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The Club’s annual dinner was held on June 2nd and was a success on many levels. We discovered that the Club’s finances and membership roster have significantly improved over the last year and that an upswing in rentals has greatly contributed to this rosy situation. Craig Mohr was introduced as a new board member; James Cousins takes over from Trip Dixon (thank you, Trip!) as chairman of the Entertainment Committee; Avi Shvetz assumes control of the House Committee (Thank you, Rich McMahon!).
Among the honors that were distributed were trophies for individual Club Champion to Steve Ducey with an astounding 196 average; and to league champions, The Lil Cocks, junior members all, who defeated the Gamecocks in a spirited finals.
Also, a shout out to Keith McKune for his 25+ years of service as our bowling chairman/statistician/POBC. He was presented a plaque of honor from a grateful membership and we wish him well in his well-deserved retirement.
Finally, one of our three annual bowling tournaments has been renamed in honor of our oldest, longest standing and most honored member, the legendary Jack Anderson. A spiffy new trophy has been created for the Jack Anderson Turkey Shoot to finally honor those who have won this heretofore inexplicably undervalued event. No more!

Happy Summer! There are several upcoming events that you should be aware of and most have call to action necessities over the next week or so, so here goes:

There is a public community action opportunity that is coming up this Saturday, the 25th in Brookdale Park, courtesy of the Brookdale Park Conservancy, which is led by our own Don McLaughlin. It’s an outdoor work day exclusively for Club members and those members who participate will get a Commonwealth Cares T-shirt to wear during the event, so let me know by end of day Friday if you will be helping out, so that you have time to pick up your shirt at the club. Here’s the deal: Our planned project day is Sat, Jun 25th. We’d meet at 9:30am in the upper parking lot, which is accessible from the Bellevue Ave entrance. The Conservancy will provide tools, water, and snacks for the crew. We can provide work gloves too, but in this day and age people often prefer to bring their own.
A whole mini woodland of scrub and junk saplings have sprung up in the area that partially surrounds where the old pond used to be. The whole area is lined with beautiful boulders, which have long been obscured by the mess. Being right smack in the middle of the park, the Conservancy would like to start clearing this out to improve the looks of that area as well as to open up some sight lines within the park. Future projects may include putting in some new native plants, but we need to see what it looks like cleared out first!

The Golf Outing still needs 20 golfers to make the shotgun start at 10am on the 30th, so if one sixth of the 120 or so members who have not responded to this so far, decide to participate, even less if you bring guests, we’ll be good to go. $100 per golfer if you are under 60; $90, if older; golf, cart, lunch, prizes, all at Rock Spring is West Orange. Please let me know asap if you can play: jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com.

Dues discount closes on June 30th: $575 if you pay by then, $600 thereafter; $287.50 for junior members.

There has been a somewhat disappointing turnout for summer bowling so far, especially given the enthusiasm for it that was demonstrated at the annual dinner; it’s every Wednesday night at 8pm; $20; 2 games, no teams, no handicap, guests welcome and encouraged, food, cash prizes. So come on down, already!

Stay tuned for info about the Club and the Montclair 4th of July Parade.

Harry Duane “Dewey” Storms, 86, of Glen Ridge, NJ, until very recently a long-time resident of Montclair, NJ, passed away peacefully on June 1st, 2022 at Mountainside Hospital, Montclair.
He was born on December 29th,1935 in Hackensack, NJ to the late Kenneth and Rosalie Carr Storms. He is survived by his 3 children, Rebecca Mitchell of Glen Ridge, NJ (wife of David Mitchell), David Storms of Yardley, PA (husband of Karin Storms), and Matthew Storms of Danbury, CT (husband of Jane Storms). He is also survived by his siblings, Nancy Gooding, Marilyn Storms, and Tom Storms. Dewey was a wonderful grandpa to 7 cherished grandchildren, Victoria Mitchell, Sophie Mitchell, Jeremy Mitchell, Conlan Storms, Claire Storms, Daniel Storms and Gabriella Storms. He was predeceased by his wife, Rozanne, and his siblings Linda, Diana, Kenneth, and Howard.
Dewey grew up in Franklin Lakes, NJ. He attended Ramsey High School before going on to Rutgers University, where he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, graduating with a degree in Economics in 1957. He joined the US Coast Guard officer training program in 1958, where he achieved the rank of Lt. Commander. After 2 years of active service, he completed an additional 4 years as a member of the Coast Guard Reserves.
He met his beloved wife Rozanne in Washington, DC and they were married in 1964 until her untimely passing in 1998. They raised their children in Montclair, NJ where many wonderful memories were created and life-long friendships made with neighbors at block parties, holiday gatherings and through numerous local volunteer positions.
Dewey’s career spanned many decades and found him at the forefront of the budding computer revolution. His roles included computer programming and business development at companies including Informatics, AGS, and DataCom. He retired in 2001 from Lockheed Martin IMS where he was the Senior VP of Communication Business Services. Dewey’s work took him all over the world, leading to a true love of visiting new places, meeting new people and life-long learning.
Dewey’s kindness, generosity and friendship were on display every day. He contributed to many charities and organizations, including the Metro NJ Region American Cancer Society where he was an honoree in 2009. He volunteered his time as a board member of Mt Hebron Cemetery and also to the Montclair Parking Authority, The Field Center, and Montclair Jaycees.
Dewey was a longtime parishioner of the First United Methodist Church in Montclair where he was an active member of the church community. He enjoyed many hobbies, including traveling, golf, bowling, fishing, reading, and watching the Mets. Always busy, he was a member of the Commonwealth Club in Montclair, Essex County Country Club in West Orange and Belleair Country Club in Florida. He relished spending time at his condominium in Clearwater Beach, Florida where he was also cherished by his circle of friends.
Visitation will be held at the Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home 76 Park Street Montclair, NJ on Tuesday June 7th from 2-4pm and 7-9pm. The funeral service will be held at 10am on Wednesday June 8th at the First United Methodist Church of Montclair, 24 North Fullerton Avenue. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be streamed on the church’s Facebook page and YouTube channels. Links can be found at firstmontclair.org.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Dewey’s memory can be made to the Montclair Ambulance Unit, www.montclairems.org

