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Calabrese — who held the office more than 50 years — was a giant of politics not only at the local level but in county, state and national spheres, as well.
“He had three loves in his life: my mother, our family, and the Cliffside Park community,” said the iconic mayor’s son, Thomas Calabrese.
ARRANGEMENTS: A funeral Mass for longtime Cliffside Park Mayor Gerald “Gerry” Calabrese is set for 10 a.m. Friday at Epiphany Church. Visiting will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at AK Macagna Funeral Home, 495 Anderson Avenue: (201) 945-7100 / http://www.akmacagnafuneralhome.com
“My father spent virtually every moment of his life focused on these three loves,” said his son, who is Council President and acting mayor. “He was either with our family, at borough hall, or watching, playing and coaching sports.
“The period of my father’s final illness was difficult, but my family wishes to thank our friends and the residents of Cliffside Park for their support. As Council President, I made a commitment to my father to make sure that his work on behalf of Cliffside Park will continue for generations to come.”
“There will never be another like him,” said Cliffside Park’s MaryAnn Maiorana. “All you had to do is ask him for help and you never had to speak about it again. He never asked for anything in return.
“To say we will miss him is so much of an understatement.”
“You hope in your lifetime that you can make a positive difference in the lives of others. For the better part of 60 years Mayor Calabrese did this for people on a daily basis,” added retired Cliffside Park Fire Capt. Glenn Marvel. “Town people, county people, Republican, Democrat, Independent, or unregistered it didn’t matter.
“As a borough employee, it was motivating to be part of his thinking to ‘do whatever you can to help people’ –his words,” Marvel wrote.
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Post YOUR TRIBUTE to legendary Cliffside Park Mayor Gerald Calabrese. CLICK HERE: GerryCalabreseTRIBUTES
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Calabrese survived a mild stroke 20 months ago while in Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. That it was caught so quickly dramatically limited any possible short- or long-term issues, authorities said at the time.
To that point, he’d been working from home after being hospitalized for pneumonia in February 2013.
In his absence, his son served as mayor, the same as when his father took vacations or had to go out of town on business.
“My family and I will always be grateful for the love and dedication he showed to our mother and to each of us throughout his life,” Thomas Calabrese said tonight. “As Council President, I am equally proud of his commitment to the residents of Cliffside Park.
“His impressive record of achievement over more than 50 years of public service is too voluminous to recite. His leadership transformed not only Cliffside Park, but also Bergen County, into a successful community of individuals who are proud to live and raise a family here,” he said of his father.
As crime encroached on eastern Bergen from the south and just across the river, “Gerry” Calabrese personally kept an eye on things, making sure there were always foot patrols even after they fell out of fashion. To this day, officers can be seen along Anderson and Palisade Avenues, making sure doors are locked and nothing is amiss.
He also was a hard-line negotiator, reminding any and all public employees that his first obligation was to the taxpayers.
“His constituents were not just the residents of Cliffside Park but all of those who lived in Bergen County,” county Executive James J. Tedesco said.
Noting that the county freeholder public meeting room in Hackensack bears Calabrese’s name, Tedesco said: “All those who enter the room should be inspired by the example he set for good government and commitment to public service.”
A former three-term Bergen County freeholder and county Democratic chairman from 1991 to 1998, Calabrese was born Feb. 4, 1925, in Hoboken, the oldest of four children. His father, a produce deliveryman, moved the family to Cliffside Park when he was 7 and he later sold sodas at Palisades Amusement Park.
A local basketball star, Calabrese played guard and led Cliffside Park High School to state championships in 1941 and 1943 and later married his high school sweeetheart, Marion, who was a CPHS cheerleader.
Calabrese, who later served three years with the U.S. Navy during World War II, was also an all-American at St. John’s University, playing for the legendary Frank McGuire — and making the Final Four of the NIT in 1950 (SEE PHOTO).
Few may know that he played two seasons with the Syracuse Nationals after becoming the 23rd overall pick in the 1950 NBA draft. During the 1951-52 seasons, the 6-foot-1 point guard averaged nearly five points and a both an assist and a half and rebound a half.
The Nationals, who won a title in 1955, moved to Philadelphia and became the 76ers after the 1962-63 season.
Calabrese also played for a time on a traveling team with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Calabrese entered public service at 32 and was elected to the Borough Council in 1956.
Three years later, he was elected to his first two-year term as mayor, and in 1960 he became the Democratic Municipal chairman.
After a brief break, Calabrese was elected to his first four-year term as the borough’s chief executive officer in 1965, beginning his remarkable run.
He became a state Democratic committeeman in 1968 and received honors from the Bergen County Democratic Mayors Association two years later.
In 1975 Calabrese was appointed to fill an expired freeholder term, after which he was soon elected to a three-year position. Re-election followed in 1978 and 1982.
He proudly served as a delegate to the Democratic National Committee in 1984 and 1988, and helped elect President Clinton at the 1992 and 1996 conventions.
Calabrese broke the longevity record three years ago, beginning his 49th year, one more than Frank E. Rodgers of Harrison, who was 90 when he died in 2000.
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