HomeFront’s 10th Annual ArtJam, featuring works by more than 125 artists, runs through April 16 in a pop-up gallery at 19 Hulfish Street. The event brings together professional artists, undiscovered artists who have experienced homelessness, and the community in a celebration of creativity. Proceeds benefit ArtSpace, HomeFront’s therapeutic art program. (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)
By Anne Levin
The struggles continue between the administration of Rider University, which wants to sell Westminster Choir College (WCC) to a Chinese company, and those who oppose the plan because they fear it will mean the end of the renowned music school.
Rider and WCC merged in 1991, and the University announced plans to sell the music school two years ago. Since naming Kaiwen Education, originally a bridge and steel company, as the buyer, Rider has been sued by two entities intent on stopping the sale.
A meeting of the Choir College faculty was called for late Tuesday afternoon, April 2, by Marshall Onofrio, dean of the Westminster College of the Arts (at Rider University), but was cancelled at the last minute because a representative of Rider’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) said he was going to attend. Onofrio wanted the meeting limited to Westminster faculty members.
“Marshall Onofrio sent an email to all of the Westminster faculty about this meeting, and the union asked me to attend as a representative,” said Jeffrey Halpern, an associate professor in Rider’s Department of Sociology. “I sent him an email rather than just showing up, and he responded ‘You’re not invited.’ And I’m not paraphrasing.” more
“DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS”: A new installation capturing both positive and negative aspects of Woodrow Wilson’s legacy will be constructed this summer on the Washington Road side of the plaza of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Walter Hood, the work’s designer, will speak about the value of public art in helping us reflect on our past at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4 at the Friend Center. (Rendering by Hood Design Studio)
By Don Gilpin
Commissioned by Princeton University to create a work of art capturing both the positive and negative sides of Woodrow Wilson’s legacy, acclaimed African American artist Walter Hood recalled when he was a young man leaving for college, “My father said to me, ‘Junior, you’re going to have to be both black and white when you go out there, a double consciousness, navigating the world through the eyes of others.’’’
Double Consciousness, drawn from W.E.B. Du Bois’ Souls of Black Folk, will be the title of Hood’s sculpture that will be installed this summer adjacent to the fountain on the Washington Road side of the plaza of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (WWS).
Hood will present a free, public lecture about the value of public art in helping us reflect on our past at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Friend Center, Room 101, co-sponsored by the WWS and the Campus Iconography Committee. more
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MERGER: Chamber leaders John Goedecke and Jeannine Cimino unveil the logo for the newly formed Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber at a meeting last Thursday at Mercer Oaks in West Windsor. (Photo courtesy of Matt Pilsner Photography)
By Donald Gilpin
The MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce (MJCC) and the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce (PRCC) have merged to become the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber (PMRC), the two groups announced last Thursday at a meeting at Mercer Oaks in West Windsor.
The consolidation of the two chambers will create an organization that serves more than 10,000 individual contacts, more than 1,600 member companies, and a network of more than 350,000 employees. The new chamber will be the largest regional chamber in the state. The combined organization is expected to save companies and individuals money that has been spent on duplication of membership costs and programming, and, as Peter Crowley, president and CEO of the newly established PMRC pointed out, these funds can be reallocated to additional economic growth, nonprofit organizations in the region, or reinvested in new employees. more
CHARISMATIC CONDUCTOR: Princeton University senior Lou Chen spends Saturday mornings leading the Trenton Youth Orchestra in rehearsals at the University’s Woolworth music building. The ensemble, which he founded, has changed the students’ lives as well as his own. (Photo by Nick Donnoli)
By Anne Levin
Lou Chen’s love affair with music has always been as much about empowering others as it has about the music itself. For the Princeton University senior, conducting an orchestra is a tool for community service.
Chen was awarded the Pace Center for Civic Engagement’s prestigious A. James Fisher, Jr. Memorial Award last November for his work with the Trenton Youth Orchestra (TYO), which he founded during his sophomore year. In the two years since, the ensemble has grown from six to 20 players, most of whom are students at Trenton Central High School. Joined by some fellow Princeton students, Chen meets with the Trenton musicians at the University’s Woolworth music building on Saturday mornings, giving them private lessons and rehearsing them for concerts. more
A NEW HOME: The Princeton Chabad Center has moved to expansive headquarters set on 18 acres on Route 206. An all-marble mikvah, or ritual bath, is among its unique features. Future plans include facilities for summer camp.
By Anne Levin
It has taken more than a decade, but the David & Rose Celler Princeton Chabad Center is finally open on Route 206. The organization, formerly located in a house on Route 27, has moved in to its new digs, in time for Passover.
