Joe Gutenkauf stricken

Longtime Plainfield Democratic and community activist Joe Gutenkauf suffered a stroke on Wednesday, December 22, says his wife Dottie in a recently received email.

Rushed to Somerset Medical Center by ambulance, his condition was stabilized and he was subsequently transferred to the hospital's Neurology unit this past Friday.

Dottie reports that he will be getting physical therapy and will probably have to go into a rehab setting for a while before being able to come home.

I have known and worked with both Joe and Dottie for many years.

They are both activists of the first water, having invested themselves tirelessly over the years in every important community issue -- from the first elections for school board to the struggle to stop expansion of the Abbott Nursing Home in the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District to the closing of Muhlenberg Hospital.

While we have not always seen eye to eye over local Democratic internal politics, there is no denying the Gutenkauf's commitment, and when larger issues are at stake, they have been willing to take a stand on principle (I am thinking particularly of the support for Maryanne Connolly's 2000 run for U.S. Congress, where they differed publicly from Union County Dem Chair Charlotte DeFilippo).

In her most recent foray at the mike, concerning Mayor Robinson-Briggs' unsuccessful attempt to fire City Administrator Bibi Taylor, Dottie trenchantly remarked that professionals don't need to like each other to work together, and then cracked the audience up with her sly comparison to hers and Joe's marriage, saying that after 47 years of married life they occasionally had their disagreements, but that they certainly never would consider divorce. Everyone enjoyed a hearty laugh.

As Dottie points out, 2010 has been a difficult year for Joe. I wish them both well, and especially a speedy recovery and return home for Joe.

You may send notes of encouragement and get well wishes to both Joe and Dottie --

Josef & Dottie Gutenkauf
414 Randolph Road
Plainfield, NJ 07060

or by email to Dottie at dottiegutenkauf@gmail.com.

I am sure they will be most welcome.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Councilor Mapp honored by District 20 Black Caucus

Plainfield Councilor Adrian Mapp was honored by the 20th District Black Caucus.

Plainfield Councilor Adrian O. Mapp was among ten honorees at the 2010 gala of the District 20 Black Caucus,held on Saturday evening at the Westwood.

The Caucus has as its mission mentoring, supporting and electing persons of color to public office in the 20th Legislative District, which is comprised of Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Roselle and Union Township.

Besides Councilor Mapp, honorees included Roselle Mayor Garrett Smith and Freeholder Mohammed Jalloh, brother of Plainfield Deputy City Clerk 'AJ' Jalloh.

The Black Caucus is particularly active in voter registration in the 20th District, and promotes voter participation as a way that people of color can guarantee themselves representation at the tables of power in Union County.

The banquet and awards committee was co-chaired by Ethelyne Grimsley and Christine Gordon, with members William Gallman Jr., Ernestine Williams, Viola Cade and Sharon Lee.

See more on the 20th District here.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Happy Birthday to Barbara Sandford

Barbara Sandford (r) and friend Bernice Swain.

A little bird told me that long-time Plainfield activist Barbara Sandford is celebrating a birthday today.

Barbara is well-remembered in the community for having chaired the city's Beautification Committee for many years, during which great attention was paid to the appearance of the grounds of City Hall and the many planters gracing Plainfield's downtown shopping district.

The pine on the lawn of City Hall that is the focus of the annual holiday tree-lighting festivities was originally given in memory of Barbara's late husband, Webster Sandford. It was replaced a few years ago with another tree that Barbara and Public Works Superintendent John Louise selected, which is happily beginning to really fill out.

Barbara's love of gardening is also shown in her membership in the Plainfield Garden Club and her longtime advocacy of the Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Brook Park.

But many others are familiar with Barbara through her long years of working on behalf of the League of Women Voters, making that organization a hallmark of nonpartisan citizen activism on behalf of full participation in the democratic (small 'd', she would remind me) process -- all the while being a staunch Republican of the Millicent Fenwick sort, which is sadly becoming more and more of a rarity.

So, from myself and all her many friends...

HAPPY

BIRTHDAY

BARBARA!

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Arrangements for Isidro Leonardo, murdered cabbie

Image from CBS, Channel 2.

Plainfielders wishing to extend their sympathies to the widow and family of murdered cabbie Isidro Leonardo may do so Sunday evening.

