Writing New Jersey Life

People and places of New Jersey…with some travels.

Category: History

A Holiday Thank You

“Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly Merry Christmas.” Peg Bracken

Enjoy the ongoing celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day/Little Christmas with cocoa in a cookie. Warm thanks for following and a “cheers” to happiness in 2023!

Magnolia from Winterthur Museum and poinsettias from Longwood Gardens

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Beat together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder. Beat the dry ingredients into the cocoa-oil mix. Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 13 minutes.  Yields about 50 cookies.

Fun twists:

  • Double Chocolate: Add a cup of mini chocolate chips.
  • Black Forest: Add a cup of chopped dried cherries or cranberries
  • Mint Chocolate: Swap 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla for mint extract, and add some crushed candy canes to the powdered sugar
  • Orange Chocolate: Swap 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla for orange extract
  • Powdered sugar: Add some cinnamon for a festive fun.

(Source: simplyrecipes.com)

Beautiful trees and flowers from Longwood Gardens thru 1/8
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens
Beautiful menorah at Morven Museum, Princeton
“A Festival of Trees” at Morven Museum thru 1/8
SAVE – A friend to homeless animals, Morven Museum
Princeton University Press tree, Morven
Princeton Rescue Squad mantel, Morven
Beautiful tree at Palmer Square, Princeton
Santa visits children at Palmer Square thanks to the Princeton Fire Department
Shining stars of the Princeton Fire Department 🌟
The Princeton Fire Department spreading holiday cheer 🎄✨
Tree dedicated to servicemen and women at the annual “Yuletide at Winterthur,” Winterthur Museum, Delaware, thru 1/8
Winterthur Museum
Winterthur Museum
Winterthur Museum
Always beautiful flowers at Winterthur
The signature, exquisite floral tree, Winterthur
Enjoy a Garden Tour with Tyler at Winterthur
For what’s in bloom, enjoy checking Winterthur’s yearly bloom guide 🌸

“A Holiday Thank You” All Rights Reserved © 2022 Kathleen Helen Levey

“The Franklin Institute: At the Heart of Curiosity”

Benjamin Franklin by James Earle Fraser with green lighting for the Eagles

”An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin

The institute, like Ben Franklin whom it honors, explores answers to the questions of the lifelong curious in its science museum: What is the connection between electricity and life?  How does the mind work? The human body?  Machines?  What can history teach us today?  This inquisitiveness is not confined to the Earth.  The institute has a renowned Astronomy department with Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts who guided us through the wonder of last year’s solar eclipse and conducts monthly “stargazing events” held in the observatory, while the museum’s Philadelphia cam captures the city celestial like the Eagles Parade.

Model of the emperor’s palace

“Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor”

The first stop in the repository of knowledge and query on Logan Circle is history with the exhibit of the Terracotta Warriors on through March 4th. The life-size warriors are from the tomb of China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, circa 210 BC, who with his funerary army wished to remain in command of his immortal life as he had his earthly one.  Hand in hand with history is archeology.  The revelation not only of the accidental find of the warriors by a farmer in the 1974 but the exhibit’s re-creation of the assembly, discovery, and excavation of all 8,000 plus soldiers in what now is known as the Mausoleum of the Xi’an Dynasty Emperor, still not completely excavated, is remarkable.  Among the innumerable things that fascinate in the exhibit, the facial expressiveness of the warriors is art as much as history. Interestingly, artisans of the emperor, an estimated 700,000 over a 36-year period, created the soldiers to reflect each individual member of his army.  Height reflected hierarchy, generals being the tallest, but some surprises were that the warriors originally were painted in bright colors and others “traveled” with them like musicians and acrobats.  Emperor Qin standardized “coins, weights, and measures,” reflected in the exhibit, and connected the walls of various states to create the Great Wall. Significant information about his tomb is not only from the onsite dig and ongoing discoveries but the writings of Chinese historian Sima Qian, the “father of Chinese historiography,” who wrote one hundred years later.

For more information about the exhibit, visit The Franklin Institute or download the Augmented Reality Terracotta Warriors app as well as a separate museum app for Live Science events, both accessible at The Franklin Institute apps.  For additional background on the Terracotta Army, NatGeo has a fascinating online interview with a Chinese archeologist: National Geographic Terracotta Warriors.

Striking warrior at exhibit entrance

Incredible portraiture

Re-creation of tomb discovery with partially painted figures simulates the original form and deterioration over time

Assembling the figures

Charioteer and horses

The Science Museum

Special features of the science museum are incredible live science shows, which you can also find at The Franklin Institute, a Young Scientists Area (8 and under), 3D printing, movies in the IMAX Theater, escape rooms, Your Brain, the Air Show, Train Factory, Weather, Virtual Reality, Sports Zone, and events…plan a day!  Upcoming exhibits include “Game Masters” a trip inside favorite video games “with multi-immersive experiences,” opening September 3rd.

