June 19, 2024

Pride Parade, “a Joyful Lovefest,” is Ready to Step Out on Saturday

“MARCH, DANCE, ROLL, SASHAY”: The 2024 Princeton Pride Parade and After-Party will be taking place this Saturday, June 22, with participants marching from the Municipal Building on Witherspoon Street to the YMCA field on Paul Robeson Place for food, music, speeches, dancing, and more. This photo is from last year’s Pride Parade. (Photo courtesy of Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice)

By Donald Gilpin

“Marchin’ in Solidarity” and “Dancin’ in Celebration” the flyer from the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ) reads, as Princeton prepares for its annual Pride Parade and After-Party on Saturday, June 22, stepping off from the Princeton Municipal Building on Witherspoon Street at 11 a.m.

“The Princeton Pride Parade is a joyful lovefest of community celebration right here in Central Jersey,” wrote State Sen. Andrew Zwicker in an email Monday. “I am grateful to the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice for their leadership and efforts to bring us all together and, as always, look forward to marching, dancing, singing, and chanting in solidarity as we recommit ourselves to defending the liberties of the LGBTQIA+ community.” more

All-Time Great Athlete Hobey Baker is Subject of Three-Episode Podcast

THE SHORT LIFE OF A PRINCETON LEGEND: The three-episode podcast “Searching for Hobey Baker” explores previously unreported aspects of the famed athlete’s life, including his struggles as a queer man in the early 20th century.

By Anne Levin

It would be hard to find a hockey fan who isn’t familiar with legendary Princeton University alumnus Hobey Baker. The golden-haired athlete, who excelled at football as well as hockey before graduating in 1914, was a superstar of his time. Collegiate hockey’s most prestigious award bears his name, as does the University’s 2,092-seat ice rink.

Fellow Princetonian F. Scott Fitzgerald idolized Baker, writing him into his novel This Side of Paradise. Tragically, Baker died at the age of 26 after a plane he was piloting crashed mysteriously, just before he was to return home from Europe during World War I.

Theories about that crash are just one focus of “Searching for Hobey Baker,” a podcast released June 12 as part of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series. The three episodes, narrated by actor and Princeton graduate David Duchovny, also delve into the nature of Baker’s relationship with the extremely wealthy Percy Rivington Pyne II, son of financier and University benefactor Moses Taylor Pyne. Nine years Baker’s senior, Pyne II was obsessed with the athlete and invited him to live in his Gilded Age mansion. more

Three Generations Sing Together in Performance by Tim Keyes Consort

FAMILY HARMONY: Dr. Rosemarie Scolaro Moser celebrated a recent birthday by appearing in a world premiere choral performance of “The Stone” at Richardson Auditorium with members of her family. From left are daughter Rachel Moser Vassak, Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, granddaughter Serena Vassak, son Alex Moser, and Tim Keyes.

By Anne Levin

When Dr. Rosemarie Scolaro Moser started thinking about how she wanted to celebrate an upcoming significant birthday, material gifts did not come to mind. Moser, who is the director of Princeton Neuropsychology, was considering something more meaningful.

Moser asked her daughter, son, and granddaughter — all singers — to join her as part of the chorus in a performance of the Tim Keyes Consort, which took place on June 15 at Richardson Auditorium. The concert included the world premiere of The Stone, by Keyes, who founded the ensemble 29 years ago.

“Our true legacy is found in the multiple generations of our families who have come to be part of the Consort,” Keyes said in a speech at the performance. “Tonight, however, is a first, as one of our longtime members, Rosemarie Moser, is here with three generations of her family on stage tonight. Additionally, she joins us on the eve of a significant birthday, so I think it only appropriate that we join in singing happy birthday to her.” more

Trial for Evan Gershkovich Scheduled to Begin June 26 in Secret in Russia

By Donald Gilpin

A Russian court announced on Monday that the trial of journalist and former Princeton resident Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia for almost 15 months, would begin on June 26 and would be held behind closed doors, according to news sources.

A 2010 Princeton High School graduate, Gershkovich was on a reporting trip for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in March 2023 when he was detained by Russian security officials and incarcerated in a high-security prison in Moscow.

