care for<br />
certain conditions that can effectively<br />
be treated elsewhere. We<br />
do this regularly at infusion suites<br />
in our offices, where patients who<br />
previously would have been hospitalized<br />
can now receive outpatient<br />
treatment.<br />
participating in Zoom calls. When<br />
he saw his smile on the screen in<br />
front of him and realized that’s<br />
what everyone else was seeing, he<br />
immediately understood the need<br />
to improve his smile. He simply<br />
couldn’t believe how old he looked<br />
online!<br />
ID Care, Hillsborough<br />
many pandemic-related programs<br />
in hospitals and long-term care<br />
facilities, helping to save lives and<br />
reduce risk to staff.<br />
Q: In what other areas has ID<br />
Care played an important role?<br />
A: Since 1996, we have been on<br />
the frontline of identifying infectious<br />
diseases that are emerging,<br />
unique, or ongoing. I always<br />
talk about the infection du jour,<br />
including things like monkeypox,<br />
tick-borne diseases, and West Nile<br />
encephalitis. For decades, ID Care<br />
has been at the forefront of identifying<br />
these conditions, particularly<br />
when little is known about<br />
them. For example, the Powassan<br />
virus, which is carried by the same<br />
tick that transmits Lyme disease,<br />
Q: What are examples of that?<br />
A: Conditions like urinary tract<br />
infections, skin infections, and<br />
pneumonia can now be successfully<br />
treated at ten convenient<br />
ID Care locations* rather than at<br />
a hospital. This delivers patient<br />
satisfaction along with great<br />
outcomes, reduced risk, and lower<br />
costs.<br />
*Cedar Knolls, East Brunswick,<br />
Freehold, Hillsborough, Mercerville,<br />
Oakhurst, Old Bridge,<br />
Princeton, Randolph, Somerset.<br />
908-281-0221<br />
idcare.com<br />
SUBURBAN<br />
ESSEX DENTAL<br />
Dr. Paul Feldman, owner<br />
Q: How did you treat a patient<br />
who was interested in improving<br />
his smile?<br />
A: This patient’s teeth were<br />
discolored and chipped, with<br />
significant wear. He explained that<br />
he was never really very concerned<br />
with the cosmetics until he started<br />
Paul Feldman, DMD, FAGD, FICOI, PA<br />
Q: What techniques were used<br />
to achieve his goal?<br />
A: We did a computerized smile<br />
simulation that lets you see what<br />
any proposed changes will look<br />
like prior to us doing any dental<br />
treatment. After that, we bleached<br />
his upper teeth and placed veneers<br />
on his two front teeth. Thanks to<br />
the very latest technology we have<br />
in our office, the veneers were<br />
done digitally in a single visit. The<br />
next time he had a Zoom call, he<br />
said he looked ten years younger!<br />
Atkins Medical Plaza<br />
1500 Pleasant Valley Way<br />
Suite 202<br />
West Orange, NJ 07052<br />
973-669-0500<br />
suburbanessexdental.com<br />
98 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Last year, I worried<br />
about my brain tumor.<br />
This year, I worry about<br />
improving my jumpshot.<br />
When they don’t have to travel far for world-class care,<br />
kids with cancer can feel like kids again.<br />
The Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Program at Rutgers Cancer<br />
NCI<br />
Designated<br />
Comprehensive<br />
Cancer Center<br />
Institute of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> and RWJBarnabas Health<br />
provides top-tier care for your child’s type of cancer<br />
or blood disorder right here in our own community.<br />
As the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated<br />
Comprehensive Cancer Center, we provide access to the most<br />
advanced therapies and clinical trials. Our Center for Pediatric Cancer<br />
and Blood Disorders Research is at the forefront of developing<br />
innovative treatments with fewer side effects. With nationally<br />
recognized children’s hospitals and programs close by, patients can<br />
spend less time traveling for treatment, and more time being kids.<br />
Learn more at rwjbh.org/PediatricCancerandBloodDisorders<br />
Let’s beat cancer together.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
SAINT PETER’S<br />
UNIVERSITY<br />
HOSPITAL<br />
Imran Saeed, colorectal surgeon<br />
Q: What causes fecal<br />
incontinence and what are<br />
the symptoms?<br />
A: A medical condition that often<br />
causes public embarrassment,<br />
fecal incontinence is defined by<br />
the sudden urgency to have a bowel<br />
movement, with lack of control<br />
to prevent it—something that<br />
can happen anytime, anywhere.<br />
The most common cause of fecal<br />
incontinence, also called bowel<br />
incontinence, is an issue with the<br />
anal sphincter muscle.<br />
Q: Does social stigma of the<br />
disease make people reluctant<br />
to seek treatment?<br />
A: Many individuals with fecal<br />
incontinence find themselves<br />
limiting everyday experiences<br />
and avoiding social engagements,<br />
including exercise, travel, and<br />
other situations where the security<br />
of knowing a restroom is within<br />
reach may be an unknown. There<br />
are a lot of people who suffer from<br />
fecal incontinence, and because<br />
it’s commonly considered to be a<br />
part of aging, people think they<br />
must live with it and don’t seek<br />
out any treatment options. However,<br />
90 percent of people who<br />
suffer from fecal incontinence can<br />
find relief without the need for<br />
surgery. Relatively simple solutions<br />
like dietary modifications,<br />
physical therapy, bowel retraining<br />
(biofeedback), and medications<br />
may help some patients.<br />
Imran Saeed, MD, FACS, FASCRS<br />
respond to dietary changes and<br />
conservative management treatments,<br />
there is bowel control<br />
therapy through the InterStim<br />
procedure. Once implanted by a<br />
colorectal surgeon in the sacral<br />
spinal nerves within the pelvic<br />
area that control bladder and<br />
bowel function, the InterStim device<br />
transmits gentle stimulation<br />
to these nerves, restoring brain<br />
and bowel communication and<br />
ultimately reducing symptoms.<br />
This technology, approved by the<br />
Food and Drug Administration<br />
(FDA), is an adjustable, approved<br />
treatment for fecal incontinence<br />
that can produce long-lasting<br />
results with up to an 80 percent<br />
success rate. The discreet therapy<br />
allows patients to resume their<br />
daily activities without the fear of<br />
embarrassment.<br />
254 Easton Avenue<br />
<strong>New</strong> Brunswick, NJ 08901<br />
732-745-8600<br />
saintpetershcs.com<br />
REPRODUCTIVE<br />
MEDICAL<br />
ASSOCIATES<br />
(RMA) OF<br />
NEW JERSEY<br />
Dr. Marcus Jurema, physician<br />
partner, reproductive<br />
endocrinologist<br />
Q: How much have fertility<br />
treatments improved over<br />
time?<br />
A: When invitro fertilization<br />
(IVF) was introduced in this<br />
country over 40 years ago, the efficiency<br />
rate was very low, around<br />
1 percent. Four decades later,<br />
those success rates have significantly<br />
increased. Now eight out of<br />
ten individuals who visit RMA are<br />
successful.<br />
Q: What have been the key<br />
changes behind those<br />
improvements?<br />
A: First was the ability to develop<br />
embryos after fertilization in<br />
five to seven days rather than two<br />
or three days. Doing that allowed<br />
us to select the best embryos. Second<br />
is the use of pre-implantation<br />
genetic testing, called PGT-A,<br />
Q: How does the InterStim<br />
procedure work and help<br />
patients with this disease?<br />
A: For patients who don’t<br />
Marcus W. Jurema, MD, FACOG<br />
100 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Reproductive Medicine Associates<br />
Fertility Success, Close to Home<br />
Starting a family, when you’re having difficulty getting or staying pregnant, may feel<br />
overwhelming, even scary at times. But you don’t have to feel this way. For more than<br />
twenty years, RMA <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s compassionate fertility specialists and an 83.3%<br />
birth success rate have helped put more than 50,000 babies in to the arms of loving<br />
parents.<br />
8 10 83.3%<br />
out of<br />
individuals who visit<br />
RMA <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> make<br />
their vision of<br />
parenthood a reality.<br />
RMA’s Live Birth Rate in<br />
women under 35 years*<br />
Learn more at rmanetwork.com or call us at 973-656-2089<br />
* A comparison of clinic success rates may not be meaningful because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches, and entry criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic. You<br />
can view RMA <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s clinic summary snapshot report on SART here. Visit http://www.sart.org
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
to ensure a normal set of chromosomes<br />
in the embryo. Finally,<br />
those two elements have enabled<br />
us to perform single-embryo<br />
transfers. Placing one healthy embryo<br />
into the uterus has increased<br />
our success rate to upward of<br />
83 percent for women under 35,<br />
which is one of the highest rates in<br />
this field. Before these tools came<br />
along, that rate was in the 40 to<br />
50 percent range. Also, singleembryo<br />
transfer has reduced the<br />
risk of multiple births, like twins<br />
or triplets.<br />
Q: Are there any other methods<br />
that have impacted fertility<br />
success?<br />
A: Frozen embryo transfers help<br />
increase pregnancy rates. Rather<br />
than transferring a fresh embryo<br />
within a week of egg retrieval,<br />
we can now freeze embryos to<br />
allow for study of genetic testing<br />
results. The frozen transfer is done<br />
a month later, and the extra time<br />
leads to the uterus being more<br />
receptive to the embryo transfer.<br />
Q: Why has RMA been so<br />
successful in this field?<br />
A: We’re following the science,<br />
and the science is saying that<br />
our methods achieve the highest<br />
pregnancy rates without the risk<br />
of multiples, ensuring the safest<br />
environment for parent and baby.<br />
It’s life-changing work—we’re<br />
helping build families, one healthy<br />
baby at a time.<br />
955 South Springfield Avenue<br />
Building A, Suite 103<br />
Springfield, NJ 07081<br />
973-258-4081<br />
rmanetwork.com<br />
SUMMIT<br />
HEARING AID<br />
CENTER<br />
Dr. Leslie E. Herman, audiologist,<br />
founder and director<br />
Q: One of your recent patients<br />
had been adamant about not<br />
using hearing aids, despite<br />
pleas from her children to do<br />
so. How did you help her?<br />
