January 1, 2025

Obituaries 1/1/2025

Lynne Long

Gwendolyn Marie Long passed away peacefully at VNA Hospice House in Vero Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, December 24, 2024. Lynne, as she was called by those who knew and loved her, was born in Moberly, Missouri, on October 29, 1944, to Gwynne and Marjorie Shields, the oldest of four sisters.

She attended high school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart (City House) in St. Louis and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Loretto Heights College in Denver.

Shortly after graduation, Lynne married David Long at the Basilica of St Louis (old Cathedral), St. Louis, MO. They settled in their first home in Cherry Hill, NJ, where Lynne taught high school history. Shortly thereafter Lynne returned to St. Louis as David was called to active duty (U.S. Army) and subsequently gave birth to their first child. After David’s deployment they moved to New York and finally settled in Princeton, NJ, in 1972 where they raised their four sons.

While her primary focus in life was being a stay-at-home mom to her boys, she nonetheless found many ways to contribute to the betterment of the community. She served on the boards of the St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center and the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. In addition, she volunteered much of her time to the University Medical Center at Princeton, co-chairing the Center’s two primary fundraising events — The Hospital Fete (the year it celebrated its Silver Anniversary), and, for two years, the Christmas Boutique. In addition, she was chosen and served for 10 years as the first Docent of the Drumthwacket Foundation, which was founded in support of the historic mansion when it became the official residence of the Governor of the State of New Jersey.

While Lynne was beloved and respected for her gentle, soft-spoken demeanor and her kindness, she could also be a fierce competitor, on the tennis court as well as the bridge table, where she excelled, achieving the rank of Bronze Life Master and also serving as an instructor at the Fishers Island Club on Fishers Island, New York, where she and David summered for the past 26 years. And, while it didn’t involve any competition, her completion of the New York Times crossword puzzle every day in ink also attests to her tenacity and mental acuity.

She is survived by her husband, David; and her sisters, Judith Ann Flynn (Anthony) of St. Louis, Deborah Christine Shields of Princeton, and Mary Lucille Frye (Douglas) of St. Louis. She is also survived by her sons, David Ill (Jane), Jeffrey (Jenny), Christopher (Merrill), and Nicholas (Alex); her beloved cousin, Meg Shields Duke; and by her grandchildren, Alexander, Patrick (Rosa), Clare, Marjorie, Megan, Gwynne, Christopher, Kate, James, Annie, Maggie, Austin, Timothy, Sophia, and Aubrey.

She will be laid to rest at the Princeton Cemetery in a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the J. Thomas Davidson, MD, Surgical Education Fund of the Princeton Medical Center Foundation.

Arrangements by Strunk Funeral Homes & Crematory, Vero Beach, FL. A guestbook is available at strunkfuneralhome.com.

December 25, 2024

The Finishing Touch

Creativity was on display at the Gingerbread House Decorating and Family Night event last week at Morven Museum & Garden. Attendees share their favorite holiday traditions in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Sarah Teo)

Council Approves PILOT for Seminary Site

By Anne Levin

At a meeting of Princeton Council on Thursday evening, December 19, the governing body voted to approve an ordinance granting a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement to the redeveloper of the former Tennent-Roberts-Whiteley campus of Princeton Theological Seminary.

Herring Properties plans to build a 238-unit apartment complex, with 20 percent designated affordable, on a 4.8 acre site. The PILOT agreement exempts the developer from taxes for 30 to 35 years, during which 95 percent in special payments are made to the municipality, and 5 percent to Mercer County.

In a letter to Council earlier in the day, Princeton Board of Education President Dafna Kendal asked that money from those payments be shared with the public schools.  more

Panelists Discuss “New Era for Syria” and the Middle East

By Donald Gilpin

On the morning of December 8, Islamist rebel troops entered Damascus, Syria’s capital. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, ending his 24-year regime, which had followed his father’s 29-year rule. Ahmed al-Shara, leader of the rebel faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was formerly linked to Al Qaeda, has called for their terrorist label to be removed and for the U.S. and others to lift all sanctions on Syria. Many other countries, in addition to Iran and Russia, which withdrew their support for Assad shortly before the coup, are involved in Syria with various conflicting agendas.

“We don’t know how that will end,” said one of the experts at a December 17 panel discussion on “A New Era for Syria,” sponsored by Princeton University’s School for Public and International Affairs. That was a sentiment that all could agree on.

