The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 75

THE COURIER-NEWS LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 1999 B-3 RVCC to begin presidential search By LARRY HIGGS Staff Writer The search process will mirror the process of finding Israel five years ago, except school officials will have to find an interim president, said Raritan Valley Chairman Raymond Bate-man. Israel will depart in August and take over at Collins County in September, said Tuesday Stanley, Raritan Valley spokeswoman. "It will be two searches; for an interim president and a more deliberate, long-range search for a new president," Bateman said. "Unless the board makes changes, it will be modeled after the last process." That concurred with remarks made by Barbara Bertcko, president of the Faculty Federation of Raritan Valley. In 1994, the board replaced president S.

Charles Irace by hiring a search company, conducting a national search for candidates and forming a committee of faculty, students, administrators and community members to produce a list of candidates, she said. "This sort of search incurs a direct expense," Bertcko said. "But it saves the tremendous indirect expense occurred when the college conducts its own search and ties up vital segments of its operation for months." Bateman appointed trustee John McGuire, who headed the last search committee, to head the group. The board then met behind closed doors to discuss the process. "The last process ran well because of the people involved," McGuire said.

Bertcko asked the board to use the same process and to keep the community informed of its progress. The college was lucky in 1994 because Israel came to the college before Irace left, allowing a transition period, Bertcko said. This time, the college won't be so lucky. "It's late in the year to expect to get an ongoing president so quickly," Bateman said. It was a sign of things to come at Tuesday night's Raritan Valley Community College Board of Trustees meeting.

Someone else was sitting in the place usually reserved for President Cary Israel. Israel was in Texas, where he was being appointed president of Collins County Community College in Piano. Meanwhile, Raritan Valley trustees began to discuss how to replace the dynamic educator, who has been credited with revitalizing the Branch-burg college. 3S i I HHi i ji iiii iBi Will -1 OBITUARIES STAFF PHOTO BY KENNY PANG Officials at Lyons Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bernards say the facility will remain open, despite reports to the contrary. VA hospital says it won't shut down Carol Parks-Abimbola, 38, wife and mother NORTH PLAINFIELD Carol R.

Parks-Abimbola, 38, died Saturday (May 22, 1999) at John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Edison. Born in Newark, she resided in Plainfield before moving to North Plainfield. She attended in Plainfield Public School system and Union County College in Plainfield. She is predeceased by her father, Roosevelt Parks who died in 1971.

Surviving are her husband, Gben-ga Abimbola; two sons, Carl Parks of North Plainfield and Adebola Abimbola of Ohio; one daughter, Robin Parks of Allentown, her mother and step-father, Annette J. Parks-Graves and Howard Graves Sr. of North Plainfield; one brother, Roosevelt "Fats" Parks Jr. of Plainfield; two sisters, Norma Gayle of Roselle and Anita "Pee Wee" Parks of Plain-field; and a host of nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m.

Friday at the Higgins Home for Funerals, 209 W. Eighth Plain-field, followed by interment at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday. Claire Yugerwitz, 93, mother, grandmother ROSELLE Claire Heidal Yugerwitz, 93, died Monday (May 24, 1999) at Morristown Memorial Hospital, Morristown.

She was born in Philadelphia, and was a former resident of Elizabeth before moving to Roselle 20 years ago. Mrs. Yugerwitz was a homemaker. She was predeceased by two husbands, Jack Heidal in 1950 and Robert Yugerwitz in 1978; and by a son, Jack Heidal in 1998. Surviving are two daughters, Joan Heidal McKinney of Bridgewater and Anne Ritter of Darlington, a sister, Dorothy Alonzo of Point Pleasant; 11 grandchildren; and 10 greatgrandchildren.

Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. today at the Layton Funeral Home, 475 Main Street, Bedminster. Visitation is from 1 to 2 p.m. today at the funeral home. legend at Farm School ROCKY HILL Ruth Louise Moment Cortelyou, 92, died Sunday (May 23, 1999).

For 50 years, she directed The Farm School and Camp Rogapeki-J, the nursery schoolkindergarten-summer camp where several thousands of Princeton-area children passed through the loving "hands" of Mrs. Cortelyou on her late husband Clifford's working apple orchard farm. She established the school in 1938 after initially teaching first grade at Princeton's Nassau Street School for Catherine Roth, 88, owned poultry farm RARITAN Catherine (Delmont) Roth, 88, a longtime resident of Franklin Township in Somerset County, died Sunday (May 23, 1999) at Raritan Health and Extended Care Center, Raritan. She was born in Vauxhall and resided in Franklin Township most of her life. Catherine Roth, with her husband, Chester, owned C.

Roth Sons Poultry and Egg Farm of Franklin Township. She was predeceased by her husband, Chester H. Roth who died on Dec. 8, 1982. Surviving are two daughters, Lucille Zaetz of Somerset and Carol Buesing of Belle Mead; two sons, Chester H.