A: Limited interaction with<br />
friends and family during the<br />
pandemic led the patient to believe<br />
her hearing was improving, but in<br />
Leslie E. Herman, AuD, CCC-A<br />
reality it had not. Over dinner last<br />
year, her children finally convinced<br />
her that she needed to see a doctor.<br />
She made an appointment with me<br />
the very next month.<br />
Q: How did you help her?<br />
A: After conducting a thorough<br />
examination, I recommended a<br />
pair of rechargeable hearing aids.<br />
They are simply recharged at night<br />
like an iPhone, and they quickly<br />
became a natural part of her life.<br />
She is very proud of them, and<br />
with her improved hearing she was<br />
able to volunteer at a meaningful<br />
job, which led to a paid position.<br />
Her children were also very happy<br />
she finally got help. The strain in<br />
communication they were experiencing<br />
with someone they loved so<br />
much had gotten very frustrating<br />
and worrisome for all of them. Ultimately,<br />
the patient came to our<br />
facility because her children didn’t<br />
give up. “Now we have our mom<br />
back,” they said.<br />
75 Summit Avenue<br />
Summit, NJ 07901<br />
908-277-6886<br />
summithearingaidcenter.com<br />
ENGLEWOOD<br />
HEALTH<br />
Dr. Kevin Yao, chief of neurosurgery;<br />
Dr. Asit K. Shah, chief of<br />
orthopedic surgery<br />
Q: What’s new in the world of<br />
spine surgery?<br />
A: Dr. Yao: Englewood Health’s<br />
team of orthopedic spine surgeons<br />
and neurosurgeons is at the forefront<br />
of advances in spine surgery.<br />
Recently, we’ve introduced robotassisted<br />
spine surgery that has<br />
GPS-like precision. Our program<br />
is the first in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> to introduce<br />
this technology, which promises<br />
to take us to the next era of<br />
spine surgery. This technology is<br />
called the Excelsius Ecosystem,<br />
a robotic imaging and navigation<br />
platform that improves accuracy<br />
and efficiency and enables minimally<br />
invasive surgery—translating<br />
into less time in the operating<br />
room, shorter recoveries, and even<br />
more successful outcomes.<br />
Q: How does Excelsius work?<br />
A: Dr. Yao: Spine surgery<br />
requires the accurate placement<br />
of surgical hardware used to hold<br />
the vertebrae. The ExcelsiusGPS®<br />
generates real-time information<br />
102 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Spot-on<br />
spine surgery.<br />
The Excelsius TM Ecosystem has arrived.<br />
Thanks to a new tool that combines 3D imaging with<br />
robotic navigation, our expert surgeons can now<br />
see more clearly and move more precisely during<br />
minimally invasive spine procedures. And that means<br />
you can see yourself recovering faster, thanks to<br />
smaller incisions and less pain. So, when you want to<br />
get back to better, talk to the people using the best.<br />
Get back faster at englewoodhealth.org.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
surgery requires several types of<br />
imaging equipment. This new<br />
technology gives surgeons an<br />
all-in-one imaging capability for<br />
enhanced visualization of the<br />
patient’s anatomy.<br />
Asit K. Shah, MD, PhD<br />
Kevin Yao, MD<br />
before and during the procedure,<br />
allowing surgeons to use robotic<br />
navigation to place screws and<br />
rods with a high level of precision.<br />
Radiology images are taken on<br />
the day of surgery and imported<br />
into the Excelsius3D equipment.<br />
The surgeon uses these images to<br />
determine the size and placement<br />
of implants based on the patient’s<br />
anatomy. That plan is used by the<br />
surgeon to guide the robotic arm<br />
to a region of the spine and follow<br />
a pathway, like following a GPS.<br />
Q: How is this different from<br />
spine surgery of the past?<br />
A: Dr. Shah: Traditionally, spine<br />
Q: What kind of procedures<br />
can the Excelsius perform?<br />
A: Dr. Shah: Spinal procedures<br />
such as lumbar or thoracic fusion<br />
will now be possible with more<br />
minimally invasive, highly precise<br />
techniques. Patients with spine<br />
conditions such as degenerative<br />
disc disease, fractures, scoliosis,<br />
spinal stenosis, and spinal tumors<br />
will benefit from newly enhanced<br />
procedures made possible by this<br />
robotic navigation technology.<br />
350 Engle Street<br />
Englewood, NJ 07631<br />
833-234-2234<br />
englewoodhealth.org<br />
NEW JERSEY<br />
SPINE<br />
SPECIALISTS, LLC<br />
Dr. Heidi Hullinger, spine surgeon<br />
Q: How is spinal navigation<br />
useful in specific spine<br />
surgery cases?<br />
A: There are various imageguided<br />
navigation systems where<br />
we can either get pre-operative or<br />
intra-operative images similar to<br />
a CT scan. During a procedure,<br />
the navigation system enables me<br />
to look at those images within the<br />
context of a reference frame that<br />
shows where I am relative to the<br />
patient’s imaging.<br />
Q: When do you employ this<br />
technology?<br />
A: We’ve used it for tumor cases,<br />
deformity cases, and with patients<br />
Heidi Hullinger, MD<br />
who have altered anatomy due to<br />
a previous surgery. The technology<br />
can improve accuracy, including<br />
improved alignment and placement<br />
of screws, especially in more difficult<br />
cases. It can also reduce overall<br />
surgical time and therefore decrease<br />
time spent under anesthesia and any<br />
associated issues post-surgery.<br />
Q: Can you discuss a recent<br />
case where you used spinal<br />
navigation?<br />
A: A female patient came in with<br />
altered anatomy due to a prior surgery<br />
and also had a deformity due<br />
to a fracture. That really distorted<br />
her anatomy, and I needed to extend<br />
her spinal fusion. The navigation<br />
was a very useful tool in placing new<br />
instrumentation, replacing her prior<br />
instrumentation, and also correcting<br />
her alignment. This patient is now<br />
doing very well with quite a bit of<br />
improvement in terms of weakness<br />
and numbness.<br />
Q: Is this technology brand new?<br />
A: It’s been available for some<br />
time, but spinal navigation systems<br />
continue to evolve, and the current<br />
generation is much better than what<br />
was around 15 years ago. Our team<br />
at <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Spine Specialists<br />
always seeks out the latest proven<br />
technology to help our patients.<br />
More importantly, we can also<br />
recognize when it’s useful to employ<br />
104 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
END<br />
Neck and Back<br />
Pain<br />
Let’s Start Healing<br />
From left: Dr. Mark R. Drzala*; Dr. Heidi M. Hullinger*;<br />
Dr. Ilya Kupershtein; Dr. Mitchell F. Reiter*<br />
Spinal problems are among the most widespread and<br />
potentially debilitating medical conditions, causing<br />
pain, restricting mobility and degrading quality of life.<br />
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Spine Specialists is one of the leading<br />
providers in the U.S. for advanced treatment of spinal<br />
problems, treating a variety of spinal disorders, and helping<br />
relieve patients of painful symptoms using cutting-edge<br />
technology.<br />
Dr. Reiter, Dr. Drzala, Dr. Hullinger, and Dr. Kupershtein<br />
along with their staff, are dedicated to providing complete<br />
and advanced spinal care utilizing the latest minimally<br />
invasive technologies and motion preserving techniques<br />
when appropriate. The comprehensive care for both adult<br />
and pediatric patients including scoliosis treatments are<br />
tailored to the individual needs of each person. Their focus<br />
is on providing the best treatment regimen possible and on<br />
keeping their patients involved with the decision-making<br />
process regarding their care.<br />
Come discover how <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Spine Specialists<br />
advanced spinal care can help you enjoy a pain-free life.<br />
• 33 Overlook Road, Suite 305, SUMMIT, NJ<br />
• Hackensack UMC Mountainside Hospital, 1 Bay Avenue, MONTCLAIR, NJ<br />
908-608-9619<br />
njspinespecialists.net<br />
*Mark Drzala, MD <strong>Jersey</strong> Choice Top Doctor - 2006-2021<br />
*Heidi Hullinger, MD <strong>Jersey</strong> Choice Top Doctor - 2019, 2021<br />
*Mitchell Reiter, MD <strong>Jersey</strong> Choice Top Doctor - 2007-20<strong>09</strong>, 2011-2020
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
these systems and when it might<br />
not necessarily be the appropriate<br />
method.<br />
33 Overlook Road<br />
Suite 305<br />
Summit, NJ 07901<br />
Hackensack UMC<br />
Mountainside Hospital<br />
Harries Pavilion<br />
2nd floor, Suite 1B<br />
1 Bay Avenue<br />
Montclair NJ 07042<br />
908-608-9619<br />
njss.net<br />
ATLANTIC<br />
HEALTH SYSTEM<br />
Dr. Vineet Tyagi, orthopedic<br />
surgeon<br />
Q: When is a hip or knee joint<br />
replacement appropriate?<br />
A: If patients continue to have<br />
hip or knee pain after exhausting<br />
non-operative treatments,<br />
the next step is to replace the<br />
joint. We perform joint replacements<br />
in a wide age range, from<br />
patients in their forties to their<br />
nineties. Thanks to modern<br />
advancements, recovery times<br />
have improved significantly<br />
and patients are now typically<br />
discharged home on the day of<br />
surgery, rather than staying at<br />
the hospital for a few days.<br />
Q: What specific changes<br />
have been implemented?<br />
A: We use robotics in our surgery<br />
and also different medications<br />
that provide more localized<br />
pain control and minimize blood<br />
loss during surgery. Over the<br />
past decade, changes in the way<br />
implants are manufactured have<br />
lengthened their lifespan and<br />
wear capability. They still wear<br />
Vineet Tyagi, MD<br />
out at some point, but we have<br />
many younger patients who have<br />
received a second replacement<br />
and remain very active.<br />
Q: What does joint replacement<br />
surgery success depend<br />
on primarily?<br />
A: Often it is the degree of underlying<br />
arthritis they are experiencing.<br />
The patients who see the<br />
biggest improvements are those<br />
with the most severe arthritis and<br />
pain. I’ve treated patients who<br />
continued to have significant pain<br />
after multiple forms of non-operative<br />
treatment. After having a<br />
robotic knee replacement, they’ve<br />
returned for the same procedure<br />
to relieve pain on their other knee.<br />
It can be life-changing.<br />
Q: How do patients benefit<br />
from the resources of Atlantic<br />
