clifton merchant magazine - november 2015

Clifton Merchant November 2015 3

November 2015 Clifton Merchant4

Why Are You Thankful?Cliftonites Count Their Blessings

Mustang Katrin GirgisThankful for CHS & Teachers

Clifton Savings Bank EvolvesRemains Cliftons Hometown Bank

Shook Funeral Home At 60 Community Involvement & Compassion

Boys & Girls Club Alumni PartyMeet the Hall of Famers on Nov. 20

Miracle Worker on CHS StageHelen Kellers Story Comes to Life

Whats Inside?18

24

34

50

56

64

82

WWII Veterans Recall ServiceHonored in Nov. 8 Veterans Parade

90

Photos fromVan HoutenAve. event

Halloween Parade

33

Avenue of FlagsHonoring Americas Vets

Editor & PublisherTom Hawrylko

2015 Tomahawk Promotions

Visit cliftonmerchant.comfor current & past issues

973-253-4400 [email protected]

Art DirectorKen Peterson

Graphic DesignerAly Ibrahim

Business ManagerGabriella Marriello

Editorial InternsAriana Puzzo Madison Molner

1288 Main Ave., Downtown Clifton, NJ 07011

Douglas John Bowen,Jack De Vries, Joe Hawrylko

Irene Jarosewich, April Lewandowski

Contributing Writers

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Cliftonite Julia Rose Young has endured what no oneshould have to, and perhaps what many of us could neverimagine or survive. And shes thankful she survived and

can tell the tale.

A bonfire accident at age 15 resulted in third-degree

burns over 75 percent of her body and nine months of hos-

pitalization and intense rehabilitation. Indeed, the rehab

continues to this day, as she pushes against her limitations,

be they physical or emotional. She rejoices over the break-

throughs; she gracefully accepts what may never be recap-

tured.

I label myself as occupationally disabled, Young,

now 22, said last month during a lunch at the Tick Tock

Diner. I cant do manual labor; I dont have fine motor

movements in my hands. If I go to the gym, I cant always

change the setting on a machine, because I cant grasp a

knob, for example.

By contrast, gross motor movements raising ones

arms or walking continue to improve, if slowly, she

noted. My elbows were locked [after being burned and

hospitalized] because extra calcium goes to your

Clifton Profile in Courage:

The Journey of

A young womans courage and

heart mixed with some humor

and introspection carry her past

catastrophe and onward in life.

By Douglas John Bowen

Julia Young



joints. But Im much more mobile now.

Gesturing at her lunch partners dish,

she half-playfully intoned, Yay! My

arm works again; I can eat a cheeseburg-

er with two hands.

Still, Young struggles with issues not even generated

by fire, at least not directly. Heavy boots protected her

feet from fire damage, but I have to wear high heels

because my left foot is stuck in a downward position

due to how she was positioned in her hospital bed.

Young counts herself lucky that her perceptive thera-

pist was able to undo some of that damage. (Indeed, she

sauntered into the Tick Tock at a pace equal to, if not

faster than, others entering the famed diner.)

One survivor I know of almost had to have his foot

amputated, even when his foot wasnt damaged,

because it was atrophied in such a downward position.

The muscles atrophy if not positioned properly, she

asserted.

Young, who returned home to Clifton early this year,

likely will celebrate Thanksgiving with family and

friends, happy to be alive and ready to move on.

Fire and shockFor Young and four of her friends, the evening of

March 14, 2009 started around a bonfire near Central

Valley, N.Y., an informal end-of-winter celebration.

Young used a can of gasoline to bolster a flagging fire

once without incident. As the fire died down again, she

repeated the process on the embers, with catastrophic

results.

I saw flames in front of my face and on my shirt, and

I remember collapsing to my knees. I dont remember

if it was a conscious decision or not, Young said, asked

if she deliberately moved to stop, drop, and roll, per

the schoolchild drill.

Deliberate move or not, dropping to the ground

proved dreadful, as Young fell to a gas-saturated sur-

face, exacerbating the flames. Her friends moved to res-

cue here using water and fluids to douse the flames.

But the damage was done; Young estimates 75% of

her body had third-degree burns, with additional sec-

ond-degree burns of perhaps 5%.

Emotionally in shock but still physically able, Young

showered, only to find her skin peeling dramatically.

Her father, Gerry Young, arrived. A volunteer firefight-

er at the time, Gerry Young said I didnt look burned;

I looked pale, she recalled. I didnt look anything like

the depictions in movies or on television.

But shortly thereafter Young guesses in 15 minutes,

though my sense of time slowed, got distorted phys-

ical shock overwhelmed her, and her father had to carry

her to an arriving ambulance. Still conscious, Julia

Young recalls worrying about her parents almost as

much as about herself. Oh, youre going to be fine,

they said, [but] they were in shock in the beginning,

too, she noted.

Julia was intubated and airlifted by helicopter to

Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., where

staff induced a coma to circumvent much of the pain she

would otherwise endure once awake. She said she vivid-

ly remembers being in pain, but noted the memory of

the actual pain itself has receded somewhat perhaps

the minds way of protecting itself.

Not forgotten is her parents love and care during that

time. Dad would watch over the changing of bandages,

and so forth, she said, while Julias mother would give

her foot massages, in part because her feet were the

only part of me she could touch, was allowed to touch,

because of the pain. Everything else was bandaged.

On the reboundAfter two months, Julia was transferred to Shriners

Burn Treatment Center in Boston to undergo more than

six months of extensive physical therapy, including

regaining the ability to walk. In a YouTube post, Young

recounts how Shriners had to remove earlier skin graft

attempts, which had proven unsuccessful, and put me

in a bubble to avoid getting infection.

She also had to take stock of the physical damage

unlikely to be fixed quickly, if at all such as nerve

damage that has left much of her arms and legs almost

without sensation.

I kind of forget what its like to feel normally, she

said. Sometimes I take too hot of a shower, for

instance, and I wont realize it until I see how red my

skin is. I can feel my bone if I give my arm or leg

Looking at her lunch partner,Julia smiled mischievously and added,

I dont want to get surgery just to

make you feel more comfortable.


a hard bump. But I often cant feel a cut in my skin, or

when I bruise myself. Her arms also lack fatty tissue,

and while friends teasingly note Julia has an advantage

in controlling her weight, she counters, Its a pain.

Her sense of smell has also been affected, though she

has delighted in vegetable gardening this year. I can

smell earth. Some people dont like to smell dirt, but I

think its wonderful, she said.

Young is legally blind in her left eye; its like seeing

through wax paper, she said. Her right eye is fine. As

well, she added, My face has a lot more nerves. It

might be because I dont have nerve hair on my arms

and legs. Or possibly its due to a deeper skin graft on

my face, possibly augmented when doctors performed

some restorative surgery.

Staying true to herselfThe facial surgery included getting the tip of my

nose fixed so that it no longer has a bump on it and lips

could move better, she said. The work added to her

facial scars, and while Julia accepts the tradeoff, she

isnt sold on still more work to make herself better.

People say, You can always get more surgery. I

dont want more surgery, she asserted with some exas-

peration. Im OK with the way I am right now.

Looking at her lunch partner, she smiled mischievously

and added, I dont want to get surgery just to make you

feel more comfortable.

Im lucky, she declared, quietly defiant. I have all

my fingers and toes. Sure, theres nerve damage and

aches and pains and stuff that doesnt move so well. But

Im here.

Young noted people can get flustered when dis-

cussing her incident, perhaps accidentally employing a

verbal metaphor which could hurt her feelings. Shes

learned to differentiate between the casual slip of the

tongue and the deliberately cruel comment (which,

sadly, does sometimes occur).

In that regard, shes no different than most other peo-

ple, she pointed out. People try to make me feel Im fit-

ting in, but sometimes their curiosity is obvious. I wrote

a short story saying I am more. I am more than my

burn; its a big piece of who I am but its not the only

thing that makes me who I am.

Young doesnt deny lingering doubts, including

recurring reminders of the fire and its impact. Always

during March, I get a little moody, because it is difficult.

I lost my indestructibleness; I cant be reckless any-

more. Cuts and bruises become serious threats due to

possible infection threats her impaired nervous system

cant always detect.

Such things are reminders that we are not invincible.

Teens and people of all ages often believe This kind of

thing wont happen to me. It does, she said.

