(above) Walter E. Boright, Ed.D., historian and author, will highlight the history of Kenilworth’s places of worship during a celebration of local history being hosted by the Kenilworth Historical Society on Thursday, May 16, 2019.
Walter Boright to Present ‘Kenilworth-A Community of Faith’ at Nitschke House, May 16
Distinguished historian and author Walter E. Boright, Ed.D. will highlight the history of Kenilworth’s places of worship during a celebration of local history being hosted by the Kenilworth Historical Society on Thursday, May 16, 2019. All are welcome to attend the event, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Oswald J. Nitschke House (49 South 21 Street, Kenilworth). Admission is free, but interested attendees should register in advance by calling 908-709-0434, as seating is limited. Light refreshments will be served. Parking is available in front of the Nitschke House and in the municipal parking lot across the street from the Kenilworth Veterans Center.
The featured presentation, “Kenilworth – A Community of Faith,” will trace the history of religious worship in Kenilworth from local farming days of the early 1890s to the present. Boright will discuss some uncovered mysteries, reveal newly found historic photographs and review the impact of social and other events that helped shape the evolution of the churches in the community. There will be a question and answer period following the presentation. Local history books and memorabilia will be available for purchase.
Boright, a native of Kenilworth who now resides elsewhere in New Jersey, has authored five popular books about Kenilworth history: A History of Kenilworth as Told Through its Streets and Street Signs; Kenilworth: Houses, People, Pictures, and Stories; Women of Kenilworth; A History of the Kenilworth Free Public Library; and Kenilworth Memories: A History of Kenilworth in Story and Pictures. He also has produced 100 historic postcards of Kenilworth and has written a series of articles about the borough’s history for Kenilworth Life and the former Cranford Chronicle. The May 16 program at the Nitschke House constitutes Boright’s sixth presentation on behalf of the Kenilworth Historical Society.
Boright is a retired superintendent of schools and a retired director of Kean University. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Kean and master’s and doctoral degrees at Seton Hall University. He has taught New Jersey and American history. Additionally, he has held elected office as a councilman and as a member of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. His father, Walter, Sr., was a Kenilworth mayor in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Kenilworth Historical Society is an independent, volunteer-based, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to the research, preservation and interpretation of the Oswald J. Nitschke House, local history and culture.