Health?<br />
A: We offer a comprehensive<br />
approach to patient care to give<br />
patients the best chance of a successful<br />
outcome. We have metabolic<br />
specialists if patients need<br />
to lose weight prior to surgery or<br />
endocrinologists to help manage<br />
diabetes. Post-surgery, we offer<br />
home-health services. For the first<br />
weeks of recovery, patients can<br />
undergo physical therapy at home.<br />
Atlantic Medical Group Orthopedics<br />
and Sports Medicine at<br />
Bridgewater<br />
1125 Route 22, Suite 150<br />
Bridgewater, NJ 08807<br />
908-722-2033<br />
atlantichealth.org/locations/<br />
atlantic-medical-group/orthopedics-sports-medicine-bridgewater.html<br />
HACKENSACK<br />
UNIVERSITY<br />
MEDICAL<br />
CENTER<br />
Dr. Hooman Azmi, chief of<br />
the Center for Functional and<br />
Restorative and Image-Guided<br />
Neurosurgery<br />
Q: A 70-yeard-old retired<br />
construction worker came to<br />
you last year with violent<br />
tremors in his hands. What<br />
was the cause?<br />
A: Such involuntary and<br />
rhythmic shaking, experienced by<br />
approximately 10 million Ameri-<br />
Hooman Azmi, MD<br />
106 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Easier care<br />
starts with connected care.<br />
Whether it’s a yearly physical, an unexpected trip to urgent care,<br />
a hospital stay or home care, Atlantic Health System seamlessly<br />
connects our doctors to you, each other and your health records,<br />
making it easier to get and stay healthy.<br />
Visit atlantichealth.org/healthyeasier
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
cans, is a nervous system disorder.<br />
While tremor is not a terminal<br />
condition, in this case it was getting<br />
progressively worse, to the<br />
point where the patient could not<br />
even feed himself.<br />
Q: What treatment was provided<br />
in this case?<br />
A: We used a leading-edge therapy<br />
that can erase the disabling<br />
shaking and restore a patient’s<br />
independence and confidence.<br />
Last year, Hackensack University<br />
Medical Center became the first<br />
and only hospital in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>—<br />
and one of only a few in the United<br />
States— to offer a non-invasive,<br />
MRI image-guided technology<br />
called focused ultrasound.<br />
Q: Was that the only option<br />
available?<br />
We Create<br />
Smiles<br />
Radiate Confidence Beam Laugh Grin<br />
• Platinum Invisalign® Provider<br />
• General Dentistry<br />
• Restorative Implant<br />
and Cosmetic Dentist<br />
• Veneers<br />
• Restorative care (such as<br />
white fillings and crowns)<br />
AWARDED<br />
Fellow of the American<br />
Academy of Clear Aligners (AACA)<br />
Complimentary Consultation<br />
A: Deep brain stimulation can<br />
work extremely effectively, but it is<br />
surgery. Focused ultrasound is an<br />
incredibly good option for patients<br />
having medication side effects<br />
who would otherwise be very good<br />
candidates for surgery, but don’t<br />
want to undergo surgery. With<br />
this option, we non-invasively<br />
treat the tremor by aiming sound<br />
waves onto one particular spot in<br />
the brain that we know will have<br />
the best response. If we’re getting<br />
positive results, we make the effect<br />
of the sound waves permanent.<br />
Q: What results did this patient<br />
experience?<br />
A: The difference was enormous<br />
right away. His right hand<br />
tremor virtually disappeared. He<br />
was back to easily signing checks,<br />
driving, and doing jobs around the<br />
house that required hand dexterity.<br />
He hopes to have his left hand<br />
tremor treated soon. Only 40 centers<br />
in the world have the ability<br />
to offer this incredible technology<br />
to patients. It really emphasizes<br />
the expertise and innovation at<br />
Hackensack Meridian Health<br />
for the treatment of neurological<br />
disorders, particularly movement<br />
disorders.<br />
30 Prospect Avenue<br />
Hackensack, NJ 07601<br />
551-996-5588<br />
hackensackmeridianhealth.org<br />
LUCAS DENTAL<br />
ASSOCIATES<br />
Dr. Robin Lucas, founder<br />
Q: What can people age 50 and<br />
up do when their teeth change<br />
position over time?<br />
A: Clear aligners, such as Invisalign®,<br />
can restructure and reposition<br />
teeth, both for aesthetics and<br />
to improve gum health, which will<br />
lead to teeth retention and reduce<br />
the risk of tooth loss. I also use an<br />
iTero® scanner so patients can see<br />
simulated outcomes. The entire<br />
Robin Lucas, DMD<br />
232 Bloomfield Street, #1, Hoboken, NJ<br />
200 Bloomfield Street, Hoboken, NJ<br />
(Pediatric dentist on staff)<br />
201-798-8899<br />
Parking validation<br />
Robin N. Lucas DMD<br />
108 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
Joint Commission Accredited<br />
BREAK<br />
FREE<br />
FROM<br />
ADDICTION<br />
BLAKE RECOVERY CENTER<br />
Set yourself free from addiction with the #1 Treatment Center in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
Freedom from dependency on alcohol. Freedom from dependency on drugs. <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s<br />
most comprehensive addiction treatment services and care for over 40 years, Blake<br />
Recovery Center is ready to begin your journey today in a safe and supportive environment.<br />
SCAN HERE<br />
FOR MORE<br />
INFORMATION.<br />
From medically-monitored inpatient detox and rehab, to outpatient services<br />
and support groups, we’re here to help you break free to live a better life.<br />
WE’RE READY.<br />
Visit us at CarrierClinic.org/BRC or call 800-933-3579.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
process can be done safely with<br />
positive results in 6 to 12 months.<br />
Gingivitis (bleeding gums),<br />
discolored teeth, sore gums, gum<br />
recession, or food getting stuck<br />
between the front teeth can be<br />
indications of teeth relapse. As a<br />
fellow of the American Academy<br />
of Clear Aligners with advanced<br />
training in Invisalign, I have taken<br />
many courses to remain on the<br />
forefront of this type of care.<br />
232 Bloomfield Street<br />
Hoboken, NJ 07030<br />
201-798-8899<br />
lucasdental.com<br />
RWJBARNABAS<br />
HEALTH<br />
Dr. Andrew M. Evens, associate<br />
director for clinical services at<br />
Rutgers Cancer Institute of <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Jersey</strong>; system director of medical<br />
oncology, RWJBarnabas Health<br />
Q: How rare is it for women<br />
to experience cancer while<br />
pregnant?<br />
A: It is uncommon but not<br />
unheard of. Cancer occurs during<br />
approximately one out of<br />
Andrew M. Evens, DO, MSc, FACP<br />
every 1,000 pregnancies, which<br />
translates to around 5,000 cases<br />
annually in the United States.<br />
Q: How did you treat a<br />
31-year-old pregnant patient<br />
with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma?<br />
A: Pregnant patients who have<br />
relapsed lymphoma are rare,<br />
in part as it’s recommended to<br />
avoid fertility one to two years<br />
after finishing the original<br />
treatment. This patient had an<br />
uncommon late relapse, three<br />
110 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
years after her original diagnosis.<br />
For relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma<br />
in a non-pregnant patient,<br />
chemotherapy and/or targeted<br />
immunotherapy are often used,<br />
usually followed by a bone marrow<br />
transplant, which is curative for<br />
most patients.<br />
Q: When during her pregnancy<br />
did you see her?<br />
A: We saw her at 18 weeks into<br />
her pregnancy, when she was very<br />
ill with a large mass in her abdomen.<br />
It was a life-threatening situation.<br />
Fortunately, after the first<br />
trimester, most chemotherapy is<br />
safe for the patient and fetus. She<br />
improved rapidly after two cycles<br />
of chemotherapy, so in conjunction<br />
with maternal-fetal medicine<br />
experts, we recommended she<br />
continue the pregnancy to term.<br />
Q: Her condition worsened<br />
again at 26 weeks. What<br />
happened then?<br />
A: After detailed multi-disciplinary<br />
team care coordination<br />
and discussion with the National<br />
Cancer Institute, we treated her<br />
with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy<br />
treatment, which is<br />
approved by the Food and Drug<br />
Administration (FDA). She did<br />
incredibly well and gave birth to<br />
a healthy baby boy at 38 weeks. A<br />
few months later, she received a<br />
stem cell transplant and is doing<br />
well a year later. Throughout this<br />
case, we were able to leverage the<br />
expertise of collaborative teams<br />
at the Rutgers Cancer Institute<br />
of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, along with unique<br />
relationships we have with other<br />
colleagues around the country and<br />
the world. The results were very<br />
gratifying.<br />
For<br />
39 Years,<br />
We Have<br />
Been<br />
Hear<br />
For You<br />
Research shows that<br />
YOUR HEARING HEALTH<br />
is important to overall physical<br />
and mental well-being.<br />
LESLIE E. HERMAN, AuD, CCC-A<br />
Doctor of Audiology<br />
NJ Audiologist Lic: YA00010200 • NJ Hearing Aid Dispenser Lic: MG000373<br />
HOLLY HERMAN, BS, BC-HIS, ACA<br />
Board Certified Hearing Instrument Specialist<br />
NJ Hearing Aid Dispenser Lic: MG000738<br />
COMING IN NOVEMBER<br />
OUR ANNUAL LIST OF<br />
She made the<br />
process pleasurable<br />
and the results were<br />
amazing! Hearing<br />
so well again.–K.D.<br />
What they have<br />
done for me is life<br />
changing.–D.S.<br />
Schedule your<br />
HEARING EVALUATION<br />
today!<br />
75 Summit Avenue, Summit, NJ<br />
908-360-2039<br />
summithearingaid@gmail.com<br />
SummitHearingAidCenter.com<br />
rwjbh.org/beatcancer<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 111
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION<br />
<strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY<br />
FIVE STAR LEGENDS<br />
The real estate business is a<br />
competitive one. It takes grit,<br />
determination and business sense<br />
simply to make it to your 10-year<br />
anniversary. Our group of Five Star<br />
Legends goes far beyond that, though.<br />
They’ve not only made it, they’ve been<br />
winning awards, outpacing the<br />
competition and making their clients<br />
happy for at least 10 years.<br />
This group of professionals has taken<br />
on the challenges of changing housing<br />
markets, new business models and<br />
other competitive threats by doing<br />
what they do best: Satisfying their<br />
clients. Spend 10 years doing that, and<br />