Otherwise, Im usually very optimistic. I probably

have better self-esteem than most people, she added.

Her visit to the Tick Tock epitomized her self-confi-

dence and poise. Few if any diner patrons bothered to

look up as she walked by; a few diners near where she

sat, aware she was being interviewed, stole brief glances

at her before resuming their own affairs. Just another

patron or two at the Tick Tock. No big deal.

Counseling and consoling othersThough not dwelling on her experience exclusively,

Young hasnt shunned it, either, instead incorporating

her past into present-day activity. She has been invited

to address groups of first responders, to explain how

survivors feel, and the trauma that follows.

Such sessions are often held at regular hospital burn

meetings, among other locations. Though some might

presume such work is meant to boost feelings of self-

worth, Young said such sessions often help make

Julia at age 14 with her dad Jerry and mom Michele.


the first responders feel

better, or at least more

grounded. They see us in

so much pain; they feel

bad for us, she said, sym-

pathetically.

She noted shes hardly

alone, what with thousands

of burn survivors nation-

wide and globally. Many

North American survivors meet each year at World Burn,

a convention. Young attended one such event, though she

doesnt make an annual visit a priority.

Indeed, the fire that changed Julia Young for life in

March 2009 also injured one of her comrades, though

thankfully very, very much less than me, she said. In

this case, she has some lingering sense of sorrow and

responsibility. I feel bad for doing that to her, and in

fact for traumatizing everybody there, she lamented.

She still has the boots (protecting her feet), jeans, and

jacket that she wore the night she was burned. They

still reek of gasoline, she said another scent, if less

pleasant, that she can smell with little trouble.

Hitting the books, and writing one, tooNow back in Clifton, where she grew up and attend-

ed School No. 9 on Market St., Julia Young is enrolled

at Bergen Community College, in pursuit of a degree in

liberal arts, with an eye for becoming an editor.

Articulate and well-spoken, she already is a writer,

author of short stories and of a book involving a hero-

ine in the state of Maine dealing with the aftermath of

a biological plague. The book, The Human Plague,

is accessible on the Internet through wattpad.com

story/17673970-the-human-plague, and can be pur-

chased through Facebook.

Though not strictly autobiographical even as fiction,

Youngs main character in the book is a survivor as

well. A friend read my book and said its very obvious

that its me as the main character, in a way, she said.

But the tale does have a deeper twist: the books protag-

onist is a survivor of ovarian cancer, significant to the

story line since humanitys future is at stake.

The hypothetical Komodo viral plague involved,

linked to the famed Komodo dragon of the East Indies,

reduces human drive and creativity, slowing down

human metabolism as well. But Young said her work

seeks to sidestep broad brush strokes of zombie apoc-

alypse so common today, stressing that she screened

her drafts with friends knowledgeable in biology, med-

icine, and other sciences in an attempt to make the

hypothetical plague somewhat plausible.

The zombies in my book, if you call them that, are

alive; theyre still living people, she offered as an

example. Instead of creating one-dimensional mon-

sters, she sought to magnify, if en masse, the effect an

outside influence can have on individuals. Young is

pondering a prequel, and/or sequel, to her initial effort,

exploring more deeply the concepts of friendship, of

caring, and of humanity at large.

Julia in Clifton School 9 on Market St.


Family, faith, and the familiarBack in todays world, and with more

optimism, Young still enjoys crafting

doll houses out of shoe boxes, a hobby

from when I was a child. Ive always

loved architecture, she said. Not that

theres been no changes. Cutting card-

board, gluing it together; its relaxing but its aggravat-

ing, too, not as easy as it once was. Not at all, she

observed.

Like so many other things, shes adapted to the diffi-

culty, crafting new approaches. One includes using a

pair of broken tweezers, bent and very long, to help hold

paper to cardboard while glue dries, to compensate for

lack of finger dexterity, she said.

Young moved back to Clifton around New Years,

and is glad to be back in her old neighborhood. This is

where my family is; Im seeing the folks where I was

raised and where family was and continues to be sup-

portive.

Faith also sustains and supports Young. When my

[Episcopal] priest died, I became an atheist, she mused.

But in the hospital, every time they changed my band-

ages, I prayed. Not to any one God, but I prayed.

Religion helps you out.

A regular attendee of St. Peters Episcopal Church on

Clifton Ave., Young enjoys the churchs emphasis on

acceptance and openness to all people, and I enjoy the

familiar rituals. But shes also an amateur connoisseur

of various faiths, expressing equal tolerance for those of

sincere belief. I dont care what religion anyone is,

she said. Faith can have many paths.

Youngs own path includes faith in lifes journey

itself. Life is worth living, she said simply. She is

grateful in being alive and being able to still experience

life. Im thankful for just enjoying the sound of crickets

at night, the taste of that cheeseburger. The simple

things, the small stuff.

Stuff that Thanksgiving should spur every person to

savor and cherish.

Well-intentioned people might say to me, If I lookedlike you Id kill myself. Sure, there are days when I look

in the mirror and I sigh.

And there are days when I smile:

Dang, I look good today.

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That I open up my eyes every day. What is not to be grateful for? saidthe three-year owner of Sante Fe Salon on Clifton Ave. I live in a great

town. I have my own business. I am healthy and I have a wonderful fam-

ily...Why be negative?

Business OwnerLisa Galanti

For America, still the best country in the world. You ready to work hard,raise a family, educate your kids and see that they get a good job? America

is the place to be. My parents and siblings came here in 1964. We are

Ukrainians and my parents worked hard to educate us so we can have a bet-

ter life. They hardly had any time for themselves. They saved and put all

four of us through college. Now our kids are all professionals, have careers

and live a better life then we could ever have given them in Ukraine or any

other country. I am thankful that America is the land of opportunity.

RetiredRoman Diduch

Clifton Arts Center DirectorRoxanne Cammilleri

I am grateful for all the people who help out, part of the whole community thatjust want to make things better, who take time to say hello, to help out. All the

little things and the big things that people do. Everything counts. Dont take any-

thing for granted, including the little things. Life is a wonderful process.

That I have a pension. I had a great job for 25 years. Icould afford a comfortable home and a great living. Today

I have a pension and a health plan to keep me healthy. Retired Clifton Firefighter

Richard DeLotto

I moved to Clifton in 1955 and I got to play and hang out on theBenkendorf Farm right through high school. I am really thankful forthat part of my life when Clifton was a place you could experience

nature. The other thing, in terms of Clifton, I am really appreciative

of my time in the Mustang Bandfor being mentored by Saul Kay. In

terms of being a musician and being in show business, Mr. Kay and

Mr. (Ed) Wasserman gave us a base and understanding so that by time

I became a music journalist and a performer, I had four years of train-

ing. Look, I toured Europe when I was 16... I went into my junior year

having played through five countries in Europe. That would not have

happened if I was not in the band. Mr. Kay and Mr. Wasserman had a

major impact on the my destiny and a lot of other kids in CHS.

Charlie Frick

NORMA SMITH

Director Hamilton-VanWagoner House Museum

Im thankful for my family and friends,and for the opportunity to enjoy the job that I

do as much as I do at least 80% of the time!


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Marching Mustangs Director Bob Morgan

NJEDDA Executive Director

William Weiss

At the North Jersey Elks DevelopmentalDisabilities Agency (NJEDDA), we are thank-ful for all of the wonderful support and generos-

ity of our donors. The Elks members have been

behind us 100% for over 60 years. Our staff,

families, and friends of our agency have made

our program expansions possible. They love our

children and adults and we are thankful for all of

their volunteer efforts. Happy Thanksgiving to

our supportive Clifton community!

Im thankful for my family. Everybody is healthy anddoing well and growing. Im thankful for my two boys:Matthew, and Daniel, his wife Kelly, and their son

Harrison, all doing well with another grandchild on the

way, due in April.

Im thankful for my wife Michele; weve been mar-

ried 40 years now. Im thankful to be able to travel and

do things with my wife now. Im thankful for relative

good health retirement is pretty good, when I was

retired, that is Im enjoying that. My mother-in-law is

doing well, and my mother, 95, is still doing her thing.

Family would be my biggest thing.

Im also thankful for being able to help the marching

band out in its time of need this year, and to give them a

little guidance. Weve got a good fan base behind us; Im

finding out more and more that people appreciated the

efforts I put out while I was working with the band kids.

