CNJ+ February 2023

FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE 144

FORMERLY THE MILLSTONE TIMES WE ARE CONTINUING TO GROW TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS

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THE WEST POINT GLEE CLUB to Perform a Free Concert in Freehold

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The Glee Club from the United States Military Academy at West Point will be making a rare New Jersey appearance on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 7:30pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Freehold located at 118 W. Main St. in Freehold Borough. “We are honored to have been selected once again to have the West Point Glee Club return to our church for their Spring concert,” said Dr. Robert M. DiSogra, Chairperson of the Concert Committee at the 152 year old church. This will be the Glee Club’s third appearance at the church. The concert is free to the community. Early arrival is recommended. There are 500 seats in the church. “We love coming to this church not only because of the wonderful out pouring of support we’ve had during our last two visits but also the acous tics are phenomenal!” said Ms. Constance Chase, Music Director for the Glee Club. The Cadet Glee Club has its roots firmly embedded in the time-honored traditions of the United States Corps of Cadets. Secular singing has been in evidence at West Point since the Academy's founding in 1802. First organized in 1903, the Cadet Glee Club is now a 45-voice mixed chorus whose members serve as musical ambassadors for West Point and rank among our nation's most prestigious college choirs. The Glee Club is in frequent demand for televised and live appearances both nationally and internationally. They are regular performers at the annual Army-Navy football game. Upon graduation from the Academy, cadets are commissioned as Sec ond Lieutenants and begin their service to the nation as officers in the United States Army. After the concert there will be a “Meet & Greet” in the auditorium.

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Genna Geller and BillyMajeski both grew up inMarlboro, NJ, but neither of them knew each other while growing up. They met at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, while in college. They got engaged on September 30, 2021, when Billy surprised his, bride to be one night after work and asked her to marry him. Her parents were also present at the time. They all celebrated the engagement together. An engagement party followed on October 3rd with all of their friends attending. Genna knew that she wanted her dream wed ding on New Year’s Eve, which in 2022 fell on a Saturday night. It was truly a double celebration! Genna got busy putting together an ultimate team of vendors. They were all professional and went above and beyond to make their special day perfect. She had four teen bridesmaids who wore black velvet gowns. Billy had eight groomsmen who wore black tuxedos. The theme of the wedding was elegant and full of glamour, with Gatsby vibes- black, gold, white, with pops of shimmer and feath ers. The wedding day was so special. Everyone was in a festive mood. The bride and groom wrote and spoke their own vows in front of family and friends. Their vows were deep and meaningful as they were joined together in matrimony. Their cocktail hour had all types of cuisines, from sushi, to pas ta, to tacos, and Asian, as well. The couple partied and danced all night at the reception. There was an eight-person band and also a DJ present. The band and DJ played different sets all night. All night, the guests crowded the dance floor. At midnight they had a countdown to the New Year. It was a night to remember as they all welcomed in 2023 together. There was also an after party that went on until early into the morning. According to Genna, “It was the best day of our lives. We smiled, cried, laughed, danced, and made so many special memories. We were so lucky to have been surrounded by so many amazing family members and friends on the most important day of our lives. It was truly a dream wedding that we will always remember!” Cheers to the vendor team who helped make our day unforgetta ble. Venue: The Grove, Cedar Grove Band/DJ: Cityscape, Elegant Music Group (EMG) Photographer: Kirchhof Photography Coordinator: Carrie Gold Events Makeup: @looksbykatiness | Hair: @styledby.christina Florist: Dalsimer Spitz and Peck Florist | Dress: Kleinfeld Bridal Designer: Pnina Tornai | Video: Live Picture Studios M E E T C N J + N E W E S T B R I D E A N D G R O O M Genna Geller Billy Majeski &

