Students, teachers, friends and the Gloucester Catholic community where out in force last Saturday to pay tribute to Tony Sidoti, who has required extensive rehabilitation since suffering the stroke. Gloucester Catholic had designated Saturday, Oct. 20 as \”Support Sidoti Day\’ with a day-long series of fund raisers to help offset the rising costs of his treatment.

High School Principal John Colman said \”Tony is improving and continues with rehabilitation. We look forward to him coming back on a volunteer basis for the short term and see how that goes.\”

The \”Support Sidoti Day\’ began with a 5k run/1 mile walk through the Red Bank Battlefield in National Park. More than 500 people (Photo at top) participated. Corporate sponsors were solicited to underwrite expenses. That evening a Beef & Beer was held at the school gym. The evening consisted of music, dining, dancing. A silent auction and a 50-50 were held.

Photo at left: Even the good Sisters participated in the run

Money is already being given to the Sidoti Fund. In a gesture that punctuates just how well-liked Sidoti is, students who work the chain gang in football and the clocks at various sporting events have donated their pay back to the Sidoti Fund.

Sidoti, who has been on the faculty at Gloucester Catholic for seven years, recently earned a masters degree in Public Administration at Rutgers University.

\”He would do anything for you,\” senior quarterback Mike Calzonetti said. \”If he was asked to coach freshman football, he would do it. He was the tennis coach. Basically, any start-up program, he would coach.\” (Photo below Tony poses with Gloucester Catholic\’s Cross Country team) 

Photos by Dianna Broussard

Gloucester Catholic News Rams Alumni News

To My Dear Sister Rosemarie Miller Collins:  

With Faith in God, as sure as there is sunshine that follows the summer rain, 

So, too, there will be happiness to ease both grief and pain. 

As sure as darkness of night gives way to light of day, 

The problems that perplex your mind with faith will fade away. 

As springtime follows winter 

And earth is born anew, 

You\’ll find you never walk alone If God is part of you.

Rest in peace, my dear sister Rosemarie. 

Warm Regards from Kitakyushu City Japan, With A lot Of Love. 

I\’ll be coming back to Gloucester City from October 26th till November 1st, I\’ll be staying at my brother Joe Miller\’s home on Burdsall ave. Gloucester, City. 

Hank & Keiko Miller

Site Editor\’s Note: Rosemarie, the sister of Hank and Joe Miller, died Wednesday, October 24. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.  

Dear Bill,

Trying to locate old friend and Camden Industrial League (RCA BMEWS), Gloucester City Memorial AA basketball team mate George Reider.

We played many years ago (1960\’s) with the above teams.

Though from Camden, I was \”recruited\” by Rudy and younger (but bigger) brother Bob \”Ish\” Weichmann to play with the Mustangs.

Relations with my friends from the Camden Y were never quite the same.

It seems your \”Cleary\’s Notebook\” is the only place I\’ve been able to find a possible mention of George.

I dug up and attached this old clipping I’ve had since 1962 to authenticate my credentials re Geo and B-ball.

Geo might also be interested to know that I still can hit a \”trey from the top of the key\” and was wondering if he could boast the same!
 

Any info appreciated.

Regards,
John H. Block

(Attached is a Courier Post clipping from April 1962 with George Reider #20 and team mate, John Block #14)

Note from Bill: Anyone with information about George Reider send a comment to this post. If you have information that you do not want publicized, you can send an email to [email protected] and I will forward it to John.

QUINN, JAMES J.
On October 20, 2007, Age 72 years. A lifelong resident of Gloucester City.
Loving father of Michael and James Quinn and Michele Varela. Dear grandfather of 6 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. He was also predeceased by his brother Daniel Quinn.

In lieu of flowers the familyrequests memorial donations be made to either the Memorial AA or the Townsend C. Young VFW Post # 3620.

Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr.

The flip-side of Japan\’s ever aging population is that there are increasingly fewer kids. Record-low statistics from the 2006 put the birth rate at 1.26 children per woman, a count that somehow sound painful-but the real hurt is the one being put on Japanese society.

Pain, in a national sense, is always best expressed in money. In this case, as Japan fades from a Grumpy Old Men-present to a Children of man-like tomorrow, the question is who\’s going to pay for the transition? Forget the pitter-patter of little feet. Oh, for the jingle-jingle of the future tax payers!

