R.I.P. Coach Art Rikstad

Art Rikstad died February 27, 2012 in New Jersey.  He was 72. Read his obituary here.

NPHS Alumni Attend Funeral of Steve Belle on February 6

Steve Belle was buried Monday.  Among the alumni who attended according to the reports I’ve received:  John Cregar (and his brothers Mark and Matthew), Kathy Miller Senna, Bruce Jones (and his sister), Randy Reay, Vicki Blasucci and Marie Mijares.   According to Maria’s post on Facebook, the day ended with everyone singing the Roy Rogers/Dale Evans song, “Happy Trails to You (Until We Meet Again).” 

This blog received almost record-breaking traffic in the last six days.  It's a real tribute to Steve.  It shows how much he was loved by his classmates, how he touched their lives in a positive way, and how deeply the NPHS alumni community feels about the loss of one of its members. 

NPHS's Steve Belle, 1951-2012; More Photos

More images of Steve Belle, who died February 2.

 Steve on drums with his band Foxrush in 1975.

 Steve in Manasquan in 1980.  Great mustache, shades and sideburns.

Born to run.  Steve stands next to his awesome yellow convertible.  It looks like he's somewhere in the Black Forest after a long drive on the Autobahn; he's really in the Watchung Mountains.

Thank you John Cregar for supplying these photos.

R.I.P. Steve Belle NPHS Class of 1969

For the past several days, John Cregar, Vicki Blasucci and Maria Mijares have been contacting me about the dire medical condition of our fellow classmate Steve Belle (above).  John emailed me this morning with the sad news that he died today.   John has sent me some photos of Steve that I will be posting in the next few days.  If anyone has othe photos or memories of Steve they want to share, please contact me (hpolskin@gmail.com) or post a comment on this blog.

From communicating with John, I learned that John, Vicki and Maria helped Steve enormously in the last difficult months of his life.  John has taken the time to write about Steve and he wanted to share his thoughts below:

Steve Belle 1951-2012
By John Cregar


Our friend, Steve Belle passed away precisely at midnight last night (February 2) after a prolonged illness.
Steve worked as a painting contractor for many years. More recently, he was employed as a customer support and service representative in the building and lumber trades. He attended Union College in Barbourville, KY.

As most of you know, Steve loved music and was a proficient drummer performing in several rock bands throughout high school and college. Included among these are The Midnight Hour and Foxrush.  Steve was an avid collector and dealer of antique toys specializing in western memorabilia and vintage cap guns. His home is a virtual paraphernalia museum. Most of his rooms are decorated with glass display cases of “Fanner Fifties” Hop-Along Cassidy outfits, and Lone Ranger Lunch Boxes. You name it! Tom Mix? Roy Rogers? Steve’s got it all. I once suggested that he consider donating the collection to the Smithsonian. It's an astonishing collection. (Don’t yet know if he did.)

I am one of several dozen North Plainfielders who have known Steve since Mrs Backer’s second grade class at Stony Brook School. We navigated many childhood shenanigans together which evolved from Mischief Night toilet paper and soap gags through the crazy 1960s. The laughter, kindness, and the positive energy that Steve brought to every occasion will be sorely missed by all of us fortunate enough to grow up with him.

Steve was predeceased by his wife, Vicki who died in 1998; and his father, Frederick. He is survived by his mother, Frances; his daughter, Julie DeRose; his sisters Virginia Fiedler and Diane Cassetta.

Visitation and services will be held from 6:00 to 8:00, Monday, February 6,  at Memorial Funeral Home, 155 South Avenue in Fanwood 07023 (908 322-4350)  Interment will be private. For additional information or to sign the guestbook, visit http://www.fanwoodmemorial.com/.

Howard Polskin Honored at NPHS Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony

Howard Polskin (above), NPHS class of 1969, was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame, Oct. 15, at the Italian American Club in the Business and Journalism category.  He is shown here receiving his plaque with North Plainfield School Superintendent Dr. Marilyn Birnbaum (left) and Gerry Burns who introduced Polskin.  Polskin said, "I need to thank teachers everywhere tonight.  Teachers are the true keepers of the flame of knowledge.  Without that flame, mankind sits in the dark cave of ignorance."  He also took time to reveal a little about his career path.  "After graduating college...I got a job as a bus boy at a restaurant in Maine," he said.  "That summer was characterized by record-breaking heat in Maine and frost at 69 Willow Ave. (his home address at the time)."    Among Polskin's friends who attended the dinner were Joe Ricci (below) and Jeff Tobey and his wife Ginny.

