community news from Livingston

Belle (Rich) Podems, a longtime Livingston resident, died at home on March 28. She was 95 years old.

Mrs. Podems was born on February 4, 1926 in Newark, the daughter of Russian immigrants Lena and Isadore Rich. She attended West Side High School and earned a degree in mathematics from Montclair State College. She later served as a substitute teacher in the Newark school system for many years.

She married Horace Podems in 1948 and the couple settled in Livingston in 1955. Mr. Podems died in 2000, and she was also preceded in death by her sisters, Sylvia and Frances.

Mrs. Podems is survived by her sons, Marc and Robert Podems; her daughter, Ruth Wuenschel; her daughter-in-law, Mary Chris Rospond; her son-in-law, Donald Wuenschel, and two grandchildren.

A graveside funeral was held on March 30 at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge.

The family suggests that donations in Mrs. Podems’ memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Eileen Friedenberg Tarlowe Birnholz of Delray Beach, Flordia, died on March 2. She was 81.

She is survived by her husband of 21 years, Harvey Birnholz, and her three children and their spouses, Jeffrey and Bonnie; Shari and Bruce; Lori and Gregg; and 11 grandchildren.

Mrs. Birnholz was born on February 27, 1940 to Milton and Mildred Friedenberg. She grew up in Irvington and West Orange, NJ. She graduated from Irvington High School in 1958 and Upsala College in 1962.

She married her college sweetheart Charles (Charlie) Tarlowe in 1960, and they were happily married for 25 years until his passing in 1986. The couple raised their three children in Livingston.

A funeral service was held on Friday, March 5, in Florida.

LANCERS SHUT OUT CALDWELL: The Livingston High School girls’ varsity volleyball team shut out Caldwell, 2-0, on Tuesday, March 23, at home in the LHS Fitness and Wellness Center. Shown here, Lancer frontliner Onome Okopie, #9, elevates to block the Caldwell scoring attempt. Converging on the play is Jenna Ly, #18. Don Schwartz Photo

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We all love Livingston and take great pride in our community. At any given time, however, like all towns, there are a number of issues facing our municipality. We thought we would take the time to lay out some foolproof solutions to these problems once and for all.

The defining issue of the past year — within a larger debate about the COVID-19 pandemic — has been when we can safely “reopen” the schools. With teachers now all able to be vaccinated, and the CDC cutting the required distance among students by half, we are closer to a full return then we have been in more than a year. It appears the 2021-22 academic year will be held fully in person, to the delight of many parents and students.

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Last week, Livingston Philanthropies Inc. (LPI) founder and director Jeff Friedman reported that the Livingston-based charity has moved into purchasing cases of fresh produce to provide for families living below the poverty line.
Based on the success of this emerging initiative, Friedman announced this week that LPI will continue to purchase groceries for Newark Emergency Services For Families (NESF) for the agency’s monthly “Free Grocery Give-away.” The next give-away event will be heldThursday, April 15.
“The number of profoundly poor and those living out on the hard streets has increased exponentially during the pandemic,” said Friedman. “Moms and dads are losing their jobs at record rates, yet still need to provide for hungry kids. That’s why food pantry lines stretch along streets and around corners in our neighboring communities and across the nation.”

FRESHMAN LANCERS WIN: The Livingston High School girls’ freshman volleyball team defeated Bridgewater-Raritan, 2-0, at home in the LHS Auxiliary Gym on Saturday, March 20. Shown here, Lancer frontliner Elexa Bragarnik, #2, “soars and scores” against the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers. Don Schwartz Photo

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STANDING UNITED: Hundreds of residents and elected officials gathered Tuesday evening at the Oval for a candlelight vigil to show solidarity with Livingston’s Asian American community, following the murders last week in Atlanta. Hosted by the Livingston Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, the event featured prayers, music, and speeches from Mayor Shawn Klein, Police Chief Gary Marshuetz, and more. Attendees brought signs showing support and speaking out against violence and racism, and held candles to commemorate those who have been affected, harmed, or killed as a result of anti-Asian hate. Another protest against Asian hate crimes, with dozens of attendees, was held on Sunday at Town Center. Additional photos may be seen on page A-7. Dexi Yang and MI Photos

Livingston’s volunteer Fire Department responded to a car fire in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School on Thursday, March 18. Upon arrival, firefighters found the engine compartment fully involved in a major blaze. The fire was extinguished without incident, however, and no injuries were reported. The car was towed from the scene. The cause of the fire was still under investigation as the Tribune went to press.

Firefighters also responded to an oil spill; a broken water pipe; reports of stalled elevators, natural gas odors, and burning debris.

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The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Computer Science Teachers’ Association (CSTA) has selected four high school students from among a poolo f graduating high school seniors throughout the U.S. for the ACM/CSTA CutlerBell Prize in High School Computing. The winners included Maurice Korish of Livingston, a student at Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School in Livingston.

Eligible students applied for the award by submitting a project/artifact that engages modern technology and computer science. A panel of judges selected the recipients based on the ingenuity, complexity, relevancy, and originality of their projects.

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Doris Beck, the former Livingston mayor who passed away in July of 2020, was honored this week by the Township Council. Doris, known as “Bubby” to her family, was the first female mayor of Livingston. She was memorialized during Women’s History Month in a moving tribute to a life well-lived in Livingston.

The memorial was organized by her sons, Bruce and Steven Beck.

“My mom loved to live and lived to love... her love was unconditional,” Steven said. Bruce offered a “play by play” of her time in town. “Doris believed politics could be clean, responsible, and responsive... she put the residents of Livingston first.” The brothers announced that they would be making a contribution to the town to refurbish the gazebo at the Oval in their mother’s honor. It will be named the Doris Beck Gazebo.