Baton Passed

With this issue, we welcome this paper’s second history columnist in 16 years.

All you history buffs have certainly noticed that we’ve not been running our history column these last few months. For the past 15-plus years, since the very first issue of The Grapevine on February 13, 2008—Vince Farinaccio has informed the readers of our region about the people and events that have shaped our communities and our lives. The column started as “Vintage Vineland” and soon expanded to a retelling of southern New Jersey history.

As an editor here for all of those years, it’s been a weekly pleasure of mine to receive Vince’s columns. It became part of my Friday morning routine to learn more about the region as I read and edited his column. My own studies have shown me that there is really nothing new under the sun. We all have much to learn from history’s trials and triumphs—and especially missteps—if we can only discern from history the lessons it can teach.

This week, we begin bi-weekly installments from our new history columnist, and I invite you to read Patricia Martinelli’s introductory column.

Vince Farinaccio wrote this of his tenure and passing of the torch: “SNJ Today’s long-running history column, which originated in the pages of The Grapevine in 2008, was always a unique way to tell the story of a seemingly distant past through a series of weekly installments. It still is. During this past spring, my 800th article for this newspaper was published. The vast majority of those pieces dealt in some way with local, state, national or global history in an attempt to better explain how we got here from there.

“I departed as columnist in June to launch the arts-related website epistrophe.blog, so it was uplifting to hear that the column was being revived with author and VHAS curator Patricia Martinelli as its writer. SNJ Today readers can enjoy the continuation of the column, knowing that the tradition is in good hands.”

I could not agree more, Vince! For many years, Martinelli has spread her enthusiasm for the history of our area, and we are glad to offer her another vehicle to do so.

History buff or not, we hope you will read and embrace the rich history we all share.