By Clare Marie Celano
Correspondent
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – The community lost a former administrator, a beloved teacher and mentor, and trusted friend when Thomas Antus died suddenly May 2.
Those who knew him said Antus, 67, who served as the township administrator from 1994 to 2011, was a man who will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.
Following his retirement in Freehold Township in 2011, Antus served as the township administrator in Millstone Township for several years. In his final public position he served as the interim administrator in Colts Neck in 2015.
Antus was born in Latrobe, Pa., and moved to Freehold Township in 1970, where he resided before moving to Jackson three years ago. He taught history at Freehold Township’s Eisenhower Middle School for more than a decade and he also ran the municipality’s summer camp.
Antus left teaching and took a position as the assistant superintendent of the Freehold Township Parks and Recreation Department in 1984. He spent four years managing the community’s recreation programs.
In 1988, Antus was named the township’s deputy administrator and began working with Township Administrator Fred Jahn. When Jahn retired in 1994, Antus was named administrator and he remained in that position for the next 17 years.
While serving as township administrator, Antus oversaw the development of Opatut Park, East Freehold Road, and the construction of the Freehold Township Senior Center, Jackson Mills Road.
Township Committeeman David Salkin shared some of his memories of the man he called “Mr. Holland” from the film “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”
“I met Tom when he was still called Mr. Antus at the Eisenhower school when I was in his eighth grade history and civics class,” Salkin said. “On Tom’s Facebook page, I left him a note telling him he was ‘Mr. Holland’ from the movie, ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus.’ He touched the lives of so many people. I hope he understood how huge that was.”
Salkin called Antus a “teacher, brother, mentor, father, coach, grandfather and confidant,” and “most of all, a friend. A real friend. The kind you could count on.”
Salkin said while Antus may have been the toughest teacher at the Eisenhower school, he was also the most popular.
“I think it’s because as a student, you could see he really cared, and his passion for teaching was contagious in a way that made you want to learn,” Salkin said. “I learned how to learn from him. I think all his students did. And even though he was a tough teacher, we all wanted to do our very best for him, because he was doing his very best for us.”
Salkin and others remembered Antus as a “fashion plate” who came to school every day, usually in a three-piece suit and tie, which the committeeman said was “quietly, another lesson.”
“You came to school or work looking like a professional, expecting the best from yourself,” Salkin said. “And because you expected the best from yourself, people around you pushed themselves to succeed. Tom wasn’t a boss who said, ‘You go there and do that.’ Tom was a leader who said, ‘Follow me. We got this.’ And he made you invincible. Tom was so dapper he could even rock a 1970s mustache in the 21st century and make it cool. Not everyone could pull that off.”
Salkin recalled what he said was “one of the great ironies of life.”
“The man who taught me civics ended up becoming township administrator the year before I was elected to the governing body. The man who taught me about government now worked for me in government.
“The truth is that he did not work for me — we worked together, and, in his usual manner, he was a mentor, a teacher and a confidant I could talk to about anything. As administrator, Tom showed that same sense of calm he showed when teaching. He always got the most out of his staff and Freehold Township is certainly a better place because of his efforts,” he said.
Salkin said Antus was a calm person, except when he was watching basketball or “his” Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He was a fierce competitor by nature, a tennis teacher, a great bowler with the rings to prove it, and a soccer and basketball coach,” the committeeman said.
When the news of Antus’ death became public, many of his former students took to Facebook to remember a man they respected and admired. Here are some of the comments people posted:
“I had Mr. Antus in Eisenhower, he was definitely my favorite teacher …”
“Tom Antus was a one-of-a-kind teacher. One of the best.”
“I remember competing with him shooting paper wad balls into the garbage can in the corner for extra points.”
“Sad news. I have credited him many, many times over the years with my love for U.S. History.”
“Best tribute a teacher can hope for – the remembrances of students.”
“I had Mr. Antus in seventh grade at Eisenhower. He was one of my favorite teachers, who I will never forget.”
“I still remember the Preamble to the Constitution and the swearing in oath of the President because of him! And I learned how to throw trash into the wastebasket properly, too!”
“500-word composition if you missed your shot to the wastebasket!”
“What a wonderful teacher he was.”
Freehold Township Mayor Barbara McMorrow said Antus will be remembered for his accomplishments as a teacher, coach and administrator, his dedication to his family, friends, colleagues and the residents of Freehold Township, and his sense of humor and common sense.
“When combined with his business acumen and his warm personality, Tom was the perfect definition of an administrator who served the township by planning for its future while remembering its past,” she said.
McMorrow said Township Committee members are “heartbroken to have lost such a beloved member of our family,” and she added that “residents and coworkers were blessed” to have known him.
Township Committeeman Anthony Ammiano worked with Antus from 2000 to 2011. Calling Antus a “special man, a true humanitarian and public servant,” Ammiano said he was very sad to hear of Antus’ passing.
“Tom not only made a difference to those of us who knew him, but also to others who never met him,” Ammiano said. “He was the ultimate public servant in the truest sense of the word: selfless, devoted and honored to serve. Freehold Township has lost an extraordinary friend. I am sure we all share the loss. Tom’s always winning spirit and ‘will do attitude’ will be missed.”
Township Administrator Peter Valesi worked with Antus from 2008-11 as the assistant administrator. He called Antus a “true professional and a gentleman” and said Antus “was rarely flustered and was always in control.”
“Tom was a mentor to most of his subordinates, constantly challenging them to understand more about the township as a whole to better perform their responsibilities,” Valesi said. “He also cared deeply about his employees, personally and professionally. Tom had a knack for teaching people without making them feel as if they were being taught.’”
Antus worked as the administrator in Millstone Township from October 2011 through 2013. Millstone Township Mayor Bob Kinsey expressed his sympathies, saying it was “truly a sad day for the Antus family and their extended family in Millstone Township.”
He called Antus a “generous individual, consummate leader and mentor to the people he worked with.” Kinsey said although Antus retired in 2013 to spend more time with his family, he continued to make himself available to those who sought his input and guidance.
“Tom will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Antus family at this most difficult time,” the mayor said.
Antus is survived by his fiancée, Wendy Cascaes Hickson; his daughter, Casey C. Rizzo, of Howell; his sons, Christopher Antus of Texas, and Thomas J. Antus of Verona; and his grandson, Ryan Rizzo.