we’d probably call you a legend, too.<br />
FS-1 — SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY
— A LASTING LEGACY—<br />
Nowadays, attention spans are short, so finding professionals who are<br />
not only great at what they do, but can do it for a decade (or<br />
longer)? That’s legendary. Excellence like this takes diligence, a<br />
commitment to clients, a knowledge of the market and a knack for<br />
making things happen.<br />
Five Star Professional has been researching and recognizing outstanding<br />
real estate agents and mortgage professionals for more than 10 years.<br />
Each year, a small percentage of professionals wins the Five Star award<br />
in the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> area. Our research team takes consumer and peer<br />
feedback to distinguish our candidates, then looks at their experience,<br />
conducts a regulatory check, and then talks to candidates and gathers<br />
information on their practice in order to evaluate them for the award.<br />
From all of this, a small fraction of candidates win the Five Star award<br />
over and over again. How? It takes skill, consistency and commitment to<br />
excellence to win and keep winning. That’s why we’re recognizing this<br />
exclusive group of Five Star Legends in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> with this special<br />
section, dedicated to and reserved for those people who have won the<br />
Five Star award 10 years or more. These <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>-area winners<br />
embody professionalism and long-term commitment, making them<br />
stand out in their field.<br />
RESEARCH: HOW OUR<br />
WINNERS ARE CHOSEN<br />
• Five Star Real Estate Agents and Five Star Mortgage Professionals do not pay a fee to be<br />
included in the research or the final lists.<br />
• Each professional is screened against state governing bodies to verify that licenses are<br />
current and no disciplinary actions are pending.<br />
• The inclusion of a real estate agent or mortgage professional on the final lists should not<br />
be construed as an endorsement by Five Star Professional or this publication.<br />
• For more information on our research methodology, go to fivestarprofessional.com.<br />
Determination of Award Winners<br />
Professionals who satisfied each of the following objective criteria were named Five Star<br />
Real Estate Agent or Five Star Mortgage Professional:<br />
Evaluation Criteria: 1. Qualifying rating; Eligibility Criteria: 2. Holds an active license and<br />
employed in their field for a minimum of five years; 3. Favorable regulatory and<br />
complaint history review; 4. Satisfies minimum production on a one-year and three-year<br />
basis; 5. Successful completion of a Blue Ribbon Panel review.<br />
Real estate agents and mortgage professionals are pooled only with other candidates<br />
from their profession.<br />
To see the full list of winners, visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.<br />
2 — LEARN MORE AT FIVESTARPROFESSIONAL.COM<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY — FS-2
<strong>2022</strong> FIVE STAR LEGENDS<br />
Alan Kurlander<br />
Sales Associate<br />
Top 1% Of Agents<br />
at Coldwell Banker<br />
• NJ Realtors ® Circle of Excellence ® Sales<br />
Award ® Platinum, 2011 – 2021<br />
Photo 5” wide by 7” high at 300 dpi. Maximum of 12 people.<br />
• 12-year Five Star Real Estate Agent<br />
award winner<br />
• <strong>2022</strong> Five Star Legend featured in Forbes<br />
12<br />
YEAR<br />
WINNER<br />
The Alan Kurlander Group had another record-breaking<br />
sales year despite the limited housing inventory.<br />
Kurlander and his team placed under contract and<br />
closed approximately $300 million in home sales in 2020<br />
and 2021. For 12 consecutive years, Kurlander has been<br />
named a Five Star Real Estate Agent. He was also featured<br />
as a Five Star Legend in Forbes.<br />
Twelve-year winner Alan Kurlander, Sales Associate<br />
335 Route 9 S • Manalapan, NJ 077266<br />
Phone: 732-4<strong>09</strong>-5024 • Cell: 732-284-6302<br />
aljay1@aol.com • www.alankurlander.com<br />
FIVE STAR REAL ESTATE AGENT AWARD WINNER<br />
FS-3 — SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY
<strong>2022</strong> FIVE STAR<br />
LEGENDS<br />
To see the full list of winners, visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.<br />
Real Estate<br />
Agents<br />
All Areas<br />
Renèe Condon<br />
Keller Williams City Life<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> City<br />
917-754-4546<br />
Gordon Crawford<br />
Keller Williams<br />
Metropolitan Realty<br />
973-714-3085<br />
Pamela Fairley<br />
Turpin Realtors/Town &<br />
Country Group<br />
973-886-2414<br />
Kathryn E. Fedak<br />
eXp Realty<br />
732-318-9393<br />
Margaret Gaydos<br />
JJ Elek Realty<br />
732-261-3547<br />
Judith “Judy” M. Gold<br />
Coldwell Banker Realty<br />
908-303-2100<br />
Cathy Knapp<br />
Coldwell Banker Realty<br />
201-259-7102<br />
Lois Rantzer<br />
RE/MAX<br />
973-598-1008<br />
Judith Elise Serhus<br />
Diane Turton, Realtors<br />
732-946-0600<br />
Lynn Smothergill<br />
Keller Wlliams Town Life<br />
201-894-8004<br />
Nancy Swanson<br />
RE/MAX Platinum Group<br />
973-219-2730<br />
Melisa Takacs<br />
Millennium Interstate Realty<br />
732-203-1500<br />
Wendy Wineburgh Dessanti<br />
Weichert, Realtors<br />
201-310-2255<br />
Kim Wyche<br />
Weichert, Realtors<br />
908-447-9194<br />
Mortgage<br />
Professional<br />
Michael A. Borodinsky<br />
Caliber Home Loans<br />
908-202-7293<br />
REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a Member of the NATIONAL<br />
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY — FS-4
sheridan case<br />
Continued from page 77<br />
really happened in their final, desperate<br />
moments? How had the county detectives<br />
who investigated the case allegedly<br />
botched things so badly, failing to dust for<br />
fingerprints, discounting blood spatter in a<br />
back hallway, missing a fireplace poker that<br />
matched bruises on their father?<br />
There were allegedly so many missteps,<br />
so many omissions and missed opportunities<br />
by local lawmen and medical examiners<br />
that the state was eventually compelled<br />
to retract its official finding that John had<br />
murdered his wife and then himself, somehow<br />
managing to set fire to the bedroom<br />
and pull a massive armoire on top of himself<br />
at the same time.<br />
“Undetermined” became the official<br />
designation for the cause of John's death,<br />
while Joyce’s death remained classified<br />
as a homicide.<br />
John and Joyce Sheridan had been married<br />
for 47 years when they were found<br />
dead in their two-story ’70s-era colonial<br />
home in the well-heeled section of Montgomery<br />
Township, just north of Princeton.<br />
By all accounts, they had been happily<br />
married. Joyce was a public school teacher<br />
who took time off to raise their boys. The<br />
couple had many friends and spent a lot of<br />
their time hunting for antiques.<br />
It was a beautiful, warm and sunny morning<br />
on September 28, 2014, when a neighbor<br />
called police after spotting smoke coming<br />
out of a second-floor front window of the<br />
Sheridan house.<br />
When firefighters arrived, they found a<br />
horrific scene. The couple’s bodies were<br />
sprawled on the floor of the main bedroom.<br />
They had both been stabbed to death, and<br />
an armoire was lying across John. The<br />
room had been set on fire.<br />
Police called all four adult Sheridan sons<br />
to come home. When Sheridan, the eldest<br />
of the brothers, arrived at the scene, the<br />
house was surrounded by emergency responders,<br />
and he was not allowed inside.<br />
When Sheridan learned that the Somerset<br />
County Prosecutor's Office was considering<br />
calling the case a murder-suicide, he<br />
knew right away that they had to be wrong.<br />
To his knowledge, there was nothing in<br />
his parents’ lives that could have led to a<br />
murder-suicide: they were happily married<br />
and had no financial problems, no affairs<br />
and no issues with addiction.<br />
“I think my parents were murdered;<br />
there’s nothing to suggest otherwise,” he<br />
says. “I don’t know if there’s a connection<br />
with the Galdieri murder, but what struck<br />
me was the similarities between the two<br />
crimes. In both cases, they were stabbed<br />
to death and the rooms were set on fire.”<br />
Joyce had been stabbed 12 times in the<br />
head, chest and hands; they were obviously<br />
defensive wounds. Sheridan says that not a<br />
drop of Joyce’s blood was found on his father,<br />
even though blood spatter from his mother<br />
was found 6-9 feet away from her body.<br />
“It would seem to be nearly impossible<br />
for that to happen if he did it,” he says.<br />
John had five stab wounds, shallow cuts<br />
to his neck and torso. County investigators<br />
believed that the cuts resembled so-called<br />
hesitation wounds similar to those found<br />
on people trying to commit suicide, according<br />
to the prosecutor. Investigators<br />
apparently came to the conclusion within<br />
days that John had killed his wife before<br />
committing suicide.<br />
When the prosecutor’s office called him<br />
and his brothers in for a meeting to explain<br />
their belief that the killings were a murdersuicide,<br />
the discussion grew heated, Sheridan<br />
says. The investigators then demanded<br />
DNA samples from all the brothers, even<br />
though police had already checked their<br />
telephones, E-ZPass, and credit card records<br />
and had found nothing to implicate<br />
the children in their parents’ deaths.<br />
“The county had their mind made up<br />
right away that it was a murder-suicide, so<br />
they never collected evidence or pursued<br />
leads like they should have,’’ Sheridan says.<br />
Accusations that the county investigation<br />
was flawed mounted quickly. There<br />
was a bloody fingerprint found outside of<br />
the Sheridans’ bedroom that was never<br />
explained. Nearly $1,000 in cash and valuables,<br />
including expensive jewelry, were<br />
left untouched in their room. The house<br />
showed no sign of forced entry.<br />
Within days of the deaths, the Sheridan<br />
brothers hired forensic pathologist<br />
Michael Baden to redo autopsies on their<br />
parents. Baden found surprising errors,<br />
including a cut on John's neck had penetrated<br />
his jugular vein and likely killed him.<br />
A weapon that matched the fatal wound,<br />
however, was never found. A county investigator<br />
who took part in the Sheridan<br />
probe later filed a whistleblower lawsuit,<br />
claiming the county had made serious errors<br />
