Guest Column
Lori Kendall
Give dads proper credit for Manager’s Hall
This letter is in response to an article I read which quoted Dave Stahl, the East Brunswick Soccer Club president (Sentinel, Dec. 13, "Soccer President Tells Panel Five More Soccer Fields Are Needed"). He stated that there’s been no major acquisition of athletic facilities in the township in years, with the exception of the Manager’s Hall, which was built 10 years ago. Mr. Stahl was given the wrong information.
As a lifelong resident of East Brunswick, I have the correct information. Manager’s Hall was built in approximately 1977 by a group of fathers from East Brunswick who had a dream to build a four-diamond baseball complex. These men, along with the township, donated time, materials and knowledge to create the East Brunswick Baseball Managers Association (EBBMA) complex.
If you look back in East Brunswick history to the year 1976, you will find that the EBBMA sponsored a 200-inning game in which 1,560 East Brunswick youngsters participated to commemorate our nation’s bicentennial in hopes of raising funds for a sports complex to be located on Dunhams Corner Road. This game was slated as the longest game in history by the Guinness Book of Records. It lasted three days and was played at East Brunswick High School.
The dream of these men did not stop there. They came home from work every day and went straight to the land designated for the complex. Each volunteered their time and expertise to create a wonderful facility. One worked for Jersey Central Power and Light, some were in construction, and others worked side by side with the township until the complex was completed. So, please give credit where credit is due, not only to the township, but to the men I remember — Grant Webster, Jim Arnott, Ed Mumjy, Joe Cuff, Jim Manfreda, Mario Visco, Paul Clark, Lionel Bannister, Lou Bruno and Bobby May, just to name a few. I am sure that I left out many more who deserve the same credit. And my knowledge comes from being at the field many times with another man who deserves credit — my father, Bill Polcari. Shame on us for letting 25 years pass without having the inspiration and power to build once again.
As for my personal memory of how the township handled field situations, I can tell you that I played softball in the township from an early age up to adulthood. When I was an adult player, our fields were taken away because of developments that were built too close to our fields. The township solved our problem by making a deal with Spotswood, which allowed us to use its fields, and eventually the East Brunswick Women’s Softball League disappeared forever. I spent the rest of my years playing in Milltown and New Brunswick. Shame on me for not fighting for a good cause at that time in my life.
At the present time, I am coaching cheerleading for the St. Bart’s Buffalos. My two children also are involved with this wonderful organization. This year we were unable to use our East Brunswick home field (the fairgrounds) and needed to find a field to host our home game. I found it quite amusing that all these years later, Spotswood again came to the rescue and let us use its high school field. I find Spotswood to be a small town with a big heart.
I have also traveled to many other towns, most not as prosperous as East Brunswick, and have seen beautiful complexes set up for soccer, football and baseball. Other towns open up their high school fields for Pop Warner. I find it funny that our town is constantly trying "trendy" ways to teach our children at school, yet we have no desire to keep up with our neighbors when it comes to athletics.
Wake up, East Brunswick. Our children love soccer, football, cheerleading, wrestling, basketball, softball and baseball. They love sports. Playing a sport is good for the body and soul. Build a complex that will make us proud. Let us be known for our schools and our community athletic programs.
Lori Kendall is a resident of East Brunswick