Tag Archives: feature

Local Life

Retro River Rats Bonding

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A 1976 River Rats crew
Photo/courtesy Marc Edelman, Facebook

With the recent death and impending memorial of former longtime Fair Havenite and River Rats purser, Warner White, thoughts turn back to some good old days of being a kid rat, so to speak, and hanging out down by the river.

It’s a rite of passage in the Rumson-Fair Haven area that kid life be rife with river-oriented activities.

River Rats was the king of that sort of thing — especially in the summertime. The little riverfront nook at the foot of Battin Road in Fair Haven was that special place where kids and boating-bonded buddies learned how to sail and navigate riverfront life with the sand between their toes and perpetual smiles on their faces. It was a unique little sailors’ club. Still is.

River Rats has been a Fair Haven institution since 1955.

It all started like this: “In October 1955 shortly after he moved from New York, Captain Walter Isbrandtsen wrote to a friend: ‘I have purchased a house in a small community on the New Jersey coast where I am gradually becoming active … in an organization known as Dads Incorporated … whose activities include a newly established program designed to take full advantage of a neighboring river …'”

Captain Isbrandtsen organized the family-oriented sailing group and became the first Skipper of River Rats, as it is written in the River Rats’ biographical history.

So, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day takes us back to the U.S.A. bicentennial year of 1976 and a bunch of young River Rats.

This crew is comprised mostly of RFH classmates who gathered by the boat launch at the end of Battin Road in Fair Haven to offer a glimpse of their day as a reminder of what growing up by the river is all about.

Sail on! RIP, Warner White …

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

Focus: Black & White Spring River Tones

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Spring has sprung — sort of.

Well, the sun was shining brightly on the first day of spring, anyway. And while last week’s lingering patches of snow remained in spots throughout the Rumson-Fair Haven area, buds were popping up from underneath them.

The scene on the banks of the Navesink River at the foot of Battin Road in Fair Haven was still, mild and calming — signals of springing into a warmer sunset took hold.

It was a stark, black-and-white kind of scenario. Take a look. (Oh, and don’t forget to click to enlarge …)

Happy spring; and good night.

— Elaine Van Develde

Obituaries

Rumson Memorial Set for Former River Rats Purser, Warner White

Former longtime Fair Haven resident and purser of the River Rats, Elijah Warner White, died on March 14 at Riverview Medical Center. He was 91 and living in Red Bank prior to his death.

A memorial service for White is slated for March 25 at 2 p.m. at The First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, 4 East River Rd., Rumson.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1925 to the former Florence Gage and Percy Warner White, he earned degrees from Oberlin College and the University of Michigan. He relocated to New Jersey to work as an electronics engineer at Bell Labs, Holmdel.

Warner was a skilled photographer and a member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury.

He served with the US Army 94th Infantry in combat 1944-45.

He was an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, long-time resident of Fair Haven, and past purser of the River Rats Sailing Club.

Warner was predeceased by his son Christopher in 1997.

He is survived by: his wife of 65 years, the former Janet Brown; his son Philip; daughter Margaret (Peggy) Milliken; grandchildren Kathryn LeTrent and Robin Milliken; and great-granddaughter Margaret LeTrent.

 

The Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank, is entrusted with the arrangements.

— Edited obituary, courtesy of Thompson Memorial Home.

Local Life, Opinion

Retro RFH Gym Class

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RFH gym teachers of the 1970s Photo/RFH yearbook
RFH gym teachers of the 1970s
Photo/RFH yearbook

With the sting of the cold and longing for that breath of warm fresh air, thoughts turn to days spent in the young teen sweat-infused gym at RFH. Oh, the ritual of that mandatory indoor exercise.

Ahhh, memories. More like a little PTSD remembrance of the torture the class was for some — especially when stuck inside. When you’re not an athlete and, for that matter, can barely volley a ball (and I mean barely), gym class day was the day of trying to get some sort of note of excuse from your mom to get you out of the embarrassment. Forgery became a talent. Though some moms could feel the uncoordinated kids’ pain and easily relented with prompt penning.

Continue reading Retro RFH Gym Class →

Local Life

Focus: Morning Rumson Island View

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There was a bitter chill in the air in Sea Bright this morning; but the view from the marina of Rumson’s Gunning Island was vivid this morning.

The predicted snow, or what was left of the little that fell on Tuesday, had disappeared.

The sun was out and the memories of many years’ worth of good summer times were warm ones.