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The Tear Drop Monument By Pam Teel “To the Struggle Against World Terrorism” also called “The Tear Drop Memorial” stands at the end of the former Military Ocean Ter minal in Bayonne, New Jersey, and is the first thing you see as you approach New York City by ship from the Atlantic, well before the Statue of Liberty comes into view. It is a 30-meter-tall slab of steel and coated in bronze, with a large jagged crack running down the middle. An im mense stainless-steel teardrop hangs inside the crack. The eleven sides of the monument's base bear granite name plates, on which are etched the names of those who died in the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The monument was a gift from the people of Russia to the United States. Vladimir Putin was himself there when construction began, and Bill Clinton attended the dedication ceremony in 2006. Since then, not much has been written about it. In fact, many people don’t even know about it. “The Tear Drop Memorial” was made by Mos cow-based sculptor Zurab Tseretel who flew to New York shortly after the September 11 at tacks and visited Ground Zero. He decided that he wanted to create a memorial to the victims. The entire structure was designed and built in Russia, transported in pieces to the U.S., and as sembled in Harbor View Park on the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor. It took a year to construct. The remarkable view from this beautiful two acre public park on the New Jersey side of New York Harbor includes both the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The bronze mon

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H E L L O to the wonderful people of C e n t r a l N e w J e r s e y !

Since 2008, Gunther Publications has been con necting and delivering community connections with CNJ neighborhoods and CNJ’s locally owned businesses and professionals. This premier issue of CNJ+ Magazine introduces the start of a re-brand ed expansion for GPE publications and media. We are pivoting to offer new services and greater dis tribution. GPE publications will now be known as CNJ+ and we will continue to highlight and share local stories about the CNJ people as well as advocate for our CNJ advertisers. Combining a superior product with Niche edi torial has always been our strength in CNJ when it comes to our readers. Creating Hyper-Local and Hyper-Targeted Media has always been our strength when it comes to our advertiser’s suc cess. It is also the reason GPE has grown every single year since it started. Even through the rise of online marketing options, and also the COVID pandemic, we pulled through and our newest pub lication, CNJ+ is still growing. I am grateful to serve this amazing community of Central New Jersey. CNJ+ is made possible by the amazing business es who support this publication’s local stories and people. Please keep our business owners and pro fessionals in mind when making purchases and recognize the need to support and know your com munity members. CNJ+ looks forward to connecting you at your mailbox every month! Your Publisher, Cami Gunther

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©2015 by Gunther Publishing Ent. The content of GPE publications and its affiliates are copyrighted. GPE publications are published 12 times a year. Established 10/2008. Distribution and Post office receipt available. All GPE products are distributed free of charge. Average reader per copy is 2.1. No copying or reproduction of the content of this newspaper is allowed without the express written permission from the publisher. GPEs publisher/owner reserves the rights over all electronic copying and reproduction of material contained here within. The publisher, editor, agents, and sales staff reserve the right to reject the advertisements for any reason. Credit for mistakes shall not exceed the costs of the ad in the month which the error occurred.

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INTERESTING PEOPLE THROUGHOUT HISTORY Dolly Parton By Pam Teel Having grown up dirt poor in a one room cabin in Tennessee, along with eleven oth er siblings, Dolly Parton is one of the world’s most famous philanthropists. Actress, singer, songwriter, and businesswoman, Dolly never forgot her roots or the people she left behind. PHILANTHROPIST