Offering a wide range of knowledge and perspectives, the panelists included Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs Dean Amaney A. Jamal, who also moderated the discussion; Deborah Amos, Princeton journalism professor and a longtime international correspondent at National Public Radio and elsewhere; Zaid Al-Ali, a visiting research fellow and lecturer at Princeton and the Senior Program Manager on Constitution Building for the Arab Region at International IDEA; and Marwan Muasher, who is vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the former foreign minister (2002-04) and deputy prime minister (2004-05) of Jordan. more

Robeson House Restoration Near Completion; Construction, Cultural Plans Move Forward

By Donald Gilpin

The Paul Robeson House of Princeton (PRHP) is preparing to open its doors to the public in time to celebrate in April of 2025, the 127th anniversary of Robeson’s birth.

Restoration and reconstruction of the house at 110 Witherspoon Street where Robeson was born is approaching the final stages, and the board of directors of the Robeson House is currently launching a campaign to raise $600,000 to help complete the project.

“From foundational work to the completion of essential walkways, entrances, and gallery windows, each step forward is a testament to the enduring strength of our community,” the board wrote in a recent letter to supporters. more

Despite Opening Just Before the Pandemic, The Martin Center for Dance has Thrived

CELEBRATING AN ANNIVERSARY: The Martin Center for Dance is marking its fifth anniversary with a special open house on January 17. Pictured from left when the school opened are Mary Barton, Maria Youskevitch, Mary Pat Robertson, and Kirk Peterson. Douglas Martin is seated in front. All are still affiliated with the school.

By Anne Levin

Just a few months after opening the Martin Center for Dance in Lawrence five years ago, longtime dancers/choreographers Douglas Martin and Mary Barton were hit with what could have been the worst news possible: the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the couple, who are married, were quick to realize the possibilities of online teaching. As a result, the fledgling school has not only survived — it has thrived. more

SPIA Speaker Andre Barnes Calls for Tighter U.S. Policies on Immigration

By Donald Gilpin

Andre Barnes

Immigration policy was a decisive issue in the recent election, as it has been a widely debated issue around the world and is certain to be a controversial topic in Washington and throughout the country when the Trump administration takes office in the new year.

Andre Barnes, the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) engagement director for Numbers USA, spoke to a group of about 25 at Princeton University’s School for Public and International Affairs (SPIA) earlier this month, discussing how mass immigration impacts Black Americans. NumbersUSA describes itself as “a nonpartisan public policy organization,” though its restrictive position on immigration is strongly favored by conservatives.

Barnes stressed his focus on “the humanitarian dilemma in immigration policy.” He noted, “Helping one category of person deserving compassion can undermine another category also deserving compassion,” claiming that “domestic humanitarian concerns” can clash with “international humanitarian concerns.” more

Producer of Popular Podcast “Inconceivable Truth” To Discuss Search for Family with Fellow Journalist

By Anne Levin

Growing up on Long Island with his mother and stepfather, Matt Katz had little contact with his biological father — or the man assumed to be his dad.

It was later in life, when his future wife took him to meet her grandmother, that he started to wonder. The grandmother commented that Katz, who like his fiancé was raised Jewish, actually looked Irish. Katz was, by then, a well-known journalist. His curiosity was piqued.

He decided to take a home DNA test. The results were shocking. He was half Jewish, and half Irish. Since his mother’s first husband, the man thought to be his father, was Jewish, it didn’t make sense. more

Scott Fitzgerald and Jimmy Stewart Give a Princeton Touch to Christmas 2024

By Stuart Mitchner

One of my most vivid memories is of coming back West from prep school and later from college at Christmas time.

—F. Scott Fitzgerald

My preferred Santa of the moment is the one trudging up the Union Square subway stairs on the cover of the December 16 New Yorker, a heavy red bag slung over his shoulder, one hand on the railing, snow falling. I like the noirish urban darkness of Eric Drooker’s image, the way the Con Ed building is framed, the fading portrait of a beloved city against a blank sky. I also like the touch of mortal menace. Will Santa make it to his next stop before he’s mugged or run down by a drunken driver?

