Times Talk
Avalon Postmaster Melissa Lomax (left) and USPS social media strategist Crystal Robertson at the Ragan Communications awards luncheon.
AVALON POSTMASTER BACK FROM ASSIGNMENT
A postmaster taking leave to participate in a special assignment with the United States Postal Service might go unnoticed in a major metropolitan post office. That’s not the case, however, in the post offices of Seven Mile Beach.
The postmasters in Avalon and Stone Harbor become members of the towns that they serve. In Avalon, Melissa Lomax has served as postmaster for just over a decade now – a position that only a handful of people have held since the first post office opened its doors here in 1888.
“Melissa is a part of our community,” said Jacquie Ewing, longtime Avalon resident and business owner. “She knows the people in our town and can relate to us. She also goes the extra mile, always. That doesn’t happen all that often anymore,” she added.
So, people took note, despite more than competent replacements, when she spent about eight months working on a special assignment for the United States Postal Service. “I’m always interested in learning more,” Lomax said recently from a work area in the Avalon Post Office where she has returned as postmaster. “Anything that I learn can only help me service our customers better.”
Some people might be surprised to learn that the special detail had nothing to do with traditional mail. Instead, it focused on social media analysis and strategy. Electronic technology. In her project Melissa was part of a team that scrubbed social media channels every day for any mention of the Postal Service. Good or bad. Information collected was reported to postal officials.
“We were able to track trends geographically,” she explained. “And most importantly it gave the Postal Service an opportunity to quickly react.”
The team’s work did not go unnoticed outside of the Postal Service. Their work was recognized by the Ragan Business Awards. The Ragan Awards celebrate the most successful campaigns, initiatives, people, and teams in the field of communications.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity that I was given,” Lomax concluded. “To be part of that team, was an incredible experience for me personally and professionally. Now, the key is to use what I’ve learned from that experience within my job here in Avalon.”
Said Mayor John McCorristin: “Melissa has been a shining star at the Avalon Post Office,” said Mayor John McCorristin. “She does a wonderful job caring for all of Avalon’s needs. Melissa cares about everyone who walks through the door and obviously cares deeply about her staff. Avalon is lucky to have her.”
NATIONAL COMMANDER VISITS POST 331
Fresh from taking part in the D-Day memorial events in Normandy, France, American Legion national commander Daniel J. Seehafer came to Stone Harbor to visit Stephen C. Ludlam American Legion Post 331 on June 14.
Seehafer was greeted at curbside by Post 331 commander Thomas McCullough. He was then given a tour of the historic building and its museums by members Dick Pike and Bill Lehman. After the tour, McCullough showed him all the improvements that had been made to the building and grounds with the help of two recent grants from the Home Depot Foundation, and enumerated the significant donations the post makes to veterans’ causes each year.
McCullough then presented Seehafer with an engraved paver, to be installed in the post’s walkway of memories in commemoration of his visit. He was also presented with a Post 331 cap and Post Commander’s coin. The visit ended with the two commanders cutting the welcome cake and sharing it and coffee with the local legionnaires present.
Accompanying the national commander were Gene O’Grady, alternate national executive committeeman; Chuck Robbins, past New Jersey national executive Committeeman; and the commander’s aide, Mike Rohan, who is also the husband of former national commander Denise Rohan.
Post 331’s building, a restored 1895 U.S. Lifesaving Station, is on the state and national registries of historic places and has been featured in the March edition of the American Legion magazine.
This was the second time in four years that a national commander has visited the post. There are 13,000 American Legion posts worldwide with nearly 2 million members.
PEARL S. BUCK: A SHOOBIE WHO DIDN’T APPRECIATE OTHER SHOOBIES
Fifty years ago this summer, The Press of Atlantic City published a tribute to a longtime Stone Harbor seasonal visitor who had passed the year before, legendary writer Pearl S. Buck. Buck won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 and then became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938.