Check it out and remember  …

— Elaine Van Develde

 

Schools Scene

Rewind: Read Across America in Fair Haven Schools

Superintendent Sean McNeil as Beast, Sickles School Principal Cheryl Cuddihy as “Fairy Godmother” and third grade teacher Rose Raibick as Mrs. Potts.
Photo/Fair Haven School District

The Fair Haven school district recently hosted a Horton the Elephant-sized celebration of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.

Each year, the March 2 birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, a/k/a Dr. Seuss, is remembered throughout the U.S. with the Read Across America program.

Continue reading Rewind: Read Across America in Fair Haven Schools →

Local Life

Retro Rumson St. Paddy’s Parade

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Well, in time step with a relatively new Rumson tradition, the borough’s fifth St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on Sunday.

So, to celebrate the five-year milestone, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day offer a look back to parades of the past four years.

Take a glimpse at some snapshots capturing memorable moments of the March march down East River Road …

— Elaine Van Develde photos

Police and Fire, Rumson Police and Fire Files

Rumson Police Report: Assault, DWI, Defiant Trespass, Marijuana

The following February arrests were reported by Rumson police. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.

• Richard Mancini, 46, of Long Branch, was arrested on Feb. 24 and charged with simple assault by Special Officer Donald Morse.

• Brian Kirk, 53, of Red Bank, was arrested on Feb. 22 and charged with defiant trespass and criminal mischief by Patrolman Michael Berger.   

• Megan Walpole, 20, of Atlantic Highlands, was arrested on Feb. 7 and charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana by Patrolman Grace Maggiulli.

• Matthew Wojtusiak, 33, of Brooklyn, was arrested in the area of 125 Ridge Road on Feb. 5 and charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) by Patrolman Michael Berger.

• Kourtney Maloney, 26, of Middletown, was arrested on Feb. 2 and charged with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia by Patrolman Grace Maggiulli.

Contempt of Court

• Donna Susser, 54, of Rumson, was arrested on Feb. 2 on a contempt of court (COC) warrant by Patrolman Bryan Dougherty .  

• Rafal Leszczynski, 38, of Bloomfield, was arrested on Feb. 7 on a contempt of court (COC) warrant by Patrolman Grace Maggiulli.

• Hiram Polanco, 20, of Keansburg, was arrested on Feb. 10 on a contempt of court (COC) warrant by Special Officer Donald Morse.

• Michael Slapp, 30, of Fort Montgomery NY, was arrested on Feb. 8 on a contempt of court (COC) warrant by Special Officer Donald Morse.  

 

 

News

Detour: Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge Overnight Closure

So it goes again … If you’re planning on traveling over the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge any time between 8 p.m. tonight and 6 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, morning, you’ll need to plan an alternate route.

The bridge, which is slated for replacement, will be undergoing a continuation of routine maintenance work to its bascule span (the moveable part)  to keep it traversable until the total replacement transpires.

A released statement from Monmouth County officials on the previous week’s work said:

“This critical work is necessary to keep the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge’s movable span in working condition,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the County’s Department of Public Works and Engineering. “Monmouth County works diligently to keep its bridges in safe, working order. The goal of the overnight construction is to minimize the disruption of travel.”

The bridge will be closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic while the work is conducted. Motorists should plan an alternate route during the overnight hours.

Detours will be posted. Motor vehicle traffic from Rumson Road in Rumson can travel west to Bingham Avenue over the Oceanic Bridge through Middletown and Highlands to reach Sea Bright.

Motor vehicle traffic in Sea Bright can travel south on Ocean Avenue through Monmouth Beach to Atlantic Avenue to Monmouth Boulevard (Oceanport) to Seven Bridges Road (Little Silver) to reach Rumson Road in Rumson.

Local Life

Register for Saturday’s KDM Race

The following was originally posted on Jan. 24. The run, set for Saturday, is still accepting registrants. Read on … 

The 15th Annual Keith McHeffey 3-Mile Fun Run is set for March 11 at 11 a.m. in Sea Bright; and, registration has begun, organizers said.

McHeffey, an RFH grad, avid athlete and good friend to many in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, was a victim of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

His friends created the KDM Foundation in 2002 to keep his memory alive and fund several charitable causes in his name.

Since then, the Fun Run has been known as an annual memorial to Keith in a setting truest to his nature.

To register for the run, either go to the Sea Bright Municipal Building or click here.