By Clare Marie Celano
Correspondent
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Arthur Kondrup, 88, will be remembered for many things, including his service on the Township Committee, his five one-year terms as mayor and his unfailing dedication to Freehold Township, a community he loved.
Kondrup, who died on Jan. 9, is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia; five children and 11 grandchildren. Much of his adult life was marked by service to his community.
Kondrup was a native of Jersey City who moved to Freehold Township in 1966. He served on the Township Committee from 1973-86 and was mayor in 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981 and 1982.
His daughter, state Superior Court Judge Teresa Kondrup Coyle, said her father loved people.
“He often told us that when he was growing up, his parents moved quite a bit. When he was ready to start a family, establishing roots and connections was very important to him because it was something he was never able to do (before). When he and my mom looked for their ‘forever home,’ they found Freehold Township. He built a home and knew he was ‘home,’ ” Coyle said.
She said once the family arrived in Freehold Township, her parents became involved in community service at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Freehold Borough and in Freehold Township.
“My dad was a genuinely nice, funny person. The way he was in public was the way he was at home. He would light up when people came into the room. We shared him with the community, but we got a lot back,” she said, adding that she and her siblings participated in community service over the years. “We learned through his example. He also loved connecting people to one another in order to make things happen.”
Dorothy Avallone, a former mayor and member of the Township Committee, met Kondrup in 1973 while she was serving on the township’s Recreation Commission. Kondrup was already serving on the governing body.
“We became close family friends and stayed friends for over 45 years,” Avallone said. “Our children grew up together and we considered ourselves family. Arthur is responsible for my political career. He saw something in me that I did not see myself. He told me I would be mayor of the township someday. I had seven children and didn’t have time to read a newspaper, never mind run for political office.”
But Avallone eventually did run for office and served on the township’s governing body for two decades. And as Kondrup had told her, she did serve as Freehold Township’s mayor for several one-year terms.
She said Kondrup served on the committee at a time when the township’s growth was booming.
“Arthur had a vision for the township and the foresight, intelligence and planning ability to know what Freehold Township needed. He not only had the vision, but also put in place good government,” Avallone said, adding that Freehold Township would not be what it is today if not for Kondrup. “Arthur set the foundation for the way the township is still run today.”
Avallone recalled visiting Rochester, N.Y., with Kondrup in the late 1980s to meet with representatives of Wilmorite, who wanted to build the Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township.
“They gave us a tour of their malls and we were pleased with the designs. The malls were beautiful and well maintained,” she said, adding that it was important to see the malls Wilmorite had developed before any building began in Freehold Township.
“Arthur’s work and his accomplishments in Freehold Township are obvious, as was his dedication and devotion to Freehold Township,” Avallone said, adding that Kondrup was a great friend to her family. “We could always count on Arthur.”
According to his obituary, Kondrup was born and raised in Jersey City. He graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in industrial management and earned an MBA in corporate finance from New York University’s Graduate School of Business.
Kondrup worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, for McGraw-Hill, for Greenwich Mills Company, for Saker Enterprises and for Wilmorite.
He was a member of the State Planning Commission and an assistant commissioner with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection before serving as the first chairman of the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing. In that position, Kondrup worked to implement the Fair Housing Act of 1985 (commonly know as the Mount Laurel court decision).
Kondrup worked for the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce as its president beginning in 1998. While there, he worked with another longtime resident of Freehold Township, Loretta Kuhnert, who was the organization’s marketing executive.
“I was happy to have a leader with such vast experience in both corporate and community environments to work with. Arthur was a larger than life presence with his booming voice and confident demeanor,” said Kuhnert, who became the chamber’s president when Kondrup retired in 2007.
Kuhnert said that as dedicated as Kondrup was to making the chamber a success and taking it to the next level, his love for his family always came first.
“He was extremely proud of the accomplishments of all his children,” she said.