With her career spanning over fifty years, Parton has been described as a "coun try music legend" and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Her music includes Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. She has had 25 singles reach no. 1 on the Billboard Country Music Charts, a record for a female artist (tied with Reba McEntire). She has 44 career Top 10 Country Albums, a record for any artist, and she has 110 career-charted singles over the past 40 years. She has composed over 3,000 songs, including "I Will Always Love You" (a two-time U.S. country chart-topper, as well as an international pop hit for Whitney Houston), "Jolene", "Coat of Many Colors", and "9 to 5". As an actress, she has starred in films such as 9 to 5 (1980) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), for which she earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress, as well as Rhinestone (1984), Steel Magnolias (1989), Straight Talk (1992) and Joyful Noise (2012). She has received 11 Grammy Awards out of 50 nominations, including the Lifetime Achievement Award; ten Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year and is one of only seven female artists to win the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year Award; five Academy of Country Music Awards, also including Entertainer of the Year; four People's Choice Awards; and three American Music Awards. She is also in a select group to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards. In 1999, Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2005, she received the National Medal of Arts and in 2022, she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All in all, and with all the millions that she made, she still remains humble, and credits her being poor for shaping her into the woman she is today. The struggles of the poor have always stayed with her. She never forgot what it was like to literally have nothing. Her first money-making job was actually singing, at 10 years old on the Cas Walker show in Knoxville, where she used to ride the bus to the radio station. She was on television before her family even had one at home. With the first money she made, she bought her family a television, a car, and helped to fix the cabin up. She had an idea to build Dollywood to help give a lot of the poor people in the area work, even when her business associates were telling her that it was a big mistake and that she would lose a lot of money. She felt differently, then fired the lawyers and accountants who didn’t believe her, and got new ones and went on to build a highly successful entertainment area, putting a lot of the surrounding people to work, and providing them with a way to make a living. In addition to her own foundation, Parton has contributed funds to a number of charitable organizations outside the Dollywood umbrella, includ ing the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, Save the Music Foundation and the Boot Campaign, an organization that donates proceeds to military veterans who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and physical injuries. She's been a champion for many causes ranging from childhood literacy to environmental conservation. In 1988, Parton established the Dollywood Foundation, named after her theme park in Tennessee. The foundation’s original goal was to help children in the Appalachian Mountains to achieve educational success, but in 1995 it eventually developed into the Imagination Library, a program that distrib utes books to children across the globe, free of charge, from birth until they begin their first year of school. Parton made the Imagination Library, the major focus of the Dollywood Foundation. They send out one book per month to each enrolled child from birth until their first year of school. The Imagination Library was founded in tribute to Parton’s father, who was unable to read or write. So many of her other relatives didn't get a chance to go to school either. Originally intended to just serve the children of Sevier County, Tennessee, the Imagination Library has since broadened its reach outside of the United States. In 2006, the library began shipping books to children in Canada and, in the following year, the United Kingdom. The program expanded to Australia in 2013. Twenty-three years after it was founded, the Imagination Library mailed its 100 millionth book to a child in March 2018. At present, the pro gram ships more than a million books each month to 1.3 million participants across the globe. In the late 1980’s, Dolly started the Buddy program in her hometown’s local high school, turning her focus to reducing the high school dropout rate in Sevier County, Tennessee. According to the organization, Parton asked every seventh and eighth-grade student to “buddy up” with another student, promising them $500 in cash after they both successfully graduated from high school. The program was a major success for students in that year, and according to the organization, the high school’s dropout rate declined from 35 percent to just 6 percent in response to Parton’s gift. She also offered to give $500 scholarships to any student in Sevier County who wished to attend the nearby Hiwassee College, in an effort to boost graduation rates in the region and improve college attendance.

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THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: The Story of How Americans Bought Into a Martian Panic By, Surabhi Ashok

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One fateful evening back in 1938, ironically the day before Halloween, the story of a Mar tian invasion was broadcasted on radio for Americans all across the country to hear. H.G. Well’s story, War of the Worlds, was irrational ly believed by so many people that it caused widespread hysteria and paranoia. The reason for why so many people believed the story can be attributed to script writer Howard Kosh, who used the strategies of radio reports of the Hindenburg disaster from the year before to rewrite the sci-fi novel War of the Worlds as a dramatic breaking news item aired on the Mercury Theatre on the Air. Just as the Hindenburg airship accident occurred in Manchester, New Jersey, Kosh, by randomly pointing his pencil on a map of New Jersey,