Gershkovich, who is fluent in Russian, which he spoke at home with his Jewish parents, who had been born in the Soviet Union and fled to the United States in 1970, has been charged with espionage. He is the first American to be imprisoned on espionage charges in Russia since 1986 during the Cold War. more

Celebrating an Uncut Gem: Frank Borzage’s “Man’s Castle”

By Stuart Mitchner

Sixteen years ago I wrote about “An American Masterpiece You Can’t See on DVD — Yet.” Now, at last, we can forget the “Yet.” Frank Borzage’s Man’s Castle (1933) has been restored to its original length and released on a Blu-ray disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Although this is an entirely legitimate piece of good news, I can’t help recalling the moment in Mad Men when Pete Campbell goes to Mr. Cooper with proof that the firm’s genius Don Draper is an imposter, a fraud, a criminal, maybe worse, to which the boss croons, three times, “Who cares?”

In his “Front Row” appreciation of Man’s Castle, the New Yorker’s Richard Brody cares; it’s a film that he’s “cherished’” for decades. Referring to the “eight minutes of risqué plot points and dialogue” that were cut in deference to the Motion Picture Code, Brody confesses that his “love of the movie has been accompanied by tantalized curiosity about what was missing.” As he puts it, “the restoration emphasizes all the more strongly the depth and power of Borzage’s vision — and the wit and style with which he brings it to light.” more

Princeton Festival Presents Timeless Mozart Opera

By Nancy Plum

It all began with a bet. Three male buddies were arguing over everyone’s favorite topic — fidelity. To prove his point that women are fickle, one dared his companions to entice their fiancées to betray them by pretending to be two other suitors. The companions agreed, and mayhem ensued — all to the delicious music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This, of course, is the plot of Mozart’s popular opera Così fan tutte, which musically addresses the age-old question, “Are women really all like that?” Premiered less than two years before Mozart’s death and full of challenging music for both singers and instrumentalists, Così has remained a popular staple of opera repertory for more than 200 years. The Princeton Festival brought this classic to life this past weekend as a cornerstone presentation of its two-week series of performances and lectures. Accompanied by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and led by conductor Rossen Milanov, six singers took on the daunting assignment of interpreting Mozart’s complex score, delving into the realm of the theatrically silly along the way.

Sunday afternoon’s performance at the pavilion of Princeton’s Morven Music & Garden (the opera officially opened last Friday night) brought a full house under a tent on a perfect weather night for opera. The “Overture” that opened the production was short by 18th-century standards, but set the scene for the action to come. Milanov and the Princeton Symphony players found an elegant Viennese flow to the music, aided by wind solos from oboist Kemp Jernigan and flutist Scott Kemsley. Stage Director James Marvel took the opportunity to introduce the characters during the “Overture” — sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, their respective fiancés Guglielmo and Ferrando, the streetwise maid Despina, and the scheming “philosopher” Don Alfonso. Mozart’s original setting was 1790s Naples, but scenic designer Blair Mielnik and costume designer Marie Miller moved the opening scene far from the 1700s to what looked more like a flamboyant beach community.  more

“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy” Opens Princeton Summer Theater; Kate Hamill’s Layered Script Inspires Strong Performances, Vivid Production

“DRACULA: A FEMINIST REVENGE FANTASY”: Performances are underway for Princeton Summer Theater’s production of “Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy.” Written by Kate Hamill and directed by Eliana Cohen-Orth, the play runs through June 30 at Princeton University’s Hamilton Murray Theater. Above, from left: a Western version of Dr. Van Helsing (Sophie Falvey) strategizes with Dr. Seward (Teddy Feig), Jonathan Harker (Destine Harrison-Williams), and Mina Harker (Meghana Kumar) about ways to defeat the titular vampire. (Photo by John Venegas Juarez)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

In Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Dr. Van Helsing is a feisty American woman in a cowboy hat. Be sure to address her as “Doctor,” not “Madam.” It is for readers and audiences to guess who emerges victorious when this Dr. Van Helsing confronts Dracula.