during the investigation, including<br />
improperly collecting, preserving and subsequently<br />
destroying evidence in the case.<br />
The Somerset prosecutor’s office declined<br />
to be interviewed for this story.<br />
The whistleblower lawsuit was eventually<br />
dismissed and the cause of John's<br />
death was later officially changed from<br />
suicide to undetermined. The phrase murder-suicide<br />
connected to John still grates<br />
on family and friends.<br />
John Farmer Jr., a former attorney<br />
general under Govenor Christine Todd<br />
Whitman who was a friend to the Sheridan<br />
family, says he feels badly that the children<br />
have to live with the intimation that their<br />
father was a murderer.<br />
“Mark had to explain to his children that<br />
his father killed his mother. There’s a lack<br />
of empathy there. When I first spoke to<br />
him, he was trying to process what they<br />
told him,” says Farmer, adding that Mark<br />
was understandably outraged about the<br />
mistakes in the autopsy.<br />
Farmer said the developments regarding<br />
the Sean Caddle case and news that the<br />
Sheridan investigation is being reopened,<br />
gives some hope that there may finally be<br />
answers for the whole Sheridan family.<br />
“I don’t know if there’s a connection between<br />
the two murders, but I do know that<br />
the police were very dismissive,’’ Farmer<br />
says. “Someone could have staged a murder-suicide<br />
like that and covered it up. ”<br />
Many murder investigations, Farmer<br />
says, end up hitting brick walls. But, he<br />
believes that the state should have a formal<br />
process in cases where a murder-suicide<br />
is suspected, and the family disputes it.<br />
Sheridan realizes the chances of finding<br />
out just why his parents died are slim. Too<br />
much evidence is gone or was never collected,<br />
he says. Too much time has passed.<br />
But with the state’s new interest in the<br />
case, and with the Caddle case percolating,<br />
Sheridan has something he has not had for<br />
years: hope and a chance for closure.<br />
“Look, I don’t know what happened to my<br />
parents, and I am not saying their deaths<br />
are definitely linked to” Caddle’s hit man<br />
or Camden, Sheridan says. “I’m just saying,<br />
let’s finally investigate these issues the way<br />
they should have been from the start.’’<br />
If the recent past is any indication, the<br />
future courses of both cases are sure to<br />
take some intriguing twists. Caddle’s sentencing<br />
is scheduled for early December.<br />
Jeff Pillets, an investigative reporter, has<br />
won numerous writing awards and was a<br />
2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist.<br />
116 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
where+when<br />
SEPTEMBER EVENTS BY FALYN STEMPLER<br />
f e s t i v a l s<br />
PUPPY PLAY<br />
September 17 Bring your furry friend<br />
to DogFest Tri-States, which includes<br />
training demonstrations, a doggie costume<br />
contest, and fundraisers for Canine<br />
Companions, which helps people with<br />
disabilities by pairing them with service<br />
dogs. 1-4 pm. Campus Town at the College<br />
of <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>, Ewing Township.<br />
p2p.onecause.com/dogfesttristates22<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE ): COURTESY OF MORRIS MUSEUM; COURTESY OF CANINE COMPANIONS;<br />
COURTESY OF ROBYN VON SWANK; COURTESY OF COUNT BASIE CENTER FOR THE ARTS<br />
a r t<br />
CELEBRATING BLACK CULTURE<br />
Thru September 25 This is the last month to see “For the Culture, by the Culture,”<br />
Morris Museum’s Black art, activism and achievement collection. This exhibit sees<br />
personal expression speak truth to power and references figures and feats dating back 30<br />
years. $8-$12. Morris Museum, Morristown. morrismuseum.org<br />
s p e c i a l e v e n t<br />
CONVERSATIONS<br />
ON CIVIL RIGHTS<br />
September 15 Princeton University<br />
professor emeritus Cornel West<br />
facilitates a community conversation<br />
about social justice and race relations<br />
in the country and state. 7 pm; $29-$65.<br />
Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre,<br />
Red Bank. thebasie.org.<br />
c o m e d y<br />
BAMFORD’S<br />
BRAZEN BANTER<br />
September 11 Maria Bamford, the<br />
first female comic to have two half-hour<br />
Comedy Central specials, is bringing her<br />
revered jokes about her mental illness<br />
to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. 7:30 pm; $30-$45. South<br />
Orange Performing Arts Center, South<br />
Orange. sopacnow.org<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 117
EVENTS GUIDE | SEPTEMBER<br />
Art<br />
Rose B. Simpson: Witness<br />
Thru Sept 11 There’s only a little time<br />
FREE<br />
left to see mixed-media artist Rose B.<br />
Simpson’s work, which aims at healing her<br />
trauma—from being objectified to stereotyped—through<br />
eccentric sculptures. Art@<br />
Bainbridge, Princeton. artmuseum.princeton.<br />
edu.<br />
American Stories: Selections From the<br />
<strong>Jersey</strong> City Museum Collection<br />
Thru Dec 30 This exhibit, formerly in<br />
FREE<br />
the <strong>Jersey</strong> City Museum, has a new home<br />
at Rutgers for the fall. It includes various<br />
depictions of American life through the lenses<br />
of local artists. Zimmerli Art Museum, <strong>New</strong><br />
Brunswick. zimmerli.rutgers.edu.<br />
Comedy<br />
Zakir Khan<br />
➤ Sept 3 With two successful specials and soldout<br />
global tours, Indian comedian Zakir Khan is<br />
offering <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>ans his humorous take on everyday<br />
life. 7 pm; $50-$65. <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> Performing<br />
Arts Center, <strong>New</strong>ark. njpac.org.<br />
Joey “Coco” Diaz<br />
➤ Sept 7-8 Born in Havana, Cuba, and raised<br />
in North Bergen, Joey “Coco” Diaz will bring his<br />
stand-up storytelling smarts to his home state.<br />
Showtimes vary; $21.40-$57.75. Uncle Vinnie’s<br />
Comedy Club, Point Pleasant Beach. unclevinniescomedyclub.com.<br />
Jerry Seinfeld<br />
➤ Sept 9 Comedic legend Jerry Seinfeld, best<br />
known for the hit 90s sitcom Seinfeld, is bringing<br />
his hilarious observations to the Garden State. 7<br />
pm & 9:30 pm; $100-$210. Mayo Performing Arts<br />
Center, Morristown. mayoarts.org.<br />
Terence “TK” Kirkland<br />
➤ Sept 15-18 Born in <strong>Jersey</strong> City and raised in<br />
Compton, California, TK Kirkland is an entertainment<br />
icon who got his start as the comedic<br />
opening act for the legendary rap group NWA.<br />
Now he is returning home for a weekend to<br />
share some laughs and real-life experiences.<br />
Showtimes vary; $40-$50. Bananas Comedy<br />
Club, Rutherford. Bananascomedyclub.com.<br />
Festivals<br />
Sea Hear Now<br />
➤ Sept 17-18 Head to the beach for two days<br />
of art, surfing, food, and a jam-packed musical<br />
lineup headlined by Green Day and Stevie<br />
Nicks. Noon-11 pm; $215 GA. North Beach and<br />
Bradley Park, Asbury Park. seahearnowfestival.<br />
com.<br />
Water Lantern Festival<br />
➤ Sept 24 This country-wide, family-friendly<br />
event is inspired by ancient Asian practices.<br />
Attendees write their hopes and dreams or<br />
letters to loved ones on their lanterns. Then<br />
they release the lanterns and watch them drift<br />
softly into the water. In addition to the lanterns,<br />
live music and food are available on-site for<br />
purchase. 4-9 pm; $25.99-$55.99. Liberty State<br />
Park, <strong>Jersey</strong> City. waterlanternfestival.com.<br />
Music<br />
Rammstein<br />
➤ Sept 6 Rammstein promises that its North<br />
American tour is going to be an extreme spectacle,<br />
and the rock group is coming to <strong>Jersey</strong>.<br />
7 pm; $59.50-$149.50. MetLife Stadium, East<br />
Rutherford. metlifestadium.com.<br />
My Chemical Romance<br />
➤ Sept 20-21 Iconic punk rock band My Chemical<br />
Romance, saviors of the broken, beaten and<br />
damned, is returning to its hometown 20 years<br />
after its debut album, I Brought You My Bullets,<br />
You Brought Me Your Love. 8 pm; $100-$856.30.<br />
Prudential Center, <strong>New</strong>ark. prucenter.com.<br />
Earth, Iceage<br />
➤ Sept 22 Earth, an experimental rock band<br />
from Washington, and Iceage, a Danish punk<br />
rock group, are teaming up at <strong>Jersey</strong> City’s<br />
picturesque White Eagle Hall. 8 pm; $25. White<br />
Eagle Hall, <strong>Jersey</strong> City. whiteeaglehalljc.com.<br />
Jenny Lewis<br />
➤ Sept 23 Musician Jenny Lewis is well known<br />
as the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock<br />
band Rilo Kiley. Most recently, she showed off<br />
her solo talents as an opening act for Harry<br />
Styles’s North American Love on Tour. Catch<br />
her solo again at the Stone Pony this month. 7<br />
pm; $39.50-$45. The Stone Pony, Asbury Park.<br />
stoneponyonline.com.<br />
Special Events<br />
Latin Plug Awards<br />
➤ Sept 14 These awards honor influential<br />
Latin entertainers with live performances and<br />
guest appearances. 8 pm; $80-$155. Prudential<br />
Center, <strong>New</strong>ark. prucenter.com.<br />
Stage<br />
One Slight Hitch<br />
➤ Sept 13-Oct 15 This comedic play, written<br />
by Lewis Black, follows the Coleman family<br />
on the day of their oldest daughter’s backyard<br />
wedding. The show promises to be relatable,<br />
funny and heartful. Showtimes vary; $74.50-<br />
$84.50. Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, Hampton.<br />
hhplayhouse.com.<br />
The Wolves<br />
➤ Sept 17-Oct 16 This thriller follows nine<br />
young women on a competitive high school<br />
soccer team during its nationals competition.<br />
The teens are billed as relatable and resilient<br />
warriors throughout a plot centered on life, love<br />
and loss on and off the pitch. Showtimes vary;<br />
$35-$60. McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton.<br />
mccarter.org.<br />
Benefits & Fundraisers<br />
Joey’s Fund Charity Classic Car Show<br />
➤ Sept 18 The eighth annual charity car show showcases unique cars to<br />
help parents who are struggling with caring for children who suffer from<br />
life-threatening illnesses. Joey’s Fund understands the emotional and<br />
financial toll it takes and tries to pay it forward. Those who wish to be in<br />
the car show can register their vehicle online. 11 Am-4 pm. Closter Plaza,<br />
Closter. joeyscharityfund.org.<br />
Tricky Tray Fun Night Fundraiser<br />
➤ Sept 22 This third annual fundraiser event is a community celebration<br />
in honor of the late Alex Sebahie, a member of Paterson’s wresting community.<br />