The tribute featured a story related by Bruce Gimmey, a onetime bartender at Fred’s Tavern who apparently enjoyed walking his dog on the beach. On one of his beach outings, he was stopped for a chat by a tall woman with gray hair whom Gimmey described as “severely handsome.” As the story was told, the woman was carefully attending to a waterside stroll with a developmentally disabled child. The child was no doubt her daughter Carol, who needed long-term care and lived her life at the Vineland Training School in Cumberland County.
After leaving the beach, Gimmey couldn’t erase the memory of the “striking” woman and her intelligent conversation. Gimmey later mentioned the casual encounter to Marshall Fisher of Diller Fisher Realtors, who informed him that his encounter was with none other than the highly acclaimed author of “The Good Earth” and other works about peasant life in China, where she grew up as the daughter of missionaries.
Fisher told Gimmey that in 1961, Buck purchased an “upside-down house” in Stone Harbor, with the living room on the second floor and bedrooms and garage located on the first floor. Fisher went on to tell Gimmey that Buck’s house, which sat on the northwest corner of 105th Street and First Avenue, was valued at about $65,000 in 1974 and that she spent a good deal of time writing at the house from 1961 through 1969.
Gimmey was told that she enjoyed spending the winter and spring months in Stone Harbor because she didn’t care for “people pollution.” She especially avoided the summer months when the island was filled with “society folks” and business executives. It appears that Pearl Buck was a seasonal visitor who didn’t appreciate other seasonal visitors. Who knew?
Among her works, she wrote about swimming, fishing, and crabbing in New Jersey. She once wrote, “I do not need books to tell me about New Jersey. For years my life has been caught into the manifold variety of this small seacoast state.”
Buck attracted quite a bit of attention in local media in 1974, a year after she died. The Press of Atlantic City wondered why no historic markers were placed outside her former home on First Avenue. And in another tribute, The Press of Atlantic City attributed the following paragraph to Buck, written during her time on the Seven Mile Beach.
“I am always moved with grateful wonder by the goodness of people. For the few who are prying or meanly critical, for the very few who rejoice in the grief of others, there are thousands that are kind. I have come to believe that the natural human heart is good, and I have observed that this goodness is found in all varieties of people, and that it can and does prevail in spite of other corruptions. The human goodness alone provides hope enough for the world.”
One can only wonder if Buck, who had joined her parents in serving as Presbyterian missionaries, ever made her way to Wells Memorial Church, the only Presbyterian church on the island when she was here in the spring … before the crowds of a half-century ago sent her back to her Bucks County farmhouse. So, for those people who don’t love the crowds of summer, Pearl S. Buck is a woman after your own heart.
WOMEN’S LIFEGUARD CONFERENCE DRAWS A CROWD
The Sea Isle City Beach Patrol hosted 64 female guards at the annual South Jersey Women’s Lifeguard Conference on June 26. Sixteen beach patrols along the Jersey Shore attended the conference, including several guards from the Avalon Beach Patrol.
The organizer of the conference, Bridget O’Hanlon, is a nine-year veteran of the SICBP. Along with a planning committee of 15 Sea Isle lifeguards, O’Hanlon arranged for the attending guards to participate in an open discussion, fitness session, and presentations from Sea Isle Beach Patrol alumnae Colleen McIntyre Osborne and Joanne Lombard Palombo.
Avalon Beach Patrol Lieutenant Danielle Smith attended the conference with the other Avalon guards. Smith, who has attended every conference since they began in 2011, likes seeing the guards come together and form relationships.
“I have been a lifeguard for 11 years, and have been competing for nine of those 11 years,” she said, referring to the lifeguard racing circuit. “During those competitions, I never knew any of the guards I was competing against. The conferences have helped because they have allowed us to meet the other amazing female lifeguards.”
As for the rise in the number of women beach patrol members, Smith said: “It is absolutely amazing. There has been so much growth for women in leadership and women in racing. I am the first and only female lieutenant in Avalon Beach Patrol history, and it is so cool to meet other girls just like me. They are rising in the ranks, which is important.”
Smith also highlighted the support she has received from ABP Chief Matt Wolf to pursue events like the South Jersey Women’s Lifeguard Conference: “Our chief is really supportive, he has been amazing. Since he has taken over, he has been behind me 100% of the way.”