Im thankful all the band kids are doing well; they

have families now, living the good life. Im glad to see

theyre a successful bunch; I still call them my kids.

They are good people. Im glad I was a part of some-

thing, part of history, with the band. It was a big part of

my life. Im glad I was able to help and show a lot of

other people the pleasure we enjoy with music.

And Im glad to be able to say I live here in the USA.

Ive been around to a few places, and I still strongly feel

this is still the best country to live in. I think thats evi-

denced by the people who want to come here.

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Clifton Merchant November 2015

I like to think Im a very realistic person, Girgissaid. People assume Im pessimistic and cynical. Iwould argue thats not true; Im simply logical. Born in

Egypt, Girgis and her family moved to the U.S. in 2000,

when she was two years old. My native country has

relatively nothing to do with my personality just my

religion, she said.

Girgis has applied her logic and analytical skills to

excel at CHS, where her teachers have kindled her

appetite for knowledge, she said.

Girgiss current courses include AP Biology, AP

Government, AP English, Honors Calculus, and

Illustrating and Cartooning, the last addressing my

love of art, she said.

Praise for CHS teaching staffThe best thing about CHS is definitely the teachers

that excel at their areas, Girgis said. They will help

you appreciate the subject, and the lessons, and teach

you that not everything is about the grade that the

number does not define you, your current knowledge

capacity, or the knowledge you will one day obtain.

My history teachers, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Henry,

have led me to question everything, even if I may never

get all the answers, and have revolutionized the way I

think and view the world, she said.

My science teachers, Mr. Meck and Mr. Chil, chal-

lenge and taught me to actually interpret and understand

the material, and never babied the class by asking sim-

ple definition-based questions. They have made me

wonder about how the smallest particles make up such

a huge world, and thanks to Mr. Meck I now read scien-

tific literature.

I have to mention my physics teacher, Mr.

McCullough, as well, because his lecture-style teaching

method was a great way to prepare me for college, she

said. I think he is taken for granted by his students but

he really is brilliant; he and Mr. Chil have a similar phi-

losophy that failure is a good thing.

Mr. Chil says it perfectly: Failure is an opportunity

to begin again more intelligently, a motto I have taken to

heart, Girgis said. Im happy they were my teachers,

that I got the opportunity to learn from them.

On an academic questGirgis has thrived by being challenged. I have

received the Distinguished Academics Award for the past

three years, and hope to receive it this year as well, she

said. My favorite subjects are American History,

Biology, and Chemistry. Biology with Mr. Meck fresh-

man year proved a real challenge, one I did not encounter

in middle school, and that made the subject more inter-

esting to learn. It was Mr. Mecks teaching style that

made me decide early on that I would definitely take AP

Biology (which I am now taking), she said.

Ive had an interest in history since middle school,

but it was during sophomore year in Mr. Rogers class

that I became vividly interested in the subject and analy-

sis, she said. I pestered Mr. Rogers all year with

inquiries and skepticism, which he took in stride and

helped breed my analytical mind. Mr. Henrys class in

junior year enhanced my understanding of history.

Lastly, chemistry was just awesome for how hard

Mr. Chil pushed us to not just memorize the information

but apply it, understand it, and to stop obsessing over

grades and just enjoy learning, she said.

Clifton High School student Katrin Girgis, Class of 2016,is thankful for the scholastic guidance shes received in order to be her-

self and, she expects, to be the best at whatever career she pursues.

Katrin GirgisThankful for CHS, Dedicated Staff


Extracurricular exemplarDescribing her numerous

extracurricular activities as classic

nerd ones, Girgis has enjoyed par-

ticipating in Italian Club and the

National Art Honor Society

(NAHS) for four years.

In freshman year I participated

in Science League for Biology I,

Girgis said. Sophomore year...

Science League for Chemistry I,

and participated in Math League. In

junior year, Science League was not

offered, but I still did Math League

and Book Club. I also got the

opportunity to paint a Mustang-

mural for the media center, right

behind Mrs. Sternis desk.

Girish is leaning toward a career

in medicine, she said. If I do

choose a medical career, I can guar-

antee I will not be a pharmacist ornurse, because I may as well just be

a doctor while Im at it.

Some people suggest she should

settle for less, for various reasons.

Her analytical, perfectionist person-

ality doesnt buy it.

People argue less school, but

school and education are unavoid-

able, taken-for-granted opportuni-

ties that I think are invalid and weak

arguments for not pursuing a more

fruitful career option, she said,

adding that CHS teachers have

helped her to see many options.

1288 Main avenue, Clifton, new

Jersey 07011

publisher of Clifton Merchant Magazine

Join us Wednesday, December 2nd at 7:15 pm

Please join us as we open our doors to assist individuals who haveexperienced the death of a family member or close friend. We wantyou to know that they are not alone this holiday season. Everyone iswelcomed to attend our memorial program. The program is free.Reservations requested, but not required.

Annual Holiday Memorial Program

Light a candle for one who has passed...

470 Colfax Ave., Clifton (corner of Broad St.)973-249-6111www.marroccos.com

James J. MarroccoManager, NJ Lic No. 3320

Michael A. Waller - Director John Opuda Jr., - Director



Expressing gratefulness is an important part of my personal practice of medita-tion and spirituality. I am grateful to for my husband David and my three childrenJordyn, Laurence and Sydney who are my daily inspiration. I am thankful for my

extended family and friends who are my family of choice sharing support. I am so

blessed with a career that helps to transform the lives of children and staff members to

live their best life. The city of Clifton has also been an amazing blessing to my life

as well, with the richness of a community full of diversity as well as opportunities to

learn and grow as an individual. As a citizen of this great nation, I am thankful for the

freedom my family has to grow and thrive to heights beyond our wildest dreams.

Latasha Caserlow-Lalla

Bharat Rana

Im a professional volunteertheres nomoney in that! But I am truly thankful for goodhealth and a great, supportive family. Im blessed

to be able to volunteer as I do because of family,

friends, and good health. The Veterans, the Relay for Life, Clifton Cares I dab-

ble. I guess I was brought up to pay it forward. My parents raised me that way

and I taught my children to be the same way. Everybody has their niche and their

full life, so Im lucky in my life to have people who feel the same way. Ive had

my share of health issues but I dont dwell on that. Everyone has issues; you

move past that and become a stronger person.

Im thankful for a healthy family,healthy grandkids, and for still beingable to coach Cross Country. Imthankful to be able to coach kids that

are great representatives of their com-

munity. Ive been the head coach of the

CHS for 32 years, and have been

coaching a total of 42 years if you

include my time with Essex Catholic.

Having the right kids who believe in

what youre trying to do, thats one of

things Im truly blessed with, working

with some of the best kids. I wish our

Clifton community could see and

understand that the threads are different

colors in the coat of Clifton, but the

coat is the same good quality its

always been. The coat keeps me warm

when Im cold, it wraps me in pride.

CHS Track Coach John Pontes

Sales AssistantChristine Liszner

First, I want to thank God for his mercy; Hell live forever. Second, Im thankfulfor my children, my son and my daughter, for their love and their support. Whatever

I do, they are always with me. And I want to thank my city, which has given me the

chance to help others. Clifton is an excellent city.

Board of Education Candidate

Board of Education Candidate


15-Year Resident Evelyn Abanto

I am thankful for my health, my son, my family and friends. I am also blessed tohave a job that I really enjoy. As a makeup artist and skincare consultant, I love work-

ing with people and making them feel good about themselves. My job allows me to

establish great relationships with amazing clients and vendors in the beauty industry.

My main goal is to continue doing what I love and to provide outstanding customer

service to all of my clients. The best feeling in the world is when I get a review from a

happy client. It totally makes my day and I feel so proud of my work.

I am thankful for many thingsmyamazing wife, Melisa, and my twosons Damian and Nicolas. But thisyear I am most thankful for our newest

addition to the family, our daughter

Isabel. She was born eight weeks pre-

maturely on January 12th after Melisa

had some major complications during

her pregnancy. Leading up to Isabels

birth, Melisa was on bed rest in the

hospital for three weeks. Those weeks

were especially trying for me. Not only was I worried

about the health of my wife and baby, but I had to

assume all of the responsibilities of our household while

going back and forth to the hospital every day.

I am thankful for those friends and

neighbors who lent a helping hand

with the kids and prepared meals for

us. When Isabel was born, her lungs

werent fully developed yet and she

had a hole in her heart. The first few

days of her life were the most stress-

ful days of our lives.

Thankfully, the doctors and nurses

took great care of her and she was able

to develop properly. Isabel was in the

hospital NICU for 32 days. Since then she has been 100%

healthy and has hit all of her milestones. She is a wonder-

ful baby that is always happy and smiling. My family and

I are truly blessed. She is our miracle baby.

Fabian Calvo15-Year Resident

Lifelong ResidentAlyson Thelin DavisonThere is nothing more important to me than the relationships that I have with myfamily. I dont know what I would do without the consistent love and unwaveringsupport from my parents, sister, great-aunt, and especially my husband and children.

There is no way I could survive without their love and continued assistance. I appre-

ciate how they are always in my corner, rooting for me to succeed in everything that I

do. I love them so much.

Many of us take our jobs for granted. Not CherieAvolio. After working in the data-based marketingindustry for over 20 years, she lost her job in a company

buyout. After a three-year search, she

landed with a temp agency which staffs

certain positions in Cliftons DPW. We

work with a great team here and it really

is customer service. We answer phone

calls from residents about garbage or recycling pick up

and other issues related to public works. Then we

respond to their needs. Everyone in the DPW does real-

ly care about their work. When you

think about what get picked up, recycled

and the money it saves, it really is fasci-

nating. It is good to be employed but it is

better to be part of something larger.DPW Employee

Cherie Avolio


Lifelong Resident


Im thankful for my family andmy son, whom we adopted fromCatholic Charities when he was four

weeks old. Hell be 5 on Nov. 22.

Its all been more than we expected;

hes such a joy. Besides that, Im

thankful for being healthy. Ive just

celebrated my 25th anniversary as a

detective for the city [of Passaic],

and Im thankful for that.

Detective, City of Passaic

Andrew White

Lifelong ResidentBill GibsonI am thankful for my family. I love my wife, children and grandkidsand we have a great personal relationship. We go everywhere and doeverything together. In 1999, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and

I needed to have a stem cell transplant. My wife had two young children to

take care of, she was going back to school, and keeping the house togeth-

er. My family really stepped in to help and it made us very close. My wife

was my rock who was keeping the family together. I am so thankful and

blessed to have two great grandchildren and four wonderful children. My

oldest daughter is a teacher and my oldest son is a police officer. My mid-

dle child is going into the Air Force and my youngest is a high school stu-

dent. I am a very lucky person.

I have so much to be thankfulfor and I am blessed with manythings. My family is healthy, Ihave fantastic friends, a job, and

a roof over my head. But I think

that I am most thankful to still

have my mother with me. She is

83 years old and she can run cir-

cles around me. She proved that this year during our family trips to her

hometown in Italy and to my sisters wedding in Key West. Her resilience

in staying youthful and her enthusiasm for fun continues to impress me. I

am thankful that she is there for me as much as I am for her.

25-Year Resident

Diane Jakimec

Former Resident

Tony Falco

I have many things to be thank-ful for, but most important is myfamily. Having four grandchildrenand one on the way keeps us very

busy. We look at them as our spe-

cial gift in life. Watching each

grandchild grow up and develop

their own unique personalities is

an amazing thing to see. Our old-

est grandchild even attends School

2, which is where I went to school

when I was his age. They are our

greatest joy.

2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company.Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our inten-tion to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully.

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Below is a list of some homes I have sold in 2015. Tothe owners, my clients, it is not just a home but aplace filled with memories and lives celebrated. Tome, it is really an honor when they entrust me with thesale or purchase of one of their most importantinvestments, their home.

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Other Towns

Lifelong Resident



Nov. 8 Veterans Parade on Van Houten


Avenue of Flags on City Hall CampusWWII Army Buck Sgt. Mario Talamini was amongthe 6,600 Cliftonites who served our nation from 1941

to 1945. Seventy years later, on Nov. 8, Cliftonites will

get the chance to thank Talamini, and other vets such as

George Kroll, Ray Yannetti and Stephen Mihalovic,

whose stories follow.

Talamini (inset at left) is the Veterans Parade Grand

Marshal, which takes place on Sunday, Nov. 8. Step off

is at 2 pm from the Athenia Veterans Post on Huron

Ave., with the Mustang Marching Band leading the

way. Organizers have arranged for a long line of march,

with other bands, parade floats filled with veterans, as

well as classic cars, military vehicles and much more.

The parade is indeed a patriotic spectacle as it con-

tinues up Huron Ave., turns right on Van Houten Ave.

and into the City Hall Campus. There the participants

will be introduced as they pass the reviewing stand.

The city hall grounds will be festooned with just a

couple of hundred American flags, on display as sort

of a teaser to the entire display of the Avenue of Flags.

Veterans Day is actually Nov. 11 and thats when the

grounds of city hall will be fully dressed. On that

Tuesday morning, volunteers will post 1,710 red, white

and blue flags throughout the campus in honor of

Veterans Day.

Begun in 2002 with about 300 flags, Cliftons

Avenue of Flags is now is one of the largest exhibits of

Old Glory east of the Mississippi River. Flags cost

$100 and stand 3 x 5 feet on a 10-foot pole with a brass

name plate. To honor a veteran, living or deceased, call

John Biegel Jr. at 973-519-0858. To support or partic-

ipate in the parade, call Keith Oakley at 201-774-6666

or Frank Gaccione at 973-773-3788.


George Kroll got a novel birds-eye view of Europe atleast 50 times. He wasnt greeted warmly.

Between July 22 and Nov. 7, 1944, George Kroll put

his trust in his nine crewmember comrades, and a brand

new B-24 Liberator Bomber, part of the Allied effort to

defeat Germany in World War II. Kroll packed his six-

foot frame into a small glass bubble with guns, literal-

ly looking for trouble.

The B-24 became a lucky rabbits foot, Kroll, now

91, said. We picked up the plane that we flew in

Topeka, Kan; it came right off the assembly line, Kroll

recalled. Krolls crew flew the craft to North Africa via

Bangor, Maine, Newfoundland, then to the Azores,

and hopping over to North Africawhere we were sup-

posed to leave the plane. But no one picked it up.

So we got orders to fly to [southern] Italy, he con-

tinued, where the crew would be based, assigned to the

plane the crew now considered its own. It was a brand

new plane, so if anything went wrong we couldn't

blame it on the plane, he reasoned.

Perhaps the four-engine B-24 felt the love; it certain-

ly rewarded the crews loyalty. None of its 10 regular

crewmembers were killed in action, Kroll said. We

were very fortunate.

Operating from ItalyArriving in early July, 1944, Kroll and his crewmates

were stationed near Bari, on Italys eastern (Adriatic)

coast, part of the 777 Bomb Squad, 464 Bomb Group,

15th Army Air Force (predecessor to the U.S. Air Force).

Kroll would record 50 missions over Italy, Austria,

Hungary, Romania, and Germany, as Allied air power

first fought for, and eventually dominated, the skies over

Western Europe in the final year of the war and assist-

ed in the steady advance of ground troops up the Italian

peninsula and across the French countryside.

Krolls arrival in Italy roughly coincided with the

Allies capturing Rome on July 4, 1944, and it followed

the gut-wrenching, attention-grabbing Normandy inva-

sion of June 6 in northwest France.

Some safely on U.S. soil thought the Allies had a

firm grip on a victorious outcome. Their Axis counter-

parts didnt share that viewpoint. Kroll and his col-

leagues didnt either.

My first mission was over Ploesti [Romania], an oil

field and main oil depot. We went in about 25,000 feet

but flak was very heavy and intense. I was a substitute

gunner at that point; they needed a nose gunner and I was

volunteered Kroll quipped, noting it was one of the

George Kroll I WWII Nose GunnerBy Douglas John Bowen

A cramped fishbowl provided front-row seating to the Allied air war


few times he served separately from his regular col-

leagues.

Kroll and crew survived a harrowing flight over the

Romanian oil fields, deemed essential to Germanys war

effort. But others were less fortunate. The site was heav-

ily fortified, Kroll said. They had more than 1,000

guns. We lost a lot of planes. Official Allied evaluation

later noted the bombing efforts fell short of command

expectations.

