clifton merchant magazine - may 2010

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Clifton Merchant Magazine is published the first Friday of every month at 1288 Main Ave., Downtown Clifton • 973-253-4400

May 2010 • Clifton Merchant 4

16,000 Magazinesare distributed to

hundreds of CliftonMerchants on the firstFriday of every month.

~Subscribe Page 97~$27 per year

$45 for 2 years

Call 973-253-4400

Editor & PublisherTom Hawrylko

Business ManagerCheryl Hawrylko

Graphic DesignerRich McCoyStaff WriterJoe Hawrylko

Contributing WritersIrene Jarosewich, CarolLeonard, Rich DeLotto,Don Lotz, Jack DeVries© 2010 Tomahawk Promotions

1288 Main AvenueDowntown Clifton, NJ 07011

On April 29, training with NYC Firefighter Instructor Joe O’Donnell (red hat), from

left: Clifton Firefighters Eric Marshaleck, Pete Schmidt, Dave McCann and Frank

Yodice. Kneeling is Lt. Brett Blake and Firefighter Will Espinoza.

Cutting a 4’ x 4’ hole in the roof to ventilate smoke and hot gases is not easyunder fire conditions, so it is good to practice this procedure under controlled cir-cumstances. That why when the home on the on the corner of Svea and Colfax Aves.,which will soon be demolished, was offered for training, the Clifton Fire Departmentmade good use of it. Members from Ladder 3 and Truck 2 from all four shifts trainedat this site, practicing procedures for placement of apparatus, accessing the roof area,extracting an injured firefighter and ventilating the building. Members are requiredto don all equipment (approximately 75 pounds) while performing these tasks and toreact as it in an engaged fire.


Clifton has a storied war history, with our citysending thousands of its young men and women

off to the many conflicts over the past century.Unfortunately, not everyone came home. ManyCliftonites, like other Americans, made the ultimatesacrifice in almost every major war, giving their life todefend the freedoms of Americans everywhere.

In total, more than 300 residents perished in battlebetween World War I and the Iraqi War. In Vietnamalone, 29 young men from Clifton died in combat or dur-ing service, and you can find those stories on the follow-ing pages. That information was compiled ten years agothanks to Rich DeLotto and Robert Wahlers.

Many of those deceased veterans will be recognizedwith a flag in the Field of Honor, which is an additionto the Avenue of Flags specifically created to observethe sacrifice that these individuals gave. Chair JohnBiegel will speak at a small ceremony to dedicate theField of Honor, which will be held on May 30 at 1 pmin front of the flag pole at City Hall.

The Avenue of Flags is a memorial of nearly 1,300American flags that are posted up on the City Hall cam-pus. The flags, which can be purchased for $100, are putup by volunteers on Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th,9/11 and Veterans Day. To purchase one, call John Biegelat 973-519-0858 or contact others on the committee.

Faces & Stories of Fallen Heroes . . . . . .9

Roll Call of Our Honored Dead . . . . . .36

Richard Scott: A Year in Vietnam . . . .43

The Friends of Athenia Veterans . . . .48

Friends, Family Recall Service History . .50

City Council Voter’s Guide . . . . . . . . . .67

Board of Education Wrap Up . . . . . . .78

Adeline DeVries’ Night of Fame . . . .79

Edna Siver: Looking Back at 94 . . . . . .80

Ellie Schimpf’s Longevity Secret . . . . .83

CHS Senior Domenica Perrone . . . . . .93

Gardening: A Family Affair . . . . . . . .94

Table of Contents

Gus, Anastasia & George Logothetis

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On April 21, council members, city officials, representatives from the Recreation Department and others from various

Clifton athletic clubs were on hand for a groundbreaking ceremony for Athenia Steel Park. Located off of Clifton Ave., near

Paulison Ave., the city recently completed the required remediation of this 16 acre portion of the property, which was pur-

chased in 1999. The plan call for two large turfed fields, one smaller field, a concession stand, restrooms, picnic areas,

parking and walking paths. The city hopes to open the park in the Fall of 2011.


This Memorial Day...We Salute America’s Veterans

East Ridgelawn Cemetery invites you to visit our Mausoleum on MainAvenue to pause, reflect and remember the lives of those who havepassed. Visits are unlimited and unaffected by the weather. Crypts arelocated in the building and convenient for elderly and handicapped.Mausoleum entombment provides greater Peace of Mind & Security.

• niches• mausoleum

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• monumental graves• no obligation pre-need counseling

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East Ridgelawn Cemetery255 Main Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07014

for more information with no obligation call:

973-777-1920


The Faces ofClifton’s

Fallen HeroesCliftonites who died during the Vietnam War

Rich DeLotto, a Clifton Firefighter, is also quite ahistorian. Back in 1999, he spent countless hours at thelibrary, studying newspaper clippings that reported thedeaths of Clifton servicemen who died during theVietnam War. About that time he formed the VietnamRemembrance Committee and made contact with BillVan Eck, Eugene Murphy and Matt Rugel, who wereco-workers of Thomas Dando, the second Clifton serv-iceman to die in Vietnam.

The men, who worked at the old Giuvadan plant inDelawanna, posted a picture of their fallen comrade inthe production plant to honor Dando’s sacrifice. Thepicture remained on a bulletin board there for morethan 30 years. When the building was demolished in

1999, Murphy took down the photo and saved it. Hethen forwarded it to Clifton Merchant and that photo iscentered on this month’s cover and is still displayed inthe front of our office.

DeLotto continued his detective work into 2000,tracking down family members and asking them toshare their memories of their sons and brothers. Whenhe was done, DeLotto shared the information he hadgathered with contributing writer Robert Wahlers, whotransformed the many pieces of the puzzle into theshort biographies you’ll read on the following pages.

It is a project we once again proudly present as atribute to our Fallen Heroes, to share their stories ofhonor, sacrifice and to keep their memories eternal.

Stories by Rich DeLotto & Robert Wahlers • Illustrations by Charles Bolcar


Matt Rugel will never forget Palm Sunday, 1967.“I was on my way to St. Paul Church for services thatday when I saw an Army car in front of the Dando’shome on Second St.,” Rugel recalled. He stopped tospeak with the sergeant, who confirmed his fears.

“The sergeant told me he was at the house becauseTom Dando had been killed in action,” Rugel said.

Rugel went on to church. During the services, FatherFrank Rodimer, the former bishop of the PatersonDiocese, announced that another Clifton serviceman,Alfred Pino, had died in Vietnam a few days before.

“I think that was the saddest day of my life,” saidRugel, who worked at the Giuvadan plant onDelawanna Ave. with Dando. Rugel, who now lives inButler, recalled another sad day.

“I remember it was Tom who told me the news aboutPresident Kennedy being shot,” Rugel said.

Alfred Pino and Tom Dando were the first two ser-vicemen from Clifton to lose their lives in the VietnamWar. Here are the stories of those that lost their lives onthat Palm Sunday week long ago.

Lance Corporal AlfredPino, USMC, died inaction on March 16, 1967in Quang Tri province. Hewas 20 years old.

Born in Paterson onDecember 13, 1946, Pinomoved to Clifton when hewas about six years old.The Pino family lived onboth Park Slope andLockwood Place. Alfred

graduated Clifton High School in 1965 and worked atthe Food Fair in Verona before enlisting in the Marinesin January 1966.

“Freddie wanted to join the Navy because our fatherserved with that branch during World War II,” saidDavid Pino, Alfred’s brother. “He couldn’t get in so hedecided to join the Marines.” David, who was twoyears younger than his brother, recalled that Alfredloved sports and participated in the Clifton’s footballand Little League programs.

Alfred also had a younger sister, Linda, who was 11years old at the time of his death.

After Alfred went through basic training, he arrivedin Vietnam in July, 1966, assigned to the 1st Battalionof the 9th Division. Alfred planned to marry LorettaRusso upon his return; she lived on Rollins Ave.

Thomas Dando was bornon February 3, 1945 andattended the Holy TrinitySchool in Passaic. Heserved as an altar boy atthe Holy Trinity Churchand was a member of theCYO or Catholic YouthOrganization. Later, heattended Don Bosco Prepin Ramsey and the begantaking classes at Rutgers

University in Newark.“He wanted to be a pharmacist,” said Dando’s sister,

Mary Rabolli, who resides in Garfield. “But after awhile, he left Rutgers and started working at Giuvadanwith my father, Jacob. He decided to go back to school,however, and that’s when he started taking night class-es at Bloomfield College.

An excerpt from a January 29, 1967 letter Tom Dando wrote to his 4-year-old nephew, Charles

Guess what, Chuck... your Uncle Tom is sleepingout in the woods every nite now and I go out forlong walks, which we call patrols, every daylooking for the bad guys.

Today a small helicopter crashed right by myfoxhole when its tail got caught in barbed wire as itwas landing. No one was hurt and just about an hourago a big helicopter, called a Chinook, came andpicked up the small one and took it to be fixed.

I took a lot of pictures of both helicopters and youtell Aunt Judi to show them to you when she getsthem. I also took a picture of a little Vietnamesefarmer boy about 5 years old as he was taking hisdaddy’s water buffalo out to feed.

Mommy sent me your picture and it looks likeyou're getting pretty big. When I get home I guess youwill be big enough to go fishing with me and Pop-Popand swimming with me and Aunt Judi. How’s that?…

Uncle Tom

THOMAS DANDO

ALFRED PINO


Mary recalled her brother as “a very alive, happy-go-lucky guy. I remember that he drove a Pontiac con-vertible and that he hoped to own a boat one day.”Dando had to put his dreams on hold, however, whenhe received his draft notice from the Army.

In September, 1965 he took basic training at FortDevens, Mass. During his time there, he was named“Soldier of the Month.”

While on leave in May 1966, he married JudithMilanoch at St. Paul Church and the newlywedsenjoyed some time together at their home on Second St.in Clifton.

By that summer, Dando was in Vietnam, servingwith the 196th Light Infantry in and around Tay Ninhprovince. Eight months later, the Army transferred himto Company B, Third Battalion, Fourth InfantryDivision. Dando’s first mission with his new outfitinvolved an assault on the village of Dau Tieng onMarch 19, 1967, in the midst of a larger plan, entitledOperation Junction City.

The operation, one of the largest helicopter assaultsever staged, had begun on Feb. 21 and would last for 72days. Dando was among the approximately 30,000 troopswho took part in the extended operation, the goal of whichwas to destroy Vietcong bases north of Saigon.

According to reports, the helicopter Dando was rid-ing in that day exploded, possibly from artillery fire orbecause it came into contact with a land mine. Dando diedas a result of burns.

“Because it was his first mission with the FourthInfantry, no one knew Tom. Our family has never spokenwith anyone who was there that day,” said Mary.

Mary said she does take comfort in the fact that, likemany of the servicemen from Clifton who died duringwartime, a street is named in her brother’s honor.

“I think it is a most fitting tribute,” she said of theMontclair Heights road. “A street is a living thing.Children ride their bikes, teens play basketball, peoplemeet and socialize, families live there. Tom would haveliked this memorial.”

Another early casualty ofthe Vietnam War wasKeith Francis Perrelli,who was born on January7, 1947 and grew up onVan Houten Ave. in theAthenia section. Hismaternal grandparents,Mr. and Mrs. Iwanoski,owned Olly’s Tavern, onthe corner of Van Houtenand Marconi.

In 1962, when Keith was 15, the Perrelli family movedto Oak Ridge. Perrelli became a three-letter athlete —football, baseball and basketbal — while attendingFranklin High School, which is now known as WalkillValley High School. After completing high school,Perrelli joined the Marines and arrived in Vietnam inJanuary 1967, around the time of his 20th birthday.

He would eventually be stationed at the Con Thienbase camp, located two-and-one-half miles south of thebuffer zone between the two Vietnams. One newspaperaccount described Con Thien as a “frontier fort.”

Around September 1, 1967, an artillery duel ensuedbetween the dug-in Marines of the 1st Division andNorth Vietnamese troops, who reportedly had moved atleast three divisions — approximately 35,000

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men —into the DMZ or DeMilitarized Zone, in prepa-ration for an invasion. Perrelli and his fellow Marinesstood in their way.

On September 25, 1967, during an artillery attack,Perrelli and another Marine were killed and 90 wounded,bringing the total casualty count since the battle began to63 dead and 875 wounded.

On the day that Perrelli died, Marine gunners fired9,000 artillery shells, B52 bombers flew several raids andSeventh Fleet warships tried to lock in on suspectedNorth Vietnamese gun positions. General WilliamWestmoreland called the assault the heaviest convention-al bombardment “in the history of warfare.”

Perrelli was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs.Frank C. Perrelli, a sister, Deidre and a brother Duane,who was serving in the Air Force when Keith died.

Duane, a Sparta resident, said his parents have movedto Florida and remain active in programs related toMemorial Day and Veterans’ Day.

Some 10 years ago, RichDeLotto, chair of theVietnam RemembranceCommittee, discovered amystery while conductingresearch on the 27 Cliftonmen whose names are list-ed on the Main Memorialwar monument as beingkilled in Vietnam.

“I had a list of thekilled in action dates for

everyone, so I was searching through the newspaperarchives looking for Keith Perelli, who died onSeptember 25, 1967,” DeLotto said. “That’s when Icame across the name of Carroll R. Wilkie and I noticedthat he was a 1947 graduate of Clifton High School.

“His death was announced the day before Perelli’s,but I had never heard of him before,” DeLotto recalled.“His name was not among the 27. I also discovered thathe was not listed on the Vietnam Monument inWashington D.C.”

According to the obituary that DeLotto found, 38-

CAROLL R. WILKIE

Louise Van Decker, Poppy Chair for the AmericanLegion Auxiliary, reminds readers that AmericanLegion Post 347 will be accepting donations for pop-pies made by disabled and needy veterans. Proceeds goto the Legion’s program to support those vets. Todonate and receive your poppies, call 973-546-9876.


year-old Marine Gunnery Sergeant Wilkie had suffereda cardiac arrest while serving in the Da Nang area ofVietnam on September 18, 1967. He was then flownback to Travis Air Force base in San Francisco, wherehe died on Sept. 20.

The announcement of his death appeared in localpapers of northern New Jersey several days later.

Wilkie’s mother, Mrs. George Saretsky, resided inGarfield at the time. His wife, the former JeanCatanacci of Bloomfield, and two daughters, Carol Annand Kathy, were living in Carlsbad, California, nearCamp Pendleton.

In an attempt to correct the oversight of omittingWilkie’s name from the national monument, DeLottocontacted the United States Marine Corps headquartersin Quantico, Virginia.

In February 2000, DeLotto received a written replyfrom Captain T. Walls, an administrative officer withthe Casualty Branch, Personal and Family ReadinessDivision. Outlining the guidelines for someone to beadded to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial inWashington D.C., Captain Walls told DeLotto that the“criteria does not include service members that die as aresult of a service-connected disabilities or disease.Gunnery Sergeant Wilkie’s death did not occur in thedefined combat zone. Therefore, he is not eligible...”

Stymied by the machinery of government, DeLottoturned his energies to his hometown. “Here’s a guy whowas a Marine for 21 years,” said DeLotto, noting thatbesides his service in Vietnam, Wilkie was also sta-tioned in Japan, Korea and Hawaii. “The bottom line ishe died of his wounds in the U.S. rather than Vietnam.It’s a question of geography and that just isn’t fair.”

DeLotto then brought the story to the attention ofWalter Pruiksma, who then headed the Clifton WarVeterans Alliance Monument Committee.

Based on the facts uncovered by DeLotto, the mon-ument committee agreed to add Wilkie’s name to theClifton war dead. Later research by DeLotto alsouncovered the name of a 29th serviceman who died inVietnam, Bruce McFadyen.

Navy Lt. Bruce SearightMcFadyen’s name wasinscribed on the CliftonWar Monument Memorialin 2000, thanks to the dig-ging Rich DeLotto didback then. The additionbrought the total numberof Clifton servicemen whoare honored for their sacri-fice in the Vietnam War upto 29.

Bruce McFadyen was born in Montclair on Jan. 12,1943. At the time of his birth, his parents, Robert andCharlotte Murphy McFadyen, lived on Surrey Lane inthe Allwood section of Clifton.

Six months later, as World War II raged, Robert leftClifton to serve in the Navy and Mrs. McFadyen andBruce moved in with relatives. After the war, theMcFadyens returned to Allwood and lived there until1950, when they moved to Upper Montclair.

Bruce McFadyen later attended Peddie School inHightstown, where he served as captain of the swim-ming team. For several summers, he also coached theGlen Ridge Country Club swim team in the EssexInter-Club Swim League. McFadyen later became avarsity swimmer at Colgate, where he was also an offi-cer of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

I am proud to Join Cliftonin its Annual Salute to America’s Veterans...

GodBless

America

BRUCE MCFADYEN


After graduating Colgate in 1965, McFadyen decidedto follow in his father’s footsteps and attended the Navy’sofficer candidate school at Newport, R.I. After beingcommissioned, he began his tour of duty in Vietnam inthe spring of 1968, serving aboard the Oklahoma City,which was the flagship of the Seventh Fleet.

After undergoing ordinance disposal training,McFadyen transferred to the USS Enterprise, a nuclearpowered aircraft carrier. He spent most of the yearaboard the ship before being transferred again, this timeto Saigon.

On Jan. 17, 1969, five days after he celebrated his26th birthday, McFadyen was serving as a member ofan explosive disposal unit when a 400-pound bombexploded at the water’s edge in Nah Be, located in thedelta region of South Vietnam. The explosion killedhim instantly. He was four months away from complet-ing his active military service.

Spec. 4 Bohdan Kowal ofClifton was reported killedby enemy small arms fireon Saturday, April 8, 1967in Hua Nghia Province,while serving as a riflemanwith the 9th InfantryRegiment, 25th Division.

Born in Germany onMay 25, 1946, Bohdan wasthe son of Stanley andHelen Kowal, Ukrainian

immigrants who had been forced into slave labor by theNazis during World War II. The Kowals came to theUnited States in 1949 and later lived on Paulison Ave. inClifton. They had two younger sons, Michael and John,and were parishioners of St. Nicholas Ukrainian CatholicChurch in Passaic.

Bohdan played soccer as a Mustang at Clifton High,graduated in 1965 and was inducted into the Army inDecember of that year. He began his tour of duty inVietnam in July 1966.

Although no family members could be found in thearea, the lamentful words of Helen Kowal remain pre-served in a newspaper article published at the time of herson’s death. “He never had anything,” Helen Kowal wasquoted as saying. “When he was a baby, he did not even

have a piece of bread. He never went anywhere or had achance to enjoy anything. Why do they take the boys soyoung, when there are so many older men around?”

Like many oversea, Bohdan was homesick. HelenKowal said in letters to her, he expressed his longing tobe home. In one of the last letters she received, he toldher that “I’ll be home in 103 more days.”

Just like the parents ofBohdan Kowal, LeszekKulaczkowski’s motherand father were EasternEuropeans who came toAmerica in search of a bet-ter life. That search led totragedy for both familiesas a result of their sons’sacrifices. The son ofAntoni and AlfredaKulaczkowski, Leszekwas born on Jan. 26, 1947

in a village close to Krakow, Poland. The Kulaczkowskis came to the United States in 1964

in pursuit of their chapter of the American Dream. Afterfinding work and settling in the community, they founda home on Speer Ave. in Clifton.

Leszek worked for a construction firm installing alu-minum siding. He was a parishioner of St. John KantyChurch and a member of the church’s St. Theresa Choir.

Not yet an American citizen, Leszek was drafted inSeptember 1968 and later assigned to the Army’s 8thInfantry, 4th Division. It is unclear when his tour of dutyin Vietnam started.

On Nov. 22, 1969, his family received two lettersfrom Leszek, who mentioned that he was being sent toan encampment outside of the combat area for some rest.The day after Leszek’s letters reached his loved ones, theVietcong launched a mortar attack on the encampment.The bombardment claimed the life of Leszek. He was 22years old.

Leszek was transported home to Clifton and then afterservices at St. John Kanty Church, his body was laid torest in Our Lady of Chestokowich, a Polish cemeterylocated outside of Philadelphia. Following the loss oftheir only child, Mr. and Mrs. Kulaczkowski left theiradopted nation behind and returned to Poland.

BOHDAN KOWAL

LESZEK KULACZKOWSKI


Of the men listed on the Clifton war monumentwho died in Vietnam, the youngest to be killed in

action was 18-year-old PFC Robert Kruger. The oldestto die was Master Gunnery Sgt. William Zalewski, 51.In between the two is Staff Sergeant John Bilenski,who died three days short of his 29th birthday. Despitethe age differences, they had a lot in common. As theanthem goes, they were proud to hold the title of UnitedStates Marine.

Kruger landed in Vietnam about seven months afterhis high school graduation. Zalewski, who as a youngman fought on Iwo Jima during World War II, died fourmonths short of retirement. Bilenski was anothercareer soldier who had volunteered for a second tour ofduty in Vietnam. What follows are the stories of thesethree Marines.

Born on July 19, 1948,Marine PFC RobertKruger, was among theapproximately 11,000Americans who died inVietnam before their 20thbirthday, a fact that per-meates too many wars.

A native of Passaic, helived in Clifton most ofhis life. Kruger attendedSchool No. 4 and

Christopher Columbus Junior High School. While atClifton High, he played on the varsity soccer team. Heand his family worshiped at the Trinity LutheranChurch in Clifton.

Kruger enlisted in the Marines before his highschool graduation and started his service one weekafter commencement ceremonies in June 1966.