Playwright Kate Hamill, who has brought a contemporary perspective to theatrical adaptations of several classic novels, loosely adapts and satirizes the Bram Stoker original, pitting the titular Transylvanian vampire against a Van Helsing that seems to be patterned after Annie Oakley (among other characters and archetypes). It is a fun but risky concept that could have come off as gimmicky — but it brilliantly succeeds. more

“Alan Cumming: Uncut” is New Cabaret Show

MULTI-TALENTED: Actor, singer, writer, and multimedia mogul Alan Cumming is at the State Theatre New Jersey on Saturday, June 22 at 8 p.m.

State Theatre New Jersey (STNJ) presents Alan Cumming: Uncut on Saturday, June 22 at 8 p.m.

Multi-hyphenate, multi-award winning, multimedia mogul Alan Cumming returns to STNJ with a new cabaret show, even more revealing, hilarious, and authentic than ever before. Musical direction is by Henry Koperski.

Cumming trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Before graduating he had already made his professional theater, film, and television debuts. In 1988, he appeared in Manfred Karge’s Conquest of the South Pole at the Traverse theatre in Edinburgh. The play transferred to the Royal Court in London, and he received his first Olivier award nomination. He went on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre where he won an Olivier award for his performance in Dario Fo’s Accidental Death Of An Anarchist.  more

Tony-Winning Actor Performs at Festival

Santino Fontana (Photo by Nathan Johnson)

Actor and television star Santino Fontana takes over the Princeton Festival stage in the performance pavilion at Morven Museum & Garden on Saturday, June 22 at 7 p m.

Pianist Cody Owen Stine joins Fontana in this cabaret performance, “An Evening with Santino Fontana,” which is the final show of this year’s Princeton Festival.

Fontana has received the Tony Award, two Drama Desks, an Outer Critics Circle, a Lortel, an Obie, and the Clarence Derwent Award for his work in both plays and musicals. Most recently seen on Broadway in Tootsie, he is also known for lending his voice to the villainous “Prince Hans” in the Disney film, Frozen. On TV, Santino was seen on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. more

Summer Chamber Concerts Return to Richardson

SERIES OPENER: The Ulysses Quartet is first on the list of ensembles at the Princeton University Summer Chamber Concert 57th season at Richardson Auditorium on June 23.

The Ulysses Quartet will open Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts’ 57th Season in Richardson Auditorium on Sunday, June 23 at 4 p.m. Works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Tower are on the program. Ruth Ochs, who conducts the Princeton University Sinfonia, will provide commentary.

Founded in the summer of 2015, the Ulysses Quartet won the grand prize and gold medal in the senior string division of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first prize in the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition.  more

Creative Collective Art Group Exhibit at Gourgaud Gallery

“FLOWERS ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA”: This work by Francis Gunther is featured in an exhibit by the Creative Collective Art Group, on view July 1 through August 29 at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury.

The Cranbury Arts Council will host an exhibit by the Creative Collective Art Group July 1 through August 29 at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury. An opening reception is on Sunday, July 14 from 1-3 p.m.

The exhibit includes the members of the Creative Collective Art Group displaying a variety of art mediums — acrylic paintings, oil painting, watercolor, mixed media, and photography.

The Creative Collective is dedicated to fostering a creative and nurturing community for artists, artisans, and art lovers in central New Jersey and beyond.  more

Talk on Art Depicting Early Battles of American Revolution

The Trent House Association will host an illustrated talk on how the early battles of the American Revolution have been portrayed visually over the past two and a half centuries. Given by Roger Williams, a well-regarded local historian of the Revolution, this free talk will be held on Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m. at the Trent House Museum Visitor Center and virtually at tinyurl.com/THATalkJune30. The museum is located at 15 Market Street in Trenton, across from the Hughes Justice Complex. Free parking and the museum entrance are at the rear of the property off William Trent Place.

