Volume LXXVIII, Number 34
New Center at Stuart Focuses on Holistic Approach to Learning . . 5 Princeton Democrats Ramp Up for Harris . . . 7 Princeton Montessori School Initiates Parenting Podcasts Series . . . . . 11 PU Rowing Alum Mead Made History On and Off the Water at Paris 2024 Olympics . . . . . 22 After Progressing in Freshman Season for PU Men’s Track, Former PHS Star Della Rocca Competing In U20 Worlds . . . . . . . 25
This Week’s Book/Record Review Celebrates Tenor Man Stan Getz . . . . . . 14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .18, 19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 21 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 29 Green and Healthy Living . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 New to Us . . . . . . . . . . 20 Obituaries . . . . . . .27, 28 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 7 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 29 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Health Authorities Weigh In as Fall Virus Season Approaches COVID-19 cases have seen an increase over the summer months, according to Princeton Deputy Administrator/Director of Health Jeff Grosser, but case numbers are lower than they were last year, and the Princeton Health Department is preparing for the upcoming fall season, when respiratory disease infections are likely to rise. Grosser described a “dual seasonality” for COVID-19 with infections peaking twice a year, once in the summer and rising again in our area in November to reach a high point in January before subsiding. At Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Chief Medical Officer and VP of Medical Affairs Dr. Craig Gronczewski reported COVID-19 infections on the rise both nationally and regionally, but noted little impact at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. “In fact our inpatient COVID-19 census is relatively low, ranging between two to five inpatients the prior few days,” he wrote in an August 20 email. “We may even anticipate a downward trend over the next 30 days.” Grosser pointed out a report from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health attributing COVID-19’s ongoing dual seasonality to both the higher presence of the virus year-round and its ability to mutate. He went on to note additional factors in the summer rise in cases. “Several factors play into what we see over the summer with COVID,” he said. “It’s likely a combination of waning immunity from people’s last vaccination or previous infection, emergence of more transmissible variants, along with human behavior like more travel, and spending more time in air conditioned rooms with warmer temperatures upon us.” Grosser went on to state that a new COVID-19 vaccine, targeting more recently circulating strains of the virus, should soon be receiving final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “We expect that updated influenza and COVID-19 vaccines will be widely available in September,” Grosser said, and he pointed out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that everyone ages six months and older receive updated COVID and flu vaccines this fall. Later this week, the Princeton Health Department will be releasing its fall Continued on Page 10
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Newly Opened Graduate Hotel Drawing Crowds Michael Monarca worked in the hotel industry for nearly three decades before switching to real estate. Tired of commuting to hotels in New York and around the world from his home in Princeton, Monarca spent 10 years selling houses for Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty, near his home in town. From time to time, a colleague from his years at Manhattan’s Marriott Marquis would reach out to him about getting back into the hospitality business. “I would tell him, jokingly, “Build a hotel in Princeton and then we’ll talk,’ ” said Monarca, who is the general manager of the new Graduate by Hilton Princeton, which opened officially last week on the corner of Nassau and Chambers streets. “He’s now the president of Highgate Hotels, which manages this hotel. So here I am.” To say the past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Monarca would be an
understatement. Orchestrating the opening of the much-anticipated 180-room hotel — the first in Princeton since The Nassau Inn opened nearly 90 years ago — has been a round-the-clock endeavor. For the past month, Monarca has even spent nights in different rooms around the hotel. “I want to know what the rooms are like, all over the hotel,” he said. “I’m just kind of testing them out, living the experience of the guests. It’s been exhausting, but it’s exhilarating.” The newest of the collegiate-inspired Graduate chain, which was acquired last spring by Hilton, the hotel’s memorabiliainspired lobby has been busy during its opening weeks. A splashy spread in Condé Nast Traveler magazine has attracted widespread attention. Ye Tavern, the lobby restaurant named after a bar said to have been located in the space in the 1930s, has been drawing crowds of curious locals as well as tourists.
“The music has been pumping. Our occupancy is spiking,” said Monarca. “And we’ve gotten a ton of interest from local companies who are coming in to tour the hotel.” The Graduate chain of hotels in college towns, which boasts more than 30 open properties across the U.S. and U.K and three under construction, was the brainchild of Ben Weprin, who founded the firm AJ Capital Partners a decade ago. “When we started Graduate 10 years ago, Princeton was at the top of our list,” said Weprin in a press release. “The history, the heritage, the backdrop, the charm, the sophistication — it’s just the idea of what somebody envisions college looks like in America.” “Ben loved his college years, and wanted to figure out a brand that helps recreate those memories,” said Monarca. “He saw an opening in the market, and has found a great way to tie in each university Continued on Page 12
Landon Jones Recalled As Brilliant, Curious, “Always a Gentleman”
“WORTH THE WAIT”: The newly-opened Graduate by Hilton Princeton, which has its entrance on Chambers Street, has doubled the number of hotel rooms in town. (Photo by Andrew Frasz)
To his many friends, Landon “Lanny” Jones, who died Saturday, August 17 at the age of 80, had a natural gift for connecting people and exploring new paths and interests. A graduate of Princeton University’s class of 1966, Jones was a writer and former editor of People magazine, the Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW), and Money magazine. His most recent book, Celebrity Nation, was published in 2023. A complete obituary is on page 27. “Lanny was a unique and loyal friend,” wrote Michael Mathews in an email. “He knew everyone and was generous in making connections among his friends. Though intensely competitive in tennis and squash, he was always a gentleman. Lanny was intellectually curious and anxious to explore new paths. He continued asking questions to the end. He will be missed by so many.” Barbara Webb wrote, “It was a privilege to be his friend. Lanny was brilliant, curious, kind, and always generous with his time. He had a certain youthful sparkle that age, even illness could not diminish. I will miss him.” Scott McVay first met Jones in the fall of 1967, when Jones was editor of the PAW and McVay was working in the Princeton Continued on Page 8
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