“We will have full Seders on April 19 and 20,” said Rabbi David Dubov, the director of Chabad of Greater Mercer County. “They are open to the community and we hope to welcome many people.”
The two buildings on 18.46 acres are across Route 206 (State Road) from Griggs Farm. There is plenty of room for Friday night and Saturday morning services, Sunday morning Hebrew school classes, and adult education sessions. There is a large multi-purpose room. A bride’s room and guest rooms are on the upper floor, for people who want to spend the night. more
NUCLEAR BAN: Lydia Wood, campaign coordinator for NuclearBan.US, spoke to Coalition for Peace Action members at their membership renewal gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation last Sunday afternoon. She urged the group to help form a grassroots movement in support of the United Nations 2017 Nuclear Ban Treaty. (Photo by Anna Savoia)
By Donald Gilpin
Reduce the danger of nuclear weapons was the message at the Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) membership renewal gathering Sunday, March 31 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton.
A crowd of about 75 CFPA members heard three nuclear weapons experts — Zia Mian, co-director of Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security; Rob Goldston, Princeton University physicist; and Lydia Wood, campaign coordinator at NuclearBan.US — present the case for nuclear disarmament and the means to achieve it. CFPA Executive Director the Rev. Robert Moore introduced the speakers and moderated the proceedings.
Mian, a physicist originally from Pakistan, focused his remarks on a resolution, AR 230, currently in the New Jersey Assembly, urging the federal government to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to pursue other measures to reduce the danger of nuclear war. more
By Stuart Mitchner
With Town Topics set to print on Marlon Brando’s 95th birthday, I’ve been riding the wild west of cyberspace to Odessa, the birthplace of Charles Neider, who wrote the novel that inspired One-Eyed Jacks, possibly the most quotable western ever made and the only film Brando ever directed.
You might think the writer of such a book would hail from the Odessa in Texas where there’s an eight-foot-tall statue of a jackrabbit downtown. In fact, Charles Neider was born in January 1915 in the Russian city where Pushkin wrote part of Eugene Onegin and Eisenstein shot the cinematic landmark of the slaughter on the Odessa Steps for his 1925 film Battleship Potemkin.
When Neider died in Princeton in July 2001, the New York Times remembered him as a prolific essayist, novelist, nature writer and a devoted Twain scholar who edited, arranged, and introduced The Autobiography of Mark Twain (1959). The first time Neider read The Innocents Abroad, which is included in his edition of The Complete Travel Books, he must have smiled to find that Twain had “not felt so much at home for a long time” as he had when he visited Odessa, which “looked just like an American city …. Look up the street or down the street, this way or that way, we saw only America!”
Mentioned in passing in the Times obit was Neider’s book The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones (1956), which novelist Wirt Williams suggests “may be the greatest ‘western’ ever written” in his introduction to the 1972 paperback edition. Almost 40 years later, a July 2010 article in The Independent claims that Hendry Jones is “better than any other book on the subject of men, horses, and death, except Isaac Babel’s Red Cavalry.” more
Momix is an outgrowth of the groundbreaking dance company Pilobolus, and it comes to McCarter Theatre Saturday, April 6 at 8 p.m. The creations of founder Moses Pendleton and colleagues conjure up a world of surrealistic images using props, lights, shadow, humor, and the human body in sometimes startling ways. On the program are excerpts from “Botanica,” “Alchemia,” “Remix,” “Opus,” and “Lunar Sea.” Tickets start at $25. Visit mccarter.org or call (609) 258-2787.
Gustavo Dudamel, Princeton University Concerts’ first artist-in-residence and current music and artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will return to the Princeton University campus for the final leg of his residency, from Monday, April 22 through Sunday, April 28.
Events include a performance by and community jam session with members of the Berlin Philharmonic, a showcase by students from the El Sistema-inspired Harmony Program of New York City, conversations with Nobel Prize-winning physicist Kip Thorne and Irish public intellectual Fintan O’Toole, a day of shared music-making by almost 300 students from El Sistema-inspired programs across the East Coast, a film screening at the Princeton Garden Theatre, and two concerts in which Dudamel conducts the Princeton University Orchestra and Glee Club — one of which is a free (but ticketed) community concert at the Trenton War Memorial.
On Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m., members of the Ensemble Berlin will present works by Schubert, Wagner, and a world premiere by Princeton University faculty composer Steven Mackey in a program curated by Dudamel that celebrates the intersection of music and nature. Ensemble Berlin is made up of five players from the Berlin Philharmonic. They are joined by another four players from KonstKnekt, the orchestra’s training program located in Norway. A post-concert discussion extending this topic to the intersection between art (broadly defined) and nature will follow with Dudamel and Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Kip Thorne (California Institute of Technology). more
“GUMJI IN TOWN”: Whimsical digital illustrations by Sunghye Cho are featured in “Fly Gumji,” on view April 6 through May 1 at the Plainsboro Library Gallery. An artist reception is Sunday, April 7 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The Plainsboro Library Gallery presents “Fly Gumji” April 6 through May 1. Inspired by her beloved pet, Gumji, artist Sunghye Cho depicts a character that travels the world in detailed, fun, and humorous digital illustrations. From Manhattan to Sapporo, Japan, and Chamonix, the viewer is treated to whimsical urban scenes throughout the world in the form of colorful large format prints.
Large sketches will also be displayed, including renderings that show the development of the illustrated character. Cho’s work is created in Photoshop, and those interested in digital and graphic illustration are sure to enjoy this exhibit. An artist reception will be held on Sunday, April 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. more
“BOOK CLUB”: This painting by Natalie Kinnemon of Pennington is among approximately 60 works on display at the Gallery at Mercer County Community College’s 2019 “Visual Arts Student Exhibition.” The show runs through April 25.
The work of visual arts students at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) is now on display as the Gallery at Mercer presents its annual “Visual Arts Student Exhibition.” The exhibit, featuring the best works of MCCC students, runs through Thursday, April 25. It is free and is open to the public.
MCCC Gallery Director and Curator Alice Thompson notes that the student exhibition is an important element of the continued growth of students studying visual arts. “It’s a departure from the relative safety of the classroom to present one’s creative exploration to the public. The ongoing encouragement and support of the MCCC visual arts faculty continues to guide our students along the path to becoming visual arts professionals,” she said. more
“SUMMIT”: This painting by Florence Moonan is featured in “Mélange,” her exhibit at the East Amwell Museum April 6 through May 12. An artist reception is Friday, April 12, 7 to 9 p.m.
Contemporary artist Florence Moonan will be mixing things up for her solo exhibition at the newly-dedicated East Amwell Museum. “Mélange,” a medley of art, will run from April 6 through May 12, with a free public reception with the artist on Friday, April 12 from 7-9 p.m.
Moonan says an expressive language felt deep inside her directs her work as an artist. Its song is aroused by family memories, the natural world, her travel experiences, and vivid recollections of performing in St. John Terrell’s Lambertville Music Circus, a cultural attraction in Hunterdon County from 1949 to 1970. Her love of performing merged into painting in adulthood after her father gave her a set of acrylics and told her to paint. more
LASTING LANDSCAPES: “If you are thinking of a new landscape design, it is good to start planning early. Most people like to see plants and flowers in the spring. It’s good to get started now.” Joan M. Daviau, founder and owner of Greenscapes Lawn & Landscape Services, enjoys helping people get their gardens ready.
By Jean Stratton
Greenscapes Lawn & Landscape Services is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and Joan M. Daviau, founder and owner, emphasizes that the Flemington-based company’s mission statement is as important today as it was at the company’s beginning in 1999. Innovative design, expert installation, and imaginative care are key.
“Our mission is to provide our clients with high quality landscape services that focus on the long-term development and preservation of their properties balanced with an enhancement of outdoor living spaces now,” says Daviau,
In addition, she points out, “Our values are to conduct business and perform all work with professionalism, respect, and thoughtfulness.”
This philosophy guides her company today as it has guided her in her previous career as a teacher and later human resources executive for Johnson & Johnson and other companies. more
CARE AND CONCERN: “The scope of my oral surgery practice is extensive. It includes dental implants, surgical placement, restoration, tooth replacement, and surgical extraction. I always do my best for my patients’ well-being,” says Dr. Yuan (Cathy) Hung DDS, FAAOMS. Her practice, Prospect Oral Surgery Center, is located in Monroe Township.
By Jean Stratton
In times past, it was not unusual for individuals to rarely visit a dentist. A toothache or related problem could prompt a dental appointment, but there were certainly no six-month scheduled visits that are commonplace today, and flossing was rarely on anyone’s agenda.
Such poor dental hygiene could result in the loss of many, most, or even all of one’s teeth at relatively young ages. Even today, there are still individuals who, for various reasons, do not see a dentist regularly, and therefore are often subject to a variety of problems.
According to reports from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, 69 percent of adults ages 35 to 44 have lost at least one permanent tooth, and 26 percent of adults ages 74 and older have lost all of their permanent teeth.
