After seven years of discussions, possible plans, negotiations, and arranging partnerships in financing a purchase by the Monmouth County Park System, Borough Council learned in a letter from Bishop David M. O’Connell, CM. JCD. DD, that the former Mother Teresa School is not for sale at any price.
Mayor Lori Hohenleitner at the end of tonight’s council meeting, read a letter from Bishop O’Connell indicating that the Rev. Jarlath Quinn, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help St Agnes Parish, has the final say and has made it clear he does not want to sell the property.
Council members were surprised and disappointed by the news they learned earlier this week, when it was made clear the school will not be sold.
In his letter, Bishop O’Connell said he has accepted Father Jarlath’s decision and now the matter is ’settled.”
Hohenleitner said she was disappointed in the pastor’s decision and praised the County Parks System for their help in negotiations and their assurance of a substantial portion of the funds to pay for the purchase. Council members said after the meeting they were surprised and disappointed as well and lamented the fact they have not been able to keep the public aware of discussions since the matter throughout negotiations had to be kept private.
The Mayor and some council members indicated they know of no plans the parish has specifically for the property, which includes the school, St. Agnes Thrift Shop and the Charles Hesse gym.
The gym is frequently rented out for other purposes, including municipal meetings and elections, as well as blood drives and basketball games.
The Thrift Shop, which is the historic Mantell building is an active thrift shop several days a month, raising funds for the parish and assisting underprivileged families or families in need.
The school classrooms are used for CCD classes, activities involving CCD students, and the Knights of Columbus among other things.
Two persons spoke at the council meeting, with one saying it seems unusual for the Bishop to leave a decision of this magnitude up to the local pastor, so possibly the pastor has plans for the future which have not yet been announced. Since the pastor is a native of the area, the spokesman also indicated he possibly has more insight into local residents’ feelings for the building or its sale than does the Bishop. She also indicated the participation in church activities is growing, and selling a building at the time of planned growth does not seem to meld.
Mark Fisher also expressed disappointment at the end of the purchase possibility by the borough and wondered about possible future use or planning for the building, citing its deteriorating condition and the lack of proper maintenance over the years since the Pre-k through 8th grade school has been closed.
Currently, only Holy Cross in Rumson, St James in Red Bank and St. Mary’s in New Monmouth have K-8 parochial schools.
The Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Merry and Magnificent Holiday Networking Event on Tuesday, December 3, at the Salt Creek Grille. The event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m.
The event includes a festive evening filled with holiday cheer, networking opportunities, a premium open bar, delectable hors d’oeuvres, pasta, salad, and a carving station.
“For 96 years, EMACC has been a proud part of our community,” says Jennifer Eckhoff, EMACC Executive Director. “Join us for a night of merriment and connection at our annual event.”
Eckhoff also urged support for EMACC member Shore House, a local non-profit offering a welcoming place for adults living with mental illness. Shore House is not a treatment program or mental health service, but rather a place where its members can learn new skills, develop new relationships, and explore new opportunities. EMACC is accepting gift cards from Shoprite or Foodtown to help offset their costs. Your donation is greatly appreciated!
Tickets are $100 for EMACC members and $125 for non-members. Register by November 30 for early bird pricing! Prices increase by $15 a ticket on December 1.
Secure s spot and learn more about sponsorship opportunities by visiting EMACC.org or call (732) 741-0055 or email info@emacc.org for additional information.
Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organization that serves businesses of all sizes in the eastern Monmouth County area. The Chamber provides a variety of services and resources to its members, including networking opportunities, business referrals and education on topics such as human resource management, marketing and cybersecurity. The Chamber also advocates for the interests of businesses at the local, state and federal levels.
EMACC began in 1928 when 12 businessmen banded together to form the “Red Bank Chamber of Commerce” to serve the business interests of downtown Red Bank. Over the next 28 years, the organization’s membership grew beyond the borders of Red Bank and was renamed the Greater Red Bank Chamber of Commerce and then the Red Bank Area Chamber of Commerce. In 1995, the name and service area were changed to the “Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce” to better reflect the organization’s growing membership and the rapidly expanding business interests in the neighboring communities of Eatontown, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Rumson, Sea Bright, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls.
Siobhan Quinn will be back at the Atlantic Highlands Library tomorrow, Thursday, November 14 giving guests an opportunity to learn Italian with themes relating to the upcoming holidays.
Quinn was well received when the library offered the program several months ago, and is back both November 14 and November 21 at 6:30 p.m.. to present the program in time for the holidays.
There is no fee for the Speak Italian class and reservations are not necessary to attend.
