Letter to the editor in 1974
This one comes out of the archives. In 1974 there was a controversy in Parsippany over a twelve year old girl signing up for little league which led to a series of letters to the editor in the local paper. I finally had enough and threw in my 2 cents. Some say Jan wrote and used my name as cover but that’s not true! This was all me and I think I came out on the right side of this one.
Great photo of Sean, Carol, and Todd in 1948
The great thing about some of these photos is that you’re never quite sure who’s who. Sean looks like Steve, Carol looks like Kathleen and Todd looks like any of his brothers
Announcement of Jay and Laura’s wedding
Enjoy this note from Laura about the wedding ring she wears today:
“I do not know if you know this, but my wedding ring is Nana Betty’s wedding ring. It is a simple white gold band with little flowers stamped on it. Jada gave it to Betty at their wedding in 1942. My mom saved it, although I never knew. She showed it to me when I was shopping for a wedding band. Of course, I prefered Betty’s ring to anything I could buy! and it just happened to complement my engagement ring. So, 60 years after Jada and Betty wed, Jay gave me Betty’s ring during our ceremony in New Jersey. I remember showing the ring to Uncle Ray in San Diego and he really loved that I wear it.”
Beautiful Photo of Laura
Awesome picture!
Some great photos of the Gardner family
Gerry, Mike, Carol, Laura with Patrick and Pete
Laura with Pete and Patrick at Christmas time
Carol laying down the law!
Should Patrick and Pete be driving?
Photo of Gerry (second from left) with an assortment of Gardners. Let’s just say it was a few years ago!
My first pay check and Denny’s new patio
It is early July 1965 and I’m riding with a friend to my brother Denny’s house. He and Adie moved into their home in Denville in ’64 and have been steadily fixing it up. As we pull into his long drive way I am excited, very excited. I have in my hand my very first paycheck. I was running the refreshment stand at Island Beach. Six hours a day for seven days a week at a rate of $1.00 an hour. Don’t get me wrong, this was not exactly grueling work. But I was there everyday and took care of the business. Sure, I had made money in the past cutting lawns and doing a paper route. But this was different: I had a check in my hand made out to Art Mahony in the amount of $82.00. From a financial perspective I had arrived. As the sixth of eight you always feel you’re a little insignificant compared to the older guys but that would all be different now.
As I exit the car I see that my dad, mother, and various siblings are all at work laying down Denny’s new brick patio. This is perfect; they will all see this enormous accomplishment at the same time. They hold up work as my dad examines the check. I’m feeling good as he nods his approval. “Artie got his first pay check” he declares to my mother and the others. But glory at our house was fleeting and it’s time to get back to work. He starts to hand the check back to me but hesitates. He turns to Denny and asks him how much the bricks cost for the patio. Oh boy. Denny answers “80 bucks” and smiles. My father is thinking something over and I don’t like where this is headed. He turns back to me “sign the back of the check”. Someone finds a pen and I sign. My dad takes the check and hands it to Denny. I don’t recall any hesitation on his part. Dad turns back to me and slides 2 dollar bills out of his pocket and hands them to me. He gives me a smile and everyone goes back to work.
So, with the mission accomplished, though $80 poorer, I’m now heading back to work at the beach and thinking two things: I really feel good about myself right now and I’m really happy I don’t have to work on Denny’s patio.
I’ve told this story before and people’s reactions are evenly divided: some can’t believe my dad would take my first check and “redistribute” the money to my older brother (a curious approach from a middle of the road Republican) and others understand what it meant to me. The truth is I never cared that much about the money and my dad knew it. However, in a matter of minutes I had gotten approval and recognition from my parents for another step toward manhood and, at the same time, I helped out my brother Denny who was (and still is) my hero.