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decided to make the invasion from Mars occur in a farm town named Grovers Mill. Orson Welles, the man who relayed the story on air, actu ally admitted that he thought that people tuned in would be bored from listening to such an improbable tale. However, that was clearly not the case. Although most citizens of Grovers Mill could see for themselves that nothing out of the ordinary was occurring, others were driving into town in order to fight these supposed Martians themselves. This caused some havoc in Grovers Mill that night, despite the invasion being debunked the very next day. For example, an old wooden water tower was allegedly shot in a moment of panic when some people thought it to be an extra terrestrial. This tower is still standing today. This entire moment was officially memorialized in 1988, when the community of Grovers Mill hired artist Thomas Jay Warren to build the Martian Landing Site Monument for its 50th anniversary. The 7.5-foot bronze sculpture depicts Orson Welles talking into a microphone with a pipe in his hand while a family listens at the edge of their seats on the other side of the radio. Looming above is a tentacled Martian that vague ly resembles a water tower. This monument, while strange and one of a kind, truly reflects the panic that had swept through people’s homes. Garnering a lot of excitement and attention, the Martian Landing Site Monument, surrounded by bushes and other greenery in Van Nest Park, attracted a big crowd at its unveiling, including New Jersey’s governor at the time and Howard Koch. A four-day celebration followed, complete with a parade and a “Martian Panic” bicycle race. Even now, Grovers Mill calls back to their minute of fame. The West Windsor Arts Council celebrates the anniversary every year, having even built a Martian “Scoutship” sculpture out of recycled materials in tribute to Welles’ radio broadcast. In addition, Grovers Mill Coffee Co centers their theme around War of the Worlds memorabilia and serves “out of-this-world coffee.” All of this can be found in the township of West Windsor. Other than a story to remember, the “Martian Panic” also reminds us of journalistic responsibility and the power that the media continues to have over millions of people at a time. Source: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2749

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COMMEMORATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF Cancer Research Greats By, Norman E. Sharpless, M.D.

There are those moments, those events that make it the ideal time to stop and reflect on the past. Such is the case with the passing of Dr. Emil Freireich, who died in February 2022, at the age of 93 in Houston, his long-time home. Having begun his career in the 1950s at NCI, Dr. Freireich went on to become one of the most accomplished physician–scientists to ever step into a lab or comfort a worried patient. I never had the opportunity to work with Dr. Freireich. But like so many other cancer researchers, I was influenced by his work. He provides a preeminent example of how our own actions can have an enduring impact on so many others. Dr. Bruce Chabner, a cancer research luminary (and another NCI alumnus), who was kind enough to provide some thoughts on Dr. Freireich, described him as “formidable” and “brilliant,” a man who often had a smile on his face but wasn’t “afraid to challenge people.” When describing Dr. Freireich’s accomplishments and legacy, it’s only appropriate to mention another research legend, Dr. Emil "Tom" Frei, who died in 2013. Many in the cancer community are familiar with the story of the “two Emils,” who worked together at NCI, and later at other institutions, pioneering the approach of giving children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) several chemotherapy drugs at the same time. Over the course of a decade, the combination chemotherapy approach they developed transformed what was for children “a horrible disease—a death sentence,” as Dr. Freireich once described it, into a cancer for which cures became commonplace. What often gets less attention is that some of their studies testing combination chemotherapy for childhood ALL also heralded the introduction of the cooperative clinical trial in cancer: researchers at different centers all working on the same study, using the same treatments and protocols, in an effort to answer their scientific question more rapidly and with more robust data. It’s not hard to look at this milestone and see how it laid the groundwork for today’s clinical trials enterprise. For example, NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network includes five large research groups and more than 2,000 clinical sites, and it conducts hundreds of trials at any given time. In many ways, this massive network of cutting-edge science was born from those first group trials of combination chemotherapy that Drs. Freireich and Frei helped to organize. Of course,Drs. FreireichandFreimademanyother contributions.Dr. Freireich, for instance, partnered with the father of a patient at the NIHClinical Center who worked at IBM to create the first device to separate out blood components from fresh human blood. He showed that the platelets separated from whole blood could be used to treat a serious complication of blood cancers: hemorrhage. As Dr. Chabner explained, this advance was “absolutely fundamental to the treatment of lymphomas and leukemias. Kids were dying because of hemorrhage.” These accomplishments alone would have amounted to stellar scientific careers. But after moving to the University of Texas MDAnderson Cancer Center in 1965, Drs. Freireich and Frei continued their work, directing studies that led to continued improvements in the treatment of blood cancers. Dr. Frei left MD Anderson in the early 1970s for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He took the reins as its director not long after, following the passing of the center’s namesake and yet another research icon, Dr. Sidney Farber. In addition to helping construct a world-class cancer research program at Dana Farber, Dr. Frei continued his own research, including pioneering work on bone marrow transplants to treat cancer. Especially this year, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act of 1971, it feels only appropriate to reflect on the impact of others