The library is located in Borough Hall, First Avenue.
All three schools in the Henry Hudson Regional district conducted special programs and observances to honor veterans on November 11 Veterans of all branches of the military service were honored through a variety of activities and initiatives on Veterans Day.
At Henry Hudson Regional School, social studies students discussed the importance of celebrating Veterans and Service, including the genesis of the holiday and the end of World War One.
The schools’ Social Studies classes planted 500 flags at the Hudson Memorial under the Flag pole to represent the district support of Veterans and their sacrifice. The school’s TV studio added a video to the day’s announcements celebrating Veterans Day and patriotism.
At the Highlands Elementary School, teachers discussed the importance of Veteran’s Day during social studies classes. The Student Council coordinated a letter-writing campaign for veterans through Operation Gratitude and mailed letters to veterans.
At the Atlantic Highlands school, there was an entire student body remembrance to start the day and flags were placed out front of the building by Student Council/STARS. They will also have an assembly featuring local veterans on November 21.
JMP Wood started out as a small business in Brooklyn designed by three brothers from Italy who came to America for a better way of life and worked hard to achieve it for generations. Today, the firm, now known as MPT Wood, still maintains its manufacturing plant in Brooklyn along with a showroom, store and warehouse in Linden and is owned by Michael Cangelosi, the second generation of Guiseppe’s family, with every promise his son will continue the American dream of his father and grandfather” there is no challenge too big or small for their skilled and passionate staff. Giuseppe “Joe” Cangelosi
The firm features the most up to date, state of the art machinery and software, employs professional artisans who can manufacture any species of wood into any shape, size and form imaginable, meet needs fast and prove on a daily basis that hard work, determination and a will to be a part of their new country can be the dream of every American. This is the story of the first 50 years of the family owned business.
JMP Manufacturing Facility 760 E 96th St Brooklyn, NY 11236
The family-owned business that started on $20, a dictionary and the aim to pass on something of importance with pride and tradition to continue for generations to come is celebrating a half century of skill, expertise and love of wooden creations. JMP Display Fixtures is now in the capable and loving hands of the second generation as it celebrates 50 years since its founding in Brooklyn in 1974.
Giuseppe “Joe” Cangelosi
Giuseppe Cangelosi, along with his brothers Mario and Peter were young when they moved with their parents from their native Sicily to Venezuela and came from there to the United States in 1962.
As a youngster in Italy, like all children, Guiseppe went to trade school at a very young age, learning all about wood, how to bring out its grandeur, respect its use and choose the most efficient variety for each specific purpose. It was when he complained about the calluses he had on his fingers from sandpapering, the last steps in fashioning a violin, that one of his teachers admired the special talent he had. The instructor told him one day that talent, and those calluses would be rewarded with success.
Although Guiseppe spoke both Italian and Spanish, he came to America with no knowledge of the English language. So he purchased a dictionary to expand his knowledge, carrying it with him to look up words he needed. He used the yellow pages to learn numbers and watched Sesame Street on television and read newspapers to learn pronunciation and how to read English.
Guiseppe’s limited education in Italy…he never did get a high school diploma….was supplemented with a strong drive and determination that gave him the practical knowledge and education he needed to become a success in life, both in working hard to provide well for his family at some point in his future and to be spending his time doing work he loved.
It was this drive and determination that led to Guiseppe to follow his own desire in America. After getting a job and working hard for little money, the determined immigrant knew he could do more on his own at work he loved.
So he and his brothers Mario and Peter started JMP Display Fixtures, setting up their first shop in a basement of a commercial building in Brooklyn in 1974. Guiseppe, better known as Joe the Designer, with his great love and knowledge of wood and creative ideas, was the primary designer for the variety of wood display fixtures they made for boutiques and major department store chains.
Like all new businesses, JMP Fixtures struggled through the formative years, pouring any proceeds back into the business, accepting gratefully the help of the brothers’ parents when they needed some petty cash, food or cigarettes.
Even before Joe married Rosalie whom he had met through a mutual friend in Canarsie, she happily joined the struggle in the tough years of building up the business and continuing to provide well designed, highly sought after displays for chains including Macys and JCPenney’s.
When the couple’s son Michael was born, his proud father lost no time in teaching him that skill, hard work, determination and confidence in himself would all be necessary to continue the business and be a success. From the time he was five, Michael accompanied his dad to work whenever possible, learning to love the oaks and ash, the pines and maples, the designs, and the texture of all varieties and knowing he would like to be successful through his own efforts one day.