Long-time member and nationally known journalist, Eric Boehlert tragically died last month in an accident near his home in Montclair. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, Tracy and his children, Jane and Ben.
It is likely that few members of our 100+ years old social club had any idea of the enormous stature that Eric Boehlert held in the world of journalism and media. To us, he was just a down to earth great guy, a popular member for over a decade, a good bowler and someone with impeccable taste in music.

Boehlert was a proud member of the Condors bowling team at the Club, And it was a happy night at the lanes when his playlist supplied the music for the evening. He was also an avid sports fan, with a seemingly unlimited supply of baseball caps, and he truly loved coming to the Commonwealth Club where he will be missed tremendously. Travel easy, friend.

It’s May and things are heating up! Below is a listing of the many events that are rapidly coming up over the next month.

Saturday, May 7th is the inaugural Roll for the Roses, an innovative new bowling tournament-an elimination endurance event for league bowlers, combined with a party for the Kentucky Derby. Details in other emails and on the club Facebook page-contact Max McMahon at
maximum77@gmail.com if you want to bowl, or sign up on the sheet by the lanes.

Bowling Playoffs start this week and continue through the championship game on May 19th.

We are participating in Toni’s Kitchen town-wide food drive, which ends on Sunday, May15th. We haven’t done a drive since before Christmas, so please be as generous as you can. What they are looking for:
Shelf-stable food (no glass please) within the expiration date can include:
Breakfast items (oatmeal, cereal bars, etc.)
Pasta
Pasta Sauce (no glass jars, please)
Rice
Tuna
Peanut Butter (no glass jars, please)
Soup
Nuts
Dried Fruit
Canned Beans
You can leave bags or boxes in the designated area of the game room.

The annual Melville Tournament takes place on Tuesday, May 24. Event will be posted on Facebook, or you can email me at jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com that you want to bowl and I will sign you up. League bowlers only-3 games with handicap.

The Spring Golf Outing is Thursday, June 2nd at Rock Spring. We need 72 golfers to be able to do a 10am shotgun start, so let me know at jfxa@blackwatchproductions.com if you want to participate. Guests are very welcome! $100 if you are under 60, $90 if you are older-includes golf, cart, lunch and prizes. We have 25 signed up so far, so let’s get this filled!

Also on June 2nd is the Annual club dinner and business meeting. All members are encouraged to attend. More details to follow.

That’s all for now-stay safe out there!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
The No Frills But Still Super Super Bowl Party will shimmer into existence this Sunday, February 13th. We’re opening the doors at 5pm this year to eliminate 16 hours of pre-game coverage. For the paltry sum of $25 per person (kids under 13 are free), there will be home cooked burgers and hot dogs, salads and snacks, plus beer (non alcoholic drinks for the kids). You are welcome to bring your own wine and harder stuff if you are so inclined.
Our customary sports boxes will be available, payable as NFTs (only kidding), so plan accordingly. The big game will, of course, be on all of the screens throughout the club, including the 25′ HD wall in the ballroom. Guests are welcome and for this event, there will be no bowling.
Bohdan will be collecting funds for the Little Sisters of the Sporting Boxes this week at bowling, or, you can just come to the party and donate in person!
Hope to see you there!
ENDURANCE RESULTS
The Jess Dodd Endurance Tournament drew a full house last Saturday, and boy, did you need some endurance! We were down one lane from the jump, which extended the duration past the expected finish, but a fine time was had by all nonetheless.
Winning the team event was Allen Wastler and Mike Liona with a total of 2375;
Second went to Don Bowles and John Anderson with 2319 and there was a tie for 3rd at 2282 between Bohdan and Jimmy Murray and Alex and Matt Comini.
The Conover Trophy for high individual series was claimed by Danny Barretta with a total of 1222.
Peace out!