Roth Jr. and George H. Roth of Toms River; 12 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. Catherine enjoyed bowling and boating and, most of all, cooking and family picnics. Funeral services will be held on 10 a.m.

Thursday at the Conroy Funeral Home, 21 East 2nd Bound Brook. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Interment will be at the Resurrection Cemetery, Piscataway.

any future budget cuts, he said. "The memo didn't name any hospitals," Broadhurst said. "It's this oddball document that's out there that doesn't have any effect on any facility. We're not trying to downplay the document. It's an in-house conceptual plan nothing else." Frelinghuysen, vice chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans The memo Affairs, discov-iiie memo ered the mem0 a didnt name any month ago, hospitals.

It's Broadhurst said. iUcAM, While told the tillS Oddba closures will not document MS happen, he still OUt there that expressed con- Jaoc'I hn. CerI1S 0Ver 320 doesntnave job cuts any effect On statewide and not any facflHy." enough funding to help sustain the EST Vitals. Broad-. press secrcury nurst said.

Kenneth Brenn, a Warren Township resident and World War II veteran, said he is glad there are no plans to close the local hospital, which serves many area veterans. "When this country needed people to go to war a lot of us went willingly," Brenn said. "I really believe that if people are willing to put their lives on the line for their country, they should be taken care of. The VA hospitals are very important to veterans. To even consider closing them, to me, it doesn't say much about the people in charge." By JANET A.

HINES Staff Writer BERNARDS Reports of closing Lyons Veterans Affairs Medical Center have been greatly exaggerated, hospital officials said Tuesday. The hospital will remain open but there could be staff cuts of up to 140 people there and at the larger East Orange Veterans Affairs hospital and six outpatient clinics. A confidential memorandum, issued Feb. 16, by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs outlined possible hospital closures. It proposed closing veterans hospitals located within 60 miles of larger Veterans Affairs facilities.

The hospital in the Lyons section of the township is about 20 miles from a larger facility in East Orange. "The reports of our closing are inaccurate," said Sandra Warren, public affairs officer for the Lyons medical center. "The memorandum didn't even mention Lyons or the East Orange hospital. We're investing in our hospital, not closing it down." Next spring the medical center will break ground for a $24 million ambulatory building on its campus, Warren said. Mark Broadhurst, press secretary for Rep.

Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-Harding, said the federal department's memo did not direct closing veteran hospitals. Instead, it was an outline of a possible "game plan" that Veterans Affairs could implement if there are Ernest Fiedler 54, ManvilleH.S. graduate Ernest Fiedler 54, died at his residence in Brownsville, on Sunday (May 23, 1999). Mr. Fiedler was a 1963 graduate of Manville High School.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia Fiedler; and two sons, Eric Fiedler and Michael Fiedler. Funeral services will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Christ Episcopal Church of Brownsville. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Christ Episcopal Church, 140 N. Washington, Brownsville, TN 38012.

Michael Maciejewski, 76, was WWII veteran DUNELLEN Michael J. Maciejewski, 76, died Tuesday (May 25, 1999) at his home. Mr. Maciejewski was born in Stat-en Island, N.Y. He moved to Dunellen 40 years ago.

He was employed by L. A. Dreyfus, Edison, as a material handler for 36 years, retiring in 1988. Mr. Maciejewski was a member of St.

John's Church in Dunellen. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, and was a member of the New Jersey State American Legion. His wife, Helena Powers Maciejewski, died in 1984. Surviving are his son, Michael Powers of Dunellen, and his daughter, JoEllen Maciejewski of Dunellen.

Services are 9 a.m. Friday at the Sheenan Funeral Home, 233 Dunellen Dunellen. Visitation is 8 a.m. until time of service Friday at the funeral home. Contributions may be made to Haven Hospice, JFK Medical Center, Edison, N.J.

Obituary policy The Courier-News obituary policy allows family and friends to word an obituary as they think appropriate. Under the policy, obits are typed in and reviewed by a member of The Courier-News Classified Department. The obits then are read by an editor from the paper's Special Projects Department. The headline and first 15 lines of the obituary are free. The next 10 lines cost $30, with each additional line costing $3 each.

There is also a $10 on-line fee per obituary. Obituaries may be faxed to (908) 707-3205 between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, contact (908) 707-3251 during those same hours. County may install voice mail system By CARYN SHINSKE Staff Writer Hunterdon County may buy a voice communications system to keep up with public information demands and to improve employee efficiency. The Board of Freeholders on Tuesday reviewed information from Tele-Works, which has installed communications systems for 200 cities in 21 states. The proposed system would cost $20,950. It would route phone calls and provide information about county programs.

