Asbury Park, NJ - Our Generation Bungled Education & the Kids...

Welcome to TishTrek - THE JOB BLOG!

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis said, "If you bungle raising (your) children, nothing else matters very much." The same standard applies to our country... For decades we have bungled raising America's children in Bruce Springteen's backyard and beyond... In my view, it means our generation has failed these kids.

How could this happen in Asbury Park, NJ - a sleepy oceanfront community located just miles from the epicenter of one of the most affluent markets in the world? How could this happen in the iconic town where Springsteen's glory days began at the famous Stone Pony?! 

I'm posting this blog for the 17 & 18 year old kids who literally cannot write for themselves... and who find themselves frozen and failing in the dysfunction of a mandatory educational system that has not lived up to the values, tenets and commitments of our U.S. society. No winners here - everyone is at fault except the innocent students who are relying on our generation to right what went wrong.

For too many years, the vitriolic debates have raged on between school administrators and government agencies; between unions and politicians; and they have left parents from statistically 'good' school districts deaf to the desperate cries and blind to the tears of parents in the 'at risk' districts from Washington, DC to Camden, NJ to Newark, NJ to Detroit to my beloved New Orleans... At this point, all the adults engaged in the contrived 'philosophy of failure' war need to stop. 

To put this demand in context, allow me to start with a long-overdue apology to the students, parents and teachers associated with the Asbury Park High School System: I'm so sorry. 

Here are the devastating and disturbing facts as they were reported by the NJ Department of Education on 10/27/10 in the Asbury Park Press for the 2008-2009 school year: This wake up call from America's high school students in Asbury Park is heart breaking... 

1) 72% of its students failed the High School Proficiency Assessment in language arts 

2) 86.1% failed the math portion

3) After three tries, ONLY 34.9% were able to pass the HSPA 

4) Average SAT scores are 325 in math and 330 in verbal 

5) In 2008-2009, the total cost spent per pupil per year = $21,177

6) In 2009-2010, the total cost per pupil per per year = $26,782, (Updated this Blog Post with Opinion Page Data from the The Asbury Park Press, May 2nd, 2011)

On April 27th 2011, the fate of more of our kids came into focus as the Associated Press reported data from U.S. Census figures: 

"Among adults in the United States 25 and older, only 10.6 million U.S. women & 10.5 million men have master's degrees or higher. Measured by shares, that's about 10.2 percent of all U.S. woman have advanced degrees compared to 10.9 percent of men.**"

** Please Note: Women still trail men in professional sub-categories such as business, science and engineering.

"When it comes to achieving a bachelor's degree, roughly only 20.1 million U.S. women and 18.7 million men have reached that goal." That means that only 38.8 million out of 350 million people in the United States have accomplished the educational requirements in a bachelor's program." What do these facts say about the current curriculum requirements and government mandates; and all the fancy teaching tools, technologies, processes and methodologies we refuse to change?

Hundreds of billions of U.S. tax dollars have been invested in both statistically 'good' and 'bad' schools every year for decades... so how can it be that a whopping 311,200,000 of our citizens completed no 4 year post-secondary education programs at all? Maybe we have to rethink what we are preparing (prepping) these kids for in high school during these valuable years they can never get back? 

Not every child aspires to go to college and that's fine when it's their choice and/or if they have the skills to opt for an entrepreneurial path. But we're not talking about having 'choices' today. We're talking about stubborn adults and people in charge whose refusal to change created the very systemic environmnet that has left too many kids unfairly locked in a savage system of failure. Given these facts, why on earth are all the so-called 'good' K-12 school districts cheerfully patting themselves on the back so hard? Answer: They avoid statistics they don't want to be measured on.

FACT: The public screams they don't want U.S. jobs moving overseas at the same time POST-high school failure rates continue to sky-rocket for districts across the nation. I've been a global recruiter for two decades and I know first hand that this fact is undermining the U.S. talent pool and at a minimum it will take more than a generation for our nation to recover from what we've done to ourselves. 

It's wrong that as soon as college acceptance letters arrive @ high school guidance departments,'another group' of students become 'somehow' immediately unaccounted for. I call them the lost generation of the 'high potential / privileged kids' who just drop out of college & out of sight. 

I've witnessed helicopter parents drop off the face of the earth from the exhaustion brought on by 'their' own behaviors during those high school years, while K-12 school districts simply desert these tweeners in droves** (**the teens operating be'tween' high school & adulthood) for fear they'll drag some school statistic or magnet success factor down. 

What this means is that no one is capturing the challenges or solving the unique problems facing these young people who started out with 'promise' & 'privilege." Find me one professional in any high school who is studying why high school alumni are dropping out of colleges in record numbers? 

Let's use my dart board management approach to guess the answers we can't get from school administrators: What happened to 'our' kids? 1) Couldn't manage college level course-work despite the A's in high school? 2) Mom stopped writing the research papers? 3) Parents lost jobs/got divorced/ whatever... which crippled the financial & emotional landscape of the family? 4)Simple time management challenges? 4) The school choice/culture didn't work out? 5)Too much alcohol or extra-curricular fun without understanding these behaviors will undermine the best scholastic & athletic effort? 6) Home sick? 7) Can't make Dean's List to give parent's bragging rights? 8) A mental health issue or crisis that came out of nowhere? 9) Lost confidence or footing in this new environment?

