The Hammonton Gazette 10/21/15 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, October 21, 2015 • The Hammonton Gazette

The Hammonton Gazette
“The Paper of Record”
Gabriel J. donio, Publisher
Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief

dan russoman, Sports Editor
Benny Mendez, Staff Artist

Marysusan hoffman, Brittany Mauro,
Michael hozik, donna Brown, Joseph Bruno,
Kevin troilo, tania rivera,
Lauren Crescenzo, Staff

The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff
member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is P.o. Box
1228, hammonton, nJ 08037.

editoriaLs

The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2015. All
rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181

Littlefield’s legacy

The sudden and tragic death of New Jersey Superior Court Judge Allen
Littlefield – people who knew him for a long time called him AJ – sent shockwaves throughout Hammonton. Littlefield was a favorite son of this town, a
person who had already achieved great things in a short time and seemed destined for more. As his obituary said, his death was unexpected and far too
early.
We join the entire community in mourning his passing. This newspaper
covered Littlefield’s work as an excellent planning and zoning board solicitor
for Hammonton, and the law firm he helped found, Fishman, Littlefield and
Fishman, was an advertiser for many years.
When Littlefield was appointed to his judgeship at the age of 44 by
Governor Chris Christie in July 2011, that appointment was the lead headline
of The Gazette. We were proud to report the happy news of his accomplishment, not just because it was about a Hammontonian, but because it was about
the good man who had accomplished it.
For all his accomplishments, he still remembered and was close to the people he grew up with, until the final days of his life.
Littlefield was a good man, a family man who, with his wife and partner in
life Karen by his side, raised two sons, Matthew and Michael. We know this
entire town, and people far beyond its borders, will be with them at this time
and in the years to come.
At the time of his appointment in 2011, Littlefield gave an interview to The
Gazette and said he saw his new position as a way to better serve the public.
“I’m looking forward to serving the people of the state of New Jersey in
that capacity,” he said in 2011.
He also made sure to thank his family for their role in helping him succeed.
“They’re extremely proud and extremely supportive,” Littlefield said in
2011.
Littlefield’s legacy will be the life he led, a life that is an example to his
wife, his two sons, his family, his friends, the legal community and entire
town of Hammonton as well as all the other communities his life touched. The
force of that legacy was felt profoundly and immediately in the wake of his
abrupt death on October 14, and it will continue to influence us all in the years
to come.
Allen Littlefield was a favorite son of Hammonton, because he was a rare
commodity in this era.
He was a gentleman.

re-elect Levinson

Atlantic County has weathered many storms – figuratively and literally – in
the years Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson has served as its county executive. Despite the magnitude of the two largest “storms” to hit the
county – Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the closure of several casinos that
resulted in the