“50 People I Admire”
by Monsignor William J. Linder
(last in a series) ADRIAN M. FOLEY, JR. ESQ.,
PARTNER, CONNELL FOLEY
During his six-decade career as one of
New Jersey’s leading lawyers, Adrian M.
Foley, Jr. has been lead counsel in major
cases on both the civil and criminal side
of litigation. He has been recognized as
one of the leading trial lawyers of our
state, spanning a spectrum of practices
which include major civil as well as criminal cases, major
plaintiff and defendant cases, and corporate and estate trials.
He has tried numerous cases in the Appellate Courts, both
State and Federal, and in the Supreme Court where he
upheld the Constitutionality of New Jersey’s first general
tax, the Sales and Use Tax. In another New Jersey Supreme
Court decision, he represented the State of New York in a
dispute between New York and the State of New Jersey
resulting in a judgment holding the New Jersey “commuter
tax” to be unconstitutional. In a landmark decision, he
succeeded in obtaining a Supreme Court judgment
mandating a reversal of an election result that had deposed
the mayor and the entire governing body of Atlantic City,
New Jersey. This case was one of the first decisions in the
country upholding the sanction provisions of the “Sunshine
Law.”
“Adrian Foley is a heavyweight. He was with New Community and Babyland during the early days, using his legal savvy to help us in whatever way we needed. He was very approachable, which made him a down-to-earth person and for a man of his accomplishments, that was so refreshing.” Monsignor William J. Linder
A. ZACHARY YAMBA, PRESIDENT
EMERITUS, ESSEX COUNTY
COLLEGE AND MEMBER OF THE
NEW COMMUNITY BOARD
During his undergraduate years
at Seton Hall University, A.
Zachary Yamba would often visit
Queen of Angels parish in Newark,
where Monsignor Linder was the
parish priest. Over the years, the
two have enjoyed a close friendship that extended
throughout Yamba’s long tenure as the president of Essex
County College.
Yamba is credited with single-handedly rescuing Essex
County College from closure when he took over in 1980.
Under his leadership, the school increased enrollment to
12,000 students, the largest in history; With limited space,
the college later added a new gym, science center, and
parking deck; opened a branch campus in West Caldwell and
became a pioneer in courses tailored to meet the training
needs of local businesses. The college also runs other
institutions--like the Essex County Police Academy and
Training, Inc., a workforce development center.
After nearly three decades at the helm of the institution,
Yamba retired on December 31, 2009. A visionary known
for his keen intellect and humble, gentlemanly demeanor,
Yamba is recognized as the longest serving college or
university president in New Jersey and one of the longest
serving academic chief executives in the nation.
“Zach is a really good friend and one of the most noble men I know. He has always been a voice of independence and integrity, just a caring human being with a genuine concern for the plight of the poor. He is extremely intelligent, friendly and just a pleasure to be around. Whenever world issues are discussed, expect Zach Yamba to be right there providing his keen insight. New Community is blessed to have Zach as a member of its board of directors.” Monsignor William J.
Linder
GERALD SHATTUCK,
PH.D. (1930-2011)
SOCIOLOGIST, COMMUNITY & POLITICAL ACTIVIST
Dr. Gerald Shattuck, Sociologist and Associate Professor
Emeritus at Fordham University, graduated with his
doctorate from Cornell University in 1964 and joined the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology that same year.
He had a distinguished career at Fordham as an outstanding
teacher and colleague, working on community projects for
the urban poor in the 1960s and 1970s. In the late 1970s and
the 1980s, he went on to engage students and faculty in
efforts to protect the environment, years before the ecology
movement became known and well established.
Gerry Shattuck received many tributes from his colleagues
at Fordham. At the time of his application for tenure, the
distinguished Jesuit sociologist, Joseph P. Fitzpatrick, wrote
of Gerry (February 13, 1970), “Dr. Shattuck is without doubt
the professor with the finest reputation as a teacher in both
our graduate and college programs. His courses are sold out
a short while after registration begins. This is not because he
is a soft touch for good grades. His grades are generally
severe. But students receive unusually good instruction…and
close personal attention outside the classroom. . . . Dr.
Shattuck has the imaginativeness and the style of a good
researcher. As a colleague in the Department it would be
hard to find a better one.”
On the occasion of Gerry Shattuck’s twenty-year award on
October 28, 1984, the Bene Merenti medal, a colleague
wrote, ”Wherever Gerry is found, there is a feast of ideas,
insights and genuine concern waiting for every passer-by.”