in the cancer research community who, although they are no longer with us, made possible so much of what came after that momentous legislation. That includes Dr. Joe Simone, who also did foundational work on childhood leukemia in his long and distinguished career, beginning at St.

Dr. Emil Freireich, who died in February 2022, working with a blood cell separator at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Credit: National Cancer Institute

Jude Children’s Research Hospital but also at several other NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, where he held leadership posts. Dr. Simone died in January at the age of 85. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Simone helped direct—along with Dr. Don Pinkel—some of the landmark clinical trials that allowed the term “cure” to be used in the same sentence as “childhood leukemia.” He also oversaw the creation of one of the first clinics dedicated to the long-term follow-up care of survivors of childhood cancers. Take Dr. Jane CookeWright, a pioneering cancer researcher and physicianwho broke barriers as an African-American woman in medicine. Beginning in the early 1950s, her work established the efficacy of several different chemotherapy drugs for solid tumors, and she pioneered tailoring treatment based on the side effects patients were experiencing. She was also a founding member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and held leadership positions in many other research organizations. And then there is Dr. Jimmie Holland, who in the 1980s essentially created the field of psycho-oncology during her long and storied career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A tireless advocate for patients, Dr. Holland led efforts to develop validated measures of patients’ quality of life for use in clinical trials and championed research on cancer’s long-term psychological impact on survivors, such as anxiety and depression. And any discussion of cancer pioneers is incomplete without mentioning Dr. Min Chiu Li, who, while at NCI in the 1950s and 1960s, helped to bring about several paradigm-changing advances in cancer treatment. He was the first clinician to cure a solid tumor with chemotherapy—choriocarcinoma, which forms in the uterus. But his research also provided one of the earliest examples of identifying biomarkers that could predict treatment response and the use of adjuvant therapy to wipe out any disease lurking after initial treatment. Not only did all of these remarkably intelligent and perseverant researchers help to improve the lives of so many who were sick and in need of care, they also had an immeasurable influence on so many who pursued medicine and research as their career and calling. They shared a commitment to training the next generations of cancer researchers, imparting their knowledge, commitment, and desire to serve in the way they knew best. In so doing, they helped to create and grow a web of excellence that is woven throughout the entire cancer care enterprise in this country and beyond.

It’s daunting to try to capture the impact these amazing scientists had—and there are, of course, many others who I have not mentioned. But for me, during a time of such monumental change and discovery in cancer research and care, it’s worthwhile to think about and appreciate those who laid the foundation for where we stand today. We’re all the better for what they did, and that should be celebrated and remembered. Source: Cancer.gov