Whatever the issues, what are the answers for change? Perhaps we can create a "High School-to-Life Transition Office" in high school guidance departments so kids can go back where they were educated and comfortable to get advice on how to find on-campus solutions to resolve college challenges like all the managable issues listed above. "Favorite" teachers & respected D.A.R.E. officers often casually fill this role for the kids who were more outgoing and connected to faculty during their high school years, so the idea has roots in a path some kids already take to get help.

The thinking is that because local taxpayers pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the education of residents for the first 13 years, it would be helpful for the country to know what the Return-on-the-taxpayer-Inventment turned out to be by the time students reached their 3rd year 'out' of high school. If we identify the issues, we have a chance at adopting approaches to benefit the next generation of kids we are responsible for educating.

I believe if we focus on what it is this young group of citizens is facing, we can help them by educating & coaching them more thoroughly on the pitfalls of college life that most students can survive if they have the skills & knowledge necessary to fight back. But forget this idea because no one has had the courage or stomach to own the grim 'tweener drop-out rate' in our nation's history and that's why so few people know that the only 11.09% of U.S. citizens possess a Bachelor's degree. 

Good gosh - now we have to discuss the 12 million-plus immigrants unaccounted for in the recent U.S. Census; those who arrived in the country creatively and with language barriers. How are we going to get the necessary life skills and knowledge to their kids so they can thrive successfully into adulthood in their new country? 

Obviously these courageous 'at risk' kids use the power of prayer to drown out the screams demanding they return to their countries of origin. The Foodtown in Red Bank NJ will confirm that their fresh flower supply is often sold out & depleted daily by Mexican Day Laborers and their beautiful children who purchase the flowers to lay them with reverence at the foot of a statue as they pray to the Virgin Mary. Children praying in any language on our soil cannot be left out of the education loop just because adults haven't figured out solutions to the adult issues of our time.

The obscene funding for repeat failure in Asbury Park - that is in 2011 the $21,177 per student X 13 years in K-12 years equals $275,301 in tax dollars spent per child. If it's a family with 4 children, this city spends $1,101,204 to educate this one family. How did we get to this place where no one is accountable for these statistics when our nation has a giant 'vested' & 'financial' interest in making sure that each & every child can read by the time we're done funding them? 

Would it be better to use the $275K per student to assign one tutor per family in high risk areas to make darn sure they are leaving high school with marketable skills and the potential to succeed? In the face of decades of repeat failure in Jersey City, NJ - The idea of charter schools began with one grandmother's belief that perhaps students should be allowed to leverage 'community tax dollars' designated for them to opt for an 'alternative path' to education. The hope was that it would lead to a college degree or vocational certification program; and/or that at a minimum these students would leave high school with the credentials to take care of themselves and their families by the age of 20. I'm routing for grandma! 

U.S. taxpayer money already supports a two-tiered system for secondary education comprised of magnet and comprehensive high schools. The idea was to create schools which offer a select group of students a high-quality education often combined with a specialized education in arts, sciences or technology. Students have to pass entrance exams to attend. Though they are located in the same socio-economic areas, magnet high schools dramatically outperform comprehensive high schools in all measurable academic indicators including state assessments, college acceptance and drop-out rates. To achieve these goals, states have been redistributing tax dollars from the local sending districts for years. 

The quality of most magnet schools are great. But explain to me how a system of alternative schooling and the distribution of tax dollars designated for a child across district lines is okay for gifted students, but a system someone is willing to create is NOT okay for 'at risk' kids who need to be saved from the failure rates in Asbury Park, Jersey City & Camden? 

Many of the magnet high school programs do not serve second-language learners, so these students must attend comprehensive high schools. When the comprehensive school has a 40 year past-performance history of failure, and busing those kids out to any sending district is resisted & blocked by all the usual suspects, it's obvious why parents would seek comfort and results in an 'alternative' route & environment that could include the prospect of a Charter School.

Should we turn to our State Universities for help? Maybe they should get the tax dollars we set aside for high school students starting in junior and senior year. The goal would be for kids to leave HS 'somewhat' college-trained and on-track for an Associate's Degree or technical vocation. I continue my mantra as a global recruiter: If kids can't read or add or spell, there are few jobs they will ever qualify for. 

For the kids who 'want to' or 'must' move to paying jobs right out of high school, the Dept of Education could partner with Home Depot, professional offices, Lowe's, banks, Wal-Mart, McDonald's, health clubs and other local small businesses to help those who aren't college bound. Why can't we create BIGGER Tax Credit Programs for companies that participate in educating our kids during high school; or reward companies that offer college tuition reimbursement to those high school students who become full time employees,(Details about incredible corporate tuition programs are in an earlier blog post, but shhh - the high schools don't explain these FINANCIAL options to kids or parents either. We don't want to ruin a pre-set statistic that gives the district Magnet School status).

Perhaps we can give kids "DeVry Tech School-like" vocational credits for participating in the partnership with companies designed to transfer knowledge on how to use computers beyond texting, run cash registers, count money, make cash deposits, cook or serve food, paint houses, work in medical facilities, call centers, packaging plants, banking centers, whatever... 

As I mentioned, my recruiting teams have been hiring America's young adults in Corporate America for 25 years and too many have arrived clueless about rudimentary skills and tasks. So I'm asking you to do DO ANYTHING we can think of so all 'our' youth leave school believing they can do something if the traditional scholastic route has failed or is not an option. 