First-hand learning is the hallmark of the science museum.  Visitors will see children darting enthusiastically among the interactive exhibits.  A fun stand out on this visit was the room that rotated like the one with Fred Astaire’s ceiling dance in “Royal Wedding,” part of the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion in “Your Brain”.

The museum and special exhibits are not inexpensive, but do plan on a day’s visit, or the better part of one, which may be helpful to know with a Philadelphia itinerary. Buying tickets online ahead of time is helpful to avoid lines during popular visiting periods.  The institute has a good, extensive café that can accommodate many visitors and a parking garage, though it is worth an initial look for a parking space on the surrounding streets.

Exploring the neurons of the brain in “Your Brain”

Part of “Your Brain” exhibit

More “Your Brain” exhibit fun

Original Singer sewing machine in “Machines” exhibit

Benjamin Franklin Memorial and The Giant Heart

The Benjamin Franklin Memorial greets visitors with an impressive, larger-than-life marble statue of the inventor and statesman by the accomplished sculptor James Earle Frasier along with a multimedia show. The institute is a valuable resource for all things Franklin, from his discovery of electricity to inventing bifocals, swim fins, and the glass armonica, to helping found the first hospital in the United States: Benjamin Franklin resources. The stately rotunda reflects the influence of Rome’s Pantheon as designed by Beaux-Arts architect John T. Windram in 1938.

At the museum entrance within the gaze of the man who discovered the current of life is the Giant Heart. If your children, or you, for that matter, can resist racing to the heart to the right of the museum entrance upon arriving, do not miss it before leaving. Envisioned by Dr. Mildred Pfeiffer, the heart that would beat in a 220 foot (67 meters) tall person opened in 1954, and with frequent updates, often marks the introduction to museums for many children.  It is marvelous to walk through the heart as one’s stature changes over the years. The appreciation for its wondrous power only increases.

For more information and ways to support, visit The Franklin Institute. Additional sources: nationalgeopgraphic.com, MetroKids.com, goodreads.com, and Wiki.

Created by Richard Albany, medical illustrator, and Albert Jehle, engineer

 

 

“Courage: Paul Robeson”

 

Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, home of Arts Council of Princeton, designed by Michael Graves

In the New Jersey chapter of his legendary life, Paul Robeson, the son of a former slave, was born in Princeton.  His father, William Drew Robeson I, also an accomplished man, was the minister of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church for 21 years. Through the Underground Railroad, William had escaped from slavery at the age of 15, later serving in the Union Army as a laborer and graduating from Lincoln University with a Sacred Theology degree.  Paul’s mother, Maria Louisa Bustill, was of African-American, Native American, and Anglo-American descent and brought up in a well-known Quaker family of abolitionists.  One of her ancestors founded the Free African Society in Philadelphia in 1787.  Though Lincoln University accepted only men at the time, Maria and her sister received permission to attend classes, and Maria later taught and tutored in the Princeton community.

Tragically, when Paul was six, his mother died in an accident at home and shortly after the remaining Robesons, Paul, his father, and four siblings, moved to Westfield, also in Central New Jersey.  Unfortunately, differences of opinion about the direction of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, founded by what was the First Presbyterian Church, had also led to Minister Robeson’s move to another congregation, initially in Westfield and then in nearby Somerville, where the family settled.  Paul attended Somerville High School and then Rutgers University, 1915-1919, the only African-American at the time, the third in its history.  At Rutgers, he played four varsity sports, earned 15 varsity letters, won speech and debate competitions, and was a glee club soloist. Despite resistance from some football players, he was twice All-American, a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Cap and Skull Honor Society, and class valedictorian. He went on to receive a law degree from Columbia University while playing for the NFL.

Paul Robeson excelled at everything he did, which for an African-American man at the time was not always the blessing one might have hoped. Opportunity for him to practice law in New York City proved limited, so he developed his artistic talent as a singer and an actor, becoming a star of the stage and screen as well as a renowned concert artist.  Paul possessed a remarkable bass voice, which he described as a baritone. Of his versatile creative roles, concert performer allowed him the most artistic control. Over a remarkable life, the world citizen who was fluent in many languages lived in England and did travel the world. His compassion made him a lifelong advocate not only for civil rights but human rights through avenues of change that were available to him at the time. Paul Robeson was possibly the person whose view of the artist – through the roles they chose and the publicity they garnered – who created a template for our time of artists as people who bring attention to those who are suffering.

