After flying over the area and seeing all the “swamp and jungle” as they referred to the site in Colts Neck, 12 miles from the sea, the Navy thought that would be a more suitable location. A railroad could be built at the waterfront on a smaller piece of land in the Bayshore, disrupt fewer people, and thereby restrict the construction to a minimum of developed property. Thus was the start of a second naval base in Monmouth County; it was named for Ralph Earle, a graduate of the Naval Academy in 1896 and Chief of Ordnance during World War I. It was first known as Naval Ammunition Depot Earle, with a clear mission to support all the operations conducted by the Department of Defense through the Navy. As an ammo site, the base is responsible for storing, repairing, developing and maintaining some of the most advanced weapons used by the US Navy troops, making it an essential base. PHOTO: Train Operations on the pier. A brief summary of the early history of Earle has some fascinating descriptions and information. It was described as “largely oak forest and woodland swamp, glen paradise for deer and other game. Pheasant and fox, deer and rabbit dwelt here in a world of their own, with only the baying of an occasional hound or the tread of an occasional hunter to astound them into seeking cover.” The officer writing the summary in the 1940s went on to say that “even now, …we can smile to see a hen quail, like a plump little bandy-legged woman, waddling over the crusted snow to our charitable handout of bread crumbs, her little family aligned behind her.” Or, on summer nights “we may stop breathless, as a stag, head lifted at the sound of our voices, stands in majesty, silhouetted against the rigid moon atop a magazine.” That was a description of the Colts Neck portion. For Leonardo, the writer continued. “skirting its shores had stood a cluster of gay little houses of prostitution, to which harried New York business ladies were wont to retire during the summer months in order to play their trade in a cooler, quieter atmosphere.” Today, NAD Earle is now Naval Weapons Station Earle, and its mission is still the same. The vitality of the base is evident in the quality of leadership that is assigned to command the 11,027 acres spread over five municipalities…Middletown, Colts Neck, Howell, Wall Township and Tinton Falls, including the approximate 20 mile rail and road line between the waterside and administrative side of the base.

When they hear that, the folks in the Bayshore think of “the pier,” that magnificent three miles of pier, wye, and trestle that every fisherman yearns to be on. The folks on the western side of the County think of 201 Route 34, Colts Neck, the entrance to the beautiful, wooden and very quiet neighbor that is also home to a number of other contractors as well as military serving aboard this very historic base. But to everyone, NWS Earle is a force in war and peacetime, and has been ever since it was first built in 1943 to answer to the war that was supposed to end all wars. The truth is, it was really long before the start of WW II, both Army and Navy officers knew there should be a base to load and unload explosives somewhere in the port of New York area, in an area close to roads and rail. Strangely enough, it was the Army who first came up with the idea, and the first to suggest Port Monmouth and Spermaceti Cove as sites that should be considered for a permanent location. The Navy also considered the issue,and decided that yes, an ammo load and unload site in the New York area was essential to the nation’s security, and yes, the south side of Sandy Hook Bay would be the ideal spot. But the Navy also had strong feelings about disrupting so many homes in Port Monmouth to accomplish their goal and suggested instead a unique

