Bradley Beach Treasures: Reflections of the Jersey Shore

by Bette Blum

Overview

In a cycle of life as regular as the tide, generations of families have summered in Bradley Beach, New Jersey, a unique and historical one-square-mile oceanfront community located between Asbury Park and Belmar. Revel in the joys of the Jersey Shore in this new collection of nostalgic stories contributed by loyal residents of Bradley Beach. Steeped in history and rich in beach culture, Bradley Beach Treasures offers a warm glimpse of life through the 1900s with essays, poems, anecdotes, photographs and memorabilia.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596292994
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	07/14/2007
Series:	American Chronicles Series
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Born in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Clark, Bette Blum discovered the treasures of Bradley Beach at an early age. Before she could even walk, she could be found enjoying the soft sands near her family's bungalow on Madison Avenue. Bette not only "grew up" in Bradley Beach, but grew to love this charming seaside town along the Jersey Shore. After graduating from the University of Bridgeport, she embarked on a career in advertising with NW Ayer, one of New York's most prestigious firms. Even then, Bradley Beach provided welcome relief from her crazy and hectic days working in the city. She eventually moved to south Florida, where she continued her advertising career with several top agencies and corporations, and in 1999 she was awarded Media Week's National All-Star Award for Newspapers. Despite Florida's abundance of sun, sea and sand, Bette would return to Bradley Beach each summer to reconnect with family and friends. In 2004, Bette organized a reunion of sixty Bradley Beach friends who all spent time together as teenagers in the early 1970s. The event received national attention in USA TODAY, and Bette wrote a story about those "glory days" that was published in both the New York Times and the Asbury Park Press. The reunion helped recall wonderful memories of carefree days and great friends, and spawned the idea for this book, Bradley Beach Treasures. In many ways, the reunion has not ended, as Bette has been busy collecting stories, poems, anecdotes and memories from her friends, neighbors and their families for inclusion in this book. Today, Bette lives in Deerfield Beach, Florida, five miles from the ocean, but her heart has never been closer to Bradley Beach.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

History 10

Introduction 13

Part 1 Family and Friends

Our Home Away from Home Ruth Rubenstein 16

Unforgettable Lori Dinnerman Dubin 17

Maidie's Memories Maidie Schwartz 22

Howie Sprechman Linda B. Sprechman Jacobson 24

Milt and Ethel Milton Schoenberger 27

Memories So Dear Frances Bank 27

A Day at the Beach Bette Blum Esther Goldman Stein Ben Goldman 29

A Family History Michael Alper 31

Moving Out Debby Greenstein 39

Bradley Since 1917 Carole Levine Rothman 40

Summers at the Shore Nathan Jacobson 42

The Sea Cliff Hotel (1920-1932) Elenore G. Peckerman 47

Bradley Beach Roots Phyllis Reich 48

Bradley in the 1950s Elaine Yelner 49

My Wonderful Memories of Bradley Beach Sandy Kaston 51

My Mother Rita Rich Weissman 55

Cliff Villa Tim Tsang 56

Teach Your Children Well Ronnie Bornstein-Walerzak 58

Jeff, the Bradley Beach Lifeguard Jeff York 60

Father's Day Bette Blum 63

Virgil's Bette Blum Rose, Sal Maryann Galassetti 65

Joel Naomi Bornstein Axelrod 70

Me and My "Grampa" Joe Marc Alan Schwartz 73

True Love Florence Silverman Berman 74

Boy, Do I Miss Those Days Lila Barsky 76

A Lasting Friendship Gladys Gordon Blum 76

Marty Rich Weissman 77

LaReine Hotel Pool Ron Rosen 78

Growing up in 'Bradley Beach Skipp Silverman 80

A State of Mind Marge Tsang 81

Part 2 Fun and Games

Pinball Fever Thirty Years Later Karen Usatine 84

Love at First Sight Barbara Wigler Dinnerman 86

My Memories of Bradley Beach Richard Roth 88

Echo of a Summer Night Mark Jacobs 89

Bradley Beach Childhood Charlotte Lowitz Tucker 90

Summer Lovin' Ronnie Bornstein-Walerzak 91

I Remember When Gladys Gordon Blum 92

Bradley Beach Sand in My Shoes Beth Levine Klee 95

Wonderful Memories Pam Cohen Luks 97

The Best Times Amy Weinstein Montuori 97

Hooked for Life Richard Schwartz 99

Bradley Beach Treats Phyllis Fischman 103

I'm Looking for Jay Rich Weissman 103

The Bradley Beach Experience Rheda Sulzman 105

Mrs. Radner's Boardinghouse Judy Schlosser 105

Popsicles Muriel Katchen Reid 106

Fond Memories Barbara Brooks Kimmel 107

Truly a Bradley Beach Baby Marc Alan Schwartz 109

Days and Nights in Bradley Beach Bette Blum Jerry Bieler 111

One Memorable Summer Maxine Cohen Glazer 113

The Eric House and Beyond Bette Blum Ida Tepper Zagnit 114

Learning to Drive in Bradley Beach Marc Alan Schwartz 115

Lots of Good Memories Barry Goldberg 117

Part 3 Sea Glass and Driftwood

Bradley Beach Then and Now Gladys Gordon Blum 120

Bradley Beach History Shirley Ayres 121

Swimming the Jetties Robert E. Drury 124

September Rescue at Sea Muriel Katchen Reid 124

Fish Story Sandy Kaston 125

The Junior Lifeguard Bruce Kreeger 126

The Local Bryan Feinberg 128

Some of My Memories Michael P. Schneider 130

Incident at Bradley Beach Dennis Dubin 131

Finest Memories of Bradley Beach Arline Cohen 134

The 1940s Stephen Weiss 135

Ode to a Knish Lori Lafer Litel 136

Got Your Badge? Sol Seigel 136

My Mom, the Badge Lady David Schechner 139

Why Bruce? Richard Schwartz 140

Splinters Elenore G. Peckerman Elsa L. Cook 141

Bradley Beach Forever Etched in My Memory Karen Usatine 141

Trip to die Beach Ronnie Bornstein-Walerzak 142

My Mile of America Bette Blum 143

Part 4 The Reunion

Blankets, Ices and Shaving Cream Bette Blum 148

Back to the Beach Kitty Bean Yancey 152

About the Author 159