Livingston news

LANCERS DEFEAT CALDWELL: The Lancers defeated Caldwell, 2 - 1, in a varsity volleyball match in the Livingston High School Fitness and Wellness Center on Thursday, September 9. Above, Lancer senior captain #2, Nora Shaj, serves for a point against the Chiefs. Don Schwartz Photo

UNICAN OF THE YEAR: At the June 16 membership meeting, Livingston UNICO chapter president Maria Brush awarded chapter member Carol Branchi with the UNICAN of the Year Award. She was honored for her commitment to “service above self,” particularly when caring for her husband, past president Al Branchi, who has been very ill this past year. Not only was she surprised to win the award, but she was shocked to see her husband show up to stand by her side. Shown here are Livingston UNICO President Maria Brush, past president Al Branchi, and UNICAN of the Year Award recipient Carol Branchi.

FOOTBALL TEAM LOSES: The Lancers traveled to Underhill Field in Maplewood on Friday Evening, September 10, to challenge the home team, the Columbia Cougars. They mounted a second half comeback only to fall short in a 29-24 loss. Above, Lancer punter Ben Hauser, #88, strides into the ball against the Cougars. Don Schwartz Photo

Believe it or not, it is that time of year again. It may not seem so, but soon the leaves will start to change and the temperatures will drop. Heck, everything from coffee to hand soap is already starting to have the faint (strong?) smell of pumpkin spice. That’s right, we are talking about flu season.

While seasonal influenza viruses are detected year-round, they are most common in the fall and winter. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), everyone older than six months should get a flu vaccine every “flu season” to help prevent the contraction and spread of the virus.

Influenza can be a serious disease that may lead to hospitalization or even death. The CDC states that each flu season is unique and every infection affects people differently. Millions of people get the flu each year, leading to hundreds of thousands of hospital visits and tens of thousands of deaths from flu-related causes.

As a state, we will be dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida for quite some time. There will be cleanups, and rebuilds, but there will also be preparation for future floods.

Our first responders took more calls than they could record the evening of September 1, staging daring rescues and later dealing with dozens of cars that had been left abandoned throughout town.

During their efforts, Livingston’s Police, Fire, First Aid Squads, and Department of Public Works were assisted by East Hanover’s Swift Water Rescue team. With the waters surrounding that town on three sides, East Hanover is essentially an island; it makes sense for them to have a unit able to respond to water rescues. But, as we saw earlier this month, Livingston also has its share of flood zones, which grow larger each year as climate change makes “100 years storms” increasingly more common.

Albert J. Nugent, age 90, died July 11, 2021, in Clearwater, Florida.

Albert was born on November 26, 1930 to Peter and Marie Nugent. He was the brother of Eugene and Edward Nugent. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1958. Albert moved with his family to Livingston, New Jersey, in 1960.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jane Sutton Nugent; his daughter; Lynne Nugent and her husband; James Sullivan; his daughter, Patricia Smith and her husband, Gary; his son, Timothy Nugent and his wife, Karen; and his four grandsons, Matthew; Andrew; Ryan Smith and his wife, Lauren Smith; and Adam Smith and his wife, Shannon.

Albert was employed as vice president of John Blondel & Son and as credit manager of Mitchell Supreme until his retirement in 1993, when he moved to Lavallette, New Jersey. He resided there until his move to Clearwater, Florida, in 2017.

Jac Bloomberg, a 50 year resident of Livingston, passed away on August 19 at the age of 72.

Born in Salem, Ohio, Jac graduated from The Ohio State University in 1971, and shortly thereafter moved to New Jersey to begin his first job at Hartz Mountain in Harrison. Within weeks of renting a room on Baldwin Terrace in Livingston, Jac met his future wife, Ellen Gayer. Shortly after being married, Jac and Ellen settled and remained in Livingston, where they raised their two daughters.

Jac worked in financial printing and marketing for much of his career at small print shops as well as at several large banks including Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and Citigroup. Most recently, he owned JB Graphics Solutions, organizing printing for both large companies and local organizations and businesses.

William Squire, age 86 of Livingston, passed away on September 11, 2021, at Morristown Medical Center.

Bill was born in 1935 in New Jersey to Leon and Sarah Squire. He was the youngest of five children and grew up in the town of West New York, New Jersey where he attended Public School #5 and Memorial High School. Bill attended Newark College of Engineering, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1959.

He met his wife Norma in 1958 after returning from his service in the Army National Guard Reserves in El Paso, Texas. They dated for three years before marrying in 1961. In 1968, Bill graduated from Seton Hall Law School. Bill practiced law in the field of intellectual property until he fully retired in 2019.

On October 23, Livingston’s Diamondback Adventure Society, to support the charitable work of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), will embark on a 300 mile motorcycle journey to create awareness about homelessness, hunger and the lack of resources for so many families living in nearby communities. 
The club’s riding day will be dedicated to the need for food, clothing and supplies for families living below the poverty line. The club chose a ride to Valley Forge, PA to show the common needs between Washington’s army and those living in poverty right now.
To make a donation to support Diamondback’s and LPI’s efforts to eradicate hunger and homelessness in our community, please visit njhomeless.org and click on the special link, created through the work of Livingston resident and LPI volunteer, Allison Eglow, with technical support provided by Joey Flanagan. 

LET IT GO: Livingston Public Schools superintendent Matthew Block sings a schoolcentric version of “Let It Go” on the high school turf field in front of faculty before classes began last week. MCA Photo