Skip Borsos sends in this wintry photo of the Parish Hall of the Roseville Methodist Church from some years ago. The photographer almost managed to keep his glove out of the shot!

Any Troop 23 scouts still around?

No , but how about troop 25

When I was still in uniform, I worked in and around the old neighborhood quite a bit. The streetscape was dotted with churches, mostly all black by then. Many only opened on Sunday, and it was fairly common for the trustees to discover that a burglary had occurred during the week. They'd call us, and we'd often show up while services were in progress. Not to poke fun, but they were certainly more animated than anything I'd seen at dear old St. Rose's. Whenever "The Blues Brothers" is on, that scene with James Brown leading the choir and Belushi doing backflips down the aisle, takes me right back there.

One sad Sunday of a fine April morning, there was an accident at Sussex & 1st, a collision between an oil truck and a Cadillac full of people on their way to church. The car and truck spun together across the intersection and jumped the curb at the SE corner. Me and Dennis Kihlberg were in a radio car , and happened to turn the corner in time to witness most of what happened next. WHAT FOLLOWS IS GRAPHIC.

As the vehicles climbed onto the sidewalk, the truck overturned and snapped a wooden utility pole. The wires came down to dance upon a 6' steel fence, where the car had come to rest. The Caddy's gas tank ruptured, there was an electrical spark and WHOOMPF!, fireball. The car was a convertible, so the roof burned right away, to reveal the torments within. We stood, transfixed and impotent, to watch these poor souls perish, their arms flailing through the flames to grab at doorhandles, dashboard, whatever, but all were afire. We were unable to get any closer than about 12 or 15 feet due to the intensity of the heat, but all the more intense for the occupants of that car. The sight of it, the screams, the stench and smoke were nearly overwhelming. There were seven fatalities.

The driver of the car had managed to open the door and stand, only to take hold of the electrified fence. We thought she was dead until a fireman hit her back with that foam spray they use on gas fires. She turned her head and glared at us with a grimmace that can only be described as madness due to pain. My mind's eye sees her still.

Been to some hellified places, and seen a lot of hideous stuff, but none of it matches the events of that morning in 1981. It was enough to make you question; where was God this day?

Took my every other month tour of the old neighborhood today. Orange Street is disgusting.
Not a decent store or eating establishmnet on the entire 15 block tour. Roseville and Orange is particulary revolting. Want to eat at US chicken? what a dump?

South Roseville is a bird of a different feather, from the new homes on Hecker Street to
Greenfield Auto Body's beautiful new building to the half completed renovation of Boys Park to the new town houses on Dickerson Street to the new brick porches on the famed Third Street brick row. What gorgeous new homes on Sussex Avenue. A new school is built on First Street next to the Academy Spires and work contines on the "New Tennis courts" park called First Street Park..

My sister, Diana Quinn, taught at the School on First Street until a few months ago when she decided that it was time to call it quits. She left her job early and is now so much happier!It was a hard place to work. There were no windows in the building. You would think it would be against fire codes. But if there were windows they would only be broken. The teachers had to park their cars inside the fence.

Yes, it is a very ugly designed school. The school I am eleuding to is a brand new one being built right on First Street. I think it is a school. It is being built with windows and looks like a school. It is much smaller and I guess will be an annex or a home for pre-schoolers.

Anyone remember the old organist, Graydon Clark, at the Methodist Church on the corner of Orange St. and Myrtle Ave. up from Bodholts?

Mr.Graden Clark was the music teacher at bloomfield tech when i went there

Mr. Graden Clark lived in our house at 20 Myrtle Ave until 1965, when we had to move for the construction of I280. He lived with us since the early 1950's. He was also my piano teacher. He was a wonderful man. He would always join us for Thanksgiving dinner. He was an old family friend.

Skip Borsos sends in a photo that he took of the renownwed Mr. Clark at the organ in Roseville Methodist Church around Easter of 1958. Thanks, Skip.

I lived at 29 Myrtle Ave and remember him also teaching music A Bloomfield Tech.
But I don't remember who lived at 20 Myrtle Ave.

Mr. Clark was the choir Master and organist at the Roseville methodist church where I was A member from 1951 to 1970. He was a wonderful man...vastly talented, and even composed some of his own anthems. Graydon was very active in the vaudeville era of Newark's entertainment industry, and he conducted musical fundraisers for the church, using many of the old vaudville routines, Mr. clark was My first piano teacher, and also taught me how to play that wonderful old 3-manual organ at the Roseville Methodist, so that I could fill in for him when he took an occasional and well deserved vacation. When he retired around 1968, to go and live with his brothers in Illinois, he was sorely missed! I loved that guy! We shared a mutual birthday (June 29th), and he would always invite me to Bodholts for an Ice Cream soda, on that day, to celebrate. Thanks for the great memories, and the picture.