By early January 1968, he was in Vietnam, as amember of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment ofthe 3rd Marine Division.

On May 3, 1967, his mother, Mrs. AntoinetteLineman Kruger of Second Street, received word thathe had died as a result of enemy mortar fire at HoungHoa, in Quang Tri Province.

Besides his mother, the Clifton relatives he leftbehind included a brother, Roger, a sister, Crystal, anda grandmother, Mrs. Frieda Leimbach Lieman.

By the time MasterGunnery Sgt. WilliamZalewski, arrived inVietnam in September1966, he had alreadygiven his country morethan 30 years of service.This included contribut-ing to the 1945 victory onthe island of Iwo Jima,where he was woundedand received the PurpleHeart.

Born on July 15, 1916, Zalewski joined the serviceshortly after his graduation from Clifton High Schoolin 1933. When his tour in Vietnam approached an endin the fall of 1967, Zalewski decided to sign up foranother six months. This would take him up to hisscheduled date of retirement the following April.

ROBERT KRUGER

WILLIAM ZALEWSKI

Shortly after extending his tour, Zalewski, who wasattached to the First Marine Air Wing in Da Nang,earned a promotion to Master Gunnery Sergeant. Thisis the highest ranking for a non-commissioned officerin the Marines.

On December 4, 1967, the career Marine died inDa Nang of a cerebral hemorrhage. His body wastransported home and buried with honors at ArlingtonNational Cemetery.

Zalewski left behind his wife, Elizabeth, who livedin Alexandria, VA.

Zalewski’s mother and one of his two sisters livedin Clifton at the time of his death.

“He was lucky then butnot this time.” That’show John V. Bilenski ofOlympic St. described atthe time the fate of hisonly son, Marine StaffSgt. John Bilenski.

An aerial gunner,Bilenski had made itthrough his first tour ofduty in 1965-66 unhurt.He returned to Vietnam

for a second tour in February 1968 and died about fivemonths later, on July 3, when his helicopter crashedand exploded in Quang Nam.

Born on July 6, 1939, Bilenski signed up with theMarines on his 17th birthday, while he was still a stu-dent at Clifton High School. Following graduation in1956, he completed six months in the reserves and thenbegan active duty, during which time he received train-ing as an electronics technician.

Around 1965, he married Jean O’Dell, who


JOHN BILENSKI

You’re a Neighbor,Not a Number.

Thomas Tobin973-779-4248

Bill G. Eljouzi973-478-9500

A New Voice for Clifton

Candidate Dan Brown with his wife Suzannah. The couple has livedon Cambridge Courtsince 2005.

Write or Call me: [email protected] or 973-859-0054Paid for by Daniel Brown for Clifton City Council, 101 Cambridge Ct, Clifton, NJ 07014

ON MAY 11VOTE 2A

ON THEBALLOT

My name is Daniel Brown and I am running for City Council in the May11th election. I live in the Delawanna section of Clifton with my wife, Sue. Wechose to buy a home here after we were married in 2004 and we look forward toraising a family here.

We have a law practice in Clifton. I have a B.S. in Information Systems fromRamapo and a law degree from Rutgers. I earned my law degree while workingfull-time for Merrill Lynch.

If elected I will help ensure that our tax dollars were spent wisely and thatClifton remained an affordable place to live. I will do everything I can to pro-mote a small-business friendly environment and get our city's economy movingagain.

I want to thank you for taking an interest in the upcoming city council elec-tion. I hope you will consider voting for me, #2A on the ballot on May

11th. Your vote WILL make a difference!


Here’s what Joan has tosay on the issues• Toughen Ordinances on IllegalDwellings & Enforce Harsh Fines forLawbreakers

• Enforce Existing Ordinances to CleanUp Our Neighborhoods

• Conduct more periodic JobEvaluations of City Employees

• Have City Deptartment Heads attendCouncil Meetings

• Have City Liaison attend PassaicCounty Freeholder Meetings to holdFreeholders accountable for moneyspent since over 25% of Our Taxes go toPassaic County

Joan is a lifelong residentwho has worked at cityhall for decades. Onceelected, she will retireand be a Full TimeCouncilwoman.


Councilman for All Citizens

George Silva on the Issues• Re-Development not Over-Development• Continuing Support of Citizens on Valley Road

against Montclair State University Over-Development• Getting Problems Solved with Neighborhood Solutions• Tough on Crime: Continuing cooperation between Clifton Police and Sheriff Jerry Speziale• Gaining the Public’s Trust regarding Board of Education and City Council matters• Working Together as a Community not Neighborhood Against Neighborhood• Working With Passaic County Officials and New Jersey Assembly and Senate• Ensuring All of Clifton’s Citizens are Equally Represented

George Silva Background and Bio• Clifton Resident for Over 25 Years• Formerly from Maple Valley Section• Currently a Dutch Hill Resident• Co-President

Dutch Hill Resident Association• Past President

Botany Village Merchants Association• Founder Historic Botany Village

Special Improvement District (SID)• Community Liaison to

Clifton Police Department• Member Botany’s Civilian Watch• Historic Botany District Liaison to

North Jersey Chamber of Commerce• Member of the

Action Committee for Dutch Hill• Clifton Health Department

Pandemic Flu Committee

Paid for by Friends of Silva

GeorgeSilva

#6When it comes to public life in our community,George Silva is not some Johnny Come Lately.

Since the mid-1990’s when George established his busi-ness in Historic Botany Village, he has been a leader, ateam player, a volunteer and a tireless advocate. Over thelast decade, George has been both an observer and a par-ticipant in our community affairs.

In the 2006 City Council election, George ran but didnot come in the top seven. But that loss did not stop hisparticipation. For the past four years, George has quietlyserved on numerous Committees. He attended most CityCouncil meetings.

In short, George has been a student of Clifton, studyingthe process and understanding the problems, challenges,solutions and options of our City Council.

This year, on Tuesday, May 11, George Silva isasking that one of your seven votes be for him.

was living in Anaheim, California at the time of hisdeath. Besides his father and wife, Bilenski’s onlyother survivor was his mother, Edith, who lived inPaterson.

January, 1968: The Tet Offensive

At the end of January of 1968, Communist troopslaunched the Tet (New Year) Offensive, attacking 36of 44 provincial capitals and 64 of 242 district towns inSouth Vietnam. Even the American Embassy in Saigonunderwent a siege. Americans back home watching the

“Television War” were shocked that such a majorattack could be launched. Although North Vietnamsuffered a military defeat in the Tet Offensive, theyended up winning a political victory because the wide-scale fighting convinced more Americans that a victo-ry in Vietnam was impossible.

The result was a shift in American policy towardending the war and the resignation of an embattledpresident. On March 31, 1968, President LyndonJohnson announced that: “I shall not seek, and I willnot accept, the nomination of my party for another termas your president.”

During the Tet Offensive, 50,000 Communist sol-diers, 14,000 South Vietnamese troops and 2,000American soldiers were killed. Thousands ofVietnamese civilians died also. The death toll on thatfirst day included two Clifton servicemen, PFC LouisCancian Grove and SPF Clifford R. Jones, Jr. Bothmen died on January 30, 1968. There is no record thatshows they knew one another.

Both were born in 1947 and started their tour of dutyin Vietnam within weeks of each other in the summerof 1967, the so-called Summer of Love back in theStates. Grove had been married for five months beforeentering the service and celebrated his 20th birthday inFebruary 1967. Jones would celebrate his 20th birth-day in Vietnam in October of that year.


HATALA• Leadership • Community Service • Experience

• Director of Finance, Novartis Pharmaceuticalsfor 20 years–responsible for $15 billion in assets

• Bachelors Degree, Accounting, Seton Hall Univ.• Masters Degree, Finance, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.• Chair, Clifton Economic Development Commission• Attracted 300 new businesses to Clifton• Helped create 2,000 new jobs for our community• Liaison, Historic Botany Village SID • Liaison, Advisory Board of Citizens for Disabilities• Advocates restructuring of the Sewer Fee

• Eucharistic Minister at St. Andrew’s RC Church • Member of Clifton Moose, Clifton Elks • Past Grand Knight and Knight of the Year • 2002 Unico Man of the Year• Longtime Clifton Youth Baseball Coach


Louis Grove was the sonof John Grove, a retiredAir Force MasterSergeant. While Louisserved in Vietnam, hisbrother, John L. Grove, Jr.,was stationed aboard anaircraft carrier in theMediterranean.

“Louis was a nice guy,”recalls former neighborAlice DeLotto, who lived

a few houses away from the family when they lived onEast Clifton Ave. “I remember that he had a motorcy-cle, which he loved driving around town.”

Grove, who was born in Florida, attended SacredHeart School in Botany Village and later graduatedPope Pius XII High School in Passaic, most likely in1965. He worked as a truck driver before entering theservice. Grove died during a mortar attack on his campat Kontum, one of six cities hit by the Viet Cong in theCentral Highlands during the first day of the TetOffensive. His funeral service took place at SacredHeart Church, with burial at Calvary Cemetery.

About six months into his tour of duty in Vietnam,Clifford R. Jones, Jr. was killed in action during fight-ing in Pleiku Province on Jan. 30, 1968.

Jones spent his early years on Rutherford Blvd. inClifton, and later moved to Warren County. He graduat-ed in 1965 from Hackettstown High School and enlistedin the Army in January 1966. He earned the title ofGreen Beret that fall.

Jones arrived in Vietnam on Aug. 1, 1967, serving asa radioman with Company B, 5th Special Forces Group.For his actions on the day he died, Jones received aposthumous Silver Star. According to his citation, Jonesrallied his beleaguered comrades by yelling words ofencouragement and charging forward “in a courageouspersonal assault on the insurgents.” This enabled histrapped unit to reach safety.

In the 1980’s, veterans such as Joseph DeWitt andother members of VFW Post 7859 in Hackettstown suc-ceeded in having the 1.3 mile stretch of Route 46 thatruns through Independence Township renamed the Spec.4 Class Clifford Jones Jr. Highway.

Through the efforts of this post, a granite memorialalso stands in the honor of Clifford R. Jones, Jr. next tothe firehouse in that community.

LOUIS GROVE CLIFFORD R. JONES, JR.


For Clifton’s Andrea Nemeth, helping our seniors, those suffering from debilitating illnesses and injuries, or in

need of respite care, to aiding expectant or new mothers, her new home care agency is a way to help.

Andrea Nemeth, Synergy HomeCare897 McBride Ave., Woodland Park, NJ 0742424 Hour Service: [email protected]

Bonded • Insured • Locally Owned & Operated

synergyhomecare.com/woodlandpark

Inviting someone into your home to help care for theelderly or those with an illness is a tough decision.Where to turn and who to trust? Hearing of friends andfamily members with this problem, Andrea Nemethwanted to help. That’s why she became an owner ofSynergy HomeCare, a company that wasn’t just aboutshort-term help. “We’re a home care company thatunderstands the perspective of the family caregiver.”

Synergy HomeCare, a non-medical home care agency— as opposed to a ‘home health care’ agency — wasfounded in 1999 to provide personal care, as well ascompassion and companionship for the elderly, or thoserecovering from illness, surgery, or childbirth and thedisabled.

“We know that independence is important to everyoneregardless of age,” said Andrea. “Sometimes the differencebetween your mom or dad staying at home or moving intoan assisted living facility comes down to whether goodpeople can be found to help with daily tasks like house

cleaning, errands and meal preparation. That’s the focusof Synergy HomeCare. We provide the highest qualitynon-medical home care services and treat people of allages, with dignity and respect.”

Andrea explained that each family is unique and shewill customize care plans to fit your needs. Whethercaring for an Alzheimer’s patient or elderly parents, a newmother or someone recovering from surgery, SynergyHomeCare provides compassionate, dependablecaregivers to lend a hand. That could includehousekeeping, running errands or providingtransportation to doctor’s visits or supermarkets as well asmeal preparation and medication reminders. “We areflexible in how we offer our services,” said Andrea.

After years in the corporate world, Andrea said she ispleased to offer a service that directly touches the lives ofthose in the community in which she grew up. “I am proudto be part of a company that is in the business of providingcare, comfort and compassion,” Andrea concluded.

From front left: Helga and Andrew Nemethwith their son-in-law, and Andrea’s husband

Vadim Shleyfman (CHS 1986), and Andrea’s sister Sonya (CHS 1992)

and her husband Ken Rogers. Below, Andrea in CHS, 1988.

Do You Need a Helping Hand at Home?


The lieutenant waslearning how to lead histroops, and his patrolincluded the company’smost experienced platoonsergeant, Staff SergeantGeorge McClelland.–USMC Captain KenPipes, Bravo Company

The quote above is froma book by Eric Hammel,

“Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds” (1989), an oral histo-ry of the US Marines’ defense of the Khe Sanh combatbase, where 25-year-old George McClelland of Cliftonwas stationed. The strategic base in western Quang TriProvince, at the corner of South Vietnam, had been setup to stop the infiltration of North Vietnamese troopsfrom Laos into the DeMilitarized Zone (DMZ).

On Feb. 25, 1968, McClelland, a member of the 26thInfantry Regiment, was among two squads ordered togo out on patrol beyond the fire base to search forenemy mortar.

The patrol ran into an ambush, taking on intensesmall arms and mortar fire. A second patrol sent to helpalso came under a barrage of fire.

When the shooting was over, there were 47 casual-ties: 21 wounded and 25 missing in action.McClelland was listed as among the 25 MIAs.

McClelland’s body wasn’t recovered until May 8,1968, at which time he was officially listed as killed inaction.

Born in New York City on Aug. 12, 1942,McClelland joined the Marines at the age of 17, withthe intention of making a career out of the military. Heserved as a Marine Corps drill sergeant and began histour of duty in Vietnam in December 1967.

McClelland grew up in New York and the familylater moved to Passaic, then to Second St. in Clifton.His name is listed on both the Clifton and Passaic warmonuments.

He left behind a wife, Dee, and a son and daughter.He was also survived by two sisters and five brothers.“His daughter, Susan, is going to medical school andhis son, Sean, fixes cars, which is something Georgeliked to do,” said Raymond McClelland, one ofGeorge’s six surviving siblings, who now lives inHowell. “We grew up on the West Side of New York. Iwas three years older than Georgie and we used to fight

GEORGE MCCLELLAND


all the time, like brothers often do,” said Raymond.“George liked to fix bikes and he loved playing stick-ball and street hockey.”

“He really wanted to be the best that he could be,”said Raymond. “I remember when he first went in, hewas maybe 130 pounds soaking wet. After a while inthe Marines, he was a solid 170 pounds.”

After serving years as a drill instructor for rawrecruits, George volunteered to go to Vietnam towardthe end of 1967. “I remember George saying in a let-ter that they were training these kids for four or fiveweeks and then shipping them over, without getting thefull boot camp training. He felt his place was overthere with them, where he could at least try to helpthem some more,” says Raymond.

“Before he left from camp in North Carolina, he toldus he wouldn’t be coming home for a visit because hedidn’t have the money to travel. Now he knew thatanybody in the family would have sent him money. Wealways believed he didn’t return for a visit because hefelt in his heart he wouldn’t be coming back fromVietnam. And it was just too hard for him to come backhome and say good-bye to all of us.”

Main Memorial Park pro-vided bittersweet memo-ries for the late MaryStefaniak. It is a placewhere she watched herthree children spend hoursfrolicking, fishing andskating. It is also the placewhere the name of her thirdchild, Stephen StefaniakJr., is engraved on the warmonument.

He graduated School 10 and after about a year of highschool, he decided to pursue a career as a barber. Heattended the Atlas Barber College in New York andafterward, worked at the US Barbershop in Paterson.

“He was a very good barber. The owner of the shopused to praise him all the time,” said Mary, who stilllives in Clifton. “To me, my son was a real caring per-son. He was a real humanitarian, always ready to helpothers, even at a young age. He truly had a heart ofgold.” Stephen also had a passion for fishing and tookpride in his VW Beetle.

On Oct. 15, 1967, Stephen married Bonnie Ann

McCrohan. The couple found a home on DeMottAvenue, where Bonnie still lives. During the schoolyear, she works as a crossing guard at Clifton andPaulison Avenue.

Two months after the couple married, the Army draft-ed Stephen. Mary Stefaniak last saw her son in May,1968, when he was back in Clifton on furlough. Hewould be in Vietnam by month’s end.

“When he arrived here on his last furlough, he walkedfrom the bus, which was a few miles away. Bonnieasked him why he didn’t call for a ride. He said that itfelt too good to be walking on familiar grounds, thatClifton never looked so good.”

By this time, Bonnie was about six months pregnant.This made it particularly difficult for Stephen to leaveClifton behind again, but he was determined to finish hiscommitment to his country, Mary said.

Stephen began his tour of duty on May 28, 1968, as amember of the First Infantry, 196th Light InfantryBrigade. On July 1, after 37 days in country, PFCStefaniak sustained extensive burns to his body whileserving with a mortar drew near Chu Lai.

On July 4, Stephen died in a hospital in Japan. TheArmy awarded him a posthumous Purple Heart andBronze Star, citing him for “outstanding meritoriousservice... against a hostile force.”

Stephen’s body was returned back to the United Statesand after a funeral mass at St. Paul Church, he wasburied in Calvary Cemetery. Fifty one days after hedied, on August 24, his son, Stephen Robert Stefaniak,was born. When the Vietnam War section of the memo-rial was dedicated in 1993, Stephen Robert carried a flagin the ceremony to help honor the father that he neverhad a chance to know.

Born in Paterson, JamesJoseph Strangeway Jr.joined the world on March15, 1943, the second of fourchildren for Genevieve andJames Strangeway. Thefamily lived on MontclairAve. in Clifton.

Strangeway, whose nick-name was “Binky,” receivedhis high school educa-

Stephen Stefaniak

JAMES JOSEPH STRANGEWAY


tion at St. Peter’s Prep School in Jersey City and laterenrolled at the Paterson campus of Seton Hall University.His goal was to teach high school English. In the springof 1967, before he graduated from Seton Hall, he servedas a student teacher in the CHS English department.

While attending college, he worked at the A&P onRoute 46 West in Clifton. “He had a talent for so manythings, ranging from mechanical to intellectual,” recalledStrangeway’s cousin, Regina Fischer. “He could fre-quently be found with his head under the hood of a car,trying to fix something. He devoured books by thedozen. He was never afraid to try something new, so itwas no surprise when he picked up a guitar shortly afterthe Beatles became popular and taught himself to play.”

In September 1967, Strangeway was drafted into theArmy. Fischer saw her cousin for the last time in March1968, when he was home on leave. He shipped out toVietnam the next day. Family and friends gathered at theStrangeway home to bid the soldier farewell.

“By this time, there were 500,000 American soldiers inVietnam and the casualty lists brought the news that 500to 700 of them died each week,” said Fischer. “Binkynever let anyone get too maudlin. He made everyonelaugh in his easy-going way, and the following morning,he was off with a salute and a smile.”

In the months after he left, the country mourned the loss

of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, whowere killed within two months of one another in the springof 1968. In the later afternoon of July 10, 1968, theStrangeway family learned that their loved one was gone,too. During his time in Vietnam, Strangeway, a memberof the 101st Airborne Division, achieved the rank ofCorporal and earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Leonard Adrian Bird,who was born on Sept. 14,1943 in Passaic GeneralHospital, is one of 57 NewJerseyans who are still list-ed as MIA in Vietnam. OnJuly 13, 1968, while Birdwas flying as the leadRadar Intercept Officerduring an attack on a mor-tar position in Quang Tri

Province, enemy ground fire hit his aircraft, causing itto go into a shallow dive. The jet exploded on impactwith the ground. Leonard’s mother, Wilhelmina Bird,lives in Michigan, said the Navy just contacted

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her in 2000 to let her know that they were still search-ing for Leonard’s remains in the area where her son’saircraft went down.

“There is not a day I don’t think of him, even thoughit is quite a long time ago,” she said. “He was a won-derful young man and a very loving son. He wasalways happy and could only see the good in all of hisfriends. He enlisted in the Marines and when I askedhim why, he said he felt it was his duty to his country.”

The Bird family lived on Madison Ave. in Cliftonuntil Leonard was seven years old, at which time they moved to Wilmington, Delaware.

In between his junior and senior years at the Universityof Delaware, where he was studying engineering, Birdenrolled in a 12-week Marine Corps program at Quantico,Va. This enabled him to earn a commission in the Marinesafter his graduation from college in 1966.

Afterward, he attended aviation school, flew F-4Phanthom jets and eventually trained as a navigator. InJune, 1967, he married Patricia Kosey. Six monthslater, 1st Lt. Bird was in Vietnam, assigned to theMarine Fighter/Attack Squadron 115, Marine AircraftGroup 13 of the First Marine Air Wing. While there, heflew 253 missions. In some cases, he logged fourflights within a 20-hour stretch. Among his decorationswere the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for serv-ice on May 14, 1968, and a posthumous Purple Heart.

His family never knew how dangerous his missionswere. Bird’s wife, Patricia, was attending a summerschool class when she was called outside to speak to aMarine major.

“At first, I thought it was Lenny and I laughed,” shesaid. “Then he told me that my husband was dead. Wewere so sure that he’d be back. So, so sure. We hadplans. He was going to study business administration atthe Wharton School.”

During his first tour ofduty over Vietnam, MarineCaptain Richard F.Corcoran was woundedthree times. The last time,shrapnel hit him and heunderwent major surgery.

