WHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BULLETIN:

*THE PASSING OF OUR BELOVED PRINCIPAL, RON STONE:

Weequahic High School Principal, Ron Stone, passed away suddenly on Sunday, November 4, 2007. His passing is a great loss to the high school, the Weequahic community, and the city of Newark. Mr. Stone was a passionate, dedicated and determined educator who served as an inspiration to the students at the high school. His extraordinary leadership truly made a difference in their lives. We will all miss him very much!

The Ron Stone Endowment Fund has been established by the WHS Alumni Association. Contributions can be made to WHSAA, P.O. Box 494, Newark, NJ 07101.

* WINTER 2008 ALUMNI CALUMET:

The 23nd edition (Winter 2008) of our popular 2O-page ALUMNI CALUMET newsletter has been mailed to current MEMBERS of the WHS Alumni Association. The newsletter is free with membership in the alumni association. So please JOIN or RENEW your membership NOW! You can do this through the web site by credit card, by postal mail with a check made payable to WHSAA, or by calling us at (973) 923-3133.

* JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY EXHIBITION ON WEEQUAHIC:

A major exhibition on Jewish life in Weequahic, entitled Weequahic Memoirs: Celebrating Newark’s Legendary Neighborhood, opens Wednesday, June 18, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. at the Leon and Toby Cooperman Jewish Community Center located at 760 Northfield Avenue, West Orange. The exhibition dates are June18 to August 27. From September 9 to October 7, 2008. the exhibition will be featured at the Alex Aidekman Jewish Community Campus in Whippany.

Weequahic alumni are encouraged to add their family last name, parent’s names, siblings names, and former Weequahic address to be included on the exhibition’s Great Map of Weequahic. A small donation of $18.00, checks payable to JHSMW, are requested. Last date to submit a family name is March 15. For information contact Linda Forgosh, 973-929-2994 or e-mail lforgosh@jhsmw.org.

To purchase the book, Jews of Weequahic, the price is $18.00 (retail is $19.99). Checks are payable to the JHSMW. Include an additional $ 6.50 for shipping and handling and send to JHSMW, 901 Route 10, Whippany, NJ 07981. Copies will be available at the opening of the exhibition on June 18 and during the run of the exhibition. Copies are also available at the JHSMW offices located at 901 Route 10 in Whippany after June 2, 2008. To order copies contact Linda Forgosh 973-929-2994 or e- mail lforgosh@jhsmw.org.

*PLANNING WEEQUAHIC HIGH SCHOOL'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY:

Weequahic High School was opened in the Fall of 1933. This means that the coming academic year, September 2008 to June 2009, will commemorate the high school's 75th anniversary. A special committee has been created by the Alumni Association to organize a series of events to celebrate this milestone.

Some of the events will be at the high school and some in the larger community. We want the to encourage the full particpation of the students now attending Weequahic so that they can learn about the history of the school, appreciate its accomplishments, and meet many distinguished alumni.

The Committee would love to share the pleasure of planning the events. If you are still in the greater Newark area and would like to volunteer, reach out for us by email and we will make you a member of the Committee. Looking forward to hearing from you. Contact David Schechner (1946) at fishhooks@aol.com.

* A WEEQUAHIC DOCUMENTARY:

Have you been noticing camera crews at the high school and at our alumni events. Filmmakers Beth Kruvant and Paul Bartick are currently working on a documentary about Weequahic and how the Jewish and African-American communities have influenced each other's lives. They have already interviewed alumni, former and current staff, administrators, and students. (By the way, Beth's dad, Martin Gelber, was a Jan. 1939 Weequahic grad). If you have a story, ideas or thoughts about Newark and Weequahic that you would like to share, please contact Beth at BTKru@aol.com.

* SCHOLARSHIP CONTRIBUTIONS:

Recent donations for college scholarships have been received from the following: $500 frpm the Clolumbia High School Student Council in memory of Principal Ron Stone; $400.00 from the Union Chapel AME Church on Wainwright Street in Newark. Thank you for your generosity.

* MURAL RESTORATION:

WHS is home to one of the most important installations of public art in New Jersey: "The Enlightenment of Man," a New Deal-era mural painted by Michael Lenson, who was the director of NJ mural activities for the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. After 67 years the murals are in need of serious repair. The estimate to restore the murals is $45,000. We urge you to begin making donations NOW. Make checks out to WHSAA and send them to WHS Alumni Association, P.O. Box 494, Newark, NJ 07101 and write Mural Restoration in the memo area. You can also donate by using your credit card by calling (973) 923-3133.

* USE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO MAKE ALUMNI PURCHASES FROM THIS WEB SITE:

You can now make credit card purchases using Master Card & Visa within a secure payment environment from this web site. From the menu, just click on MEMBERSHIP, MERCHANDISE or SCHOLARSHIPS and follow instructions.

* VISITING THE HIGH SCHOOL: