BY JAY BODAS
Staff Writer
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Edison Township public schools educator Nicholas Romanetz welcomes Kathryn Johnson to his retirement party at the Pines Manor last week. Romanetz retires later this year after having worked as a teacher and administrator in Edison for more than 35 years. EDISON – Nicholas Romanetz is a Vietnam War veteran and decorated Marine colonel. He has been an accomplished athlete and coach, a serious, hard-working educator, but also knows how to play a good practical joke now and then.
But most importantly, he is a good friend to many.
Those were just some of the ways in which the school district leader, who served in the Edison Township public school system for more than 35 years, was described by attendees of his retirement party at the Pines Manor.
“At [Edison High School’s 1960] Thanksgiving Day football game, Nick came in and scored a touchdown,” said Board of Education President William Van Pelt, addressing a crowd of almost 200.
Van Pelt was a year behind Romanetz during their high school days, and they played on sports teams together.
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Educator Nicholas Romanetz and his daughter, Melissa, enjoy a moment together at his retirement party at the Pines Manor last week. “Then we got the ball back, and we did the same play,” he said. “Straight down the right-side lane, and Nick ran it down to a second touchdown in the last few seconds of the game. That’s Nick right there, a fighter to the end.”
Friends said Romanetz, 63, has been an accomplished football and softball coach – as well as fervent sports fan – as much as he was a talented athlete.
Romanetz coached football at J.P. Stevens from 1972 to 1993 and was the first varsity softball coach at Stevens, a position he held for nine years. He also served as freshman softball coach at Edison High School for 11 years.
“We have had quite a few principals and vice principals, but only two softball coaches,” said English teacher Pete Catenacci, who has been a softball coach at J.P. Stevens for 24 years.
“He didn’t want to give it up,” Catenacci said. “I remember he was always so meticulous. For example, he had kept in pencil on loose-leaf paper all the [players’] stats from every year. At one point, the walls of the cafeteria at school were covered with the stats for every sport. He had that school pride in athletics. We may be the only sport at J.P. Stevens with all stats from 32 years’ worth of seasons.”
Former J.P. Stevens High School Principal Fred Riccio described a recent Rutgers football game, which he had watched alongside Romanetz.
“He is a big Rutgers fan,” Riccio said. “We were recently in Las Vegas, sitting watching the Rutgers-Louisville game on TV. All the while, Nick was hooting and hollering whenever Rutgers had the ball. Then, in the last few seconds, when Rutgers kicked the winning field goal, Nick broke the record for the highest vertical leap, and when he came down … he strained a tendon in his foot. He was limping for the next three days.”
The game had an effect on Romanetz.
“I could hardly walk very well for a day and a half,” said Romanetz. “I still can’t jog, but it’s getting better. My wife told me I’m not 25 anymore, so to not act like I [am] …”
Dedicated educator also came to mind when other friends and colleagues spoke.
“Nick was very proud of his military training and carried it into his educational career,” said Schools Superintendent Carol Toth during her welcome speech. “You felt you were at the Pentagon when Nick conducted faculty meetings to prepare for the HSPT [High School Proficiency Test]. He would bring a blackboard into the meeting to map out the military strategy. Even today, when you call his home, there is a military theme to his answering machine message.”
Unsuccessful callers to his residence in Clinton Township are greeted with a recording of his voice saying, “The colonel and his family are not home at the moment. They are on maneuvers, probably at the mall.”
One can hear Romanetz struggling to keep from laughing during the message.
Romanetz’ military career included active duty in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer from 1967 to 1970, in which he served at besieged Khe Sanh Combat Base during the Tet Offensive of 1968.
“We were surrounded by 20,000 to 40,000 NVA (North Vietnamese Army) who were trying to kill us,” Romanetz said. “It’s something you think about while taking a deep breath. But I managed to get out of there without a scratch.”
As an educator, Romanetz was invited into social studies classes from time to time to speak of his wartime experiences.
“I was invited by a few teachers into their classrooms to talk about my personal experience: the big picture, the social unrest, how I felt I was treated, and things like that,” Romanetz said. “It puts a personal touch on history, and the kids seemed to enjoy learning about it this way more so than reading about it in the book or seeing a video.”
He remained in the Marine Corps Reserve for 26 more years, also serving stateside during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the first Gulf War. He retired from the Reserve in 1997 with the rank of colonel.
Romanetz joined the Edison school system in September 1971 as an elementary school physical education teacher and then served as an instructor in the driver education program for the next 22 years at both high schools.
From 1994 to 2004, Romanetz was an assistant principal at J.P. Stevens High School, and for the last two years, he was principal of Herbert Hoover Middle School.
Romanetz and his wife, Deborah, have been married for 27 years and have two children, Nick Jr., 26, and Melissa, 23.
But at heart, his identifying quality is a fine sense of humor, colleagues say.
“He was always more than willing to talk to our kids in the history department about his war experiences,” said Stevens social studies teacher Sheri Brandstette. “But he is also a lot of fun – I would remember him always making fun of me because I am so short.”
Extremely popular at J.P. Stevens was the Faculty Talent Show, which Romanetz organized for five of six years, beginning in 1999, to raise money for the annual Hall of Honor, which recognizes accomplished alumni of the school.
“Come December, some of the J.P. Stevens faculty members would get together after school to practice in a rock ‘n’ roll band for two to three days each week for two hours at a time,” said history teacher Andrew Boufford. “We played everything from Beatles stuff to Led Zeppelin. The show would be held around January, and the kids loved it.”
“We did one talent show without him the year after he left for Hoover, but it wasn’t the same without him,” agreed staff member Kevin Kearney.
But it was Stevens social studies head Jonathan Miller who summed it all up, speaking of Romanetz’s character.
“He kept the morale of the school up high, kind of like the heart and soul of the school,” Miller said. “He was always willing to listen to people and was a great administrator … one of those rare individuals who could connect both sides of town.”
But after a brief pause, Miller smiled and offered one last thought.
“Nick Romanetz bled green and gold.”
pelin. The show would be held around January, and the kids loved it.”
“We did one talent show without him the year after he left for Hoover, but it wasn’t the same without him,” agreed staff member Kevin Kearney.
But it was Stevens social studies head Jonathan Miller who summed it all up, speaking of Romanetz’s character.
“He kept the morale of the school up high, kind of like the heart and soul of the school,” Miller said. “He was always willing to listen to people and was a great administrator … one of those rare individuals who could connect both sides of town.”
But after a brief pause, Miller smiled and offered one last thought.
“Nick Romanetz bled green and gold.”