The Sea Isle City Beach Patrol is already looking forward to hosting the 2025 event, which has a tentative date of July 1.
Flanking Cape May County Commission Director Leonard C. Desiderio with a copy of the donation from the Charles Muller Estate are County Zoological Society President Neil Byrne (left) and Executive of the Charles Muller Estate Michael Laffey, Sr. Others, from far left, are County Commissioners Melanie Collette and Bobby Barr, and from right, Andrew Bulakowski, Commisioner Vice-Director, Zoological Society Secretary Mike McLaughlin, and Parks Director Ed Runyon.
ZOO RECEIVES $1.4M DONATION
The Cape May County Zoological Society received a significant donation from longtime supporter Charles Muller, of Edison, N.J. Muller, who first visited the zoo with his wife Elizabeth in the early 2000s, developed a deep affection for the zoo and its animals, particularly Rocky, the Siberian tiger. Following Elizabeth’s passing in 2010, Muller continued to visit the zoo and made frequent donations, forming a close friendship with Michael Laffey, the former director of parks.
Charles Muller, who died Sept. 29, 2022, at the age of 93, bequeathed his entire estate to the Cape May County Zoo/Zoological Society. Named executor of Muller’s will, Laffey ensured Muller’s wishes were honored. The donation, totaling $1,435,787.59, is the largest single contribution ever made to the Cape May County Zoological Society, providing essential resources for food, shelter, habitats, and medical care for the animals.
Leonard C. Desiderio, the Cape May County Commissioner Director, expressed his heartfelt gratitude: “This unexpected donation will serve to provide food, shelter, and habitats for the animals along with medical care. On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, I extend our sincere gratitude to Charles Muller, who will be memorialized for this generous donation.” Neil Byrne, president of the Zoological Society, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the positive impact the donation will have on the zoo’s future.
The mission of the Cape May County Zoological Society is to support the Cape May County Zoo by providing resources and funding for the care, enrichment, and conservation of the animals, as well as for educational programs and improvements to the zoo’s facilities. To make a donation, visit capemayzoosociety.org.
Seven Mile Run Club
A RUN ON RUN CLUBS
This summer, the island has seen the introduction of two new running clubs that have nearly identical names but different activities: Seven Mile Island Run Club in Stone Harbor and the Seven Mile Run Club in Avalon.
The Seven Mile Island Run Club meets every Saturday at 7am, rain or shine. The group’s runs begin at the Stone Harbor Water Tower, and usually last about 60 minutes, followed by a post-run social at Pure Juice Kitchen.
The organizer, Lauren Nicholas, was inspired to create a Stone Harbor run club after seeing the recent boom in group runs offered across major cities. “Stone Harbor has always been my favorite place to run,” she said, “and judging by how busy the bike lane gets in the summer, I knew I wasn’t the only one.”
She added: “Having a group of people to run with can be really motivating, so it’s been great to see members of the group making suggestions for additional speed workouts, beach runs, and connecting me with local businesses for collaborations. It has been really fun seeing how the club has grown and brought everyone together.”
Meanwhile in Avalon, the Seven Mile Run Club offers runs on Monday at 8am and evening swims at 5:30pm. The group meets at the Avalon jetty and typically runs about 3 miles. The creator of the group, Shannon Kelly, is a former Avalon lifeguard.
“I wanted to find a way to still stay consistent with my workouts and continue to have that form of community while doing so,” Kelly said. “A lot of our run club members are current guards and in great shape, which always helps to motivate the whole group to push themselves a bit harder during our workouts.”
After runs, the Seven Mile Run Club loves to grab açaí bowls at Hollywood Bowls.
“We’ve gotten to meet some awesome people who have come out and joined the runs by finding us on Strava, which has been really cool,” Kelly said, referring to an app that connects runners, cyclists, hikers and other active people. “Everyone has their own motivations to work out and even if we all are running for different reasons, doing it together makes it all the more fun!”
Whether you are an avid runner, or just starting out, be sure to check out Seven Mile’s newest run clubs. Seven Mile Run Club and Seven Mile Island Run Club are the perfect way to start your day!