Westfield Announcements

The Westfield Historical Society held its 41^st Annual Dinner Meeting on May 26, 2010 at Echo Lake Country Club and proudly hosted a record crowd.  The Thomas Glasser Foundation was honored for its leading gift to the Reeve House project and its important philanthropic work in the community.  Lee M. Hale presented the award to Gerry Glasser on behalf of The Thomas Glasser Foundation.  Sherry Cronin presented The Presidents’ Award to Karrie Hanson for her commitment to the Westfield Historical Society and for leading the Reeve House Building Committee.  Marilyn Shields was honored with The Trustees’ Award for her revered work as a landscape architect in many Westfield landscapes amd gardens.   Karrie Hanson presented Letty Hudak with a Trustee Emerita award and George Gross with a Trustee Emeritus award.

In addition, the Westfield Historical Society Selection Committee inducted five individuals/families into the Westfield Hall of Fame. This is the second year that the Historical Society has inducted prominent Westfield residents into its Hall of Fame.  All the nominees are accomplished in their fields, as well as having made a significant impact on the town, the state or the nation. “The list of inductees suggests that the community has fostered people of importance and achievement,” said Lee M. Hale, Chairman of the Selection Committee. Members of the Hall of Fame will be permanently honored at the Reeve House History and Cultural Center, located at 314 Mountain Avenue in Westfield. The Reeve House is being rehabilitated and restored as the historical society’s permanent home and educational center.

The 2010 inductees of the Westfield Historical Society Hall of Fame included:

1) Charles Apgar (1830-1915) – Known as the “wireless wizard” for his pivotal role in saving British and American freighters during World War I, he assisted the Secret Service in shutting down a German wireless station that was broadcasting tips to German U boats about approaching Allied merchant ships. He built and developed one of the most powerful wireless radio systems in his house on Carleton Road.

2) Sigismund Ivanowski (1874-1944) – A graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy and a renowned portrait artist, he came to the Westfield /Mountainside area with his wife, Helen Moser, and established a studio in his house on Mountain Avenue.It was there that he painted portraits of Admiral George Melville and Theodore Roosevelt, both of whose paintings are in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

3) Jeff Torborg (1941-  ) – An All State Catcher at Westfield High School and an All American at Rutgers, he spent 10 years in major league baseball with the Dodgers and the Angels, where he caught no-hitters for Sandy Koufax, Bill Singer and Nolan Ryan. Mr. Torborg went on to serve as a major league manager for Cleveland, the White Sox, the Mets, the Montreal Expos and the Florida Marlins.

4) The Fairbairns – Robert M. Fairbairn (1839- 1891) lived in Westfield when the population was 800 and all the roads were dirt. As chairman of the Township Committee, he set about financing and improving township roads with crushed stone and gravel. His son, Robert A. Fairbairn (1866-1951), was active in many Westfield and New York City business and civic organizations, but was best known as a sportsman. In 1900, he built and owned the Fair Acres Drivers Club, a half-mile harness racing track. His greatest triumph was as the breeder of the 1940 Kentucky Derby winner Gallahadion and the 1945 winner Hoop Jr.

5) William Reeve (1872-1963): One of the founders of the Westfield YMCA, Mr. Reeve was responsible for the World War I monument at the town center. Perhaps his most enduring contributions were the donation of the 11 acres that became Mindowaskin Park and later the donation of his family home, which is now the Reeve House History and Cultural Center.

For more information about the Westfield Historical Society or to become a member, interested persons are asked to call (908) 645-1794, e-mail the society at info@westfieldhistoricalsociety.org or visit www.westfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

Photo caption:  Jeff Torborg was one of five inductees of the Westfield Hall of Fame at the recent Westfield Historical Society Annual Dinner.  Pictured (left to right):  Alma Kehler, Jeff Torborg, Westfield Hall of Fame Inductee, Suzie Torborg, and Nancy Priest, President of the Westfield Historical Society.  Photography courtesy of Robert Meiklejohn.