After recuperating inOkinawa, Cocoran, whowas a pilot, returned to theStates for an eight-week

intensive training course in aerial observation. By the fallof 1967, he was back in Vietnam. He had another month

RICHARD CORCORAN

Frank attended School #5, WWMS,CHS ‘83, St Peter’s College, B.A.Economics and the Thomas Cooley

School of Law, J.D. Frank grew up inthe Albion section and currently resideswith his family in Delawanna. “I am

committed to Clifton’s future. Please con-sider making me one of your seven votes

on Election Day. Thank You.”

Re-ElectFrank Fusco

#17 #17

Please visit me at:

www.fusco2010.comPaid for by: Fusco2010, T. Costello, Treasurer 296 East 6th Street, Clifton, NJ 07011

Council Commitment... I will:• Continue to be dedicated to the full-time responsibility• Continue to be accessible to the taxpayers 24\7• Never stop working hard to improve the daily lives of Clifton residents

Fiscal Stability... In the last four years, I have taken action which:• Improved Clifton’s cash flow and dollar surplus• Restored Clifton’s ability to bond for infrastructure improvements• Created the opportunity for new and innovative economic re-development

Community Involvement... I pledge to:• Remain an active participant in every neighborhood civic association• Remain a helping hand to every school, religious, & charitable organization• Remain an activist for the rights of every citizen of Clifton

The Next Four Years... I am committed to:• Guiding Clifton thru the worst economic times since the Great Depression• Finding credible, sensible and responsible revisions to the municipal budget,

including a further review of the sewer fee• Restructuring and redefining the way we deliver city services

Sarah, Frank, Nadine & Kaitlin


left in his second tour when the small observation planein which he was flying crashed on a hilltop in the vicin-ity of Quang Tri on June 7, 1968.

Born on Aug. 21, 1938 in St. Mary’s Hospital inPassaic, Corcoran grew up on Burlington Road, in theAllwood section. By the time of his death, his parents,William and Agnes, had moved to Florida.

Corcoran attended St. Thomas the Apostle School inBloomfield and St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. He con-tinued his education at St. Mary’s College in Marylandand Providence College in Rhode Island, where he grad-uated in 1961.

That year, Corcoran then entered the Marine Corpsand was commissioned a second lieutenant after trainingat Quantico, Va. Corcoran never married. He left behinda brother, William Jr., and two sisters, Patricia and Eileen.Corcoran’s father, William, worked for Hewitt RobinsInc. in Passaic for 50 years until he retired in 1962. Theelder Corcoran was among the organizers of both theAllwood Civic League and the Civic Club of Allwood.

The son of Frank andHilda Campbell, DonaldB. Campbell was born inPassaic on May 31, 1936.The Campbells lived inClifton from 1952 to 1958before they moved toWayne and later, toBirmingham, Alabama.

After graduating highschool in 1954, Donald

attended Auburn University for two years and thenenrolled in the Naval Air Cadet Station, located inPensacola, Fla. He enlisted in the Marine Corps inJune 1957 and began flight training the followingspring. In December 1959, he was commissioned asecond lieutenant.

“He was qualified to fly the A4E Skyhawk, theC130 Hercules and also flew refueling missions aswell as support early on in Vietnam,” said Donald’ssister, Judy Stine, who lives in Wayne.

While stationed at Chu Lai during his third tour ofduty in the Far East, Campbell, who now held therank of major, embarked on a bombing mission onJuly 28, 1968. His plane never returned. It is unclear

whether the aircraft was hit by ground fire or failed torecover from a dive-bombing maneuver. Campbellwas unable to eject and the aircraft crashed.

Stine said her brother was buried with full militaryhonors at Arlington National Cemetery.

A Different Kind of CasualtyDying while in service to country has many meanings.That’s why the names of seven Clifton servicemen whodied in a 1961 military plane crash are engraved on thewar monument in Main Memorial Park (also on page 29of this magazine). During the Vietnam War, more than 20percent of the 58,193 Americans who died—10,811—were classified as non-combat deaths. In 1968, accidentsclaimed the lives of two servicemen from Clifton.

Born in Clifton onOctober 4, 1928, HowardElmer Van Vliet graduat-ed from Clifton HighSchool and attended theNewark College ofEngineering (Now NewJersey Institute ofTechonology) for twoyears before joining theAir Force around the time

that the Korean War first erupted.During that three year “police action,” Van Vliet

flew an F-84 fighter and his actions earned him theDistinguished Flying Cross. In the years betweenKorea and Vietnam, Van Vliet earned a degree fromFlorida State University and performed militaryduties in France and Germany.

In April 1968, he started his Vietnam tour. A fewweeks after he celebrated his 40th birthday on Oct. 4,Major Van Vliet and 23 other servicemen died whentheir C-47 transport plane crashed while en routefrom Saigon to Hong Kong.

The cause of the crash, which occurred either onOct. 20 or 21, was attributed to engine trouble.

Van Vliet left behind a wife and three daughters.At the time of his death, his mother, Winifred, livedon Hamilton Avenue, and his sister, Mrs. Edna Budz,resided on Eighth St.


DONALD CAMPBELL

HOWARD VAN VLIET


Born Feb. 19, 1948 inPassaic, John D. Francespent most of his life inClifton. On many daysduring his growing years,he could be found enjoy-ing the various activitiesthat took place at theClifton Boys Club.

He attended CliftonHigh School but left early

to enroll at Lincoln Tech in Newark, from which hegraduated with honors. After receiving his draft noticefrom the Army, he began his military service in December 1967.

He completed basic training at Fort Dix, NJ andCamp Gordon, GA and rose to the rank of sergeant.

In the early summer of 1968, France returned homefor a 30-day leave and spent a lot of time with hisfriends at the Jersey shore. He also bought a motorcylein Clifton and had it shipped to his new post, FortLeonard Wood in Missouri.

While there, France awaited the order that thousandsbefore him had received: a one-year tour of duty inVietnam. He spent his time at Fort Wood and wasreceiving training to be a military policeman.

“He was thinking about becoming a state trooperafter his army service ended,” said France’s mother,Harriet, who when interviewed for this story 10 yearsago, still lived in Clifton with her husband, John.

On Aug. 29, while driving a motorcyle through thenearby town of St. Roberts in Missouri, on his wayback to his base, a car coming in the opposite directioncrossed the median and collided with him head-on.

France died from the impact. Ironically, the driver ofthe other vehicle was a soldier who had just recentlyreturned from Vietnam.

Besides his parents, France also left behind twoyounger sisters, Karen and Janis, who were attendingClifton schools at the time of their brother’s death.

By April 1969, U.S. combat deaths in Vietnam hadovertaken the 33,629 Americans who died in the KoreanWar. That same month, the number of American forcesin Vietnam reached its highest level: 543,000. A gradualtroop withdrawal began in the summer.

Back home, the “Curse of the Kennedys” continuedwhen Sen. Edward Kennedy drove his car off a bridgeon Chappaquiddick Island in Martha’s Vineyard,resulting in the death of his passenger, Mary JoKopechne. Two days later, on July 20, Neil Armstrongbecame the first man to set foot on the moon.

In October, the New York Mets amazed the baseballworld by winning the World Series, nine months afterJoe Namath and the Jets achieved a similar feat by win-ning the Super Bowl.

On Nov. 15, anti-war demonstrations reached a peakwhen 250,000 protesters marched in Washington D.C.The following day, the media broke the story of MyLai, which occurred the previous year. Although onlyone officer was eventually tried and found guilty of warcrimes in connection with the incident, the unsettlingnews caused more Americans to question the conductof the war in Vietnam, the images of which were broad-cast daily on the evening news.

In Clifton, telegrams and military personnel contin-ued to arrive in the city to inform families of their loss,including these brief profiles of five young men whodied during the last year of a tumultuous decade.

JOHN FRANCE


Paid for by Committee to Elect Roy Noonburg

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13 On May 11, Vote # Clifton City Council

During the Vietnam War,MEDEVAC, or medicalevacuation, helicoptersflew nearly 500,000 mis-sions. When 20-year-oldFrank David Moorman ofClifton was wounded inaction on Jan. 23, 1969, hecould count on being at ahospital in less than onehour. He never got that far.After taking off, the heli-

copter was hit by enemy fire and crashed. For more than seven years, the Army listed Moorman

as missing in action. Moorman’s mother, who lived onWashington Ave. received the news that her son wasmissing in action on her birthday.

As Mrs. Moorman awaited closure on her son, theArmy, as is its custom, posthumously promotedMoorman over the years, eventually to staff sergeant.His remains were finally recovered on April 8, 1976,more than seven years after his death. A funeral servicewas held at Arlington National Cemetery, whereMoorman was laid to rest.

It is unclear when Moorman started his tour of duty inVietnam. Research shows that he served with CompanyD of the 4th Infantry Division, U.S. Army. Moorman wasa parishioner at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cliftonand a number of his family members worked at AtheniaSteel. Born and raised in Clifton, Moorman eventuallywent to live with an uncle in Glen Rock in BergenCounty, which is where he graduated high school. Hebegan his service in the military shortly afterward.

Nicholas Frank Cerratolived most of his life inPaterson, where he wasborn on December 27,1947. While attendingPassaic Valley HighSchool, he worked on thestage and lighting crew. Healso belonged to the St.John’s Boy Scouts andworked at the Big AppleSupermarket in Wayne

before he entered the service, at which time he hadmoved to Martha Ave. in Clifton.

FRANK MOOREMAN

Nicholas Cerrato


He arrived in Vietnam in June 1968, as a Ranger withthe 1st Division. Cerrato received a Purple Heart forwounds he sustained while on patrol in early 1969.Cerrato, who held the rank of Spec. 4, also received theBronze Star. Cerrato was killed in action on May 10,1969. After his death, Cerrato’s mother Katherine becameactive with the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of ForeignWar Post 7165. Cerrato’s grandparents and his brother,Frank, also lived in Clifton at the time of his death.

Little is known about Robert Prete or EdwardDeitman because no family members could be found.But there is one thread that ties them together. Theyapparently began their service in Vietnam knowing thatthey would soon be a father. A resident of Piffard, N.Y.,Robert Prete was born on Aug. 2, 1947. In the fall of1967, he married Felicia Tencza, whose parents, Mr. andMrs. Joseph Tencza, resided on Lakeview Ave. in Clifton.

At the time of his death, Prete, who held the rank of ser-geant, was reported to have been in Vietnam for eightmonths. His obituary states that he had a seven-month-olddaughter. Prete had been attached to the 101st AirborneDivision. While serving in Thua Thien Province on April3, 1969, he was killed by a mortar blast.

Sixteen days after the death of Prete, Edward Deitmanarrived in Vietnam. Deitman had just celebrated his 26thbirthday about two weeks before his arrival. Like Prete,Deitman also served in Thua Thien province. Less thanone month later—May 17—he was dead. The cause of hisdeath is unknown.

A posting on the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’Memorial Foundation Web Site from Deitman’s friend,Michael Long, revealed the most information about thisClifton serviceman: “Ed Deitman and his wife, Iris, werethe closest friends of myself and my then wife Judy whileEd and I attended the NCO academy at Fort Sill,Oklahoma. Ed was a gentle soul, a good friend and a lov-ing husband who left Iris expecting their first child whenhe was sent to Vietnam.

“He went in country a few weeks ahead of me. Ireceived a letter from Iris notifying us of Ed’s death on theeve of my own departure, making it a more solemnmoment. I remember him often for his simple love of hiswife, his mother, his unborn child and his love of life. Imiss him still.”

Late in 1968, the Cyranfamily of Samuel Avenuehad little time to celebratethe safe return fromVietnam of their eldestson, Air Force Sgt. JohnCyran Jr. That’s becausetheir other son, RichardCyran, had just receivedhis orders from the Armyto go there.

Richard, a 1967 gradu-ate of CHS, began his tour in Vietnam in November.Holding the rank of Spec. 4, he served as a driver forCompany B, 4th Battalion of the 23rd Infantry, 25thInfantry Division. During his time there, he received thePurple Heart for wounds suffered in action.

Richard died in Tay Ninh province on June 6, 1969,the 25th anniversary of the day that thousands ofAmericans from the previous generation had died on thebeaches of Normandy, France.

Overcome by grief, Richard’s father, John Cyran,expressed his anger about the mounting casualties to anewspaper reporter at the time. To the elder Cyran, thewar could not be justified. It was a feeling that contin-ued to grow. By the time of Richard’s death, 36,000 sonshad died in Vietnam. Besides his brother and parents,Richard also had three sisters, including Josephine, whostill lives in Clifton.

When Clifton Merchantrequested informationabout residents who hadserved in Vietnam, one ofthe most poignant respons-es came from the family ofGuy Tulp.

Cynthia Safonte, Guy’ssister, was 11 years old anda student at School No. 2when she learned of her

brother’s death. Years later, Cynthia’s daughter,Francine, was asked by a teacher to write an essay about

Richard Cyran

Guy Tulp

Robert Prete

Edward Deitman


her American hero. Francine chose the uncle that shenever knew. Here’s an excerpt from that essay.

“The reason I have chosen my uncle is because he iswhat America stands for. He represents America’sfinest... He fought for the people’s rights and for whathe believed in, and that is what makes this country sostrong and powerful.”

Cynthia said her daughter’s essay is a reminder thatVietnam not only affected the people who lived throughthose times, but also impacts future generations.

“I was just my daughter’s age when my brother diedas she was when she wrote this paper. And now she isthe same age as Guy was when he joined the service,”said Cynthia.

Born in Jersey City on Jan. 8, 1949, Tulp came toClifton when he was about six years old. He was theoldest of four children born to Guyler and JosephineTulp. Besides Guy and his sister Cynthia, the Tulp fam-ily, who lived on Thanksgiving Lane, included Gary andRobert. While attending CHS Tulp worked part-time atthe Parkway Service Center at Van Houten Ave. andBroad St. He worshiped at St. Phillip’s Church.

A few months before he was to graduate Clifton Highin 1967, Tulp enlisted in the Marines with four of hisfriends. While in the service, he earned his high schoolequivalency diploma. In Dec. 1967, he became engagedto Tracie Dudinyak of Clifton.

He arrived in Vietnam in July 1968. Sometimearound Feb. 1969, he was wounded in action and spentthree weeks recuperating at a hospital in Vietnam.

On April 30, 1969, Tulp’s outfit, the SecondCombined Action Group, was ambushed about 15 milesfrom Dang Nam. During the attack, a missile shellexploded and killed Tulp. In another 83 days, his tour ofduty in Vietnam would have ended.

Although he never livedhere, Donald Scott, spent alot of time in the city, as heoften paid visits to hisgrandmother, JanetMurdoch, who lived onCottage Court. Scott, whowas born on July 4, 1949,would later join theMarines, attain the rank oflance corporal and spend

five months in Vietnam, from March 1968 to his death onAug. 2, 1968.

A quarter of a century later, as the Vietnam section ofthe monument was being planned, Murdoch asked thatthe Clifton War Veterans Alliance Monument Committeehonor her grandson’s memory by including his name.Recognizing that a sacrifice of this kind knows no bound-aries, the monument committee agreed.

Two people who knew Scott shared their memoriesthrough the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ MemorialFoundation Web Site.

“My older sister was the same age as Donald and wentto high school with him,” said Sharon Vanna Cuff.“Although I wasn’t a friend of Donald’s, Harrison wassuch a small town that I felt personally connected to him.When I heard of his death, it brought the war home to meand made it very real and very ugly. I have never forgot-ten Donald and I will never forget to honor him in mythoughts and prayers every day of my life.”

Dave Grady, a resident of Easton, PA, served in thesame outfit as Scott and was with his friend during theartillery barrage in Quang Nam that claimed Scott’s life.

“Red was a good Marine and friend through some dif-ficult times,” said Grady. “Although I knew him for onlymonths, we shared much and I felt he was like a brother.I never recovered from his loss and will always remem-ber him. I hope he is at peace wherever he is.”

Born on October 4, 1941and raised in Garfield,William George Sipos hadmany friends in Clifton,thanks to his years at PopePius XII High School,which graduated a numberof Cliftonites, includingElaine Wolfer, a member ofthe Class of 1959.

“I thought he was one ofthe nicest guys in the world,” said Wolfer, who retiredafter a long teaching career at Clifton High School. “Hewas very serious-minded and the kind of person whowould never think of pulling a practical joke, yet hemaintained a great sense of humor.”

At Pope Pius, Sipos served as captain of the football,basketball and baseball teams. Under the leader-

Donald Scott

William Sipos


ship of Sipos, the school’s baseball and football teamswon state championships.

After graduating 16th in a class of 168 at PopePius in 1959, Sipos entered the United States MilitaryAcademy at West Point, where he garnered headlinesas a stand-out football player, as both a quarterbackand defensive back. Among the players he competedagainst were Roger Staubach and Mike Ditka.

After graduating West Point in 1963, Sipos choseto join the Air Force. From 1964 to 1966 he servedwith the 3rd Air Transport Squadron. At the end of1966, his wife gave birth to a daughter, Michele. Hethen began a year’s tour of duty in Vietnam, pilotingthe Cessna 0-1 “Bird Dog” aircraft on reconnaissancemissions, which involved marking targets withsmoke rockets.

In March 1967, he received a promotion to cap-tain. Sixteen days after his promotion, on April 6,1967, his plane was shot down in Quang Nam byground gunfire. His body was transported back homeand interred at West Point.

Besides his wife and daughter, Sipos left behindtwo younger brothers, Robert and Joseph, and hisparents, who lived on Hartmann Avenue in Garfield.Sipos’s name can be found on both the Clifton andGarfield war monuments.

Many historians point tothe assassination ofPresident Kennedy onNov. 22, 1963 as the daythat we lost our inno-cence forever. Threedays after that tragedy,Clifton native WilliamMalcolm, the commanderof the honor guard atArlington NationalCemetery, helped

America bury it’s leader.In his 1967 book, The Death of a President, noted

historian William Manchester described Malcolm’srole on that hisotrical day:

“At the rim of the hill, Sgt. William Malcolmbarked: “Ready!” A squad from the Old Guard exe-cuted a half-right face, whacked the ground with thebutts of their M-1s, and came to port arms.

Malcolm ordered “Aim!” The rifles came uptogether at a 45-degree angle. Then: “Fire!” Theneat crack resounded across the copses and dells of

William Malcolm


We Recall the Post Memberswho Died this past year...

Clifton Memorial Post 347American LegionCommander Domenic Chiappone • Past Commander Lou Poles

God Bless Our Veterans • God Bless America

• John Basilotto• Joseph Constantine• Daniel Dandy• Anthony Hurey• Anthony Furino

• Eugene Pulsinelle• Adolph Soltis• Albin Swaluk• Christopher Sotiro

Arlington as it had, for this squad, in four thousandfunerals before.”

The following year, Malcolm performed similarservice at the funeral of General Douglas MacArthur.Six years after that, Malcolm died in Vietnam. He isthe last Clifton serviceman to lose his life in theVietnam War.

“Bill was regular Army and a good soldier,” saidClifton resident Melvin Hockwitt. “We were friendsthrough high school. We hung out a lot and used togo hunting together.”

When Malcolm married Nancy Binkert of Toledo,Ohio, Hockwitt served as the best man.

“She was a registered nurse and I think Bill mether in Washington, D.C.,” Hockwitt said. “We allwent out to Ohio for the wedding.”

Born on Sept. 4, 1941, William Edward Malcolmlived on Bergen Avenue in Clifton and worshiped atSt. Paul Church. He was the son of William andMary Malcolm, who also had a daughter, MaryElizabeth.

The elder Malcolm served as a staff sergeant in theArmy Engineers during World War II and Korea andlater worked for the Clifton Public WorksDepartment. Aunts and uncles included Mr. and Mrs.Anthony Stasiak and Mrs. Rose Malcolm.

After graduating Clifton High in 1960, Malcolmfollowed his father’s footsteps and entered the Army.After four years of duty at Arlington NationalCemetery, Malcolm was transferred to Germany,where he served for about three years. He began histour of duty in Vietnam in September 1969.

Waiting at their home in Tennessee for his safearrival were Malcolm’s wife and three children, whoranged in age from 3 to 5.

Back in Clifton, Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm had putaside a bottle of champagne, which would only beopened when their son returned. Bill kept in touchwith his parents, informing them of his whereaboutsduring his final tour of duty: “Keep the champagnecold. I’ll be home in 140 days.”

On May 5, 1970, while serving as the acting fieldfirst sergeant of Company C, 502nd Battalion, 101stAirborne Division, Malcolm was killed by enemyartillery fire in Thua Thein, near the DMZ.

His death occurred less than a week after U. S. andSouth Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia, in anattempt to destroy Viet Cong bases.

The day before Malcolm died, four students werekilled at Kent State University in Ohio by NationalGuardsmen during an anti-war protest.


This Memorial Day & Every Day of the Year...

Honor Our Veterans!God Bless America!On May 31, pause and reflect on the sacrifices and service of our Veterans.

Surrogate Bill Bate

The body of Michael Cahill is brought to St. Monica Catholic Church in Cameron, Texas, for his funeral on Sunday Nov.15, 2009. Michael Cahill, 62, a physician's assistant, was killed in the mass shootings at Fort Hood. Photo by JayJanner/Austin American-Statesman

World War OneLouis Ablezer

Andrew Blahut

Timothy Condon

John Crozier

Orrie De Groot

Olivo De Luca

Italo De Mattia

August De Rose

Jurgen Dykstra

Seraphin Fiori

Ralph GallassoOtto Geipel

Mayo GiustinaPeter HoroschakEmilio Lazzerin Joseph LiechtyJacob Morf, Jr.William Morf

Edwin C. Peterson

Robert H. RoatAlfred SifferlenJames R. Stone

Carmelo UricchioAngelo VaretoniMichael VernarecCornelius VisbeckIgnatius Wusching

Bertie ZanettiOtto B. Zanetti

Army Sgt. David C. Van Dillen served for16 months in France during World War Iand returned home to Clifton safely.


Charles M. LabashDirector

Michael A. WallerDirector

James J. MarroccoManager, NJ Lic No. 3320

W W W.M A R R O C C O S.C O M

• James Basile• John Basilotto• Robert F. Busha• Joseph Constantine• Anthony D’Amato• Domenic J.

De Benedetto• Richard J. De Luca• George Fekete• Douglas Fischer• Anthony Furino

• Anthony Genchi Sr.• Dennis J. Gloede• John James Grace• Robert Grollimund• Frank Koslosky• Norman A. Magnoli• Stanley Joseph

Makowski• James F. Mullen Jr.• Frederick Murphy• Joseph H. Paliani

• John J. Pianezza Jr.• Raymond Pickett• Vito ‘Vic’ Scangarello• Joseph P. Schafer• John Sciaino• Norman G. Smith• William R.

Sundermann• Stefan Tatarenko• Frank M. Varesano• Attilio Venturelli• Jennie K. Wood

Because the memory will live forever.Over the past year, we have had theprivilege of serving the families ofmany veterans. In recognition ofthe service these veterans renderedto their country, we would like toshow our appreciation thisMemorial Day. In memory of theirlives and their service, we recall...

470 Colfax Ave.(corner of Broad St.)

973-249-6111


World War TwoJoseph SperlingCharles Peterson

Thomas DonnellanJerry Toth

Frank LennonJoseph CarboyJulius WeisfeldEdward Ladwik

Israel RabkinPeter PagnilloHarold WeeksWilliam Weeks

Salvatore Favata Herman AdamsEdward Kostecki

Charles Hooyman, Jr.Salvatore Michelli

Richard NovakJames PotterAdam Liptak

John Van KirkCarlyle Malmstrom

Francis GormleyCharles StanchakJoseph Ladwik

Karl GermelmannRobert Stevens

Albert TauWilliam Scott

Benjamin PuzioJames Van NessGregory Jahn

Nicholas StanchakFrank Smith, Jr

Carl BredahlDonald YahnJoseph Belli

Edwin KalinkaStanley SwiftCharles Lotz

Joseph PrebolWalter Nazar

Benedict VitalThaddeus Bukowski

Leo GrossmanMichael Kashey

Stephen MessineoJohn JanekJohn Yanick

Herbert GibbWilliam NalesnikJoseph SowmaBronislaus PitakHarry Tamboer

John OlearJohhn Koropchak

Joseph NugentSteven Gombocs

Thomas GulaRaymond CurleyHarry Earnshaw

James HenryJohn Layton

Charles Messineo

Tim and Toby with their dad Tom.“As we reflect on the past &consider the future, we hope

you find peace & health.”

1313 Van Houten AvenueClifton, NJ 07013

Phone 973 546-2000Timothy J. Bizub, Mgr.

NJ Lic. No. 4022

515 Lexington AvenueClifton, NJ 07011

Phone 973 777-4332Thomas J. Bizub, Mgr.

NJ Lic. No. 2732www.bizub.com

Founder Joseph T. Bizub who in 1923established Bizub's Funeral Home at 205 Third St. in Passaic. For three generations, our family has proudly served our community.

Joseph PetruskaBogert TerpstraJohn Kotulick

Peter VroegindayMichael SobolDonald SangAndew Sanko

George Zeim, Jr.Robert Van Liere Vernon BrosemanHarold O’KeefeEdward Palffy

Dennis SzabadayLewis CosmanoStanley Scott, Jr.Charles Hulyo, Jr.Arnold Hutton

Frank BarthJohn Kanyo

Bryce LeightyJoseph Bertneskie

Samuel BychekLouis NettoDavid Ward

Edward RembiszLawrence Zanetti

Alfred JonesStephen Blondek

John BulynGerhard Kaden

William LawrenceRobert Doherty

Samuel GuglielmoRobert ParkerJoseph MolsonStephen KuchaJames De Biase

Dominick GianniManuel MarcosNicholas Palko

William SlyboomHerman Teubner

Thomas CommiciottoStephen Surgent Albert Bertneskie

Charles GashPeter Jacklin

Peter Shraga,Jr.John Aspesi

Micheal LadyczkaEdward MarcheseRobert Stephan

Roelof Holster, Jr.Alex HossackSiber Speer

Frank KlimockSalvatore Procopio

Harry BreenGordon Tomea, Jr.Douglas GleesonFred Hazekamp

Harold RoyAndrew Servas, Jr.

Francis Alesso


In Loving Memory of our Founder

Joseph M. Shook, Sr.March 15, 1924 - June 9, 2008

Shook Funeral Home, Inc.Over 54 Years of Service,

Still Proudly Family Owned & Operated

639 Van Houten Ave • Clifton973-471-9620

Roy B. GarretsonManager, NJ Lic.#3550

Nancy Shook GarretsonPresident, NJ Lic.#3657

Memorial Day is much more than

a three-day weekend that marks the

beginning of summer.

To many people, especially the

nation’s thousands of combat

veterans, this day, which has a

history stretching back all the way

to the Civil War, is an important

reminder of those who died in the

service of their country.

This Memorial Day, take the time

to reflect on the service of those

who have served our nation and

raise a flag in their honor.

God Bless Our Veterans!

The Shook Family


World War TwoWalter Bobzin

Vincent LazzaroJohn Op’t HofJoseph Sondey

John ZierPeter Hellrigel

Steve LukaArthur Vanden Bree

Harold BakerHans Fester

Patrick ConklinJohn Thompson

Thomas Dutton, Jr.Harold Ferris, Jr.

Donald FredaJoseph Guerra

Edward HornbeckWilliam HromniakStephen Petrilak

Wayne WellsVincent Montalbano

James MilesLouis Kloss

Andrew KacmarcikJohn Hallam

Anthony LeanzaWilliam Sieper

Sylvester CancellieriGeorge Worschak

Frank UrrichioAndrew Marchincak

Carl AndersonGeorge Holmes

Edward StadtmauerKermit Goss

George HuemmerAlexander Yewko

Emil Chaplin John HushlerEdgar Coury

Robert HubingerWilbur Lee

Vito Venezia

Joseph RussinErnest Yedlick

Charles CannizzoMichael BarberoJoseph PalaganoWilliam Hadrys

Joseph Hoffer, Jr.Joseph PiccoloJohn RobinsonFrank TorkosArthur MayerEdward JaskotGeorge RussellFrank Groseibl

Richard Van VlietBenjamin Boyko

Harry CarlinePaul DominoJohn FusiakLouis Ritz

William NiaderAlfred Aiple

Mario Taverna


Sebastian De LottoMatthew Bartnowski

John BogertJoseph Collura

Matthew DanielsJames Doland, Jr.Walter DolginkoPeter KonapakaAlfred Masseroni

Charles MerloStephen Miskevich

John PtasienskiLeo Schmidt

Robert TeichmanLouis VuoncinoRichard Vecellio

Robert HegmannErnest TriemerJohn Peterson

Richard Vander Laan, Jr.Stephan Kucha‘Gigito’ Netto

Memorial Day Weekend CeremoniesSunday, May 30

• 1 pm - Dedication of Field of Honor, Avenue of Flags

• 7 pm - Volunteers decorate the area around the War Monument in Main Memorial Park with American Flag.

Monday, May 31

• 6 am - Avenue of Flags Set-up at City Hall

• 8:15 am - Fire Dept. Memorial at the Brighton Rd. Firehouse

• 9 am - Memorial Day Parade, Hepburn Rd.

• 9:30 am - Allwood Memorial at Chelsea Park

• 11 am - City Wide Memorial Day Service at Main Memorial Park, Guest Speaker NJ National Guard Colonel Jorge J. Martinez

• Noon - Military Order of Purple Hearts at the Clifton Library

• 12:30 pm - Post 347 Memorial at the Clifton Rec Center

• 2 pm - Athenia Veterans Memorial on Huron Ave.

• 6 pm - Avenue of Flags Take Down at City Hall


Korean WarDonald Frost

Ernest HausslerWilliam KullerJoseph Amato

Herbert DemarestGeorge ForneliusEdward Luisser

Reynold CampbellLouis Le SterDennis Dyt

Raymond HalendwanyJohn CrawbuckErnest Hagbery

William Gould

Edward Flanagan

William Snyder

Allen Hiller

Arthur Grundman

Donald Brannon

Vietnam WarAlfred Pino

Thomas Dando

William Sipos

Bohdan Kowal

Robert Kruger, Jr.

Bruce McFadyen

Carrol Wilke

Keith Perrelli

William Zalewski

Louis Grove

Clifford Jones, Jr.

George McClelland

Richard Corcoran

John Bilenski

Donald Campbell

James Strangeway, Jr.

Donald Scott

Howard Van Vliet

Frank Moorman

Robert Prete

Guyler Tulp

Nicholas Cerrato

Edward Deitman

Richard Cyran

Leszek Kulaczkowski

William Malcolm

Leonard Bird

John France

Stephen Stefaniak Jr.

Nov. 8, 1961Plane Crash

Robert De Vogel

Vernon Griggs

Robert Marositz

Robert Rinaldi

Raymond Shamberger

Harold Skoglund

Willis Van Ess, Jr.

US Army/Special Forces Captain MichaelTarlavsky was killed in Najaf, Iraq on Aug.12, 2004 and buried with honors inArlington National Cemetery on Aug. 24.Tarlavsky, CHS Class of ‘92, was captain ofthe Swim Team and enlisted in the Army in1996. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan andwas awarded the Bronze Star. He is survivedby his wife Tricia, their son Joseph, his parents Yury and Rimma anda sister, Elina. The Veterans Alliance engraved his name on the MainAvenue War Memorial in 2004— the first name added in 34 years.

The Iraq War

Our goal is to list each name accurately and without omission.

If you feel there is an error, pleasewrite to us with the correction. Seepage 4 for our address. Thank you.


He still remembers it clearly.The deafening roar of thehelicopter as it flew over theintense firefight at the LZ below.The pilot skillfully maneuveringinto position over a blast crater onthe face of a pockmarked hill thatwas being utilized by anAmerican mortar team. The jumpinto the arms of his waitingcomrades on the ground.

“Welcome to Hell on a Hill!” Richard Scott grabbed the

outstretched hand of the soldier,preventing him from tumblingdown the rocky hill. Then theslender man with thin mustacheand thick Kentucky accent pulledout a dirty map, relayed the ordersand Scott entered the frenzy.

Suffice to say, he remembers theSummer of ‘69 a bit differently thanmost people. It was right at the endof Scott’s one year stint in Vietnamas a demolitions expert in the USArmy 101st Airborne Divison andincluded two major offensives:Operation Massachusetts Strike andOperation Apache Snow.

Like many servicemen at thattime, Scott was drafted by the gov-ernment shortly after graduatingfrom Clifton High in 1968.

“Half of the local guys, they alljoined the Marines,” he said. “Abunch of us from here went to theArmy. Fort Camel [in Kentucky,for basic training].” Two of theindividuals to make the trip wereFrank Griceo, who Scott saidearned the Bronze Star for hisactions at Hamburger Hill, andRichie Cyran, the first soldier fromAthenia to die in Vietnam.

A Year In Country Story by Joe Hawrylko

Richard Scott opens up about at his time in Vietnam...


$1OFF $3OffExpires 12/31/10. Limit one coupon/person. Not valid withany other offer or promotion. Clifton store only.

Expires 12/31/10. Limit one coupon/person. Not validwith any other offer or promotion. Clifton store only.

AnyCake Deep

Dish Pie

AnyMenuItem*

or excludes Kiddie Cups &Cones, Quarts, Cakes & Pies

“We grew up together, and we all left NewarkAirport together,” he said. Scott was in boot byNovember of 1968, and soon after the New Year, hewas on a plane bound for Vietnam.

“It was hot and it smelled bad,” he laughed. “That’sthe first thing you realize when you get off the planeis—ah, this smells bad.”

Scott was designated as an engineer and had the dan-gerous task of clearing roadways of mines.

“There was really no training,” said Scott. “Youwere lucky if you had a couple old times to show youthe ropes. All the experienced guys leave in groups.”

But unlike modern day bomb sweepers in Iraq, hedidn’t have the luxury of a remote control robot or thickbody armor to shield him from a blast. Scott had to relyon his eyes and a small detector, forcing him to get dan-gerously close to the explosives.

“For $99, you could buy a better one in K-Mart,” helaughed. Scott learned that uneven terrain on a dirtroad was usually an indicator of a bomb. Eventually,the military began paving over frequently used roads toeliminate the threat of mines. However, boobytraps,like a grenade in a tin can with a string tied to the pin,presented a hidden threat.

Death loomed ominously around every corner, be itin the jungle, in the village, or even major cities.

“Every day was OJT [On the Job Training]. Youlearn fast and if you’re lucky, you stay alive,” recalledScott, who remembers fellow soldier no so lucky.“There was a guy from the company down at a sectionof the road just north of us. He lost both of his legs.”

Before he even left for the war zone, he had heard allabout the perils of the jungle and the terrible atrocitiesgoing on in the country. But Scott said the storiescouldn’t possibly prepare him for the experience. Hecame in as a wide-eyed youngster from New Jersey andleft as a battle hardened Vietnam veteran.

“You get used to it. After a couple months, whenyou’ve been in the field a few times,” said Scott.“Definitely after the first fire fight. It was what it was.You got better at it. You get a little more relaxed.Occasionally, there was sniper fire here and there. Yousaw a little of everything.”

But outside of any kind of necessary interaction,new soldiers were largely on their own the first fewweeks. The grizzled vets remain aloof—inexperiencein the jungle can lead to a swift death.

“You don’t stay too close to cherries, because cher-ries get you killed,” said Scott. “The first time I wentout on recon, the guys didn’t talk to me for three days.”

He said that soldiers eventually relent and start open-ing up to new guys if they manage to survive for a fewweeks in country. They are assimilated into the group,each member looking to just do his job, keep his headlow and eventually return home.

“You get a date and you know that date. When it gotclose to it, you get down to the hours and minutes,” saidScott. “The first few months, you’re like how longhave you been in country. The last two months, you’recounting down the time.”

When his duty came to an end in 1970, Scottreturned home to a country in turmoil. Though he hadseen the media reports and protests before he left, Scottwas hardly prepared for the reception he would receive.

“When we came home, everyone treated us like[poorly]” he said. “You don’t realize how bad it wasuntil you got back. The media was a bigger enemy tous than the real enemy.”

However, during Scott’s stint in Vietnam, encounterswith journalists were rare.

“We didn’t see much of that [war reporters],” hesaid. “We were really out in the jungle. I didn’t see aflushing toilet for a year. We ate rations from theKorean War.”


UNICO National9th Annual Fundraiser Clifton-Passaic Chapter

Bliss Venue & Lounge, 955 Allwood Rd., Clifton973-773-2110 • blisslounge.netLOUNGELOUNGE

11:30pm

Cash Bar

5 for $15 Coors Light

Buckets$1.50 Hot Dogs

plus menu avaiable by Buco’s

8:30pm

plus DJ Lugghead &Capt Weej & other Guests!

Friday June 4 6 pm-3 am

18 to Enter, 21 to Drink

Advance Tickets $10$12 at the Door. To purchase, contact:Bliss Lounge 955 Allwood Rd., Clifton

Wed-Sat, 8-11 pm, 973-773-2110 Dan Pugliese, Brookwood 973-919-8495Joe Gaccione, Clifton Jr. Mustang Football

973-777-7330 Bobby Cardillo, Clifton [email protected]

Sebastian of Blisserine973-493-0101 or [email protected]

7:30pm

10:30pm

UNICO is Service Above SelfTotal Net Door & Bar Proceeds to Benefit

• Unico Italian American Scholarship Fund• Clifton Junior Mustang Football

• Clifton HS Project Graduation • Clifton Stallions Soccer


I’ve lived in Dutch Hill for 10 years and as my wife Christine and I look to thefuture, we see challenges, strengths and opportunities in all of our diverseneighborhoods—and that’s why I have chosen to run for City Council. Despitethe tough times we face, I believe I will be a positive leader for our future.

I have served as a Passaic Police Officer for 20 years where I have been thegrant writer and today serve as the spokesperson for the Department. At theage of 43, I have a long record of community service and would like to bringthat experience to our hometown. If you or your group would like to meet ortalk, write to [email protected].

My Goals for Making Clifton a Better Place to Live...1. Stabilize Taxes & Seek More Grants 2. Maintain & Expand Senior Citizen & Recreational Programs3. Address Quality of Life Issues with Stronger Enforcement4. Preserve Services such as EMS, Fire, Police & DPW5. Move the City Forward through Citizen Participation

paid for by the Andrew A. White Campaign Committee

Honesty •Integrity •Taxpayers First for a Better Clifton •Vote #12

But that didn’t stop anyone from lumping him inwith those responsible for war crimes.

“Everywhere you go, people—even friends of yourswho went to college—had their opinions of the war,”Scott continued. “I would tell them we’re not crazy,we’re not all baby killers.”

The stigma of the war followed him when he tried toassimilate back into civilian life. Scott recalled how hewas encouraged to not report that he had served in thewar on a job application by an interviewer.

“He said nobody wants combat vets from Vietnam,”he recalled. “You’re all crazy.”

“It wasn’t like World War I or World War II—thoseguys are all heroes,” Scott continued. “It still pisses meoff. And we still get treated that way from the VA[Veteran Affairs]. I know guys who have been fightingfor benefits for 40 years.”

He added that New Jersey has more veterans eligiblefor benefits that almost any other state, yet most aren’tcollecting. Scott said that veterans organizations, likethe Athenia Vets post which he is a member of, serve avital function in the community. In addition to promot-ing veteran rights, such groups create awareness in thecommunity.

“These programs are good and they need supportand members to stay alive,” said Scott. “I’d like to seemore young guys join, but I know how they feel.”

For years, he didn’t talk much about his war experi-ences. Unlike those who served in WWII, who general-ly are more open about their service history, Scott saidmany Vietnam vets are hesitant to join veteran organiza-tions or talk about their experiences because of what theysaw and the stigma that is still attached to the war.

Scott himself waited some 35 years to get involvedin the Athenia Veterans Post. He began hanging out atthe Huron Ave. building a few years ago after befriend-ing some of the regulars, but never decided to becomean official member.

Then, when sitting at the bar one day, he overheardsome older members lamenting how they could not finda Vietnam veteran to place a wreath for a MemorialDay observation. Scott knew he had to step up and doit for his brothers who are no longer here.

Since then, he’s become a regular at the Post, whetherit’s enjoying a drink or visiting friends at events. Hisinvolvement in the hellish Vietnam War drew Scott tothe Post. But his desire to preserve the memory of hisfriend, Richie Cyran—and all the others who perishedin that war—is what keeps him a member.

The Athenia Veterans Memorial Day services are onMay 31 at 2 pm, with a brunch to follow. The bar willbe open. The Post also hosts a Mother’s Day brunch onMay 9, from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. Tickets are $14 inadvance and $16 at the door. Call 973-778-0931.


Dave with his daughter Talia, a 3rd grader at

St. Andrew’s RC School

The Future is Now!

On May 11th, please consider me as one of your 7 Council votes,so that I can utilize my knowledge, skill and leadership abilities to

help guide Clifton through these challenging economic times.

Sincerely, Dave D’Arco

paid for by David D’Arco Campaign Committee, Melissa D’Arco Treasurer

If elected, my goals include...Review/analyze the productivity of all municipaldepartments to ensure greater accountability andmore productivity throughout our government.Explore consolidation of services with othermunicipalities/boards while working with PassaicCounty officials to increase services we receive.With City & County Economic Development,work to attract businesses to appropriate areas &encourage ‘smart’ new development.Ensure Clifton Recreation facilities are utilizedby city residents only, where Federal law allows.Review the process for making appointments tomunicipal boards and commissions to attract,select and retain the best qualified candidates.Implement a line item budget review to identifyareas of opportunity for savings or concern.Ensure that department heads are heldaccountable for the application of Private, Stateand Federal grants.

VOTE #4

Above, Dave with Campaign Committee, bottom left Dave’simmediate family and right, Congressman Pascrell with Dave


Across the nation, the ranks of veterans posts areshrinking. Those who served in World War II make up amajority of the rosters and that generation is, on average,about 88 years old. Vets who served in Vietnam to presentdays war are less interested in joining.

Michael Rembish, a member of the Athenia VeteransPost on Huron Ave., is taking steps to increase the ranks.“[The Athenia Veterans] have about 200 members. It was250 a few years ago,” said Rembish, President of theFriends of the Athenia Veterans. “In the 50s and 60s, wesupposedly had around 1,400 members.”

The FAV was formed in 2005 to support the AtheniaVets in organizing and setting up events, generate aware-ness about the Post and to allow those who had not servedin the military to join, much like the Ladies’ Auxiliary.“You have to have good character, be over 21 and youhave to help out on functions,” said Rembish.

The FAV started with six members and has now grownto 27. Rembish explained that the group first started outby primarily helping set up for events, whether it wasstringing lights for a holiday event or placing crosses andJewish stars on the front lawn for Memorial Day services.