There has to be some brave leaders somewhere in this country with the skills, competencies, educational credentials and business experience who can show us how to save this new generation of children from the terrible fate we banished them to? 

You see, my daughter graduated from a comprehensive high school in a statistically 'great' district in New Jersey surrounded by teachers & mentors who supported and challenged her. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in three years because teachers inspired her to push herself, (it had nothing to do with my husband and me). As she marched into her first job in NYC in 2010, it was great day for my kid and our family... but what about all the other kids and their families? 

I'm disappointed and ashamed that so little has been done to help the children in Asbury Park who are less than 10 miles up the road from me.

My generation did this, so I apologize to all the students living in the shadow of Bruce Springsteen's backyard and across this nation... 

I know many of you can't read this blog, but I give my word that I will participate in forward-thinking ideas & solutions to help you and your friends succeed. 

I promise.

With respect & hope,
TishTrek

Quote of the Day by John F. Kennedy: "Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."

Celebrating 'The Leader of Our Band' ~John Conaghan's 90th St. Patrick's Day!

~The Leader of Our Band ~

"I thank you for the music

And your stories of the road"

John and Nadine Conaghan 

67th Wedding Anniversary 

Married March 13th, 1948

Irish Fiddler and wood carving master 'Tis Himself' John Conaghan of Point Pleasant NJ is my second cousin. This week he's in a rehabilitation center celebrating his 90th St. Patrick's Day at the same time he and his wife Aunt Nonnie (Lipsio) Conaghan are celebrating their 67th Wedding Anniversary, (Wedding Date:  March 13th, 1948!).     

The Irish eyes of our family are smiling with great joy because Uncle John's passion for music, art, singing and hand-crafted instruments has kept us inspired as we've worked tirelessly to build our lives in America.

Our family's history in the United States was launched by brave and strong people during difficult times. 'Uncle John,' which is how we address him, is my mom's eldest first cousin who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean at the age of 5.  

He left his home in Donegal Ireland and arrived in New York on a ship that sailed from Dublin. He accompanied his mom - the extraordinary Grace (Cecily/Boner) Conaghan - and baby sister, Cecilia (Mellett). They joined Grace's sisters in Hudson County NJ - my maternal grandmother, Margaret Cecily Sharkey, and great aunt, Mary Cecily Stroh.

These three courageous Cecily/Boner sisters were the daughters of Dominick (1862-1952) and Cecily Boner (1877-1956) of Leffin, Burtonport - County Donegal. Yes - Ireland's Soccer Legend 'Packie' Bonner is their great-nephew and another cousin!

In the Land of Opportunity, John's mom and dad made their home in Bayonne, NJ.

We now find ourselves one hundred and eighty-nine first and second cousins down this road and our beloved patriarch and his beautiful wife - a dedicated nurse for 50-plus years - continue to teach lessons executed "by example."  

We learned the meaning of courage, hard work, loyalty, friendship and respect for others because Uncle John and Aunt Nonnie still live these tenets to this very day.

The true meaning of "To have and to hold from this day forward… for better, for worse; in sickness and in health" was the foundation for their partnership and it is the loving time-bound promise to each other still on display today. 

Their relationship and Uncle John's music served as a kind of glue in the lives of many. I know because this glorious second cousin and his Nonnie became two of my very best friends. 

All I ever have to do is sit in their living room and I'm comforted and embraced by the ceremony and tradition that is our family.  An unconditional moment does not get better than this.

The oldest of nine children, Uncle John enlisted in the U.S. Navy in his late teens. This proud veteran of World War II served part of his tour on board the U.S.S. Tillman DD# 641. It was a remarkable journey that took him around the world and trained him in many trades as he fought for freedom on behalf of his adopted homeland.

He shared these stories with us often because his love for America and the opportunity She gave him and our family was never lost on him. 

We turned out in force along the parade route a few years ago when Point Pleasant honored him as a Grand Marshal on Memorial Day. They celebrated his service and commitment to country. As he waved to the crowds from the backseat of a little blue car, it was his smile that made us dance with pride.

Uncle John was a former Sand-Hog who helped dig and build several of the traffic tunnels leading in and out of New York City. He was in the housing and construction business for over 40 years.

When he retired from that, he transferred his great skills and many gifts to his "First Love" - music and instrument building!  

Over the past 24 years, he has hand-carved over 75 fiddles and other instruments. Since he was five years old, he has taught himself how to play every musical instrument that ever interested him.

"He earned his love through discipline
A thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls
Took me years to understand"

The hand-crafted Bodhram (Irish single-skin cylindrical drum) made just for me and signed by him in 2009 is the reminder that will keep the beat that is his music at my back for the rest of my life.   

He has been recognized from one end of New Jersey to the other as a 'Man of Excellence.' He and his sons, Michael and Patrick Conaghan, formed an Irish band in the early years and they've been delighting audiences and generations of our family at festivals ever since.  

The band played on and 'our' Fiddler shined to the delight of new friends during a visit to the hospital just last week.

We learned from watching Uncle John that a positive attitude was clearly "the key" if you expected to scale and/or beat challenges ranging from the worst-of-times to life-threatening illnesses. Because of him our whole family can tell you that anything is actually possible. 

His greatest lessons were the ones he lived including: No matter what's happening, try to live with the music of a fiddler in your heart! Become a fan of someone or something and watch how your own passion propels your life forward! 