The event raises scholarship funds for athletes, their families and<br />
schools that are struggling financially. 6-10 pm. Brownstone Banquet Hall,<br />
Paterson. alexsebahie.org.<br />
Janine Hee Memorial Foundation Fundraiser<br />
➤ Sept 24 The second annual fundraising event is offering fantastic food,<br />
friendship, silent auctions, prizes and dancing with DJ Jimmy Mulholland.<br />
Proceeds go toward raising scholarship funds for students at Paul VI High<br />
School, as well as other philanthropic causes. 6 pm. Scarpinato’s Cucina and<br />
Catering, Washington Township. janineheememorialfund.org.<br />
Sammy’s Hope Seventh Annual Charity Golf Outing<br />
➤ Sept 28 Enjoy a day of golf with an open bar, food, prizes, raffle baskets<br />
and a 50/50 drawing. Proceeds go directly toward funding care and medical<br />
expenses for animals at Sammy Hope’s Animal Welfare & Adoption Center<br />
in Sayreville. Sammy’s Hope is a nonprofit animal-welfare organization<br />
that aims to find homes for strays in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>. 8 Am-4 pm. Royce Brook<br />
Golf Club, Hillsborough. golfinvite.net/sammyshope.<br />
Schedules may change; call or check the venue’s website to verify event information.<br />
Submit your event to our online calendar via njmonthly.com/submit-an-event or by e-mail at events@njmonthly.com.<br />
FREE<br />
Admission free<br />
for all ages<br />
118 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
SEPT. 21 - OCT. 9<br />
ON THE MAIN STAGE<br />
The<br />
Caretaker<br />
by Harold Pinter<br />
Directed by Bonnie J. Monte<br />
One of Pinter’s greatest masterpieces, this thought<br />
provoking piece is not to be missed. is taut tale of<br />
a homeless man and two brothers who give him<br />
shelter, makes for a gripping night of theatrical<br />
meta-realism. It draws the audience into a<br />
compelling and mysterious world, where an<br />
unsettling and ever-shiiing power struggle plays out<br />
amidst a strange domestic scenario within the walls<br />
of a “home”that is as threatening as it is fragile.<br />
ShakespeareNJ.org | 973.408.5600<br />
36 Madison Ave, Madison NJ 07940<br />
2023 FIVE STAR<br />
Wealth<br />
Managers<br />
Who will<br />
be named?<br />
Find out in a<br />
special section<br />
inside the<br />
January issue.<br />
To share your opinion, go to<br />
fivestarprofessional.com/wmconsumerfeedback
eat+ drink<br />
EDITED BY ERIC LEVIN<br />
Canal House Station<br />
m i l f o r d<br />
COMFORT<br />
ZONE<br />
Two women, old friends,<br />
endow classic American<br />
with fresh appeal.<br />
By Jill P. Capuzzo<br />
Twilight pours through the tall windows,<br />
lending a glow to the wood wainscotting<br />
and our table. Covered in butcher paper,<br />
it’s set with a vase of peony blooms and<br />
dishes of bright-green olives and luscious<br />
roasted pecans.<br />
The ambient light matches the muted buzz from the<br />
tables around us. As we make our way through the fourcourse<br />
prix-fixe dinner at Canal House Station, a 3 1/2 hour<br />
Sunday dinner unfolds enchantingly.<br />
If you make the journey to the remote town of Milford<br />
on the banks of the Delaware River to eat at this restaurant<br />
in an 1870s former train station, you will be in the capable<br />
and artistic hands of co-owners and co-chefs Christopher<br />
Hersheimer and Melissa Hamilton. The two women, who<br />
have been collaborating in various food ventures for close<br />
to 30 years, take that responsibility seriously.<br />
“The restaurant is in a small, quiet town where no one<br />
is walking around on the streets looking for a place to eat.<br />
TOWN Milford<br />
FOOD <strong>New</strong> American<br />
AMBIENCE Vintage<br />
train station; tables set<br />
with cloths and flowers<br />
SERVICE Gracious and<br />
responsive<br />
DRINKS BYO<br />
PRICES Lunch: appetizers,<br />
$9-$10; entrées,<br />
$13-$17; sides, $10;<br />
desserts, $8. Dinner:<br />
prix fixe: $69<br />
OPEN Dinner, Thursday-Saturday;<br />
lunch,<br />
Thursday-Sunday X<br />
F2 Bridge Street, 908-<br />
995-7200; canalhousestation.com<br />
120 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
You have to make the decision<br />
to come here,” says<br />
Hirsheimer. “So for someone<br />
who chooses to make<br />
the trip and spend their time<br />
and hard-earned money, we<br />
say, ‘You’ve got the table. Enjoy<br />
yourself!’”<br />
RUSTIC<br />
ELEGANCE<br />
Opposite: Dining<br />
in the old train<br />
station’s former<br />
waiting room.<br />
Right: Pork<br />
schnitzel piled<br />
with a sprightly<br />
chicory salad.<br />
This thoughtful yet playful mindset<br />
is at the heart of Canal House Station,<br />
where fresh, seasonal ingredients are<br />
transformed into dishes as delicious<br />
as they are Instagramable. This should<br />
come as no surprise. Hirsheimer ran two<br />
restaurants in Illinois before shifting to<br />
magazines in the late 1980s, first at Metropolitan<br />
Home and then as executive<br />
editor of Saveur, which she cofounded<br />
in 1993. Hamilton helped her father,<br />
Jim Hamilton, open Hamilton’s Grille<br />
Room in 1988 and served as executive<br />
chef there before moving on as recipe<br />
tester, food stylist and writer for Cooks<br />
Illustrated, Martha Stewart Living, and<br />
then Saveur, where, as food editor, she<br />
and Hirshheimer began their professional<br />
relationship.<br />
They opened Canal House in 2007 as<br />
a studio in Lambertville for cookbook<br />
development and food photography.<br />
“We were working on other people’s<br />
projects, making beautiful cookbooks,”<br />
says Hamilton. “Then we thought, We’re<br />
really good cooks, with lots and lots of<br />
recipes of our own. Why don’t we do our<br />
own cookbook?”<br />
Which they did. Their Canal House<br />
Cooks Everyday won a James Beard award.<br />
Meanwhile, they moved their studio upriver<br />
to Stockton and then to Milford,<br />
where they purchased the defunct trainstation<br />
building in 2017. “The building<br />
kept telling us it needed to be a restaurant,”<br />
Hirsheimer says.<br />
The 50-seat Canal House Station<br />
opened in 2019 for breakfast, lunch and<br />
Sunday dinner. After nine months, it<br />
shifted to takeout due to the pandemic,<br />
reopening for dinner in 2021.<br />
With our dinner, we enjoyed toasted<br />
croustades, one topped with a garlicky<br />
fava bean mash finished with preserved<br />
lemon peel, the other with whipped<br />
goat cheese, olive oil, black pepper and<br />
minced chives.<br />
The second course was a pillowy<br />
PARTNERS<br />
Clockwise from<br />
above left: chef/<br />
owners Christopher<br />
Hirshheimer (left)<br />
and Melissa Hamilton;<br />
duck confit<br />
with cassoulet<br />
beans; the women’s<br />
Canal House Station<br />
cookbooks.<br />
Photographs by REBECCA MCALPIN<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 121
EAT + DRINK<br />
PRESENTATION<br />
Clockwise from above<br />
left: Sunflowers adorn<br />
the dining room; from<br />
above right; shrimp<br />
risotto; strawberry<br />
shortcake.<br />
STAGING<br />
THE FEAST<br />
Hamilton<br />
prepares<br />
platters in<br />
the bustling<br />
open kitchen<br />
with counter<br />
seats.<br />
blini with buttery smoked<br />
salmon and coral-colored<br />
salmon roe. A heaping bowl<br />
of tender Maine mussels in<br />
a fennel, white wine and<br />
cream broth was so delicious,<br />
I scooped up the<br />
broth with the mussel shells.<br />
Among entrées, crisp-skinned duck<br />
confit came with delicious cassoulet-style<br />
white beans and roasted endive. Pan-fried<br />
pork-loin schnitzel, though pounded thin<br />
and coated with bread crumbs, remained<br />
moist and tender. The crispy cod, coated<br />
in rice flour and deep fried, needed a tad<br />
more time in the fryer. Both the pork and<br />
the cod were topped with a colorful assortment<br />
of lettuces in a light vinaigrette.<br />
Sunday dinner started with a bagna<br />
cauda, a splay of raw baby turnips, radishes<br />
and asparagus from Roots to River<br />
Farm in Solebury, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately,<br />
the raw vegetables could not<br />
absorb the luscious anchovy-garlic butter.<br />
(I asked for bread to soak it up, but was<br />
told there was none.) The next course<br />
was a saffron-tinged timbale of shrimpstudded<br />
risotto topped with two perfectly<br />
cooked jumbo shrimp. The star of the day<br />
was gently poached salmon fillet, full of<br />
flavor aided by a foaming lemon hollandaise<br />
and a mound of spring peas, shelled<br />
and in the pod.<br />
The same dessert was served at both<br />
meals: strawberry shortcake with tender,<br />
buttery biscuits topped with juicy,<br />
sugared, local strawberries and softly<br />
whipped cream. Other desserts in the<br />
rotation include a dense chocolate cake<br />
and fresh fruit tarts, the recipes for which<br />
are including in the Canal House Cook<br />
Something cookbook.<br />
Besides the delicious food and the<br />
leisurely pacing of that Sunday dinner,<br />
I had another reason to be thankful to<br />
Canal House Station. This was the last<br />
restaurant meal I’d be sharing with my<br />
frequent review companion and best<br />
friend of the last 30 years, who was moving<br />
back home to England. I am grateful<br />
to Canal House for making the meal<br />
worthy of the occasion.<br />
HOW WE REVIEW Restaurants are chosen for review at the sole discretion of the dining editor, based on input from our food writers and critics around the state. Our reviewers visit a<br />
restaurant at least twice, always maintaining anonymity to avoid preferential treatment. The reviewer brings up to three guests per visit and tastes everything that is ordered. NJM reimburses<br />
the reviewer for all food and beverage expenses. After the final visit, the reviewer conducts a phone interview with the chef, owner or other key members of the team. The review is<br />
then submitted to NJM and edited for clarity and fairness. Stars are assigned by the editor in consultation with the reviewer. As a final step, an NJM staffer checks the review for accuracy,<br />
always calling the restaurant to confirm all facts.<br />
Extraordinary<br />
Excellent<br />
Very Good<br />
Good<br />
Fair<br />
122 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
PHOTOGRAPH: JOHN EMERSON<br />
CAPTION HED<br />
Caption here more<br />
here tk caption<br />
here tk more here<br />
tk more about the<br />
topic here. More<br />
caption here tk<br />
caption here.<br />
Filmmaker Anthony<br />
Scalia says he spent<br />
his whole life driving<br />
past the venerable<br />
Bendix Diner—an oldfashioned,<br />
stainless steel fixture<br />
on the median between Route 17<br />