“We purposely overstock our staff so that one personisn’t stuck with all the chores,” said Rembish.

In addition to the Post events, the group holds its ownfunctions. Rembish explained that most of the AVP’smembers are from prior to the Vietnam War, and don’tshare many interests with younger veterans.

The FAV hosts younger rock bands and other events atthe Post to keep it active. But although younger membersand FAV have different tastes and interests, the end goal isthe same: Support our America’s Veterans. “Our motto is:In addition to, not instead of,” said Rembish. For moreinfo or to join the FAV, call 862-571-0496.Other Veteran groups in Clifton:

• American Legion Quentin Roosevelt Post 8, 16 West First St., 973-253-9933

• VFW Post 7165, 491 Valley Rd., 973-523-9762

• Disabled American Vets/Military Order of Purple Heart 315 Hazel St., 973-772-9708

• VFW Post 6487, 913 Bloomfield Ave., 973-519-0858

• American Legion Post 347, 1232 Main Ave., 973-546-9876

• Jewish War Veterans, c/o Scoles Ave. YM/YWHA Jewish Center

Ranks of Veterans Groups Thinning


Victor Olizarowicz isn’t fromClifton, but over 65 years later, heremembers several other veteransthat were. Olizarowicz, who nowlives in Holyoke, Massachusetts,was drafted and sent to Camp Dixon Dec. 19, 1942. He received hisbasic and advanced training atCamp Carson, Colorado.

“That’s where I met CharlieMessineo,” recalled Olizarowicz.

The two were assigned to the49th Engineer Combat Battalion CCompany, 2nd platoon. There weresome other Clifton guys in thatgroup as well: Platoon leader S.Sergeant William Pavlick, BuckCorporal Joseph Mendyke, PFCCharles Messino and truck driverNicholas Fierreo. 1st Platoon wasled by another Cliftonite in JosephR. Sondey.

The 49th participated in theinvasion of Normandy on June 6,1944. “We landed at 0630 am, ‘H’Hour,” explained Olizarowicz.

“We were the first wave. We land-ed at Utah Beach, Uncle RedSector. We were attached to the 4thInfantry Division....We had a

Memories Never DieFriends, family recall service history of Clifton Veterans

Story by Joe Hawrylko

In their skivvie: Charles Messino, Victor Olizarowicz, Richard Curran, Bob Walters.


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few casualties, nothing serious.Charlie Messineo had a piece ofshrapnel in his nose.”

Olizarowicz and the Cliftonboys escaped D-Day relativelyunharmed. Then on June 11, justpast midnight, C Company movedinto position for an attack and wasawaiting orders.“We were sitting,waiting to flank when a Germanplane flies by without shooting atus,” recalled Olizarowicz. “A USguy in a truck starts shooting at itand it draws the plane in.”

The pilot strafed the Americanposition and released his bombs. Atleast one was a direct hit on thetruck, and in that vehicle wasCharles Messineo, who perished.

“Charlie was a very good buddyof mine,” lamented Olizarowicz.

C Company continued to makeits way across Europe and towardsthe advanced Allies lines. In lateDecember of 1944, Olizarowiczfound himself at the Battle of theBulge. C Company was tasked withslowing the German advance, andengineers laid mines and demol-ished roadways and bridges.

Eventually, the Nazis were forcedback and Olizarowicz had to go andremove the mines, which were nowfrozen into the ground.

“We had to loosen up the frozenground to pick up the mines,” saidOlizarowicz. “It was bitter cold and

someone got a little too careless andhit a mine. That’s when we lost fouror five men from the 1st platoon.Joseph Sondey was one of the menkilled.”

According to our records at theMerchant, Sondey, then 28, waskilled on Jan. 3, 1945. He hadalready been overseas for 18 monthsand had been wounded in the Fall of1944 while fighting in France.

Bronislaus PitakJoe Pitak remembers his uncle,Bronislaus C. Pitak, who waskilled in action over the skies ofEngland on April 9, 1944.

“I knew my father had brothers,”said Joe, who provided a copy of astory from a local newspaper whichdetails his uncle’s passing while incombat. “I’m the nephew he nevermet. But I’m not forgetting abouthim. Please tell his story.”

Pitak was an aerial gunner andassistant radio operator on a B-17Flying Fortress and was hailed inthe media as a hero for his partici-pation in an American bombingraid on Romania’s Ploesti oil fields.

Pitak entered the service on Aug.1, 1942 and was assigned to theArmy Air Force. He relieved histraining in Miami and then attendedradio school in Sioux Falls, SD.Gunnery school in Ft. Meyers, FLwas the last stop for Pitak beforebeing shipped to England.

There, he earned theDistinguished Flying Cross for hisparticipation in the Ploesti oil fieldraid on Aug. 1, 1943. Pitak alsoreceived the Air Medal, and hissquadron was received citationfrom Brigadier General Stahm forbraving enemy fighters and anti-airweaponry. At times, the FlyingFortress was so low to the groundthat that it was in danger from theexploding targets below.

Having completed his regularmissions, he signed up for an extrarun. Pitak’s fortress was in routineflying formation, when a strayplane emerged from the clouds andcollided with friendlies. Pitak wasone of seven killed from his tenmember crew on April 9.

Today, some 66 years later, thelegacy of Bronislaus C. Pitak isnow part of Clifton history.

Thanks to your support, we are on our bicycles and cycling300 miles to Washington, D.C. to create awareness of policeofficers who have died in the line of duty and to raise fundsfor the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

For more on the tour, visit PoliceUnityTour.comFor more on the Clifton PBA: CliftonPBA36.com


Emil SovaRudy Hudak remembers hisfriend, Emil Sova, a P-47 pilot whowas shot down during the Invasionof Normandy. Sova and his squadronwere providing cover for the flyingfortresses. His orders were to bombthe targets at the beach line, and thenswing back around and strafe any-thing that moves.

However, one of the bombs hereleased detonated early, damaginghis aircraft. Sova pulled up high,way above the clouds to give himselftime to bail, but eventually regainedcontrol. When he descended, hecouldn’t find anyone from hissquadron. One of his wingmen erro-neously reported that Sova wentdown after seeing the explosion.

Still, the Cliftonite went aheadand followed orders. He swung backbehind the line and searched for tar-gets, eventually finding a train. Hestrafed it, but on the second pass,was hit with return fire and shotdown. Sova parachuted and landedin a tree. He was slightly injuredfrom the fall, but climbed down andeventually was picked up by aGerman patrol.

The Nazis realized he was a pilotand accused him of being a Chicagogangster—German propagandaportrayed American pilots as beingruthless killers from the mob. Sova

was about to be shot on site, until aGerman officer stepped in, sayingthe American would be treated fairlyas a prisoner of war, just like he wasin World War I.

Sova was driven several hoursaway to a holding cell. He wasinterrogated, and revealed noinformation. Over the course of twoweeks, Sova was transferred toseveral facilities, where Germanofficers failed to gain any sensitiveinformation from the American.

Eventually, he was transported tothe infamous POW processingstation, Dulag Luft. Sova wasinterrogated several times over thenext two weeks before beingtransported to Sagan Stalag Luft III.

Sova described the long ride in aprisoner train car as miserable.There were 75 prisoners and twoguards in a space that could barelyhold half that. The soldiers workedout a rotation where prisoners wouldspend four hours on the floor, fouron the benches, four in the luggagerack and then four standing up.

“Clumsy prowlers stepped oneverything but the floor,” wroteSova. “Some fell out of racks.Others relieved themselves on thefloor of the car rather than riskstepping on men and wakingeveryone when the person steppedon screamed in pain.”

He estimated that the train arrivedin Sagan around July 7. The campbarracks were poorly constructed,the thin walls allowing the bitter coldnip at the POWs as they slept onuncomfortable straw mattresses.

“Our every thoughts were onfood, our loved ones and the possi-bility of our escape or liberation,”said Sova.

The Germans kept a watchful eyeon their prisoners. Searches wereconducted at random for radios, tun-nels and the like. The Nazis wouldput holes in food cans so its contentswould spoil, but the POWs usedmargarine to seal it.

The POWs were fed just barelyenough to keep them from starving.Sova recalled cutting bread andseeing saw dust trickle out. Whensoup was served, it often containedworms.

German guards—known as fer-rets to the POWs—patrolled shallowtrenches below the barracks to listenin on conversations. Sova recalledpouring buckets of water on the floorand onto the heads of the Nazis as acountermeasure.

The chances of a successfulescape were slim, but POWs triedseveral times. Sova recalled 1944The Great Escape, which was under-taken by a different group of prison-ers in the North Compound. Sometwo hundred Allies planned to



leave through a tunnel they hadlabored over for months. But after81 got through, guards spotted theprisoners. Fifty were killed on thespot, and only three made it back totheir units.

With the Russians closing in, theNazis forced the prisoners onto adeath march through the bitter winter.On Jan. 28, 1945, troops led theAllies through the woods, hikingsome 18 hours a day with theRussians just 30 miles behind.

Men would fall asleep on theirfeet and drop off into the snow drifts.Frostbite set in. Sova was known tothe Germans as a ‘commando’, sincehe was patrolling the line and round-ing up any stragglers who were unfitto walk and placing them on a trans-port. Eventually, the marchersreached Nuremberg on Feb. 4.

But on April 4, the Nazis decidedto move the prisoners again, this timeto Moosburg in Bavaria. It was herethat Sova was eventually liberated byGeneral Patton on April 29, 1945.

Fred G. DeVidoLou Poles remembers his father,Army Air Force Captain Fred G.DeVido, who served during WorldWar II from 1942 to 1945.

DeVido trained in Miami, Floridawith the movie star Clark Gable.First in his high school class,DeVido was stationed in GeneralGeorge Patton’s office, where heworked on secret codes and missionsin North Africa. He later found him-self in England for D-Day with the8th Army Air Force. DeVido wasstationed in Paris when the Alliesdefeated Nazi Germany. With theEuropean Theatre wrapped up,DeVido was shipped to the US WestCoast to prepare for OperationDownfall. However, the two atomicbombs and Japan’s subsequent sur-render spared DeVido from havingto attack the heavily defended island.

DeVido then returned home toClifton, where he went on to a polit-ical career. He was elected to CityCouncil in 1946, and served as

Mayor from 1950 to 1954. Formany years, DeVido worked as alawyer and practiced real estate forSteve Dudiak, Clifton’s famousbuilder and civic leader.

Poles himself is also a veteran,having served in the Army from1955 to 1956. The Clifton sportshistorian was stationed in Alaska,where he manned the Distant EarlyWarning radar—the first line ofdefense against a Russian sneakattack through Alaska.


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It was a reminder of the danger that was all aroundhim. Except Dutch Hoogstraten didn’t see it that way.He thought it was damn funny.

Dutch had stopped off that morning October 7, 1967,at a Vietnamese restaurant with his boss, Lt. ColonelBob Sanders, and a South Vietnamese commander andhis deputy. The four men wanted breakfast before lead-ing their battalions on a search and destroy mission.They sat around a table, eating their soupy meal, pick-ing the meat out with chopsticks. Dutch’s machine gunrested on the dirt floor leaning against the table, his hathanging over the muzzle.

As they ate, Dutch’s hat began to dance and wobble.A rat had silently crawled up the machine gun andunder the hat’s brim and was now gnawing at it. Dutchslammed the rat to the floor with the back of his hand,never letting go of the chopsticks threaded between hisfingers. The four men laughed like hell. They enjoyedmoments like these. It might be the last laugh they’dhave before a bullet ended their lives.

Later that day, Dutch Hoogstraten would be closer tothat bullet than ever before. The rat was an omen—death could sneak up on you in Vietnam. And, if youwent looking for it like Dutch would do that day, italmost never missed.

Fateful MorningBy 8 am, two battalions of 1,600 South Vietnamese

soldiers had fanned out across the Tan Ba jungle, westof the Bien Hoa Air Base. Captain Hoogstraten was oneof four United States officers helping lead the mission.

The air was hot and humid, and Dutch and his men

trudged through knee-high underbrush, looking toengage the enemy. That wouldn’t be a problem. Inpreparation for the upcoming Tet Offensive, a wave ofVietcong and North Vietnamese Army troops hadsecretly deployed and waited in the jungle.

One of Clifton’s GreatestDutch Hoogstraten in Vietnam Story by Jack De Vries

Our November 2001 cover, featuring Dutch Hoogstraten.


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By 8:30 am, all hell broke loose as the enemy openedfire. To his left, Hoogstraten could hear shots fired andsaw smoke wafting up, a signal some of his troops werein trouble. He moved toward the fighting as the battaliontook up a safer position behind him.

When Hoogstraten got about a quarter-mile from thesmoke, he learned an entire company of soldiers waspinned down by the enemy. Two or three were wounded,lying out in the open under intense fire.

Dutch didn’t hesitate. Along with two other Americansoldiers, he raced to retrieve the fallen men and bringthem to safety.

“First you hear the bullet fly past you,” he described.“Then you hear the bang. When you can hear the bulletwhiz past your head, you know it’s close.”

The men ran through the brush, diving to the junglefloor several times to avoid enemy fire. Behind them, theSouth Vietnamese troops shot cover fire over their heads,hoping to give Dutch and his men enough time to reachthe wounded.

“You really don’t think about fear at a time like that,”Hoogstraten described. “It all boils down to training. Youalso care for your comrades who have been wounded.But it’s the training that gives you the focus, brings youto that point where you do what needs to be done.”

When Dutch reached the men, his shirt was soakedthrough with perspiration. The men he had come to res-cue were covered in blood—unconscious but alive. “Ididn’t know if they were fatally wounded or not,” herecalled. “I didn’t think of that. I only cared about gettingthem out of there.”

Lifting the wounded onto their backs, Dutch and theother rescuers began crawling through the brush, againthrough the enemy fire.

More bullets whizzed past, cutting into the brusharound them. Incredibly, they made it back to their line,hoping to evacuate the injured by helicopter.

But the enemy would not quit. Hoogstraten deter-mined it was not safe to land the “dust off” helicopter.Again braving the assault, he and another soldier begansearching for a second landing area.

They found one at the top of a hill, about 150 yardsfrom their location. After contacting the helicopter,Dutch raced back to help carry the wounded back up thehill to the new evacuation spot. With the men safelyaboard, he returned to his position as the SouthVietnamese battalions surrounded the enemy forces.

“We captured a number of them,” he said. “And wecaptured some weapons. Later, we learned this

was the initial infiltration for theJanuary Tet Offensive. We blockedthat, at least for the time being.”

The men Hoogstraten helped tosave recovered from their woundsand returned to their units. “Thatnight, we went down to the offi-cer’s club,” Dutch remembered. “Ihad so much adrenaline in my sys-tem that, I don’t know how manyscotches I had, but I was sober.”

Hoogstraten’s heroism did notgo unnoticed.

“It was through CaptainHoogstraten’s continuous encour-agement and his constant display of

courage,” wrote Captain Edward J.Johnson, “that all of the woundedand dead were evacuated from thefield of battle. His conspicuous gal-lantry and intrepidity at the risk ofhis life above and beyond the callof duty was directly responsible forthe saving of two Vietnameseallies.”

For his actions, Richard B.Hoogstraten, son of Dutch immi-grants and former quarterback forClifton High School, was awardedthe prestigious Silver Star. GeneralWilliam C. Westmoreland, com-mander of the U.S. Military assis-

tance Command in Vietnam, pre-sented the medal.

“A sportswriter,” Hoogstratenremembered in his 2001 interviewwith Jack DeVries, “wrote ‘thatmaybe as he was running throughthis fire, it reminded him of thetime that he was running on thegridiron.’ That kind of struck a bell.The training and discipline youderive from sports and teamworkgets carried over for teamwork inthe military.”

Naturally, the Cliftonite trainedunder one of the best coaches in thecountry: The legendary Joe Grecco.

Hoogstraten remembers the daywell—the first time he ever set footinside Clifton School Stadium. As heentered, he saw Coach Grecco walk-ing toward him, his eyes dark, hisface serious. The man who had builtthe Mustangs into a football power-house after years of losing lookeddown at Dutch and his friends andsaid, “Good morning, men.”

“That was the first time I wascalled a man in my life,”Hoogstraten said. “Here I was, 13years old, and this big gap tooth guywas calling me a man.”

For his first two seasons, he wasa backup before quarterbacking the1952 and 1953 teams to a sharedSection I Group IV StateChampionship. Hoogstraten thentook a scholarship to LehighUniversity, where he starred in base-ball. He also enrolled in the ROTCprogram, which was the start of alength military career that conclud-ed in 1984. Hoogstraten was dis-charged as a colonel.

He then went on to work withNewport News Shipbuilding untilOctober 2000, managing a trainingprogram for submarines and aircraftcarriers. Dutch Hoogstraten passedaway in 2005.


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Over the past three months, we have published a total of

15 City Council candidate profiles. However, at the

polls on May 11, you’ll see 19 names. That’s because Mary

Sadrakula, Frank Gaccione, Ray Grabowski and Matt

Grabowski declined to interview with us. On the following

pages, you’ll find photos of those candidates who did meet

with us as well as a synopsis of each of their profiles.

Jim AnzaldiIncumbent first elected 1978;seeks eighth term

Mayor Jim Anzaldi ismaking yet another run at aCity Council seat. He believesthat his more than 30 years ofexperience will be a benefit tothe Council.

In 2009, Anzaldi was named President of the NewJersey League of Municipalities. Though his termends this summer, he feels the experience will grantClifton more presence on the state level. He hopes totackle the latest round of mandates from the Councilon Affordable Housing (COAH), which requiresmunicipalities to make low rent housing unitsavailable to certain individuals or risk lawsuit from

developers. The Mayor said he is also concerned withbinding arbitration, pensions and healthcare costs.

The Mayor said that his past term was one of hismost difficult in his lengthy career. Like most, Anzaldiexpressed concern over the impact the economy willhave on the budget. He said the layoff of 80 municipalworkers in 2009 was protecting the taxpayer, and theMayor said he is willing to take such measures again,if necessary.

Anzaldi talked about his experience, and said thatthe seasoned current Council works well together andrarely has outbursts. That has allowed the electedbody to address quality of life issues.

Anzaldi said the Council has tackled illegalhousing. He added that the preservation of SchultheisFarm and the groundbreaking of Athenia Steel Parkshows the Council is serious about preserving openspace.

Clifton Voter’s Guide19 Candidates by Joe Hawrylko


Dan BrownChallenger

As a newcomer, Dan Brown islooking forward to workingwith established Councilmembers and injecting newthoughts into the politicalprocess.

Brown would like to addresshealth care contributions and pensions in upcominglabor negotiations. He believes that Governor ChrisChristie may bring about positive changes in unionnegotiations that may allow municipalities moreleverage. He cited taxes and quality of life as his twomain concerns.

Brown said that the Council needs to stress theimportance of business, especially that of largercorporations and franchises. It is the role of electedofficials to be ‘cheerleaders’ for important causes.

Brown explained that he is a proponent ofundertaking a study to examine the different types ofgovernment available. He would also consider movingthe Council elections to November to save money.

The candidate said that his hard work, dedicationand community involvement should be important to

voters. Brown, currently unemployed, graduated fromRutgers University School of Law in 2001 andrepresents indigent clients in appeals on behalf of theNJ Office of the Public Defender with his wife,Suzannah.

He has previously worked as an Assistant Prosecutorfor Essex County. He tutors students at the CliftonPublic Library, is a member of the Regional Chamberof Commerce and is active in St. Brendan’s Church.

Joe ChidiacChallenger; ran in 2006

Joe Chidiac embarks on his sec-ond bid for City Council, andbelieves voters will recognizethat he’s an independent candi-date with the highest level ofintegrity. He said that he is a reg-ular citizen—not a politician—

and does not accept donations.Chidiac said that the current Council has done an

admirable job, given the economic circumstances.However, he believes it’s time for new ideas and con-cepts on the Council. Chidiac said he plans to stay inClifton, but said it may be impossible if the quality of


life isn’t improved and taxes raises aren’t halted.One of the first steps is reviewing city contracts to

see where waste is. Chidiac said that many servicesthat the city contracts out could be handled by theDPW. He added that snow removal can be improvedwith smaller Chevy S10 pickup trucks. Chidiac alsowould like to improve recycling pick up by addingdrop-off locations across town.

The candidate also expressed his desire to be toughin negotiations, and said he talked about dual fire andpolice patrols. Chidiac also would like to repeal theNAACP agreement that allows for non-resident hires inthe fire department.

The candidate said that Council members need to gobeyond the normal job requirements for an elected offi-cial. Chidiac believes that the Council should encour-age businesses to go the extra mile to generate revenueand taxes.

He also would like the Council members to use theirinfluence in Zoning and Planning Board issues to facil-itate quick, one-meeting responses.

Chidiac would also like to explore changing govern-ment. He is in favor of term limits, but is skeptical ofchanging to a November election due to political influ-ence. The candidate said he is also in favor of Clifton’scurrent City Manager-Council form of government.

Dave D’ArcoChallenger

Dave D’Arco believes there’s alack of leadership and accounta-bility on the Council. He feelshe could bring both of thosequalities if elected.

The candidate said that Cliftonhas undergone a change, with

families moving out because they are unable to afford tolive in town due to high taxes. D’Arco said this is dueto wasteful spending and a lack of accountability byCouncil members and City Manager Al Greco.

