Morristown seniors bring wisdom–and a petition–to town hall picnic

Morristown seniors dance it up at their annual summer picnic in town hall. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Morristown seniors dance it up at their annual summer picnic in town hall. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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Morristown seniors dance it up at their annual summer picnic in town hall. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Morristown seniors dance it up at their annual summer picnic in town hall. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

By Kevin Coughlin

Morristown seniors brought collected signatures along with their collected wisdom to the annual seniors picnic at town hall on Wednesday.

Scores of signatures filled a petition requesting a new, handicapped-friendly bus for the Colonial Coach program.

Mayor Tim Dougherty and David Prince Thomas, a new Morristownian. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Mayor Tim Dougherty and David Prince Thomas, a new Morristownian. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

“It’s time for a new bus,” agreed Mayor Tim Dougherty.

When seniors talk, he listens.

“I take their needs seriously. They’re a staple of our community, a wealth of knowledge and history,” he said. And they vote.

Dougherty said the town already is hunting for grant money for a bus.

Upwards of 150 seniors–many delivered via the Colonial Coach from the town’s seniors housing complexes–attended the noontime gathering, said Wayne Cresta, who manages the town’s seniors programs.

Highlights included an ample buffet and dancing to deejay music.

Picnic guests included David Prince Thomas, a new Morristown resident who said he was the first African American to attend the New York Military Academy; he was a freshman in when Donald Trump was a senior in 1964.

Their paths did not cross at the time. The word at school back then was that “Trump’s father was a big-time developer in New York,” Thomas said.

Will Fullman and Ruby Green volunteered at the annual seniors picnic in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Will Fullman and Ruby Green volunteered at the annual seniors picnic in Morristown. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Others at the luncheon–a tradition stretching back years, hosted by the town’s seniors division– recommended the club sandwiches, but said they enjoyed the camaraderie even more.

“It’s nice for seniors to get together and communicate and talk, and see people you haven’t seen in a long time,” said Joyce Small, a resident since 1959.

To the Mayor, she added wryly: “You’re getting older. But I’m getting better.”

Catherine Burwell,  another longtime resident, was all smiles, too.

“I feel like this is the day the Lord has made,” she said, showering guests with compliments. “My purpose in life is to encourage and help others.”

 

Mayor Tim Dougherty and First Lady Mary Dougherty with, from left, Evelyn Aiken, Joyce Small and Catherine Burwell. Photo by Kevin Coughlin
Mayor Tim Dougherty and First Lady Mary Dougherty with, from left, Evelyn Aiken, Joyce Small and Catherine Burwell. Photo by Kevin Coughlin

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