Today, the Arts Council of Princeton preserves Paul Robeson’s legacy as an artist in the Paul Robeson Center near his childhood home in addition to schools in his name throughout the state and the Newark Rutgers Campus Center.  For the Arts Council’s extensive classes, programs, exhibits, and events, visit: Arts Council of Princeton or @ArtsCouncilofPrinceton on Facebook and Instagram with Twitter updates @ArtsPrinceton Twitter.

The Robeson family home, once owned by the church, is now undergoing a renovation by the nonprofit The Paul Robeson House of Princeton.  Pictured also is the Paul Robeson Center, designed by Princeton architect Michael Graves.  Prominent sculptor Jacob Epstein created the bust of Paul Robeson that welcomes visitors.

(Sources: “The Moral Quandary of Heels” Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved Kathleen Helen Levey All Rights with additional notes from Lincoln.edu, Wiki)

 

“Cape May at Christmas”

Carriage House at Emlen Physick Estate

Heading downashore in off hours usually guarantees that at rest stops, one will avoid that quintessentially New Jersey phenomena in the most densely crowded state, the buddy park.  This is when the driver feels compelled to pull right up next to your car in an empty parking lot the size of an arena – and then bang his or her car door open directly into yours in such a familiar way that the lively, “Hey, buddy!” wave and grin as he blithely exits his car and dashes away leaves one wondering whether this is subconscious bonding or just plain obnoxiousness. Awhile back, West Orange’s Kyrie Irving either posted on Instagram or liked a hilarious photo of two cars on the NJ Turnpike trying to go through a toll booth at once. For the most part, getting along well in a relatively small space gives New Jerseyans an enviable flexibility of character.

Dazzling gazebo tree

Winter light view on the way, Cape May Light, Cape May Point State Park – with a spacious parking lot 😉

Cape May MAC welcome at Emlen Physick Estate

Counterpoint to the familiar assertiveness is the quiet kindness that you will find among those in the Garden State. The kindness may be a warm welcome such as the one visitors received on the Christmas Candle Light Tour in Cape May this December. The atmosphere in Cape May during the tour is like one big open house.  The town-proud Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts sponsors a number of holiday tours as well as lamplighter tours with its anchor in the stately Emlen Physick Estate and Carriage House, adorned beautifully for the holidays and warmed by guides and carolers.  The historic sites, inns, homes, and churches are so many that you will want to return to enjoy them all as did our grandparents over a lifetime from their honeymoon destination to summertime pleasure whenever they could make the then day-long journey from Newark.  Our grandfather, born on Christmas Eve, would have claimed that the decorations were for him, a favorite joke come birthday time.

Historic inns of Cape May on the tour included The Harrison Inn (tall, middle) with a thank you for the long-time Instagram follow.

Our Lady Star of the Sea

Joy in the details, Congress Hall

A present-day parallel delight is the Winter Wonderland at historic Congress Hall, breathtaking in its charm.  An endearing aspect of the hotel that distinguishes it from some fellow iconic ones is that visitors are also warmly welcomed.  The lobby, shops, café, spa, and restaurants are available for everyone to enjoy year-round, underscored at the holidays with the carousel, holiday train, and Winter Wonderland village of vendors. The candy cane-lined hallway, elegantly simple, was a joyful welcome for every visitor and a cell phone photo-snapping sensation.

Rejoining the tour and wrapping up the evening on a recent visit, Cape May MAC trolleys and buses were available to complement the walk. One guide was so modest in her kindness that it was not clear at first.  She had asked the driver to stop to see if any tour members were left behind at one of the homes, her errand requiring a walk of some distance in the cold.  Her thoughtfulness was a good reminder to relinquish my New York Metro area dweller’s focus on “the schedule”.  Returning to my car later, the only rival to the beauty of evening was above me.  In that clear cold of winter was the panorama of the Shore night sky with stars like diamonds cast across black velvet.  At this time of year, it is the star of hope and humility that shines the brightest.  May it light all paths joyfully as we celebrate the Lord’s birth.

Thank you to all for a wonderful visit.  For more information, please see Cape May MAC, Congress Hall, Our Lady Star of the Sea. Additional source: excerpt from The Moral Quandary of Heels © 2013 Kathleen Helen Levey.

Kindly check for more photos later as we dash away, dash away all to ready for Christmas! 🎄

“Cape May at Christmas” All Rights Reserved © 2017 Kathleen Helen Levey

A Cape May fairy tale

Winter Wonderland market at Congress Hall

“Remembrance Day”

Red poppies “Honor the Dead by Helping the Living”. On travels, met a veteran selling the poppy flowers to raise money for his fellow veterans. People passed by him, unfortunately, because they did not know what the flowers meant. With the observation of the 100th anniversary of World War I this year and Remembrance Day in Commonwealth Countries, sharing again the story of their origin in that war.

