Daughter donates kidney to father, a Bayonne teacher
Francis Anderson worked two full-time jobs for 35 years as a history and religious education teacher by day at Marist High School in Bayonne, and a freight agent for American Airlines by night. He was lucky to get five hours of sleep per night, and went over 13 years without a sick day or an unscheduled day off. Since his time off from the airline was during the week, he did not even have weekends free. Despite his unwavering energy and dedication to providing for his family, Mr. Anderson’s health was the only thing to finally slow him down.
On Nov. 7, 2011, with his wife of 52 years, Carol, by his side, Anderson received a kidney donation at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center’s Renal and Pancreas Transplant Center, from his daughter, Sharon Feniello of South River, who is an East Brunswick Board of Education employee.
“He has been an amazing inspiration for me, and for his co-workers,” says Feniello, whose sister Colleen was also prepared to be a donor. “He never loses sight of the fact that there is always someone else who has a more difficult situation than he does and he makes it a point to motivate all of us to be held to the same morals and values.”
After retiring from American Airlines, Anderson, who is a diabetic, had quintuple-bypass heart surgery 10 years ago, but he did not slow down. He used his free time after teaching to coach soccer, work the time clock at basketball games, and organize fundraisers and school reunions as the school’s alumni director.
Then two years ago, with his kidneys failing, Anderson went on peritoneal dialysis and performed the treatment on himself four times a day, while continuing to work. When it came time to have his daughter tested to see if she could be his kidney donor, there was more bad news. Anderson was found to have prostate cancer.
After his successful cancer treatment, his insurance company put a two-year hold on any kidney transplants. It took a call from Shamkant Mulgaonkar, MD, chief of the Renal and Pancreatic Transplant Division, to convince the insurance company to cover the transplant.
Anderson also credits two physicians with helping him through the process, Sadanand Palekar, MD, Program Director of Newark Beth Israel’s Renal and PancreasTransplant Center, and cardiologist James J. Hefferan, MD, who referred him to Dr. Palekar. Dr. Hefferan was one of Anderson’s former students at Marist, and Anderson said that anytime that Dr. Hefferan is involved, “I know everything will be okay.”
With the transplant finally approved, and Feniello found to be a match, the transplant surgery was a success. When Anderson returned to his job at Marist, his first time back was for the school’s holiday Christmas party. The room gave him a standing ovation.
“Frank Anderson is a virtual icon at Marist High School,” says Alice J. Miesnik, principal of Marist High School. “Students from as far back as the ’60s remember him as their teacher and coach. These are the same students who now know him as a friend. One of his former students became his son-in-law! When Sharon, Frank’s daughter, offered to give her dad one of her kidneys, we at Marist weren’t in the least surprised; such generosity runs in the family. The Anderson name is part of the fabric that is Marist High School. Because of Frank’s successful transplant, we get to have him around a lot longer.”
Feniello’s husband, Mark, and two children, Taylor, 12 and Marky, 9, were especially supportive of her decision to give a kidney to her father.
“They had been very worried about him and we all felt that this would make everything better,” she related.
With the surgery behind him, Anderson and his wife look forward to long weekends in Pennsylvania where they have a second home. Watching the birds and feeding the deer will be a part of his richly deserved time off. Thanks to the success of his transplant, he also does not plan to retire from Marist any time soon.
“I cannot express to you how wonderful it feels to give the gift of life to a man that has been the most inspirational and influential person in my life,” says Feniello. “He has built our family on values and faith, and has taught me that material things mean nothing in comparison to honor, integrity, and your relationship with God and family.”
Divided Democrats pick Congressional candidates for November
In a Democratic primary that divided Hudson County and a good portion of Northern New Jersey, voters gave victories to Rep. Albio Sires in the 8th District, Bill Pascrell in the 9th and Donald Payne Jr. in the 10th.
Unopposed, Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Robert Menendez was nominated for his third term and will face off in November against state Senator Joseph Kyrillos, who handily defeated three challengers.
Sires received 28,784 over his challenger Michael J. Shurin, who received 3,563 votes, clearing the way for Sires to run against Republican Maria Karczewski, a former Bayonne council member in November. Sires, former mayor of West New York and former speaker of the state Assembly, will be running for his fourth term in the House of Representatives. Other independent challengers include Herb Shaw of North Bergen, Stephen DeLuca of Jersey City, and Pablo Olivera of Newark. DeLuca previously ran unsuccessfully for Hudson County Executive.
Payne overwhelmingly defeated four challengers in the 10th district, with about 37,000 district-wide votes to run for the seat vacated by the death of his father, Rep. Donald Payne Sr. Newark Councilman Ronald Rice finished second with just over 11,000 votes, and Gil, who won in the Hudson County portion of the 10th District, finished third with just under 10,000.
Payne, who had the support of the Essex County Democratic organization, where most of the voting took place, will face off against Republican Brian C. Kelemen of Bayonne in the November election. Joanne Miller of Newark and Mick Erickson of West Orange have filed to run as independents in the 10th district in November.
