My Friend Vinnie

One of the most interesting people who I ever met in my life who I got to be friends with while living here in Long Branch was Vincent Borelli, who spent his entire 33-year professional career teaching in the Long Branch School District. The last position he held was that of head teacher for the district’s Visual and Performing Arts Department.

I first met Vincent when I attended a wedding for a childhood friend of my wife’s (my girlfriend at the time) back in August 1987. One of the first things he asked me was if I was related to George Cieri, the attorney (that seems to be the icebreaker with me). When I told him yes, he proceeded to tell me how much of a great supporter he was to the Westwood Players, buying up advertising space in all of their productions’ programs year after year.

I responded by telling him that when my uncle was first married, he lived in New York City and did the struggling actor thing, waiting tables and taking odd jobs to support himself and my aunt. So he understood how hard it was to be an actor and appreciated their hard work and dedication.

As my children began attending school in Long Branch, I became more involved in the district’s activities, and in doing so, got to know Vincent in a whole other perspective. If you ask any student who attended Long Branch while he worked there, I'm sure they would all tell you that he was a great teacher, a beautiful human being, and a good and decent family man.

To say that he was popular with all the kids in the district was an understatement. He was able to relate to every child who came in contact with him. He pushed his students – the ones that he had in class, and the ones he knew socially -- beyond their own perceived limits and made them better people for it.

His popularity transcended student type. He was loved by his actors, dancers, and musicians, but he was also revered by those students who played sports, those who had the smarts, and those who had special needs.

Outside of my father-in-law, Vincent was the only other man in my wife’s life who had a major influence on the direction of her career path after high school. While my wife was a student of his back in the late 1970’s, he convinced her to attend his alma mater, Montclair State College, and to pursue communication sciences and disorders as a major. If it wasn’t for his guidance, my wife would not be the consummate professional and success that she is today, working as a public school district speech language specialist for the last 28 years and in Long Branch for the last 12 years.

So it was no surprise that when Vincent passed away on April 20, 2005 after battling cancer, my wife was the first person in line to approach his casket and pay her respects. After all those years, they still maintained a very close friendship.

Ironically, when he passed away, it was the day before opening night of the last production that he ever worked on for Long Branch – Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes”.

At his funeral mass, I witnessed one of the most amazing things ever. As the pallbearers were moving his casket to the back of the church at the end of mass, the congregation began clapping and applauding for Vincent. It was like the closing of a magnificent play, the end of a great run.

In June 2006, the Long Branch Board of Education honored Vincent’s memory by naming the auditorium in the old high school after him. It was on the stage of the old high school auditorium that Vincent Borelli gave the Long Branch school district its most memorable and greatest moments during his 33-year tenure. The school productions that he produced and directed got great reviews, received numerous awards, and were acknowledged warmly by all who attended them. His forensic teams garnered awards and accolades every year as well.
 
I think I can honestly say without any reservation that for those of us who knew him, there will never be another Vincent Borelli in our lives ever again. I am honored that he entered into my life when he did, blessed to have known him all these years, and humbled that he called me a friend in return.

(You can also follow Kevin Cieri’s blog on his Facebook page, “Jersey Shore Retro” as well as on Twitter at @jsretro).