There are so many people through the centuries who are connected with Highlands and all of Monmouth County we sometimes forget how much pride we can take in our ancestry and the earlier settlers of the area. is one of them. Born in New York and educated at Princeton, where he roomed with James Madison, Freneau was known as the Poet of the Revolution, and actually in some circles is known as the Father of American Literature. He kept other good company during his Princeton years..the likes of Aaron Burr, William Bradford, later US attorney general, William Patterson, later Governor for whom the northern NJ city is named, Henry Lighthouse Harry Lee and Hugh Brackenridge, with whom he wrote what is regarded as the first book of narrative prose written in the United States. The oldest of five children, his mother educated him so he could be a minister, and while Freneau dutifully studied theology, he was more drawn to literature. Then when the Revolution broke out, he used his wit and poetic ability to bring the era’s politics into the poetic world and educate the people on the American Whig Society. His style was eclectic and he could write satire and comedy as well as patriotism and inspiration, be it for the Revolution or the sea, recalling the time he loved as a sea captain visiting islands and writing naval ballads. Freneau married a Monmouth County lady, and built the family home in Mount Pleasant on his wife’s 1,000 acre estate, the community now known as Freneau. He tried a variety of different jobs and occupations during his life, decided early on he did not like teaching, but was drawn to editing and newspapers. He worked for a while as a trader during the sea captain days, and as a farmer. And when he was in the New Jersey militia, captured, and imprisoned on a British ship, he even wrote about that, pouring a large dose of bitterness into what was otherwise beautiful poetry. Later, at the suggestion of friends Madison and Thomas Jefferson, he even started his own newspaper in Philadelphia, the National Gazette. Purpose of the Gazette was to uphold Mr. Jefferson’s beliefs and counter the pro-Alexander Hamilton press. He was also working for Jefferson during his presidential years serving as clerk for foreign languages within the office of the secretary of state. Later, still in Mount Pleasant, he published The Monmouth Almanac that printed stories about everything from the solar system to Freneau’s own essays. Lofty, deep, funny or strange as some of Freneau’s works were, his Naversink is the poem best remembered and appreciated by folks in the Bayshore. In five stanzas, he wrote about the beauty of “these, hills, the pride of all the coast,” the valley, “these vales, impervious to the wind…:” what the hills saw….”a thousand sails your hazy summits greet,” the Revolution, “you saw the angry British come, you saw him, last, retreat.” He even incorporated Joshua Huddy’s hanging in the poem, referring to “Where forests round them rise, Dark groves, their tops in æther lost, that, haunted still by Huddy’s ghost, the trembling rustic flies.” Freneau never made much money for all his writing; he sold off much of his farm to pay debts, lost the house to a fire in 1818, and worked as a laborer whe he was in his 70s to pay his taxes. In his 80s, he applied for a veteran’s pension which was granted, the grand amount of $35 a year. But he never lived to collect it. Philip Freneau, the Poet of the Revolution, the poet who wrote of those Highlands hills “Let those who pant for wealth or fame pursue the watery road; Soft sleep and ease, blest days and nights, and health, attend these favorite heights, retirement’s blest abode!” died of exposure in a blizzard in December, 1932.

Calling on my friends who love doing historic research about our area and its people. Norine Panacker, who lives in Middletown, is researching her family history and is trying to learn more about her grandma, Katherine Styble Cisek. What she has learned so far is Katherine lived with her family in Brooklyn where the family ran a hardware store in the early part of the 20th century. Catherine married John Siecinski in 1914 and by all accounts were a delightfully happy and devoted couple. Apparently at some point Catherine, who was Polish, became an au pair for the William Treat family who summered in Atlantic Highlands or Highlands. She was the nanny for the three Treat children, Sanford, Florence and Grace. The Treat family had a long history in America, and Norine is wondering if anyone knows where the family lived or summered here and if the house is still standing. She would love to see the house and rekindle some wonderful memories of her grandma. If you have any hints or know anything about the Treat family, please let me know so I can pass it on. Some of my most learned historian friends have not been able to uncover much or a connection between the Treat family and either Highlands or Atlantic Highlands, other than they do not appear on the 1940 census, leading several of us to believe perhaps they summered in the hills in one of the two towns. Mr. Treat, we learned, was the president of Hull, Grippen & Co., a New York based hardware and furnishing store in the city in the late 19th century, so possibly the same business the Ciseks were in. The company had a reputation particularly for dealing in stoves and cooking ranges, with one of the owners holding several patents for ranges, stoves and fireplace grates. By the 20th century, the firm was more involved with builders hardware and contractor supplies. Mr. Treat apparently lived in Richmond Hill, graduated from Yale Business School, and went into the hardware business with his uncle before coming to New York. His son, Sanford, who was an army officer stationed at Fort Dix during World War I, and later became vice president and manager of Hull, Grippen. Corinne shared this lovely note with me which many of you might find of interest to read now in the 21st century. It’s dated 1928 and was written by William Treat’s widow, Sanford’s mom, showing a warm relationship between her and Catherine.

I think every historical society in Monmouth County is contributing something very special by researching, preserving, then keeping residents and visitors alike aware of just how special history is here in Monmouth County, dating back to the Lenni Lenape tribes as well as the important role the county played in the Revolution. Highlands is fortunate to have not one, but two local societies since the Twin Lights Friends concentrate on the lighthouse itself and the Highlands society does so much to preserve the history of the borough. Both are terrific, as is the Atlantic Highlands Historical Society which maintains the Strauss house so beautifully and does so much to keep that borough’s history alive. And of course my friends in Middletown do so much for their Historical Society as well and offer great speakers and great information virtually during the Covid pandemic. But I’d also like to heap praise on the

