It’s not much of a stretch to say that John Cunningham put New Jersey, and Morristown, on the map.
The prolific author and historian, who died on June 7 at age 96, touched countless lives as a print ambassador for the Garden State. He wrote more than 50 books, some of which became required reading for generations of students.
Here are remembrances from a few of the many people who share our sadness at the loss of this American original.
(This story will be updated frequently as more comments come in. Please add your comments below, or send them to us at MorristownGreen AT gmail DOT com.)
I think what made John so special was that he was so multi-faceted and committed to his task. He had a strong interest in bringing history to everyone and making his books something that non-academics could read.
I think he wanted the public to understand about their state’s history, especially since so many people who live in New Jersey, often knew so little about it.
He and Richard McCormick (Sr.) very much teamed up and raised awareness of the state’s history in the 1950s through the present by getting involved and professionalizing the New Jersey Historical Society, creating what are probably the first curriculum materials for New Jersey history, and publishing widely so that people had access to the state’s history.
The impact that he and McCormick made invariably raised the stature of the state’s history, so that at least in the present day, historians and readers of history strongly consider the state’s history rather than discounting it in favor of the greater Philadelphia or New York City story.
But John was also a fabulous speaker and had a wit to match any person I had ever met. He was engaging and entertaining and this also served him well in spreading his message and I cannot tell you how many times he was considered as a keynote speaker for events or given awards and honors (all rightly deserved).
I remember seeing him more recently and I asked him if he remembered where we first met. He thought for a minute and when I reminded him that we met at the Turtle Back Zoo (it was a convenient, albeit unusual, median point so I could drop off proofs for one of his upcoming books), he rightly asked: “Well, why did I see you there? Were you in one of the exhibits?” I still laughed out loud when I think of it.
— Chad Leinaweaver, assistant director, Morristown & Township Library
On behalf of the staff and Board of Trustees of the Mayo Performing Arts Center, I express our sorrow at the passing of John Cunningham.
It is doubtful that anybody knew more about New Jersey nor loved the state as much as John.
John was a great writer, a wonderful storyteller, and a terrific champion of our theatre. He recognized early on that a world class performing arts center added to the rich cultural legacy and history of Morristown.
His ability to colorfully capture the dramatic history of our building, from its construction in 1937, through its rebirth in 1994 to its renovations of recent years in his book, The Miracle on South Street, will forever memorialize and bring our story to life for future generations.
The Mayo Center offers its gratitude to John for his tireless efforts to uncover, preserve and tell this story, as well as being a staunch advocate for the need to preserve buildings such as ours.
In October 2011, we acknowledged John for these efforts by naming him the first recipient of our “Conductor’s Award” for outstanding service to the Theatre at our annual Starlight Ball Gala.
More than that, John was our friend. He attended many performances over the years and it was always a delight to see him in our venue enjoying one of our concerts, and to talk to him about his latest project.
We will miss his words. We will miss his humor. We will miss him.
—Allison Larena, president, Mayo Performing Arts Center (formerly known as the Community Theatre)
I was so sorry to hear the sad news about John passing away. He was a wonderful person who made NJ history come alive.
John last spoke here at the library on Superbowl Sunday, February 3 , 2008. I mistakenly thought the game was a week earlier when I asked John to speak on his book, The Uncertain Revolution.
It was only on the day of the talk that I realized my ridiculous error. I was so afraid the turn-out would be light but… the room was filled to capacity and John spoke eloquently as always.
As he was packing up to go he gently said “let’s try not to schedule my next talk during the World Series hmmmm.” We both laughed, but it was a lesson I never forgot !
–Maria Norton, director, Morristown & Township Library
At age 92, I do remember well driving John to the back end of Jockey Hollow off of 202, and then with the film producer (Morristown: Where America Survived), he walked the final 300 yards on the path to Stark’s Brigade view, overlooking the Morristown area and the Watchung Mountains in the distance.
It was raining lightly, but John still insisted we proceed. When we arrived at the site, the rain stopped, the sun came out slightly and John was in “heaven” (the true heaven I am sure he is in now).
Walking back he looked down to the ground and said with a twinkle in his eye, “Morristown deserves its place in the sun . . . perhaps more correctly its place in the snows and violent weather of yesteryear.”
—S. Dillard Kirby, co-executive producer, Morristown: Where America Survived
I worked with Mr. Cunningham in 2008 on the film script, and was amazed at the energy and enthusiasm he had for telling the Jockey Hollow story.
I also found that despite his legendary status in the community of New Jersey history writers, Mr. Cunningham didn’t take himself that seriously and had a wry sense of humor that helped make working with him incredibly easy. He took his mission seriously — promoting New Jersey’s history — and his passion for that rubbed off on you when you worked with him.
—Bob Szuter, producer, Morristown: Where America Survived
As a young reporter I was assigned to interview John for a story about the history of Morris County.
Wanting to be thoroughly prepared, I went to the Morristown Library to study up.
Back then John’s books were housed in what was referred to as the history closet, a large storage area on the first floor with shelves full of his books and essays.