Still, Guiseppe knew from his own experience that working hard for little money is a driving force towards success. He wanted to be sure Michael learned that way as well. So when his young, equally work- driven but practical son complained his dad was only paying him a dollar for all the work he did, his loving father reminded him that if he worked hard, for little money, he, too, would one day become successful in the business.
To ensure they would be successful and to provide them with the education they would need, the Cangelosis wanted both their son, Michael and daughter Bridget to take advantage of a college education and urged them both to pursue higher education. Both did, and Bridget went on, to the pride and joy of her family, to become a Doctor of Pharmacology. Michael enrolled in college with his aim of getting a degree in business.
It was the early part of the 21st century, and stores were looking to replace designed and wooden display stands with other varieties imported from China as a means of cutting down expenses to keep their own businesses solvent during difficult years. So JMP Display, now owned and operated by Guiseppe alone, was facing another challenging time in business.
That is when Michael came to his parents, and with the honesty and determination he had learned from both of them, said he was changing colleges. He wanted to get his degree from a special kind of college, he said, one that would enable him to help his father make a success of his own business once again. Michael said he wanted to leave college and further his education at a college where both he and his family could take pride in his accomplishments and help his dad at the same time.
That’s when Michael let Joe and Rosalie know he wanted to go back to JMP Display Fixtures. He promised them he would treat his studies and work with the company as the college degree that would teach him everything, he needed to know in order to succeed.
His parents, at first disappointed, soon learned Michael was right, was dedicated towards learning all he could and could bring the family business through those next few difficult years. Like his dad, Michael has a love of wood, a passion for perfection, and the wisdom of a businessman who knows his product and its value.
JMP Showroom 621 Commerce Rd Linden, NJ 07036
The company expanded its creative specialties to compensate for the decreased interest in custom-made display cases. Now known as JMP Wood Stairs & Rails and JMP Wood, the company grew to earn its reputation and become best known for its balusters, custom made staircases and railings. All the work is completed by both computer controlled machine and by hand, designed in house for intricate handiwork and specialty staircases and rails for private homes and businesses. Combining timeless knowledge of woodworking with innovative ideas and advanced technology, JMP has become a leader in the millwork industry, working with clients including NBC, PBS, Disney and more.
The contented father retired from the business several years ago, happy and assured Michael would continue as president, and satisfied beyond his dreams of what Michael had accomplished.
When Joe died in 2023, he left not only his loving wife and two generations of offspring and their spouses who learned so much from him, but also his undying love for family, hard work, and the rewards of a happy and well-lived life.
After 50 years, a half century of love, passion, hard work and energy, JMP is on the way to prosper for another half century or more. And it will also be the educational foundation for Michael and Assunta’s son, Guiseppe, a five-year-old who already wants to go to work with his Dad.
The couple’s daughter, Rosalia, at three, simply wants to admire and copy her older brother’s antics for the time being. Bridget, in addition to her success as a pharmacist, married Bravo Bednairk and their daughters Valentina and Michaela carry on the distinctive trademarks and inheritances of both Rosalie and Guiseppe, a hard working Italian-American couple who were helped in America and they themselves then became a part of the nation they helped make a better place.
Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi Giuseppe Joe Cangelosi
Changes and additions large and small have been taking place in Our Lady of Perpetual Help – St. Agnes parishin recent months resulting in an increased number of parish members becoming more involved in a variety of volunteer activities.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
In addition to the major improvements which have taken place on the exterior of both churches in the parish, improvements which include repainting the parking and disabled parking spaces in the OLPH Parking lot and landscaping at both church, motorists have noticed both prayer and a sense of humor being displayed on the bulletin board seen on Route 36 in front of OLPH Church.
Last week’s reminder that “The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice “ was replaced this week with a thank you and appreciation for all veterans.
Members of the Rev. Joseph Donnelly Council of the Knights of Columbus, which has been an active organization within the parish for many years, have already made a trip to North Carolina carrying needed supplies to families affected by the storms, with another trip scheduled for this week.
The Knights are working in conjunction with the borough of Highlands in that borough’s massive efforts to aid the storm torn southern towns as well as individual families and even stricken horses affected by damaged and destroyed barns.
With the Rev. Thomasaiah Mallavarapu joining the pastor, the Rev. Jarlath Quinn last June, the parish now offers a Spanish mass on Sundays at 5 p.m. at St. Agnes Church.
Father Thomas came to OLPH St Agnes from Our Lady of Fatima parish in Perth Amboy, a parish with a heavy concentration of Spanish speaking churchgoers, where Father Thomas said mass in Spanish there on a regular basis.
Saturday, Nov. 16, the 8 a.m. mass at OLPH is being offered as a Respect Life Remembrance Mass for all local residents who have lost a child under any circumstances at any age or stage of life.