Red poppies grew on battlefields of World War I, striking amidst rows of white crosses for the many lost lives. Moved by grief, Canadian Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery, wrote a poem “In Flanders Field,” which resounded around the world. Through the work of Anna E. Guerin, France, and Moina Michael, Georgia (US), the sale of artificial poppies helped orphans and others impoverished by the war. By 1920 the American Legion assisted and the “Flowers of Remembrance” were sold throughout the US, Canada, Britain France, Australia, and New Zealand. To expand the support, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) began to sell the “Buddy Poppy” nationally right before Memorial Day in 1922, and this became their memorial flower. Donations help support veterans and the families of those who have died in service.

As you may have seen in ceremonies and exhibits in the news, the United Kingdom has revitalized this recognition. The VFW got a trademark for the “Buddy Poppy” to safeguard that proceeds do indeed go to the veterans who assemble them, veterans’ rehabilitation, related programs, and in part, the VFW National Home for Children. (Sources: VFW.org, VA.gov, Wiki) Photo from Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morris Township, NJ.

(First posted on Instagram 5/30/16 for Memorial Day. All Rights Reserved © 2016 Kathleen Helen Levey)

“Highlights of the John Basilone Parade”

Raritan’s annual parade in Sergeant Basilone’s honor each September is a proud event with many veterans and Marines participating. The link below leads to video of the tossed-candy fun at this year’s parade along Somerset Street. The children, all delightful in this year’s crowd, are mostly off-frame, but they were even sweeter. Our mother, who attended for many years, exclaimed when hearing this, “It’s a first-rate parade if they’re giving out candy!”  In the generous spirit of Sergeant John Basilone, his family, and the local communities, the borough invites everyone to attend.

D71CE420-581E-448B-AD13-8F0109C2A62D

and sports cars escorting veterans and honorees:

Donald Basilone, Sgt. Basilone’s youngest brother

Andy Martin, Silver Star, Vietnam

Herb Patullo, Grand Marshall

Though the parade itself is light-hearted, the banners along the route honoring the 23 other young men from Raritan who gave their lives in service in World War II are reminders of the parade’s purpose.  These banners are present in towns and cities throughout New Jersey. Sergeant Basilone, born in Buffalo, New York, grew up here with these other servicemen.

Donald Basilone, youngest brother of John Basilone, poses below with US Marines and service members beneath the statue of his brother John, created by John’s boyhood friend Philip Orlando. Sergeant Basilone was the only enlisted US Marine to receive the Navy Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor. “The Greatest Generation,” of which John Basilone was a part, was also a modest one.  Our family friend, a fellow Marine who was in the first wave at Iwo Jima when Sergeant Basilone was killed after rescuing others, attended the parade annually until he became too ill.  Like Sergeant Basilone, he would be the first to say that each generation that serves deserves our gratitude.  A proud father attending the event shared that Sergeant Basilone had inspired his son, who had reenlisted in the Marines and come from a distance to participate in the parade and reenactment.

The ceremony included remarks by Donald Basilone and this year’s guest speaker Lt. General Richard Mills.  The Basilone Parade Committee members, all volunteers, honored Herb Patullo, a US Navy veteran and lifelong Bound Brook resident, as Grand Marshall this year.  Mr. Patullo, a dedicated supporter of the parade, attended the original one for Sergeant Basilone on September 19, 1943.  The parade continues each September on the Sunday closet to the original John Basilone Day.  Next year’s parade is on September 23rd.

The wreath-laying ceremony at Sergeant Basilone’s statute followed with the Marines’ reenactment of the flag raising at Mount Suribachi after the Battle of Iwo Jima was won. On the birthday of the US Marines yesterday, November 10th, the museum hosted @52Museums on Instagram.  The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA near Quantico, which also honors Sergeant Basilone, has the original flag raised at Mount Suribachi, captured in the photograph by Joe Rosenthal. Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley is an incredible book on the subject.

The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh-Essex County marching in the John Basilone Parade, Raritan, New Jersey playing the “Marines’ Hymn,” part of the wonderful music in the parade.

St. Ann’s of Hampton

 

John Basilone Honor Platoon

Marine Corps League #1234, Manville/Somerville

Marine Corps bulldog mascot shielded from the heat

Along the Raritan riverbank, pictured below.  The first annual Patriotic Art Show debuted nearby with tents and tables with concessions and music by Raritan musicians Tommy Grasso & the Spins.  Artists interested in showing their work next year may contact: (908) 581-1917.

