EXTRAordinary PEOPLE
EXTRAordinary People lets you inside the world of the people you may see everyday, but those who have let their light shine onto the world because of their unique talents, contributions, and STORIES. In their own words, each discusses the hardships which they have encountered and what it took for them to rise above the obstacles and make a difference. Join Shirley Wachtel and be inspired by these EXTRAordinary people!
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Ann Vipamaneerut
<p>Ann Vipamaneerut is the owner of Rice Factory, a restaurant in Milltown, New Jersey featuring Thai foods. Her given name is Vilailuck Vipamaneerut, but all of the patrons and friends affectionately know her as Ann. Ann, who is 54 years old, has lived in the United States for over 27 years, and earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Saginaw Valley University in Michigan in 1996. After returning to Thailand, she came back to the United States in 2000 where she and her husband Paul worked as servers in a restaurant. On November 4th, 2014, they decided to start their own business and...
Bea Lurie
<p>Bea Lurie is the daughter of two child Holocaust survivors, her father, Sol, and her mother, Evelyn Rebecca Lurie, whose parents escaped from Poland with two toddlers. Bea learned by her parents’ actions the importance of helping those in need and devoted her career to making a difference in the lives of others as a leader of nonprofit organizations and government agencies, and as an owner of two businesses. Bea also is an active volunteer in her community and at her local synagogue. LIFE MUST GO On is the remarkable story of Sol Lurie, a child survivor of six conce...
Jonathan Hunger
<p>Jonathan Hunger is the author of Agitate!, a revealing memoir of how he was able to overcome his fears by the example of Frederick Douglass. Jonathan is a native New Yorker who grew up primarily in New Jersey. He attended the University of Maryland for his undergraduate degree, and soon after spent a year working on construction as part of AmeriCorps with Habitat for Humanity. Following his term of service, he attended The College of New Jersey where he received his Master of Arts in Education, and spent the next ten years working in public schools in New Jersey and...
Renee Weingarten
<p>Renee Weingarten is the creator and founder of Renee’s Reading Club, featured on Facebook, since 2017. Today, the club has over 62,000 members with members in every state in the United States and in over thirty countries around the world. Renee’s Reading Club is a site for sharing book recommendations, monthly “new book” release announcements and the popular live weekly author “Facebook Live” events throughout the year. Many well-known authors are members of the club who participate in these events. Renee, an avid reader, has been a librarian for over forty years and lives in Atlantic Beach with her husband of 43 years...
Mario Fronzoni
<p>MARIO FRONZONI was born on Valentine’s Day in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A resident of East Brunswick, New Jersey for 43 years, Mario is married, the father of two, and grandfather of three grandchildren. After retiring from a career as a professional engineer in Mechanical Engineering and Management, and after securing five US patents, and, as lead engineer on the latest aircraft carrier (CVN 78) steam condensers for the US Navy, Mario began to pursue his passion for sports in earnest. In particular, he has become a leader in promoting the current national craze for pickleball. Mario reveals his knowledge of thi...
Milt Heumann
<p>MILT HEUMANN received a BA from Brooklyn College in 1968, and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1976. He taught as an assistant and associate professor at the University of Michigan from 1973 to 1980, was a Guggenheim Fellow at Yale Law School from 1980 to 1981, and has been a professor (1981), and then Distinguished Professor (2013) at Rutgers until the present. He was Chair of the Department of Political Science at Rutgers from 19997 to 2003. During the 1980’s and 1990’s he was also an occasional Visiting Lecturer (for courses on criminal sentencing) at Yale Law School. Professor Heumann has written extensively in the field of criminal j...
Sarah Esposito
<p>Sarah Esposito, PA-C, is a certified Physician Associate at Integrated Dermatology of NJ, located in East Brunswick, New Jersey. </p><p>Sarah received her Bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the University of Delaware. She then graduated with a Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Seton Hall University, where she was awarded membership in the prestigious Alpha Eta Honors Society, the National Honors Society for Allied Health Practitioners. </p><p>Prior to joining Integrated Dermatology of NJ, Sarah worked in emergency medicine for over three years. She has trained extensively in dermatology since joining the specialty in 2014. In a...
Dee Gwiazdowski
<p>Dee Gwiazdowski has been in the design field for thirty-two years, nineteen of which have been with Ethan Allen as a Design Consultant. This is a second career for Dee. She is both passionate and dedicated to creating spaces that are well designed, functional and reflect her client's lifestyle and needs. Each of her projects takes into consideration the rooms' architecture and furnishings that her client wishes to incorporate into the design. Dee is a Diamond Spirit and Gold Spirit award winner. </p>
Marj Billker Graves
<p>Marj Billker Graves joined the Army Nurse Corps during her final year of nursing school in 1967. She served as a head nurse on male orthopedic wards at Darnall Army Hospital, Fort Hood, Texas, and at Ireland Army Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky. As a Captain, Marj volunteered for Vietnam where she continued to serve as a head orthopedic nurse with the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh. During her tour of duty, she was selected as the nurse for a two-person medical team to accompany both the Bob Hope Christmas Tour in 1971 and the Sammy Davis, Jr. USO Show in 1972. After...
Ian Feibelman
<p>Simply put…Ian is camp, and camp is Ian. He began his career as a camper, counselor, Division Leader, and administrator at a traditional day camp in New Jersey. Ian has only missed 2 summers at camp since he was 3 years old! He takes pride in his hands on approach to camping. His personal leadership and spirit are reflected in Black Bear Lake’s rich traditions, extraordinary staff, and quality program. Ian is an active member of the American Camp Association and regularly attends and participates in industry events and conferences to find ways to further improve the camp experience. Ian...