The American flag in front of OLPH Church is flown daily and parishioners request it be flown for personal memorial reasons. This week it was flown in memory of Thomas Ptak, the only Highlands resident killed during the Vietnam War.
Both priests and volunteers in the parish regularly bring communion to the home bound or those not able to attend mass for other reasons. Interested persons call the parish office and make requests for this offering.
Yoga is offered at Mother Theresa School cafeteria on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. with Amy conducting 45 minute sessions for stretching and strengthening. Fee for the sessions is $10 and no advance reservations are need. For further information, Amy can be contacted at 908-461-7640.
Mother Theresa School and St. Agnes Thrift Shop
The St. Agnes Thrift Shop continues to be a bustle of activity on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month also from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop offers everything from toys and games, holiday decorations and clothing to jewelry, furniture and kitchenware. Donations are also accepted at the thrift shop during those hours. For further information, call 732-291-2156.
Fr. Jarlath continues to invite others to volunteer their services in a variety of events and activities, and urges new volunteers to get involved especially during the upcoming Advent and Christmas seasons. Anyone interested in volunteering to decorate the parish buildings and properties can contact the parish office at 732-291-0272 and speak with the parish secretary or administrative assistant.
The parish is having a Christmas Fest on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Charles J. Hesse Parish Center on South Ave. Atlantic Highlands from 3 to 8 p.m. as well as a Giving Tree in the back of the church. The tree will be decorated and displayed in the vestibule throughout the Christmas season, enabling donors to leave gift cards in a container for families in need to use to purchase their own needs from local or online stores. Gift cards can also be dropped off at the parish office until Dec. 8. As always, the parish is inviting any families in need to contact the parish office to assistance from the St. Vincent de Paul Society which is active throughout the year.
Student volunteers are also being invited to volunteer to assist with the Nativity Play scheduled to be performed at St. Agnes Church on Dec. 7. That presentation will take place at 4:45 pm in advance of the 5:15 mass. For further information, interested volunteers should contact CDC Director Mary McKelvey at reled@olphstagnes.org. Sponsors are always invited to sponsor a child to attend religious education for families who may not be able to afford the fees.
The OLPH Pantry and the St. Vincent de Paul Society are also joining forces once again to provide Thanksgiving Dinners for families in need, and contributions to this cause enable the volunteers to purchase all the items for generous Thanksgiving baskets. Persons interested in volunteering to assist in this program can leave a message at the parish office, Ext. 120.
The Knights of Columbus host a full breakfast on the second Sunday of every month at the OLPH school hall, with the Knights preparing everything from French toast and pancakes to pastries and hot beverages. All are invited and there is no fee, though donations are always accepted.
Fr. Quinn has noted many different ways interested persons can volunteer on a regular basis, serving as lectors, those people who offer Biblical readings during the mass or counters, volunteers who keep track of weekly donations at the masses, to residents who want to assist in any maintenance or upkeep positions in the parish. The parish also assists other causes in the area, including Birthright of Red Bank to enable them to support new life by easing the immediate concerns and relieving the distress of clients who turn to Birthright for assistance.
While the church bulletin, available every weekend at both churches, has always had lists of residents in need of special prayers for illness or prayers for the deceased, it has now expanded to include numerous short prayers, Gospel readings, and particular devotions. A recent bulletin included definitions for most of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit from love and joy to Gentleness and self-control. Other bulletins have given brief biographies of saints, or short prayers. A recent prayer in the bulletin was one said by the late Rev. Mychal Judge, OFM, the priest who died while helping others in the World Trade Center attack. His brief prayer was “Lord, take me where you want me to go, let me meet whom you want me to meet, tell me what you want me to say, and Keep me out of your way.”
Masses are Celebrated at OLPH on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. . the Sunday Vigil mass at 4 p..m. Saturdays and Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. Masses at St. Agnes are 7 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with a 4 p.m. Sunday Vigil mass Saturday afternoons, and Sunday masses at 7:30, 10:45 a.m. and noon.
Novenas are held at St. Agnes after the 7:30 mass on Fridays, and at OLPH at 8 a.m. on Saturdays. Baptisms, weddings, and other sacraments are offered on a regular basis, and reconciliation is Saturdays from 3 to 3:45 on Saturdays and at 6 p..m. Saturdays at St. Agnes Church or simply b y calling the parish office at 7323-291-0272,, ext 112 or 123.
FDAEach of the three women who spoke before me at the Food and Drug Administrations’s advisory council panel that was assessing cryoablation as a means of curing cancer, had breast cancer, l also had breast cancer.
