Like others, I’m sure, when Michael asked me to write about my post high school years it really made me think back to all the great memories of Livingston High School. Reflecting back, I could not help but think of my three closest friends Louie Salerno, Keith Rost and Tom Cupo. Also, my first love, Helene Feller, who attended both proms with me. These were memories I will always cherish and never forget.

After high school, I attended County College at Morris for two years and then received my BA at Seton Hall University. It was there that I was offered a job from a company that sold adhesive labels. I thought I would take the job even though it was in sales and not my major which was in management. Little did I know that over 40 years later I would still be in the label industry after starting my own business in 1986. Based in New Jersey, my company produces labels for a myriad of business and consumer products and there may even be a few of my labels in your own house. Lately, we have produced labels for Hello Fresh and Barnes and Noble. And when I say “produced,” I am referring to millions of labels. I’m still active in business today though I don’t run the day-to-day operations anymore.

While at Seton Hall, I met the woman I would eventually marry at and we had two great kids together, Joe and Kristen. We pretty much became a fishing family once we bought a condo in Cape May and added a boat. My son and daughter often would fish in the canyons off New Jersey catching tuna, mahi and marlin. One of my fondest memories was running our boat from Palm Beach to the Abacos Islands, a remote province in the Bahamas. We fished for two weeks, catching Grouper, Snapper, Mahi and Blue Marlin. At night, after we ate our catch, we enjoyed the local festivities of the Bahamians. My kids really enjoyed these trips and we reminisce about them often.

I currently live most of the year in the Palm Beaches in Florida but still come back occasionally to spend time at my business in New Jersey. My children worked in the business for about five years before they ventured out to start their own lives and families.

My daughter was married in 2023 and my son will be getting married this April 10th in the Dominican Republic.

I still like to think my better days are still ahead, enjoying the Florida lifestyle and traveling, but as l look back, I’ll never forget those most impressionable years at Livingston High School.

While I’ve lost touch with most of those good friends, the memories will never be forgotten. I’m looking forward to our 50th anniversary with the hope or re-connecting again. If anyone would like to connect before then, I am best reached at 908-642-5345