In updating information for posting, found articles about John Basilone’s impact as far away as San Diego, where the San Diego Tribune writes faithfully about him. Stationed at Camp Pendleton, John married his wife Lena Mae Riggi, a Marine sergeant in the Women’s Reserve, in Oceanside, California.  The lovely “Piazza Basilone,” dedicated in 2003 with a bust of Sergeant Basilone, is at the heart of San Diego’s Little Italy.  Both locals and tourists enjoy relaxing there daily.

Intermingled with the happy and the casual in the piazza are the grateful.  One article noted that a man sitting on a bench had tears in his eyes and shared that John Basilone had saved his life.  At the Battle of Guadalcanal alone, Sergeant Basilone’s bravery in holding the line was responsible for saving several thousand US servicemen, an incredible legacy of which New Jerseyans can be proud.  If you have not attended the parade, think about going next year.  The parade, which brings the warmth of John Basilone’s personality in his absence, has a wonderful atmosphere where everyone is welcome. 

An added note that HBO is airing “The Pacific” this weekend with Clifton’s Jon Seda, a former parade grand marshal, as Sgt. Basilone.

Posted on Veterans Day with thanks to all veterans, active military, parade planners and participants who help the parade continue. For those who would like to support the parade with a donation, kindly mail a check to: John Basilone Memorial Parade Committee, c/o Borough of Raritan, 22 First Street, Raritan, NJ 08869. Thank you.

(Additional sources: John Basilone Parade (FB), Raritan-online.com, sandiegotribune.com, littleitalysd.com, Wiki)

“Loyalty: John Basilone”

Sgt. Basilone statue by childhood friend Philip Orlando

On this Veterans Day and the birthday of the Marine Corps, we remember with gratitude service members like Marine Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone.  He was the first US Marine to receive the Medal of Honor, the highest military award given by Congress for valor and presented by the president.  Ninety-six brave New Jerseyans have had the medal bestowed on them in appreciation.  Congress honored Sergeant Basilone for holding the line, single-handedly, in the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II when his men were wounded.  He later crossed enemy lines to get ammunition for those men, who without it would have been defenseless. Not only was this champion boxer’s valor remarkable, but so was his loyalty and strategic thinking under duress. The rallying of his troops also turned the six-month battle into a US victory.

A modest man, John Basilone declined an officer’s commission after Guadalcanal. Despite carrying the burden of memories of the harshest realities of life, he was generously light-hearted with family and friends.  Uncomfortable with the public acclaim he received upon his return to the US, Sergeant Basilone deflected attention to his fellow Marines who were still fighting in the Pacific. At a time when he and his fellow Italian-Americans were referred to by some as being “without papers,” the son of an Italian-born father chose to leave his bride, family, homeland, and safety to rejoin those Marines in combat where he bravely led them, many only teenagers, in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Part of the first wave, Sergeant Basilone destroyed a blockhouse, one of the beach fortresses from which enemy machine gun fire was killing Marines, enabling his men to take an airfield. Minutes later, he gave his life for his country at the age of 27.

Word spread quickly across the beach that Sergeant Basilone was down. Those left living in the bloody wave fought harder in what became a six-week onslaught and a vital strategic victory for the United States in WWII. In the face of such an unexpected defense, some of the young men on the beach could see the commanders order more forward into what was a slaughter, but with the Marines’ loyalty to each other and the miracle of noble character, they still fought as had their hero US Marine Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone.

“John Basilone remains the only soldier (non-officer) in U.S. history to be awarded both The Congressional Medal of Honor and The Navy Cross. He is also the only Medal of Honor winner to go back into combat and be killed in combat.” (Raritan-Online.com) Posthumously, Sergeant Basilone was honored with the Navy Cross, given to a member of the US Navy, US Marines, or US Coast Guard for heroism in combat, and the Purple Heart, the country’s oldest recurring military award created by President George Washington.  The Purple Heart is given in the president’s name to any member of the Armed Forces wounded or killed in combat.  He was one of 4,700 Marines who died in the Battle of Iwo Jima where 15,308 were also wounded, characteristic of the bravery and sacrifice of that generation. There was, however, respectful recognition noting a namesake bridge and a second battleship about to be named in his honor.

Statue with Veterans Park a few weeks before parade

…and the transformed corner on parade day.

Each September, his Raritan hometown honors him with a parade that ends at the statue created by his childhood friend, Philip Orlando. Philip, a sculptor, was a recipient of the Bronze Star, the award given after 1941 to anyone serving in the Armed Forces for “heroic or meritorious achievement” in non-air combat. Philip depicted Sergeant Basilone as he recalled him, not just as a war hero in battle from the heroic night commemorated at Guadalcanal, but as his larger-than-life childhood friend John who always won the neighborhood game of “King of the Hill”. The site of the statue, the busy corner of Somerset and Canal Streets, keeps the hometown hero a part of daily life, a perennial guardian of what he helped preserve.