The family will be receiving friends and well-wishers at Plainfield's Salvation Army Sunday from 5:00 to 11:00 PM, according to community activist and longtime family friend Flor Gonzalez, who heads up the Latin American Coalition (LAC).

Plans are to bury Mr. Leonardo in his Dominican Republic home town, but the family needs financial assistance to transport the body, Gonzalez says.

The Latin American Coalition, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is gathering contributions to be made available for the family's use in covering funeral expenses.

Those wishing to help may send checks made payable to 'LAC' (make memo to 'Leonardo funeral') --

• Mail to: Latin American Coalition, P.O. Box 629, Plainfield, NJ 07061; or
  
  
• Bring to viewing Sunday evening, where there will be a box; or
  
  
• Drop off at LAC offices, 410 Watchung Avenue during business hours

This is a tragic and very sad moment for Isidro's family, for his fellow cabbies, and for Plainfield. Any assistance will be most greatly appreciated.

You can help show that Plainfield cares.

---

VIEWING FOR ISIDRO LEONARDO

Sunday, October 3 | 5 - 11 PM

Plainfield Salvation Army
Watchung Avenue at East 7th Street
(Parking in lot adjacent to church, at City Hall and on street)

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Joe Black ballfield dedication tomorrow

Plainfield sports legend Joe Black will finally get the hometown honor he deserves with the dedication of a ballfield in his name at the school district's Hub Stine Sports Complex on Randolph Road.

The following is a letter of invitation to the community to take part in this long-overdue recognition --

Dear Friends, 

Please join state and local elected officials, family of the late Joe Black and the Plainfield community as we name and dedicate the Joe Black Baseball Field at Hub Stine Sports Complex on Saturday, September 25 at 10:00 AM.

Joe graduated from Plainfield High School in 1942, where he was listed as the school's best athlete. He graduated from Morgan State College (now Morgan State University) and received a Master's Degree from Rutgers University. He began his professional baseball career in the Negro League with the Baltimore Elite Giants. He played in the Cuban league, the Montreal minor leagues. and with the Cincinati Reds and the Washington Senators. He made baseball history in 1952, when he beccame the first Black pitcher to win the World Series while playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This accomplishment earned him the distinction of being selected National League Rookie of the Year for 1952. After a six-year career in professional baseball, Joe taught in the Plainfield public school system.

In 1962, Joe joined the Greyhound Corporation where he rose rapidly through the ranks and made corporate history by becoming the first Black vice president of a major transportation company. He used his influence to encourage and promote hiring practices of minorities and developing business relationships with minority-owned firms. Additionally, he initiated scholarship programs for disadvantaged youth at forty-two historically Black colleges.

Joe's contributions to sports education, business and the community are too numerous to list. He made an impression on everyone he met and though he could sometimes be tough on people who looked to him as a role model, he explained that in order to succeed, today's Black youth have to be better than average. His favorite saying, which he often imparted to family and friends, was to encourage them to "keep on keeping on."

Please join us as we pay tribute to our local hometown hero as we dedicate the ballfields in his honor. A book signing will immediately follow the ceremonhy with accomplished author at attorney, a former student of Black's and author of the recently released book, "Meet the Real Joe Black."

Sincerely,
Phyllis Black Greer
(Joe's sister)

I have been told that although the formal dedication will take place Saturday, the school district will not install a plaque until the baseball season opens next spring.

---

DEDICATION OF JOE BLACK BALLFIELD

Saturday, September 25 | 10:00 AM

Hub Stine Sports Complex
Randolph Road
(across from Muhlenberg)

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainfield artist organizes exhibit for Land Conservancy

Waterlilies at Camp Hudsonia, by Gerry Heydt.
The former Girl Scout camp has been preserved by the NJ Land Conservancy.

Plainfield artist Gerry Heydt, renowned for her landscapes, is coordinating the participation of fourteen landscape painters in an exhibit for the Land Conservancy of NJ entitled 'Preserve Now -- Protect Forever: An Artistic Perspective' that will run from September 29 through October 29 at the Studio 7 Fine Arts Gallery in Bernardsville and the Bernardsville Public Library.

The show was the subject of an article on Sunday in the Daily Record, the Gannett paper serving Morris County (see here).