In 1963, Uncle John was 40-years old when cancer struck, he had four children at home (Michael, Maureen, Patrick and Kathy) and was told he had six months to live.

At age 75, new illness hit; it was 1998 and there was no chance he'd make it home from the hospital.

At age 86, we were witness to another miracle as he played the fiddle he had just 'hand-carved' to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and his latest recovery!

Uncle John once told me that when he sang on the radio in Jersey City at age 7, he was too young to realize that "once artists use their gifts to lift the hearts of others, the musician's blessing lasts a lifetime."  

A few years ago, he told me he knew that playing his fiddles and violins often placed him close to the face of God and that he was grateful for that.    

We celebrated Uncle John's 90th birthday on Christmas Day and signs of a slowdown were caught in the glow of the lights that decorated our family tree. 

Last week, my hero - my Uncle John - fell while walking across a room. Despite a broken femur and the surgery that saved it, all he wanted was his fiddle.  

This week when I visited him to congratulate him on his 90th St. Patrick's Day and to wish him a Happy 67th Wedding Anniversay, he didn't know who I was... 

Then he smiled back, picked up his home-made four-stringed instrument and a slender stick with horsehairs and played the most incredible song I ever heard.

“The Leader of the band is tired

And his eyes are growing old

But his blood runs through my instrument

And his song is in my soul”

Dan Fogelberg – ‘The Leader of the Band’

~Amen~

Women's History Month: Happy Birthday to Soraya Lamilla (March 11th, 1969 - May 10th, 2006)

In my little town I grew up 'believing' because incredible people - like Soraya Lamilla - were always within my reach to watch.  

Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas was born on March 11th, 1969 at Point Pleasant Hospital and passed away in Miami on May 10th, 2006. 

To celebrate Women's History Month it's an honor to share Soraya's story and her legacy. She was a creative and intelligent young woman whose passion for music, poetry and breast cancer awareness made a difference in the lives of others across the globe.

Soraya, who used only her first name during her career, succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 37. Upon her death, Gannett Newspapers and the Asbury Park Press wrote, “Soraya stood out at Point Borough and around the world.”  

She was a remarkable woman with many gifts and a purpose.  She was Point  Borough High School's 1987 Valedictorian. And if you followed her brilliant short life, you knew something magical and special embraced this gifted child who transformed before our eyes into one of the most beautiful women on the planet. 

Many students call me "Mrs. Ferg" in the halls of the Loren D. Donley Center For The Performing Arts at the Borough High School. Teenage performers like Soraya always managed to leave wonderful moments and performance details etched in the hearts and minds of local fans like me. 

With joy, I've yelled "Bravo" since 1973 to make my point everytime the echo of magnificent voices inside this auditorium moves me to my feet. Soraya was no exception - her talent and the eclectic mix in her awesome repertoire fascinated me at every turn.

As a child, 'our town's' gorgeous American daughter of Lebanese immigrants from Colombia travelled from her Point Borough home to Cali, Colombia - her family's hometown - so her earliest musical influences included a mixture of Colombian folk and pop, as well as American artists such as Carole King and Fleetwood Mac. 

"Our" Soraya sang and wrote flawlessly in Spanish and English and we loved it!  She shined on the stage in front of local audiences who adored her; when she travelled across the Route 35 Bridge on her way to Rutgers University with determination and many goals, the good wishes of our community went with her. 

She graduated from Rutgers with a dual degree in English literature and French philosophy. Each success was followed by a new success leaving her local fans pleased.

Our hometown gal played at coffee houses across New Jersey before giants in the music industry discovered what we - her local fans - already knew. The caliber of her talent was absolutely incredible! They signed her and her introduction to the entire world began. Beyond her striking silhouette, none of us saw the dark shadow that would steal her from us during the second act of her young adult life.

By age 31 - when the first diagnosis of cancer arrived - she had already scored No. 1 hits all over Latin America and Europe. Soraya enjoyed sold-out shows worldwide, working with Rod Argent and Carole King, touring with Sting, Michael Bolton, Natalie Merchant and Zucchero, and recorded duets with Japanese multimedia artist Ryuichi Sakamoto, German singer Erkan Aki and Arab superstar Andy. 

Every time I caught a news clip of Soraya's achievements, from deep within I rejoiced with a quiet "You go, girl!" When she beat her cancer into remission, I cheered, "You go, girl!" again.

When she was inducted into the 2000 Alumni Hall of Fame by The Point Pleasant Foundation for Excellence in Education - the local standing ovation welcomed her home!   

In 1996, Soraya was voted MTV Latino Best Video by a Female Artist for “De Repente.” Dozens of other awards followed. This global and Ocean County recording star and Latin Grammy winner used her fame to become an influential spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the National Institute of Health, Cancer Cares, and other organizations dedicated to education and awareness of breast cancer around the globe.

None of us could have imagined that she would become one of the most recognized voices in the Latino music world, who also volunteered to become “The Voice” in the international Hispanic community in the fight against a disease that had already taken the life of her mother, aunt and grandmother. The title song of her first album, 1996's "En Esta Noche/On Nights Like This," was a tribute to her mom's struggle.

If this disease ever touched the life of someone in your first circle, then you can only imagine what the outreach of this sensational international mega-star meant to women and families in small villages and communities throughout the world.  In 2004, she was poignantly honored by Billboard Magazine with its Spirit of Hope Award. 