Anti-aircraft fire and Luftwaffe fighter aircraft chal-

lenged the B-24s various missions unevenly. In his jour-

nal entry of Aug. 21, 1944, Kroll describes a mission

over Nis, Hungary, as an easy milk run.

By contrast, on an Aug. 7 mission over Blechhammer,

Germany (now Blachownia Slaska, Poland), Kroll noted

the anti-aircraft flak was heavy, intense and accurate.

The Army Air Corps deemed Blechhammer one of the

four principal synthetic oil plants in Germany.

Even the missions Kroll described as easy werent

without risk. We got hit plenty of times; there was

[seemingly] no mission that we weren't hit, he clarified.

Anxiety was a constant companion on each mission, last-

ing an average of six to seven hours each, Kroll said.

Kroll believes he never shot down any enemy fighter

craft, though hes convinced that I chased a couple

away. He praised accompanying American P38 and P51

fighter aircraft for protecting the B24 fleet; combined

with the bombers own defensive firepower, the

Luftwaffe was afraid of us.

Thats not to sound boastful, Kroll added. Its not

necessarily that we were so brave. We all were young

and ambitious and we really were ready to go, [but] we

didn't know too much. I was just 19 years old.

From high school to high skiesI enlisted at age 18, Kroll said, though not before

finishing his education at Passaic High School, at the

insistence of his mother and father. I tried to enlist

before graduation, he recounted, but my parents

wouldnt let me.

Upon graduation, he enlisted and was assigned to the

mechanized cavalry in Fort Riley, Kan., in early 1943. I

spent 10 months with that outfit, Kroll said. We were

on a routine march and, all of a sudden, we get buzzed

by the Air Corps on a training exercise. I jumped into a

ditch and said, Thats for me up there. Not down here.

I then applied for the Air Cadet Program, passed the

test, and then went through basic training all over

Veterans of WWII

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again, Kroll recalled. At that point, he faced a choice:

Become an aerial gunner, which was in demand, or

return to a role in the infantry. I chose aerial gunnery; it

seemed better than the infantry, he said.

Asked if he weighed the merits of being willing to sit

in tight quarters in the transparent nose of an airplane,

Kroll repeated that it wasnt about being brave. I was

just being young, he said.

Movie and television depictions of World War II

flight briefings are, surprisingly, somewhat close to the

actual reality, for the most part, Kroll said. Wed go

over where we were going, why we were going, what

kind of a target we were assigned, and, especially, what

we could expect in terms of aircraft fire or ground fire.

Also as in the movies, most of the real-life air crews kept

their anxieties masked or bottled up.

But Krolls journal dutifully records some of those

fears as well as the downtime during his airborne

service stint, with the Nov. 7, 1944 entry an exuberant

outburst. Today is the day Ill always remember, and

not because it was election day I finished my mis-

sions! he exulted. Describing his last mission as anoth-

er milk run, he noted, No flak, no fighters Perfect.

Im through!

New life, new duties at homeBut Kroll and his B-24 crew still had at least one more

trip to make together, this time aboard ship as they

crossed the Atlantic Ocean bound for home. Fifty mis-

sions was at the requirement necessary to get out of

there, and since the B-24 crew had begun their service

together, We all got out at the same time, so we came

back together, Kroll explained. But we were squished

together on a ship.

Following arrival stateside, Kroll was assigned to

Plattsburgh, N.Y. Though supposedly only for eight

weeks, I think I was there for three months. I was then

assigned to Dover Air Base [in Delaware], and I only

spent a few months there. Then I was discharged,

Kroll said.

George Kroll came back to his Passaic home and

enrolled in Fairleigh Dickinson. With his brother

Seymour, George bought the Clifton Printing Co. in

1947. Both also took over operation of the Clifton

Journal in 1959, succeeding their father, Publisher/Editor

Max Kroll, who purchased the business in 1938.

When Max Kroll died in 1961, George Kroll

assumed the reins at the Clifton Journal; Seymour Kroll

took over the printing company, ultimately buying out

Georges share of that operation, allowing George to

focus on publishing.

Kroll relished the publishing business, recalling,

Father asked me to go to a city council meeting one

night, take notes, and bring them back. I got hooked,

and I never stopped after that.

Kroll moved to Clifton shortly after the wars end,

residing in the city until 2000, when he and wife

Lorraine moved to Wayne. He finally retired from pub-

lishing in 1985 after witnessing, and thoroughly chron-

icling, Cliftons postwar growth for many years,

including through his column As I See It.

Following the war, Clifton enjoyed a tremendous

boom with home construction and new businesses

quickly filling up former farm and dairy land in the

city, Kroll said. There was a lot going on and I kept

an eye on public officials. I made sure that they

remained accountable to public opinion, but not in a

mean-spirited way as some publications did.

His thought on his wartime service?

I'm glad I had the opportunity to do it, though I'm

sorry we had to go to war, he said, acknowledging the

paradoxes often expressed by other American veterans.

It was a great experience. I dont want anybody else to

have to do it.

Veterans of WWII

George and Lorraine Kroll today.


Raymond Yannettis life has taken him from earlydays in Paterson to most of his life in Clifton. Along theway, that journey included a stop at a perilous time and

place: Okinawa, in April 1945.

As American Marines and Navy personnel prepared

to invade Japans first true (non-conquered) real estate

holding during World War II, Yannetti helped in their

delivery, serving on a three-member team aboard a

Higgins boat delivering troops to the Okinawa beach-

es as part of the second main assault.

Not that Yannetti, now age 89, knew beforehand what

the mission was. You never know, he said, recalling

the April 1945 convoy movement, and they dont tell

you. The only time we knew was for the [subsequent and

then never needed] preparations for invading the home

island of Honshu, Yannetti says, adding, We knew it

was the only one left.

The war ended before Yannetti and his comrades

faced that ominous prospect but, again, military secrecy

reigned. We heard about peace feelers after an atom-

ic bomb leveled Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, but

nobody knew why, he recalled. Instead, Okinawa con-

tinued to be clogged with U.S. military operations of all

kinds. There were more ships than you could shake a

stick at, he said.

Even after the war was declared over, caution still was

warranted. Japanese submarines still lurked, and we

didnt know if theyd gotten the word, Yannetti said. As

September arrived, a typhoon wreaked havoc with U.S.

naval operations. Imagine if that had happened as the

invasion of Japan was taking place shortly thereafter as

originally planned, he observed.

Enlisting to avoid being draftedYannetti enlisted in the Navy in 1944, following a

path to service carved by two of his three brothers one

with the Army, the second with the Army Air Corps, the

forerunner of the U.S. Air Force. The War Department,

per policy at that time, determined that one son of four

should remain at home. Mom had to decide who

stayed, Yannetti noted.

Taking the familys difficult decision into his own

hands (though with his mothers approval), Yannetti

enlisted at age 17, disrupting his scholastic life at

Eastside High School in Paterson. The head of the local

draft board lived next door to us, and I said, Mr.

Jameson, youre not gonna get me; Im gonna enlist

instead.

The Navy was Yannettis choice, and not just at ran-

dom. In January 1942 my brother left from Fort Dix

heading for U.S. landings in North Africa, he said. The

family rode right up into the base; there were no guards

or anything remotely like security measures present

today. I saw a lot of tents outside, and it was cold, freez-

ing. Thats when I decided I was going to join the Navy

instead, he said, smiling at the thought.

Manning theHigginsRay Yannettiin Okinawa


A harrowing time when the comforts of home seemed far away.


Two years later, Yannetti enlisted at the local Paterson

office, along with several other Paterson high school

classmates. But I had to go to New York for my physi-

cal, he said, traveling to Church St., close to where the

World Trade Center exists today. While there, he noted

Navy enlistees carried blue tags, while Marine volun-

teers were identified by red tags. The New York location

also dealt with New York draftees; they didnt have any

tags, Yannetti recalled.

Asked what the prevailing mood of those assembled

was, Yannetti said little difference existed between

enlisted personnel and those who were drafted. The

overall mood was to win

the war, he said.

After 10 weeks of basic

naval training on Seneca

Lake in upstate New York

during the spring and

summer of 1944, Yannetti

was granted a one-week

leave to see family in

November, still uncertain

of whether he was des-

tined for Europe or the

Pacific. Part of his training

including recognizing the

shapes and silhouettes of

various ships, including

enemy vessels. But

Yannetti did not yet know

whether his skill would involve German or Japanese

adversaries.