and the creative ways they preserve history and raise funds to do all they do. That bridal display of last year was nothing short of spectacular and drew crowds of admirers even wit h the pandemic when they had to wait patiently for their turn to see the beautiful array of wedding gowns and wedding memorabilia from three centuries. That Society also received the prestigious William G. Pomeroy Award earlier this year which is enabling them to install a roadside marker identifying the borough’s historic Four Corners. You know where I mean. That is a site on the National Register of Historic Places also known as the crossroad of civilization in Monmouth County, and it includes the Allen House, the Wardell House, the Shrewsbury Historic District and Christ Church at Route 35 and Sycamore Avenue. There are more than 93,000 properties on the National Register, including buildings, sites, districts, structures and objects. But it’s up to the individual unit to provide the roadside marker to recognize the sites. That’s where the Pomeroy Foundation comes in, helping historic societies with some funds. In the case of Shrewsbury, they received an $1,100 grant. That, coupled with the borough council approval, means the Society can purchase the sign and have it installed on the southwest corner of Broad St. and Sycamore Avenue. Congratulations Don Burden and all your hard working society members. What a great achievement

There have been no fewer than 18 different lighthouse keepers at Sandy Hook Lighthouse during the 19th and 20th centuries, in addition to the first keepers who served in the 1700s. But there has only been one official and paid woman keeper, and that was Sarah Johnson, half of the brother sister team that manned the lights protecting New York Harbor from 1867 to 1885. But Sarah stayed on after retiring from that difficult job and was still active on Sandy Hook until 1898. Charles W. Patterson took over the main light keeping position from Uriah Smalley in 1861 and his sister Sarah was hired as assistant hired as assistant six years later. Two years after that, Samuel P. Jewell also became a second assistant, working alongside Sarah. There was no doubt assistant light keepers were essential, since maintaining the beacon required a lot of work, time and care. It was important to keep a bright light regardless of the weather; the light was fueled with kerosene oil to keep the Fresnel lens bright, and the oil had to be carried up the stairs to the light….all 108 steps from base to the top. Sarah was born Feb. 29, 1832 married James Johnson in 1856 and had two children, both of whom died in infancy and she was widowed not long after, later taking on the position as lighthouse keeper. Records show she was paid $360 annually for her post. During his years as keeper, Sarah’s brother Charles lived at the light with his wife, W Anker Patterson and their four children, sons Trevonian, Franklin and Edwin, and a daughter Mary. His first keepers during his 24 year tenure were Frank and Austin Patterson. Charles resigned in 1885 due to Bright’s disease, so Sarah left her position as well, but remained on the Hook teaching the children of the soldiers at the relatively new Providing Ground. Mr. Jewell was promoted to become the lighthouse keeper, remaining for a total of 40 years, the longest of any of those keepers in the Sandy Hook service.. Sarah remained at Sandy Hook after leaving the lighthouse until all civilians were ordered off the base because of the Spanish-American War. She then she retired to her hometown of Howell, where she died in 1909. Charles’ daughter Mary grew up and served 30 years with the US Life-Saving Service, Station Number 1,located at Sandy Hook, continuing a long time family service to the sea. Sarah lived through some interesting times on the peninsula. She saw the Sandy Hook Proving Ground be officially established in 1874, was on the Hook in 1894 when the lights were first electrified, thanks to help from the Gedley Channel buoys which were electrically powered. She was still there in 1903 when the power was switched back to kerosene gas because the buoys were converted to gas , It was the same year a mortar exploded at the proving ground and 15 tons of metal poured down all over Sandy Hook. Electricity was not returned to the lighthouse until 1925 and in 1941, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse came under the jurisdiction of the US> Coast Guard.. Sarah Johnson died in 1909 and is buried at the cemetery of the Adrena Baptist Church, where she had been a lifelong member. A plaque honoring Lighthouse keeper Johnson is situated at Sandy Hook near the lighthouse. Historian Mary Rasa, who has studied and researched the Patterson family extensively, will speak about Women Lighthouse keepers Tuesday. March 9 sponsored by the Monmouth County Library. Contact MonCOLib.org to register for this virtual free program.

I didn’t realize it when I wrote the story of the establishment of Highlands, that 68 years later, that same day would be the day that Highlands resident Tommy Ptak was killed in Vietnam. Ptak Towers is named for him and there have a plaque inside commemorating him. But I don’t think the borough has done anything, I know they did nothing on the 50th anniversary of his death. This is the story I wrote in 1968 when his body came back and his funeral was at OLPH. It’s been in the paper before, naturally, but here it is again if you want it.