One of the iconic images of the early days of the American Revolution is that of Washington crossing the Delaware on Christmas Eve 1776, portrayed in an 1851 painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutz. This painting solidified this crucial event in the public’s mind, and it remains one of the best-known portrayals of the Revolution. Painted in Germany 75 years after the Battle of Trenton, it is not surprising that some of the details are not accurate. This is also true of many of the numerous other artistic interpretations of this and other events of the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. Williams will share many of these interpretations during his talk, pointing out how these images have reinforced certain beliefs about the Revolution and created opportunities for exaggeration and even distortion of the actual events. more

“Cloud Swing” at GFS Receives Innovator Award

“CLOUD SWING”: This wheelchair-accessible public art installation at Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) has received an Innovator Award from the Cultural Access Network Project. Designed by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Isometric Studio, it will be at GFS through October 5.

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton recently received an Innovator Award from the Cultural Access Network Project for its public art installation, Cloud Swing, at the Project’s Annual Excellence in Cultural Access Awards.

Recognized for its innovative approach to public art, Cloud Swing, an art installation that features three plank swings and two wheelchair-accessible swings, allows GFS visitors of all abilities the opportunity to “play” on the interactive sculpture. GFS is hosting Cloud Swing, which was designed by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Isometric Studio, through October 5.  more

Works by Jane Zamost Now at Capital Health

“DANCING WITH NATURE”: Works by artist and healing arts instructor Jane Zamost are featured in “Escapades of My Mind,” on view through August 26 in the Investors Bank Art & Healing Gallery at Capital Health Medical Center — Hopewell.

Artist Jane Zamost started her involvement in the healing arts at Capital Health more than 10 years ago, fascinated at how art transforms life’s most beautiful and challenging moments. She said that these experiences shaped her and impacted the way she makes art, prodding her to be uninhibited and free of judgement. The music playing is often her guide as are sunrise walks, life’s joy, and hardships both grand and small.  more

Earning a Spot on U.S. Field Hockey Team for Olympics, PU Star Yeager Looking to Make an Impact at Paris Games

STICKING WITH IT: Beth Yeager dribbles the ball upfield in action for the U.S. national field hockey team. Yeager, a rising junior for the Princeton University field hockey squad, was named last week to the 16-player roster for the national team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris that begin July 27. Yeager, who was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, took a year away from school to focus on making the U.S. squad for the Olympics. (Photo provided courtesy of USA Field Hockey)

By Justin Feil

Beth Yeager delayed her junior year at Princeton University for the opportunity to compete for a spot on the United States national field hockey team.

The night before the final team was to be posted on their training team’s app last week, Yeager was understandably nervous.

“It would be a bit strange if I wasn’t,” said Yeager. “I was definitely nervous. Like the night before, I really couldn’t fall asleep, and I woke up early that morning. I think everyone is. No matter if I had my position on the team, I would have been nervous just because it was my first Olympic selection and obviously it’s something that I’ve worked towards my whole field hockey career.”

Yeager was thrilled to be named June 12 to the 16-player roster for the national team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris that begin July 27.  more

PHS Girls’ Lacrosse Got Back on Winning Track, Posting 12-9 Record, Making Sectional Quarters

STEPPING UP: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Joci Lee races upfield in action this spring. Senior defender Lee helped PHS show marked improvement this season as it went 12-9 after going 7-12 in 2023. The Tigers edged Montgomery 9-8 in overtime in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament to post their first win in the state tourney since 2021. PHS ended its season by falling 11-5 at Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team ended its 2024 campaign with a tough 11-5 loss at Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, that defeat can’t diminish what the program accomplished as it regained its winning ways.

After struggling through a frustrating 7-12 season in 2023, the Tigers posted a 12-9 record this spring.

“Last year was a hard year for all of the girls, but it was a growing year,” said PHS head coach Katie Federico. “It really allowed a lot of them to mature. The seniors really took on that leadership role this year. It was the confidence and trust in each other — they played so well as a unit. That year of rebuilding really did help, as hard as it was.” more

Buoyed by Culture Change Under New Coach Chrisman, Hun Girls’ Lacrosse Produced Winning Campaign

COMING THROUGH: Hun School girls’ lacrosse player Olivia Kim, center, looks to elude two Lawrenceville defenders in the Mercer County Tournament semis. Senior star and Williams College commit Kim enjoyed a big final campaign, talking 57 goals and 11 assist to help the Raiders go 9-8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Hun School girls’ lacrosse team ended the spring by losing nail-biters to local foes Princeton High and Princeton Day School, Geoff Chrisman appreciated the intensity and skill level displayed in the rivalry clashes.