Nowadays, treatment is available to address many serious dental conditions. Oral (mouth) surgery and maxillofacial (face and jaw) surgery, in particular, can help correct a number of very serious problems. more
MYSTERY AT TWIN ELMS: Nancy Drew (Sophia Lillis, left) investigates paranormal activity inside an old mansion owned by Flora (Linda Lavin) in “Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.” (Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures)
By Kam Williams
After the untimely death of his wife, Carson Drew decided he and his daughter Nancy (Sophia Lillis) might benefit from a change of scenery. So, they moved from Chicago to an idyllic oasis in suburbia called River Heights.
The relocation proved to be far more of a challenge for Nancy than her civil rights attorney father, a pillar of the legal community, since the 16-year-old found herself having to adjust to a new school. Plus, the picture-perfect town seemed pretty dull, at first blush, to a thrill-seeker born with a sense of adventure. more
MAC ATTACK: Princeton University softball player Mackenzie Meyer takes a swing in recent action. Last Friday, sophomore outfielder Meyer with 3-for-4 with a homer, double, three runs scored, and three RBIs to help Princeton defeat Columbia 11-5 in the opener of a three-game set between the foes. The Lions rebounded to sweep a doubleheader a day later, edging Princeton 2-1 and 5-4. The Tigers, now 6-15 overall and 3-3 Ivy League, host a doubleheader against Rider on April 3 before heading to Brown this weekend for a three-game set with a doubleheader slated for April 6 and a single game on April 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Mackenzie Meyer came into last weekend mired in a batting slump as the Princeton University softball team hosted Columbia for a three-game set.
The Princeton sophomore outfielder had gone 2-for-17 in her previous six games as her batting average dipped to .175.
But with Princeton trailing Columbia 2-0 in the second inning last Friday afternoon, Meyer found her stoke blasting a homer over the right field fence.
“The first pitch was high and outside and my swing was a little late,” said Meyer, a 5’8 native of Lakewood Ranch, Fla. reflecting on her at-bat.
“She pitched me the same pitch the next one and I said ‘I don’t want to sit back and let it be a strike,’ so I just swung. When I hit it, it was, shoot, this could go out.” more
By Bill Alden
After pulling out a dramatic 14-13 win over No. 9 Denver University to start the week, the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team picked up where it left off as it hosted Brown last Saturday afternoon.
Princeton jumped out to a 4-0 lead as Alexander Vardaro, Emmet Cordrey, Philip Robertson, and Michael Sowers all found the back of the net in the first 10 minutes of the contest.
But things went downhill from there for the Tigers in the critical Ivy League clash. The Bears outscored Princeton 6-1 over the rest of the half to forge ahead 6-5 at intermission.
Brown extended its lead to 8-6 early in the third quarter before senior attacker Cordrey scored two straight goals to make it 8-8. The Bears responded with a 6-1 run to pull away to a 14-10 win. more
RETURN ENGAGEMENT: Bill Tierney stalks the sidelines last week as he guided his Denver University men’s lacrosse team against Princeton. It marked the return of the legendary former Tiger head coach for his first game at Class of 1952 Stadium since he left the Tiger program in 2009 after 22 seasons and six NCAA titles. Princeton, though, made it a tough homecoming for Tierney, pulling out a 14-13 win over the ninth-ranked Pioneers. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Bill Tierney didn’t get the chance to hone in on his Denver University men’s lacrosse team as it went through its pregame paces before its contest at Princeton last week.
With legendary former Princeton head coach Tierney returning on March 26 for his first game at Class of 1952 Stadium since he left the program in 2009 after guiding the Tigers to six NCAA titles in 22 seasons, the warmup turned into an extended meet and greet session.
Wearing a crimson and white Denver ball cap and Oakley sunglasses, the silver haired Tierney, 66, grinned broadly as he chatted with former colleagues on the field, shook hands with old friends, and responded to well wishes shouted from supporters in the stands. more
OPENING SALVO: Princeton High baseball player Tommy Reid follows thorough on a swing in a game last spring. Senior outfielder Reid helped PHS give new head coach Dominic Capuano a memorable debut as the Tigers routed Trenton 17-2 in its season opener last Monday. Reid went 2-for-4 with four runs scored and two RBIs in the win. In upcoming action, PHS hosts Piscataway on April 3, plays at Steinert on April 5 and Hightstown on April 6, and then hosts Notre Dame on April 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
For Dominic Capuano, coaching is a family business.
“My dad coached in baseball for 30 years in the American Legion league and my uncle still coaches,” said Capuano.
“I started coaching when was still in school, playing summer ball.”
