The Plume and 4 Coaches

An environmental scare came from a closed White Swan Dry Cleaners on Sea Girt Avenue across from the Foodtown. The business closed in 1983 and was replaced with a Fleet Bank building. Testing revealed that the bank had detectable levels of PCS, a solvent used in dry cleaning. A dry well was discovered being used to dump chemicals. A second cleaner, Sun Cleaners at the Rt. 35 Circle came under scrutiny. These businesses were in Wall Township, a mile from the Sea Girt Border. But the groundwater carried detectable levels of Benzene and PCE. Much of Sea Girt Estates was suspected to be in the path of the groundwater as it ran to Wreck Pond Brook or the Ocean.

As the DEP began testing, members of the community pushed for the school to be tested. Everyone was quite concerned when the first test of the SGES gymnasium air found low levels of PCE. They widened the search and sampled over 400 homes and 60 in Sea Girt. A second test of the school came back with very faint levels, and none of the Sea Girt homes tested were contaminated. A few homes in Wall in the path of the plume needed remediation.

Both sites eventually became superfund sites, with federal money dedicated to groundwater recirculation.

On a fun note, the first classic car show was held in the Borough. The original 1960s Batmobile and an appearance by weatherman Storm Field were the event’s highlights. The cars paraded through town and set up on the field of the Guard Camp, where over 1,000 people turned out. The car shows were held the next two summers and then disappeared before coming back in the 2010s.

The 60s TV show Batmobile sold for $12 million

Four well-known sports heroes were gone from town in 2002. Bill Parcells had won two Super Bowls with the Giants and coached there from 1983-1990. During this time, he rented in Sea Girt. While he was coaching in New England in 1993-1996 he had a house designed and built at 9 Baltimore Blvd. and returned to coach the Jets for the 1997-1999 seasons. He spent 2000 as their GM.

Parcells Official Caton Hall of Fame Photo

The Doc Johnson connection (1972) had brought the Tuna to town, just as he did for former Giants coach Alex Webster. Parcells continued to hang out at the Stadium bar after Alex had retired to Florida, and when the Stadium became Fratello’s. People saw “Coach” sitting on a boardwalk bench or at his favorite booth. Sea Girt was a respite for him for almost 20 years. But he was getting a divorce in 2002, and left Sea Girt and NY football for Dallas. His wife Judy continued to use the house until she sold it in 2015, returning in 2021 with her daughter, who each knocked down and built houses on Boston and Philadelphia Blvd.

Alex Webster football card Alex lived on Washington Blvd.

Rich Regan was the cornerstone of Seton Hall Basketball. He starred at the college in 1949, before being a first-round NBA Draft pick, where he put up all-star numbers for the Rochester Royals. He returned to coach Seton Hall for ten years, starting in 1960; the money was better, and he could live in Sea Girt. He continued as the athletic director and never retired. After seven decades of association with the University, they named an athletic center after him. Rich died in 2002.

Richie Regan was the backbone of Seton Hall Basketball

Another lifelong basketball man was Eddie Donovan. A St. Bonaventure graduate in 1950, they hired him as head basketball coach right out of college. Eddie coached until 1961, and then entered the pro game as GM and director of player personnel for the New York Knicks. He moved to Sea Girt at this time, and except for a short stint at the Buffalo Braves, he was with the Knicks until he retired in 1987.

He returned to St. Bons to finish his career. But his reputation was made. He brought the nucleus of Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Bill Bradley to the Knicks, building the team that was to win NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973.

Eddie passed away in 2001, leaving Sea Girt without any of its four top-tier professional coaches.