Nothing could stop the rhythm of Soraya's movement against breast cancer.  It didn't matter where she was performing because her enchanting voice represented a 'common language' that was understood by people who spoke any language in any room. The content of her outbound messages helped victims of this disease survive and helped families cope.

Before she died, she courageously wrote, "My physical history may come to an end, but I am sure that the one that exists in your hearts will be present for all eternity. I'm confident that my existence will leave a footprint in your lives and benefit many women in the future." 

All these years later and Mrs. Ferg is still applauding as the refrain from my soul screams out, "Bravo Soraya!  Well done Sweetheart - the intensity of your indelible footprint still lives on in the hearts of millions - including mine!"

Soraya's commitment to this cause that found her was extraordinary. It was as if she was holding the guitar her parents gave her at age 5 and the violin she loved to play as she created the perfect pitch and a tempo all her own to write this to fans - including me - the day before she died:

“I have not lost this battle, because I know the fight was not in vain. Instead it will help end a larger battle, which is early detection to prevent this terrible disease.”  

In celebration of Women's History Month, I'm proud to honor Soraya Lamilla - our beloved poetic artist and musician - who lit up the stage at the Loren D. Donley Performing Arts Center during her teen years and went on to shine her own special light on the world.  She educated others about the disease that took her life; and she leveraged her amazing voice to speak a common language for the benefit of women everywhere. 

1st World Trade Center Bombing ~ 22-Years Ago ~ 02/26/1993 to 02/26/2015

1^st WTC Bombing: 22^nd Anniversary of February 26^th, 1993

                                                            Photo-John Grcic

This week is the 22nd Anniversary of the first World Trade Center (WTC) Bombing Attack.  On Thursday good people of all faiths will gather in small Downtown Manhattan churches to quietly honor family members, fellow commuters and how they lived before they were savagely silenced without a moment's notice in 1993. 

Do you remember where you were standing when this particular attack on our nation took place?   Oddly enough, most people do not. 

On February 26th 1993, followers of ‘Blind Sheikh’ Omar Abdel Rahman of Egypt and Jersey City blew a breathtaking 10-story gaping hole inside the World Trade Center using explosives placed in a U-Haul truck they had rented from a gas station at the foot of the Bayonne Bridge on Kennedy Boulevard in New Jersey.  They operated undetected between this location and a storage facility on Route 440 as they executed the first phase of their plan.

Their aggressive terror goal was to use an underground parking garage under the World Trade Center to wreak havoc on U.S. soil inside the economic capital of the world while killing you, me and any Westerner in their path. 

Their extended plan to drown thousands more of us on this same day inside the NYC subways by puncturing a hole in the Army Corps of Engineers wall which holds back the Hudson River on the West Side of Manhattan failed that morning. 

At the time it didn't feel like America was paying much attention and some of us who lived and worked in this corridor of the Tri-State area were worried that enough people had not fully grasped the magnitude of what this event meant to our region and our nation's health, welfare and security. 

Twenty-two years after this bombing, we remain convinced we were right.

In the end, the first World Trade Center attack left only 6 dead and 1,042 injured, and the terrorists vowed to come again.  On September 11th, 2001 Islamic Extremists finished the job Sheikh Abdel-Rahman tactically managed, launched and started not in the shadows but in broad daylight on both sides of the Hudson River in the years leading up to 1993.

People who know me know that I stood with a handful of commuters on the deck of a SeaStreak Commuter Ferry in the middle of New York Harbor - a working mom grasping my husband's hand petrified and helpless as the ‘enormity of horror’ called 9/11 played out. 

For us a dangerous phenomenon that had our full attention in 1993 had returned with a vengeance before our eyes and there was nothing left to do but pray in the middle of NY Bay as our captain raced to pick up the first 300 people fleeing for their lives at Pier 11 on the East River. 

From Downtown NYC to the Atlantic Highlands the SeaStreak crew helped lead a remarkable 9/11 recovery effort that would later become known as the largest boatlift in human history, (BOATLIFT, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience -www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDOrzF7B2Kg - Narrated by Tom Hanks). - It was a commute from hell that transcended time, place and comprehension. 

As our navigation route took us to the south-east side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, a blinding mushroom cloud erased our magnificent and incredible towers as they succumbed to the terrors of our society.

Then, a fellow passenger screamed out that the Pentagon had been hit! 

There we were - a few hundred passengers on a simple commuter ferry alarmed, dazed and stunned, some with tears streaming, some with more fear than others - all of us frozen-and-bound together by a silence louder than any voice we had ever heard. It was the voice of "terrorism." 

How did we arrive at this terrible place in our country's history is the question that never leaves me… 

For years as I hustled to my job in Hudson County as a Recruitment Director at ADP Brokerage Services Group, the infamous Blind Sheikh sat a mere arms-length from me and all commuters on a cement wall in the open square (Journal Square, Jersey City) surrounded by dozens of doting and adoring followers - all men in their young twenties - dressed in traditional garb.  They would arrive daily by NJ Path Train from across the Tri-State region to circle at the Sheikh's feet.

Across the street from my office was a make-shift mosque one floor up from the Chinese restaurant in Journal Square, Jersey City.  For years, hundreds of men operated daily as ‘welcome friends’ in this neighborhood as they made their way to this temporary location for afternoon prayers. 