The candidate said he’s not advocating a change ingovernment, but just more oversight from all partiesinvolved. D’Arco, a Paterson police officer for 11years, said city services have deteriorated becauseissues are not promptly addressed by the Council andGreco. He added that he would like to see more policepresence, provided that the Council can find funds orgrants to finance new hires.

Though he has no political experience, D’Arco refer-enced his community service. The candidate was pres-ident of the local chapter of the Italian-American serv-ice organization, UNICO, from 2005 to 2009.


Peter EaglerIncumbent

Peter Eagler seeks his secondconsecutive term after a fouryear hiatus from the CityCouncil. During his Councilbid in 2006, Eagler lamentedthe squabbling between mem-bers, something he said hasbeen rectified during his tenure.

The incumbent listed quality of life as one of his toppriorities.

Eagler is particularly concerned with the DPW. Hesaid that the Council alleviated problems with leafremoval by forcing residents to use bags, but said moremust be done to improve services and cut waste.

Eagler said that the quality of life could possibly beimproved by changing Clifton’s government. Headded that he would support a study to explore the pos-sible options, and favors the direct election of themayor. The incumbent also hinted at his desire for anappointed Board of Ed, but said he doubts residentswould approve.

Eagler, who left his Council position in 2002 andwent on to become a state assemblyman and PassaicCounty Freeholder, said he wouldn’t rule out a similar

run in the future. Eagler said he would also like toreverse an agreement with the NAACP that requiresClifton to consider hiring employees from outside ofthe city limits.

Frank FuscoIncumbent

Frank Fusco said he’s satisfiedwith his first term on the Counciland thinks he’s done a goodenough job to be elected by vot-ers this May. The incumbentsaid his main accomplishmenthas ensuring fiscal responsibility

on the Council Fusco said he is spearheading restruc-turing efforts sweeping through City Hall.

The Councilman said he and his peers were able tomitigate the affects of the recession and state fundingcuts through smart budgeting.

Fusco also said he would be against moving theCouncil elections to November—especially during hiscurrent term—as he feels it would cost challengersmore money and increase partisan participation in therace. He also stated his desire to see campaign spend-ing kept under $25,000 by candidates.

Fusco said he has accomplished most of his


Good news for those consideringbunion surgery: over 90% of thepatients who had the procedure saythey experienced significant painrelief, increased their physical activityand would recommend it to others.

The patients surveyed by theAmerican College of Foot and AnkleSurgeons (ACFAS) had surgery per-formed by a foot and ankle surgeonto correct bunions within the past 6to 24 months.

“Often those who can benefitfrom the surgery avoid it and contin-ue to endure pain because theyhave heard that surgery doesn’twork and is excessively painful,”said Thomas Graziano, MD, DPM,FACFAS, a foot and ankle surgeonin Clifton. “The truth is advancedsurgical techniques have allowed usto effectively correct bunion deformi-ties with excellent outcomes interms of pain relief and improvedquality of life.”

A bunion is the result of unduestress on the big toe joint, whichcauses a protuberance of bone ortissue around that joint. Bunionscan be very painful, inhibit normalwalking, and make it difficult to fitinto some shoes.

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2006 campaign pledges, including focusing on redevel-opment along Main Ave. and in Botany Village. Fuscowould still like to hire an urban planner, and said talksare in the works for an NJ Transit platform inDelawanna.

The Councilman said his plans and goals are realis-tic, and residents know he is qualified and capable ofworking with his peers on the elected body.

Frank GaccioneChallenger; previously servedon Council 2002-2006

For the second election in arow, Gaccione chose to notinterview with this publication.

Anthony GenchiChallenger; ran in 1998

A ten year veteran of thePlanning Board, AnthonyGenchi said it’s time to run forCouncil to have a greaterimpact on Clifton.

The candidate explained thatthe city has always been aboutfamilies, but recent tax hikesand a decline in services is driving those families out ofClifton. Genchi said his main priority is to stabilize thebudget and generate creative revenue streams, butdeclined to discuss those plans in detail until he iselected, so he can speak with city attorneys and notmislead the public.

The candidate lamented the Council’s inability tobring swift resolution to resident concerns that arevoiced at City Council meetings. He also criticized theelected body for implementing the sewer tax. Genchisaid that the controversial fee was because of the reces-sion. However, he added that the Council should haveseen the signs and steered Clifton away from layoffs andother financial repercussions. Genchi noted that hewould vote for layoffs if no other options were available.

The candidate is in favor of department restructur-ing, but declined to identify areas where money couldbe saved. Genchi added that he would like to see thenew DPW supervisor work in the field with hisemployees. He also addressed illegal housing, calling

for weekend and evening inspections.The candidate said he is in favor of moving elections

to November to save money, but added that he wouldnot like to change the form of government.

Matt GrabowskiChallenger

Grabowski insisted on beinginterviewed with his brotherRay Grabowski, despite ourpolicy of interviewing candi-dates as individuals. “A lot ofthe old timers can’t grasp thatwe’re running together,” hesaid a month ago. “It’s not easy for two brothers torun together. Me, my brother, my campaign managerand ten other people agreed that we would only do itthis way. Why can’t there be an exception?”

Ray GrabowskiChallenger

Ray Grabowski declined inter-view requests due to our policythat candidates must be inter-viewed as individuals.

Steve HatalaIncumbent first elected in 1998seeks fourth term; also servedseven years on Board ofEducation

Steve Hatala believes that vot-ers will look at this past termand recognize his ability tomake tough, but fiscally pru-

dent decisions. He said that he has demonstrated theability to vote in the best interests of the city, even if itgoes against popular opinion. The incumbent specifi-cally cited the sewer tax as move necessitated by abudget shortfall and the Council’s obligation in keep-ing city services.

As an established Councilman, Hatala said he has aunique understanding of the budget and what it takes torun the city. He is in favor of the Council’s City Hallrestructuring plan. Hatala would like to use

No Response

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the recession as a means to change the way business isrun at City Hall. That means analyzing everything tomake it more efficient, from personnel job titles toupgrading the city’s record keeping system.

Action is already taking place, with the hiring ofquality of life officers. The individuals will patrol thecity and write citations, freeing up valuable manpowerin the Police Department. Hatala estimated that copsspent between 15 to 17 percent of their shifts doingnon-police work. Still, he said there is more work to bedone, and looks forward to improving quality of life inhis next term.

Joe KolodziejChallenger; former Board ofEd commissioner 1999-2006;BOE Pres 2003-2006

Joe Kolodziej honed his skillson the Board of Education, andis now looking to take his fis-cally prudent ways to the CityCouncil. He had ponderedrunning for a seat for a bit, but the decision was madeafter his mother, Gloria Kolodziej, and CouncilmanJoe Cupoli opted to not seek re-election.,

The candidate said his experience is his greatest assetand voters will recall his accomplishments on theBoard. In addition to the BOE, Kolodziej has managedthe family manufacturing company, Conveyors byNorth America, for 25 years. He also served as thecommunity liaison for Assemblyman Thomas Giblin,and represented Athenia in ACTION Clifton. Kolodziejhopes to bring a business mentality to the Council.

Kolodziej said that the Council has been taking thecorrect steps to address the city’s fiscal state, but he crit-icized its members ability to execute efficiently. Thecandidate said the sewer tax is actually an estimatederived from summer usage, not user-based, as claimed.

Kolodziej said he would also like to look into alter-native revenue streams. He is in favor of purchasing

land in shopping districts to create metered lots.Money raised can be put towards investments in recre-ation, roadways and aging infrastructure that is direct-ly related to quality of life.

The candidate said the Council can possibly savemoney by utilizing the Board of Ed’s payroll systeminstead of a private company. Kolodziej said he wouldlike to cut expenses, but not to such a degree that it isdetrimental to services. The candidate said that the citycould possibly contract landscapers to maintain landsat-cost to free up DPW manpower. However, Kolodziejsaid he wants to bring a business mentality to theCouncil and would have no problem making tough cuts.

Roy NoonburgChallenger; ran in 2006

Roy Noonburg is making a sec-ond bid for City Council, thistime, with a little more experi-ence to his name. The candi-date is now a two year veteranof the Zoning Board ofAdjustment. In making manytough decisions that effectedmany residents, Noonburg has come away with agreater appreciation and understanding of the govern-ment’s role in its relationship with residents.

The candidate said that a lot of issues have to dowith communication, and said that service and ensuringthat residents needs are promptly addressed would beatop his priority list. He said quality of life officers area great first step for improving Clifton both financiallyand aesthetically, but more is needed. Noonburg rec-ommended raising the costs of fees for permits andother services.

Noonburg, a former Clifton Police Officer, wouldlike a comprehensive review of all departments forwaste. However, speaking from experience, he believesthat most departments are running on a slim budget.The candidate would also like to review the sewer tax.

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Mary SadrakulaChallenger

Sadrakula did not return any ofour interview requests duringthe month of February.

Joan SalenskyChallenger

Joan Salensky has worked inthe City Hall BuildingDepartment for 33 years, andfeels she’s every bit as experi-enced as current Council mem-bers, which is why she is run-ning for office. If elected, she

vowed to retire and become a full time Councilwoman.Salensky said the biggest challenge will be reducing

taxes while maintaining quality of life. One immediateway to address this is by hiring more inspectors to tack-le illegal housing, which the candidate said affectsproperty values and reduces city services. Salensky

would also like to deal with predatory real estate agentswho tell the working class that basement or atticdwellings are legal.

The candidate said that illegal housing is one reasonwhy a ward government wouldn’t work. Salensky saidrepresentatives would be more concerned aboutappeasing their voters than doing what is best for thecity. She explained that someone from Botany, a heavyrenter district, would not be interested in deal with ille-gal housing since so many voters there benefit from it.

The candidate also said she’d like to get the legaldepartment to look into repealing the NCAAP agree-ment that allows for non-residents to be hired in Clifton,adding that local employees will care more. Salenskystressed the need for department heads to be at Councilmeetings to improve responsiveness to problems.

She continued, adding that the layoffs have forcedemployees to become more efficient. She singled outthe DPW for absenteeism, and said that certain depart-ments, like recreation, still have bloated budgets.Salensky added that she would like to see City EngineerDominick Villano appointed as the DPW head.

The candidate said she is a proponent of the BrokenWindow Theory made popular by former New YorkCity Mayor Rudy Guiliani, and as a full timeCouncilwoman, Salensky added she will tackle any andall problems swiftly.

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No Response


Suzanna SiaChallenger

Suzanne Sia is a political new-comer, but that hasn’t stifledher desire to become a part ofthe process. Her motivation forrunning is simple: The Cliftonshe knew has changed. Taxeshave risen while servicesdecline, forcing families to move out.

Sia believes that departmental reviews are in orderto eliminate waste and improve efficiency. The candi-date is a program manager in information technology atMerck, and feels her expertise in budgets could be use-ful. Sia said that the DPW has improved service as oflate, but said it is not yet satisfactory. She feels a fulltime DPW director could alleviate a lot of problems.

Sia believes that voters will identify with her sinceshe is not a career politician, but has the experience andintelligence to be successful. The candidate added thatresidents would be more compelled to vote if the elec-tion were held in November. Sia also said she’d like toreview the different forms ofgovernment.

George SilvaChallenger; ran in 2006; 2007runoff election

George Silva believes that hisyears of involvement in thecommunity will finally pay div-idends at the polls this May,when he makes his third attemptat a Council seat.

The candidate is perhaps best known for his advoca-

cy of Botany Village, where he had owned a business,and in Dutch Hill, where he lives. But as involved ashe is, Silva said that it’s still difficult to understand theworkings of the government. If elected, he’d like tomake City Hall more transparent. Silva lamented thelack of communication with residents regarding thecity’s grant writing firm, Bruno Associates, the sewertax and the Ameripay scandal, among other issues.

Silva likes the concept of quality of life officers tocut waste and free up man power, but is skeptical thatlarge savings can be realized through organization. Hebelieves that many departments are already runningslim budgets. Silva added that he would like to workwith grantwriters and Passaic County Sheriff JerrySpeziale to get a greater police presence throughout thecity. With Silva’s encouragement, Speziale hasdeployed his officers in Botany Village.

The candidate also reiterated his desire to see a wardgovernment, or at least a study of the different availableoptions. Silva would like a November election to savemoney.

Matt WardIncumbent; seeks second term

Matt Ward said he believes hisgreatest accomplishment as aCouncilman has been his abili-ty to address quality of lifeconcerns. The incumbent saidhis role is to mediate, attempt-ing to solve small problems before they become large,city-wide issues.

Ward, who hails from the more urban eastern end ofClifton, said he is in touch with resident needs anddemands. In his own words, he described the role of

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Council members in this form of government as a cus-tomer service business.

However, Ward said he is also aware that Clifton’sresidents can’t afford another tax increase. He believeshe has demonstrated the ability to make tough deci-sions in mitigating the affects of the recession. Withmore tough times ahead, Ward said voters need anexperienced individual who is capable of serving thebest interests of the city as a whole. In addition to hisCouncil tenure, the incumbent served a three year termon the Board of Ed in 1999, serving as it’s presidentwhen the Board won voter approval for School 17.

Ward is also a proponent of changing Clifton’s gov-ernment. Though he did campaign on the issue in2006, the Councilman was unable to garner enoughvotes for such a measure, and hopes to continue hiswork on the issue in his next term.

Ward is in favor of moving the Council elections toNovember to increase voter participation and save anestimated $70,000 every four years. In seeing throughsuch a change, he would also like to renew discussionsabout changing the entire form of government.

Ward also said he favors the direct election of themayor; division of the city into districts, with a mix ofboth representatives elected from each district andmembers elected to represent the entire city; as well asstaggered elections.

Andrew WhiteChallenger

Andrew White comes into theelection with no political expe-rience but plenty of ambition.The Passaic Police Officer isrunning for Council to bringfresh, unique views to consider-ation. Taxes and quality of lifeare his main issues.

White praised the Council’s restructuring plan, andsaid his 20 years on the police force could be of bene-fit—the candidate noted that he has done grant writingwork for the PPD. He believes he can utilize his skillsand experience to eliminate waste and possibly bring inmore staff through state or federal funding, both in thePolice Department and elsewhere.

White pledged to maintain senior citizen and recre-ation services, and to analyze any cuts. The candidatecited the 2009 fire fighter layoffs as an example of a cutthat negatively affected critical services.

White would like to see the Council exert moreinfluence on the County and State levels and criticizedstate mandates and high taxes. He would like to havethe NJ League of Municipalities give a presentation onthe different forms of government. White, a formerACTION Clifton representative, lives in Dutch Hill.

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Wayne Demikoff took first in the April 20 Board ofEducation election, earning 3,086 votes. The formerBoard President was joined by Mary Kowal (2,783votes) who served on the BOE from 2005 to 20008, andGary Passenti (3,047), who is a Clifton Police Sergeant.

The three new members will join six seated commis-sioners who oversee a budget that accounts for nearlytwo thirds of resident tax bills. The Board also setspolicies for educating some 11,000 students in Clifton.

The sole incumbent in the race, Kim Renta—whoserved two consecutive terms on the Board—attracted2,674 votes. The two other commissioners whose termsexpired, Norm Tahan, who is a Clifton Deputy FireChief, and Jim St. Clair, a retired CHS Science teacher,chose not to seek re-election.

Other candidates and their tallies: Barbara Novak,2,254, Jack Houston, 2,235 and Joe Fazio, 1,056. PhilBinaso, a BOE candidate who refused to speak with thispublication, placed seventh with 2,175. Gina MarieScaduto, who filed the to run and then tried to remove hername from the ballot, received 508 votes.

At their reorganization meeting on April 28, theBoard re-appointed Jim Daley as President and select-ed Michael Paitchell as Vice President.

The first challenge for the BOE is to work with theCity Council in trimming more money from the$114,606,955 budget, which was defeated by a 3,721 to3,640 vote, also on April 20.

The slim margin was somewhat surprising, givingthe increasing burden on families during the recessionand pressure from Governor Chris Christie to defeatbudgets at the polls, resulting in more than half of allschool budgets in the state being defeated.

BOE Election ResultsDemikoff, Passenti and Kowal Win; Budget Defeated

Wayne Demikoff, Gary Passenti and Mary Kowal.

In November 1943, the CliftonTheater held Amateur Night everyWednesday. Weeks before, I hadcompeted by singing a favorite song,Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey, butdid not win. Instead, the winner wasan elderly man who played The StarSpangled Banner on his mouth organ.

Of course, I was devastated, but asan 8 year-old, I quickly resumed mybusy life of school and friends. Laterthat November, a strong hurricaneblew through Clifton. Power lines felland trees went down. It was a scarytime. In the days that followed, thingsreturned to normal but people wereleery of leaving their houses.

My dad received a phone call fromMr. Bert Wayne, the coordinator of theamateur show. Due to the storm,many contestants had cancelled.Knowing we lived close to the theatreon Barkley Ave., Mr. Wayne hopedthat I’d be willing to compete again.

Without thinking, my stage-managing dad (who fancied himself afine singer) said of course that Iwould. Panic set in!

I wore my hair in long pigtails andmy mother wasn’t home… she hadgone to her job at Western Electric, adefense plant. My dad, a bus driver,watched over the family in theevening. What would I wear… whatwould I sing? But dad had agreed andI didn’t question him.

Thinking quickly, he called thegirls next door, Jean and EleanorLindner, and had them braid my hairinto perfect pigtails. In my closetwas dad’s ace-in-the-hole – mycherished navy blue WAVES outfit.If the audience liked patriotic acts,my father would give them one theywouldn’t forget.

By Adeline DeLiberto DeVries

My Clifton Night of Fame

Outside the Clifton Theater where many people went to escape the hotsummer days in the 1940’s is the DeLiberto family. From left are Adeline;family friend Sonny Vincelli; future Clifton letter carrier Joe DeLiberto;future Clifton City Hall switchboard operator Sarah (DeLiberto) Lombardo;Vincenza DeLiberto, a defense plant worker and crossing guard at the oldSt. Paul’s R.C. School on Main Ave.; and proud father Joseph V. DeLiberto.At right: Adeline DeLiberto DeVries at age 11 and a recent photo.



There were 8,000 WAVES at the war’s end,representing more than 20 percent of the Navy’s totalstrength. Their name stood for “Women Accepted forVolunteer Emergency Service.”

These women freed many an able fighting men todefend our country by staffing control towers,medical facilities, packing parachutes, performingintelligence operations and various other duties. Iwore my uniform proudly and would have joined theWAVES if I was old enough.

We arrived at the theatre and went backstage.Surprisingly, the theatre was full… people were startingto go out again after the storm. I waited my turn asothers preceded me—mostly other singers and tapdancers. I wasn’t nervous but wished my mother couldhave been there. Busy at her job, she had no idea thiswas taking place. But my dad was ecstatic… his “littlegirl” would be in front of an audience and he expected

me to bring the house down. Well, on that night, I did. Here we were, in the midst of World War II, and I

stood at the center of the Clifton Theater stage singingloudly and confidently. Who could resist an 8 year-oldwith pigtails, wearing a WAVE suit and singing (Dad’sselection) You’re a Grand Old Flag?

The applause meter went as high as possible, and Iwon a $15 first prize—a lot of money in 1943!

We celebrated by going across the street to the localsweet shop and had ice cream sundaes. I was allowedto stay up until my mother came home, and I excitedlytold her of my wonderful night. She was justifiablyproud, especially with her two brothers away, serving inthe armed forces.

My mother also marveled at my dad’sresourcefulness. He smiled the entire night. With the$15, I bought a navy blue snowsuit with red embroidery.It warmed me throughout the long winter ahead and mylong walks to School 3 on Washington Ave. It was agrand night... one I’ll never forget!

Longtime Clifton resident Edna Siver considers her-self as very lucky to be living a modestly comfortablelife in these hard economic times. But the spry greatgrandmother who just turned 94 grew up during theGreat Depression of the 1930s, so she knows what it’slike to have to make ends meet.

“You better believe it was very tough during thosedays,” she said. “My mother sewed all our clothes andwhen we went to the store for food there was only somuch that we could afford to buy. We had a coal stovein the kitchen for heat and we would all huddle aroundit at night to keep warm. Kids today are unbelievablyspoiled. They have no idea what it was like to live dur-ing those times.”

Born in Newark, Siver moved with her family toCenter Street in Clifton when she was four years-old.She attended School 12 and the original Clifton HighSchool, which now houses Christopher ColumbusMiddle School.

Siver left high school after three years, following inthe footsteps of her best friend, to get job at a woolenmill in Garfield.

“My mother was furious at me for not finishingschool,” she said. “But I didn’t want to go to school any-more if my friend wasn’t going.”

In retrospect, Siver wishes she had gotten her highschool diploma. “Once you leave, you never go back,”she said. At age 19, she married her boyfriend Joe, whomshe had been dating for four years. He was three-and-a-half years older than Siver and worked as a textileengraver at the time.

The couple stayed in Clifton, first renting an apart-ment before buying the two-family home in Botany

Looking Back at 94 By Carol Leonard

My Clifton Night of Fame

While she drove a truck during WWII, Edna Sivertoday enjoys needlepoint and gardening.


Village, where Siver continues to live today. Her hus-band passed away five years ago at age 92.

Like many women during World War II, Siver took ona role that was pretty much exclusively held by men inthose days: truck driving. Her father had operated a busi-ness delivering ice, coal and fuel oil. When the war brokeout, Siver’s brother and the other young men whom herfather employed were drafted into the military.

“There weren’t many men around, so who was left –me,” she said. “I had to do it. Women had to pitch in todo a lot of the things while the men were overseas.”

