Plaques laud contributions of the late Bessie Grover and the late Robert S. True
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY The New Jersey African American Legacy Program, in concert with the Solid Rock United Pentecostal Church Inc. of Montgomery, will host a dedication ceremony at the Bessie Grover Memorial Park on Camp Meeting Avenue 1 p.m. Friday to honor two outstanding black Montgomery residents the late Bessie Grover and the late Robert S. True.
"We are proud to rededicate this park and our public works facility to the memory of these two exceptional individuals who left a legacy through their heroism and dedication to service," said Mayor Louise Wilson.
This year, the Solid Rock Church received a grant of $5,000 from the New Jersey Department of State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission. Solid Rock Church decided to direct this funding to the New Jersey African American Legacy Program.
Montgomery resident Renee Carr, the program’s director, has researched the lives and achievements of blacks during Montgomery’s early years.
"I decided to do this," said Ms. Carr, "because African Americans of the past here in Montgomery Township have a rich history and heritage that needs to be shared and I want to get our young people more interested in the history of the town in which they live."
Two plaques have been purchased and given to the township by the New Jersey African American Legacy Program. One plaque, affixed to a 2-ton boulder, which was donated by 3M Corp., is for Ms. Grover who, at the age of 74, rescued four people from a burning house.
The other plaque, for Mr. True, will be affixed to the Robert S. True Memorial Department of Public Works Facility on Harlingen Road, named in his honor in 1983. Mr. True was roads foreman for the Department of Public Works for 16 years and a 30-year township employee.
The event will be attended by Mayor Wilson, school officials, state Assemblyman William Payne (D-Newark) and others.
A short reception and refreshments will follow at the Otto Kaufman Community Center, 356 Skillman Road. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Ms. Carr at (908) 874-5094.