North and South in Hasbrouck<br />
Heights—and never pulled over.<br />
“It was just something you kind<br />
of pass because it looks a little rundown,”<br />
the Lodi native, 29, admits.<br />
But late one night in 2016, Scalia<br />
was hungry. It was 3 am, and nothing<br />
else was open. The Bendix, fluorescent<br />
lights glowing, beckoned.<br />
From his table, Scalia watched<br />
his waiter deftly work, noticing that<br />
the man was not making the usual<br />
COUNTER POINTS<br />
“Some people come<br />
here as lovebirds,<br />
some to forget a loved<br />
one,” says Bendix<br />
Diner manager John<br />
Diakakis.<br />
It’s ‘Cheers With Food’<br />
John Diakakis, who is legally blind, manages the homey—and lovably<br />
homely—Bendix Diner, turning 75 this year. By Jennifer Finn<br />
eye contact. Scalia wondered: Could<br />
he be blind?<br />
“As soon as [my] straw hit the<br />
bottom of the cup, he came over and<br />
refilled it,” Scalia recalls, sitting at<br />
a corner booth at the Bendix. “I’d<br />
never had that happen before…. And<br />
then I just found the most incredible<br />
story hiding in plain sight.”<br />
Scalia had stumbled upon what<br />
he realized would make a riveting<br />
documentary: John Diakakis, a<br />
blind, single father of three boys,<br />
had been working here at his family’s<br />
diner for decades. Oh, my God,<br />
Scalia remembers thinking. How<br />
has nobody tapped into this yet?<br />
Scalia would spend three years<br />
filming Diakakis and his sons—<br />
EAT + DRINK<br />
Tony, Dimitri and Michael—for<br />
what would become Bendix: Site<br />
Unseen. It’s one of two documentaries<br />
on Diakakis that premiered<br />
at the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> International<br />
Film Festival in June, coinciding<br />
with the diner’s 75th anniversary<br />
this year. (The other film, Stephen<br />
Michael Simon’s Bacon ’n’ Laces,<br />
named for the extensive sneaker<br />
collection Diakakis amassed with<br />
his eldest son, Tony, was featured<br />
on the <strong>New</strong> Yorker’s website, too.)<br />
“You have a chip on your shoulder,”<br />
says Diakakis, who was born<br />
legally blind. “You want to prove<br />
something.” From his earliest days<br />
in the diner, “even my mom would<br />
say, ‘Oh, you can’t do this.’”<br />
Now 55, Diakakis began working<br />
at the Bendix—which his father,<br />
Tony, purchased in 1985—in the<br />
’90s. He’d graduated from Ithaca<br />
College with a degree in psychology<br />
and was pursuing stand-up comedy,<br />
centering routines on his blindness.<br />
Tony suggested he work the register<br />
to earn extra cash.<br />
Relying on his heightened nonvisual<br />
senses, Diakakis started<br />
teaching himself server duties—<br />
listening, for example, to the symphony<br />
of sounds a mug makes as<br />
it fills with coffee. (He’s burned<br />
himself once or twice, but to this<br />
day has never, he boasts, spilled on<br />
a customer.)<br />
“The cooks would turn around<br />
and say, even to my parents… ‘Wow,<br />
John is better and more attentive<br />
[than the other waitstaff ],’” he says.<br />
Not everyone was immediately<br />
accepting. “People would come in<br />
trashed in the overnight [shifts]<br />
and be like, ‘What are you, stupid?’”<br />
he recalls.<br />
But as a former college wrestler<br />
with a lifelong competitive streak—<br />
and a mouth that could rival Tony<br />
Soprano’s—Diakakis never cowered.<br />
“So, I’m like, ‘What, you have<br />
a problem with me being f ’ing<br />
blind?’...And the reality sinks in.<br />
Then,” he muses, “I go from being<br />
the stupidest guy to being the most<br />
amazing human being.”<br />
Despite his blindness, Diakakis<br />
managed to obtain residential cus-<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 123
EAT + DRINK<br />
Casual dining<br />
that won’t break<br />
the bank.<br />
tody of his three sons when they were<br />
young. He recalls toting Tony in a carrier<br />
strapped to his chest as he served customers<br />
their coffee. “Poor kid,” he jokes.<br />
“He should disown me.” The boys grew up<br />
hanging out at the diner and eventually<br />
working there, washing dishes, cooking<br />
and looking out for their dad.<br />
Tony, 22 this month, graduated from<br />
Harvard this year—his acceptance to the<br />
school is an emotional high point in both<br />
documentaries—and started a job at a private<br />
capital company in Boston. Dimitri,<br />
20, studies at the Culinary Institute of<br />
America in Hyde Park, <strong>New</strong> York. Michael,<br />
18 this month, works alongside his<br />
father at the diner and will attend Rider<br />
University in Lawrenceville this fall.<br />
While Diakakis’s story had remained<br />
relatively out of the spotlight until recently,<br />
the Bendix has long garnered recognition<br />
far beyond the Garden State as<br />
an icon of Americana. The diner appears<br />
in such films as <strong>Jersey</strong> Girls (1992), Boys<br />
on the Side (1995) and The Many Saints of<br />
<strong>New</strong>ark (2021), and in commercials starring<br />
Ray Charles and Michael J. Fox. “For<br />
a while there, the Bendix Diner may have<br />
been the most famous diner on American<br />
TV,” Peter Genovese wrote in a 2019<br />
NJ.com ranking of <strong>Jersey</strong>’s 30 greatest<br />
old-school diners.<br />
Jerry Seinfeld stopped by with comedian<br />
Barry Marder in a 2012 episode<br />
of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.<br />
Jack Antonoff ’s Bergenfield-born band,<br />
Bleachers, shot the video for their 2021<br />
single, “Stop Making This Hurt,” in the<br />
Bendix, turning band members loose to<br />
dance on the tabletops.<br />
Diakakis works seven days a week<br />
at the diner, which he refers to in Scalia’s<br />
documentary as “Cheers with food.”<br />
Paired with the promise of a good meal, he<br />
says, it’s “kind of a homey, perfect place.”<br />
Diakakis encounters all walks of<br />
life—“from truck drivers to people who<br />
fly gazillionaires all around the planet... to<br />
a family coming in for some hearty breakfast<br />
on the weekend.”<br />
He adds: “Every day that I’m here<br />
should be some sort of learning experience.”<br />
It may be for the customers, as well.<br />
“I’m sorry to say this,” Diakakis says, “but<br />
when this place is busy, I love showing off.<br />
I can feel the eyes on me: ‘How the eff is he<br />
doing this blind?’”<br />
n o r t h<br />
ALBERTO’S<br />
RESTAURANT &<br />
PIZZERIA<br />
› Belleville<br />
STYLE The decor and some of<br />
the fare speak to the owners’<br />
native Argentina: tango on the<br />
speakers, soccer on the TV,<br />
murals of Buenos Aires, and<br />
pictures of late Argentine soccer<br />
great Diego Maradona.<br />
THE SCOOP Alberto Guido<br />
and Marcela Paturzo opened<br />
the restaurant 11 years ago after<br />
moving to <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> from<br />
Buenos Aires.<br />
THE MENU Lunch staples<br />
include chicken parm panini<br />
and the super combo hot<br />
sandwich (pastrami, roast<br />
beef, corned beef and cheese).<br />
For pizza, the Alby’s special<br />
(onions, peppers, mushrooms,<br />
pepperoni, sausage) is hearty.<br />
For something different, try<br />
the faina slice (a crêpe made<br />
from chickpea flour). For<br />
dinner, entrées include pasta,<br />
chicken and veal preparations.<br />
Don’t overlook the Argentinian<br />
empanadas or the classic<br />
Argentinian ensalada rusa. The<br />
Milanesa Napolitana (breaded<br />
chicken) and bife con papas<br />
fritas y huevos fritos (steak<br />
with fries and fried egg) are<br />
iconic Argentinian meals, with<br />
mondongo, tripe in red sauce,<br />
for the more adventurous. Parrillada<br />
mixta, mixed barbecue,<br />
is a staple in Argentina, and the<br />
chorizo sandwich is Buenos<br />
Aires street food. The steak<br />
salads are a chance to try the<br />
famous Argentinian beef.<br />
HEADS UP Ask for caramel<br />
in your churro (Latin take on<br />
doughnuts). —Lucas Boyce<br />
482 Washington Avenue<br />
973-447-1397<br />
Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat<br />
PRICE $$ BYO<br />
c e n t r a l<br />
prices (most entrées) $ under $15 $$ $15-$25 $$$ over $25<br />
ALTERNATE<br />
ENDING BEER CO.<br />
› Aberdeen<br />
STYLE This nostalgic brewery<br />
with full kitchen features a cinematic<br />
theme, in keeping with<br />
its past as a movie theater. Film<br />
references enliven the menu,<br />
and movie posters are adapted<br />
to promote Alternate Ending’s<br />
brews. Some tables include<br />
theater-style seats.<br />
THE SCOOP A giant screen<br />
plays classic flicks, and movie<br />
nights are held regularly. Trivia<br />
nights typically focus on beloved<br />
movies and TV shows.<br />
THE MENU You’ll find burgers,<br />
cheesesteaks and pulled pork,<br />
but also falafel, chicken salad<br />
sandwiches and deep-dish<br />
sourdough pan pizzas. The pies<br />
include the Grandma Style, the<br />
Detroit Style, and the Big Kahuna,<br />
with pineapple. Smaller<br />
dishes (in the Previews section)<br />
include pretzels, fries and<br />
wings. There are salads, vegan<br />
options and desserts.<br />
True to its name, Alternate<br />
Ending offers an extensive<br />
tap list: IPAs, lagers, pilsners,<br />
stouts, ales and more. (4-ounce<br />
tasters are $3.) Looking for<br />
something refreshing and light?<br />
Try Hanzo, a citrusy green-tea<br />
lager with a 2.6% ABV.<br />
HEADS UP Alternate Ending<br />
is 10 minutes from Holmdel’s<br />
PNC Bank Arts Center, making<br />
it the perfect place to grab a<br />
bite and a brew before a concert.<br />
—Gary Phillips<br />
1057 Route 34<br />
732-612-8422<br />
alternateendingbeerco.com<br />
Lunch and dinner, Wed-Mon<br />
PRICE $$<br />
s o u t h<br />
BLUE CLAW CRAB<br />
EATERY<br />
› Burlington<br />
STYLE Casual seafood<br />
house with tables covered in<br />
brown paper. The sea-blue<br />
color scheme harmonizes with<br />
prints of crabs on the walls.<br />
THE SCOOP The Blue Claw,<br />
opened in 1961, is all about<br />
blue crabs in both hard<br />
and soft shell. Hard-shell<br />
king crabs can run up to 15<br />
pounds. Snow crabs are the<br />
king’s smaller cousin. Dungeness<br />
crabs run up to 4 pounds<br />
each, their meat quite sweet.<br />
Softshells are blues that have<br />
molted. Crabs sourced daily.<br />
Indoor and outdoor tent<br />
seatingis available.<br />
THE MENU Buffalo garlic<br />
scallops and <strong>New</strong> England<br />
clam chowder make tasty<br />
starters. Snow crab parts are<br />
available as an all-you-caneat<br />
entrée with fries or hush<br />
puppies. This signature draw<br />
is served cold or steamed,<br />
