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People on the Move: Ralph Blumenthal
03/14/2008 - By Lori Herschman
Ralph Blumenthal
Ralph Blumenthal - Reaching New Heights For The Environment
When Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso asked Ralph Blumenthal to serve as co-chair of the township’s Citizens Advisory Committee, Ralph eagerly accepted the challenge. “All volunteer work is challenging,” he said, “and sometimes you say ‘Why?’ but in the end it’s worthwhile because you helped do the right thing.” The committee was appointed by the Holmdel Township Committee in spring 2007 because of community concerns regarding
the potential redevelopment of the Bell Labs/Lucent property (legally owned by Alcatel-Lucent). Since the Lucent building is outdated and inefficient in the environmental sense, Ralph explained, finding new uses for it would be difficult. “The building is clearly an architectural masterpiece,” he said, “but it has engineering and operating problems that make it difficult to reuse.” Thus, the biggest challenge for the committee is figuring out what to do with the property. Although Ralph said they have not yet presented a report, he revealed that the committee is reviewing and evaluating all possible options for the redevelopment of the property. His personal goal, he said, is “to try to find the best solution for the residents of Holmdel.”
Ralph graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and received both a master’s degree and doctorate in physics from Harvard University. In 1970 he joined Bell Labs in Illinois to work in the field of telecommunications systems engineering. It was Bell Labs that brought him to Holmdel in 1978, where he has made his home ever since with Jenni, his wife of 41 years. They have two sons and a 20-month-old granddaughter.
Ralph, who retired from Telcordia (formerly Bellcore, which was previously part of Bell Labs) in 1997 after 26 years of service, has been and remains actively involved in the community in many other ways. He is a founding and current trustee of Friends of Holmdel Open Space (FOHOS), a land trust concerned with preserving open space in Holmdel, and is “excited about current participation in the acquisition and preservation by Holmdel Township of the Bachstat tract adjacent to Allocco Park in northern Holmdel.” He is also a member and former co-president of Citizens for Informed Land Use (CILU), a local group that educates and lobbies on informed land use in the township. In addition, Ralph was a member of the Holmdel Township Board of Education for 61⁄2 years, serving as president for the last four of those years. He was a member of the Holmdel Township Planning Board for 5 years – three of which he served as chairman – and during his tenure accomplished completion of the township’s master plan along with the development of conservation zoning for southern Holmdel. Further, Ralph is a former member of the Holmdel Environmental Commission and a former Holmdel Township environmental officer. “It’s been a challenge and a pleasure to work on projects of concern to Holmdel,” he said, “because Holmdel is our home and a special community for us.”
Perhaps Ralph’s most interesting venture has been his 40 years as an active member of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), a New England-based outdoor and conservation organization with approximately 90,000 members. He and Jenni both serve as hike leaders and major excursion leaders, and they will soon lead their second of two trips this year. As a trip leader, Ralph is responsible for planning, organizing, and running literally everything. He is also a member of the AMC’s Major Excursions Committee, which oversees a travel program consisting each year of about 40 outdoor adventure trips worldwide, including backpacking, hiking, biking, and skiing. He is a life member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and he and Jenni have hiked 90% of the Appalachian Trail, with only about 250 more miles to go. Incredibly, they have hiked some 1,900 miles over many years! The Blumenthals also belong to the Highpointers Club and have climbed to the high points of 32 states as well as areas outside the United States.
Ralph Blumenthal is a truly remarkable volunteer and outdoorsman; there’s no doubt that he will be reaching new heights – not just in Holmdel, but virtually anywhere in the world – for a long time to come.
Are you or someone you know in Holmdel a “Person on the Move”? If you have a story to tell this could be you! E-mail us a brief description to info@livinginmedia.com and let us know who you are.
STATS
Favorite restaurant: Caneel Bay (St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands)
Favorite music: classical chamber music
Favorite Movie: none...movies are not my thing
Pet peeve: people who don’t return phone calls
Three people you would like to have dinner with: Rudy Giuliani, Joe Lieberman, and Ben Bernanke (Federal Reserve Chairman)
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