Dear Editor:
An exciting new project to remember one of this country's most distinguished Irish-Americans, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr., will take place in his hometown of Newark, NJ.
As you may know, Justice Brennan was born and raised in Newark and educated in the city's public schools. His father, who came from County Roscommon, served as Newark's elected commissioner of public safety and could have been mayor had he so chosen.
Justice Brennan began his law career in private practice in Newark and worked here both before and after World War II until his appointment to the judiciary. Almost universally regarded as one of the Supreme Court's most influential justices, he was always proud to call Newark and New Jersey his home.
To date, we've chosen a sculptor and design for the statue. The artist is Thomas Jay Warren, a former New Jersey resident who is one of the country's leading figurative sculptors.
His local work includes the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. in Newark City Hall; the first college football game monument at Rutgers University and figures at the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials in New Jersey.
We also have a site -- the concourse at the top of the stairs leading to the county's Hall of Records in downtown Newark, where Justice Brennan sat when he served as a state appeals court judge in New Jersey.
For the last five months, we've been raising the money to defray the project's costs and are more than halfway to reaching our goal.
We are hoping the Irish American News would be willing to spread word of our work with some notice so that we can finish our fundraising effort.
Attached you will find a flier we are circulating that provides all of the information for making donations. Please note that contributions are tax-deductible and are being handled by a well-known and respected law firm in Newark.
Additionally, all donors will be listed as part of the project's history.
Along with the flier is an editorial that appeared in Newark's daily newspaper, The Star-Ledger, endorsing the project.
You should know that the Brennan family is fully aware of what we are doing and behind us 100 percent. Its members have both appeared and spoken at our
functions.
If you have any questions or comments about the project, please do not hesitate to contact me.
As of this week, the sculptor has begun his work and it is our hope to dedicate the statue sometime in late spring or early summer.
Dedication of the memorial will cap a year in which a U.S. postage stamp was issued in Justice Brennan's honor and in which he was elected to the New
Jersey Hall of Fame.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year and looking forward to your support.
Sincerely,
Guy Sterling