And with them a fresh wave of young couples pregnant with the desire for mortgages. Plus an influx of new teens shameless in their lust for more and more consumer goods. Money seems to talk and it clearly says that Japan\’s troubles with a top-heavy population have only just begun-a forceful statement that this past January prompted former health minister Hakuo Yanagisawa to exhort more women to get pregnant can you believe this, and dubbing them \”birth-giving machines\” in the process.

Yanagisawa took quite a lot of flak for that beauty of a remark, riling exactly 50 percent of the voters, plus.

His choice of increased quantity, perhaps what Japan really needs is much better quality.

Personally, I have only one feeling for future generations and the financial burden they will have to bear for the graying of Japanese society, and it is not a pity. My lack of compassion is tied to the fact that I am now on the other side of the line. Every single day I contribute a bit more to the aging of the population. Yet, my feeling has nothing to do with wanting the young to guarantee me a soft landing. No, the emotion I have for them is merely this: envy. I\’d trade my years for financial hurdles any day.

Especially these young. Because for them the expression,\” Youth will be served\” is going to be magnified several times over. Here in Japan we can already see this in a variety of little ways. Take universities and colleges, for example. Schools are already scrambling for the shrinking number of students, with many institutions fearful for their survival.

Set aside the thought that might be just the happy medicine English teaching here needs. Forget, too, that I myself went to school in a different country at a different time. I would have much rather leaned back and absorbed the cultural content of \”The Simpsons.\” Only in my days back in Gloucester City NJ, it would have been \”Green Acres.\”So the current youth is getting a bargain-with more on the way.

But we\’re not getting any younger either so we\’d better take a good look around before our bifocals grow too thick. For out times they are fading. It\’s a young man\’s world and it always has been. In Japan there is just more of it now for the young to have.

Warm Regards from Kitakyushu City, Japan.

Hank F. Miller Jr.

TOMKOW, JAN \’JOHN\’
On October 23, 2007, of Audubon. Age 74.
Devoted father of Diane Brewin (Wayne), Jennifer Tomkow and step-father of Tom Laskowski (Jackie). Dear brother of Stanley Tomkow and the late Joseph, Helen and Sophie. Loving grandfather of Allison, Amanda, Daniel, Gwen and the late Jessica.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the viewing Saturday morning from 9 to 11am at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, BELLMAWR. Funeral Liturgy Saturday 11am at the funeral home. Interment St. Joseph\’s Cemetery, Chews Landing.
Expressions of sympathy may be e-mailed to Condolences@Gardner FuneralHome.com

On October 24, 2007. (nee Miller). Age 66. Of Westville for the last 23 years. Formerly a longtime resident of Gloucester City. Loving wife of 21 years to Philip E. Collins. Devoted mother of Dawn Marie Lee (Carl) of Gloucester City, Amy Gill (Joshua) of San Diego, California and Robert J. Fisher (Tina) of San Diego, California.

Beloved step-mother of Michael Collins (Paula) of Pennsville, Karen Collins of Carney\’s Point and Diane Smith (Harry) of Pennsville. Loving Sister of Harry Miller of Japan, Joe Miller of Gloucester City and Roni Arrera of Bridgeton. Dear grandmother of 2 and step-grandmother of 3.

Rosemarie was a graduate of Saint Mary\’s Grammar School in Gloucester City and the first graduating class of Triton High School in Runnemede in 1959. She worked at Sears Department Store in Deptford for 15 years as a store clerk and retired in 2004. Rosemarie was a longtime parishioner of Saint Mary\’s R.C. Church in Gloucester City. She was a former member of the Gloucester City JAYCEES.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend her viewing on Sunday Evening from 7 to 9 pm and Monday morning from 9 am to 10:30 am at the McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, (at Brown Street) Gloucester City. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 am at Saint Mary\’s R.C. Church: 426 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City. Interment New Saint Mary\’s Cemetery, Bellmawr.

Family requests in lieu of flowers memorial donations in Rosemarie\’s memory to Saint Mary\’s R.C. Church Special Fund: c/o the church at the above address.

Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through our funeral home website www.mccannhealey.com under online obituaries of Rosemarie R. Fisher-Collins. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries through: McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City, NJ.