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"Princeton's Civil War," a newly installed exhibition at the Historical Society of Princeton, documents the impact of the 19th century's most lethal conflict on the town and the University, then called The College of New Jersey.
Curated by historian and art historian husband and wife team Howard and Julia Williams Green, and presented against a backdrop of blue and gray, together with an eye-popping shade of yellow, the Historical Society of Princeton's latest exhibition opened yesterday, Tuesday, October 17.
After playing the roles of the pragmatist, the moderate, the devil's advocate, and at times, the voice of reason, this municipal official is seemingly always in the mood to hear concerns and address them according to one of his many roles.
But having a conversation with Frank Slimak, the Princeton Borough zoning officer retiring after 34 years on the job, is not unlike having an exchange with a seasoned politician whose encyclopedic knowledge of Borough developmental history is as impressive as the apparent impact his retirement will have.
Reference librarians handle a lot of arcane knowledge — not always knowledge that one retains. Some questions are outside of our expertise and we rely on other libraries and librarians, notably the Newark Public Library, which has a strong newspaper collection and good collections in art and the humanities; the New Jersey State Library, and Princeton University's Firestone Library. There's so much more quick reference available to the public now than there was 22 years ago. Then, people would call for company names and addresses, the weather, stock information. Now, people do it through the internet; historical quotes for example, can easily be accessed online. We usually get the tougher, meatier questions. One recent request was for census figures and maps of a very specific area. It was helpful that the patron knew exactly what he wanted and I was able to find a source for online census maps detailed down to the block. That was fascinating.
After three months in Afghanistan, Alison Long returned to share her findings with the Women's College Club of Princeton on Monday, October 16, in the parish hall of All Saints' Church.
Introducing Ms. Long, Barbara Johnson of the WCCP said, "We are so proud of you and so thankful that you have returned safely to us."
In 1993, when Walter Matthau could be spotted dressed as a late-in-life Albert Einstein, while filming the movie Q, people could imagine what it would be like to have the physicist living in their midst, albeit using modern in-town amenities like Thomas Sweet.
Now, if all goes according to plan, there could be many Einsteins in our midst.