FREEHOLD — Borough Councilman John Newman has been caring for and maintaining Gere Park on Throckmorton Street for about five years — cleaning it, pulling weeds, planting flowers, and just making sure it is a setting befitting the hero for whom it is named.
The small memorial park is across from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.
According to Newman’s research, Cpl. James A. Gere, for whom the park is named, was the first Freehold resident to die in World War I.
Gere enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 17, 1918 as a private. He earned the rank of corporal on May 6, 1918.
A monument in Gere Park states, “This tree planted Nov. 11, 1928, in memory of Cpl. James A. Gere, Co. G., 39th Infantry 4th Division, who died on Aug. 30, 1918, of wounds received in action at Chateau Thierry, France, (on July 18, 1918). Presented by John Gere and David V. Perrine.”
John Gere was the corporal’s father, Perrine was a community resident, according to Newman.
Newman said he learned that the tree that is at the park now is not the tree that was planted in 1928. The current tree is a replacement tree which was planted in 1961.
Freehold Beautiful Inc. provided additional plantings for the park in 1981.
Newman began “adopting” the park, in his words, five years ago with borough resident Brian Sullivan, and assistance from Taylor Landscaping, Freehold.
“We cleaned it up, removed trash, planted flowers, pulled the weeds, and we adopted it as our own,” he said.
Now, Newman wants to give a fresh look to the site that is near the railroad tracks on Throckmorton Street.
Mark Kosloski, the president of McRoberts Security and Technologies, which has offices in a building next door to Gere Park, informed officials there were problems at the site, including what may have been illegal activity.
The Freehold Borough Historic Preservation Advisory Commission got involved and named a committee that will provide guidance and advice with the assistance of professionals.
Newman said he and borough resident Marianne Earle met with Kosloski and reviewed the plans that Freehold Beautiful used for its work at Gere Park in 1981.
Residents may submit ideas for an updated design for Gere Park and business operators may provide an estimate for work they would propose to undertake at the site.
Newman brought his idea to redesign the park to his fellow Borough Council members on Sept. 17. The idea received support from the members of the governing body.
Newman said his research revealed that Gere had a niece, Ann Veronica Mahon, who was born, raised and died in Freehold Borough in 2006. Mahon lived on Morris Street. He said Gere had no children and that the only living relative he could find was a cousin in Florida, which gave him all the more reason to take on the responsibility of caring for the park.
Newman and Earle are running as a team on the Republican ticket for Borough Council seats in the Nov. 6 election.
For more information or to support the effort at Gere Park, Newman may be reached at [email protected].