“It was a lot of fun, it was definitely good Princeton crosstown lacrosse which is always awesome,” said Hun first year head coach Chrisman, a 2003 PHS alum who played lacrosse and football during his high school days. “You want to see it doing well. There is so much on the line, it feels like. Having played in games when I was here and now coaching in them, you get to feel that emotion. You are going to see those kids at Hoagie Haven. The girls are neighbors, they grew up with each other. They play club together.”

In the 14-10 loss to PHS, Hun was tied 6-6 with the Tigers at halftime but couldn’t close the deal in the second half. more

With All Hands on Deck Due to Limited Roster, PDS Girls’ Lax Showed Skill, Grit in Going 15-6

QUICK ON THE DRAW: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse players Kelly Christie, left, and Shelby Ruf go after a draw in a game this spring. Senior star Christie and junior standout Ruf starred in the midfield this year for PDS as it went 15-6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Lucia Marcozzi took the helm of the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse program this spring, it was all hands on deck.

“It was so much fun, I am lucky with such a good group of girls,” said Marcozzi, a former Bucknell University women’s lax standout who has been coaching in club programs for several years. “It was such a small team that everyone had to do anything.”

That lack of depth hurt the Panthers as the fifth-seeded Panthers fell 14-9 to fourth-seeded to Saddle River Day in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B tournament. more

Smoyer Park Field Dedicated in Honor of Tommy Parker As Event Draws Cross Section of Princeton Community

FAMILY AFFAIR: Tommy Parker, center, the longtime manager of the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team, enjoys the moment with members of his family last Thursday afternoon as the baseball field at Barbara Smoyer Park was dedicated in his honor. The dedication was memorialized by the unveiling of a plaque citing Parker’s “hard work and dedication to the lives of Princeton’s youth,” listing his contributions as founder/GM/coach of Post 218 from 1990-2022, a longtime coach of youth baseball and youth football, and a local leader in civil rights, worker rights, and youth athletics. It marks the first time that Princeton has dedicated a field in someone’s honor. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Recreation Department)

By Bill Alden

With the sun shining brightly midway through last Thursday afternoon, the soccer fields and baseball diamond at Barbara Smoyer Park were quiet with practices and games hours away.

But there was a buzz around the pavilion building in the center of the park as a crowd of around 100 had gathered to honor Tommy Parker, one of the shining stars of the Princeton community.

The throng was on hand for a ceremony dedicating the park’s baseball field in the honor of Parker, the longtime manager of the Post 218 American Legion baseball team and a community activist. The dedication was memorialized by the unveiling of a plaque citing Thomas A. Parker’s “hard work and dedication to the lives of Princeton’s youth,” listing his contributions as founder/general manager/coach of Post 218 from 1990-2022, longtime coach of youth baseball and youth football, and local leader in civil rights, worker rights, and youth athletics. more

Kane Stars For Princeton Supply in Summer Hoops As Defending Champs Top Lob City in Season Opener

IRON MIKE: Mike Kane of Princeton Supply looks to unload the ball during a 2023 game in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Last Friday night, Kane tallied 14 points to help Princeton Supply defeat Lob City 61-52 in its season opener. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Mike Kane enjoyed a superb career with the Drew University men’s basketball team and a memorable graduate season this winter for Widener.

Former Notre Dame High standout Kane totaled 698 points in his four seasons at Drew and then averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game this winter as he helped Widener go 24-5 and advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Division III tournament.