Highlands’ Vietnam War Hometown Hero

They buried Tommy Ptak Monday morning, the local newspaper in Highlands reported April 4, 1968.

It was Specialist fourth class Thomas Ptak, 270 Highland Avenue, son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Ptak, to the very militarily correct Army sergeant who escorted the soldier’s body from the place where he died in Hue, Vietnam, back home to Highlands for the funeral, then on to Mt. Olivet Cemetery where he will rest forever.

It was Spec 4/c Thomas Ptak to the six ramrod straight and Army-perfect soldiers who served as pallbearers at the military funeral at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church where Tommy and his family had worshiped all his life.

To all Americans, to all citizens of a free country, it was Spec. 4/c Thomas Ptak whose body lay in the plain casket under the American flag.

But to the hundreds of people who crowded into Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church for a last goodbye and a funeral mass, to the dozens more who spilled out onto the steps of the Church that gave a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, it was just plain Tommy.

It was Tommy to young brothers and sisters, some of whom weren’t old enough to comprehend the ugly way in which he died.

It was Tommy to sorrowing parents who couldn’t begin to comprehend what wonderful parents they had been and how much love they received from all ten of their children.

It was Tommy, the son who would have been proud of their strength at his funeral.

It was Tommy to the dozens and dozens of high school students from the regional high school he attended, and the two local Catholic high schools where some of his friends attended. They all could remember happier days when Tommy was skillfully performing on a gym horse or tossing a ball with them in the middle of the street.

It was Tommy to the school principals who remembered Tommy as a “good boy, a typical boy, the kind you’d want in any class.”

It was Tommy to practically every neighbor along Highland Avenue and Valley St. where Tommy grew up, folks who remembered a friendly wave or a smile from a busy youth working on a motorcycle in the yard as they passed the always happy, always busy Ptak home. Neighbors who had broken all the rules of protocol and flew their American flags at half-staff even before Highlands Mayor John A. Bahrs ordered it for the entire town. The neighbors had all gone out to front yards to lower their flags the minute they heard of Tommy’s death.

It was Tommy to the three priests who con-celebrated the funeral mass: the one who grew up in the parish and knew the whole Ptak family, the one who spent five years in the parish and knew and visited often with the family, and the one who just arrived in Highlands the year previous, not lucky enough to get closely acquainted with the young hero.

It was Tommy to the police chief and members of the police department who could remember he was ‘a nice kid, we ought to have more like him.”

It was Tommy to the altar boys who formed their own guard of honor as his body left the church. Boys who were classmates of Tommy’s younger brothers or sisters.

It was Tommy to the grammar schoolgirls who sorrowfully sang a very special funeral mass. It was a mass for the Tommy some of them had looked up to when they were very small, and he was a big eighth grader.

It was Tommy, the big brother of their classmates, the big brother who looked so grown up and handsome in his army uniform.

It was Tommy to a neighbor who had served more than twenty years himself in the service of his country. Now retired as a Sergeant Major, Sal Giovenco attended the funeral in full dress uniform, perhaps to show the family of the young hero that he was proud of this particular soldier, proud to have known him, and proud to show that he too believes in the cause for which Tommy died. Sal knew, and showed, Tommy deserved the honor and respect of the American soldier’s uniform.

The official records refer to Tommy as Thomas John Ptak. Born Feb. 1, 1948, died March 22, 1968. The Army records indicate he was an E4, Specialist Fourth Class, ID # 11755688, a member of C Company, Second Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Infantry Regiment…Geronimo, as it was known. He had been promoted twice. He started his Vietnam tour on March 14, 1967, and he was in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, March 22, 1968, 98 days later, when he was killed in a hostile ground attack of multiple fragmentation wounds. Died outright, the records say. Body recovered. He did have many honors, though: the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and several Vietnam Campaign Medals presented by the South Vietnamese government in appreciation for our American forces.

They buried Tommy Ptak Monday morning; the newspaper continued. The nation lost a soldier, parents lost a son, and Highlands lost a very special youth.

Tommy Ptak was the town’s only casualty of the Vietnam War. It was as a tribute to him and to the cause for which he fought, that the borough’s first high rise senior citizen complex, located just down the hill from where he worshiped, was dedicated as Ptak Towers. Tommy Ptak would love it that the borough’s first affordable housing built to help the older residents of the town he loved so much stands as a living memorial to himself.

Naval Weapons Station Earle is unique and a standout as a military installation in its own right, but the man for whom is is named was outstanding in many ways and well deserving of the honor of having this base that spans five municipalities named for him.

