It’s somebody’s birthday; and, at a young 83, you could say she’s got the whole world in her hands.
Continue reading Birthday Shout-Out to Fair Haven’s Whistle Stop Icon, Barbara Leslie
Category Archives: Opinion
Editorials, letters to the editor and other articles reflecting on iconic people, places and traditions related to them in the area.
Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair: An Opening Night Remembrance
Sometimes I can still smell the lingering scent of funnel cake in my mother’s hair. I can still see her blue-striped Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair apron draped over the kitchen chair. I can see her tying those apron strings. I can see her checking her hair and lipstick in the mirror by the door. I can hear her voice calling to me upstairs to hurry up as I tried to get my pigtails even and the puffy yarn bows tied just right. I’m always late.
And sometimes I can still see us walking down the street, her scurrying, brushing her hair to the side, still yelling back to me to hurry up.
Continue reading Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair: An Opening Night Remembrance
Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair: 50 Hot Dog Salute
Photo/courtesy of Chris Brenner
The following is an opinion piece, a tribute, about the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair by Fair Haven resident, Rumson native and 1983 RFH grad Chris Brenner …
In late August of 1965, I came into the world at Riverview Hospital. We lived in Rumson; and, no doubt, on my first ride home in our blue VW Beetle, I went right by the Fair Haven firehouse, which surely was hosting the annual Fireman’s Fair at the time. I sadly didn’t make that ’65 fair. Too busy learning to breathe and see, and all of that.
Continue reading Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair: 50 Hot Dog Salute
A Rumson Barn Theatre Show Biz Buds Reunion
Once upon a time, 39 summers ago, in a little red building that looked like a barn and acted like a theater, a bunch of high school kids were brought together, united in a common mission to “go on with the show” Bye Bye Birdie.
The place was The Barn Theatre. The building is still there — near the corner of Ridge Road and Avenue of Two Rivers. The cast of Birdie was comprised of a gaggle of theater-loving teens who didn’t recoil, but, rather, relished long rehearsals on summer nights.
There were high schoolers from Rumson-Fair Haven and the surrounding area. They auditioned, got cast and got down to the businesses of putting on a show and getting to know one another very quickly — as the usual route of show biz goes.
They acted, sang, danced and rollicked their way to what turned out to be a lifetime bonding experience.
Birdie was a hit back in 1977 at The Barn. The bonding experience proved to be an unbreakable one.
The teens ended up going their separate ways to college and theater paths of their own, or not.
But, they never forgot that summer of 1977. And, a few weeks ago, two cast members reunited after 35 years (they had seen each other four years after the show). The two were Connie Cairo (then Cairo) and Alisa Roblenski. Connie played Birdie-obsessed lead teen Kim MacAfee and Roblenski was a Birdie loving teen.
The two, who this Birdie mayor’s wife, Edna, recently reconnected with on Facebook, shared their reunion with us. Take a look.
This is why these two can honestly say, “We love you, Barn Theatre, oh yes we do!” and there’s really “no business like show business!”
To quote, loosely, a song from Birdie, “One bond, one special bond … one bond to grow with …” Sniff, sniff, smile.
This Barn reunion theme is catching! Curtain up! Heads up! Stay tuned for another!
— Elaine Van Develde
Retro Rumson Barn Theatre Buds
Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Coincidence? Sort of. It just so happens that it is summer. It is just so happens that Bye Bye Birdie has been running on the Decades channel on TV. And it just so happens that it’s now been 39 years (WHAT??) since summer theater at The Barn Theatre in Rumson was in full swing and in rehearsals for Bye Bye Birdie.
Remembering RFH’s Mr. Botti
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) graduates going back several decades are honoring the memory of former RFH math teacher and basketball and baseball coach, Thomas Botti.
Botti passed away in July 6 at what had become his Royal Palm Beach, Florida home in 1999 after retirement, according to his obituary on legacy.com. He was 87 and was laid to rest today at South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, FL.
Botti taught math for more than four decades and was chairman of the Math Department at RFH until the end of his tenure there in addition to coaching freshman baseball and varsity basketball.
“RIP Coach,” said RFH grad Troy Brandon on the Fair Haven Facebook page.
“He was a super teacher and class advisor to the graduationing class of 1963,” said Jacqui Foster Reynoso on the Facebook page.
“I had Mr. Botti for Algebra I in freshman year,” RFH grad Susan Mapes Zimmermann said. “My only A in mathematics, and I never did much good after that. I liked him very much.”
