Livingston community

George Martin Barras passed away peacefully at home on January 16, 2024, a month shy of his 96th birthday.

He was born on February 17, 1928 in Burnley, Lancashire, England, to Jonathan Barras, a civil servant, and Elizabeth Barras (née Seery), a homemaker from Kildare, Ireland. He recalled fond childhood memories at Turf Moor, the home of Burnley FC, visits to Blackpool, and school at Saint Mary’s Parish.

George was a self-employed painter and wallpaper contractor. He left Britain for North America aboard the Queen Elizabeth, first settling in Toronto, and later making New Jersey his home. One night he attended a dance in Newark where he struck up one of his trademark conversations with an Irish woman named MaryAnn Flahive, they married in 1956.

Nilay Shriram of Livingston Boy Scout Troop 12 became an Eagle Scout during a Court of Honor ceremony on Saturday, January 6. The Eagle Scout rank is the highest rank that the Boys Scouts of America offers.

During his ceremony, Mayor A1 Anthony congratulated Shriram on his Eagle Project, which benefits St. Hubert’s Animal Shelter. Anthony stated that Shriram’s project personally touched him, as he is the liaison to the Livingston Council’s Animal Shelters, and his father had owned a pet store for over 37 years.

Shriram began his scouting career during second grade, at eight years old. He joined as a Wolf Scout in Pack 16. Over his elementary school years, he gained different Cub Scout skills; collecting various belt loops; participating in the exciting pinewood derby; and going to Taconic every December.

SOUTH LIVINGSTON AVENUE CLOSED: At 12:46 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16, Livingston Police officers responded to the area of South Livingston Avenue in front of St. Philomena’s Church on a report of a one-car motor vehicle crash. Officers arrived and found that a 2014 Honda Odyssey had traveled off the roadway and a utility pole had been snapped and was lying on top of the car. The driver of the Honda a 53-year-old Livingston woman - had exited the vehicle by the time police officers had arrived. She told officers that she lost control of the vehicle while driving on South Livingston Avenue, due to the ice and snow covered roadway. The vehicle then left the roadway and struck the utility pole. The driver was uninjured. The roadway was closed between Town Hall and Bennington Road for much of Tuesday, as PSE&G and Verizon crews worked to repair the pole. MI Photo

On December 16, Livingston High School’s “A” Academic Team competed at the annual Garden State Cup championships. Having won last year’s edition, the team defended its title this school year in a field of a record 66 teams from the greater NJ/ NY/CT/DE metropolitan area.

The LHS “A” team is now currently ranked #6 in the nation and #1 in the Northeast (the “B” team is ranked #101).

“This represents our highest National ranking in my 25 years as coach,” said LHS Academic Team coach, Guy Rabner.

“A” Team Captain Robert Wang (junior), Sophia Wu (senior), Kevin Zhang (junior) and Lelun Li (junior) went undefeated, 10-0, on the day. Livingston defeated Hunter College High School’s “A” Team in the final by an impressive score of 570-165, dominating the match from the start. This marked Livingston’s second consecutive finals victory over Hunter College High School, having defeated them in the Princeton University finals in September.

HOCKEY TEAM BESTED BY CRANFORD: The Livingston boys’ ice hockey team was defeated by the Cranford Cougars, 5-3, on Saturday, January 13. The game took place at the Codey Arena. Above, Lancer right winger Ryan Zales, #2, shoots against the Cranford goalie. The shot deflected off of the goalie’s pads. Directly below, Lancer goalie Brody Teitelbaum, #30, makes the save against the Cranford center forward

In May of 2023, Governor Phil Murphy declared January to be Muslim Heritage Month in New Jersey. When this legislation passed, Muslim leaders called it an historic moment. New Jersey was just the fourth state in the country to create such a month. These leaders also noted that recognizing Muslim Heritage Month will help to combat discrimination against Muslims. Last week, following urging from some residents, the Township Council stated a plan to pass a resolution acknowledging the month in Livingston at its next meeting.

LET’S GO LANCERS: Livingston High School’s cheerleading team provided spirit and encouragement during the Lancer boys’ basketball games on Saturday, January 13, in the Fitness and Wellness Center. Above, the junior varsity cheerleaders present a cheer from the stands. Below, the varsity cheerleaders present the traditional Green and White Cheer on the court.

The Lancer Bowling team played West Caldwell Vo-Tech in its first match of 2024, according to coach Griff Hughes. The Lancers struggled with spares, but managed to win 814 pins to the Eagles 712. Leading the team was Parker Shulman’s 186 and Rishab Sinha’s 171.

West Caldwell took the second game, with Davion Thomas’ 231 helping to hand LHS a 881-810 loss. Gabe Shulman posted a 185. In the third game, Parker Shulman hit his mark and scored a 202 with additional support from Victoria Cheng’s 173. LHS won 881-824 to give the Lancers a 5-2 win.

The Lancers next opponent was Millburn. Earlier this season, the Millers lost to Livingston by a score of 5-2. In this contest, Parker Shulman’s 197, 226 and 191 led all bowlers with his first 600 series of the season (614). His brother, Gabriel, contributed a 221 and Sinha scored a 202 as the Lancers won the three games, sweeping Millburn 7-0.

Herbert W. Hickman, age 92, passed away peacefully at home in Greenfield, MA on January 7,2024. A long-time resident of Livingston, NJ, he moved to Western Massachusetts three years ago.

Herbert was born May 5, 1931 in Pittsburgh, PA to Leon E. Hickman and Mayme Hoyt Hickman of Mount Lebanon, PA. Herb graduated from Mount Lebanon High School, earned a B.S. in mathematics from Haverford College and a M.B.A. from Harvard. Following college Herb was drafted into the Army at the end of the Korean War and served as a radio operator in Okinawa.

Herb worked for the Prudential Insurance Company in Newark, NJ for over 30 years, attaining the office of Vice President and Associate Actuary. He served in a variety of actuarial positions, including the development of variable annuities.

Steven Delman of Livingston, NJ, passed away on January 12, 2024, leaving behind a legacy of love, dedication, and community service. He was predeceased by his sister Paula LaPierre, and brother Richard Delman, and is survived by his daughter Malka (Marni) Shaw, son Scott Delman, and six cherished grandchildren – Maya, Zahava, Aryeh, Chase, Akiva, and Spencer.

Born on June 6, 1946, in the Bronx, NY, Steven spent his formative years in New Rochelle, NY. On November 19, 1972, he married the love of his life, Meryl Delman, and their union was a source of strength and inspiration until her untimely passing in 2016. They moved to Livingston in 1977.