Realizing this assignment was going to take some time I got right to work reading and making notes.
A few days later I met John for the first time at his Florham Park home for the interview. It was fascinating. He made the history of Morristown and the area come alive with his knowledge and enthusiasm. I knew I had captured something very special for my program.
Over the years, I interviewed John any number of times and just a couple of years ago I collaborated with him as executive producer of a documentary about Jockey Hollow titled Morristown: Where America Survived, a film based on his book The Uncertain Revolution. The film can currently be seen at the Visitors Center at Jockey Hollow.
John was a master historian and a New Jersey treasure.
—Kent Manahan, former NJN anchorwoman
He loved Morristown and the school system. He was the Class of ’32 [Morristown High]. He had no money, his family had no money. I think there were seven kids, living out in the woods in Brookside, before that was the place to live.
He was not a wealthy guy…but he lived his love.
[After John wrote a history of the high school] we invited people to come to the Green to get the book. It was a beautiful book. John sat there from noontime, handing it out to a line of former graduates. He signed without a break for hours and hours, till late afternoon. It must have been five or six hours.
[He had second thoughts about starting some projects with John.] He was getting well along in age…I figured he wouldn’t make it, or I wouldn’t make it. But he was strong as an ox. He didn’t think about his age.
He was youthful, and he fooled you. If you knew his age, it would mislead you. He didn’t live his age. He lived vigorously and youthfully, long past the time when most people fold their tents. His enthusiasm and his friendship with so many people helped him to produce great writing.
––Stephen B. Wiley, civic leader, longtime collaborator with John Cunningham
I was saddened to learn of the passing of John Cunningham. As a historian, he chronicled New Jersey’s rich and diverse history in a unique style that educated and entertained readers for more than six decades.
Mr. Cunningham’s legacy will live on in the generations of adults and children alike who will continue to learn about the history of our state through his work.
As a tireless advocate for our state he amassed an unparalleled body of work that garnered respect and admiration within the history community, both inside and outside New Jersey.
–-Kim Guadagno, Acting Governor, New Jersey Secretary of State
The loss of John Cunningham to the historical community in New Jersey, and beyond, is significant. His passion for teaching and learning was evident in all his writings and to anyone who had the honor of engaging in meaningful conversation with him.
He was a great friend and teacher to everyone at Morristown National Historical Park and his impact will be felt in perpetuity and reflected in the stories we tell.
He was a strong voice for the uniqueness of the Morristown revolutionary story and we will forever be grateful for his storytelling, willingness to share, and time. We are tremendously saddened by John’s passing and we send our thoughts to his closest friends and family.
—Jill Hawk, superintendent, Morristown National Historical Park
Working with John for nearly a decade on raising awareness of Morristown’s importance as a heritage tourism destination was nothing less than a privilege. Getting to know him, along with Judy was a great honor.
—Leslie Bensley, executive director, Morris County Tourism Bureau
I knew John mostly because of his love of music here at Morristown United Methodist Church. He first started coming to our church as he was keeping company with one of our church members, Jackie Wiley. They had met on a bus trip to New York to see a show. Jackie was filled with enthusiasm and fun, and John just loved that about her.
In her memory, John made a donation to ensure that The Christmas Singers would appear on our Music At Noon each December. Each year we read the beautiful words of tribute that John wrote about Jackie.
Later, John met Judy Kendall and they both attended church as well as every music event on our series. John loved music and expressed that love and appreciation to the musicians. His presence will be sorely missed!
He was a quiet, gentle man with a great sense of humor. I heard him speak many times of the history of New Jersey and he made it come to life!
Each Sunday during church we have a time for passing the peace where we get up and move around to greet each other. I always headed to John for a hug and kiss. I shall miss that very much. But his spirit will remain firmly planted in my heart, and, as John did, will always make me smile.
—June Van Thoen, director of music ministries, Morristown United Methodist Church
John T. Cunningham was my Uncle. My father is his last remaining sibling,one of the of the seven in the greatest Generation of Cunninghams. I treasure the memory of driving the two brothers through Brookside, Morristown, Madison,and all their old haunts. That day I wasn’t listening to two older gentlemen,but two boys celebrating a marvelous journey of family and enduring love.
God bless you Uncle John.
I am fortunate to have worked on the NJN Documentary: “Morristown: Where America Survived” and to have ensured that New Jersey and the country know of the story of Morristown and Jockey Hollow as He so championed.
I never liked history – till it hit home, Thank you Mr Cunningham for making my discovery of local history such an easy read, I loved his books!
John was a dear friend. We worked on the documentary, “Morristown Green”. Saw him recently and he had that same infectious smile. I was his musical hero. I treasure that statement. I will miss going to his home and playing for him. He was very supportive whenever I performed in Morristown. A true Patriot in every sense of the word and the no. 1 Historian and proud to say an alumni of MHS.
God speed my dear friend. Will miss you dearly.
Rest in peace, Mr. Cunningham. You never turned down an interview and you were always a gentleman.
He was just a wonderful man and a role model for all ages.