Adapted from The Moral Quandary of Heels All Rights Reserved © 2013 Kathleen Helen Levey

 

“Remembrance Meets Welcome: Captain Carranza Ceremony and Mount Holly”

The American Legion Mount Holly Post 11’s beautiful 89th ceremony honoring Captain Emilio Carranza took place last Saturday in Wharton State Forest.  Members of  Captain Carranza’s family, dignitaries from the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC, the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, members of the Medford American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Civil Air Color Guard, local Scout troops, and rescue squad members joined in the remembrance of the Mexican aviator-hero.  Elegant sashes adorned the floral wreaths with respects from the Carranza family, the ballet, other American Legion Posts, Sons of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Civil Air Patrol, and families, businesses, communities, and friends from Burlington County, the state, and beyond. Thanks to the dedication of Post 11 and long-term participants, it was wonderful to see more attendees this year.

Carranza Park with the monument to the captain and floral adornments has changed significantly since the American Legionnaires of Mount Holly Post 11 answered the call for aid in 1928. “In this desolate spot,” reads the Legion’s press release, ”was born the Post’s program of international amity.” (The New York Times, 2002)  The occasion for the search was somber, but the Pinelands today has a distinct beauty that one appreciates more with each visit. Next year will be the 90th anniversary of Captain Carranza’s death and donations that directly support the ceremony and the preservation of the captain’s monument are most welcome.  If you wish to support this commemoration, kindly send a check to: Mount Holly Post 11, PO Box 711, Mount Holly NJ 08060.

Members of the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York

Attendees were cordially invited to see the Ballet Folklorico of New York perform afterwards at a luncheon at where fundraising films, books, and materials commemorating the captain were available. (For commemorative items and more information about Captain Emilio Carranza, visit: www.post11.org.)  The dancers delighted everyone by bringing audience members up to join them.  The New York-based group announced that they will be performing dances from the annual Guelaguetza in Oaxaca on Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn, all day on July 30th to support the park. For more information about this event, visit the Facebook page of the Ballet Forklorico Mexicano de Nueva York facebook.com/BFMNY/.

La Legión Americana La 89 ceremonia hermosa del poste 11 del soporte Holly que honra al capitán Emilio Carranza ocurrió el sábado pasado en el bosque del estado de Wharton. Miembros de la familia del capitán Carranza, dignatarios de la Embajada de México en Washington, DC, el Ballet Folklórico de México, miembros de la Legión Americana Medford y Veteranos de Guerras Extranjeras, tropas Scouts locales y miembros del escuadrón de rescate se unieron al recuerdo del aviador mexicano -héroe. El próximo año será el 90 aniversario de la muerte del capitán Carranza y las donaciones que apoyan directamente la ceremonia y la preservación del monumento del capitán son bienvenidas. Si desea apoyar esta conmemoración, envíe un cheque a: Mount Holly Post 11, PO Box 711, Mount Holly NJ 08060.

Los asistentes fueron cordialmente invitados a ver el Ballet Folklorico de Nueva York realizar después en un almuerzo en donde las películas de recaudación de fondos, libros y materiales que conmemoraban al capitán estaban disponibles. (Para artículos conmemorativos y más información sobre el capitán Emilio Carranza en espanol, visite: www.post11.org.) Los bailarines deleitaron a todos reuniendo a los miembros de la audiencia para unirse a ellos. El grupo con sede en Nueva York anunció que presentará danzas de la Guelaguetza anual en Oaxaca en Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn, todo el día el 30 de julio para apoyar el parque. Para más información sobre este evento, visite la página de Facebook del Ballet Forklorico Mexicano de Nueva York facebook.com/BFMNY/.  (Google translator.)

Mount Holly
As a means of a thank you, had the pleasure of returning to picturesque Mount Holly for a brief visit where visitors receive friendly hellos while walking around the town named for its holly trees.  Town proud, new sidewalks, murals, and development are happening everywhere, and house proud, many people were out tending to their charming historic homes on the sunny afternoon in the seat of Burlington County, which our family first knew as the hometown of Franco Harris when we cheered for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mount Holly, site of the Battle of Iron Works Hill, two days before the Battle of Trenton, has points of interest ranging from historic Revolutionary War sites to the state-of-the-art campus of Rowan College at Burlington County. RCBC includes a culinary arts program, a student-run restaurant, and an art gallery right in the center of town. On this late Saturday afternoon, shoppers from both New Jersey and Philadelphia, the latter just a 40 minute drive, were finishing up in the Mill Race Village shops in the historic downtown district, which includes architectural styles from the early 1700’s through the late 1800’s. Shoppers were stepping out to go to the popular pizzeria on High Street and all the restaurants throughout the downtown.
If you will be attending the nearby Burlington County Farm Fair, July 18th-22nd, in Columbus, New Jersey, consider stopping by for a warm Mount Holly “hello”.
   