But while Kane produced many highlight moments in his college career, taking the court last Friday night for Princeton Supply as it faced Lob City to open its campaign in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League held a special meaning for him. more

Princeton Post 218 Baseball Gets Off to Rough Start, But Squad Staying Upbeat as it Deals with Adversity

SWINGING AWAY: Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball player Travis Petrone follows through on a swing in recent action. Last Monday, Petrone, a rising Princeton High senior, had a hit in a losing cause as Post 218 fell 7-1 to Hamilton Post 31. Princeton, which moved to 0-9 with the defeat, hosts Bordentown Post 26 on June 19, plays at North Hamilton on June 21, hosts Lawrence Post 414 on June 22, plays at Broad Street Park Post 313 on June 23, and at Allentown on June 25. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Having lost its first six games this summer, the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team was primed for a breakthrough as it hosted Broad Street Park Post 313 last Thursday evening at Smoyer Park.

“It has been a tough stretch coming into this game,” said Post 218 manager Peter Nielsen. “I see the hunger in these kids. They are ready to get that first win.”

Post 218 built a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth inning on run-scoring hits by Mike Prete and Gavin Lauer. more

Writing in Response to Article on Beech Leaf Disease in Princeton

To the Editor:
The article published Wednesday, June 12 entitled “Beech Leaf Disease Poses Threat to Town’s Beleaguered Trees” [page 1] was quite disheartening, with its projection that most or all of our beautiful, big old beeches will die within four to 10 years. One sentence in the article struck me even more forcefully than that dire projection, though: “The nematodes [that cause the disease] are not thought to be native to North America.” It highlights the tragic consequences of continued importation and use of non-native, often-invasive species, which bring with them plagues like the beech leaf disease, the emerald ash borer, and the chestnut blight (estimated to have killed 4 billion chestnut trees in our eastern forests). And it highlights the tragic consequences of our governor’s veto of the invasive species legislation passed unanimously by the legislature last year, and of the Department of Environmental Protection’s inexplicable failure to quickly move to resolve whatever problems it has with the legislation (cited as the reason for the veto). more

Thanking Princeton Police Department for Offering Citizen’s Academy Program

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter to say thank you to Princeton Police Chief Jonathan Bucchere, Lieutenant Matthew Solovay, and Sergeant Dan Federico for establishing the Princeton Citizen’s Police Academy.

Recently, I was one of 20 Princeton citizens who had a chance to learn more about the department through an eight-week program that was conducted by a number of officers of the Princeton Police Department (PPD). Each Thursday we covered a different topic in a three-hour class supported by a different officer within the department, and it was organized to be very interactive and engaging with real equipment, simulators, and discussions with our officers.  more

PPD’s Citizen’s Police Academy Program is Highly Informative for Participants

To the Editor:

The Princeton Police Department just concluded its 2024 program for its Citizen’s Police Academy, and I felt privileged to have experienced such a compelling initiative. This program is the brainchild of Police Chief Jonathan Bucchere. I became informed of Princeton’s Citizen’s Police Academy via an article that ran in the Town Topics earlier this year [“Citizen’s Police Academy Registering Participants for its Second Season,” March 6, page 1] and I immediately contacted the department and was luckily able to register for the 2024 session, which started in April and ran for eight weeks.

Chief Bucchere’s desire to form deep connections with the community became quite evident in this program. His enthusiasm for community policing in general, and this program in particular, trickle down to all of the officers who invest in the program to make it highly informative to the citizen participants. Lieutenant Matt Solovay, Sergeant Dan Federico, Patrolman – K9 Steve Lattin, and many other officers in the department contributed to the robust nature of the program. more

Obituaries 6/19/2024

Janice Phillips Pell
March 22, 1931 – June 14, 2024

Janice Phillips Pell died just before midnight on Flag Day, June 14, following a day of heavy winds, a brilliant sunset, and a double rainbow. Jan was 93, a resident of Princeton and Pennington, and a member of Trinity Church for the last 45 years.

Raised in Short Hills, NJ, Jan attended the Kent Place School and Smith College before her family moved to NYC in 1951. There she met her husband John, a spirited and smart Princeton graduate Class of ’48. They were married in 1953 and lived the greatest love story for 59 years.