After the 1993 WTC Attack, it was confirmed that this exact spot of worship had been hijacked and abused as a camouflaged safe house by Sheikh Abdel-Rahman who used it to advise a few hand-picked pupils on how to conspire to harm and murder others. It was the Blind Sheikh – an Islamic Extremist - who left the beautiful embracing arms of Jersey City brutally broke at the elbows on the boulevard.

After the 1993 bombing was carried out, followers cheered inside clandestine hallways across New York and New Jersey; others did the same openly to honor the Blind Sheik's leadership, conquest and success.  It hurt, but few noticed. 

On and after 9/11, the world watched more dancing in the streets across the globe as crowds burned American flags in a symbolic salute honoring the hatred that resulted in the cold blooded killing of 3,000 more innocent victims on the U.S. homeland.  But... through it all the strength and resilience of the American people was never far behind.  

This Thursday family members and friends of America's 1993 victims will take their somber trip to Lower Manhattan mostly alone, but once again this year they will be able to run their fingers across the names of loved ones that are now etched for eternity in marble and granite at the WTC Memorial Site. 

Those who died represent you and me - all of us who travelled through the World Trade Center complex to get to work or NYC culture in those days. 

Some of those injured are still working to repair the physical and emotional wounds so they can one day move on… 

In a twist of fate not to be believed a few who were injured but miraculously survived in 1993 ended up living 8 more years only to be injured or killed in the second wave of hatred and violence on 9/11.         

For many of us living and working in the urban trenches across this region these experiences altered our lives, attitudes, thinking and shattered our sense of security forever... 

Events like this are supposed to do that, but as a teenager I fortunately encountered the most engaging history teacher of my life - the amazing David Oxenford at Pt. Pleasant Beach High School - who taught students it was a civic duty and our awesome responsibility to research, learn, face, assess, reassess, remember and respect history. 

As difficult as it is to relive these events, thanks to Mr. Oxenford I remain focused on what happened more than two decades ago… 

I believe reciting the events of February 26th 1993 is the best way to honor the 6 commuters who were murdered and 1,042 injured. ~ How and why they were selected and killed by Islamic Extremists must always matter. 

I left Mr. Oxenford’s classroom knowing full well that a failure to understand history and its reach and/or to participate in ‘collective apathy’ always creates conditions and opportunities for 'all' history to repeat itself. 

Here we all are in 2015, living the reality of history’s warning twenty-two years after the 1^st WTC Bombing.  The Islamic State (ISIS) is hidden in plain sight creating new Killing Fields across the globe...

It’s important to tell you that the Blind Sheikh was mostly invisible to us in Jersey City… until he and his followers came out of the shadows to kill us on February 26^th, 1993.

~ May God Bless America on this 22^nd Anniversary & always.

From Wikipedia

The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,500 lb (680 kg) urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device[1] was intended to knock the North Tower (Tower One) into the South Tower (Tower Two), bringing both towers down and killing thousands of people.[2][3] It failed to do so, but did kill six people and injured 1,042.

The attack was planned by a group of conspirators including Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal A. Ayyad, Abdul Rahman Yasin and Ahmad Ajaj. They received financing from Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, Yousef's uncle. In March 1994, four men were convicted of carrying out the bombing: Abouhalima, Ajaj, Ayyad and Salameh. The charges included conspiracy, explosive destruction of property and interstate transportation of explosives. In November 1997, two more were convicted: Yousef, the mastermind behind the bombings, and Eyad Ismoil, who drove the truck carrying the bomb

A Calling to Deliver 'The Dream' - NJ's Charlie Brady & Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Pt. Pleasant Foundation for Excellence in Education honored Charles A. Brady and inducted him into the 10th Annual Hall of Fame on Friday, March 9th as a 2007 Community Leader Award Recipient.

 In the 1960’s, on the inside flap of a book entitled, “My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Coretta Scott King sent the following handwritten note to Mr. Brady, “Charley - With deep appreciation for your concern and support of those ideals of love, justice, truth, peace and brotherhood. May our common efforts hasten the day when Martin’s dream will be realized. Coretta Scott.” 

In discussing the selection of Mr. Brady for this award, Foundation President, Dr. Rob Coombs, “Our members are in awe of Mr. Brady’s background and the ideals he lived for over four decades. We are honored to highlight the life of this local resident and extraordinary humanitarian.” 

Mr. Brady’s commitment to children and his efforts as a peacemaker, promoting nonviolence and equal treatment for all races caught the attention and gained the support of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr. early on – a relationship of mutual respect and friendship between the King Family and Mr. Brady dates back to 1965. He would later author a biography on Dr. King for the National Catholic Encyclopedia. 

Mr. Brady, a Certified Financial Planner since 1981, graduated from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark where he won 2nd place in the NJ State Wrestling Championship. After graduating from Seton Hall University in 1958, he served as an assistant to the vice president of a major gas corporation. Mr. Brady’s strong desire to help others led him out of Corporate America and into the Immaculate Conception Seminary where he was ordained a priest in 1966. 

He served in several black communities in New Jersey, while assigned assistant pastor of Holy Spirit Church and St. Peter Claver Church in Orange and Montclair. Among his many accomplishments, he taught Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy to black youth, and established athletic teams that won 3 national championships in 8 years. Mr. Brady’s efforts as an educator, coach, mentor and father figure inspired many of his students to become athletes and stars in college; and most became productive members of their communities.