The Poetry of Gatsby

The epigraph I’ve used here comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald and may sound routinely autobiographical, but is actually crucial to The Great Gatsby, which will celebrate its centenary next year. Nick Carraway’s line about coming home from college at Christmas sets the stage for the concluding reference to Gatsby’s dream, “which must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.” That’s where the poem that is The Great Gatsby truly ends; the two short paragraphs that follow, about the “orgastic future” and “boats against the current,” are prosaic and workmanlike by comparison.  more

Princeton Pro Musica Rings in Holidays with “A Feast of Carols”

By Nancy Plum

Princeton Pro Musica pulled out all the stops recently for a performance of international music for the season, much of which was arranged by the ensemble’s Artistic Director Ryan J. Brandau. The concert on December 15 attended by a festive full house at Richardson Auditorium brought together chorus, orchestra, and two vocal soloists for an eclectic afternoon of music spanning the globe, multiple centuries, and languages.

Brandau has established a deserved reputation as an arranger and orchestrator, and a significant part of Pro Musica’s program showed off his talents. “Mash-ups” of two or more musical numbers put together are popular in the choral world, and Brandau included several of his own in the performance. The concert opened with a combination piece of “O Come Emmanuel” and “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” as set by Brandau. With supertitles and Pro Musica’s trademark precise diction, Brandau’s composition moved seamlessly between the medieval chant and the 17th-century English carol. Introduced by solo cellist Melissa Meell and delicately accompanied by harpist André Tarantiles, the two selections well demonstrated Pro Musica’s blended choral sound. more

Stepping and Other Styles At Step Afrika! Performance

DANCE, SONGS, AND MORE: Step Afrika! Brings traditional dances, music, and audience participation to State Theatre New Jersey on January 17. (Photo by Sandi Horvat)

State Theatre New Jersey presents Step Afrika! on Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. The production blends percussive dance styles, traditional African dances, stepping, and contemporary dance and art forms. Much more than a dance show, Step Afrika! also integrates songs, storytelling, humor, and audience participation. Tickets range from $29-$99.

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the world’s leading authority on the artform of stepping. Under Williams’ leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America’s cultural exports, touring more than 60 countries across the globe and ranking as one of the top 10 African American Dance Companies in the U.S.  more

“Next Forever” Artist Commissions Announced by Lewis Arts Center

Kate Douglas
(Photo by Stephanie Crousillat)

Princeton University’s High Meadows Environmental Institute, Lewis Center for the Arts, and The Civilians, a New York City-based theater company, have announced the 2024-25 artists of their collaborative initiative, The Next Forever, Kate Douglas and Kate Tarker. The Next Forever is a partnership that seeks to create new stories for a changing planet, exploring how dynamic storytelling can engage vital environmental subjects and provide the vision and inspiration society needs to navigate the challenges of our planet’s future — the “next forever.”

The two artists will spend time on the Princeton University campus as guest artists, engage with faculty and students across disciplines, and participate in an ongoing series of public events and performances over the course of a year-long residency and two-year commissioning agreement. They join last year’s inaugural artists Kareem Fahmy and AriDy Nox, who are continuing to develop the works they began during their residencies last year.

Douglas is a writer, performer, and composer. Her recent work includes The Apiary, nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award; Tulipa through New York Stage and Film; and hag with co-writer Grace McLean through The New Group. She has been awarded residencies at SPACE on Ryder Farm, Swale House on Governors Island, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, Millay Arts, and Goodspeed Musicals, among others. Her upcoming projects include Centuries starring opposite her co-writers Matthew Dean Marsh and Raina Sokolov-Gonzalez at Ancram Center for the Arts. She holds a certificate in sustainable garden design from New York Botanical Garden. more

African American Spirituals To Be Sung by Keith Spencer

The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) will ring in the new year with “Lord, Write My Name – The Gospel and African American Experience in Spirituals,” featuring baritone Keith Spencer and award-winning composer/pianist Peter Hilliard.

This concert at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Titusville at Washington Crossing on Saturday, January 18 at 3 p.m. will weave together iconic African American spirituals and powerful narratives, poetry, and letters written by enslaved and free Black historical figures

SSAAM is Central New Jersey’s only museum telling the rich local and regional stories of African Americans from the time of the transatlantic slave trade to the present day. With the support of the Preserving Black Churches grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the organization is honored to continue this important work with its first special event of 2025.   more

Hearing Mendelssohn’s Music In a Unique, Unexpected Way

On Saturday-Monday, January 11-13, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the Princeton University campus, Princeton University Concerts (PUC) presents an opportunity for audiences to continue getting to know Felix Mendelssohn’s music in a unique way with a new “Future Presence” program in virtual reality and spatial sound developed by Mahler Chamber Orchestra (MCO).

This interactive experience brings participants on a journey through several selections from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 61, including the famous “Wedding March.”

