Category Archives: Uncategorized

    Somewhere between March 17s, I lost my head and graciously offered Kathleen Holleran the chance to sing during our annual St. Patrick’s Day party.    Beverages, banter and blarney were flowing. Fifty pounds of corned beef were disappearing from warming trays. We drew 110 guests to our annual heritage celebration, and it was inContinue reading “‘Irish Eyes Were Smilin’ when family star took the stage”

    Watch parties are set. Food is ordered. Schools and businesses will close. Hotel rooms are scarce. Everything seems ready for the once-in-a lifetime total solar eclipse on April 8.   But the biggest player in this whole celestial extravaganza – when the moon passes between the Sun and Earth and its shadow races acrossContinue reading “Clouds on April 8 could cause a total eclipse of the heart”

   Each year about this time, my thoughts turn to my late father. My mind is jogged by Major League Baseball spring training games and the start of high school practices. March was Fran Holleran’s birth month so memories percolate.      How could I forget those breezy, cold afternoons on the Morristown bus garage pavementContinue reading “Facing Ted Williams a myth, but Johnny Mize was a blast”

   The string of cars heading this Saturday from the village of Hammond to the girls state basketball championships will resemble a scene out of Hoosiers. Lock all the doors; last family out of town turns off the lights.    When the Red Devils reach the floor of Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, they’llContinue reading “State hoops statistician is all about 100 percent accuracy”

   Family heirlooms are not about monetary value. They stir warm memories. They remind you of a parent’s soft-spoken advice or teachable moments. They are priceless.     When I entered my late Aunt Helen’s farmhouse kitchen last fall, there was a rush of memories and stories. I recalled cousins being tossed into the pool duringContinue reading “Got a minute? I’ll tell the tale of my mother’s mantel clock”

   I am playing David’s role against the Philistine giant here. I am aiming my meager slingshot, loaded with one small stone, at the giant’s forehead and I’m hoping for the best.     In the Bible (1 Samuel 17), David flings his rock and it lodges in Goliath’s forehead, killing the ogre and leading theContinue reading “Literally? Figuratively? They blow my mind, metaphorically”

Editor’s note: This column is being reprinted from March 7, 2021 as a companion to photos of St. John’s Elementary School that were published today (2/25/2024) on the Morristown History Page on Facebook. We formed a tight circle beneath an awning as the artificial green carpet shifted under our feet. The burial urn rested atopContinue reading “Farewell Sister Ironpants”

   Super Bowl controversies used to be so simple back in my newspapering days. Thirty years ago, the Buffalo Bills reached the Roman Numeral Extravaganza for four consecutive seasons, and each year the letdown grew bigger and bigger. Bills fans still wear “Wide Right’’ like a scarlet letter.     Twenty years ago, a national TVContinue reading “Most ‘upsets’ in football come from social media”

    I was trolling through Facebook when I spotted my longtime friend Robin Dulmage coaching a Morristown basketball game. Call her Snow White because that is what happened to her hair.     Wow, I mused, she has changed.    Moments later, my computer dinged and two photos arrived from an old newspaper friend who shotContinue reading “Make blonde jokes, ignore the snowdrift atop my head”

   The seeds of this column were planted 37 years ago when my dear friend, John Byrne, a serial talker during Mass, turned around in his pew and asked, “Is Katie a Mongoloid?’’    I was startled but waited until the choir reached the third verse of the recessional song, realizing how innocent his questionContinue reading “Kinder, gentler society treats the challenged as individuals”