The Conservancy has preserved more than 17,000 acres of land in its 29-year history. From its roots in Morris County, it has become a nonprofit with interests in statewide land preservation issues, reflected by a name change in 2008 (from 'Morris County' to 'New Jersey').

While the works on display will be offered for sale, Gerry says she expects the greater impact of the show will be on raising awareness of the work of the Land Conservancy in preserving areas of natural beauty which landscape artists are immediately drawn to because of both grand vistas and intimate settings.

While the exhibit will run for an entire month, there will be an open house on Friday, October 1, from 6 - 9 PM.

Whether you are a fan Gerry's, of the landscape genre itself, or a supporter of open space conservation (or all three!), you will want to set aside some time to visit the show.

---

EXHIBIT
PRESERVE NOW -- PROTECT FOREVER
AN ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Open House, Friday, October 1
6:00 - 9:00 PM

Studio 7 Fine Art Gallery
5 Morristown Road, Bernardsville
(908) 630-9770
www.studio7artgallery.com/

and the
Bernardsville Public Library

---

• Daily Record:  "Landscape painters raise money for Land Conservancy of NJ"
• Plainfield Artist:  "Gerry Heydt Studio"
• Host Gallery:  "Studio 7 Art Gallery"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Happy Birthday, Bill!

Pomfret No. 4 School, where I learned some of life's most important lessons:
Reading, writing, arithmetic and citizenship.

A very happy birthday to my brother Bill, for whom Plainfield might as well be on the far side of the moon -- living as he does in hot, sunny and dry Tucson, Arizona, with my lovely sister-in-law Barbara (BJ to all).

His present this year was two vintage photographs: one of the three-room country school we attended as kids (Town of Pomfret School No. 4, Laona, NY) and a photo of his teacher, Mrs. Hortense Ellis, with her Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students.

Mrs. Ellis' 'Room', 1948.

Many happy returns!

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Kean U. website boasts historic Plainfield photos

Home of Alexander Gilbert, early Plainfield mayor, at West 8th Street and Central Avenue.
While an apartment complex is now on the site, the home to the right is undergoing restoration.

A treasure trove of early Plainfield photographer Guillermo Thorn's pictures is being mounted by Kean University Library on its ContentDM website (see here).

Many thanks to Plainfield Public Library Director Joe Da Rold for the heads up.

Thorn (1837-1920) was an early photographic chronicler of Plainfield life and people, operating out of his home and studio on East Second Street with a long career that spanned the decades of Plainfield's explosive growth as a post-Civil War railroad suburb attracting a wealthy elite of Wall Street bankers and financiers and executives in some of America's largest corporations.

The Plainfield Public Library holds a sizeable collection of Thorn's images, some of which have been organized as part of its online survey of Plainfield in photographs from 1870 to 1970 (see online exhibit here).

Kean's images are from a collection of more than 300 Thorn items that came into the possession of Prof. Frank Esposito in the late 1980s and are now part of Kean's holdings. He and his colleague Donald Lokuta organized the material into both an exhibit mounted in 2005 and a book (published by Kean U. Press as Victorian New Jersey: Photographs of Guillermo Thorn and released on the 100th anniversary of Kean's founding) -- see more here.

Plainfield's own Jean Mattson, former president of the Historical Society of Plainfield, worked with Esposito and Lokuta to research much of the Plainfield material. Much background information on the photos was supplied by Mattson, who at the time was also on the faculty of Kean University.

To use the Kean collection website, go to its home page (here) and click on the BROWSE link which will take you to the two pages of items currently online. Clicking on any image will bring up a large version of that item, with the available background information.

Note that the CONTACT US link at the bottom of the page is not yet set up (you get a blank email). For more information regarding the collection or to supply background information on any of the images, contact the Kean University Librarian, Luis Rodriguez, at (908) 737-4646 or by email here.

---

• Kean U. Library: "ContentDM: Guillermo Thorn photographs"
• Plainfield Public Library:  "Chronicles of Plainfield: 1870 - 1970"
• Kean University:  "Guillermo Thorn photos on exhibit"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Al Goodman of Ray, Goodman and Brown; services tomorrow

Harry Ray, Al Goodman and Billy Brown in 1980.