So, the Retro Pic(s) of the day honor the math teacher and coach with the above shots of Mr. Botti in action coaching and being a department head in the RFH yearbooks of the mid-1970s. Anyone remember who that is in the featured photo with the coach?
RIP, Mr. Botti. Coach. You are remembered.
Some things you may or may not know about Mr. Botti from his obituary …
Botti had a master’s degree in Education from New York University. He also served in the United States Marine Corps for a year, from 1950 to 1951.
He worked summers at Monmouth Park in Oceanport while teaching and became a mutual clerk after retirement. He enjoyed golf and ceramic painting.
Mr. Botti is survived by: his wife, Vivian; daughter, Liz Newsome and son-in-law John Newsome, of Wellington, Fl.; and daughter Cindy Morgan, of Hackensack; grandson, Spencer Morgan, of Montclair; and granddaughters Emily and Katherine Newsome, of Wellington, FL.
Retro Fair Haven Kindergarten
That first year of school has always been a major milestone.
In Fair Haven, kids in the 1960s walked on a rope to kindergarten at what was called the Youth Center, now the Fair Haven Police Station.
The rope was traumatic for those of us who weren’t allowed to walk beside our best friends. And the official lady toting the rope-load of us, Mrs. McDaniel, was kinda scary to us little cretins.
Retro Fifth Grade at Willow Street School
With all the ceremonies of Rumson and Fair Haven students’ transition from third to fourth grade and impending RFH graduation, thoughts reverted to a time when there was no such thing — not that there’s anything wrong with it, though. It’s pretty adorable, really.
No, there really wasn’t a transitional ride or walk from one school in Fair Haven or Rumson to the next. And, in Fair Haven at least, back in the late 1960s and early 70s, students simply went to the school to which they lived closest — until that big ol’ jump to middle school, when everyone in the borough went to Knollwood for seventh and eighth grade. And no one got driven to school. They all walked or rode bikes together.
Oh, and what is now the Viola L. Sickles School was Willow Street School.
So, the Retro Pic of the Day offers a glimpse back to those days when fifth grade was at Sickles (well, Willow Street) and one of the most popular teachers of the era taught there — Mr. DeMarco.
I’m pretty sure that he won several awards in various capacities, not the least of which was some sort of teacher of the year for the state, I believe.
Speaking from experience, he really was a memorable teacher. Very patient. Very kind. Very intelligent. His lessons sunk into our little brains. Thanks, Mr. DeMarco.
Pictured is a class from the early 1970s. Many of these little faces are grown-ups in the area with their own kids. Recognize anyone?
Congrats to all the transitioning students!
— Elaine Van Develde
Retro Fair Haven Ride
Photo/courtesy of Peter Mauger
There’s nothing quite like taking a ride with your buddies when you’re a little kid, especially if your bike is a tractor, too.
What kid rides a tractor in the Rumson-Fair Haven area? Well, back in the 1960s, Fair Havenite Peter Mauger did. He, the pint-sized driver carted Nancy Wilson down Lake Avenue in what was a combo tractor-bike with a cool little trailer to lug stuff or a pal in — a “dump trac,” to be exact. Susan Wilson, old and cool enough to ride a two-wheeler with a bell, rode along.
No power wheels in the form of high end, luxury cars. No helmets. No special permission needed to drive a dump trac, because, you know, they’re rural kinds of vehicles.
And the streets were barren enough in those days to ride up and down and even around the block on a seemingly endless loop. Hey, neighborhood kids used to also play dodge ball and hopscotch in the street. But, that’s a retro pic for another day.
Today, the Retro Pic of the Day, courtesy of Peter Mauger, honors a kids’ bike ride of a simpler time — not that there’s anything wrong with helmets and designer power wheels.
What kind of bike did you have? Your dream bike or foot-pedaled car? Remember those?
Families in Service to the Community: Grandpa & Grandson Van Develde
April 25 marked what would have been this editor’s father’s 90th birthday — longtime Fair Havenite and lifetime member of the Fair Haven Fire Department and captain of its Fire Police. The following, in light of that milestone, is, in full disclosure, an opinion piece — a tribute to him and the grandson he never knew, an unbeknownst community service family team …
Continue reading Families in Service to the Community: Grandpa & Grandson Van Develde
In Memory: Services set for Former Fair Haven Dr. Jack Powers
It seems that everyone who knew him or even knew of him has an image of Dr. Jack Powers etched in their minds.