Fortunately for Siver, her husband was working at thetime for Wright Aeronautics, which built the aircraft usedin the war effort, so he was exempt from the militarydraft. And her mother was able to care for their youngdaughter during the day, while Siver worked for herfather. Siver drove the delivery truck for five years untilher brother and the other men came home from the warand completed their military service.

Although it was hard work, she actually enjoyed theexperience. “I liked being out and meeting and talking topeople when I made my deliveries,” she said. “I missedit when I stopped driving the truck.”

After the war, Siver’s husband and his brother wentinto business together operating a Shell service stationon Lexington Ave. near Bizub Quinlan Funeral Home,and Siver got a job sewing clothing for the Barbizon gar-ment company.

She stayed home for a while when the couple’s sec-ond child was born, a son, whom they named Wayne,after the orchestra leader of the 1930s and 40s, WayneKing. Eventually, she went back to work makingdraperies and slip covers for an interior decorating com-pany in Passaic. Her handmade drapes still adorn thewindows in her home today. Siver recalls that, when sheand her husband bought their home off Lexington Ave.,there were only nine homes in the area.

“There were open fields where all the kids used toplay,” she said. “In the winter ice would form in the gul-lies of the fields and the kids would ice skate there.”

Siver also remembers walking to shop at the localmom and pop stores in the area.

“We had a dry goods store and a shoe store around thecorner,” she said. “Today, they’re all gone. Now, every-body goes to all the chain stores and the big malls.”

In addition to their two-family home in Clifton, whichthey shared with various tenants over the years, Siverand her husband owned a vacation home on LakeHopatcong for many years. “We had a lot of good sum-mers there,” she reminisced. “The kids used to go waterskiing on the lake. It was a great time.”

Their son, now age 64, liked the area so much that hebought his own year-round home there when he got mar-ried, and he continues to lives in Lake Hopatcong today.

When Siver’s husband was 59, he sold the Shell sta-tion and stopped working. Siver continued to work untilshe was 62.

When the couple retired, they did a lot of travelingtogether. Among their jaunts were trips to Mexico,Alaska, Hawaii, Germany and Italy. “I’m very thankfulwe were able to take those trips together,” she said “Wehad a great time and a lot of good memories.”

Siver’s husband battled Alzheimer’s disease for anumber of years before he passed away from injuries fol-lowing a fall down the front steps of their home. “It wasa very difficult time for me,” she said. “He would go outfor walks and he didn’t want me to follow him. It mademe worry.”

Other than a few aches and pains, Siver remains ingood health and continues to live alone and do her owncooking and cleaning. She also plants and tends to a veg-etable garden every spring and summer. Her tenant gra-ciously offered to turn over the ground for her to preparefor this year’s plantings.

“I like being independent,” she emphatically said.“Whatever I can do for myself, I do. It takes me a littlelonger than it used to, but I do it.”

Siver also continues to drive her 1990 Buick at leasttwo or three times a week, mostly to pick up groceriesat Little Fall Shop Rite, attend services at St. John’sLutheran Church in Passaic or visit her daughterArlene, now age 70, who lives off Valley Rd.

“I don’t know where I’d be without my car,” shesaid. “Public transportation is so limited around here.Where can you go if you don’t drive? When my eyesstart to go, then I’ll stop, but right now I’m going tokeep driving.”

Siver doesn’t get out socially as much as she did inthe past. “When my friends were around, I used to liketo go into New York to see plays, but all of my reallygood lady friends are gone now,” she said “Whenyou’re 94, you don’t have many friends left.”

Siver also laments that she doesn’t get to see her fourgrandchildren and two great grandchildren, who all liveout of the area, as often as she would like.

“Years ago, everyone lived around the corner fromeach other,” she commented on how the world has got-ten larger and less neighborly. “But what are you goingto do? That’s the way things are today. They go away tocollege and don’t come back home to live.”

Although she has become more of a homebody thanshe was in the past, Siver stays busy with a variety ofinterests. One of her activities is knitting baby caps andblankets, which are donated through the Eastern Starorganization, of which she is a member, to newborns atMorristown Memorial Hospital. She also enjoysneedlepoint and quilting. Once a month, she getstogether with a group of other women at her church toassemble the quilting squares they have all made intoquilts that are sent to missionaries around the world.

She doesn’t own a computer, nor does she have anyinterest in learning to use one, but she makes it a pointto keep up with current events and reads The HeraldNews everyday as well as books and magazines. Shealso enjoys watching The Doctors, which airs on TV at9 a.m. weekdays, and The Dr. Oz Show at 3 pm.

“If I’m out, I make sure that I get home by 3 o’clockso I can watch Dr. Oz,” she said. “He gives you a lot ofgood information. I write it down and discuss it with mydaughter. We talk on the phone every night at 6:30.”

Although at times she uses a cane or a walker withwheels to help her get around, Siver likes to keep mov-ing. “No sitting around for me,” she said. Asked whatadvice she would give to people who want to live along life, Siver said, “stay active and keep your mindgoing. Don’t just sit around and mope.”


By Carol Leonard

This month, Ellie Schimpf will reach a mile-stone that many others of us hope that we, too,will achieve someday in good health and with asound mind. On May 20, Schimpf will celebrateher 90th birthday.

The secret to her longevity, Schimpf feels, isa combination of factors, including her genes.One of her grandmothers and two of her greatgrandmothers lived to be over 90. “One of themwas playing pinochle until she died,” Schimpfemphatically mentioned.

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables, keepingactive and staying socially involved with goodfriends and family members are the other aspectsof her life that she believes have contributed toher overall good health and vitality. “And, I havethe ability to laugh at myself,” she added.

Schimpf was born in Passaic and moved withher family to their Paulison Ave. home in Cliftonwhen she was two years-old. The area where theysettled became known as Dutch Hill becausemany of the residents, including Schimpf’s


Longevity: Love & Be Loved


father, were of Dutch ancestry. Hermaiden name is Broadfield.

Schimpf recalls that there were noroads at the time, only farmland andcow pastures.

“My Aunt Jenny used to take meand my sister, Neila, and my cousins,Ila and Virginia, on nature walks in

the fields where the old AtheniaSteel plant used to be,” she remi-nisced. “We’d pick wild flowers anddrink water from a sparkling spring.”

Although she lived through theGreat Depression, Schimpf’s familywas not as affected by the country’sworst economic crisis in history aswere many others at the time.“Fortunately, my father didn’t losehis job,” she said.

Schimpf attended School 15 andgraduated from the old Clifton HighSchool, which is now ChristopherColumbus Middle School. Whilegrowing up, she was very active andenjoyed sports, especially swim-ming. At one time, she worked as alife guard at the YMCA.

She met her husband Andrewwhen she was 17. He also enjoyedswimming and they met at theClifton Pool. He was three yearsolder than her and a factory workerat the time. They got married threeyears later and moved into her par-ents’ home, where they stayed until

purchasing their own home in theAthenia section in 1960.

Schimpf went to work right out ofhigh school, taking a job in the stenopool at the Manhattan Rubber com-pany in Passaic. “I had to lie aboutmy age because I was only 17,” shesaid. She helped her then future hus-band get a job at Manhattan Rubber,where he was trained as a chemistand eventually became an expert incompounding the materials of whichbowling balls are made. “He was aself-made man,” Schimpf proudlysaid of her late husband.

Schimpf stayed at ManhattanRubber for five years before movingon to a position as secretary to theproduction manager and supervisorat American Color Type in Clifton.

She left the working world foreight years to stay home and care forher two sons, Bill and Bob, now ages54 and 51, respectively.

She returned to work once theboys were in school, working at avariety of part-time positions

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over the years until her sons weremuch older and on their own. “Ialways wanted to be home whenthey got out of school,” she said.

Among her part-time jobs, sheworked as a legal assistant for twoyears for Passaic County SurrogateBill Bate, whom she describes as oneof the most honest elected officialsaround. “He’s not a politician, he’s atrue statesman,” she said.

Schimpf returned to work full-time as a secretary for ReeferExpress, an international shippingcompany in Bloomfield. “It was avery interesting job,” she said. “Theyshipped products all over the world.”

In her position, Schimpf had anopportunity to speak with customersin several different countries, includ-ing Austria, Japan and England.

One of the most interesting dayson the job with Reefer Express, sherecalled, was when the secretarieswent to see the company’s shippingoperation at Port Newark. “A bunchof us got to have lunch with a captainof one of the ships,” she said.

Schimpf stayed with ReeferExpress until retiring in 1987. Bythen, the company had moved toRoseland and, at age 66, she hadbecome weary of the commute.

She and her husband struggledthrough some tough financial times.In 1977, Manhattan Rubber went outof business, so Schimpf’s husbandlost his job. He was just short of thecombination of years of service andage to qualify for a full pension. “Welost a lot in retirement income andstock payments,” she said.

Fortunately, he was able to even-tually get another job at Star-GloRubber in East Rutherford, andbecame director of research anddevelopment for the company.Schimpf’s husband passed awayseven years ago, following a long

series of illnesses, including heartdisease and bladder cancer.

Having been together for morethan 60 years, Schimpf said that shemisses her husband dearly, but hasaccepted his death. “I thrive on thegood memories we had,” she said.“He was a good husband and a goodfather. We had our tiffs, but werespected each other and that’s veryimportant in a marriage.”

Among the good times theyenjoyed together were yearly vaca-tions to Sanibel Island, Florida.There, they met and become good

friends with two other couples whoalso visited the island every year.

After retiring from her job withReefer Express, Schimpf became avolunteer at what was then TheGeneral Hospital Center at Passaic(later Passaic Beth Israel Hospitaland now St. Mary’s Hospital). “Oneof my old neighbors from PaulisonAve. talked me into it,” she said.

Schimpf was a patient representa-tive and surveyor, visiting patientsand completing the hospital’s ques-tionnaires to keep track of how wellit was serving its clientele.

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“I really wish that I had kept adiary of some of my experienceswith patients,” she said of her 20years of volunteer work.

Schimpf still lives in Athenia,where she and her husband raisedtheir two sons. Her younger son Boblives with her, providing assistancearound the house. Bill lives nearbyin his own home, and recently waselected as commander of the AtheniaVeterans organization, Schimpfproudly mentioned. She also has twogrown grandchildren from Bill.

She stopped driving when shewas 84 because she realized that shewas driving too slowly and too cau-tiously. “I was becoming a menaceon the road,” she said.

Schimpf uses the aid of a cane tohelp her get around on some days,but it hasn’t stopped her from goingout to dinner and socializing,including with her old friend,Helen, and her next door neighborBarbara Lally, whom she cherishesas a very dear friend.

“Barbara knows that I love potroast, so every once in a while, whenshe makes one, she brings me over aplateful,” she said.

Schimpf enjoys getting togetherwith Patty Mathieson, whom shemet when she worked at ReeferExpress. “Patty was the one whointerviewed me for the job,” shesaid. “We became good friends.”

She also enjoys the company ofher son’s girlfriend Susan, andGwen, who was one of the aides inthe nursing home where her husbandstayed when he was ill. “Gwen tookgood care of my husband and webecame friends,” Schimpf said. “Shecalls me every week.”

Although she doesn’t get to seethem anymore, Schimpf stays intouch with two other longtimefriends, Dee from Indiana, whomshe met while vacationing in SanibelIsland, and Ann, an old friend withwhom she worked many years ago.

She still enjoys the art of writinglong letters, but no e-mail for her.

Her notes are written the old fash-ion way—by hand—and sentthrough the U. S. Post Office.

To keep her mind active, Schimpflikes reading magazines and books,particularly mystery novels and sto-ries about animals. “I’m crazy aboutpets,” she said. “I had all kinds ofanimals when I was growing up –dogs, cats, canaries, a parakeet andeven a duck.”

Schimpf doesn’t watch much TV.“Except for Jeopardy, I like watch-ing Jeopardy,” she said.

She also keeps up with the newsand makes it a point to get out andvote on Election Day. “I’ve voted inevery election since I was eligible tovote,” she proudly stated.

Love and be loved, and try to liveyour life one day at a time isSchimpf’s advice to her contempo-raries. “And try to be with people ofdifferent age groups,” she said. “Ifyou stay around people your ownage all the time, all you talk about isyour aches and pains.”


Members of the Mustang MarchingBand (above) will hold a car washfund-raiser on May 8, 15, 22 and 29,from 9 am to 1 pm at CHS. The carwashing station is in the upperparking lot at the rear of CHS; enterfrom Colfax Ave. Funds will supportthe many Marching Mustangactivities. Last February theShowband of the Northeast performedat the Winter Carnivale in Quebec.

Directed by Robert Morgan andled this year on the field by CHSsenior Drum Major NickLichtenberger, the Mustangsperform at CHS football games,events and parades, such asMemorial Day and the HalloweenParade. Debra Gretina is thepresident of the Mustang BandParents Association. For details,visit www.cliftonmustangband.com.

The 9th Annual Lollipops & RosesIntergenerational Concert is onMay 23 at 2 pm in the Clifton HighSchool Auditorium. Admission is $7while children under 12 are free.Presented by the Clifton CommunityBand, proceeds benefit the CliftonEducation Foundation and theClifton Community Band. Get tick-ets from band members or by [email protected] or call-ing 973-777-1781.


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Clifton High School Senior Prom Fashion Show, held atThe Venetian in Garfield on March 10, was once again asuccess, with several local businesses chipping in to makesure that Clifton’s students had an evening they won’t forget.

CHS seniors modeled tuxedos from Deluxe Formal Wearand gowns from Angelica-La Faye Fashions. HairworksUrban Oasis, Lunar E Clips, Santa Fe Hair and Nail Salon,Guy Anthony Hair Salon and Nina’s Hair Salon all assistedin making the students look their best. St. Philip’s Knights ofColumbus donated flowers, and AGL Welding supplied thehelium for balloons.

Proceeds from this annual fund raiser go towards ProjectGraduation, on June 23— Graduation night. Students leavethe CHS parking lot at 9:45 pm and are transported to a secretand safe venue where they party the night away withhundreds of classmates. Tickets are $65, a $15 reduction dueto assistance from the PTSA. Chaperones are needed anddonations are always welcomed. To volunteer, donate or forinfo, call Chair Maryann Cornett at 973-779-5678.


Though she’s not entirely sure what discipline she’d liketo practice, Domenica Perrone knows that writing will be inher future. The Clifton High School Student of the Monthwill be attending Emerson College in Boston, where plans tohone her skills as a scribe.

“I like writing stories,” said Perrone, who is enrolled inCAST. “Career-wise, I don’t know if a story writing careercan work. I would love to try screen writing.”

Perrone has pondered a career as an author, a journalist oreven a screen writer. She said Wuthering Heights is herfavorite book of all time. She also said she really enjoyedUnder the Overpass, a book about two young men who giveup all of their possessions and go live amongst the homeless.

Perrone’s interest in reading and writing started at ayoung age and grew as she attended CHS.

“The kids I went to [St. Claire School] with didn’t live nearme so I would write and write and write,” she explained.

Perrone said many of her teachers at CHS contributed toher decision to study writing at college. “I love Dr.Greenwald, my teacher for AP English. I love analyzing poet-ry,” she said. “Mrs.Zarabi, I loved her. Shehelped me write muchmore professionally.”

For her, the allure ofwriting is the ability to

influence readers about important subjects. The Student of the Month alsoexpressed interest in studying broadcasting or film in college.

“The documentary Invisible Children changed my life,” claimed Perrone.The film explores the role of children in the military in Africa and their rolein the genocides taking place there. Perrone wrote about it in one of herassignments for AP English.

The documentary inspired her to take a more active role in her community.Perrone traveled to New York state two years ago to participate in a camp outto raise awareness for the film. “It was was cold and dirty,” she recalled. “Youlook terrible but people notice.”

Locally, Perrone continued to get involved. “I joined the Key Club becausemy sisters ran it when they were here. Giggles theatre is my favorite thing todo,” she explained. Perrone visits the children’s ward at St. Joseph’s Hospitaland entertains children, and also reads there around Christmas. “Some are sosick they don’t get to see it [in person]. It’s streamed right to their room.”

Perrone also babysits for a nine year old and a six year old, the latter ofwhom is autistic. “He’s like one of my family,” she said. “I love them.”

CHS Student of the Month Story by Joe Hawrylko

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No one has any doubt that the family is the basicunit of society. In Clifton, however, it’s also the

basic unit of the garden center. In a twist of history unique to this town, all of

Clifton’s major centers – Ploch’s Farm on Grove St.,Ploch’s Garden Center on Broad St., Richfield Farmsand Garden Center on Van Houten Ave., Corrado’sGarden Center on Getty Ave. and Bartlett’s Greenhousesand Florist on Grove St. are all still owned and operatedby the descendants—second, third, fourth and even fifthgeneration—of the original owners.

Research on the internet produces the fun fact thatoutside of Southern California, Northern New Jersey hasthe highest concentration of garden centers per squaremile of any other place in the United States. Though it is

not clear who actually has the time to figure out facts likethis, it is clear, that New Jersey is called the Garden Statefor good reason. Exits 11 through 16E notwithstanding,New Jersey was and still is linked to the land. And eachspring, Clifton’s centers throttle into high gear.

The oldest of the centers, Ploch’s Farm on GroveStreet is maybe less of a garden center and more of anexpanded old-fashioned farm stand. At 15 acres, downfrom the original 60 in 1867, Ploch’s Farm is the secondlargest working farm in Passaic County.

Set up high on a hill, with a view of the Watchungfoothills on one side and Manhattan on the other, thefarm is barely visible from the road. Whenever peoplespeak of Clifton’s past as a farm community, Ploch’sFarm is a reminder of what kind of life that once was.


Story by Irene Jarosewich

Family Affair

Call it aPloch’s Farm on Broad St. circa 1940.


“Clifton is changing,” said Rudy Ploch, the farm’sowner, “but then it has been changing for more than 30years. The last real farms sold out in the 1970s.” Anupbeat and cheerful man, Ploch is nonetheless a bit irri-tated with the condition of nearby Schultheis Farm“which was supposed to be used as farmland, but isbeing used for contractor parking, instead.”

Ploch, who will admit to being over 55, “but I won’tsay by how much” works his 15 acres mostly by himself,with occasional help from his wife Maria and daughtersDonna and Christina, the fifth generation to run the fam-ily business.

Starting May 1, customers begin coming to Ploch’sfor the hanging baskets made-up by Rudy’s daughtersand the flats of annuals and vegetable seedlings thatcome out of the greenhouse. Mid-summer customerscome for the freshly picked corn and tomatoes, and upuntil the late fall for pumpkins and squash. About 20years ago, said Ploch, he switched from primarily whole-sale to retail, though he continues to supply some localrestaurants, among them Mario's on Van Houten Ave.,with fresh produce in the summer. During the past sev-eral years, he has seen a strong upswing in vegetable gar-dening, “maybe in response to the economy, but I alsothink in response to people wanting to eat more healthyand fresh food.” Though his farm in not organic, “we usevery little chemicals, so I say we’re 90 percent.”

William Morton, 27, the general manager at RichfieldFarm, is the fourth generation to manage the familyfarm. Now five acres, William’s great-grandparentsbegan the family business on a much larger plot, part ofwhich is the current home of Clifton High School.

“We’re an old Clifton family,” says Morton, “forexample, Van Breemen Dr. takes its name from mygreat-grandparents, it was their last name, and it wasonce part of the property.” In the heart of Clifton,Richfield’s, established in 1917, has been serving homegardeners for decades. “People come to us for our prod-ucts and knowledge. We pride ourselves on quality andwide selection, which is our customers appreciate.”

With a master horticulturist on staff, Morton under-stands that an informed customer is a satisfied customer.“The more knowledge you have about gardening, thebetter – and the importance of healthy, high-qualityplants is essential to good gardening,” he noted.

Besides the tradition of family garden centers, the tra-dition of gardening among families is also important.“We have many customers who are Eastern Europeans,”said Morton, “where the tradition of gardening isingrained in the culture and passed on through the fami-ly and gardening well is understood and appreciated.”

Along with all the other managers of the garden cen-ters, he too has noticed an increased interest in cus-tomers’ desire to use and buy organic.

Morton predicts that rather soon, maybe even withinten years in urbanized areas such as Clifton, the strongchemicals that people now use on their lawns and gar-dens will become a thing of the past.

Only a few weeks ago, Bartlett’s Greenhouses andFlorist celebrated their 90th year in gardening on the orig-inal three acres on Grove St. “We’re less of a garden cen-ter and more of a full service florist,” noted NancyBartlett, the third generation of her family to manage thebusiness. Nancy’s grandparents Sarah and Charles emi-grated here from Ireland and England and in 1920 estab-lished Bartlett’s. After World War II, her father Harrybegan to work with his parents, taking over the businessin the 1960s. Now Nancy with her siblings Skip (Harry,Jr.), Maryetta and mother Irene manage the businesssince her father’s passing in 1987.

“What makes us unique as a florist, is that we grow ourown plants – bulbs for the spring, mums for the fall, poin-settias in winter, bedding plants for summer,” she added.Some of the greenhouses are original, a few that werebought used are now over 100 years old. And thoughBartlett’s doesn’t sell shrubs, or gardening tools or loosebulbs, a gardener will find a wide array of potted plantsready to transplant in the spring and hanging baskets forpatios and decks.

“Our motto this year,” she said “is ’90 years and stillgrowing!’” And, she adds with a smile, “still having fun.”