He soon found out. The Navy needed a lot of

amphibious personnel for Pacific operations, Yannetti

said, so he was sent to the West Coast for more training

and preparation, mostly in San Diego and nearby

Coronado, Calif., before shipping out to the Pacific from

San Francisco Bay. I looked up under the Golden Gate

Bridge, the first time I had ever seen it, Yannetti said.

Then we were on our way.

Teamwork on the wavesAs part of the naval amphibs, Higgins was one of

three personnel in charge of a Higgins boat, officially

designated a landing craft, vehicle, personnel, or LCVP.

The Higgins boat was designed to deliver assault troops

(or materiel) directly to beach locations. Each crewmem-

ber whether coxswain, the pilot, assistant, primarily

dealing with loading or unloading crews, or machinist

mate had to know each task proficiently in case of

injury or death or, more mundanely, due to rotational fac-

tors. Each also was responsible for the roughly 25 U.S.

Marines being transported to the front lines.

Coordination and cooperation among the three-man

crew was essential, Yannetti said. You have rough surf,

undertows, and you had to wait for the waves to bring

you in. Then you dropped the ramp, he recited, noting

that wasnt the end of the task. The tricky part is getting

off the beach. You cant turn around like a car. You have

to wait for the tide to come

in.

Yannetti pointed out

that during one military

exercise he readied for,

held in California as 1944

drew to a close, several

Higgins boats got stuck

due to rough surf, forcing

a cancelation of an exer-

cise, though fortunately no

lives were lost. And that

was in Oceanside, with no

enemy fire or anything,

he said.

That experience, and

several others, made

Yannetti and his colleagues

as savvy, and as concerned, as one might hope for as

Okinawa loomed.

Nobody slept that night before the invasion, he said.

The Higgins boat crews sympathized with the Marines

being delivered into harms way. We left those poor sol-

diers, and many told us they were willing to swap places

with us, Yannetti recalled. But we ourselves werent

necessarily safer. The amphibs were vulnerable to

Japanese suicide air strikes (kamikaze raids), and even

suicide swimmers infiltrating the bay.

In one case a plane clearly had Yannettis home craft,

the U.S.S. Bingham, in its sights. But we were so close

to the beach that we didnt want to hit our own guys on

the beach with friendly fire, Yannetti said. Yannetti at

the time was manning a machine gun post near the for-

ward magazine, but was told not to shoot. Land-based

fire brought the aircraft down, he said.

Veterans of WWII

Ray Yannetti in 1945 and today.


Family reunitedYannettis duties, both on the Higgins boat and on the

U.S.S. Bingham, also at times involved moving medical

supplies and food supplies during its two-week stay

anchored off Okinawa. We carried enough food to feed

2,200 troops, three meals a day, he recounted. He then

returned briefly to the U.S., before heading for the antic-

ipated invasion of Japan.

This was it; we knew that, he said somberly. This

time we took cargo and dropped it off at Saipan, then we

were off with the convoy, and while we were with the

convoy, they dropped the atomic bomb.

Yannetti saw duty in ferrying British and American

ex-Prisoners of War to other locales, including Manila in

the Philippines. The orders came that ex-POWs were to

eat first; they had elite status, he said. I never saw guys

eat so much food in my life. Some ate too much, and

became ill, he added.

Happy and headed for home, Yannetti had no idea of

what fate might have befallen his brothers. The mail

was bad, he deadpanned. Though his oldest brother had

suffered from trench foot in the European theater, and

was discharged from the Army in April 1945, both broth-

ers also had survived, leading to a joyful family reunion.

But Yannetti found he couldnt escape sadness and

pain altogether. As a high school student before serving

in the war, Yannetti had worked at a local German bak-

ery in Paterson, and was on good terms with the owner

and his son. Checking on both upon his return, Yannetti

found the mans son had died in combat while in the

bakers childhood home town. Sad, he said, becoming

quiet for a second.

Yannetti remained in the Navy until being discharged

in 1946, handling several short stints, most of them close

to U.S. waters. You had to have the points, he

explained. In the immediate post-war period, as naval

personnel changed dramatically, They asked us to re-

enlist; we had the experience, he said. But I had had

enough.

Setting down deep Clifton rootsWith help from the GI Bill, Yannetti in 1950 pur-

chased a house in Fair Lawn even though I was single.

I bought it, really, for my mother and father, though he

also resided there.

That year Yannetti also began working at the Curtiss-

Wright plant in Wood-Ridge, moving from his initial

work in the tool crib to becoming an expeditor for the

overhaul of jet engines for the then brand-new B52

bombers.

Though the B52 engines were built by Pratt &

Whitney, Curtiss-Wright handled the overhaul and main-

tenance work, which received high marks, often han-

dling 40 to 50 engines a month, Yannetti said with some

pride. As for the engines and the B52s themselves, he

noted, They were big.

Following his stint with Curtiss-Wright, Yannetti

worked at the Clifton Public Library. He married his

wife, Elizabeth, in 1954 in Garfield, and they moved to

Clifton in 1958, settling at 319 Union Ave. for about 50

years. Today they reside on Chandra Court in Allwood.

Weve been here in Clifton a long time; do the

math, he joked, before noting the total of 57 years.

And, oh yes, Yannetti completed his high school edu-

cation, adding that to a lengthy list of real-world educa-

tional experience. Cliftonites can be grateful for one of its

own who has served the city for more than a half-century

and served the nation with honor for even longer.

Veterans of WWII


Veterans of WWII

It takes some serious mettleand a healthy dosage ofteenage invincibilityto voluntarily trade in the comforts ofhome for a cramped cockpit halfway around the world in the

Pacific Theater. Mihalovic did just that in 1942, when he elect-

ed to drop out of Clifton High School at 16 years old and take up

arms against the Axis powers.

We had to go win the war first, the 90-year-old said very

matter-of-factly of his decision to leave CHS.

By the time the Clifton native was discharged from the Navy

in 1946, Mihalovic was an aviation radioman first class who had

By Joe Hawrylko

You just get used to it in training, and you dont think about it much when youare up there, explained Stephen Mihalovic, in what is surely the most nonchalantway anyone has described what its like to be in a plane youre not driving thats

doing 300 mph headed straight at the ground. But you never forget how to pray.


flown 23 combat missions off of the

USS Enterprise, USS Intrepid, and

USS Hancock, earning the

Distinguished Flying Cross and

three air medalsall while still a

teenager. He was truly scared of

only one thing: mom and dad.

That was a pretty rough deal,

laughed Mihalovic. After nudging

for maybe two or three weeks, they

finally consented and signed the

waiver. My friend Lou DeLotto

[and I] were contemplating going in

together, so we had all our tests done

before we got to the service. My

intention going in was to stay for 20

years.

On May 23, 1942Mihalovics

17th birthdayhe left his home on

Knapp Ave. and boarded a bus for

90 Church St. in New York City to

enlist in the Navy. He completed his

boot camp at Newport, RI, and went

to aviation radio school in

Jacksonville, FL. Mihalovic was

then sent to San Diego in May 1943

to join the USS Enterprise and Air

Group Six.

He ultimately logged countless

hours and flew almost two dozen

combat missions in several major

battles. But one vivid memory is the

first time he hopped in the back of a

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive

bomber and heard that iconic roar of

a World War II prop plane charging

at the earth.

I was in San Diego on Mothers

Day, I remember that very clearly,

he said. We were just put into the

squadron and two guys were going

up, and I said I had never been up

before. They told me to get a para-

chute and up we went. At about

5,000 feet they open the hatch,

which you do in case something

happens, and say we are going to

make a few dives. Without any other

words, we go down and I was think-

ing, This is not for me! But the

second dive was a lot easier than the

first, and the next was better, too.

By the fifth dive I was OK.

Combat readyMihalovic first entered combat in

November 1943, when the

Enterprise and Air Group Six

engaged the Japanese at the Gilbert

Islands, and soon after at Marshall

Island. At the end of 1943,

Mihalovic was attached to the USS

Intrepid as it was heading toward

the Marshall Islands. Once cap-

tured, the islands put the Allies with-

in striking range of Truk Lagoon,

which is where the Imperial Navy

was headquartered.

