Green Brook Lions Club
Submitted by Raymond Murray
In October 2020, the Green Brook Lions dedicated a monument in Arthur Lewis Park, located on the site of the former Green Brook Swim Club. The monument was envisioned in 2017 as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Lions Clubs International.
Inscribed on the monument are the Lions logo and motto, ‘Not above you, not beneath you, but with you’. The monument will celebrate outstanding community leaders, and bears the name of four people who helped shape Green Brook into the wonderful community that it is.
Those inaugural names are: Irene E. Feldkirchner, Alvin P. Kappelman, Jr., Vernon A. Noble and Arthur L. Lewis
Irene Feldkirchner started as a teacher in Green Brook in 1926, in a two-year-old school on the site where the Green Brook Municipal Building now sits. She taught grade 5 through 8. In 1938, the school was moved to a new building, and Irene was the first principal of the Andrew Street School. She dedicated 47 years to education, and the school was renamed to honor her service.
Alvin Peter Kappelman, Jr., was killed on September 11, 2001 at the age of 57. He was an insurance executive who worked at the World Trade Center. Following in his father and uncles’ footsteps, Al became a member of the Green Brook Volunteer Fire Department at the age of 16. He served the department for more than 41 years, including many years as a department officer and as Fire Chief. His dedication to the Fire Department helped mold the department. His service is the symbol of the volunteerism that sets Green Brook apart from other communities.
Vernon A. Noble was a charter member of the Green Brook Lions Club, which was established in 1950. In addition to his philanthropic efforts on behalf of this club, Vern was very involved with the Elks Club, and their efforts on behalf of the handicapped. Vern was an elected and appointed official in Green Brook, serving on almost every board and commission. He served as Mayor of Green Brook Township and as a Somerset County Freeholder. He was a founding member of the Green Brook Flood Control Commission. The decades-long effort began in 1973 following significant flooding throughout the 64 square mile Green Brook basin. In 1999, those efforts were finally realized, as construction began on the protection in Bound Brook. The project is expected to last another 25 years, at a cost of more than $1.4 billion.
Arthur L. Lewis, the namesake of the Park, was a member of the GB Lions Club. Art was a member of many other community organizations, including the GB Seniors, BPO Elks and Moose International. He was a Green Brook Mayor and Tax Assessor, and a founding board member of the Green Brook Swim Club, which operated for six decades prior to the conversion to a Township park.
The Green Brook Lions Club was founded in 1950. Over the past 70 years, the Club has been involved in many sight related initiatives, supporting eye exams and glasses for needy families, eye transplants, housing programs for blind people and veterans, music programs and summer camps for blind children and more. The Club is additionally involved in many local, Green Brook-centric programs, supporting youth sports and scouting programs, local food bank and residents in need and awards and scholarships for middle and high school students.
Club members are residents and business owners from Green Brook and the surrounding area. For information about how to join the more-than two dozen members of the Green Brook Lions, contact Club President Jerry Accomando at 908-403-0722.
