On Sept. 20, two days after his 93 birthday, Neptune City resident Richard J. Connors III, Ph.D., was presented the Quilt of Valor, which is awarded to service members or veterans.
Connors, a retired political science and history professor and administrator from Seton Hall University, served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
In recent years, he has written books including two about World War I, and he opened a World War I museum space at Infoage Science and History Center at the former Camp Evans base in Wall Township. Anne Carreiro, a group leader from the Quilts of Valor Foundation, and Carol Fowler, assistant curator from the National Guard Militia Museum, made the presentation of the handmade quilt at Memorial Park in Neptune City.
Also attending was Rep. Christopher Smith, R-NJ, who had arranged for a flag to be flown over the Capitol building in Washington D.C. honoring Connors on his birthday. Also attending were Neptune City Councilman Brian Thomas, Avon Mayor Ed Bonnano, Connors’ children, grandchildren, family, and many friends from Neptune City and Avon, his former hometown.