Mount Holly, New Jersey

Posted on “Writing New Jersey Life” July 13, 2017 All Rights Reserved © 2017 Kathleen Helen Levey

 

 

“Fidelity: Captain Emilio Carranza”

Captain Carranza Monument

As Amelia Earhart’s disputed fate resurfaces in the news, another hero of the Golden Age of Aviation, Captain Emilio Carranza, is forever entwined with New Jersey history. Captain Emilio Carranza, 1905-1928, despite having died as a young man, has an extraordinary public and personal narrative. The captain, nephew of the great Mexican aviator Alberto Salinas Carranza, was known as “The Lone Eagle of Mexico” in his native country, and in the United States as the “Lindbergh of Mexico”. By 22, the ace who grew up in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, was an experienced soldier and a survivor of a serious crash which required painful facial reconstruction. Flying in the advent of newsreels, he set the record for the third longest non-stop solo flight, San Diego to Mexico City, which was also the longest flight by a Mexican pilot at the time.  He became internationally famous.

Young and personable, his countrymen admired him. On his next flight, Captain Carranza launched “The Mexican Excelsior,” a Ryan Brougham in the style of fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh’s “The Spirit of St. Louis”. Newly married, Captain Carranza did not decline duty and flew on a good will mission to the US in June of 1928.  Among his numerous honors were having lunch with the president and receiving the key to New York City. In July at West Point, he had the rare privilege for one of his rank, a review of the troops, which conveyed a mutual respect.

While still in upstate New York, summer storms repeatedly delayed his attempted returns to Mexico. Yet again, when he planned to depart, another violent thunderstorm erupted. Historical rumor has it that during this particular storm, the grand-nephew of former President Carranza, received a telegram from a rival, a cabinet member of the current government, who ordered his immediate return. Another rumor notes that he was trying to get ahead of the weather. The sweet, sad truth is that despite the accolades, he missed his bride and wished to return to her. Several people, including fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh, who would later marry Englewood’s Anne Morrow, an accomplished pilot and navigator, warned him not to go. Despite Captain Carranza’s skill, while flying over the Pine Barrens to land on the New Jersey coast, his single engine plane could not pass through the worsening storm. He tried to land, ultimately crashing to his death at age 23 in Wharton State Forest, part of the town of Tabernacle…

…After the crash, the American Legionnaires of Mount Holly Post 11, along with local volunteers, retrieved his body by hacking through the woods and underbrush of the Pinelands, making a clearing around the plane where this [the monument] stands, marking the area to protect the crash site. They took his body, first to Chatsworth, then to their post, to ensure his dignity and a return with honor to Mexico. As Post 11 notes, their own US flag that draped Captain Carranza’s coffin now hangs in Mexico’s School of Aviation. A national hero, Mexico still commemorates the captain.

Captain Carranza photo and Post 11 Memorial Wreath

Reflecting the loyalty of Captain Carranza, the American Legion members made a promise to keep alive the young hero’s mission of good will and peace, carried on through the generations in an annual ceremony in Tabernacle. Each year on the Saturday nearest July 12th, the beautiful ceremony in Captain Carranza’s honor takes place with some of his relatives, the Legionnaires, Mexican officials, the Girl and Boy Scouts, the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York, the Civil Air Patrol Color Guard, and Medford’s American Legion Post 526 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7677. On special anniversaries, the U.S. Air Force flies over in the missing man formation. The ceremony includes the Post members reenacting the search for the captain and his return accompanied with the hymn “Going Home” by Antonin Dvorak. This year marks the 89th ceremony.

The public is welcome at the ceremony this Saturday, July 9th, at 1:00 p.m. as they are daily at Carranza Park, the monument site. Heading down Carranza Way into the Wharton State Forest, though it is scenic country with wavering GPS upon entering 115,000 acres of woodlands, it is helpful to have a print out of directions.  American Legion of Mount Holly 11 kindly provides the best ones: www.post11.org/carranza/carranza8e.html

The Carranza Monument, poignantly, is the heartfelt gift of Mexican schoolchildren, saddened by the loss of their hero in what seemed like the most lonesome place.  They pooled coin donations nationwide…the monument’s engraving is of a downward eagle in the Aztec style, signifying the great loss of the young hero, addressed as the “Messenger of Peace” in English and Spanish.  His ability and courage inspired many young Mexicans and others around the world to become aviators.