Al Goodman of Ray, Goodman and Brown (formerly the Moments), Plainfield's favorite R&B group, passed away Monday during surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center (see Courier here, NY Times here).

The group's performances are enjoyed every summer at outdoor events in Plainfield, particularly the Thursday evening concerts at Plainwood Square Park, for which an appearance this year is slated for Thursday, August 12.

Services tomorrow, August 2.

Condolences to Goodman's family and friends, especially Pat Fields, who regarded him as a special friend and brother.

---

Services for Al Goodman

Monday, August 2
Viewing: 9:00 AM | Service: 11:00 AM
Bergen Performing Arts Center
30 North Van Brunt Street
Englewood

---

• Courier: "Singer Al Goodman dies at 67"
• New York Times:  "Al Goodman, R&B singer, dies at 67"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainfield's Joe Black finally gets his due, thanks to Board of Ed

Ball fields at Hub Stine will be named after baseball legend.

Plainfield sports legend and baseball Hall of Famer Joe Black finally gets his due in his hometown.

In a walk-on item at last night's Board of Ed business meeting, a resolution was unanimously adopted naming the baseball fields at Hub Stine after the late hero and renaming the entire assemblage of facilities (which also includes the Donald Van Blake Tennis Courts) the Hub Stine Sports Complex.

In one fell swoop the Board of Ed cured the embarrassment the Queen City suffered when it came to light that the City's Recreation Division failed to execute a 2004 Council resolution naming the Rock Avenue ball fields after Black, the first African-American to pitch a winning World Series game (see here).

Here are some highlights from the resolution --

...Joe Black brought pride to himself, his family and his community by his myriad accomplishments which include playing baseball for the Negro League Team in Baltimore, Maryland for many years; being named National League 'Rookie of the Year' in 1952 when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers; and being the first African-American to pitch a winning World Series game, also in 1952, against the New York Yankees.

After leaving baseball, Joe Black taught physical education in the Plainfield Public Schools for several years and thereby impacted many young people with his display of intellect, dignity and humanity. He later joined corporate America and rose to the level of Vice President of the Greyhound Bus Company. Joe Black's life example is worthy and deserving of being honored, remembered and passed on to future generations...

Black's nephew, Jason Greer, had appeared before the City Council on July 12, asking for some resolution of the long-promised memorialization of his late uncle, saying that the repeated starts and stops have been stressful on his mother, Phyllis Greer, who is the late baseball hero's sister.

Let's hope the Board of Ed and other city officials arrange an appropriate marker and ceremony to bring this matter to a final, fitting close.

---

• Plainfield Today:  "Rec Division strikes out on memorializing Joe Black"
  
• Wikipedia:  "Joe Black, baseball legend"
• Courier:  "Plainfield's Joe Black, baseball Hall of Famer, gone but not forgotten"
  
• NJ Newsroom:  "Inspiring life of Plainfield's Joe Black chronicles a career in baseball and philanthropy"
• Book:  "Meet the Real Joe Black: An Inspiring Life"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Rec Division strikes out on memorializing Joe Black

Joe Black and the 1961 Hubbard School baseball team.

Plainfield Rec Division supervisor Dave Wynn stepped up to the plate last night ... and struck out over the Division's failure to memorialize Plainfield native and baseball legend Joe Black.

Summoned to the Council table by President Annie McWilliams, Wynn had no convincing explanation for why his division had failed to implement a unanimous resolution adopted by the City Council in 2004 memorializing Black by naming the Rock Avenue baseball complex after him.

Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson averred that the resolution might be unenforceable and perhaps the Council would want to consider an ordinance instead. After a lengthy discussion by the Council, including some back and forth with Williamson, McWilliams said it was not a matter of whether the original resolution was enforceable, but WHY it had not been effectuated in the first place.

Councilor Mapp refreshed memories by offering some historical detail, recalling that Mr. Wynn had objected at the time, bringing forth former Rec director John Pepe, who contended the fields already were known by another name and suggesting the ball diamond at Hub-Stine Field as an alternative. Notwithstanding, the Council adopted the resolution regarding the Rock Avenue complex -- unanimously.

Barring any further explanation, the only conclusion to be drawn is that Wynn decided on his own initiative to ignore the Council's wishes.

