Carteret offers 'salute to a good man' in Jack McGreevey park dedication

CARTERET – The borough will continue to honor the legacy of John "Jack" McGreevey, a longtime advocate for military veterans, with the renaming of the park at Orchard Street and Pinho Avenue in his memory.

A ceremony dedicating the Sgt. Jack McGreevey Memorial Park will be held 11 a.m. March 15 at the park, 55 Orchard St. A reception with light refreshments will follow at the Carteret Performing Arts Center, 46 Washington Ave.

"Sgt. Jack McGreevey was a trusted and true American hero. From his service in the Marine Corps to his lifelong dedication as an advocate for veterans and their families, Jack McGreevey will forever live on in our hearts and minds. I am pleased to posthumously recognize Jack for his selfless service by naming this park in his honor and memory," said Mayor Dan Reiman in a statement.

McGreevey, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and father of former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who worked in the 19th Legislative District office for more than 20 years helping fellow veterans, died in May 2022 at the age of 93. Flags in the borough, Jack McGreevey's hometown, were lowered to half-staff in his honor.

"Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman and the Borough Council have offered an act of extreme generosity in naming the local playground of our childhood after my father," said Jim McGreevey in a statement. "Mayor Reiman's tremendous leadership in Carteret has transformed the community of my youth for the better. It is noteworthy that the only lawn sign, mine included, that my father wanted even larger was Mayor Reiman's. It didn't hurt that Dan named my dad chair of a local Veterans Committee, which my father relished."

Jim McGreevey said the park dedication will include a St. Patrick's Day blessing, the listening of the bagpipes and a salute to a good man.

The son of Irish immigrants and a Jersey City native, Jack McGreevey graduated from All Saints Elementary School, James J. Ferris High School and Seton Hall University. He followed his brother James into the Marine Corps, where he served in Guam, China and Japan at the close of World War II from 1945 to 1948. He reenlisted in the Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1950 to 1951, where he served as a sergeant and drill instructor, according to his obituary.

Jack McGreevey met his wife Veronica, known as "Ronnie," at Seton Hall University and were married for 62 years before she died in 2018. The couple had three children, James, Caroline and Sharon.

He worked as an interstate commerce commissioner practitioner and as a national account director in the interstate commerce industry. Jack McGreevey also taught business as an adjunct professor at Rutgers University, his obituary states.

While working as a veterans aide to state Sen. Joseph Vitale, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez. all D-19th District, Jack McGreevey worked with veterans living in Carteret, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, South Amboy and Woodbridge, to ensure they received the services and benefits that they were entitled to.

The former Cornell Estates Park in the West Carteret section of town underwent $327,000 in upgrades in 2014 including the addition of a new basketball court, along with new surfacing, backboards and hoops for the existing court. The work also included new fencing, sidewalks and milling and paving of the roadways adjacent to the park.

Additional improvements were recently made to the park in preparation of renaming it for Jack McGreevey including resurfacing the basketball courts, updating the tot lot area, new park benches, signage and sidewalks.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Carteret to dedicate Sgt. Jack McGreevey Memorial Park