Post 11 periodically shows the documentary “Good Will: The Flight of Emilio Carranza” by Robert Emmons and offers commemorative items like the video “Flying with Emilio”. For comprehensive information on Captain Carranza, including an account by his cousin, visit the Mount Holly Post 11 website, www.post11.org, in English and Spanish.  The website also contains information on other events like the Post’s observances for 9/11, Veterans’ Day, and Memorial Day.

American Legion Mount Holly Post 11 conducts the annual ceremony and helps oversee the preservation of Captain Carranza’s Memorial. Donations for the ceremony, the memorial preservation, or both, go directly to these as do the purchase of commemorative items, and would be greatly appreciated.  Checks may be sent to: Mount Holly Post 11, PO Box 711, Mount Holly NJ 08060.

American Legionnaires of Mt. Holly and Medford

Additional information: Adapted passage from ‘The Moral Quandary of Heels’ All Rights Reserved © 2013 Kathleen Helen Levey and Instagram @kathleenhelen15

Published on “Writing New Jersey Life” July 6, 2017 All Rights Reserved © 2017 Kathleen Helen Levey

“Fashion: Joyce Kilmer”

Campgaw Mountain, Mahwah, New Jersey

A New Brunswick native and world-renowned poet, Joyce Kilmer, 1886-1918, was married to fellow writer and Rutgers University graduate, Aline Murray, and lived happily and sociably with their five children in leafy Mahwah, the “meeting place” in Algonquin. They knew heartache with the grievous illness of one child, which led to their conversion to Roman Catholicism. A family man, he was exempt from duty in World War I, but enlisted, serving in military intelligence. Loyal, he turned down a commission to stay with his regiment, bravely volunteering to scout ahead on behalf of his men in No Man’s Land where he died from a sniper’s bullet at 31.

…critics sometimes dismiss Joyce Kilmer’s work as being too simple or sentimental, but he was a gifted intellectual, a Columbia University graduate who wrote in structured verse at the end of the Romantic Era. He died before modern poetry had found its voice — and he chose joy, which is not always fashionable. A one-time Latin teacher at Morristown High School and a contributor to The New York Times, both his intelligence and work ethic made him highly employable until his poetry became a success. His poems, many replete with New Jersey references, reflected a love of nature and God.  Inspired by looking in his own backyard, the lyric poem “Trees” from Trees and Other Poems (1914) became to American life what the birthday song was to the world, a legacy of celebration:

“Trees”

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who ultimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

The poem was so popular that it was set to music, first by his mother Annie, a composer, and more popularly, in 1922 by another composer and pianist Oscar Rosbach. Princeton native and distinguished Rutgers University graduate, Paul Robeson, using his wonderful phrasing, recorded a popular version in 1938-9.

As we observe the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I, we remember the sacrifices of those who served like Joyce Kilmer and their families.  Some were fortunate like our grandfather, a Newark native who was stationed stateside, others returned from overseas irretrievably changed emotionally and physically from trench warfare.  The WWI postcard is from our great-uncle who like Joyce Kilmer was stationed on the Western Front. Our uncle, a beloved brother and son, wrote to his family with great affection on these lifeline postcards.  He suffered from “gas and shell shock” meaning that he inhaled the poisonous gas thrown by enemy forces into the trenches and also suffered the “shock,” what we call PTSD “post traumatic stress disorder” today.  Unlike Joyce Kilmer, our uncle came back home.  He was still a gentle, kind man, but returned to a redefined life, fortunate in that he had family who loved him.

Incredibly, Joyce Kilmer still wrote poetry on the battlefront. Though most was in draft form, ‘A Blue Valentine,” dedicated to his wife Aline, blends faith and romance with the speaker addressing “Right Reverend Bishop Valentinus”:

…It seems appropriate for me to state
According to a venerable and agreeable custom,
That I love a beautiful lady.
Her eyes, Monsignore,
Are so blue that they put lovely little blue reflections
On everything she looks at…
It is like the light coming through blue stained glass,
Yet not quite like it,
For the blueness is not transparent,
Only translucent.
Her soul’s light shines through,
But her soul cannot be seen.

Joyce Kilmer’s legacy was not only his family and his works, but namesake New Jersey schools, the Joyce Kilmer House and a park, both in his New Brunswick hometown, a Bronx park at the Grand Concourse, and a memorial forest in North Carolina.  Worldwide celebrations for Arbor Day, the last Friday in April in the United States, often include the reading or singing of his poem.

As for the critics of Joyce Kilmer’s work, one might say never out of step, just sometimes out of fashion. 

Our uncle’s postcard from Vals-Les-Bains, France, a spa town before World War I

Quotes from the works of Joyce Kilmer. Published in ‘Writing New Jersey Life” blog at kathleenhelenlevey.com, June 21, 2017 Adapted text from “The Moral Quandary of Heels” All Rights Reserved © 2013 Kathleen Helen Levey

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