After the discussion got under way, Wynn and DPWUD Director David Brown were joined at the table by Board of Ed president Lisa Logan-Leach, who said that the Board of Ed had discussed naming the Hub-Stine ball field after Black as long as ten years ago, and would be taking the matter up again at Tuesday's (today's) meeting.

Former Board of Ed members I spoke to do recall a discussion of naming the ballfield after Black, but say that no action was ever taken by the Board and, after the Council weighed in in 2004, believed the matter had been settled.

Joe Black, the Plainfield native and outstanding athlete, became the first black pitcher to win a World Series game (in 1952), and has been in the news recently (see here and here) with the issuance of a biography by his former Hubbard School student Steven Selzer, Meet the Real Joe Black: An Inspiring Life, with a foreword by Bill Cosby. (More information about the book and ordering a copy can be found here.)

Council President McWilliams left the resolution of the matter open, pending the discussion at this evening's Board of Ed meeting, but made it clear that the Council considers it had taken definitive action and wanted to see the matter resolved as soon as possible.

Black's nephew, Jason Greer, son of his sister Phyllis, was present after the discussion had taken place. Invited by Council President McWilliams to the table to say a few words to the Council, he spoke of how stressful it was on his mother to have the matter of recognizing her brother unresolved after all these years. 'The family just wants closure,' he said.

A perfectly reasonable request, by my lights.

---

ASIDE: I ran into Dave Wynn after the Independence Day Parade and he said he felt my post (see here) questioning the reassignment of the New Dems from slot 28 to slot 48 was unfair to him.

He said he needed the ability to rearrange elements of the parade as conditions warranted, and that moving the New Dems from their assigned slot (28) to a new one further back (48 out of 52) was not politically motivated nor meant to be a slight.

If I were in Dave's position, I certainly would like to have the freedom to rearrange parade elements if needed, and can agree that he should have that ability.

However, it would certainly help avoid the suspicion that political motives are afoot if the LETTER ISSUED BY REC stated that any assignment of a slot was subject to review and changing before the parade starts. Hopefully, it will contain some such language in the future.

Further, I suggest that the signup form for the parade include the contact person's EMAIL ADDRESS, with a notice that the Rec Division will contact them via email with any changes and the reasons for making them.

If changes like this are made for future Independence Day parades, I would consider modifying the headline of this story to 'Rec Division: One ball, two strikes'.

---

• Wikipedia:  "Joe Black, baseball legend"
• Courier:  "Plainfield's Joe Black, baseball Hall of Famer, gone but not forgotten"
  
• NJ Newsroom:  "Inspiring life of Plainfield's Joe Black chronicles a career in baseball and philanthropy"
• Book:  "Meet the Real Joe Black: An Inspiring Life"
• Plainfield Today:  "Dave Wynn playing politics with July 4 Parade?"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainfield officer elected national president of Latino peace officers group

Edwin Maldonado, new national president
of the National Latino Peace Officers' Assocation.

Plainfield police officer Edwin Maldonado was elected national president of the National Latino Peace Officers' Association (LPOA) at its 37th national convention in Austin, Texas this past weekend (more here).

Maldonado, a popular cop known to everyone as 'Eddie', is a lifelong Plainfield resident and a twelve-year veteran of the Plainfield Police Division. He founded the New Jersey chapter of the LPOA in August 2003, and quickly became recognized as a leader in the field of of law enforcement, community policing and community service. New Jersey now boasts six chapters of the national organization (see here).

The organization's goals include promoting equality and professionalism in law enforcement, recruiting Latinos into law enforcement, bridging the gap between Latinos and law enforcement, and honoring family, education and community through service and mentoring.

Maldonado has been recognized for his service and leadership with three Meritorious Duty awards, five Excellent Duty awards, five Commendation awards, one Life Saving award and  numerous letters of commendation. He is a graduate of the Union County Police Academy and is certified in arson investigation, hostage negotiation, community policing, and as a personal protection specialist, in addition to being an instructor at the County police academy.

The LPOA is the largest Latino law enforcement organization in the United States, boasting 75 chapters or chapters-in-organization (see here), grouped in five regional associations. The organization includes chiefs of police, sheriffs, police officers, parole agents and federal officers employed at the local, county, state and federal levels.

Congratulations, Eddie!