On Broad St., Ploch’s Garden Center is owned by theSpirko family. In the mid-1970s, Linda and JosephSpirko leased and then bought the two acres, whichincluded a farm stand, from George and Pauline Ploch,who were distantly related to the Ploch family on Grove.However, the Spirko family never considered changingthe name. “When we bought,” said Linda, “we thoughttwo acres was HUGE. How would we ever use it all – weasked ourselves. So first, we put up a greenhouse, and foryears, we had a beautiful greenhouse in the back and an

old rickety farm stand that looked like a porch up front.But we’ve had good success and grown and now ourmanagers squeeze out every inch of space for our prod-ucts.” Her son Michael, 30, now runs the center where hehas worked ever since he was a boy.

“Everything you need for good gardening, we have onsite or know when we can get it for you,” he said, “andI’m confident that our staff can answer any question orwill find out the answer for you.” Customer service is thekey to his center’s success, he feels. “I truly appreciateevery customer that comes in,” said Spirko, “they don’thave to come here. I know they can go elsewhere.”

Spirko, whose customers come in not only fromClifton, but from nearby Montclair, Nutley andBloomfield as well, says he sees many young couples,new home owners just starting out their garden, as wellas retirees that are avid gardeners. Spirko, whose fam-ily also owns the Strawberry Blossom Garden Centeron Rt. 23 in Wayne, also has seen a tremendous inter-est in water gardens in the past five years and predictsgrowth in that area.

Jack Kuepfer, who was recently honored by Clifton’sOptimist Club for his decades’ long effort to maintainMorris Canal Park, has a soft spot in his heart for theSpirko boys—Michael and his two brothers—fromPloch’s Garden Center. “Whenever they would have bro-ken bags or mulch or topsoil, they would just load it upon a truck and bring it up Broad St. to the park. And then,somebody would help me come and spread it. They didthis for years. It’s the kind of family they are.”

Joey Corrado, Jr., 30, is the third generation of theCorrado family to be in the family business. In the 1950s,Joey’s grandfather James started a family store at thePaterson’s Farmer’s Market. In the 1970s, Corrado’sMarket opened at its present location on Main Ave. andin 1997, Corrado’s opened the garden center on GettyAve.. Corrado, along with his six cousins, now manage


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the large Corrado’s complex in the northwest corner ofClifton.

A 30,000 square foot retail store on four acres of out-door space, Corrado is very clear that sales at his gardencenter are price driven. “Because of my size, I have tolook at the big box stores,” he said, “and we make sureour prices are competitive.” Variety and value pricingdraws in his customers, who come not only from Cliftonand nearby Paterson, but also from more distant townssuch as Wycoff, Alpine. “We get customers from allover,” said Corrado, who estimates that during the busyseason, which is April through July for all the centers,between 20 and 25 thousand people come through hisgarden center each week. “Most of our customers,” he

said, “about 95 percent are home-owners, not landscapers. Peoplewho watch their money. Even ifthey have a big job to do, they’llbuy supplies with us directly andhire the labor.”

Asked what it’s like to workwith six cousins, Corrado laughs,“We do everything together. We’vebeen doing everything togethersince we were little. We didn’t giveit much thought. We just did it. Wewouldn’t choose it any other way.We’re all very happy and we canonly hope that it will continue.”

In terms of volume sales at thegarden centers, the tomato wins atboth Ploch’s on Broad and GroveSts. Annuals, in particular petuniasand inpatients, are tops atCorrado’s. Richfield’s number oneseller is bulk topsoil, which theybring up from South Jersey. “To

have a good garden, you need to have good soil and we’reone of the few in the area that sells bulk topsoil,” saidMorton. “We literally sell tons of the stuff.”

Despite the intensely hectic schedule of the peak sell-ing season, Joey Corrado’s words seem to reflect the gen-eral attitude among all the places. All the managers of thegarden centers are happy people who love their jobs. AsLinda Spirko said, what works best is the motto shetaught her sons: work hard, be honest, have fun!

There is a great deal of satisfaction, said Morton, fromthe success of a garden. Besides the economy and health-ier eating, he thinks that the upswing in gardening willcontinue and become permanent as more people realizehow much fun it is to make your garden grow.

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In a 1998 photo Elinor and Carl Schroeder, Jack and Debbie Morton, their son,Will, and Carl Schroeder Jr., at Richfield Farms.


The New Hope Players (above)presents its Spring 2010 DramaProgram and performance at theNew Hope School, 780 CliftonAve., on June 8 at 7 pm. The play,directed by Jennifer Bushinger, ispart of the HSA Performing Artsprogram. Admission is free. Call973-272-3255 for info.

Urban Revival is an exhibit of the work of selected students enrolled in theClifton High School Art Department on exhibit at the Clifton Arts Center, 900Clifton Ave. through June 5. Above: untitled by Catie Wilson.

The Hamilton House Museum will celebrate its 35th anniversary in a galaon June 9, 7 pm at the Valley Regency. Tickets are $45 and includes din-ner, dancing and cash bar. Call Norma Smith curator at 973-744-5707. TheHamilton House on Valley Rd. is a Dutch gambrel-roofed homestead sal-vaged for posterity in 1975 when the structure was moved across Valley Rd.to Surgent Park. It is now maintained by the city and volunteers who pro-vide tours, special events and offer a walk through history, with each roomon display to depict how Cliftonites lived during the 18th and 19th century.During May, a Hamilton House exhibit is displayed at the Clifton MainLibrary on Piaget Ave.


Jack Kuepfer—Mr. MorrisCanal—(pictured inset) wasawarded the Clifton OptimistClub’s Lifetime AchievementAward on May 2 at the CliftonRecreation Center. Honored forhis work at the Morris Canal, the89-year-old Kuepfer could notattend the ceremony but his twochildren did.

CCMS art teacher Jeff Labriola received the Club’shighest honor—2010 Friend of Youth. The 1997 CHSgrad was honored for his work in the classroom and asfounding president of the Clifton Arts Center.

Barbara Watterston received the Stanley ZwierCommunity Service Award for three decades of servicein keeping Clifton clean and green. Clifton PoliceCaptain Robert Rowan was awarded the Judge JosephJ. Salerno Respect for Law Award. Now Chief of theDetective Bureau, Rowan began as a patrolman in 1974and has served in virtually every division of the CPD.

For more on the Optimist Club and its activities, callTom Hawrylko at 973-253-4400.

The Mental Health Association inPassaic County celebrates MentalHealth Awareness Month by show-casing artwork that challenges thestigma of mental illness. The

works will be displayed at MainMemorial Library, 292 Piaget Ave.,from May 8 to 31. A reception forthe artists is on May 27, from 7 to8:30 pm. Info: 973-478-4444.

Students of Life (SOL) at WilliamPaterson University is a mentoringprogram by experienced adult vol-unteers for William Paterson stu-dents. Volunteers can devote asmuch time to the program as theyhave available. To volunteer or forinfo, email [email protected] call 973 720.3690.

Grandparents or other kinshipcaring for children whose parentsare unable or unwilling to do so areinvited to attend the Grandparents asParents (GAP) meeting May 12,from 9-11:30 am at St. Anthony’sParish Center, Myrtle Ave., Passaic.

The Clifton High School Class of1960 marks 50 years on May 15 atThe Russian Hall in Little Falls.Doors open at 6 pm and tickets are$75. For info, email Nancy LewisZink at [email protected]/make checks to KathleenPloch Mack, 14 Aldom Circle, WestCaldwell, 07006. She can bereached at 973-618-1830.

Assemblyman Tom Giblin, at left, was among the 200 people who attendedthe 2010 Optimist Club of Clifton awards banquet on May 2. Also picturedis Capt. Robert Rowan, and in front of him, Barbara Watterston. At center isJack Kuepfer, jr. and his sister Ruth and at right is Jeff Labriola.

1970s. 1980s. 1990s. Today.Genworth Life Insurance Companyhas been a leader in long term careinsurance for a long time.

You may not know Genworth Life by name. But, chancesare, you know someone who benefits from their strength andstability. For over 30 years, their Long Term Care InsuranceDivision has been an industry leader. Today Genworth Lifehas nearly one million policyholders* and has paid out over$2.3 billion in long term care claims.* For further details onthe costs, benefits, limitations and exclusions of a GenworthLife Long Term Care Insurance policy, contact:

Investment and insurance products distributed by GenworthSIPC and a licensed insurance agency (dba Genworth Financialinvestment advisory services are offered through Genworth FinancialInvestment Adviser. Home office at 200 N. Martingale Rd., Schaumburg,©2005-2008 Genworth Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. NS19962IAR 08/03/08

Joseph G. BionciRegistered Representative

126 Oak Ridge Road, Clifton, NJ

973-472-1707


CHS 2002 grad Erin Cluney ranthe 26.2 mile Paris Marathon onApril 11 with co-workers fromCoach, Inc. to benefit TheLeukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Erin ran in honor of familyfriend Billy Maurer, who was diag-nosed in October 2005 withMultiple Myeloma, a cancer of theblood. After a stem cell transplant

in December 2006, his cancer isnow in remission. However recent-ly Maurer has had three strokeswhich have rendered him blind inone eye in addition to speech andmotor deficits. He is currentlyundergoing rehabilitation atKessler in Saddle Brook.

Cluney had never ran a marathonbefore so last October, she and herco-workers signed up with Team InTraining which molded them into

marathoner runners with four dayweekly training sessions over sixmonths. Through the charitableefforts of family and friends, Cluneyraised $6,200 within a five monthperiod. Her Team Coach raised$250,000 while Team in TrainingParis raised over $1 million.

At Coach, Cluney is HandbagPlanning Manager for Full PriceNorth American Retail. Her respon-sibilities include creating salesplans and buying the inventory tosupport those sales for Coach Inc’sNorth American Retail business.

Additional donations can bemade to The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society by visiting ErinCluney’s donation page athttp://pages.teamintraining.org:80/nyc/paris10/ecluney.

Relay For Life Clifton Team Members will be hanging ribbons and signsthroughout the city. These Paint the Town Purple activities are designed toget the community excited about the American Cancer Society’s Relay ForLife of Clifton.

Relay For Life is an opportunity for the community to help theAmerican Cancer Society create a world with less cancer and more birth-days by helping people stay well, be helping people get well, by findingcures and by fighting back. Relay For Life of Clifton will take place onJune 12-13, 2010 at Clifton Stadium.

Relay For Life is an overnight community celebration where individu-als and teams camp out, barbeque, dance and take turns walking or run-ning around a track “relay” style to raise funds to fight cancer.

At nightfall, participants light hundreds of luminaria candles around thetrack in a touching ceremony honoring cancer survivors as well as payingtribute to those lost to the disease.

To learn more about the Relay For Life Clifton and its many teams, visitour website www.relayforlife.org.cliftonnj. To learn more about cancervisit cancer.org

Running for Billy

Ready to Paint Clifton Purple?

Story by Chrissie Cluney


The Passaic County CommunityCollege Foundation was estab-lished in 1976 to provide scholar-ship support to PCCC studentswho, without the assistance ofthese funds, would not be able toattend college.

“Our philosophy is to open thedoor to opportunity for deservingstudents, many of whom overcomeboth financial and personal chal-lenges to pursue their dream of acollege education,” said ToddSorber, Executive Director ofInstitutional Advancement andWorkforce Development.

He noted PCCC was founded in1971 and has campuses inPaterson, Wanaque, Wayne andPassaic. Since its beginnings, thePCCC Foundation has enabled stu-dents to earn a college degree andcontinue on to fulfilling careers.

Over that time, donors haveincreased in number to more than50 companies, organizations, andindividuals who are dedicated to

supporting education and helpingothers realize their potential.

“Thanks to the generosity of ourdonors—and through our scholar-ship gala—the PCCC Foundationwill award over half a million dol-lars in scholarships for the 2010-

2011 academic year. We are grate-ful to our donors and very proud ofour scholarship recipients.”

For more information on thePCCC Foundation, contact ToddSorber at 973-684-5656 or emailhim at: [email protected].

Assemblyman Tom Giblin, center, was feted at the 19th annual Passaic CountyCommunity College Foundation Scholarship Gala on April 22. He is picturedwith PCCC President Steve Rose, left, and Board of Trustees Chair Rick Ricca.


Lisa Poggi, a CCMS LanguageArts Teacher who directed and co-directed various musicals at theschool, is offering a SummerMusical Theater Camp. Held atSchool 3 from July 6 through July30, the program runs Monday-Friday from noon to 3 pm. Open toages 10-14. For more details, go towww.PoggiStudios.com.

Actors Stew is a free discussiongroup open to mature teens andadults interested in acting—thecraft, the philosophy, the business.Sessions are open to the public andthe May 14 meeting is from 7:30-9:30 pm in ATC’s Main Studio, 68Union Ave., Downtown Clifton.Contact Kathleeen Kellaigh at 973-772-6998 or www.atcstudios.org.

The 21st Annual Child Healthand Safety Fair is May 8 (May 15raindate), from 10 am to 2 pm atSchool16. Presented by the CliftonFire Department and Clifton PublicSchools, there are health and safetydemos, screenings and activities.Free. Info: [email protected].

Stop n’ Shop Cancer Fundraiser:The Broad St. supermarket manag-er Christine Lysicatos asks shoppersto play Triple Winner. Purchase ascratch off ticket for a dollar, havetwo chances to win that dollar backand at the same time donate to can-cer research. “You can win freeproduct, cash and make a donationto Sloan Kettering,” she said,adding: “All proceeds go to theSloan Kettering Hospital for fight-ing childhood cancers.”

The business networking groupLeTip of Clifton meets Wednesdaysfrom 7 am to 8:30 at the JubileePark Diner on Allwood Rd. Forinfo, go to www.letip.com.

Send community news to us [email protected]. We’llpublish it as space permits.

MariasPasta.com

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St. Peter’s Summer Sunset Blues Cruise Sails benefitsthe food bank of St. Peter’s Haven. Sail the majestic tallship A. J. Meerwald (left) through New York Harbor onJuly 2, 7 or 13 enjoying live music. Depart Liberty StatePark at 6 pm. Tickets are $55, includes water, soda andbeer. For details, e-mail [email protected].

Flowers for Mom & so much more!• Annuals • Hanging Baskets • Perennials • Bedding Plants • Seasonal ProduceEast Railway Ave., Paterson • Open Daily, 7 am to 6 pm

The Passaic County Elks Cerebral Palsy High School held School Spirit Week April 26-30. Students at the Union Ave.school made their own floats and had a parade in the Candyland theme. Staff and students also held a chicken barbequethrow-down and had a powderpuff football game, among other events. Up next for the students is their annual Promwhich is at the Valley Regency on May 20. For info on Clifton’s three CP centers, call 973-772-2600.


Birthdays &Celebrations!send dates & names... [email protected]

Mike Szwec . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/1Samantha Cruz . . . . . . .5/2Jessica Perez . . . . . . . .5/2Jordan Lynn Bykowsky . .5/3Maria DeGraaf . . . . . . .5/3Julia Komarczyk . . . . . .5/3Margie Maloney . . . . . . . . .5/3Thomas Zangara . . . . . . . .5/3John Anderson Jr. . . . . . . .5/4Spencer Flynn . . . . . . . . . . .5/4Russell Courtney . . . . . . . . .5/6Vanessa Laine Montesano 5/6Mary Domyon . . . . . . . . . . .5/7Margie Hatala . . . . . . . . . .5/7Dorothy Alburo . . . . . . . . . .5/8Terry Capilli . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/8Ken Hauser . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/8Alexandra Homsany . . . . .5/8

Rory Houston . . . . . . . . . . . .5/8Frank Lo Gioco . . . . . . . . . .5/8David Peter Mosciszko . . .5/8Matthew Nagy . . . . . . . . . .5/8Hector Perez . . . . . . . . . . . .5/8Christine Siluk . . . . . . . . . . .5/8Thomas Steranko . . . . . . . .5/8Petey Pathos . . . . . . . . . . . .5/9Ray Zang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/9Gianna Carmela Musleh 5/10Jessica Camp . . . . . . . . . .5/12Rebecca DeChellis . . . . .5/11Joe De Liberto . . . . . . . . .5/12Michael Lonison . . . . . . . .5/12Donna De Liberto . . . . . .5/13Myrt Petty . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/13Jeff Reilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/13Michael Zawicki . . . . . . . .5/13

Chuck Amucka . . . . . . . .5/14Alice De Liberto . . . . . . . .5/14Dorothy Brown . . . . . . . . .5/15Earl Grosser Jr. . . . . . . . . . .5/15Victoria Leja . . . . . . . . . . .5/15Fred Gurtman . . . . . . . . . .5/16Mark McGuire . . . . . . . . . .5/16Rosemary Canavan . . . .5/17John Hawrylko . . . . . . . . .5/17Vick Ascencio . . . . . . . . . .5/18Jamie Antal . . . . . . . . . . .5/18Michele D’Amico . . . . . . .5/18Walter Hryckowian . . . . . .5/18Mariana Pineda . . . . . . . .5/18Becky Kuter . . . . . . . . . . . .5/19Jennifer Mulick . . . . . . . . .5/20Ken Bender . . . . . . . . . . . .5/21

Jonathan Colon turns 3 on May 2. Best wishes to Clifton author Glory Read who will be 85 on May 8.Stacey Englehardt & Steven Crampton announce they are ngaged to marry Sept. 17.

Jim Visconti and Margaret Lipskiwere wed on April 17 at Il Tulipano.


1036

Joe Murolo . . . . . . . . . . . .5/21Matthew Palladino . . . . .5/21Kage Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/22Danah Alburo . . . . . . . . . .5/23Jessica Bielen . . . . . . . . . .5/23MaryEllen Krattinger . . . . .5/23Michele Perez . . . . . . . . . .5/23Donald Lopuzzo . . . . . . . .5/24Michael Santosuosso . . . .5/24Brittney Abell . . . . . . . . . . .5/25Olivia AlexandraHryckowian . . . . . . . . . . . .5/25Connie Paladino . . . . . . .5/25Derek Bykowsky . . . . . . . .5/26Alyssa Dalbo . . . . . . . . . . .5/26Kaylee Pinter . . . . . . . . . . .5/26Jonathan Rideg . . . . . . . .5/26Fred Antes . . . . . . . . . . . . .5/27Steve Bielen . . . . . . . . . . .5/27Kyle J. Magaster . . . . . . . .5/27David J. Ricca . . . . . . . . .5/28Anthony Alcalde . . . . . . .5/29Valerie Gancarz . . . . . . . .5/29Anthony DeSomma . . . . .5/30Rachel Gergats . . . . . . . .5/31Christopher Ramirez . . . . .5/31Christopher Smith . . . . . . .5/31Logan Thompson . . . . . . .5/31

Gia Camille Genardi hits doubledigits on May 2 when she turns 10

And happy birthday to her Bubbawho celebrates on May 10!


LEAKY FAUCETS TO HEATING SYSTEMS:MASTER PLUMBER MARK ZECCHINOLeaky faucets, running toilets, an old and

inefficient heating system... the list goes on

and so does the wasted money.

How long can you afford to turn a blind eye to

those little problems around your home that slowly

wastes money and then one day becomes a costly

headache—and always on that coldest day of the

year? If you decide that you are going to fix the prob-

lem before it becomes an emergency, then call Mark

Zecchino of Holzec Plumbing & Heating.

He is a licensed Master Plumber and would be

happy to visit your home or office and discuss any of

the problems listed above and give you an estimate

of how much a repair or replacement will cost.

His company has been in Clifton since the

1980’s when his father-in-law Mike Holzli began

the business. Mark joined up with him in 1990 and

formed Holzec, Inc. Over the last two decades,

they’ve worked on plenty of homes and it is likely

they’ve worked for a friend or neighbor as both

Mark and Mike are Clifton residents.

No job is too small for the Holzec team. They’ll

do the nitty gritty—cleaning out the clog of grime

in a kitchen sink, laundry room or a bath tub—to

more ambitious jobs like remodeling a bath and a

shower or installing a hot water heater.

Heating system not performing at top efficiency?

Holzec can tune it up or discuss the costs and bene-

fits of installing a new Weil McLain gas heater, which

can cut annual fuel costs by up to 30 percent.

For customers who decide to convert to natural

gas, Holzec provides complete service from site eval-

uation, presenting options, securing the permits

and installing the new equipment. In most cases,

this work can be completed in a day and with mini-

mum disruption to you and your family.

So if you are among the many who have been

“looking for a good plumber,” get your list of things to

do ready and call Mark Zecchino at 973-546-1330.

Make an appointment before it’s an emergency!

Plumbing & Heating Contractors

No Job Too Small • 973.546.1330

Tired of the High Price of Oil Heat?Save thousands—convert an aging & costly oil heating

system to an energy efficient gas boiler & water heater...

May 2010_cover TEMPLATE 4/27/10 4:36 PM Page 3

Tomahawk Promotions1288 Main AvenueClifton, NJ 07011

PRSRT STDUS Postage

PAIDPATERSON, NJPERMIT NO. 617

DEDICATION

Jim Anzaldi is a lifelong Clifton resident dedicated to our city and its people. He has beena special part of the city’s civic and charitable causes, helping people from all walks of

life. He is an outstanding public official who is respected throughout the community.

Jim Anzaldi deserves our support and help on May 11.

RE-ELECT JIM ANZALDIPAID FOR BY JIM ANZALDI CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE, 156 DAY ST. CLIFTON, NJ 07011

May 2010_cover TEMPLATE 4/27/10 4:36 PM Page 4

clifton merchant magazine - may 2010

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