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Local Life, Opinion

Retro Forever Fair Haven Eighth Grade Friendship Snapshot

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Knollwood Class of ’74 graduation fashionistas Stephanie DeSesa, Elaine Van Develde and Wanda Becker.
Photo/Sally Van Develde

Eighth graders in the Rumson-Fair Haven area are going through graduation rites of passage of a different kind right now — the COVID-19 pandemic era kind.

And what’s different about it is that there are no photos of friends clustered together, arms wrapped around one another or stiff shoulder-to-shoulder stances, signaling the end of a grade school era and beginnings. It’s definitely a missed moment or several this year.

Those ends and beginnings always involve childhood friends, some who stay with us throughout each milestone in our lives. They’re always there, if not in physical presence, in our hearts and on our minds. Those friends were markers in the milestones that are rooted in all that’s home. Our history.

So, while those friendship poses won’t be struck in the isolated pandemic Class of 2020 photos, the kinships inherent in them remain a hallmark of homegrown, hometown life.

Even if you were one of those kids that just didn’t like school all that much, the awkward, trying and exhilarating moments marked with those childhood friends are the ones that stay forever etched in minds and hearts. It’s the stuff that makes you who you are. The stuff that keeps you grounded, or up in the air — always home.

Those questionable fashion pics and fumbling adolescent moments also comprise great friendship blackmail material. Who else would have such epic fashion failure photos to go along with a string of clumsy, trouble-making memories up for grabs?

Your oldest friends. That’s who. And when the time comes to say your final goodbye, a standard eulogy by the most stable adult in the bunch just can’t compete with the memories of childhood, adolescence, teen years and adulthood and all of its ugliness, awkwardness and beauty with best friends.

Crews of grade school cronies, regardless of fashion or common sense, have something special — dating back to the beginning of graduating times.

Continue reading Retro Forever Fair Haven Eighth Grade Friendship Snapshot →
Local Life, Opinion

Retro Eighth Grade Grad Close Encounter

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Knollwood School Class of 2002
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

The Fair Haven Knollwood School grads have always been a styling, close-knit crew — a crew of cohorts that’s always shared many Kodak moments, in pairs, trios, cliques and all together.

Just as photography has evolved from Brownie camera to Instamatic to Polaroid, to phone camera, to full-on professional photo shoots, graduation photo ops have devolved back to single inspired family front lawn shots. That’s where the photo blitz usually began. Now it’s where it ends, too. So, some things never really change — much.

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Local Life

Retro Fair Haven 8th Grade Grads

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Fair Haven eighth grade graduation from Willow Street School (Sickles) circa 1946
Photo/courtesy of Jane Croft

It’s an unprecedented graduation time in Rumson and Fair Haven this year. These pandemic days, in Fair Haven, eighth grade students are being met with a diploma, Superintendent Sean McNeil, Knollwood School Principal  Amy Romano and a mini front-yard graduation snapshot in time and ceremony. It started this week. 

While eighth grade graduations have taken place in various venues over the years, from what was Willow Street School (now Viola L. Sickles School) to Knollwood and then to Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, there’s never yet been a front lawn march to Pomp and Circumstance. Yet, this year’s comes close. 

So, in honor of the eighth grade students graduating Knollwood School’s Class of 2020, we take a look back in a reprise of an eighth grade graduation post from June 18, 2018, featuring the Class of 1946. 

Continue reading Retro Fair Haven 8th Grade Grads →
Local Life

Retro Stoked Stokes Trippers

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Stoked at Stokes in the 1970s
Photos/(left to right) Angela Carpenter, Doug Borden, Peter Mauger, Lisa Ericson

Every year, for more than half a century, Fair Haven sixth graders get stoked to go to Stokes State Forrest for a week of cabin camping and outdoor schooling and socializing. It’s a tradition.

And for the first time in more than half a century, the tradition has been broken due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today would have been the day that the happy little campers came home from their post-Memorial Day week of adventure with classmates, teachers and parents.

So, we take a look back at some Stokes moments of bunking, hiking, pranking, do-se-doing your partner and all-around exploring back in the 70s, from youngsters to those high school counselors. Remember those?

There were RFH seniors chosen to be counselors, dubbed CATS. Each couple of CATs was assigned to teach/counsel sixth graders in their area of expertise. There were bug experts, hiking troopers, rowing aficionados, swimmers, and story tellers, dancers, singers and guitar players.

There was a square dancing night. And there was plenty of practice that ensued before it. What square dancing song stands out in your memory? And how about those campfire nights? Song always sung? How about the traditional story told? Who got lost in the woods with the compass/pathfinders class? Who was a CAT?

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Local Life

Retro RFH Rite of Passage: Close Donovan’s Encounters

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RFHers’ close reunion encounters at Donovan’s
Photos/Lisa Mazurek D’Amato

Close encounters at an iconic RFH alum hang-out may be a thing of the past these days, but old memories of Donovan’s Reef times die hard. So do close RFH classmate relationships.

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Fair Haven Police and Fire Files, Local Life

Retro Fair Haven EMS Dive Squad Doings

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Fair Haven Fire Department’s Dive Team
Photo/FHFD archives

This week is National EMS Week. These are the trained volunteers who show up when you’re in an emergency health situation, an accident or you just need a little help out of a situation. They’re a 911 call away.

In both Rumson and Fair Haven, first aid squads are comprised of residents who are trained and certified to respond to all of these emergencies, day and night.

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Local Life

Retro Rumson Police Snapshot

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Rumson police of the past Photo/Rumson PD Facebook page

It’s National Police Week. And it’s a National Police Week of a different kind this year.

Usually the week represents the culmination of the Police Unity Tour in which law enforcement officers from all over the nation ride bicycles to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. to honor fallen officers. But, for the first time since before it began in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, there is no ride due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is also no week of convergence in Washington to participate in the now longtime tradition of participation in events to honor fallen officers. But there is still remembrance.

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Local Life, Opinion

Retro Appreciation for a Tres Bon RFH French Teacher

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Joseph Guillory circa 1970s
Joseph Guillory circa 1970s

To honor some favorite RFH teachers who have passed, we are re-running this tribute to RFH French teacher Joseph Guillory, originally published in 2015, an under-appreciated gem of a language teacher. Thank you, Monsieur Guillory. You are remembered and appreciated … 

C’est toute bien.

It’s all good. That’s how things were in Monsieur Guillory’s class at RFH back in the 1970s.

The patient, kind and slightly goofy guy who taught the honors French class for many years is gone. But, no, his students and former colleagues have not forgotten him.

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Local Life, Opinion

Retro Appreciation for RFH English Teacher Bob Berberich

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RFH English teacher Bob Berberich

The following tribute on Teacher Appreciation Week to an RFH teacher who has passed, Bob Berberich, was originally published in 2015. 

They’re the teachers who taught us how to communicate effectively, appreciate the English language and even motivate certain writers (ahem) to write — English teachers.

In keeping with our Teacher Appreciation Week theme of honoring unique RFH teachers who have passed, today we look back to the lessons learned from Bob Berberich.

Continue reading Retro Appreciation for RFH English Teacher Bob Berberich →