plain or seasoned with J &<br />
O crab seasoning, Norm’s<br />
seasoning, the house garlic<br />
seasoning or any combination<br />
of sauces.<br />
Generously portioned<br />
seafood feasts include crabs,<br />
clams, corn and two sides.<br />
Also consider tacos topped<br />
with chipotle, aioli, cabbage<br />
or house-made salsa.<br />
HEADS UP Wings are served<br />
with sauces such as mild,<br />
Buffalo, Buffalo garlic, stoner<br />
(spicy/tangy) , BBQ or garlicpepper<br />
Parmesan.<br />
—Cle Weaver<br />
4494 Route 130 North<br />
6<strong>09</strong>-387-3700<br />
crabeatery.com<br />
Lunch and dinner, daily<br />
PRICE $ $ BYO<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OF COCKBURN’S/SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES<br />
124 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
l i b at i o n s<br />
EAT + DRINK<br />
EAT CLEAN<br />
PORT AS A<br />
HAPPY HARBOR<br />
It dates back centuries, but straight<br />
or mixed, its time is now.<br />
By Shelby Vittek<br />
some of the first vineyards I ever visited<br />
were in Portugal’s Douro Valley, the<br />
oldest demarcated and regulated wine region<br />
in the world, dating back more than<br />
2,000 years. It’s a majestic place, not only<br />
for the picturesque vineyards that climb<br />
the steep hills along the Douro River, but<br />
also for its history of producing port, its<br />
famous fortified wine.<br />
Often relegated to the dessert section<br />
of a drinks menu, port is usually thought<br />
of as a one-trick pony, rich and sweet<br />
for after-dinner sipping. Yes, the many<br />
styles—ruby, tawny, vintage, white, all<br />
generally 16–20 percent ABV—can be<br />
wonderful on their own. But as bartenders<br />
have discovered, port is also a versatile<br />
and complex cocktail ingredient.<br />
“Port is fun to work with,” says Keith<br />
Nogay, bartender at the Archer, a cocktail<br />
bar in <strong>Jersey</strong> City. “It adds depth<br />
and richness to a drink without carrying<br />
the bitter element of an aromatized<br />
wine like vermouth or the sugar of<br />
liqueurs and amaro.”<br />
nojunkpizza.com<br />
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CENTRAL) COURTESY OF JOSE MANCHOLA /ALTERNATE ENDING BEER CO.;<br />
(SOUTH) COURTESY OF THE BLUE CLAW CRAB EATERY<br />
SCARLET SPARKLES<br />
The Port & Lemon ascends on a mixture of ruby<br />
port, lemon juice and soda water.<br />
FRESH INGREDIENTS • VEGAN • GLUTEN FREE • ALL NATURAL<br />
Montclair • <strong>Jersey</strong> City • Madison • Ocean Grove • Kingston<br />
Coming Soon-Chelsea, NYC<br />
Seasonal tips<br />
on Garden State<br />
fruits & vegetables<br />
from<br />
PRODUCE<br />
PETE<br />
The 1st Friday of every month at njmonthly.com/pete<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 125
Discover great<br />
places to dine<br />
FREE!<br />
SUBSCRIBE NOW<br />
njmonthly.com/newsletters<br />
• DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX WEEKLY.<br />
• Get our other free newsletters<br />
SHORECAST, THE GIST, and WEEKEND BUZZ.<br />
Get This Week’s<br />
Dining <strong>New</strong>s.<br />
EAT + DRINK<br />
Nogay’s intro to port as an ingredient<br />
arrived in the Chancellor, a classic made<br />
with Scotch, port, dry vermouth and<br />
orange bitters. At work at the Archer,<br />
he might reach for ruby port, the most<br />
extensively produced style, if a cocktail<br />
needs pronounced fruit notes. Oak-aged<br />
tawny ports offer more chocolate, dried<br />
fruit and nutty notes. White ports, made<br />
“ The craft cocktail<br />
movement has<br />
brought port to<br />
the attention of<br />
a younger<br />
demographic.”<br />
entirely from white grapes, feature citrus<br />
floral notes. In recent months, the bar<br />
has featured the Trade Route—a refreshing<br />
mix of aquavit, white port, lemon<br />
and pink-pepper syrup that’s shaken and<br />
served chilled. The Archer generally has<br />
at least one cocktail featuring port on its<br />
rotating menu.<br />
As port expands its identity beyond<br />
after-dinner drinks, some producers are<br />
creating ones specifically for mixing. The<br />
craft-cocktail movement “has brought port<br />
to the attention of a younger demographic<br />
who are less familiar with the traditional<br />
after-dinner moment for a glass of port,”<br />
says Hugh Symington, marketing and communications<br />
manager for Symington Family<br />
Estates, which owns and runs several major<br />
port houses (Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s<br />
and Warre’s).<br />
Earlier this year, with a younger generation<br />
in mind, Symington launched a<br />
new trio of ports. Under the Cockburn’s<br />
brand, the Tails of the Unexpected bottlings<br />
are “made for mixology,” he says.<br />
Symington, the fifth generation of a<br />
family with deep roots in port, says his<br />
favorite right now is a Port Manhattan,<br />
subbing tawny port for sweet vermouth.<br />
“It’s a fantastic alternative,” he says.<br />
One of my favorites is port and tonic, an<br />
age-old classic in Portugal that’s incredibly<br />
easy to make. Pour 1 ounce of any type<br />
of port (I prefer white here), top with 2<br />
ounces of tonic water, and garnish with a<br />
sprig of mint or rosemary. After a few sips,<br />
it almost feels like I’m back in the historic<br />
Douro Valley where I first encountered<br />
this ancient but ageless spirit.<br />
126 SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NJMONTHLY.COM
EXIT RAMP<br />
ILLUSTRATION: WAYNE BREZINKA<br />
The Rising Revisited<br />
Twenty years later, Springsteen’s album feels like a fuller reflection<br />
than the 9/11 services we’re accustomed to. By Gary Phillips<br />
I<br />
was in first grade on September 11,<br />
2001, so I don’t recall much about a<br />
day that shaped the world I grew up<br />
in. But I’ve had help understanding<br />
the tragedy—and its aftermath—<br />
from a <strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong> rocker.<br />
Raised as a Bruce Springsteen fan, I try<br />
to listen to The Rising every 9/11. While<br />
some songs were penned before the terrorist<br />
attacks, the album, now 20 years old, was<br />
meant to reflect on that day. My interpretation<br />
is that the record encompasses all the<br />
things we should never forget, but often do.<br />
Songs like the title track and “Into the<br />
Fire” are tributes to first responders. Others<br />
convey the grief that many still feel, such as<br />
“Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” and “My City of<br />
Ruins,” which was originally written about<br />
Asbury Park. Those topics and people deserve<br />
their time on the album and at annual<br />
9/11 services; there is certainly no shortage.<br />
But it’s the songs that dive below the surface<br />
and introduce other ideas that make The<br />
Rising a more complete rumination than the<br />
yearly remembrances we’re accustomed to.<br />
The country’s desire for revenge—and the<br />
further bloodshed it caused—is immediately<br />
examined on the opening “Lonesome Day,” as<br />
well as “Empty Sky.” “Better ask questions<br />
before you shoot,” Springsteen warns on the<br />
album starter. We didn’t do that enough then,<br />
and we don’t now, glossing over past errors<br />
with ceremonies that prioritize patriotism.<br />
Two decades later, many have confused<br />
patriotism with nationalism and xenophobia.<br />
Surely, 9/11 fueled some of that hate. It’s<br />
why “Worlds Apart,” a song about<br />
an interfaith relationship and a<br />
“troubled country,” strikes me as<br />
the album’s most poignant offering.<br />
With a blend of Qawwali vocals (a<br />
form of Sufi Islaamic devotional<br />
singing) and American rock,<br />
Springsteen begged for love and<br />
understanding between different<br />
cultures when anti-Muslim fear<br />
was on the rise. A similar plea can<br />
be inferred from “Let’s Be Friends<br />
(Skin to Skin),” but sadly, we are<br />
still struggling to achieve that.<br />
We have also failed, in many<br />
ways, to take care of those who lost<br />
someone or something besides<br />
their own life on 9/11. Health programs<br />
and victims’ funds have not<br />
received the financing, attention<br />
or urgency they require, further<br />
burdening survivors. The Rising<br />
highlights people in such positions:<br />
“You’re Missing” conjures<br />
images of a family without a father,<br />
while “Nothing Man,” written in<br />
the 1990s, can be repurposed as a<br />
story about a first responder battling<br />
PTSD and survivor’s guilt.<br />
Other thought-provoking tracks<br />
include “The Fuse,” which hints at<br />
self-medicating via vices during<br />
hard times. The haunting “Paradise”<br />
shifts perspectives—among<br />
a suicide bomber, a Pentagon<br />
widow, and a survivor desperate<br />
to reunite with a loved one—and<br />
challenges faith. Even the upbeat<br />
“Mary’s Place” comments on<br />
mourning and religion.<br />
Despite all the sorrow, The Rising<br />
still conveys resilience. “Countin’ on<br />
a Miracle” uses fairy-tale fixtures<br />
to overcome loss, and “Further On<br />
(Up the Road),” another pre-9/11<br />
creation, expresses a soldier’s hope<br />
for a brighter future. “One sunny<br />
morning we’ll rise I know,” Springsteen<br />
sings.<br />
That line, and much of The Rising,<br />
still sounds relevant. But it<br />
also feels unfulfilled, and much<br />
of the album’s messages appear<br />
ignored in a divided country.<br />
And so I’ll spend this 9/11 like I<br />
usually do: blasting the Boss and<br />
thinking about some of the things<br />
we’ve forgotten.<br />
SEPTEMBER <strong>2022</strong> NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 127
THE MINIMALIST COLLECTION<br />
SIMPLE ELEGANCE WITH<br />
INCOMPARABLE PERFORMANCE<br />
AVAILABLE AT:<br />
973-247-1860<br />
RenosAppliance.com
<strong>New</strong> <strong>Jersey</strong>’s Premier Facial Plastic Surgeon<br />
Jeffrey B. Wise, MD, FACS<br />
Double Board Certified in<br />
Facial Plastic and<br />
Reconstructive Surgery and<br />
Head and Neck Surgery<br />
Triple Ivy League trained at<br />
Yale, Cornell, and the<br />
University of Pennsylvania<br />
NYU School of Medicine<br />
Clinical Assistant Professor<br />
Upper & Lower Eyelid Surgery<br />
Focuses Exclusively on Plastic<br />
Surgery of the Face, Head,<br />
and Neck, with over 10,000<br />
successful facial surgical<br />
procedures performed<br />
Over 7,000 Hair Restoration<br />
procedures performed<br />
Operates out of his Joint<br />
Commission Accredited,<br />
State-of-the-Art facility<br />
before<br />
after<br />
www.drwise.com<br />
1680 route 23, suite 120, Wayne, NJ 07470 | info@drwise.com | 973.305.1400
Change language