To the Editor:

On June 10, 2006 the Princeton Community said farewell to our loyal and contributing lifelong resident. Mr. Albert Edward Hinds lived to be 104 and within those years he contributed more to our town than any other person. I had the privilege to speak at his memorial service and at the end of the tribute I stated that a building, square or street should be named in his honor.

In 2007 the idea of recognizing Mr. Hinds became a reality when I twice went before the Princeton Borough Council with information about his life and rationale as to why the square should be named in his honor. With the support of James Floyd and residents of the Witherspoon Jackson Community, the members of the Council, headed by Mayor Mildred Trotman, agreed to name the square next to the Princeton Public Library the “Albert E. Hinds Plaza!”

A dedicated Hinds Plaza Committee headed by Wendy Benchley, later by Barbara Trelstad, was formed to suggest a fitting tribute to Mr. Hinds. Mr. Tom Nussbaum, a sculptor from Montclair, New Jersey, was selected to design the memorial gates and plaques. James Floyd presented the idea of an open gate to represent Mr. Hinds’ connection to his life in a segregated area of Princeton and his contributions and relationships to the entire town of Princeton. Mr. Nussbaum engraved symbols in the gates that represent Mr. Hinds’ life and contributions in Princeton.

On Sunday, September 29 the Hinds Plaza Memorial Gates and Plaques were dedicated. This is a public THANK YOU to the members of the Hinds Plaza Memorial Committee the members of the Advisory Board, the many donors whose generous contributions made the gates and plaque possible. In addition acknowledgments go to those who shared in the dedication of the gates and plaque: Mrs. Myrna Hinds Fuller; Mr. Hinds’ daughter and family members; Mr. James Floyd; Reverend Dr. Deborah Brooks; Mayor Elizabeth Lempert; Eric Broadway, Esq.; Mr. Tom Nussbaum; Minister William D. Carter, III; Ms. Barbara Trelstad; former Princeton mayors; Princeton Council members; the Historical Society of Princeton, for producing the audio portion of the memorial plaques; and the Princeton community residents and visitors.

Shirley A. Satterfield

Quarry Street