Neal Stoffers

Remembrances of Newark Neal Stoffers

This book is an outgrowth of an oral history project of the Newark Fire Department begun in 1991. The men and women interviewed were appointed to the Fire Department between 1940 and 2016. They come from every section of the city and are from varying ethnic and racial backgrounds. Some of the childhood memories harken back to the 1920's. Every rank of the fire department is represented among those interviewed. Two of the interviewees served as Fire Director. Three served as Fire Chief. That being said, this is a story told by the common man. There are no politicians, no great movers of events, no celebrities, and certainly no wealthy elite included. The memories recounted are at street level recalling everyday life in New Jersey's most populous city from the 1920s to the 2020s.