May 2021 – IDYLEASE: A HISTORIC LANDMARK

Martel Carl Grays: 1911-1975

Carl Grays at Idylease — Carl awarded Outstanding Employee pin in 1964 on the lobby staircase at Idylease. Carl was awarded for 10 years of meritorious service. Business Administrator Neil Malloy is pictured on the left and my father, Dr. Arthur Zampella on the right.

West Milford was not the most hospitable place for African Americans in this Community in the 1950s. Jake McNeir would tell stories of befriending Carl Grays in the early 50s and how he was given a hard time and found himself defending Carl against racist remarks.

Carl was the Maintenance Supervision of a high rise on Park Avenue when my father met him in 1949. When my dad purchased Idylease in 1954, he asked Carl to come with him. Their friendship spanned over 20 years. When Carl died in 1975, my father oversaw his funeral and burial arrangements. As a nine year old, I had never seen my father shed a tear until that quiet December morning at the Newfoundland Methodist Cemetery.

Carl Grays was born on April 16, 1911 in Philadelphia. He died in on December 24, 1975 in Newfoundland, NJ. He was raised in Harris County, a suburb of Huston, Texas. He had a sister named Lillian Richardson who resided at 1408 Yates Street in Huston. Carl enlisted in the United States Army during WWll in Milwaukee Wisconsin on August 15, 1940. He was honorably discharged in 1945 with the rank of Sergeant. Carl spent the latter part of his life as the maintenance supervisor of Idylease Nursing Home in Newfoundland, NJ. He passed away in his cottage at Idylease on Christmas Eve in 1975.

I spent this morning at the cemetery cleaning Carl’s headstone. He will always be remembered by me for his soft spoken quiet demeanor and ever present smile. Gone but not forgotten.

-Richard Zampella
May 7, 2021

The Cub Scouts and Girls Scouts Visit Idylease: Circa 1963

Idylease Boy Scoiyts of America — Cub Scouts from West Milford’s Pack 115 Visit Idylease in the 1960s

Idylease Girls Scout of America — Girl Scouts from Troop 288 and 497 Visit Idylease in the 60s

Dr Arthur Zampella graduated from the Boston University School of Medicine in 1943. He had always had an interest in geriatric care and the elderly. It was his vision to establish a facility where he could practice medicine and serve the needs of an aging population. As a lifelong scholar, my dads interest in this area were reflected in his authorship of many published medical articles, chapters and books on various aspects of aging, care of the elderly, as well as ethical, socio-economic and philosophic discussion in these fields. In an article for the New England Journal of Medicine entitled, “Sampling of the Attitudes of the Aged,” he explored the dilemma of the aging process whereby the elderly are stripped of their social identities when admitted to a nursing home. He felt that a sterile environment, devoid of a homelike atmosphere reduced life expectancy. In many ways, my father was years ahead of his time. Many retirement facilities today, attempt to emulate the surroundings of a private residence.

For many years, my father searched for a location that would be suitable for extended geriatric care. His real estate broker showed him many sterile, cinderblock winged facilities that were devoid of the comforts of home. The broker did not understand that my father was not interested in warehousing the elderly. The broker was hesitant to show Idylease to my father. It was in poor condition. It had remained vacant and boarded up for 11 years. The plumbing was shattered; sitting vacant for many cold winters. Nonetheless, on warm spring afternoon in 1954, the two traveled to Newfoundland from Jersey City. Many years later, my father would tell me that he knew instantly when they pulled into the circular drive; that Idylease the place he had been searching for. Not only did it posses the qualities of a homelike atmosphere, but it had a long and storied history of advances in medical science.

My father was also a strong proponent that social interaction between the young and the old was essential form of therapy for the elderly. Not only could patients benefit from the generational exchange, but the young would also engage with their counterparts. With this in mind, my dad implemented programs with the Boy and Girl Scouts of America and several church youth groups. Many local residents can recall visits to Idylease while growing up to deliver gift baskets, make arts and crafts or simply make new friends with the patients at Idylease.