Jan had a short career in adverting at O.S. Tyson NY before the Pells moved to Short Hills, NJ, to raise their family. In 1968 John was offered the opportunity to move to London, England, a position he took as director of the Standard Bank responsible for 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Jan traveled below the Sahara and to the Middle East eight times in a liaison capacity with John on business. During this time, she wrote two long “impression” essays of West and South Africa for the International Department of Chase Bank.

At home in London, Jan shifted her focus to mission work and counseling. She served as the head of the American Church in London’s Mission Guild with interests in Africa, Asia, U.K., and the U.S., and served on the church vestry. She helped found the first Marriage Research Centre in England at the Central Middlesex Hospital, serving as one of the five trustees on the board for many years. In 1974 Jan undertook professional training as a psychotherapist for three years and proceeded to help clients through a wide range of challenges including trauma faced from concentration camp internment during World War II. In 1975 Jan chaired the British American Ball which funds the British American Associates’ lecture foundation, an organization that exchanges lecturers between the U.K. and U.S. Jan and John served on the board of directors of this foundation for 10 years.

1979 brought the Pells back to the U.S. They settled in Princeton to share their next chapter with Princeton alumni friends. Jan and John enjoyed the breadth of activities Princeton has to offer from University football games to the communities they joined at Trinity Church, the Nassau Club, and the Bedens Brook Club. Separately Jan was an active member of the Women’s Investment Group, Present Day Club, and the Stony Brook Garden Club.

As a one-year swan song to John’s banking career, the couple moved to Hong Kong, China, in 1992 where John was president of the Bank of Asia. During this time Jan served on the St. John’s Cathedral mission committee responsible for prisoners returning from China.

In life there are flowers, weeds, and gardeners and Jan Pell was most definitely a gardener. She grew and nurtured not only her family and wide group of friends, but built a vast garden at their home on Westcott Road. She enjoyed entertaining the Princeton Class of ’48 in the garden for reunions, counseling friends over a cup of tea on the back patio, and opening her garden for tours. Jan loved her time as a member of Stony Brook Garden Club tremendously and her friends of all generations that she made there.

When Jan wasn’t in her garden, she was often taking trips with clients to the Philadelphia Design Center. Jan Pell Interiors was launched in 1982 and she worked with clients on their interior design needs for the next 23 years.

Over the years, Jan served on the board of directors of Trinity Counseling Service and was an active volunteer at the YWCA extension program as a reader at the Riverside School. At Trinity Church, Jan helped build the Trinity Memorial Garden, donated her famous lemon whiskey cake each year to the Trinity St. Nicholas Bazaar, and was a member of the Altar Guild. Reflecting on the Altar Guild, Jan often told the story of being the last person to leave and lock up the church one Christmas Eve following the midnight service, walking peacefully home to Westcott Road in the falling snow.

Predeceased by her husband John, she is survived by her three children and six grandchildren: Richard and Lisa Pell, Rye, NY, and daughters Roxanna and Lila; Wil and Sandy de Groot, Frenchtown, NJ, and children Sam, Lucinda, and stepchildren Veronique, Eric, and Alex; Leslie Pell, Pennington, NJ, and children Kate and Gibson Linnehan. Also, her niece Sarah Phillips and husband Tom Hatch, Wilton, CT, and their son Nicholas; and her nephew James T. Phillips III, GA.

The family is eternally grateful to Dr Regan Tuder for watching over their mom, and to Lydia Konedu and Cecile Nonez for their nurturing care.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton, on Tuesday, July 9 at 11a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Center at 353 center353.org (formerly Trinity Counseling Service) or the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Janet A. Westrick

Jan Westrick, founder of the Princeton Girlchoir and the inspiration for the Westrick Music Academy, passed away peacefully under the care of hospice in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on March 13, 2024.

Janet Ann Westrick was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on August 18, 1938 to Joseph Jerome Westrick and Anna Belle (Woodrey) Westrick. A lifelong musician, Jan learned to play the piano at age 9 and continued to hone her gift for music throughout her life.

Jan attended Hamilton High School where she served as the school accompanist. Jan went on to Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where she sang in the Chapel Choir and studied Music Education, with a major in Piano and a minor in Voice. Upon graduation she began teaching music in the Whitehall, Ohio school system and working as musical director for a local church.