Norman E. Sharpless, M.D., NCI Director

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scholarship at a stop on Parton’s Pure & Simple Tour. 2017- To celebrate the release of her children’s album, "I Believe in You," Parton made a $1 million donation to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hos pital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Parton’s gift was made in honor of her beloved niece, who was treated for leukemia at the hospital. 2018- Shortly after donating $1 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Parton helped open the Hannah Dennison Butterfly Garden at the hospital, dedicated to her niece. Dennison was treated for leukemia at the hospital beginning in 1990 and ultimately made a full recovery. 2020- As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the United States, Dolly Parton donated $1 million to help fund vaccine research at Vanderbilt Uni versity Medical Center. In 2022, the Care More initiative entitles employees of Dolly Parton's Dolly wood Parks and Resorts to a day off that they can use to volunteer at a non profit of their choice. “I think it’s important for everyone to do their share to help their fellow man,” Dolly said in a 2022 speech. “This world is so crazy. I don’t think we even know what we’re doing to each other and to this world.” 2022- Billionaire Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to Parton's Dollywood Foundation inNovember 2022. Parton was the recipient of Bezos's third-an nual Courage and Civility Award, and can use the funds to donate to char ities of her choice or continue her own charitable work. Other than her financial contributions to ease people’s sufferings from the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolly Parton has also released a 10-week series of bedtime stories on YouTube available for free streaming. She believes that the small gesture of reading bedtime stories for children is a welcome re prieve (for both parents and children) from all that is happening in the world. Parton also created the Mountain Tough. This is an organization that offers resources for everyone affected by the pandemic. The center of the organization is in Sevier County where the singer was born and raised. The Mountain Tough helps not only those who lost jobs but also those who need food resources, counseling, and assistance. At 77 years old, Dolly shows no signs of slowing down. She still continues to give generously to various charities and organizations, and is 100 percent involved in her own Foundation. She is truly a gifted artist who doesn’t look for the glitz and glory and media attention. She gives from her heart without the fanfare, where it’s needed the most!!!!! ATTENTION REALTORS: It makes sense to advertise here! • CNJ+ is the Premier News Source in your target area. • We are not a zoned publication- Means more homes for less! • Real Estate competition is fierce, & you need to STAND OUT. • Let our readers Get To Know and Trust You. • Show our readers that you will market their homes. • Advertising here includes many other marketing services ev ery month such as; social media, email marketing, online ads. W E D I R E C T O U R R E A D E R S T O Y O U R O N L I N E L I S T I N G S !

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In 1991, she added Eagle Mountain Sanctuary to Dollywood. In addition to the rides, shows, and other attractions at Dollywood. Managed by the American Eagle Foundation, the 30,000-square-foot aviary houses what the organization describes as the country’s largest collection of “non-releas able” bald eagles. The eagles are on view at Dollywood several months out of the year and participate in the Wings of America Birds of Prey show for visitors to enjoy. In 2000 she established a yearly $15,000 scholarship. Every year, five high school seniors in Sevier County, Tennessee, are awarded the Dolly Parton Scholarship, which provides $15,000 for each recipient to pursue a college education. The scholarship is, according to the Dollywood Foundation, giv en to students who “have a dream they wish to pursue and who can suc cessfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams.” In 2002 her foundation introduced the Chasing Rainbows award. In con junction with the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, the Dolly wood Foundation presents the Chasing Rainbows Award to a “teacher who has overcome obstacles in his/her life and is making a difference in the lives of children.” As a prize, the winner gets to spend a week at Dollywood in Tennessee as Parton’s honored guest. At a benefit concert in May 2007, Parton raised money for the LeConte Medical Center, a new hospital and cancer center in Sevier County, Tennes see. In addition to the $500,000 raised at the concert, both Dollywood and Parton’s Dixie Stampede dinner theater each pledged $250,000 to the proj ect, bringing the total amount of funds raised to $1 million. The hospital opened in 2010 and named its women’s health ward after Parton. 2016- Dolly established the MY People Fund through her Dollywood Foundation, Parton pledged that she would donate $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost their homes in the aftermath of wildfires that ripped through the Great Smoky Mountains. In addition to donating her own money to the My People Fund, Parton also hosted two star-stud ded telethons to raise funds for fire victims, ultimately raising and donating millions of dollars. Along with the much-needed cash grants provided to families impacted by the Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, the Dollywood Foundation also pro vided college scholarships to graduating high school seniors in the region who had lost their homes in the fires. That year, she also awarded a $30,000 Special Merit Scholarship to a 2-year old girl named Evey Johns in recognition of the Imagination Library’s mile stone of shipping out one million books per month. Johns, who had en rolled in the Imagination Library, was announced as the recipient of the

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