That image, from one longtime Fair Havenite’s mind to the next, has very similar traits — all that put a healing smile on their faces when looking back and speaking of him.
He was the Dr. Steven Kiely of Fair Haven. You know, that mod, sharp looking younger doc who practiced with Marcus Welby, MD on TV. He drove a sporty convertible (just as cool or cooler than the Kiely motorcycle), had good looks, a very hip, caring nature, platinum blonde hair and made house calls.
And, yes, he cared. Anyone who knew him felt that. He was the cool doc who knew everyone’s name, ailments and personalities. He made it his business. And it was just that for many years.
So, there was a wave of icon days-gone-by sadness peppered with gratitude that engulfed Fair Haven when residents past and present heard of his passing on Saturday.
Comments flooded the Fair Haven Facebook page, starting with the announcement of Powers’ death and photo collage and memorial tribute by Jeffrey White:
“Fair Haven lost a great man this weekend,” White said. “Dr. John ‘Jack’ Dennis Powers epitomized what a small town family doctor was. An expert diagnostician, he was like a second father and grandfather to so many of us. He and his wife Arny were best friends of my grandparents Molly and Jack. These pictures were taken in happier times. Jack was the last of the old gang, but now they are reunited once again. Let the parties resume! Rest In Peace Dr. Powers.”
The page’s administrator, Doug Newman, a family friend of Powers’, followed with his own tribute: “Now THERE was a pillar of the community. A family friend, a good and humble man.”
Nancy Lee Benedict called the day of Powers’ death a “a sad day for Fair Haven’s ‘Camelot.’ Some of us were very fortunate to know these people growing up. I know as I was one of them. The days when Fair Haven garage sales saw Jack & Jack walking among the neighbors. I also knew the Dr., who was my first crush. I would fake being sick so he would make a HOUSE CALL. Yes, he came to the house. Remember his white or red convertible?”
People remembered it as actually a powder blue mustang convertible with some sort of MD plates. The memories of him driving through town in that convertible are so iconic and strong that some said no matter the season, they don’t seem to ever remember seeing the top up.
Seeing Dr. Powers around town, at the office, making a house call or just plain driving through town was yet another comforting, knowing you’re home piece of growing up in Fair Haven.
“When I think of Fair Haven, I think of your Dad,” longtime former Fair Havenite Robin Drake Fitch said to Powers’ son on the Fair Haven page. “I always have and I always will … and he wasn’t even our doctor! (…although I secretly wished he was!)”
Yes. You are remembered, doc. You were appreciated. Thank you for, knowingly or not, being a part of our Fair Haven childhood. Rest in peace.
The following is Dr. Powers’ obituary, courtesy of Thompson Memorial Home:
Dr. John D. Powers (Jack) passed away on March 19 after a full and wonderful life. He was 92.
Born in Red Bank, he attended Red Bank public schools and later graduated from Colgate University where he studied pre-med. This was interrupted by three years of duty in the U.S. Navy.
After graduating from Midshipman School at Northwestern University in Chicago and sub-chaser school in Miami, he was deployed to the Pacific theater during the latter part of World War II just after the Iwo Jima invasion aboard the USS LSM 141.
After discharge from the Navy and completing college, he went to Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, followed by an internship in Lansing, Michigan. He returned to Fair Haven with his wife, Eleanor (Clayton) “Arny” Powers, whom he had married during junior year of medical school.
Dr. Powers was a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and for fifty years conducted his practice with an ever present sense of joy and compassion. He was dedicated to his patients both during office visits and regular house calls.
Upon retirement in 1993, he became medical director of the Riverview Medical Center Outpatient Clinic, where he served for four years.
Dr. Powers was devoted to his wife and family of five children and their many activities including camping, sailboat cruising and extended family reunions. He was an active competitor in squash, tennis, sailboat racing and golf (the last being the most humbling). He also enjoyed sailboat cruising with friends and family.
He logged many memorable sailing voyages including regular family vacations to Block Island aboard his several sloops named ‘Spray’ and most notable, a trip with several friends on a 65-foot sloop to Florida where they narrowly escaped disaster sailing through a rogue hurricane off the Carolinas.
Jack was a member of the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years, which had a profound and positive influence on him and a long-time member of Monmouth Boat Club.
