Today’s Project 100 memory comes from Frank Esposito.  He was born and raised in Ocean City and graduated from Ocean City High School in 1959.  His father served in the Navy during World War II and later became an Ocean City fireman.  His mother was a School Crossing Guard.  During the summer, they both also worked as managers at Chris’s Restaurant then a landmark seafood restaurant in town.  

In 1960, Frank entered Glassboro State and majored in social studies.  He was a member of the 1962 NAIA Championship Cross Country team coached by Richard “Dick” Wackar.  Frank was also a member of Glassboro’s intercollegiate debating team.   Upon graduating from GSC in 1965, he began his lifelong career of teaching history.  Teaching at Williamstown High School became his first classroom experience.  He also coached the high school tennis team.  While teaching, he returned to GSC to earn a Master’s Degree in Social Studies in 1969.  That same year, he entered Rutgers University New Brunswick to enter the PhD program in history.  In 1970, he began what would become a 50-year career at Newark State College (now Kean University).  He first served in the Education Department as an assistant professor working with students who wanted to become certified as secondary education social studies teachers. 

In 1976, he completed his PhD dissertation at Rutgers on “Indian-White Relations in Colonial New Jersey.”  This doctorate opened up many other career opportunities.  In 1981, he became the Dean of the School of Education at Kean.  Shortly after this, he became closely involved with the successful gubernatorial campaign of Thomas H. Kean.  In the last two years of Thomas Kean’s second term, he worked full-time in Trenton for the governor, on administrative leave from the college.  Dr. Esposito’s major role was to develop a national study of school choice programs as a Special Assistant to Commissioner Saul Cooperman.  He then returned to Kean College where he was named Vice President for Academic Affairs.  After the election as governor of Governor Christine Todd Whitman, he returned to the State Department of Education to assist her, and Education Commmissioner Leo Klagholtz, in reviving the charter school initiative.  This resulted in the Charter School Act of 1995 that authorized the creation of Charter Schools throughout the state.  This act became law and continues to result in the creation of new school choice options for students and parents.  Later that year he returned to Kean and became the founding dean of the Nathan Weiss Graduate College.  

In 2003, Frank was named the Interim President of Kean University.  After 18 months leading the university through a severe state higher education budget crisis in which he managed to balance the budget without faculty/staff layoffs, he was appointed Distinguished Professor of History and Education by the Board of Trustees, and shortly thereafter as University Ombudsman.  In 2009, Frank was also named as a candidate for Lt. Governor of New Jersey on the independent gubernatorial ticket of Chris Daggett.  They lost but managed to garner one of the largest independent vote totals in state history.  He retired in 2021 but continues his academic research which as resulted in being the author or co-author of ten books and over 100 newspaper or journal/magazine articles.  His most recent publication is a co-authored book The Secret History of the Jersey Devil:  How Quakers, Hucksters, and Benjamin Franklin Created a Monster (Johns Hopkins Press, 2018).

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I chose Glassboro State College because I heard good stories about the College from others who I knew and who had attended.  In particular, a friend of mine named Alex Orfanelli believed that GSC would be a great fit for us. We became roommates.  The College was also very affordable.  Board was very inexpensive.

For me, the most significant aspect of Glassboro State College was the caring nature of the professors.  Maurice Blanken was a guiding light for me.  He and I stayed in touch until he passed away only a few years ago.  He taught political science primarily.  “Mr. Blanken” was amazing because he went beyond the classroom.  He and my good friend, Ron Weisberger, often spent time after class talking to him.  We spent much time talking politics, and he was a brilliant analyst of current politics.  He didn’t mention this in class as much, as he wanted to appear more neutral.  Outside of class, however, he really opened our eyes.  He went way beyond being a teacher.  He suggested books that we should read.  He really cared about us and wanted us to learn how to think.  By the way, Ron and I were both debaters, and we had some success.  Ron was truly brilliant as a debater and carried the team. 

Harold Wilson was also an important influence on me.  Not only was he a well-regarded and accomplished scholar of New Jersey history, he was a wonderful teacher with a brilliant mind.  I remember a fascinating series of lectures on the Panama Canal.  He didn’t stand up and read his notes when he lectured.  He lectured without notes and talked just from a structure in his mind. This approach was not only impressive but also very engaging.  My own teaching style was modeled on the way that Wilson and Blanken taught.  I was very fortunate at both GSC and later at Rutgers to have extraordinary faculty mentors. 

Marius Livingston was a gifted speaker.  He had a slight accent that added to his oratory.  If you took one of his classes, you could not help but be captivated by his lectures.  He taught Western Civilization, and he not only imparted knowledge but inspired his students.  We got excited about his subjects and wanted to learn more.  He was one of the most talented teachers that I ever encountered. 

English faculty member Edmund Mintz taught at GSC only for a few years, but he was important to me.  He was one of the first to tell me that I had real talent as a writer.  I still remember his kind comments about the quality of some essays that I had written.  That simple praise meant a lot to me and led me down the academic path.

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This is part of the Department of History’s “Project 100,” the collection and sharing of one hundred memories by Glassboro State College and Rowan University alumni and staff.  One memory will be released per day in the 100 days leading up to October 20, 2023, the date of a reunion celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Glassboro Normal School, later Glassboro State College, and now Rowan University.  The reunion will take place at 7pm at the Summit City Farm and Winery in Glassboro, New Jersey.  Registration for the reunion will be open from July 11^th and will remain open until the venue reaches its 100-person capacity (or October 13^th if capacity never reached).  We do anticipate that the reunion will sell out, so please register as soon as possible by visiting the Alumni Office’s registration page here:  alumni.rowan.edu/historyreunion2023.

You can also find the up-to-date set of Project 100 memories on the Department of History’s webpage.  William Carrigan arranged, interviewed, transcribed and/or edited these memories.  Laurie Lahey proofread and helped edit the final versions.  If you wish to share your own memories, please email Dr. Carrigan at carrigan@rowan.edu.  Alumni with Facebook accounts are encouraged to join the RU/GSC History Alumni group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/251485937221524.