While it is apparent the base is significant and unique in many ways, it also appears that it is the only Naval installation in the United States that is named for a person, rather than the community in which it is located…think Annapolis, Norfolk, Little Creek, Fort Worth…even, in some countries outside the USA, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

So who was the Earle for whom the base with the gigantic pier in Leonardo and the many bunkers in Colts Neck, to say nothing of the rail and road lines that connect the two, is named?

A World War I hero and master of Munitions and Ordnance. Ralph Earle was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1874, and entered the Naval Academy as a cadet in August, 1892. His first duty as an ensign upon graduation in 1896 was on a gunboat, the USS Hornet, during the Spanish American War.

That’s also where he received his first medal, the Sampson Medal, earned for his role in combat operations off Cuba. A few years and a promotion later, Lt. Earle was a division officer on the battleship USS Missouri. The ship was in the Gulf of Mexico, and during a routine target practice, a flare back in one of the guns caused flames to fill not only the 12 inch turret but also the handling room below. LT. Earle was cited for bravery for his actions in rescuing survivors and in preventing further disaster to the ship in a horrific accident that claimed the lives of five officers and 27 enlisted Sailors.

Because of his expertise, Earle was selected to be a powder inspector for armament on the East Coast; he was named head of the Department of Ordnance at Annapolis and put in command of the Naval Proving Ground at Indianhead. Just before the nation entered World War I, Lt. Earle was named Chief of the Navy’s Bureau of Ordnance, the youngest officer to be named to a post of such huge responsibility. He was a standout in that position as well, and is particularly well known for two actions during that time. The North Sea Barrage, an act he conceived that virtually closed the North Sea with a mine barrage he directed be developed and laid, is credited with being one of the plans leading to an early and successful termination of the War.

A second incident involved his working with and directing the Baldwin Locomotive Works in designing and manufacturing gun mount rail cars to carry and fire guns, together with accompanying supply trains to serve them. The result of that idea meant a railway battery of guns was serving on the Western Front and carrying out bombardment operations towards the end of the war. But once a sailor, always a sailor, and Earle wanted to be back at sea. So he submitted his resignation as Bureau Chief of Ordnance and was assigned commanding officer of the battleship USS Connecticut.

After that tour, and back on land again, he commanded the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport. Then in 1925, with more than 30 years with the Navy, he retired and headed back home. Back in Massachusetts, he soon became president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where once again, he made a name for his skill and dexterity in getting things done by launching an ambitious expansion plan for the Institute.

He was in the chapel addressing the students shortly after he gained approval for the expansion when he collapsed, and died within a few hours. He is buried in the Friends Cemetery in Leicester, Mass. But it wasn’t until 1973 that NAD Earle, as the weapons station was known until the following year, had a portrait to its namesake.

In a ceremony held July 19, 1973, with CAPT William F. Diehl the commanding officer of Earle, a portrait of Admiral Earle was formally dedicated and hung at the base. Painted by Frederick Ryan, a layout artist employed in the Weapons Handling Lab at Earle, Ryan had been commissioned by the Commissioned Officers’ Mess advisory board to paint the portrait.

Portraits or photographs of all the former commanding officers of Earle are displayed with dignity and pride in the main entrance foyer of C-2, the Administration Building.

Rear Admiral Earle had major accomplishments and achievements in his private life as well. His son, Ralph Earle, Jr., also attended Annapolis and rose to the rank of Vice Admiral. He saw service in the Pacific during World War II first as commanding officer of the USS Ralph Talbot, a destroyer which was part of the fleet moored at Pearl Harbor at the time of the 1941 Japanese attack; the ship was responsible for shooting down three Japanese planes and surviving the bombing. Admiral Earle also served in the Battle of Midway and the raids on Wake and Marcus Islands. Like his father, he also served at Annapolis as chief of Ordnance. He is died at age 99 in 2000 and is buried at Annapolis.