After graduating from The College of New Jersey in 2012, Capuano took a job as a physical education teacher at Johnson Park Elementary and then moved to Princeton High. Once at PHS, Capuano plunged into coaching, serving as an assistant for field hockey, girls’ hockey, and baseball. more
PARK AVENUE: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Alex Park heads to goal in recent action. Last Thursday, senior attacker and Williams College-bound Park tallied four points on two goals and to assists at PHS edged WW/P-South 7-5 in its season opener. The Tigers, who moved to 1-2 with a 17-3 loss to Princeton Day School last Monday, will look to get back on the winning track as they host North Hunterdon on April 4 and Scotch Plains-Fanwood on April 6 before playing at Hopewell Valley on April 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
With the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team coming off disappointing 5-12 campaign in 2018, Alex Park and his fellow veterans on the squad were determined to bring about an attitude adjustment around the program this spring.
“There is a lot of hunger and we just focused on being positive,” said senior attackman and tri-captain Park.
“We are creating a new culture here and it has really taken root. We are all being positive, we are all getting up for each other. We can see it already that it is working.” more
CRAVING SUCCESS: Hun School boys’ lacrosse goalie Gabe Craven guards the cage last Thursday as Hun hosted Princeton Day School in its season opener. Junior star Craven made 11 saves to help Hun prevail 13-5. The Raiders, who improved to 2-0 with a 16-2 win at Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) last Saturday, host Lawrenceville on April 6 and then play at Springside Chestnut Hill (Pa.) on April 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Gabe Craven was looking to fit in last year as he joined the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team and took over the starting goalie role.
“As a younger player last year, I was learning it all, being new to the program,” said Craven.
Craven learned those lessons well, helping Hun win the state Prep A title, making 15 saves as Hun defeated Lawrenceville 9-6 in the championship game.
This spring, Craven has assumed a take charge attitude. “I think I have done a better job of being a leader on the field,” said Craven, who has committed to attend the Naval Academy and play for its men’s lax program. “If we are not loud and playing hard, I have got to help pick them up.” more
ON THE BALL: Hun School girls’ lacrosse player Lauren Johns brings the ball upfield in a game last season. Hun will looking for senior star midfielder Johns to have a big final campaign. The Raiders, who have gotten off to a 1-2 start, hosts Lawrenceville on April 3 and Stuart Country Day on April 5. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Rachel Hickey is emphasizing a pair of cardinal principles as she takes the helm of the Hun School girls’ lacrosse program.
“I ask for two things every single day – I ask them to give 100 percent in their effort and their attitude because those are two things that each of us can control,”said Hickey, who is succeeding Liz Cook as the head coach of the Raiders.
Those lessons were reinforced for Hickey as she competed for the Rutgers University women’s lacrosse team from 2010-13.
“Playing at the Division I level, you are pushing every single day; you are going against athletes just as competitive and skilled as you are,” said Hickey.
“Having to show up every single day and compete and knowing that if you don’t give your best every day, you are not only giving less to yourself but giving less to you team. At the Division I level, it is all year.” more
STARTING WITH A BANG: Hun School softball player Abby Zucatti takes a cut in a game last spring. Junior outfielder Zucatti starred as Hun got its 2019 season started with a bang by sweeping Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) 16-0 and 19-4 in a doubleheader last Saturday. The Raiders will look to keep on the winning track as they host Lawrenceville on April 4 and Penn Charter (Pa.) on April 6 before playing at Doane Academy on April 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Many coaches believe that defense wins championships and the Hun School softball team is testing that theory this spring.
“Our defense has been very solid,” said Hun head coach Kathy Quirk, whose team went on its annual spring training trip to Florida in mid-March
“The hitting has been starting to come around. We have some new, young kids so it is a little bit of a challenge but that is what is all about.”
One of those young kids, freshman Lexi Murdock, will be handling the pitching duties for the Raiders along with senior Erin Harrigan.
“For a freshman, she throws very hard. She has a little bit of a control problem but is working hard everyday on it,” said Quirk. more
By Bill Alden
Joe Moore knew what he was getting into when he made his debut as the head coach of the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team for its season opener at the Hun School last Thursday.
“It was pretty much what was I was expecting – high tempo, high speed, and a high level of lacrosse,” said Moore.
Hun took control of the tempo early on, jumping off to a 3-0 lead and while PDS pushed back, pulling to within 4-2 midway through the second quarter on a goal by Cal Caputo, it never got closer than that on the way to a 13-5 loss.
“We knew Hun was going to try to get out to an early start on us and they did,” said Moore. “Unfortunately we couldn’t rally back.” more
