A very nice person named Shera contacted me in March 2025 asking if I would be interested in an “old” Garden State Parkway shield. When she sent me a photo of the shield, I realized she wasn’t just whistling Dixie; it was one of the very hard to find first generation GSP shields that were used in the Parkway’s early years, until about 1955 or ’56. It’s a NJ sign gem that I’ve always had my eyes open for.

Once I caught my breath, we continued conversing, and I learned that she found the sign in the garage of her late grandparents’ house in Clifton – not far from my boyhood home. We worked out a deal, and my buddy Ed Tapanes picked up the sign and shipped it to me. He also tipped me off that there were other things in the box. See below…

The shield arrived with the Key to the City of Clifton, a 1966 Clifton Mustang Band pennant from the World Music Festival in Holland, a NJ Bicentennial novelty plate (I remember these!), and a copy of the Dateline Journal from 2000! Shera’s grandmother, Theresa Kaiser, born January 1, 1900, turned 100 precisely when the world was supposed to end due to Y2K. Shortly thereafter, the mayor of Clifton presented Mrs. Kaiser with the Key to the City of Clifton. The newspaper I received with the key has a profile on Theresa Kaiser (see bottom of page).

I assume my family and the Kaisers probably bumped into one another at some point in Clifton. I also remember the “old timers” – the original owners of some of the 1920s homes on my street – who were born in the late 19th Century. The memory of these people still fascinates me now. These are wonderful artifacts of my old beloved home and of one of the fine citizens who also called Clifton home. And I also got one of the coolest NJ highway signs you can find!