Mr. Brady was a guest of Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Convention; he had also been a guest in the King home; and often represented Mrs. King at functions in New Jersey. Mr. Brady’s commitment to civil rights during this volatile time in the country’s history was met with resistance in some circles in NJ and as a result, Mr. Brady was forced to repel a mob mentality that was behind a no-holds-barred effort to remove him from the important work of his parish. 

Mr. Brady prevailed and he again found strength and support in the words of Mrs. King when she wrote in a letter dated, August 30th, 1968, “Dear Charley, ... the trouble you described in the Newark school was in many ways painfully familiar… it certainly requires more love, courage and strength to prevail and endure than it does to retaliate in kind. Your courage and determination to lovingly demonstrate the nonviolent brotherhood so desperately needed in the world is a source of inspiration and encouragement… With love, Coretta.”

Mr. Brady lives the tenets of courage and encouragement everyday. Beyond the establishment of the youth sports teams that won 3 national championships, he also helped kids, who could count on his commitment to them, win 4 eastern championships, 8 state championships, and 23 count championships. He established and coordinated an alternative high school in Orange, NJ for students who could not learn within a normal structured environment. No matter what the challenges, Mr. Brady worked tirelessly to build confidence by inspiring each kid one unique student at a time. He helped every child find a place to contribute something meaningful because his experiences proved to him that every child had something meaningful to share.

A year after resigning from the priesthood, Mr. Brady met his wife Carmie. A year later they married and had three sons: Matthew, Scott and Patrick, all of whom were exceptional athletes and graduates of Pt. Pleasant Borough High School. When Carmie Brady passed away from cancer @ age 50 on May 21, 2004, Mr. Brady and his sons decided her spirit would live on through a not for profit organization called The Carmie Brady Foundation which is dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults facing cancer and other devastating illnesses. 

The Foundation - carmiebradyfoundation.com - has successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. "The Brady Bunch" Walk for the Cure Team is 500 volunteers strong and growing. This remarkable family has committed to raising $20,000 a year for five years to support the Carmie Brady Room at Hope Lodge. Hope Lodge is a beautiful building located in the heart of New York City, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Cancer patients from all over the world can stay at the lodge free of charge while they are receiving treatment at any hospital in New York. 

After receiving his CFP designation, Mr. Brady taught the course at Monmouth College. He established Associated Financial Planners, in 1982. Matt and Scott are partners in the business along with Robert Clayton, another Pt. Pleasant Borough graduate. Patrick was an NCAA Division III All-American Wrestler and graduated from the College of New Jersey in May, 2007.  Following his dad's lead, he became a dedicated teacher and coach.

Mr. Brady’s biography has appeared in Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who in the East. He has appeared on CNBC’s Money Talk and other TV programs. He is a 30 year member of the Elk’s Handicapped Children Committee and was 2003 Shillelagh of the year for the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, a club that has given over $300,000 to local charities and families. He is on the Presidential Advisory Committee of USAllianz, Franklin Templeton Funds, Hartford, and ING. He was also named to “America’s Best Financial Planners” by the Consumer’s Research Council of America in 2006.

In 2003, this past President of the Sea Girt Chamber of Commerce was selected NJ State Businessman of the Year by the National Congressional Committee; he has founded organizations dedicated to supporting people in the field of Financial Planning and he has been a contributor to countless other local organizations including: Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Friends of Manasquan VFW, “Think Tub” - a group dedicated to raising funds for sick children; and he is a loyal repeat sponsor of the Pt. Pleasant Athletic Boosters Association and the Pt. Pleasant Foundation for Excellence in Education.

In conclusion, Dr. Coombs adds, “Mr. Brady’s mentor, Dr. King, often called for “personal responsibility” in fostering peace. The personal responsibility displayed by Mr. Brady throughout his life honors Dr. King’s legacy and all of us in untold ways. We are thrilled to induct a humanitarian and citizen of Mr. Brady’s caliber into the Hall of Fame.” 

************ 

On a final note, I know champions and winners when I meet them or interview them because I've had the privilege to live among them and to work next to individuals like Mr. Brady all my life. How about you? Are there people who set the standards for excellence in your life? If so, don't forget Brian Molko's quote: "Imitation is the highest form of flattery." Let's imitate Charlie Brady and offer some help.

#1 Killer of Women: A Lesson From Mom

By Tish Ferguson @ TishTrek

February, 2015 

February is American Heart Month and 2015 is the 12th Anniversary of Go Red For Women Day! Don’t forget to celebrate all the women in your life!

On February 2nd, I lit up my Jersey City office in a radiant red outfit in a symbolic gesture to show support for the fight against THE #1 killer of women - heart disease! I did it for my beloved mother and to celebrate women everywhere.

Twelve years ago this horrible disease erupted in a final heart attack which silenced my mom's incredible voice and closed her gorgeous blue eyes forever.

Perhaps this year her story can save the life of someone else's mom, daughter, sister, wife, aunt, cousin or friend as we finally use our courage to talk a few important women's health issues through?

How many anniversaries do women have to statistically miss before we realize it's time to put a big neon sign on every package of cigarettes with a warning label that reads, "Using this product to indulge in this particular repeat behavior has a good chance of putting you in a Medical Center where doctors will break open your chest cavity while they put you on a heart-lung machine so your heart can keep a beat with the help of technology while they clear your clogged arteries?"

