Community Corner

New Providence Year In Review: The Most Inspirational Stories

Last year, while there was a lot of news surrounding our borough, there were a few stories that stood out from the crowd.

Nick Carone

In November of 2010, longtime New Providence resident Nick (Nicola) Carone was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Since Carone’s diagnosis, Debbie Johnston and her husband, Jimmy, who is the Director of the , were firsthand observers of the challenges faced by the Carone family, not the least of which had been the financial implications of the illness.

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As a result, were held in town to raise funds for the Carone family during the last weekend in April and first weekend in May. The Johnston family hosted one dinner, while the other dinner was coordinated by Johnston’s sister-in-law, Betty Bechberger, who serves on the board for the New Providence Care and Concern Foundation, and President of the Ladies’ Auxiliary at the Paca Club, Renee Pennisi.

Several businesses and individuals in town contributed to the dinners with food, desserts, beer, wine and soft drinks, as well as free music from local band, Jersey Souls, whose lead singer and guitarist, Tony Carnevale, is also a New Providence borough employee. Those contributors include the , , , , and , the workplace of Carone’s wife, Cathy.

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on Saturday, May 21, at his home with his family by his side.

Carone, 51, had been a New Providence resident since he was in the third grade. He worked locally as an Assistant Foreman with the New Providence Department of Public Works and was highly involved with the design of local landmarks, such as Veteran’s Park and the Borough Hall landscape.

In September, Mayor J. Brooke Hern proclaimed September 26, 2011 Nick Carone Appreciation Day "as a means to honor his memory and thank his family for his many years of dedicated service."

Frank Bottone

More than 200 people attended a retirement dinner for Head Football Coach on Friday, April 15 at Mayfair Farms in West Orange.

At the dinner, many individuals made remarks about Frank and his tremendous career at New Providence for 48 years, as well as his early years of coaching in Madison.

New Providence Patch met with Bottone's past and present players, coaches, family members and friends to learn more about the man behind the name, known by many both near and far.

When Coach Bottone announced his retirement prior to the 2010 season, the players said they immediately knew that there was one goal for the season — to win one last state title for coach.

In a season filled with dramatic comeback wins in the playoffs and a rousing win over Lincoln to take home the , this team finished off a truly magical year. Check out our video, featuring interviews with players and others involved with the 2010 team.

The week following Bottone's retirement dinner, , honoring Coach Bottone and taking residents through his outstanding career.

NPHS Grads Create A "Win-Win"

In March, our very own borough of New Providence was put in the spotlight as "Win-Win" hit the big screen, a truly inspirational story about winning and second chances.

The film’s director and writer Tom McCarthy graduated from NP High more than 25 years ago and went on to receive acclaim as writer and director of The Visitor (2007) and The Station Agent (2003), and is one of the writers behind the story for the animated film Up for which he received an Academy Award nomination in 2010 for Best Original Screenplay.

Joe Tiboni, who worked with his childhood friend McCarthy to write the story for Win Win, was also an NP Pioneer before graduating in 1984. Tiboni remains a New Providence resident and businessman, and is founder of the Law Offices of Tiboni & Tiboni where he works as a lawyer with his wife, Jane.

The film centers around New Providence Elder Law attorney Mike Flaherty (played by Giamatti), who is struggling to keep his law practice afloat during difficult financial times. He is appointed by the court to represent an elderly man named Leo Poplar (Burt Young), to whom he ends up acting as legal guardian. Flaherty commits Poplar to a nursing home, against his wishes, in order to turn a profit on the deal and help him attempt to save his business.

At the same time, Flaherty also coaches the New Providence High School wrestling team. Following the recent events at the lawyer's practice, Poplar’s grandson Kyle Timmons (played by Alex Shaffer, a real-life Hunterdon Central Regional High School student and wrestler) unexpectedly arrives in town looking for a place to stay and is taken in by the Flaherty family. Timmons’ arrival is initially seen as an interference with Flaherty’s plans until he discovers that the boy is a champion wrestler.

While moviegoers will find numerous similarities between Tiboni’s life and that of Giamatti’s character in the upcoming film, the New Providence High School grads behind the project are quick to ensure that there are certainly big differences between the lives of the onscreen character Mike Flaherty and the real-life New Providence resident who protects the rights of the elderly.

A lost dog, found!

Last year on Dec. 22, Summit resident Susan Grates, along with her husband and their three grown children and their families, were enjoying a holiday vacation in relaxing Puerto Vallarta, Mexico when miles away in chilly New Jersey, the Grates’ dog Daisy had just escaped from her sitter’s New Providence home.

For the next 48 hours or so, the Grates would be completely unaware of the devastating event that would soon gain the attention of residents and authorities in New Providence, Summit, Berkeley Heights and surrounding towns.

The Grates family had agreed to remain relatively “unplugged” from their electronic devices during their vacation save for the wireless internet access provided at their hotel. According to Grates, the family members didn’t own international cell phones, they hadn’t lugged their laptops along with them, and they hadn’t left their contact information with anyone back home in Summit.

But 2,278 miles away in New Providence,

Having had no luck apprehending the speedy canine, the searchers immediately contacted the Summit and s and eventually informed the authorities in Berkeley Heights as well. Grates had left the contact information of family friend and neighbor Tine Mikkelsen in case of an emergency and she was soon alerted of the news.

Mikkelsen played a crucial part in spreading the word about the missing Daisy. She sent out alerts through Facebook and Craigslist, posted fliers, called area veterinarians, and sent out an e-mail that eventually reached Patch staff inboxes.

Other area residents also joined the search effort including a neighbor's son Matt who assembled some friends and used his new Christmas flashlights to look for the missing furry friend. Even Paw, the Mikkelsens’ golden retriever, helped to search for her canine companion.

On Christmas Eve, the news finally reached the vacationing Grates via a family member’s Smartphone internet connection. Shortly after they were informed, Susan decided to make the trip back to New Jersey to assist Daisy’s search team.

As luck would have it, Grates wouldn’t even have to step foot in America before her beloved Daisy was discovered.

According to Grates, the final rescue effort began on Christmas morning in nearby Berkeley Heights. A happy family were opening their Christmas presents when the mother spotted Daisy through a window. The woman had received the chain email the day before and seen the lost dog flier posted in her local Dunkin’ Donuts, telling of the missing sheltie.

Meanwhile, the man’s wife made the necessary phone calls to let searchers know the dog had been spotted. Soon, a team of dog lovers, family friends including the Mikkelsens and Paw, and neighbors who heard the news were out of their homes and on the streets to do what they could to get Daisy home.

The story ends in a Berkeley Heights neighborhood near Summit Medical Group where a fellow dog lover had cornered Daisy on his front porch and was keeping her captive through the skillful use of doggie treats.


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