In one of the most watched elections in the state, Pascrell overwhelming defeated Rothman after the two eight-term congressmen confronted each other in the newly reconfigured 9th District. With just under 28,000 votes, Pascrell beat Rothman who collected 15, 283 votes.
Rothman, who had been sharply criticized for choosing a primary fight rather than take on a strong Republican challenge in a neighboring district, in conceding said it was unlikely that he would seek elected office in the future
Pascrell will face Republican Schmuley Boteach, and independents E David Smith and Jeanette Woolsey in November.
In the sole election for Hudson County, incumbent Hudson County Clerk Barbara Netchert beat Paul Lichstein to win the Democratic nomination.
Of 320,341 registered voters in Hudson County, about 41,000 cast votes in the June 5 primary or about 12.69 percent. Of this, about 36,000 Democrats voted, to just under 5,000 Republicans.
Jack Butchko, Chairman of Bayonne Independent Democrats for Donald Payne in the recent June 5th Primary, hailed the solid victory of his candidate, the new Congressman, as “signaling a new day for the Democratic Party countywide, and a new dawn for responsible and responsive government locally.”
Two Bayonne veterans to get high school diplomas
Through the Bayonne High Schools Operation Diploma program, two Bayonne veterans are scheduled to receive their high school diplomas at the June 15 graduation ceremonies.
Thomas J. Cuseglio left Bayonne High School during his senior years to join the U.S. Navy. He was transferred from the Navy to the marines and served as a combat Marine from 1942 to 1945.
Joel N. Gordon left BHS in his sophomore year to join the US. Navy. He served aboard the USS Pryo at the end of the Vietnam War Era from 1975 to 1980.
Both will receive their diplomas during the high school gradation exercises.
BIOX Corp inks deal for biodiesel facility in Bayonne
BIOX Corporation, a renewable energy company that designs, builds, owns and operates biodiesel production facilities, announced that it has signed definitive agreements with International-Matex Tank Terminals (IMTT) in Bayonne to secure the site and related infrastructure for the construction of its second biodiesel production facility. BIOX’s second facility will have a 100 million litre capacity per year, 50 percent larger than its existing facility in Hamilton, Ontario.
Steve Gallo, business administrator for the City of Bayonne, said the project is still in the development stage.
In a release issued on June 4, BIOX said the new facility will be located within the IMTT terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, at New York Harbor. The agreements include a long term land lease agreement for the plant as well as long term leases on existing storage tanks at IMTT.
“With this second facility our production capacity will grow by almost 150 percent from existing levels. This expansion reflects our view that the fundamentals within the North American biodiesel sector have evolved due to the mandated minimum volumes such that long-term demand exists for quality product from reliable suppliers, like BIOX,” said Kevin Norton, CEO of BIOX Corporation. “IMTT is an ideal partner for our next facility. We have been working with them for more than five years using their Bayonne terminal as a distribution and blending site for product produced in Hamilton. Based on that long-standing relationship, we have already conducted the early stage planning for this next facility including the design tie-ins and site specifications prior to signing these agreements. We are now proceeding ahead with the detailed planning and permitting phase with the expectation that construction will be completed in December 2013.”
The IMTT terminal at New York Harbor is a 600 acre facility within which BIOX has secured 3.5 acres for its second plant. New York Harbor is a major petroleum distribution hub. The selection of this site is consistent with BIOX’s strategy to locate facilities adjacent to large scale petroleum storage and diesel distribution infrastructure as well as users of petroleum diesel and blenders of biodiesel in order to minimize transportation costs to them. BIOX estimates the cost of the 100 million liter facility will be $60 million which includes the core process area, infrastructure, utilities, engineering and indirect cost. BIOX believes that its current financial resources combined with its future cash flow from operations and debt financing should be sufficient to enable it to construct and commission the second BIOX facility.
Open Space Advisory Board members reappointed
Massiel Ferrara, who replaced Stephen Marks as the director of Division of Planning for Hudson County, was among six people appointed or reappointed to the county’s Open Space Advisory Board in a vote taken by the Hudson County Board of Freeholders in late May.
This group is the body responsible for reviewing annually those projects for possible funding out of the county’s Open Space Trust fund.
Earlier this year, County Executive Tom DeGise asked the Hudson County Freeholders to restore the Open Space Trust Levy that had been cut in half two years ago to provide short-term tax relief. Taxpayers pay into the levy, which generates funds for purchases or upgrade of parks and other facilities, as well as historic preservation.
DeGise said that its historic preservation component aided in restoring and supporting heritage sites such as the Apple Tree House and the Bayonne Museum.
The other members approved to the board include Joseph Liccardo of Secaucus, Henry Sanchez of Bayonne, Kernal Thomas of Jersey City, Thomas McCann, the director of the county Division of Parks, and William La Rose, director of the county Office of Cultural Affairs.