Richard Williams Honored at NPHS Alumni Hall of Fame Dinner

Richard Williams (right), class of 1962), was inducted into the NPHS Alumni Hall of Fame at a dinner Oct. 15 in the Government Service category. He had been the County Administrator, Planning Board Director and Director of Economic Development.  He had many significant accomplishments in that position but one in particular was spotlighted at the dinner.  Working with North Plainfield's Board of Education, Mayor and Council, William's foresight brought about the renovation of Krausche Field by adding a high-tech, synthetic turf field.  In the photo above, his wife Jane Williams cites his many successes.

Political Strategist Steve Schmidt Honored in NPHS Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Steve Schmidt (center), class of 1988,  was inducted in the NPHS Hall of Fame in the Government and Politics category.   He's shown here with North Plainfield School Superintendent Dr. Marilyn Birnbaum and former North Plainfield Mayor Steve Novak.  Schmidt is a heavyweight in national politics and appears frequently on national television.  He served as a senior advisor to Sen. Jon McCain's presidential campaign.  He also worked as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign manager.  Schmidt also served as Deputy Assistant to President George Bush as well as Counselor to the Vice-President.

Paul Sincavage and Other Notables Attend NPHS Alumni Hall of Fame Dinner

Paul Sincavage (center) accepted my invitation to attend the NPHS Hall of Fame dinner as my guest.  Paul taught at NPHS for 39 years.  He remains as witty, sharp and insightful as he was when he was teaching history in the mid-60's at the start of his career at NPHS.  Here he is at the start of the evening with Emily Polskin Zylber and Howard Polskin (me).

Dr. Robert Chapman (with NPHS hat), class of 1967) was inducted into the NPHS Alumni Hall of  Fame in the category of medicine.  He was a track star in high school  and still holds the 440-yard/49.7 record for Somerset Country.   He graduated from Brown University and went on to achieve national professional recognition as a doctor and hospital administrator.  He is shown here accepting his Hall of Fame plaque with (from left to right) Maria Mijares, Dick McKenna and Dr. Marilyn Birnbaum.  The Publix bag (bottom right) was Chapman's.  He used it to carry his t-shirt to the stage (below) that he used to wear while running cross-country races for Coach McKenna.

More Pictures from Oct. 15 NPHS Hall of Fame Dinner

Master of Ceremonies Steve Novak (left) welcomed me at the door of the Italian American Club on Somerset.  The former mayor of North Plainfield was an energetic and affable MC.

Bob Kirchberger was a warm and gracious host.  As chairman of the NPHS Hall of Fame Committee, the responsibilities for the evening fell to Bob and his team.

Ernest Jaeger received the first award of the evening in the Teacher and Educator category.  Here he is shown with Dr. Marilyn Birnbaum, North Plainfield Superintendent of Schools.  His award was presented by Richard McKenna (below), the former NPHS former biology teacher and cross country coach, who still looks like he could whip off a brisk five-mile run without breaking a sweat.  Jaeger began his NPHS teaching career in 1968.  He taught English, Film and Television.  (Where were those cool courses when I was in school?  Why did I get stuck with Algebra?)  His final assignment at NPHS was Curriculum Supervisor, a position he held until his retirement in 2005.

16th Annual NPHS Alumni Hall of Fame Ceremony Held Oct. 15

This is the first of numerous stories that I'll post over the next week about the 16th annual North Plainfield High Alumni Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony. It was held Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Italian American Club on Somerset Street. 


Five people were inducted into the Hall of Fame and they are shown in the photo above (from left to right:  Howard Polskin (me), class of 1969; Dr. Robert Chapman, class of 1967; Ernest Jaeger, a former NPHS teacher; Steve Schmidt, class of 1988; and Richard Williams, class of 1962. 


More than 130 people attended the event, which began with a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 p.m.  Steve Novak, Master of Ceremonies, and Bob Kirchberger, Chairman of the NPHS Alumni Hall of Fame Committee,  welcomed the crowd. They paid tribute to Mario Caruso who was a driving force in the Hall of Fame and in many North Plainfield-related activities until his death last year.  That was followed by a buffet dinner.  


I'll post more photos and have additional details later this week.  Stay tuned.