Several members of the Historical Society of Florham Park met for their Annual New Year’s Party and to honor Dr. Robert Newhouse for his 78 years of community involvement this year. Historical Society of Florham Park members at 2024 New Year Party at home of Nancy Lack.
(above) Front row: Chet Lloyd, Janet Johannessen, Michele Newhouse, Bob Newhouse, Richard Davidson, Carol Baumgartner, Janet Wollmann, Peter Nicolas and Barry Lack; Second row: Charlie Germershausen, Peter VanSeggern and Phyliss Botticelli; Back row: Dave Setzer, Tom Guthrie, Pat Chase, Paul chase, Nancy Lack and Sherry Guthrie. Photo by David L. Kramer
Dr. Bob Newhouse – This is your Life Celebration!
Dr. Robert Newhouse and his wife Michele attended the annual New Year’s Party of the Society on January 7, 2024, little realizing that it would also be a “Dr. Bob Newhouse – This is your Life Celebration! “Bob” is known for his many years of contributions to the Florham Park Fire Department, as Florham Park’s first Recreation Director, and for starting up (and playing in) sports leagues and teams in town. For example, in1955 Fred Stobeaus and John Miller and Bob Newhouse (as President) launched the New Community Softball League.
Bob will be turning 100 years young this June and is appreciated by so many for his years as an educator in Florham Park, Madison, Kean University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and the College of Saint Elizabeth from which he retired in 1989. He earned his doctorate in 1974 at Lehigh University.
During World War II he was in the Battle of the Bulge where he earned a Bronze Star and was a recipient of a Purple Heart from injuries suffered. Indeed, in her research for the holiday party, Historical Society member Nancy Lack found 130 articles about Bob just in the years between 1946 through 1987. Dr. Bob Newhouse and his wife Michele have been members of the Historical Society of Florham Park when they joined at a re-opening of the Little Red Schoolhouse in 1980.
The Historical Society of Florham Park is an all-volunteer organization that performs three major functions.
Gathers and files, preserve, data, traditions, and objects pertaining to the history of Florham Park. Virtually all the artifacts at the Little Red Schoolhouse were donated by local residents and businesses to the Historical Society for display in the museum since its founding.
Provides tours of the current displays at the Little Red Schoolhouse, including the Hancock family broom-making machine, a quilt designed by Ridgedale Middle School students as well as antique quilts, and items of the first mayor of Florham Park, Jesse Keyes, and local millionaire and benefactor Lloyd Smith. A short “class” is held to review what it was like for students in a one-room schoolhouse at the turn of the last century. Pass the quiz and you may ring the schoolhouse bell! For more info about the Little Red Schoolhouse, seeen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Schoolhouse_(Florham_Park,_New_Jersey)
Offers frequent presentations at the Florham Park Library on a variety of topics, scheduled by the Historical Society and offered free to the public. For example, more than 50 people attended the “Mayflower-What Were They Thinking” presentation in November 2023. The first two 2024 programs which the Historical Society is offering soon at the Florham Park Library, are: March 12, 7pm, “Hidden Children of World War II” by Maud Dahme; April 9, 7pm, “Tuskegee Airmen” by R Merritt Brown DMD
In the meantime, the museum itself has been getting a facelift, with new floors, lighting and more, thanks to a Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund grant which was applied for by the borough’s Historic Preservation Commission. Good news is that the refurbishment (new floors, lighting, etc) of the Little Red Schoolhouse is going well and is eagerly anticipated to be completed soon. The Historical Society of Florham Park has offered to team with the Historic Preservation Commission to plan for and announce a grand re-opening of the museum for the public. That would be in tandem with the 125-Anniversary celebrations of Florham Park which are being planned for 2024. Stay tuned!