---

• NJLPOA:  "NJ Latino Peace Officers Ass'n"
• LPOA:  "US Chapters"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Susan Ironside to be ordained this morning

Bishop Theodora (left) in a 9th-century mosaic
from the Church of St.Praxedis in Rome.

My friend Susan Ironside, whose husband Andrew was organist at Grace Episcopal Church in Plainfield for a number of years, will be ordained a priest this morning at Trinity Cathedral in Trenton.

Susan and Andrew lived in their very first home on Berkeley Avenue, just two doors from Cook School, until Andrew's new job at St. John's-on-the-Mountain in Bernardsville led to a move to Madison.

Susan will celebrate her first Eucharist at 9:30 AM tomorrow at St. John's-on-the-Mountain.

In July, she will begin her service as an assistant at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Westfield.

Congratulations and much love to Susan from all her Plainfield friends.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

What shall we do with our dead?

The late Bob Ferraro, 'the man with the van'.

After a recent post mentioning the late Plainfield council member Bob Ferraro (see here), I received a comment taking me to task --

Gee Dan, why'd you want to go bring poor dead Bob Ferraro into this? and saying he was not "deterred by facts" ...?

Chatting with the reader yesterday, we traversed the familiar de mortuis nil nisi bonum argument (the original Greek renders more pungently: 'Don't badmouth the dead').

This got me to wondering about what we 'do' with our dead.

I find the most satisfying funerals and memorial services (and I seem to be going to more and more lately) to be those where the full-bodied, in-the-round memories of the deceased are celebrated by those gathered to honor, recall and, perhaps, draw lessons or inspiration from their late friend.

Such was the case when I penned a remembrance of Bob on his passing last December (see here), and I don't think I was bad-mouthing him in the most recent post since I said practically the same thing at the time of his passing, without having kicked up a fuss.

As for the accuracy of citing salaries of one's adversaries, I was criticizing Burney for making an inaccurate claim; in the back of my mind, I recalled having been on the receiving end of a similarly outrageous claim by Ferraro once.

Bob was first and foremost passionate, and he didn't let the facts stand in the way of a point he wanted to make (for another instance, just check my December post).

He was who he was.

It is what it is.

Seems to me NOT remembering our departed colleagues at all, in this age of Twitter, texting and short attention spans, means we doom them to being nothing more than wisps of smoke, dying away as the candle is snuffed.

Is that better?

---

• Plainfield Today --
• "Burney's un-truthiness disappoints"
• "Bob Ferraro, former Plainfield councilor, passes away"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Jean Mattson photo exhibit opens tomorrow with reception

One of the images featured in the Jean Mattson retrospective.

Plainfield photographer, history enthusiast and community activist Jean Mattson will be honored with a retrospective exhibit of her work -- highlighting her Plainfield portraits and daily life and scenes from Dublin, Ireland -- that opens tomorrow at the Plainfield Public Library.

Jean realized a number of years ago that an important group of Plainfielders, who had taken part in the great changes in the community over the past half century or so were becoming older and she determined to capture portraits of them while they were still with us.

This led to expanding the record to include younger people and newcomers to the community, thus comprising a special window into Plainfield as the Queen City left the 20th and entered the 21st century.

Her meticulous composition, posing and lighting showcase her desire to capture the 'essence' of the subject at hand. Elegant, and with attention to light and shadow, they engage viewers by showing Plainfielders as fully present yet somehow timeless.

Born in Plainfield in 1927 (Saturday will be her 83rd birthday), Jean is a descendant of the Squier family, early settlers of Union County who played a special role in towns such as Rahway, Clark and Elizabeth.

Professionally, Jean worked in the Media Department of Kean University for many years, retiring at age 80.

In the Plainfield community, however, she is better known for her interest in local history, and will be long remembered for organizing and curating an exceptional series of exhibits at the Drake House in 2000 that documented Plainfield in the 20th century.

That exhibit drew on her wide range of contacts throughout the community to display photographs, ephemera and daily objects reflecting the families and daily life of the Queen City, decade by decade.

Her late husband, Lutheran pastor Norman 'Moose' Mattson, had a career that took the family from Illinois to Minnesota to Alberta, Canada and back to Union County, where he retired from the ministry and went to work for the state.

