buzzworthy
Montclair
Montclair
JIM AXELROD ADDS CHIEF
INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT
TO HIS JOB DESCRIPTION
Montclair resident JIM AXELROD has won multiple awards
during his 23 years at CBS News, including a Peabody for his
series on West Virginia’s opioid addiction crisis, a George
Polk Award for his probe into a multi-billion dollar pharmacy
fraud, and an Edward R. Murrow Award for his look into the
genetic testing industry. Now his title reflects that work. In
addition to being a senior national correspondent for the net-
work, he was recently given the additional title of chief investi-
gative correspondent. Another title Axelrod holds: a member
of the Bloomfield College Board of Trustees. Here, he is seen
at 2017’s Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony, having won an
award for his reporting on “The Heart of an Epidemic, West
Virginia’s Opioid Addiction.”
JEFFREY ALAN MILLER, an associate
professor in Montclair State
University’s English department, has
received a coveted $625,000 “genius
grant” from the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation. Miller, a
scholar of early modern English litera-
ture and theology, won the recognition
for his research on the emergence of key ideas about
the role of faith in daily life and government among
Reformation and Renaissance scholars. In 2015, Miller
announced that he had discovered the earliest known
draft of the King James Bible, the most widely read book
of all time. The draft dates as far back as 1604, when
King James commissioned the translation of the Bible,
and was penned by one of the translators who worked
on it, according to Miller. “Miller’s expansive view of the
writing process and of what constitutes a draft manu-
script are changing our understanding of seminal works
at the foundation of modern Christianity, philosophy,
and literature,” the foundation states on its website.
Montclair
DISAPPEARING EARTH APPEARS
ON AN IMPORTANT LIST
Disappearing Earth, the
debut novel of Montclair
native (and Montclair High
School Class of ’06 grad)
JULIA PHILLIPS, received a
lot of critical praise and atten-
tion when it was published in
May. Now it has won an
especially important accolade:
Judges for the National Book
Award have named it to their
shortlist. The winner will be
announced at the NBA cere-
mony at Cipriani Wall Street
in Manhattan on November
20. The book is also on the
shortlist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
(the winner will be announced in December).
12
HOLIDAY 2019 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
Montclair
ROW HOUSE OPENS AT
VALLEY & BLOOM
Montclair has a high profile in the rowing community
due to the national reputation of Montclair High School’s
crew team. So it makes sense that a new location of ROW
HOUSE, the fitness chain, has recently opened in town.
Row House is the brainchild of Paul Schackman, a securi-
ties broker who was a personal trainer in college. The fit-
ness center offers six classes called House, Body, Power,
Restore, Full Row and Stroke to athletes of all ages and
ability levels. “Rowing is a great low impact, full body
workout,” says Schackman. “The efficiency of our 45-min-
ute workout really appealed to me as a busy professional
and parent. Montclair is a very fitness-oriented communi-
ty, and I saw rowing as a new concept that people of all
ages and fitness levels would enjoy.” • 638 Bloomfield
Ave., (973) 500-6550, therowhouse.com
IMAGES
MSU PROFESSOR HONORED
WITH A MACARTHUR
FELLOWSHIP