However, unlike me, they had had surgeries and in some cases horrific results of surgeries before surviving the disease. The doctor who was the first to speak was also a cancer survivor, but cautioned against approval of this non-invasive means of curing cancer because it had not been tested on people of all ages, just a limited group and she was fearful of promoting how great it is, could result in it being used in some women for whom it might not work.
As I listened to her three minutes of testimony, I wondered if as a doctor she had ever guaranteed any medicine or that any surgery would positively work.
One woman whose first cancer was identified in 2012 and was treated with surgery, sought out a different option on her own when diagnosed again in 2021.
On her own, she found a doctor who did cryoablation, simply freezing the tumor with a frozen needle, had it done and described her success and happiness.
The third woman who spoke learned about cryoablation from a friend. But she had undergone a lumpectomy in 2023 and described in painful detail, the drains and pumps she needed afterwards, the pain med she had to take, her first painful shower, and as she described it the ‘butchering’ of her body.
Dr. Kenneth Tomkovich M.D.
As I finished my three minutes extolling every benefit of cryoablation absent any pain, medicine, treatments, or slowing down of my busy life, the panel called for the final speaker, Dr. Ken Tomkovich, the radiologist who had done my cryoablation at Centra State’s Women’s Center.
So happy to see him eight years after his magic worked on me, I drew laughter from the panel as I called out, “I know that man!” And the two of us hugged in the middle of the room before Dr. Tomkovich took the stand.
He told of his quarter of a century of experience in radiology, his 20 years with cryoablation, and his belief that of all his experiences , cryoablation is “one of the best I’ve ever done.” He talked about how cryoablation offered personalized care with no sledge hammer methods, and how the ice itself provided the anesthesia to avoid pain, and best of all the zero side effects of the procedure.
Dr. Tomkovich went one further….he called each of us who had opted to be part of the trial and have him do the cryoablation, heroes. He told the panel he wanted to thank each of us who had put our trust and confidence in him, and said how proud he was of all his patients. It’s the first time I’ve ever been praised and thanked for taking the easiest way out.
I also haven’t figured out why approval for the procedure by the FDA is taking so long.
Cyroablation has been approved for prostate cancer since the 1990s and has long since proven itself successful. Today it is also used, in addition to prostate cancer, against eye, liver and kidney diseases.
Why should so simple, so effective, so painless and medicine free procedure take so long to be approved for breast cancer?
The FDA is continuing to take comments, approvals, or information on cryoablation through December 9 and has already voted to recommend this wonderful procedure to the Food and Drug Administration. You can send letters advocating the approval to this LINK or by writing
Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, Rm. 5214
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002
FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA FDA
Artist Steve Schreiber and his work “The Middletown Militia Secures their Prize”
When the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Monmouth County Parks System unveiled the outdoor sign highlighting the capture of a British ship during the Revolution, their ceremony at the Wilson House in Port Monmouth was filled with interest, talent, broad knowledge of shipbuilding and the importance of Monmouth County in the Revolution. There was also on display an outstanding oil portrait of the ship, HMS Britannia, created by artist Steve Schreiber, a Monmouth County born artist who does more than paint his pictures.
“The Middletown Militia Secures their Prize”
Steve pours life, being, personality and substance in the faces of each of the people he creates in oil, pastel, or other media. In his painting of the Britannia, he also makes it clear the capture was taken under icy conditions by brave patriots.
Raised in Farmingdale, Steve attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh when he was in his 20s, graduating with a focus on illustration and design. Work, family and a wandering spirit brought him to Northeast Ohio, but never losing his love for the history of his home state.
His interests led him to follow a variety of career paths including Children’s Educational Publishing, arborist, tree climber, and manager of a zip line canopy tour, all taking away from his natural talent in creating art.
But five years ago, Steve returned to his passion for painting, saying “I am excited to pursue a future in fine art. It feels like the right time. If I can express myself creatively and have a positive influence on the people around me and the world, I will be very satisfied.”
He has already accomplished that and much more. Since returning to art, Steve’s work has been included in “New Western Talent”, a juried show hosted by Western Gallery four years ago. His piece, The Hard Road From Plato’s Cave, was selected for “Eventually Together”, juried and awarded first place by Ron White through Freefall Studios in 2021.
After living in Parma Heights, Ohio, Steve is now back in the Garden state, living in Toms River, some of his works easily available for anyone who enjoys fine art. He was at the festive and well attended DAR event in Port Monmouth, where he calmly but enthusiastically answered reams of questions about how he designed the painting of the Britannia.