Jean then found the time to earn two Masters degrees, one from Columbia University in African History and the other from Temple University in Educational Media.

Her community activism led her to become an early and enthusiastic supporter of the late Mayor Al McWilliams, who always fondly referred to her as 'The Citizen'. She stumped her neighborhood and the community for McWilliams, turning her vast network of friends and contacts into supporters for the up-and-coming father of five (whose daughter Annie is currently City Council president).

The reception will also serve as a 'birthday party' for Jean, with a cake provided by her daughter Lois Mattson and son-in-law (and Ward 2 Councilor) Cory Storch.

Anyone wishing to honor her may want to consider making a donation to the Plainfield Public Library, an agency close to Jean's heart, and -- if you've been following the news -- one now taking a severe hit from the current fiscal difficulties of the city and the state.

---

Opening Reception: Photography of Jean Mattson

An opening reception for an exhibit including her photographs of Ireland and Plainfield subjects
The exhibit runs through June 30th

The Room 2 Gallery
Plainfield Public Library
Park Avenue and 8th Street

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Muhlenberg's oldest nursing alum celebrates 97th

Mildred Goff's 1934 graduation portrait.

Mildred Goff Garrett, 1934 Muhlenberg Nursing School alumna, recently celebrated her 97th birthday. Mrs. Garrett is shown above in her graduation portrait and below in a recent photo.

Her son, Bill Garrett, is a Plainfield history buff and preservation enthusiast, and has donated thousands of historic photographs from the Paul R. Collier collection to the Plainfield Public Library.

Mildred Goff Garrett now lives in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Bill relates that upon graduation his mother became the head nurse in charge of the 'accident room' (in the days before Emergency Rooms). The job required living at the hospital. If there was an emergency at night, she would go down, unlock the door and turn on the lights before the ambulance arrived.

Bill's father George drove the ambulance (there was no Rescue Squad until years later) and the couple met when he brought a patient to the 'accident room'. Their first date was a bus trip to Newark -- for ice cream sodas! Since the hospital discouraged fraternization between employees, Mildred and George used to slip off to a small brick bus shelter at the corner of Park Avenue and Randolph Road to be alone.

The 1929 Buick ambulance that Mildred's future husband George drove.

According to Bill, there was a dog living at the hospital. Occasionally he would disappear and George would have to go looking for him, usually finding him sleeping on some patient's bed, getting his ears scratched. (So today's 'therapy dogs' may not be such a new thing after all.)

Mildred also identified the operating room staff members in the Collier photo below, taken ca. 1940.

Operating Room in the 'old wing' of Muhlenberg, ca. 1940.
From left: Dr. Valentine, Dr. Hayward Day, Dr. Wolfe Lurie,
O.R. Supervisor Evelyn Lawson, and Mildred Bahr, RN.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Bob Franks, former Congressman represented Plainfield

Former Congressman Bob Franks.

Bob Franks, former Congressman who represented Plainfield before the redistricting after the 2000 Census, passed away suddenly early Saturday from an aggressive cancer only diagnosed in February.

Though he would tell you Bobby Kennedy had been an inspiration, Bob's first great political feat was developing the strategy against Gov. Jim Florio's tax increases that led to a GOP landslide that swept Democrats from power.

Bob represented Plainfield in Congress for four terms in the 1990s. After the 2000 Census, New Jersey's redistricting added Plainfield to the already-safe district of Rep. Frank Pallone.

Plainfielders will remember him as an unfailing gentleman, a true bipartisan eager and willing to work across the aisle with Democrats to foster projects aimed at strengthening New Jersey's economy and prosperity.

He was an old-fashioned New Jersey Republican, the kind whose socially moderate views and fiscal conservatism won many Democratic votes; sadly, this kind of Republican seems to have no place in today's Grand Old Party.

That is a loss to America as great as the loss of Bob Franks is to the residents of New Jersey.

Below are links to various obituaries and assessments of Bob's life and contributions.

---

• Ledger, Tom Moran: "A personal appreciation of a political gentleman"
• PolitickerNJ --
• Obituary: "Bob Franks dies at 58"
• Statements: "Statements on former Congressman Bob Franks"
  
• 'Wally Edge': "The Bob Franks Story"
  
• NYTimes: "Former New Jersey Congressman dies"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

And the winner is ... a Plainfield Today reader!