For many years it has been the site for Easter Sunrise Services. When the Twin Towers were struck and collapsed, it was where hundreds came to watch in horror, hug each other, and cry. For decades, before Top of the East was built next to it and Ocean Blvd ran directly in front of it, it was a great Lover’s Lane with a few. Earlier, it was simply a nice place to walk and enjoy spectacular scenery from the highest point on the east coast from Maine to Florida, excepting an island off Maine. Everyone has special memories about Mount Mitchill and its history is no less special or spectacular. If you’re up there this Easter morning, or any morning, for that matter,, any time to take in the beauty of Mount Mitchill, preserved, thanks to our Monmouth County Parks System, and appreciate some of its own history. Standing 266 feet proud, the amazing height can best be attributed to the effects of glacial rebound. Ages old ironstone conglomerate creates a caprock along the crest, overlying marine mud rocks. When the sea level was lower many moons ago, the Highlands hills were actually a high valley wall on the south side of the Hudson and Raritan rivers. The river system was later buried by younger sediments including deposits from the Sandy Hook Spit. There is still more than just height that makes Mount Mitchill stand out. Look at the history and natural beauty, and even the addition of a recreation area for kids once it became a county park. Mount Mitchill was named for Samuel Latham Mitchill, a 18th and 19th century physician, naturalist, and politician who earned his medical degree in Scotland, taught chemistry and natural history at Columbia College, as the present day university was known in the 1790s. He also collected, identified and classified plants, animals, and aquatic organisms for his studies, was an organizer of the Medical College at Rutgers in the 1820s, and was an early advocate in personal hygiene and sanitation as a powerful means to prevent disease. But he was even more than that, this New Yorker who had the good sense to visit our Bayshore. He served as both a Congressman and Senator, and was a strong supporter and advocate of building the Erie Canal. It’s not surprising that he was an ardent fan of Thomas Jefferson, who apparently admired him as well, since the third President referred to him as the “Congressional Dictionary.” Our Mount Mitchill should never be mistaken either for Mount Kahadin in Maine, the highest peak in the Pine Tree State, or the other Mount Mitchell, the one spelled with an “E.” That one is in North Carolina and while it stands 6,089 feet above sea level, making it not only the highest peak in the Tar Heel state, and the highest peak west of the Mississippi, it’s not on the shoreline. Visit Mount Mitchill. See the magnificent memorial to 9-11 and all who grieve because of that day. Admire the beauty. Search out a view of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse on Sandy Hook, and contemplate the New York skyline. Than thank Monmouth County for saving that precious piece of land from being yet a second high rise changing the skyline of the very best part of New Jersey.

County Commissioner Lillian Burry, long recognized as an admirer of the third President of the United States, wrote the following in commemoration of Thomas Jefferson’s 278th birthday Thomas Jefferson, where are you? This is a question I find myself asking every so often when I wonder where ingenuity, intelligence, curiosity, patriotism, dedication, and education are lurking. Here is a man who epitomized every one of these virtues, who practiced each with a sincerity that put him a level or two above the average man. This has been by opinion from the time I was a little girl, through my elementary and high school years as I read and learned more about him, and in college when, majoring in history, it sealed my convictions completely and constructively that Thomas Jefferson was a man for his time, most assuredly, but more than that, for all time. You can go through the alphabet citing the Virginian’s talents…astronomer, architect, book lover, culinary expert, and on through economist, farmer, food fanatic, paleontologist, stargazer, traveler, university founder, wine connoisseur, and writer , to name a few. He founded the University of Virginia, then went on to design its great Rotunda. He designed the Virginia state Capitol in Richmond, then served as Governor for two terms. He served under the two first Presidents of the United States, was the first Secretary of State, then went on to serve two terms as president himself. And all of that more than a decade after he drafted the nation’s Declaration of Independence and created the foundation for the United States of America. We observe Thomas Jefferson’s birthday on April 13, celebrating the day he was born at Shadwell, Virginia, a British subject. But it appears Mr. Jefferson himself did not believe in celebrating his own birthday. It also appears he discouraged any public observances throughout his life. That point was made vividly clear in 1803, while he was President, and others wanted to celebrate the day with proper respect. When the subject was broached to him, he respectfully, but firmly told his Attorney General in a letter, “The only birthday I ever commemorate is that of our Independence, the Fourth of July.” Continuing, he explained, “… disapproving myself of transferring the honors and veneration for the great birthday of our republic, to any individual, or of dividing them with individuals, I have declined letting my own birthday be known, and have engaged my family not to communicate it. This has been the uniform answer to every application of the kind.” Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th birthday of that document he wrote. It was four years later when Virginia Congressman John Roane declared indeed, that both the Fourth of July and the 13th of April should be celebrated. And so, the first public celebration of Jefferson’s birthday was held April 13, 1830, at the Indian Queen Tavern in Washington, with Congressman Roane presiding over a party with more than 150 attendees. Happy Birthday, Mr. Jefferson. We all need to celebrate your natal day and the birth you gave to our nation.