Steve’s painting of the brigantine, which had broken loose from its moorings, under capture and being towed by the Patriots was commissioned by John Barrows of Monmouth Timeline to illustrate a story that members of Middletown DAR were researching and writing to be published on John’s website.
With a heavy concentration of his work on Native Americans, their clothing and their faces, Steve makes it clear his emphasis in his work is on perfection. In the Shoal Harbor painting, he captures personality and accuracy while at the same time leaving enough artistic space for the viewer to create his own story about the Patriots rowing the small boats lugging the brigantine, the ice on the tips of the waves in Shoal Harbor during the same storm Washington faced crossing the Delaware that wintry week in 1777.
It took Steve about four months to plan, create and paint the Britannia, the first three months doing all the preliminary work of educating himself to paint the first ship he had ever painted. During that time he also had to research not only a brigantine and how that type of ship is rigged, but also even the structures of the rowboats towing the ship. He wanted to be sure he was recreating the exact same boats the Middletown Militia used for their capture. Because of prior work and research, he had a good idea of the clothes the militia would be wearing, since he had seen plenty of re-enactors and spoken with several historians of today to take advantage of their research into that aspect of the painting.
The next step towards perfection was Steve drawing his idea for the finished painting, getting the composition figured out, and creating the focal points, the ship, the rowboats and the militia men This is a slow but necessary process so “the finished piece could tell a story,” the artist explained. He also wanted to paint the picture on a surface that would withstand the test of time and recalled an artist friend who has had work damaged. So he switched from stretched canvas to wood or hardboard cradled in a back frame and decided to go that route. “So I constructed the painting surface, hardboard backed with a 1×2 oak frame,” he explains .
Only then, Steve continued, “I could transfer the drawing to the surface and begin to paint in oils.” That is the part that took one month.
Everyone is drawn to a work of art for varied reasons. When I noticed the piercing eyes of one oarsman that appeared to be looking into the face of another in the opposite boat, Steve smiled and explained he had felt a kinship between the two soldiers, possibly brothers, or close friends, who had worked together, knew what each was going through, and was each sharing with the other that frigid night’s activity . The oars are laden with the almost icy froth of the water, Col. Asher Holmes, the military man who led the capture, is standing at the bow of the boat, looking homeward and a secure place to take the captured ship. The officer at the stern of the boat, armed, is looking backward, ready to stop any British who might have gathered to engage the enemy. The painting, though depicting the dark night it was, is light enough for the viewer to see the fine work on the rigging, the storm-blown sails on the bridge.
The painting is on display at the Wilson House where the DAR placed their outdoor sign explaining the story of Britannia.
Steve Schreiber, Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber Steve Schreiber
There is hope and confidence that the American dream will continue for generations when you see hundreds of kids five to ten years old standing up, clapping, smiling broadly and waving American flags as two dozen or so veterans from all branches of the service came into the gym of the John F. Kennedy School in South Plainfield on Veterans Day.
It’s a tradition that has been going on every Veterans Day for the past 15 years at this school, thanks to an amazing principal, Dr. Kevin Hajduk and a team of dedicated teachers and teachers’ aides.
Dr Kevin Hajduk
Dr. Hajduk sets aside Veterans Day every year to be sure everyone of the students in the kindergarten through 4th grade school gets the chance to learn more about the United States and the men and women who serve to keep it free, gets to learn what a real hero is, and gets to brag about friends or members of his own family who serve or have served in the military.
The school sets day long activities to ensure the students know everything about Armistice Day that ended World War I and when and why it was changed from honoring the end of that war to a day recognizing everyone who has served in the military. It’s a day when the students can bring in family members and honor them before the entire school population and even have them come back to their classrooms and talk about their time in the service.
With approximately 300 students in the four grades, there were two dozen relatives, most of them grandfathers of students, representing every branch of the military service except the Space Force, who sat in front of the audience while students conducted a program to honor them, having each be recognized as the anthem of their particular branch of service was played.
Children also stood up to be recognized along with their relatives and to accept the applause of the student body, teachers and other staff members. Military members were then invited back to classrooms to answer questions from the students and tell something of their lives in the military.
Athan McNamee, with his Mom Jamie and Great Aunt, Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman USN (ret)
It was Athan McNamee, son of Trey and Jamie McNamee, who invited his great aunt, Commander Tracie Smith-Yeoman USN (ret) to not only be honored by the school but also to talk to his first-grade class at Kennedy School. Commander Smith Yeoman served 23 years in the Navy and is currently the chief naval instructor at MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology on Sandy Hook.