Left behind are: his four sons, Jack (and Jan), Tom (and Sally), Jim (and Megan), Stephen and daughter Bonnie Banahan (Jim), his Laotian son, Thowpaou ‘Bruce’ Bliatout; 13 grandchildren (Brittany, Andrew, Kelly, Robert, Buddy, Johnny, Kitty, Joseph, Stephen, Michael, Nikki, Sean and Jane) and many loving nieces and nephews.
Jack was predeceased by: his wife Eleanor Powers; parents Ellwood and Christine Powers; his sisters Marjorie and Jane; his daughter-in-law Terry; and three grandchildren, Joshua, Grace and Kathleen.
A memorial gathering will be held on Thursday, March 24 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 29 at 11 a.m. at the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church, 255 Harding Rd, Red Bank. Charitable donations can be made to Hospice-VNA or the Parker Family Health Clinic.
Remembering Fair Haven’s Patrolman Robert J. Henne
It was a year ago today that Fair Haven lost Patrolman Robert Henne. The loss of the friendly, compassionate cop was a devastating one.
We, at Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect, again offer our profound condolences to his loving family and many colleagues and friends.
In memory of Robert, we are re-running our tribute to him that was originally published after his funeral and final call on March 31, 2015.
RIP, Robert. You are remembered …
By Elaine Van Develde
There was something about his face.
Always a content smile emanating from underneath his police hat, Fair Haven Police Patrolman Robert J. Henne seemed to wear his pristine, proud heart on its brim. And it seemed as if St. Michael, patron saint of police officers, was perched right next to it, guarding it. Always.
Whether or not you knew the officer well, it didn’t matter. Just one glance of his bright doe eyes and beam from under the brim of that officer’s cap that seemed to embrace him, and you knew you were home, cared for and protected.
And so was he.
“He was emblematic of everything that’s good in this town,” Fair Haven Mayor Ben Lucarelli said with crestfallen pride as he reflected on the untimely March 23 death of the 23-year-old third-generation policeman and fireman. “He represented what small-town community life should be.”
The mayor knew him. He knew him well. He knew how he always wanted to be a police officer. He knew that Robert embraced his calling and the people in his community who he served.
The mayor also knew that it gave him much joy to sign off on the promotion of Henne to a Special Class II officer in 2012. He had seen Henne rise through the ranks from police explorer. He remembered. Many others remembered, too.
They remembered every nuance of what they knew to be a modest, fun and compassionate public servant, son, brother and friend.
But you didn’t have to know him well to know the same thing that the mayor and the people closest to him knew — that Robert Henne was a strong, gentle, protective presence in the lives of every citizen with whom he came in contact.
I knew of his impact and pride of being on the job. And I knew there was something special about him.
I could see it in his smile. Many could.
It seems uncanny sometimes how people pass through our lives, in anything from a fleeting moment, to a few casual encounters and even longstanding relationships.
Yet, however long they are a presence, some seem to etch an indelible mark in our hearts.
As a journalist, this happens to us frequently. And, while the always unique fingerprint of some lives imprinted onto ours can inflict searing pain or a dull ache, it can also leave an impression of tremendous joy. But both teach us. We are grateful for both.
Some stay. Some go. But there’s always an impact in one way or another. And we are fortunate to have had a glimpse into their lives — if only for a moment. And we reflect. Sometimes aloud. Sometimes unwittingly through our actions.
Reflection enriches us all. Having known such an incredible cross-section of people makes us see how one moment with one person, even just passing through, can make a difference. The difference it makes can be celebrated. It can change us forever — for the better.
There are people with whom we’ve grown up whose deaths we must sadly report on. We grapple with how to best honor them. There tragic accidents involving people we do not know, but to whom we can relate because we have a child, a brother, a sister or a friend whom it could have been.
There are people who have just once shared with us an unforgettable gut laugh over a silly outtake moment in an interview. There are centenarians whose amazing lives we are privileged to look back on with them and write about.
There are people who face adversity and share their experience with us. There are people with whom we chat and come to know when visiting municipal offices or just being out and about in towns we cover. There are villains. There are heroes.
And there are young men like Patrolman Robert J. Henne whose smile I think we will always see when we round a corner, go to an event, or see a uniform, a fire truck or a patrol car in our Fair Haven.
Thank you, Robert Henne for protecting and serving us and for giving us another reason to be grateful for having known someone like you — if only for a moment.
— Slideshow by Elaine Van Develde … Photo credits: Elaine Van Develde, Fair Haven Fire Department, screenshots from Facebook, courtesy of Tom Kirman and other friends and family of Robert J. Henne.
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