Bob Anderson, county communications director, has estimated that employees spend two to three minutes per phone call answering inquiries, according to a presentation at the freeholders meeting. If the county buys the system, Freeholder Frank Fuzo said he wants to make sure callers don't have to wait through a long menu of options to get information. "That would be my main concern, minimizing the amount of time peo Mary Devory, 86, former seamstress BRIDGEWATER Mary Devory, 86, died (May 24, 1999) at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township. Born in Allentown, she moved to Hungary where she lived for 17 years before moving back to the U.S. She resided in Paterson and Passaic before moving back to Bridgewater in 1978.

Mrs. Devory was employed as a seamstress for Davis and Catterall Garment Co. in Passaic for 20 years. After her retirement she was a technician for Data Scan in Clifton for five years. Mrs.

Devory was active in Somerset County Adult Care Center in Bridgewater, Bridgewater Senior Citizens and St. Bernard Church in Bridgewater. Surviving are her husband Edward; a son, Kenneth Devory of Bridgewater; daughter-in-law, Jo Ann Devory of Bridgewater; and two grandsons, Kenneth Jr. and David Devory of Bridgewater. Funeral services are 9:30 a.m.

Friday at St. Bernard Church, Bridgewater. Visiting hours 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Cusick Funeral Home in Somerville.

Interment will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Totowa. Guido Joseph DeVito, landscaper SOUTH PLAINFIELD A memorial Mass for Guido Joseph DeVito, 78, of South Plainfield, will be held at 12:30 p.m. Monday in St. Mary's Church, Plainfield. Mr.

DeVito, who died Monday (May 24, 1999) at home, was a self-employed landscaper for many years before retiring. Born in Avellino, Italy, he lived in East Orange before moving to South Plainfield in 1957. During World War II, he served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Rangers in North Africa. In 1992, he became New Jersey's oldest bungee jumper.

Surviving are his beloved wife of 55 years, Antoinette; three sons, Michael of Tucson, Richard of South Plainfield, and Emile of South Plain-field; and four grandsons. Mr. DeVito was a member of the New Jersey Conservaton Foundation and the Raptor Trust. RENTALS SALES REPAIRS Medicare Medicaid Accepted when qualified SURGICAL 627 Park Plainfield, Saturday Hours till 3:00 908-756-7074 1-800-287-1793 Artborbtd Dealer for Kmm Arthur F. Colling 94, of Plainfield Steel Arthur F.

Colling 94, of Deland, died Sunday (May 23, 1999) at Palm Garden of Vero Beach, Fla. He was born Dec. 10, 1904 in New York City and was the son of the late Arthur Frederick Colling Sr. of Oil City, and Mary Kenny Colling of Erie, Pa. Mr.

Colling graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He worked for the Weirton Steel Weirton, and Newington Steel in Connecticut, then went to Plainfield Steel in Plainfield. He was predeceased by his wife, Frances M. Boyd Colling; a niece, Helen Cuff Egan; a nephew, William Coholan; and a grand-nephew, Michael Joseph Egan. Surviving is Joyce Linnie Colling; his nieces, Dorothy Grandfield and Catherine Mansfield; a nephew, Mark Coholan; grandnieces, Dorothy Ellen Grandfield, Patricia Colling Egan, Mary Theresa Egan, Catherine Egan Gilet, and Leslie Coholan; grand-nephews, William Thomas Coholan, Michael Patrick Grandfield, Peter Merrick Grandfield and Mark Kell-away Grandfield; and a great-grand-niece, Katherine Grandfield.

A wake service will be held 5 p.m. today at Strunk Funeral Home, Vero Beach, Fla. Interment will be at Hillside Cemetery, Scotch Plains, at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Knights of Columbus or St. Peter's School of St.

Peter's Catholic Church, 359 West New York Avenue, Deland, Fla. 32720. Mr. Colling was blind but a light in the darkness for all who knew him. PLAINFIELD GRANITE WORKS LAMPERTI SONS Monuments Since 1921 416 RICHMOND ST.

756-4387 FOURTH BIRTHDAY in HEAVEN FRANCES HALL CRAMER May 26 ILL NO NOISE NO CANDLES NO BALLOONS TO BREAK NO PRESENTS NO ICECREAM OR BIRTHDAY CAKE JUST LOVE AND MEMORIES FROM THOSE WHO CARE WHO WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN THIS YEAR Love You Forever: Rick Also: Daughters, Grandchildren, Sisters and Other Loving Relatives. eight years before becoming pregnant with the first of her five children. Mrs. Cortelyou provided thousands of children with their first experiences of seeing a live Thanksgiving turkey, cutting a Christmas tree, gathering eggs, handling bunny rabbits, feeding baby lambs with a bottle, learning to swim in a pond and many other of nature's wonders. She was also very generous in her scholarships to those children in need, both from a financial aspect and more frequently for those children with "special education" needs before the concept was truly known.

