LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Aug. 14
Sad to see shoe shop close
To the editor:
On July 17, I took a pair of shoes to John’s Shoe Shop on Tulane Street only to discover that the 17th was the last day for shoe repairs. I had known previously that the shop was closing because of a sign that had been posted stating, "We are retiring We will be closing on or about July 31, 2007. Thank you, Princeton: It has been a pleasure serving you for 35 years! Please pick up your shoes before July 31."
How sad to realize that after 35 years of quality service the only shoe repair shop left in Princeton would be closing.
I guess when you’ve grown up in a town where neighborhood grocery and candy stores, restaurants and repair shops were there to give service to the community there is a sense of loss for that hometown service when another establishment closes. Like its neighbor, Verbyst Cleaners, John’s Shoe Shop is now among the many long standing Princeton service establishments that has closed to make way for corporate buildings, trendy shops and parking facilities.
The man who worked behind the lattice partition at John’s Shoe Shop was Mr. Jules Persicketti. For many years he made it possible for customers who brought in their old comfortable shoes to walk out with those same shoes looking like a new pair or a new pair of shoes fixed to fit comfortably. His quality of work required a skill that technology has replaced and that personal touch of an artisan’s work is gone.
I went to John’s Shoe Shop to personally thank Mr. Persicketti for repairing many pairs of my shoes for at least 25 years. I am certain that there are numerous residents who will cherish his quiet manner and quality service and who also wish to thank Mr. Persicketti for his skilled dedication to the Princeton community.
Shirley Satterfield
Quarry Street
Princeton
Musician laments Laycock departure
To the editor:
I am a tenured, 15-year veteran of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and was as surprised and distressed to hear of the departure of Maestro Mark Laycock as a great many members of our community were.
The musicians of the Princeton Symphony have received only the same vague information provided to the press that "there is going to be a change in leadership of the orchestra" but as of this writing no further explanation has been forthcoming. Both the community and the orchestra members who have been so loyal to Maestro Laycock over the years deserve an explanation.
I have watched and experienced Mark take our tiny community chamber orchestra and turn it into a symphony orchestra that Princeton could be very, very proud of. Audience members came not only from Princeton and other parts of New Jersey to hear us play, but also from as far away as New York City and Philadelphia, with their own fine musical groups. It was not unusual for enthusiastic members of our audience to come up to us after concerts and say that our orchestra rivaled anything they heard in New York City.
Having played viola professionally in this country and in Europe for about 30 years, I can say with all my experience that we PSO musicians have been truly fortunate in working under Maestro Laycock. As a member of the symphony I was able to experience first-hand the incredible talent, musicality, and vision that he possesses.
We were a musical organization that was molded by this fine conductor so that we grew to work beautifully together and knew what we could expect from one another. Mark not only directed the Princeton Symphony; his musical partnership with our musicians gave the PSO its identity. That kind of symbiosis is extremely rare in the music world. That’s why I am so distressed, as are many, many of my colleagues.
I am equally distressed by PSO President Caren Sturges assertion that "it’s going to be exciting for the musicians to have an experience with someone else, because we have never had a guest conductor."
To say that it’s going to be "exciting" for the musicians to have an experience with someone else because we’ve never had a guest conductor is ridiculous. All of the musicians in the PSO are fine professionals who have played under many, many well-known and not so well-known conductors. What was "exciting" was playing under someone who understood how to make music with all of us who had been together for so many years.
The Board of the PSO has made a grave mistake in not doing everything in its power to keep Maestro Laycock at the helm of Princeton’s wonderful treasure of an orchestra. I fear that PSO will never be the same in terms of vision, talent and personnel.
Certainly the PSO musicians with whom I’ve spoken since the news broke are questioning whether or not they even want to continue with the orchestra without Maestro Laycock. Is there anything that can be done by the board to renegotiate and reach an agreement to restore Mark Laycock to the Princeton Symphony Orchestra?