As a naval officer, she was a deep-sea diver and served in Hawaii, Kuwait and Cuba among other locations.
In speaking to the students after the ceremony, it was hard to tell whether they were more fascinated by the blue shark she met while scrubbing barnacles off the bottom of a ship or the camels she chased from the firing range in Kuwait when the men and women were practicing with firearms.
Veterans Day Veterans Day Veterans Day Veterans Day
Coincidences It was only a three minute presentation, but after I left the platform where I spoke, and before I got back to my seat in the audience, I met the next speaker in the middle of the aisle, Dr. Kenneth Tomkovich of Freehold.
“I know this man!” I called out unceremoniously in spite of this being a meeting before a panel of the US Food & Drug Administration.
Then the doctor and I hugged each other and he went up to the podium and began his presentation on the huge benefits of IceCure’s Pro Sense cryoablation that cures breast cancer.
That’s when it hit me. This whole scenario of my appearing before the Food and Drug Administration panel to promote IceCure, the benefits of early detection of breast cancer and the simple procedure IceCure created to cure cancer without surgery was absolutely meant to be.
There were too many coincidences over the past eight years to think it was an accident that I was privileged to have my three minutes before the 19 voting members and five FDA representatives, including the Office and Division directors, to tell my story.
The result, hours later, was the positive vote of the members recommending IceCure’s ProSense be approved by the FDA so it can be offered in the United States, covered by insurance, permitted in hospitals and enable untold numbers of women to be free of cancer in a way far easier, less expensive, less invasive, and without any harmful effects than the many ways approved currently.
Of course, cryoablation isn’t for every breast cancer tumor. No procedure or medication is. It is only for small tumors, the ones in specific places and caught through early mammograms or other detection methods. But it is one that offers a lot more comfort and the option that if it doesn’t work, a woman can always go another route, more painful and possibly disfiguring route.
IceCure offers the option that a woman has nothing to lose by going for cryoablation than the cancer itself.
What’s more, I am not a feminist. I have always believed that both sexes have important roles to play in this world, and I’m happy to be equal to any man in so many areas, exceed him in others, yet need him to lead, guide or do for me in still other areas. It’s the partnership of all talents that makes things happen.
But when it comes to cancer cures, I admit to being a little ticked, make that downright annoyed, that it has taken this long for cryoablation for breast cancer to be close to approval. It has been proven highly efficient and approved as a therapeutic option for prostate cancer since 1996.
But back to the coincidences that brought me to Gaithersburg, Maryland November 7 and a three minute talk before the panel that recommended exactly what my testimony told them to recommend.
Cryoablation works to halt breast cancer.
It was almost ten years ago that I had a serious stroke, was hospitalized, and thanks to fast work by the Atlantic Highlands First Aid Squad and staff at Monmouth Medical Center, I emerged from that terrifying day with few side effects from the stroke which affected my right side.
Two years later, I was still undergoing physical therapy at Centra State Hospital in Freehold and picked up their flyer promoting mammograms, something I had not had done for a few years. Coincidence number one.
The flyer noted that women who got a mammogram at Centra State would also get a coupon for $50 off a facial or massage at a nearby spa. Enough of an incentive for me to make an appointment for a mammogram. Coincidence Number Two.
Living in Freehold at the time, my appointment was at the Women’s Center where a very wise female physician read the mammogram, diagnosed the cancer, even drew me pictures to show me exactly where it was, and introduced me to Dr. Ken Tomkovich.
Dr. Tomkovich happened to be starting a trial for this new procedure to kill small tumors by freezing them called cryoablation. Coincidence Number Three
I fit the category to be considered; I was over 65 years old, the tumor was small enough, located in a place possible for the procedure to work, and if I were agreeable, could have it done. It was no coincidence that I readily agreed. My thinking at that time, as it remains, is, Why not? If it doesn’t work, I could still have surgery, chemo and radiation if I chose.
Nor is it a coincidence that I’m curious, ask a lot of questions, stay busy and talk a lot. So when I was on the table, fully awake since sticking the frozen needle in my breast only required numbing the skin around it, and asked if I could watch, Dr. Tomkovich enabled me to see the screen while he inserted the needle, found the tumor and froze it to death. Fascinating, incredible, unbelievable and exciting. I joked with the attending staff and IceCure representatives who were in the room since it was a trial procedure.
“Don’t mess this up,” I said to the very serious Dr. Tomkovich, “I have to go to a meeting when I leave here, and I’m going to Israel in two weeks. Do everything right.”
Back to coincidences. The meeting, which I made back at St. Agnes Church in Atlantic Highlands and hour or so after the procedure, was with Monsignor Selemi and many friends who , like me, were leaving in two weeks for a parish trip to Israel. Coincidence Number Four.