On Feb. 16, 1944, Operation

Hailstorm commenced, as three car-

rier groups put up a near-con-


stant assault on Truk that cost the Japanese

two Imperial destroyers and nearly 200,000

tons in supplies.

That was basically the Japanese Pearl

Harbor, recalled Mihalovic. That was a

two-day engagement. I remember that day

in particular; the flak was very heavy.

The intense firepower stood out as a per-

sonal memory, but Operation Hailstorm is

also recalled for an odd bit of Navy lore.

In the waning hours of the battle, a

Japanese pilot was able to evade Allied

anti-aircraft long enough to fire off an aeri-

al torpedo, which slammed into the Intrepid

on her right side, roughly 15 feet below the

waterline.

We were on torpedo defense. I had to

fly early in the morning, so I decided to

stay in the ready room. Many guys went to the bunks but

in the ready room, we had reclining chairs. I was putting

my legs over the one in front of me and getting ready to

go to la-la land when all the sudden there was an explo-

sion, Mihalovic explained. We got hit from a torpedo

on a torpedo plane, and we really got rocked. The torpe-

do hit the chiefs quarter below us.

Though the Intrepid remained afloat, the torpedo tore

open the hull, causing flooding, and also damaged the

rudder badly enough that the ship was listing to the left.

We werent allowed downstairs to get our stuff until

the next morning, he said. When I went down, I saw a

big chunk of the torpedo sitting there on my pillow. If I

ever got weak in the knees while in the service, it was at

that sight. That was also the first time we lost anyone

from our squadron, and we had a burial at sea. Thats a

sight now that, even if I see it on TV, I get choked up.

Crippled and unable to navigate normally, the Intrepid

only reached safe harbor thanks to some quick thinking.

We were sitting there, sailing in circles, until the

chief petty officer had the bright idea to take the canvas

we had downstairs and make a sail out of it, recalled

Mihalovic. That ended up in the Navy periodicals, how

we ended up sailing back to Pearl Harbor.

Shellback and altar boyDespite the constant threat of danger, Mihalovic and

his other sailors occasionally found brief periods of lev-

ity in war. Mihalovic became a shellback when he

crossed the equator while serving on the Intrepid in

1944. That really broke up the monotony, he said.

The line crossing ceremony is an international naval

tradition where pollywogsthose who havent

crossedengage in a series of rituals at the behest of the

shellbacks, who previously crossed. No rank is safe

from the pranks, and the gags can get downright odd.

They saved all the garbage for two weeks and

packed it into a makeshift tube and we had to crawl

through 15-20 feet of that stuff, Mihalovic laughed.

All the while a guy is hosing us down and then we had

to run through a gauntlet. I hid right behind one of the

guys ahead of me because I didnt want to get catapult-

ed off the deck!

After Truk, the Intrepid went to dry dock. Mihalovic

kicked around San Diego briefly before being sent to

Hawaii to relieve the air group aboard the USS Hancock

in March 1945.

The chaplin on the ship made an announcement for

mass. I ended up volunteering to be the altar boy, he

recalled. After the mass, Mihalovic noticed a copy of the

Passaic Herald News, and thats how he met Father

James Doyle, formerly of St. Pauls Church. The two

struck up an enduring friendshipMihalovic still proud-

ly wears a USS Hancock belt buckle that Father Doyle

gave to him. Father Doyle was a calming influence for

Mihalovic.

Steve and Dorothy Mihalovic with their daughters in 2008: Mary AnnSidebottom, Dorothy Sarisky, Diane Bigos and Denise Kearney.

Veterans of WWII


On March 18, 1945, the Hancock led the Navys first

air strike on Kyushu, the southernmost large island of

the Japanese archipelago. We were the first carrier air-

planes to bomb Japan proper, recalled Mihalovic. Our

target was the air field at Southern Kyushu, and we were

staging out of Okinawa, which we had recently captured.

I remember I was scared knowing how many anti-air-

craft installations they had. I almost had the feeling I

wasnt coming back.

In the two days before, I must have said about 5,000

Acts of Contrition. We were on the plane, waiting to take

off, and I am nervous. I look out and see the father look

at me; he motions a cross, and he blessed me. Instantly,

a calm came over me. I knew I was coming back.

Mainland resistance indeed was ferocious, unlike any

of the previous defenses Mihalovic had encountered.

Normally, a burst of flak shells emits a black

smoke, he said. Because of the sheer number of anti-

aircraft installations, the Japanese gave each station

color-coded rounds to track their targets. There were

big bursts of color everywhere, green smoke, red smoke,

blue smoke. It was actually very pretty, almost like a

show in a way, but it could kill you.

We actually got hit by flak once while bombing

Kuril, Mihalovic continued, right in the engine, and

we were able to just make it back to the ship. We got

back and everyone was just staring, wondering how did

we ever make it?

The pilot also had run into trouble on the descent to

land. On the way back, we engaged a kamikaze so we

knew gas was low. I notice the gear isnt down and the

pilot just says, I know, and thats it, Mihalovic

recalled. He puts them down at the last second, the

cable catches and everyone comes running up, but oddly

enough I dont hear any sound. The two guys directly

behind us went down in the water and we had to get

them. We just made it.

The Hancock next traveled to Okinawa for another

bombing mission, and spent the next week supporting

troops up and down the island coast. On April 7, 1945,

the Hancock suffered significant damage when a

kamikaze and its payload breached the AA defenses,

killing 62 men and wounding another 71.

I was typing a letter to my then-girlfriend in Santa

Rosa, and they sound the torpedo defense alarm. I decid-

ed to leave this alone and get below deck, he recalled.

Mihalovic ran for the nearest hatch, pushed his way in,

and got below just moments before the Japanese pilot

slammed into the Hancock near where he was located.

I didnt realize it until they found me, but my friends

were on the deck picking up blankets to see if it was me.

Meanwhile, I was down in the mess hall, playing a cou-

ple games of cribbage after things calmed down.

Hints, a celebration, and a return homeThe Hancock went to port for repairs, and returned to

action in June. Mihalovic saw limited action until the

Japanese announced their surrender on Aug 15, 1945. In

hindsight, there were hints about what was to take place.

Three weeks before they dropped the bombs, we

received orders to not attack three cities in any form, as

well as the emperors castle, recalled Mihalovic. At

that point, we had no idea.

When they finally announced that Japan had surren-

dered, I was in the middle of my routine of breakfast and

then communion. I had my life jacket on and I was load-

ing my .38 when my pilot comes and says, Steve, were

not going, he said. That night, I had a party all by

myself. When we used to come back from flights, wed

be given two ounces of liquor. I would always drink half

and save the other, so I had more than a pint!

After the surrender, Mihalovic enjoyed his leave in

Japan before being discharged in May of 1946, after

reconsidering his plans. I wanted to do career, but I did-

nt like the peacetime Navy, he said. I changed my

mind the last six months or so. I wasnt making a differ-

ence. Everything was spit and polish inspections. I was

used to the air group, where everything was top notch.

Mihalovic returned home and briefly considered dia-

mond cutting school, but ended up working at Curtiss-

Wright, the company which build the SB2C Helldiver he

flew later in WWII. He worked in manufacturing until

retiring in 1992. Mihalovic has four daughters, eight

grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

Since retiring, Mihalovic has been very active in

meeting his former sailors through the bi-annual

reunions for the USS Hancock. We used to have them

in a different place every year, he explained.

Mihalovic was inducted in the Enlisted Combat Air

Crew Roll of Honor on USS Yorktown CV 10 in

November of 1999. These days, everyone is older, so

we keep in touch on Skype more. Its a brotherhood.

Veterans of WWII


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That span of nearly nine decades includesserving the city through both the GreatDepression, which began in 1929, and the GreatRecession that arrived with zeal in 2008 both

periods offering tough times for even the best of

banks, along with nearly everyone else.

But Clifton Savings weathered both and came

out stronger than ever, even as the nation in

recent years has debated whether many banks

were too big to fail. Customers of Clifton

Savings Bank instead were reassured, repeatedly,

that their bank would not fail them.

The bank kept its promise. Clifton Bancorp,

Inc., parent of Clifton Savings Bank, is deter-

mined to hold to that promise today and in the

years ahead, under the guidance of Chairman,

CEO and President Paul M. Aguggia, who said

the bank has pledged to be always with you.