(Source: E. Doyle McCarthy, Professor Sociology, Fordham
University)
“Gerry was my mentor and one of my closest friends. He represents someone of integrity in higher education. He took interest in my work because of his knowledge and commitment to social justice, and because he was influenced by Continued on next page “50 People I Admire”
by Monsignor William J. Linder
(last in a series) the Catholic Worker Movement and Dorothy Day. He and I co-authored and published two articles on community development and New Community Corporation called ‘An Alternative Community Development Model in Religious Context,’ in 1991, and ‘Neighborhood Development in Context,’ in 1996. He was such an interesting person and always came up with creative ideas to help the poor. One such idea was this hydroponics venture he encouraged us to look into. People would be able to grow their own food and fish in small urban environments. The idea was way ahead of its time but that was the kind of thinking Gerry always did to help the poor. He was truly a great person.” Monsignor William J. Linder
CYRIL TYSON, FOUNDER,
UNITED COMMUNITY CORP.
AND FIRST EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR HARLEM YOUTH
OPPORTUNITIES UNLIMITED,
INC.
Cyril Tyson founded United
Community Corporation (UCC), one of the oldest non-profit
community action agencies in the city of Newark. UCC was
founded as a call to action under President Lyndon B.
Johnson’s “War on Poverty” campaign and became the
designated anti-poverty agency for the city of Newark. Prior
to UCC, and beginning in 1956, his career had a great deal
of impact in NYC.
Cyril Tyson was the Deputy Administrator for Minority
Economic Development and Commissioner of the
Manpower and Career Development Agency in New York
City’s Human Resources Administration.
He held
administrative posts in New York concerned with housing,
human rights, and poverty.
He was the first Executive Director of Harlem Youth
Opportunities Unlimited – Associated Community Teams
(HARYOU-ACT), a kind of Peace Corps for the Harlem
area of New York City, formed in 1962.
He helped design the structure and as a result, HARYOUACT received $110 million in federal funding through the
Johnson Administration to back educational changes
recommended by program organizers. These plans included
recruiting educational experts to reorganize Harlem schools,
providing preschool programs and after-school remedial
education, and employment programs for dropouts. Prior to
the HARYOU-ACT, and soon after the Harlem riots in the
summer of 1964, HARYOU published a report detailing
causes of the unrest and recommending solutions. They,
together with several other organizations, received federal
funding for Project Uplift, intended to prevent riots from
happening again. Also, Tyson is one of the founding
members of 100 Black Men Of America, a men’s civic
organization and service club whose stated goal is to educate
and empower African American children and teens. (source
www.uccnewark.org and Wikipedia.com)
“Cyril Tyson is a good example of a person whose advocacy can affect public policy for the good of the poor. His work in NYC and in Harlem in particular, was admirable and winning that large federal grant was difficult to say the least, but he was determined to have a positive impact on education in NYC. Not only that, he remained committed to helping black families by continuing his career in NJ and founding 100 Black Men. That’s an example of a life time of commitment to a good cause.” Monsignor William J. Linder
JACK FUTTERMAN, FORMER CEO,
SUPERMARKETS GENERAL, INC.
(PATHMARK)
In 1973, Jack Futterman joined
Supermarkets General Holdings, Inc, a
grocery store chain and parent company
to Pathmark Stores. Mr. Futterman is a
registered pharmacist and started as vice president of
Pathmark’s Drugstore and General Merchandise Divisions
and occupied a number of positions before becoming
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer. Jack Futterman retired in
March of 1996, but not before making his mark on the
community in Newark, NJ.
One of New Community’s most important economic
ventures was joining with Pathmark Stores in 1990 to open
the first supermarket built in Newark since the 1967 summer
disorders. Jack Futterman, as CEO , headed the team that
worked diligently to operate the supermarket in the Central
Ward of Newark, making history as one of the first
supermarkets in the area after the devastation of the
disorders.
“Jack represented the retail side of the business and was very ‘customer-driven’ in his thinking. He took personal interest in the store and really elevated the operations by encouraging people to work hard and do well in their positions. He rightly chose an African American gentleman to manage the store and Jack made it his personal mission to mentor and work with him. What I remember about Jack is he wasn’t all ‘talk,’ he was all ‘action,’ and a ‘roll up your sleeves’ kind of guy. I really appreciated his commitment to what we were trying to do in the Central Ward – bringing fresh produce and groceries to a neighborhood that so desperately needed it. And the Pathmark is still here serving our community.” Monsignor William J. Linder