Jan married Tom Oesterling in 1960. They had their first child, Tom Jr., in 1962. In 1966, upon completion of Tom’s Ph.D., the family moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where they had two more children, Jennifer and Daniel. Tom took a job at Johnson and Johnson in 1976 and the family moved to Princeton, NJ.

The marriage broke up in 1980 and Jan raised her two youngest children independently. She taught piano lessons out of the home, and played for the Lutheran Church Prince of Peace, until the opportunity to teach at Princeton Day School was presented to her in 1983.

Jan joined Princeton Day School as music teacher for the Lower School in 1983. She went on to become the Choir Director of the Middle School and was also named Chair of the Music and Performing Arts Department. Jan also worked continuously as a church musician, playing piano and organ to accompany services as well as directing church choirs.

In 1989, when her son Dan was a senior at Princeton High School, Jan attended a performance by the American Boy Choir. She felt that she knew girls who could perform like this and she put an ad in the paper to see if local girls would be interested in joining a group to sing and perform under her choral direction. The response was immediate. Jan selected 27 girls after intensive auditions, and the Princeton Girlchoir was born. The Princeton Girlchoir grew into an organization of several performing and training choirs and they traveled and performed extensively throughout Europe, Canada, and the USA. The mission of the PGC is to provide excellence in choral education and performance opportunities, while inspiring confidence, character, and a lifelong love of making music together.

In 1990, Jan married her love, Fred Schott, who was working as a mental health therapist and clinical director at mental health facilities in central New Jersey. Jan continued to grow and inspire the Girlchoir until 2009, the 20th anniversary, when she retired and became Artistic Director Emerita.

In 2017, after the close of the American Boy Choir, the Princeton Girlchoir decided to include the boys who had been singing in the American Boy Choir. With the inclusion of the boys, the organization was renamed the Westrick Music Academy, after its founder, Jan Westrick.

In 2014, Jan and Fred moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to live near Dan, Jennifer, and granddaughter Evelyn. In Santa Fe, Jan sang with various choral groups and directed choirs at senior-living facilities until the early stages of Alzheimer’s interfered. She was diagnosed in 2018 and began a slow decline until her death on March 13, 2024.

Jan is survived by her husband, Fred Schott, of Santa Fe; her brother, Jim Westrick of Cincinnati, OH, and his wife Mary; her son, Tom Oesterling of Boston, MA; her daughter, Jennifer Oesterling of Albuquerque, NM; her son, Daniel Oesterling of Santa Fe, NM; her only granddaughter, Evelyn Oesterling Mobley of Albuquerque, NM; her son-in-law, John Myers of Albuquerque; and step daughters Lisa Schott of West Windsor, NJ, and Cheryl Schott Zielkowski and her husband Rob Zielkowski, their daughter Lena, of Howell MI, and her most dear college “sister” and friend, Joyce Melchert, as well as many, many dear friends, from Princeton and Santa Fe.

The family would like to acknowledge and thank the staff of Enchanted Sky Hospice, Scott’s House, and Nurses with Heart for their kind, compassionate, and expert care of Jan during the final months of her life. Tom, Jennifer, and Dan would also like to recognize Fred for his unwavering love, honor, and respectful care of our dear mother. Whenever we thanked him for doing so, his response was always, “It’s my privilege.”  Because of his dedicated care, Jan was able to reside at home with Fred until one week before her death, when she moved into Scott’s House.

Jan’s memorial service will be held on Sunday, June 30 at 4 p.m., at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 177 Princeton Hightstown Road, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550. All are welcome to attend.

For those who would like to memorialize Jan, the family suggests making donations to the Westrick Music Academy, 231 Clarksville Road, Suite 8, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550 (westrickmusic.org).

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MEMORIAL SERVICE

Judith McCartin Scheide

The family of Judith McCartin Scheide will hold a service to celebrate her life on June 24, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. in the Princeton University Chapel.

A reception will immediately follow at the Chancellor Green Pavilion, just steps from the Chapel.