FOURTH GRADER IS THE INSPIRATION OF " THE RESIDENTIAL "
 
Maria Estela de Veyga peers over the past issues of The Residential at the office in a building in the borough and she is  especially found of the first one that was distributed to about 200 families. At that time 20 years ago it was eight pages stapled together and mailed out to her friends and families in Edgewater.

What is not known is the Maria received the idea from her son, Sergio, who was a fourth grader at the time in 1986. Sergio showed his mother all about the world of computers and taught her how to speak English. See, Maria and Sergio had just come to the United States in the last couple of years. And from when her son showed her the world of computers when he was at the Eleanor Van Gelder School in Edgewater, Maria took that information and decided to concoct a newsletter that would have information about yoga and town news. At the time she was teaching yoga at a classroom at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in town. Along with writing the articles, she even made a drawing of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church on the cover. Also helping her out in the first issue was Marie Van Dohlen who wrote about the history of her family in Edgewater.

In the book that celebrated the centennial of Edgewater called Edgewater Residential Centennial Souvenir. A portion of the introduction by Bob Batch, who is The Residential's favorite and long time columnist, was written: "Maria freely admits she is no writer and still struggles with the language, but she has determination and desire and a strong belief in positive thinking."

Maria and her son, Sergio, came from Argentina, and then a year or two later she started publishing her newsletter. "That was my first drawing," said Maria about the church sketch on the first cover. "Never in my life did I publish anything, edit anything, or did anything involving a magazine. With Sergio's inspiration, I was able to do all of that."
 

Along with the item about yoga, there were healthy recipes especially with carrots from a salad to carrot juice to a carrot dessert. And also community announcements from telling the community about the annual  borough Halloween costume parade at Veteran's Field to girls cheerleading practice, boys basketball practice and the Edgewater Recreation Department selling tickets to Radio City Music Hall for the annual Christmas Spectacular.                                                     

 

The Residential Brings the news of the Holidays
 
"Christmas is a warm, happy holiday - a time when family and friends gather together and share the joys of the season."
That was the note from Maria Estela de Veyga, the publisher and editor of The Residential in 1990. As part of the 20 years of the voice of Edgewater, The Residential has announced the tidings of the holidays and the 2006-07 season is no different. Looking back at the 20 years of the pages of The Residential have been filled with the words of the season especially of the young ones and the seniors of Edgewater. Many of the writings were touching to all. And in 1992 there was an article of the students interviewing senior citizens about their remembrances of their life especially holiday's past in the borough of Edgewater.

Lottie Piecluk told a group of students about her life, which was filled with heartache that included losing her mother when she was five, and then losing her foster mother at 15. In 1942 Piecluck married. After having her two children with her husband tragedy struck again and a train accident "stripped her of her husband. "She speculates on her past, not regretting moment of it, which created this extremely wonderful woman," wrote the three students, Nicole Caplan, Cindy Seyffarth and Julie Yang. "She smiles with tears dribbling down her cheek, as she looks back on her life. Lottie Piecluk has truly experienced a fulfilling life."

In the 1990 December issue, Lisa Haenelt, a Leonia High School student, wrote: "My favorite Christmas memory is the Christmas of 1984. I had to go into the hospital the Saturday before Christmas for emergency surgery. Needless to say, by Christmas morning, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. But my parents helped me to realize what Christmas spirit really is. It was a cold, wet day that Christmas. Mom and Dad had started early and soon arrived with all my gifts. They had to make four trips to my room to transport all the gifts from them, my grandmas and my brother. They even managed to set up a tiny Christmas tree in my room."

Another student, Juan Velez, wrote about his loss: "The only Christmas I really remember is two years ago when my father passed away. It was such a coincidence for my Dad to die two days before Christmas and be buried on Christmas Eve. I remember my mom trying to give me a lot of gifts to take my mind off my sorrow, but they didn't really help…But I wish he would come back because I miss him a whole lot."
 

And there can't be a season with the words of bob Batch. In the 1990 December issue, he wrote a poem entitled "The Ghost of Christmas Present": "Once upon a night before Christmas, I lay snuggled on my couch," wrote Batch to start his poem and ended with this note. "And share those Christmas wishes, and believe that they'll come true. And have a Merry Christmas, And hope that you do, too."
 
 

The Residential remembers the New Year with the first year
 
With the advent of 2007, it is a good time to remember those who helped build The Residential to what has become and to remember those that helped the newspaper thrive in its first years as part of the 20th anniversary celebration. "After a few months I started with this publication, I met many of the residents who were interested in participating and helping," said The Residential publisher Maria Estella de Veyga.
 

After the initial phase of getting the publication off the ground, de Veyga received help from Paul Krosnick with his suggestions of a cover page , format designs and artistic ideas which improved the quality of the publication in only its first year. And then the publication helped Edgewater learn about its past with Marie Von Dohln. "When I met Marie I asked her: What would you like to tell us about life in Edgewater as you remember it?," remembered de Veyga.

Von Dohln told de Veyga that she wanted to bring up about that Edgewater's residential section belong at one time to the Watkins Farm and one of the sites became the Von Dohln Marina off of River Road on the Hudson River which remains today as part of the Von Dohln family with son Joe and wife, Pat. Marie recalls when there was a large field that part of the Watkins Farm and there were five or six goats tied to little stakes in the ground when she passed by heading to the George Washington School.

She recalls that Edgewater was called at one time, Pleasant Valley, just south of Fort Lee, which was at one time the heart of the motion picture industry became in the very early 20th century.

Joining Marie Von Dohln that helped out in the first year and the early and later days of the publication including Mary Jo Burton with her help from her solid newspaper background and her editorial knowledge along with her husband Dave. In the first year de Veyga recalls the building of the newspaper comparing: "this periodical to be like the birth of a baby, and nurturing, and working at it and worrying about it , and you want it want it to be healthy and happy baby," said de Veyga. And of course during the first year there were the advertisers that included Dr. Joel Angyal, June Schwartz, All Points Travel, Corleone Pizzeria, United Jersey Bank (now Bank of America), Father Larry Cull of Holy Rosary Church and the Borough of Edgewater.

"With this 20th anniversary I want again to say many thanks to the members of the community for the continued support in this venture and wish all of you a HAPPY 2007," said de Veyga.