“Last year, the North American premiere of this novel experience was wildly popular and elicited such unexpectedly emotional reactions,” said PUC Director Marna Seltzer. “Of course this is not a replacement for live concertgoing; rather it is an entirely new and exciting way to experience music in an interactive, immediate, immersive, and truly beautiful way. I am excited for this season’s version to take participants through musically narrative excerpts of Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The theatrical nature of this score is thrilling to experience in this new medium.” more

Gourgaud Gallery to Present Works by Maguire Morolda

“GLAD, HAPPY MEETINGS”: Paintings by Kathleen Maguire Morolda will be featured at the Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury January 4 through January 26.

Gourgaud Gallery in Cranbury will present a collection of artwork by board member and local professional artist Kathleen Maguire Morolda January 4 through January 26.

Color is the key to Maguire Morolda’s paintings. Inspired by the natural beauty of the environment, she draws most of her creative energies from the natural beauty of her home state of New Jersey. Maguire Morolda awakens the imagination of the observer through the creative manner in which she blends shape and color.  more

“Art and Nature” Exhibit Coming to Trenton Library

“BELL’S WOODLANDS”: This work by Jean Burdick is featured in “Art and Nature,” on view at the Trenton Free Public Library January 11 through March 8. An opening reception is on January 11 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Trenton Artists Workshop Association (TAWA) and the Trenton Free Public Library will present the exhibition “Art and Nature” at the Trenton Free Public Library from January 11 through March 8. This a continuation of the art series that showcases the talent of area artists that is slated to continue as an ongoing series. An opening reception is set for Saturday, January 11, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Artists featured in the exhibition include Jena Burdick, Mary Allessio Leck, and Bonnie Christina Randall. more

Former PU Standout Offensive Lineman Travis Helped Iowa State Produce Historic Campaign

COMING UP BIG: Jalen Travis (No. 72) heads upfield this fall for the Iowa State football team. Former Princeton University football standout offensive lineman Travis starred at left tackle for the Cyclones this fall as a grad transfer. He helped Iowa State, now 10-3, reach the Big 12 Championship game for the second time in program history and earn a spot in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla. on December 28 against Miami. (Photo provided courtesy of Iowa State Athletic Communications)

By Justin Feil

Never in 132 years had the Iowa State football team won more than nine games in a season.

Then offensive lineman Jalen Travis joined the Cyclones. more

Ivy League Reverses Field Regarding Postseason Ban, Will Allow its Football Teams to Play in FCS Tourney

INTO THE FRAY: Members of the Princeton University football team burst onto the field as they hosted Dartmouth on November 8. Last week, the Ivy League Council of Presidents has approved a proposal to allow league teams to play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs starting in 2025. The decision, which followed a year-long process initiated by the Ivy League’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), reversed the league’s previous policy of barring its football programs from competing in the tourney despite allowing all other sports to take part in national postseason play. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

This fall, the Princeton University field hockey team lost a heartbreaking 1-0 nail-biter to Saint Joseph’s in the NCAA quarterfinals while the Tiger men’s and women’s soccer teams both suffered disappointing one-goal defeats in first-round contests in the national tourney.

Although those setbacks stung, each squad knew where they stood on the national scene. more

PDS Boys’ Hockey Competes Hard in Busy Week, Edging CBA before Falling to Don Bosco, Now 2-1-1

FAST START: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Jake Harrison races up the ice in action last season. Junior forward Harrison scored a goal for PDS as it fell 7-2 to Don Bosco Prep last Wednesday. The Panthers, now 2-1-1, are on a holiday break and will return to action when they host La Salle College High (Pa.) on January 2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton Day School boys’ hockey team trailing undefeated powerhouse Don Bosco Prep 2-0 in the second period last Wednesday, Jake Harrison seized opportunity.

“They were on the power play, we were short-handed and their defenseman got the puck flat-footed,” said PDS junior forward Harrison. “I jumped him and I got a breakaway. “ more

Sparked by Sophomore Dandy’s Finishing Touch, PDS Girls’ Hockey Gets Off to Sizzling 3-0-1 Start

FINE AND DANDY: Sammy Dandy goes after the ball in action this fall for the Princeton Day School field hockey team. Sophomore Dandy, who led the Panthers in scoring in 2024 with five goals, has brought her finishing touch to the ice for the PDS girls’ hockey team. Dandy has piled up six goals to pace the Panthers as they have produced a 3-0-1 start. PDS, which defeated defending New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state champion Pingry 7-3 last Thursday, hosts Immaculate Heart on January 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Sammy Dandy helped spark the offense this fall for the Princeton Day School field hockey team, emerging as the squad’s leading scorer with five goals.

