Archived Jamesburg Articles
Jamesburg High School sports memorabilia found
Thursday, July 17, 2008
By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
JAMESBURG — When local legend
Richard Matteo died last year, no one knew that the former Jamesburg High School
gym teacher had a treasure trove of sports memorabilia from the old high school
packed away in his basement.
Last week, the Jamesburg
High School Alumni Association rescued the rare finds, including five boxes of
trophies, several record books, and even a 4-by-3-foot charcoal portrait of Mr.
Matteo.
Once destined for the Salvation Army, the
collection of Jamesburg high school sports memorabilia from the 1950s, 1960s,
and 1970s, will go instead to Lakeview: Buckelew Mansion’s Jamesburg High School
Room exhibit.
The memorabilia eventually will be on
display in the exhibit, where it will comprise 10 percent of the alumni room’s
current collection.
Mr. Matteo, who retired in 1979,
was the coach of the boy’s baseball, basketball and soccer teams during his 37
years at the high school. Collectively, his teams took home 17 state
championships. The high school closed in 1978, when students started attending
Monroe Township High School.
”There’s a lot of school
history here,” said Joe Donnelly Sr., the alumni association’s financial
trustee.
Although the borough’s museum is undergoing
renovations and isn’t projected to reopen for approximately two years, officials
believe Mr. Matteo’s keepsakes will be right at home in the high school
room.
”It will definitely be incorporated into (the
exhibit),” said Tom Bodall, borough councilman and township historian. “Other
than the building itself, this is all of the Jamesburg High School’s history
(that) we have.”
Mr. Matteo’s family recently sold the
house, leaving behind the Jamesburg Indians’ sports memorabilia. The new
homebuyer contacted the borough about the find.
For now
the boxes are in storage at Auto Kings Parts and Supplies, a business owned by
Mr. Donnelly, next to the older exhibit pieces waiting to make their debut at
the Lakeview: Buckelew Mansion grand reopening.