Jacqueline Watson
South Logan Avenue
Trenton
Proper credit for restoration
To the editor:
Thank you for the article on the Princeton Battle Monument restoration in Aug. 7 issue. We would like to clarify our role in the project.
The restoration of the Battle Monument presented complex technical challenges that were addressed by Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects and its consultants. These included: analysis of past treatments that had caused damaged to the sculpture; performance of tests of every possible restoration method and material; preparation of detailed specifications and drawings of the required structural and material repairs; and specifications for appropriate conservation treatments for landmark sculpture. The State of New Jersey facilitated our work in every way possible and was the ideal client. The contractor, Aegis Restauro, executed the work in a very capable way.
We applaud Kevin Wilkes and the Princeton Parks Alliance for bringing light to a wonderful work of art and architecture, and look forward to the illumination ceremony in September.
Michael J. Mills
Partner
Farewell Mills Gatsch Architects
Plainsboro
Excessive suits against police
To the editor:
I have read in the Princeton Packet and other media concerning the fact that Ms. Linda Fahmie has made a claim of $5-million against the Princeton Borough Police Department. In my opinion five million dollars is excessive in the worse way possible.
My late father who died in 1997 was a lawyer. Prior to 1989, my father told me about a case in the Baltimore, Md., vicinity where a teenager was involved in a rumble and the teenager was shot in the chest. The teenager employed the services of a silk stocking Baltimore law-firm because he begged jailers to take him to the hospital. The teenager claimed that authorities initially ignored his pleas to be taken to the hospital and once he was finally taken to the hospital he was rushed into emergency surgery. This teenager was only awarded $75,000.
Many years back Joe Morgan, a baseball Hall of Famer, won a judgement of $600,000 for a false arrest.
If Ms. Fahmie is turned down by an avalanche of attorneys in attempts to be represented by counsel she should drop her litigation. If Ms. Fahmie wins a judgement in the future in a court of law, it is highly likely that attorneys representing the Princeton Borough Police will use an unlimited avenue of appeals.
Since I was not on Route 206 when Patrolman Basatemur pulled Ms. Fahmie over it is very hard for me to decide who is in reality in the right and in the wrong. However I will say this, I have known Chief of Police Anthony Federico for over 25 years and in my opinion he is a man of honor and integrity. It is a fact of life, when any municipality in the whole world is sued, it is customary for the municipality to be very zealous in fighting a lawsuit.
Ethan C. Finley
Princeton Community Village
Holly House
Princeton
Remember these military veterans
To the editor:
Each day, during these trying international times, we hear, see and read of our military soldiers serving our country abroad. There isn’t a newscast that doesn’t mention something about our soldiers involved in war or conflict such as the strides they are making, the setbacks they’re experiencing or the fatalities they’ve incurred. These soldiers aren’t just serving our country they are fighting for peace, to end the war on terrorism and to help the plight of Iraqi and Afghanistan citizens. And we are so proud of them.
Yet, as we approach the 14th anniversary of The Salvation Army’s Vets Camp, I think of the veterans who will attend this session and their valiant and faithful service in our military during both war and peace. Though they’re no longer in the forefront of the media, they should never be forgotten. After all, without their service to our country, I believe we would be in much more dire straits both on our home-front and overseas.
The New Jersey Division of the Salvation Army is proud to provide a five-day respite for veterans in continuing outpatient programs from the East Orange and Lyons veterans facilities. These Vets and their families are provided this unique opportunity to enjoy our 400-acre residential camp in Pittstown. They’re able to spend quality time with their families and take part in numerous activities which for many is truly a rare treat a godsend.
I urge everyone to daily remember our veterans as well as our active duty service people as we pray for world peace. If anyone would like to memorialize a family member or friend who has served our country and defended our nation, please consider sponsoring a veteran for camp that begins on Aug. 23. For information or to make a Vets Camp donation, please call Tricia Pellegrini at our divisional headquarters, (908) 851 -8227 or visit www.salvationarmynewjersey.org.
Major Donald E. Berry
NJ State Commander
The Salvation Army