The continual growth and development of "her" children was always foremost in her actions. She was a graduate of Beaver College, was a member of the N.J. Nursery School Association and was very involved with the Somerset County 4-H Association as a member of many clubs. She also was a Sunday school teacher for decades and an elder of the Six Mile Run Reformed Church of Franklin Park. Born Sept.

24, 1906 in Montclair, Mrs. Cortelyou moved with her family to the Princeton area via Scotland and Hull, U.K., through Oreno, Ontario, Canada. Her brother was the late Dr. Gairdner B. Moment of Baltimore.

Mrs. Cortelyou is survived by her sons and daughter, and their spouses: Bob and Nancy of Hopewell, Gar-rie and Carolee of Princeton, Peter and Cathy of Herndon, Kip and Kay of Mclean, Va. and Jane and Michael Casey of Princeton. She also had 14 grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. She was recently in the Princeton Nursing Home, but prior to that resided on "The Farm" at Old Georgetown Road off R6ute 518.

Funeral arrangements are being made with the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in Princeton and the Six Mile Run Reformed Church. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name for the children of 4-H Association of Somerset County, 310 Milltown Road, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807, (908) 526-6293; or The Six Mile Run Reformed Church, Route 27, Franklin Park, N.J.

08823, (908) 297-3734. Edith Lewin, patron of the arts By MYRNA OLIVER The Los Angeles Times Edith Lewin, who along with her husband donated their collection of 20th century Mexican art valued at more than $25 million to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, has died. She was 88. Lewin died Sunday of cancer in their home in Palm Springs, said her husband, Bernard Lewin. Officially handed to the museum Oct.

3, 1997, the collection was the largest privately owned collection of modern Mexican art ever assembled, with works by Jose Clemente Orozco, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. 24th ANNIVERSARY I I v. CHARLES (BUTCH) KINNESSY Who Passed Away May 26, 1975 We who loved you sadly miss you, As it dawns another year. In our Lonely hours of thinking thoughts of you we loved so dear. Sadly Missed, Mom, Dad, Tom, Carriejim, Billy E.J.

Adult video store in hot water again ple are on the line waiting for a menu," he said. "I'll tell you what I do I hit zero" for an operator. Freeholder Director Paul Sauer-land also had concerns about the proposed system. "One of the things that frustrates me when I get an answering setup is you can't get out of it," said Sauer-land. He said any system should allow callers to leave messages in individual voice mailboxes.

The proposed system does not do that, but messages could be left on a department's answering machine, and an employee could distribute the messages. The system would provide information 24 hours a day on a dedicated phone line and have up to 250 recorded messages about information such as scheduled hazardous waste disposal days and road and bridge closings. The system could also fax items such as applications for recreation programs, bid information or freeholder meeting agendas. It also could send electronic messages if the caller knows the e-mail address of the intended person or department. Mayor Janice Allen said the only action the borough can take is to fine the business until it complies with the ordinances.

"I'm not surprised that he's getting summonses," Allen said of Kramer's business. "He has misrepresented himself to the Planning Board when he came in for the business. So to violate a few ordinances should not be a surprise to anyone." Pleasure Plus opened in 1997 during the Thanksgiving holiday. A week later the Borough Council ordered it closed, alleging Kramer misled the Planning Board to skirt a zoning ordinance banning adult businesses within 1,000 feet of a residential area. The business reopened in April after an 18-month legal battle with the borough.

A state Superior Court judge had lifted a temporary restraining order that closed the Route 22 business in December 1997. The court also placed limitations on the amount of X-rated videos the store may sell. About 65 percent of the floor area and stock has to be non-adult, and the sale of romantic accessories is prohibited. By JANET A. HINES Staff Writer NORTH PLAINFIELD A month after the former Pleasure Plus Video shop reopened, it has been issued summonses for allegedly violating borough ordinances.

Video Plus has been hit with four summonses for covering more than half its window space with signs advertising "spiked heels" and "sexy lingerie." It also was cited for carrying merchandise that is not video or clothing, said zoning officer Allan Reading. Reading would not say what the items are. Reading said the store has scaled back its signs, which now cover 50 percent of the window space, as required by local ordinance. Store owner George Kramer will have to appear in Municipal Court to answer the summonses, which carry penalties of up to $1,000 each upon conviction. Calls made to Kramer's attorney, Dennis Oury, were not returned Tuesday.

25th ANNIVERSARY In Loving Memory of NICHOLAS ZENO Who passed away May 26, 1974 He had a smile, a pleasant way, A helping hand to all he knew He was so kind, so generous and true, On earth he nobly did his best, Grant him, Jesus heavenly rest. Sadly missed, Wife Jennie, Children and Grandchildren i.