And not only be there but be there in a mean-

ingful way. The onus is on us to have the type of

service customers have come to expect, Aguggia

said, while expanding our offerings to meet new

needs. Its not good enough just to be there.

Whats a brand name worth in todaysmarketplace? For Clifton Savings Bank,the trust engendered through 87 years of

history in making our city a better place

to live, work, and play.

87 Years ofEvolving



Clifton Savings

Founded in 1928 as the

Botany Building & Loan

Association at 215 Dayton Ave.

in Botany Village, Clifton

Bancorp, Inc., also known as

CSBK, today oversees roughly

$370 million in market capital

from its current headquarters on

1433 Van Houten Ave. Now a

publicly traded company on the

Nasdaq (Nasdaq symbol: CSBK

of course), its most recent

quarter generated a per-share

dividend of six cents.

The banks 2015 annual

report declared it poised for

success, and Aguggia said

Clifton Savings in 2014 also

raised $170 million in capital,

giving it one of the highest capital percentages among

U.S. banks of comparable size, well, well, well in

excess of regulatory guidelines, Aguggia emphasized.

The bank became a fully public company last year

and, not totally coincidentally, saw a change at the

helm, as Aguggia assumed the reins on Jan. 2, 2014. He

succeeded both Chairman John Celentano, Jr., known

by many as Mr. Clifton, and President Walter Celuch.

Celentano and Celuch served the company for 51 years

and 25 years, respectively.

Top officers of Clifton Savings Bank: Bart D'Ambra, Chief Operating Officer,Linda Fisher, Senior Loan Officer, Rich Bzdek, Enterprise Risk Manager, TriciaHrotko, Chief Revenue Officer, Steve Hoogerhyde, Chief Lending OfficerDoug. (Thanks for the tour!)


Aguggia said the two sought him out to assume com-

mand shortly after meeting for dinner together one

night in 2013. And as they related later to Aguggia, they

noted he didnt say no.

New role, big challengesBut he was nonetheless surprised. Aguggia was no

stranger to Clifton Savings, having worked with the

company for more than 10 years as part of a

Washington, D.C.-based law firm. He was (and is)

well-versed in mergers & acquisitions and with bank

regulatory issues. But law, not banking, was his realm

of expertise, he recalled. He knew making his transition

from banking law to banking business would be a chal-

lenging one.

He also knew such a challenge also would affect not

just for him. I want to give a shout out to the employ-

ees, to management, to the Directors, Aguggia said.

As a new person on the scene, asking all of them to

buy into a new vision [could have been] touchy. Ive

been blessed by the human resources here people who

know our business, and who know our customers.

Playing catch-up in earnest, Aguggia has immersed

himself in matters Clifton. Ive had an enormous edu-

cation in the past year and a half [regarding Clifton],

and Im very committed to learning this marketplace.

Among his mostly pleasant surprises: The size of

the city, the number of viable small businesses, and the

opportunities for growth in Clifton and nearby. The

market is vibrant; the growth potential is significant.

Others may consider the regions glory days behind

it. Not Aguggia. Were focused on Clifton and on

northern New Jersey, he asserted. We want to be

there and help spur future growth.

To that end, CSBK has ramped up its loan program.

On March 31, 2011 its loans relative to deposits stood

at 52.75%. Four years later, on March 31, 2015, the

amount stood at 91.65%. During the same period, the

percentage of nonperforming loans relative to total

loans low to begin with by national standards

dropped from 0.72% to 0.33%.

CSBKs physical presence has grown. In the past six

years, it has expanded beyond its Clifton base of four

banks and one loan department, including several loca-

tions in nearby Passaic and Bergen counties which

debuted in 2010.

By years end, CSBK will open a branch in northern

Hoboken, adding Hudson County to its territorial


Clifton Savings

reach. We chose a neighborhood in Hoboken thats

been developed for residential use relatively recently.

We like that part of Hoboken because it doesnt have a

lot of banks, Aguggia said. We hope CSBK can be a

good neighbor.

The branch will identify itself under its CSBK logo,

utilizing the companys initials as part of the plan to

assist in adoption of brand in new markets and niche

targets, as stated on the CSBK website. But Clifton

remains home, as evidenced by the decision to retain

the name of Clifton Savings Bank in everyday use,

Nasdaq acronym or no. Weve tried to thread a needle,

not to do violence to the past or appear to be a fly-by-

night organization, Aguggia said. Were a Passaic

County bank, and we want people to know we havent

lost sight of that, or our Clifton roots.

More markets, more service optionsAguggia sees potential beyond the traditional single-

family residential market the bank has served (and

will continue to serve). The bank has expanded its

lending focus to serve multi-family residences and

commercial business, striving to blend old and new.

Aguggia noted that, contrary to some expectations,

the mix of old and new services doesnt break down by

generational divides. Some elderly Cliftonites, he said,

are perfectly web-savvy and comfortable with online

banking. In contrast, even some Millennials, at least

sometimes, actually prefer older, more traditional bank-

ing procedures. Some swear by new tech; some like

traditional, he said. That means that, for the foresee-

able future, Clifton Savings will be a mix of brick &

mortar, high-tech, and high-touch.

High-tech developments probably are the ones

customers anticipate or demand the most. Things

are changing, Aguggia asserted, referring not just to

technology but also to the banks customer base. The

days of waiting for customers simply to come to you

are gone. With that in mind, and moving proactively,

CSBK has hired business development officers to go

out and meet our community. That will shortly include

a mobile banking service.

Last April CSBK launched Insights, a free month-

ly newsletter available online to anyone interested.

Developed by Executive Vice President Tricia Hrotko,

the publication has been well received, Aguggia said.

Its one more tool to use to communicate with our cus-

tomers, he said. Its connecting with our customers

by projecting ourselves out there.

Brick & mortar offices likely will be relatively

modest ones in the years ahead, not grand edifices serv-

ing egos instead of customer needs. But Aguggia said

real-world banking still is a must even in an Internet

age. A physical presence in the neighborhood still

matters, he said. Were not going away. Our neigh-

bors need to know were there, that they can deal with

a human being to discuss their financial situation.

The high-touch personal aspect includes being a

good corporate neighbor in Clifton and beyond. For

tomorrows potential customers, CSBK last September

launched a Kids Savings Accounts program, designed

in part to introduce children to rudimentary financial

factors, such as savings plans, compound interest, and

security issues.

The new CSBK Hoboken branch may provide an

ideal test of that program. CSBK will be in the same

12-story building just below Elysian Charter School,

handling grades K through 8, which also moved into

the new neighborhood this year. [Disclosure: The

writers son graduated from Elysian in 2014.]

One Elysian official, aware of CSBKs pending

Hoboken arrival, planned to solicit financial support.

CSBK beat the school to the punch, offering to donate

$10,000 to Elysian for library supplies and gym equip-

ment, even before being asked. The bank contacted us

first, and she was thrilled to report CSBK would assist

us with our Capital Campaign, said Elysian School

Director Harry Laub. What a surprising and much-

appreciated gesture by our new neighbor.

Queried on the not-insignificant size of the donation,

Aguggia said, We didnt want to make a token ges-

ture. Indeed, the CSBK outreach will extend beyond

money. Volunteers among the banking center staff plan

to assist Elysian teaching staff in offering basic finan-

cial literacy curricula, including guidelines and best

practices to protect personal identity and financial

information.

Can one bank deliver the best of old and new to

both old and new? An Aguggia quote addressed to the

banks staff, posted on banks website (www.clifton-

savings.com), may provide the best answer. Think of

your company like our Board and management do, as

one of the youngest 87-year -old institutions out there.

A Clifton institution that plans to be always with you.


In a nation whose overall culture seems addicted tothe lure of eternal youth, and agitated over any discus-sion of death, Shook Funeral Home, Inc. provides com-

fort for those grieving a lost family member or loved

one. And family is something those at Shook Funeral

Home understand.

The business is owned and operated by Roy Garretson

and Nancy Shook Garretson. Nancy is the daughter of

Joe and Eleanor Shook, and she and her siblings grew up

above the funeral parlor. It is where she and Roy still

reside and where they raised their kids, Thomas, one of

the four funeral directors on staff, and Amanda.

Shook Funeral Home in June notched six decades of

service to the community, marking 60 Years of

Excellence and preparing for the future.

Cha

clifton merchant magazine - november 2015

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