The last instruction on the warning should read, "Please take a moment to think about the millions of women who used this product and whose lives were cut short by 16 years before you make the choice to send nicotine-induced plaque through your own system! Now you may proceed to the cash register."

Mom grew up in the 'Salutatory Age of Smoking' - meaning smoking was welcomed as an acceptable & highly fashionable habit which was picked up by her and millions of other American teenagers & young adults in the 1940's, 1950's and beyond…

This act was greeted as some kind of tribal right-of-passage that everyone went through on their way to adulthood. And okay - let's join the chorus... Big Tobacco's marketing, advertising & branding campaigns were the best Madison Avenue had to offer in those days, but in the end even that Madison Avenue hunk - 'The Marlboro Man' - died of cancer.

Some people can stop smoking without a moment's notice or on a dime as some would say. For others - like mom - they could engage in a lifetime-of-trying and still fail at kicking the habit. We all know people in this category.

My wide eyes were fixated on her beautiful silhouette throughout my elementary school years and I mostly saw the strongest and smartest woman I had ever known. By 8th grade, mom had all of us convinced we could become President of the United States if we put our minds to it and worked hard. I never once noticed the outline of a cigarette in her hand. 

In our house, eight kids certainly made for a lot of mouths and egos to feed, but mom made herself available to be everybody else's rock too. She was that special woman so many people turned to and called for help. And yes - I mean "everyone" - including friends, friends of friends, colleagues, cousins, strangers and foes alike!

If you knew the number of teenagers who turned to the embrace and warmth of my parents for loving support between the 1960's and 1980's or counted how many of them actually lived in or dined with us at our home - your definition of "selfless" would be altered forever.

That term "selfless" would stay with mom until the day she died in 2003. Twelve years have passed, so I guess it's okay to ask if being selfless is actually a healthy choice at all times? In the early years, it never dawned on me that perhaps she never left enough time or energy to focus on herself...

In 1984 my father - her husband of 32 years - was killed in a tragic car accident which made her a widow at age 51 with kids still at home.  Through her grief, she fought with determination and resolve to become a top real estate broker in our region and she succeeded.  

This focused effort was for financial survival but she also managed to leave an indelible example for her kids and grandkids.  We saw for ourselves that a person can rise up out of the worst of circumstances and prevail as long as they didn't give up.  

"How did she do it?" I started wondering when my own children arrived. At times, could it be that exhaustion, bad news and life's challenges impacted the quality of her life, stamina and will power? Was her smoking habit event-driven?  Did she find comfort in her cigarettes?  On all counts - of course she did. 

I've figured out that logic tells women one thing; but life's challenges, demands, stress and our own emotions beat to a drum that can take all of us off the proverbial cliff if we're not careful! So why don't we all take better care of ourselves?

What happened to the airline rule of putting the oxygen mask on ourselves first before assisting others? An instruction so simple to think about, but so difficult for most women to achieve.

What I do know is that my mom waged a 40-year valiant and silent battle that didn't feel like anyone else's business until I lost her when she was only 69 years old.  I make it a point to 'Go Red' just for mom because her story can help other women and their families not only during American Heart Month but for the rest of their lives.

I remember mom wearing the nicotine patches, literally smoking pipes and cigars, attending hypnosis & smoking cessation courses with a friend named Jude at the community college, chewing that special gum, and submersing entire cartons of cigarettes in wastebaskets of water to banish the tangible temptation from our home. Each effort was short-lived. Nothing worked. But she never ever stopped trying.

In the 1960's & 1970's she was ahead of her time as she exercised-for-endorphins to the greatest hits of Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass - that was before there were ever aerobic classes in any neighborhood! My love affair with brass instruments started because mom used them as a backdrop to jump-start these moments to good health and actions designed to make a difference. Sadly priorities - other than her own - always got in the way.

She walked the Pt. Pleasant Beach Boardwalk with the best of friends and relatives seeking inspiration and motivation; she cleaned our house like a fiend to eliminate all smells & signs of smoke, (I'm talking wall washing & windows open in winter!). She literally hated the smell of cigarette smoke.

When I put all her efforts into one paragraph a few years ago, the reality screamed at me that "she had fought hard" so it's no wonder she would warn all her grandchildren before she died to navigate away from this deadly habit and product that required bringing fire from a match close to her radiant face every single day.

As I anxiously waited for her to survive through seven vascular surgeries of the legs, neck and beyond, followed by quadruple open heart surgery and abdominal aortic surgery, the painful reality regarding the power of nicotine could not be more clear. It mostly controls you including when and how you'll die.

One unbelievable moment of clarity arrived without warning or a label to prepare me. My mother requested I drive her straight to a 7-11 store for cigarettes as the first stop from open heart surgery @ Jersey Shore Medical Center to home. The request left me breathless and defeated.

I didn't want to; and I knew others would have made a different decision, but I did it. Mom was sitting in my car with a heart-shaped pillow protecting the giant incision up-and-down her chest and she was suffering. My gosh - It had been hard enough to watch her in this struggle with herself when she was strong, so pushing back when she was physically weak was not an option that morning.

After I purchased those cigarettes, I could feel my heart silently screaming in pain because it felt as if the razor-sharp scalpels used to save mom's life had just etched a message in my gut that I knew one day I was supposed to write for her: "Don't do as she did; just don't smoke!"