Livingston New Jersey news

Livingston Township’s annual September 11 Ceremony of Remembrance will be held on Saturday, September 11, at the 9/11 Living Memorial Garden located on the Livingston Oval. The program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held rain or shine. All are invited and encouraged to attend to honor those who lost their lives on that day 20 years ago.

The Ceremony honors the lives of the seven Livingston residents whose lives were taken in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centers in 2001: Luke A. Dudek, Jeffrey Brian Gardner, Donald Thomas Jones II, Ming-Hao Liu, Joseph P. McDonald, John M. Pocher, and Kenneth Albert Zelman.

9/11 Garden and Ceremony chairwoman Bunnie Ratner reminded residents of the importance of remembering what happened that day. “While the attacks themselves occurred 20 years ago, their consequences are still felt each day,” she said.

The Livingston Public Schools Board of Education voted, four to one, to not put a resolution on the November election ballot about the size of the Board at its September 1 meeting.

The Board size vote was the primary topic at the special Livingston Board of Education meeting last Wednesday evening.

Board members had three options: to keep the number of school board members at five and not put anything on the ballot; to put a move from five to seven members on the ballot; or to put a move from five members to nine members on the ballot.

Four Board members voted to maintain the current number of school Board members. Only Vineeta Khanna, who was elected last year and publicly supported expanding the Board during her campaign, voted against that choice.

Before the vote was taken, James Calderón, who is running for a seat on the Board for the second time, stated, “It’s important… to lead by example.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida, which devastated parts of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, swept through Livingston late Wednesday, September 1, causing widespread flooding and damage. It also necessitated a dramatic rescue involving personnel from the Police Department, Fire Department, the Department of Public Works, and the East Hanover Swift Water Rescue team.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), Livingston was in a band that received up to ten inches of water in a period of six hours, the equivalent of a thousand-year storm. Chris Southworth, acting superintendent of Public Works, confirmed that the town got a total 9.56 inches of rain. “There was flooding in the usual areas,” Southworth said, “but the township infrastructure did very well, considering the amount of rain we received in such a short period of time.” As of press time on Wednesday,

Major C. Goldfinger, age 93, of Livingston, formerly of Short Hills and Boca Raton, Florida, died Tuesday, August 24. A private ceremony was held August 26.

Mr. Goldfinger was the youngest of seven children of the late Jacob and Helen Goldfinger. Born in Jersey City and raised in Newark, he graduated from Weequahic High School. Soon after he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he earned the designation of Photographer’s Mate (PH). His work included portraits, photo editing and field photography of notable luminaries, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Jimmy Durante.

Upon leaving the Navy, Mr. Goldfinger founded and operated Goldfinger’s, a New Jersey children’s department store on Ferry Street in Newark’s Ironbound district. He held this position for more than 50 years until his retirement in 2000.

CONCORD DRIVE WATER MAIN WORK: On Friday, September 3, two days after the remnants of Hurricane Ida swamped Livingston, construction crews from MSP Construction Corporation were working to excavate a trench for the installation of a new replacement water main and valves on Concord Drive. The work was being done near the street intersection with Lexington Drive as part of the Township of Livingston Concord Drive Water Main improvement project. Russell Jones Photo

Seymour Rubin of Livingston died August 29 at the age of 93.

Born June 15, 1928, to the late Irving and Frieda Rubin in Newark, Mr. Rubin was a certified public accountant and a pioneer in the field of forensic accounting.

He served as president of both his synagogue, Congregation Beth El in South Orange, and of Maplewood Country Club.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Shirley; his two daughters, Susan (Larry) Stern and Debbie Rubin-Sabloff; and five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

The family has suggested that contributions be made in Mr. Rubin’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org).

GIRL SCOUTS DONATE COOKIES: The local Girl Scout organization, the Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ), donated ten cases of Girl Scout cookies to the Livingston Fire Department and First Aid Squad on Thursday, August 26. “These are cookies that were part of our donation to essential workers and are associated with the GSHNJ Cookie Relief Fund,” explained Mechelle Norton, interim director of product programs for GSHNJ. “The overstock of Girl Scout cookies was advertised in the New York Times in June, after which we began receiving donations of cookies for our essential workers. Cookies that were not backed by donations through the Cookie Relief Fund were donated from GSHNJ.” Shown here, Fire Chief Chris Mullin accepts the donated cookies.

LANCERS CRUSH MILLERS IN HOME OPENER: The Livingston High School football team, in its home opener on Thursday night, September 2, crushed the Millburn Millers, 23-0. Head coach Jim Matsakis recorded his first Lancer victory to open the season. Shown above, Lancer quarterback Brandon Kenney sets and throws a touchdown pass against the Millers. Running back Danny Cullen and the offensive line provide protection. Below, Lancer tailback Lorenz Najjar, #11, beats the Millburn defender to the end zone for a touchdown. Don Schwartz Photos

On the evening of Wednesday, September 1, while Livingston was getting battered with rainfall that the town has rarely seen, the Board of Education made a crucial and eagerly anticipated vote. The Board has weighed the pros and cons of expanding its members from five to either seven or nine at some meetings over the past year. There was a public discussion a few months ago, and members offered periodic updates on the research the Board members have done into the subject during some subsequent meetings.

Initially, a vote on whether or not to expand the Board was set to take place on June 21, but it was pushed to a special meeting on September 1, two days before the deadline that a question could be placed on the November election ballot. Board members said in June that the vote was delayed to give them and the community time to reflect on the decision and the information pertaining to it.

This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the fall of the World Trade Center, the crash of Flight 93, and the attack on the Pentagon. Much has changed in the two decades since that terrible day, but in Livingston, each and every year, we still take time to honor the seven Livingston residents we lost.

Luke A. Dudek. Jeffrey Brian Gardner. Donald Thomas Jones II. Ming-Hao Liu. Joseph P. McDonald. John M. Pocher. Kenneth Albert Zelman.

They became part of a nationwide tragedy that forever altered the face of America. Our country’s confidence in the security of its citizens and its institutions was shaken to its core. In the years that followed, towns across the nation held ceremonies to honor the more than 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks, including our own service in Livingston, organized each year by Bunnie Ratner, chairperson of the 9/11 garden at the Oval and the annual Ceremony of Remembrance.