This winter, sophomore star Dandy has brought her finishing touch to the ice for the PDS girls’ hockey team, piling up six goals to pace the Panthers as they have produced a 3-0-1 start. more

Growing Hope: 10,000 New Trees Planted to Restore the Sourlands

To the Editor:

On behalf of the Sourland Conservancy’s staff, board, and members, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the residents, volunteers, businesses, and community partners who have dedicated their time and energy to restoring the Sourland forest. This week, we achieved an incredible milestone: planting 10,000 native trees and protecting them from deer browse this year alone. Together, we have planted over 50,000 trees and shrubs since 2020, a vital step toward healing our forest.

Our work couldn’t be more urgent. The New Jersey Forest Service estimates that our 90-square-mile region has lost more than one million trees in recent years to the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect. That’s nearly 20 percent of our forest devastated by a single threat. And the challenges don’t end there: overdevelopment, invasive plants, an overpopulation of white-tailed deer, and various pathogens all compound the damage. These threats impair the forest’s ability to filter our air and water, mitigate flooding, and provide food and shelter for wildlife — including the 57 threatened and endangered species that depend on the Sourlands for survival. more

Something Must Be Done Soon About Princeton’s Growing Deer Population

To the Editor:

All anyone has to do is drive by historic Maybury Hill on Snowden Lane in Princeton to see the deer herd chomping away daily. They are now eating boxwood, azaleas, rose buds, acuba, and many other bushes and plants they supposedly hate. The organic sprays used to deter the growing deer population is essentially  pouring money into the ground.

Today we are spending more dollars on netting and a gardener to install. The dog barking and yelling at them is fruitless. Soon our lovely garden and grounds worked on for the last 25 years will be a desert. The deer live in the our woods and are now in the yard 2 pm.-7 a.m. They have learned that our three-acre property is most desirable since they can use the sidewalk to return home to the woods ( our property as well) and not cross in front of traffic.  more

Questioning Proposed Tax Break Being Granted to Developer of Seminary Property

To the Editor:

It is astonishing that taxpayers are being asked to support the shortfall (estimated at $48 million by the Princeton Coalition for Responsible Development) that will eventually result from the proposed tax break being granted to Herring Properties for a gift in lieu of taxes for the “development” of the plot that belonged to Princeton Theological Seminary. This seems egregious,  especially since we are also being asked to approve a $89.1 million bond referendum in January to help Princeton’s schools.  Furthermore, this comes at a time when another group of schoolchildren, perhaps as many as 100 or more (a conservative estimate of incoming children is 150) is arriving — whom we are in effect subventing.

The reasons given in support of offering this break do not carry weight, especially the claim that the gateway into town will be enhanced.  How does the placement of a large development near the entrance to the borough adjacent to historic buildings and a historic district represent enhancement? Or the massive increase in traffic that will result, especially when people go to work?  As it is I can hardly cross Mercer Street to walk my dog during rush hours. I question the assumption that people will walk rather than drive to get the necessary items that they need to live, when the nearest shopping center is over a mile away. more

Urging Princeton Voters to Approve All Three PPS Referendum Questions

To the Editor:

I attended the school district’s presentation on the PPS Facilities Bond Referendum on December 9 (recording available on the PPS website) and was very impressed with the thoughtfulness of the district plan. I am writing to urge Princeton voters to approve all three Referendum questions on January 28.

Princeton will be welcoming many new students in the next few years. There are over 1,000 units of housing in the pipeline, with more to come. Meanwhile some of our school buildings are already over-capacity and outdated in design. And certain critical infrastructure, such as the HVAC system at PHS, is overdue for replacement. more

Writing in Opposition to January Princeton Public Schools Referendum

To the Editor:

Regretfully I cannot support the upcoming PPS referendum. As a lifelong resident whose father and youngest son both graduated from PHS, I wish I could. As a past coach in district, local business person, and having served on a neighboring school board many years ago, I can’t for numerous reasons.

First and foremost, holding a special referendum costs the tax payers extra as opposed to holding when voters are already casting their votes in an election. The reasons for this seem obvious, either poor planning or hoping that there will be a low voter turnout where the PPS can promote and push enough to pass it. Wasting tax dollars should never be rewarded.  more