You certainly sound very knowlegeable on Asbury park's history. How
does one find out about your seminars? I would like to one day attend.
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "justifiedright" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> Ok Werner, you say I'm not a City Historian. Let's talk about that.
>
> First off, let me be perfectly honest here, as I assume you will be
> about this: There is no official burden of proof one must overcome
> to call himself a "Historian." There is no degree or licensure.
> Just like anyone can hang a sign at his office and call himself
> a "Public Accountant" or as was the case for "Home Inspector" for
> many years, anyone can call himself a Historian.
>
> Just like with a Public Accountant, it will ultimately be up to the
> public to rate the Historian's skills and his worth, and by that his
> credibility will be measured.
>
> I wonder if you think Helen Pike, Peter Lucia or Wolff to
> be "Historians" of Asbury Park?
>
> Let's talk about you Werner. You went to some class with the STARS
> program and exited calling yourself expert in several areas, like
> History and re-development. That's your right to do so, I guess.
>
> I recall a person I knew years ago who was very strange. I actually
> thought him to suffer some sort of retardation. He was absorbed by
> a certain historical topic, and one day I saw him on TV in a
> documentary as an expert on that topic. He convinced some producer
> he was credible. I knew then to be skeptical about what I see on TV
> and who calls himself an expert.
>
> I also have a suspicion of "experts" from cross-examining so many in
> Court. I've watched many whom the Court accepted as an "expert"
> crash and burn. No one should be believed for the sole reason that
> he calls himself expert. In the final analysis, he still has to
> prove his worth.
>
> I note that you and others claim that since Terry Weldon was
> involved in the redevelopment plan, and Weldon is a felon, that
> casts doubt and suspicion on the Plan.
>
> Well, Mayor Butch Saunder's administration appointed you City
> Historian. Butch is a felon, Councilman Condos is a felon. John
> Hamilton is facing a trial for being a felon. Does the fact that the
> majority of people who anointed you "City Historian" turned out to
> be felons detract from your credibility as a Historian? I say no,
> but using your logic about Weldon, you would have to say yes.
>
> I don't mean to hurt your feelings here, but I suppose you weren't
> concerned about my feelings with your post, so here it goes: People
> in the know have joked that Butch gave you that informal, un-paid
> title to shut you up from all your unnecessary criticism. I've heard
> Butch regretted it because it didn't work.
>
> I've sat at Council meetings and counted your historical
> inaccuracies, as have others. I note that you being fired from an
> unpaid position and replaced by nobody is a serious indictment of
> your credibility and worth as a historian.
>
> You are also far too absorbed with the historical relevance of how
> high curbs were in this or that year and other such mundane matters,
> and unconcerned about the history of Asbury's people, to call
> yourself historian. Not that those issues don't have some
> importance and should be ignored, but you can't ignore the "people"
> history in favor of say, "zoning history" and seriously call
> yourself an historian of any import. You bore people and they stop
> listening, and that is the antithesis of a good historian.
>
>
> When the Merchants Guild asked you to give speeches on the bus trip
> from Asbury to Ocean Grove as a "Cinema Tour," I took one of those
> bus trips. You were supposed to talk about our area's connection to
> Cinema. Instead you couldn't help yourself but to talk about how
> people mis-identify the type of Asbury Park architecture, and then
> pointed out some curb markers in Ocean Grove. Most of the trip you
> were silent, and only mentioned Cinema when you lamented the
> condition of the Casino and said Woody Allen shot a film there.
> That was it.
>
> People got off the bus in Ocean Grove complaining that it was
> nothing more than a bus ride, and that they would skip the return
> trip and walk back.
>
> To save face for the Merchants Guild, I asked them to stay for a
> moment and told them about the various movies that were shot in
> Asbury, describing what landmarks they could see in the various
> movies, and anecdotal stories of interactions some of the locals and
> their businesses had with the movie people. I described Walter
> Reade's theaters and their chain of ownership. I told them which
> building housed his popcorn making plant for all his theaters, and
> how as kids we could buy 3 foot bags of popcorn there of $1. I
> described the TV shows shot in Asbury. I talked of Asbury Park
> references in movies and TV shows even if they weren't shot here. I
> talked of our celebrities that came from here.
>
> I talked of why Movies come here, including the incentives offered
> by our tax structure that makes it cheaper to shoot movies here than
> in NY and California. I talked to them about cinema, which is why
> they were there.
>
> No, I didn't talk about whether AP's plans for curb heights are the
> same as they were at the turn of the 20th century. While giving
> them history, I entertained them, which a historian should do. They
> applauded and thanked me.
>
> I have a slide show and speech that I've given to civic groups
> around the County about the history of Asbury Park. It's full of
> fun facts about our founding, our connection to professional sports,
> movies, and famous people that have a connection to AP. It is full
> of fun facts you probably don't even know about. People love it.
> Instead of taking a stipend which they offer, I ask instead that the
> audience meet me downtown on a Friday and then I turn them loose on
> our stores so they can see how great it is Downtown.
>
> You don't even know enough about our history to give such a speech,
> and don't care enough about our struggling businesses to have the
> sense to say something positive about the City in public, let alone
> use your position as "historian" to draw people here. I do that.
> It's what a responsible City Historian does.
>
> When I publish columns about Asbury Park, I often get letters from
> people who grew up here in the '30's, '40's and '50s who say that
> even if they don't always agree with my political columns, my
> history columns are consistent with their recollections.
>
> I've studied Asbury Park history, I've collected data, I've
> witnessed a good portion of it, and I'm confident in my analysis of
> it.
>
> I will continue to call myself an Asbury Park Historian, and will
> let the people that read my work and attend my seminars judge my
> worth in that regard.
>
> I know how I will be judged on this board, as there is a political
> prejudice against me to start with.
>
> Good day.
>
>
>
>
> --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "wernerapnj" wernerapnj@
> wrote:
> >
> > Tommy should stick to law and politics.
> > Perhaps I can retain him to sue himself for misrepresentation.
> > He's about as much a historian as I am a brain surgeon.
> >
> > Werner
> >
> > --- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, Allan Peterson <nnjallans1@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > From justifiedright.com
> > >
> > > See Me on TV Tonight
> > > I will be interviewed tonight on News 12 New Jersey as an Asbury
> Park City Historian
> > concerning the sale of the Historic Berkeley Carteret Hotel.
> Please tune in!
> > >
> >
>
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