ShopRite has been running a grocery giveaway contest in the Courier.

A Plainfield Today reader is the lucky winner of the Courier's most recent grocery giveaway -- $100 worth of groceries every week for the rest of this year.

Congratulations to Rosemary Pittis.

Many may know Rosemary as a member of the Plainfield Music Club, a soprano soloist much sought after and an accomplished harpist -- that would the Irish harp (clàirseach).

She and her husband Albert (known to everyone as 'Al') are also stalwarts of the Netherwood Heights Historic District.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainfield artist Janet Sobel: Mother of Abstract Expressionism

'Autumn', by Janet Sobel, 1943.

Today is International Women's Day, and it put me in mind of Plainfield artist Janet Sobel, credited as being the 'mother of Abstract Expressionism' for having inspired Jackson Pollock with her so-called 'drip paintings', exhibited at Peggy Guggenheim's Art Of This Century gallery in New York in 1944.

I doubt I would even know of this pioneering, Ukrainian-born, 'outsider' woman artist if it had not been for a chance encounter with her son, Sol.

About fifteen years ago, when I was active in real estate, I had the privilege of helping Sol and Leah Sobel in the sale of their home in the 1300-block of Martine Avenue. It is one of my favorite Plainfield Tudors, with a distinctive, gently curving bay window facing the street.

Looking to downsize, Sol and Leah were packing up a lifetime of memories, including hundreds of his own canvases as well as a number of those of his mother, who had passed away in 1968 and whose name meant nothing to me.

I found the works fascinating, but there was no inkling that Janet Sobel had been such an influence on the American 20th century art scene. Art historian Libby Seaberg in her profile of the artist reveals that Janet Sobel was in a group show, A Painting Prophecy, 1950, which included, in addition to Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Stuart Davis, Mark Rothko and Louise Bourgeois.

Not too shabby for a Plainfield hausfrau!

Mark Rothko wrote Janet Sobel in 1947, seeking biographical info.

What Sol told me about mostly was the family's business connections in Plainfield -- they owned a Front Street jewelry store. Seaberg, however, cites the family's ownership of a factory in Perth Amboy employing two hundred in jewelry manufacture, and that they had moved to Plainfield in 1948 to be closer to the business.

According to Sol, the family had a residential compound atop a hillside on Woodland Avenue, just across from the Randolph Road intersection. By the time I had met him, the houses were in some disrepair, and I believe there had even been a fire in one of them. The compound has since been replaced by the Hovnanian development put up a number of years ago.

The Sobel compound was on the hilltop across Woodland from Hub-Stine Field.

Seaberg does a great deal of sleuthing to ferret out the history of both Sobel's exhibits and her peregrinations in probing the reasons for her later obscurity. (And she gives credit to the Plainfield Public Library's indefatigable Jessica Myers and Jane Thoner for their help in her research.)

It is fascinating to learn that she had a solo show at Swain Galleries in March, 1962, and was profiled in a January 6, 1962 interview by Waylande Gregory in the Plainfield Courier-News.

But even more startling to me, was that Seaberg credits Janet's entree into the art world to son Sol's relentless promotion of his mother's work. It was he who introduced her to Marc Chagall and the American philosopher and educator John Dewey, as well as to Max Ernst, who showed Sobel's works to his then-wife Peggy Guggenheim, hence her inclusion in the 1944 show.

Reading Seaberg gave me one of those six-degrees of separation moments: this Sol, this real estate client, had known Marc Chagall AND John Dewey? And his mother had been so influential?

Janet Sobel (shown in background photograph) was a subject
in a 2009 'outsider art' exhibit at Gary Snyder's Project Space.

Plainfield, I suspect, has more such surprising stories.

So, remember Janet Sobel on International Women's Day, the homey, plump Jewish grandmother who designed jewelry for the family business and turned to self-expression through painting in her middle age.

And take some satisfaction.

---

• Gary Snyder Project Space: "Janet Sobel Exhibit" -- A recent show.
• Bob Duggan on BigThink: "Mother of Invention"
• Libby Seaberg: "Will the real Jane Sobel please stand up?" -- Available in PDF.
• Paul Laster: "A night at New York's Outsider Art Fair"
  
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.