So it was that evening that one of the IceCure observers in the room called to ask if I had been serious. Was I really going to Israel? Sure, why, I asked? “Because that’s where this procedure was created,” he told me. And the staff there has not yet seen someone who is part of the trial. Would you consider going to meet them?
Consider it? What a PRIVILEGE. What sheer delight! Meet the people who designed this seemingly so simple, so perfect procedure that would help women forever in the future? Talk about coincidence!
And it happened. Once I was in Israel, and after phone calls, approvals and a generous IceCure driver and car, I left my hotel in Jerusalem one morning and was driven to Caesarea, met an incredibly young, brilliant and primarily female staff, learned more about their work and how the people of Israel pool all their efforts to make even small enterprises capable and successful, had an unforgettable dinner with my new and treasured friends at a restaurant right on the Mediterranean Sea, and was driven back to my hotel to continue my visit to a new country I quickly began to love and appreciate.
I kept up friendships with many of these women since that day, especially Tlalit, brilliant, friendly, and so knowledgeable in so many things. Through e-mails, we laughed over events that occurred in both our lives over the next few years and I mourned her great loss October 7 when I learned her beloved nephew was at that concert when Israel was attacked and he was murdered.
My son, Jim, Tracie, my daughter , and I had done some appearances for IceCure, so thrilled were all about the procedure’s success. I wrote many stories about IceCure while diligently following the procedures asked for in the trial, including oncology visits and mammograms over the next five years.
So when we learned of the Advisory Committee meeting late last month that was a big step towards enabling this procedure to be offered in the United States, we all wanted to be part of it. I willingly signed up to talk, Tracie willingly agreed to drive me the 500 miles for the one day trip back and forth, so I could be present, friends wrote letters endorsing the procedure, and Jim kept Tlalit informed of how privileged we all felt to be a part of medical history in the making.
Tracie and I left Maryland soon after my presentation was over in order to be back home that night, so were not able to stay to hear the vote. It was only after we were on Route 195 not far from Freehold, where it all started eight years ago, that Jim called on the phone to let us know. It was Tlalit who let him know: “Give your mom double hugs for all if us watching from IceCure,” she said, “the panel voted to recommend IceCure’s ProSense.”
More than a coincidence. Call it an answer to a prayer.
My three minute presentation can be found HERE and starts at time mark 5:39:35
Or, if you would like to read my statement … Here it goes
I’m Muriel Joan. Smith, I’m 16 days short of being 88 years old, and I came here from New Jersey this morning to give you living, joyful proof of the great success and ease of cryoablation for the woman with cancer.
Eight years ago, I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at Centra State Hospital in Freehold. The oncologist introduced me to a radiologist who was participating in the trial phase of this option for curing breast cancer. After some research, I eagerly accepted the opportunity, convinced it was simple and non-invasive. I also reasoned to myself that if it were not successful, I still had the option of other more painful, more invasive, possibly more life threatening surgery and body appearance alterations if I chose to go that terrifying route.
I like to say I participated in cryoablation, because as an inquisitive journalist who has spent her life probing, researching and writing for newspapers I was able to not only watch the entire procedure, but ask questions and have them answered. I was able to watch on the computer screen as the doctor’s needle went into my body, how it found the small tumor that was creating the problem, and how he inserted the needle into the tumor. I watched for seven minutes while the needle, absent any foreign substance being injected into my body, shriveled up this deadly little mass, crumbling it before my eyes into a tiny ball of squished cells. I watched the needle being removed, and I had a few minutes to lie on the table talking to those in the room. The needle was inserted once again just to be sure, I presume, it had done its job the first time. And I was still watching the whole procedure. and was able to the needle removed again, see them put the 4×4 bandage on my breast, thank the doctor and staff, get up, put my blouse back on and get in my car to drive 30 miles to a meeting I did not want to miss.
The only inconvenience in this cure was returning to the hospital regularly for mammograms and oncology visits for five years so medicine could be as proud as I that cryoablation truly works.
Three years ago, I was forced to get a vaccine against Covid. I strongly opposed the dictate; I knew it meant inserting something foreign into my body, something that had not yet been tested, approved, or proven to be safe. Today, the trauma of having to take that risk only makes me angry that three years after a five year trial period for cryoablation, something so simple, so non-invasive, so quick and easy for a breast cancer victim has still not yet been approved by the FDA.
I came here today with the hope and prayer that my testimony, and your seeing a healthy fit, happy, and cancer free octogenarian will help overcome that.
