Brookdale WWII center to be renamed for Narozanick

MIDDLETOWN - The Brookdale Community College Board of Trustees has announced the naming of the college's Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution for World War II veteran and Monmouth County Free-holder Emeritus Ted Narozanick.

At the board's January meeting, the resolution to honor Narozanick, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge who has participated in every significant event hosted by the center, including the 60th anniversary commemoration of Amer-ica's year of victory (1945) and the December 2006 65th anniversary of Pearl Harbor ceremony, was unanimously adopted.

"Throughout his long tenure as a freeholder, Mr. Narozanick has been one of Brookdale's greatest supporters," college President Peter Burnham said in a press release. "And since the inception of the World War II center, he has worked closely with history professor Paul Zigo to assure progress and to design and implement programs through which he and his fellow veterans educate our students and members of the public by sharing their wartime experiences."

Before he left the freeholders board in December, Narozanick had served Monmouth County for more than 48 years, including seven consecutive three-year terms on the Board of Freeholders. During his tenure he was responsible for the Department of Administration and Special Services, which included the Board of Elections, Economic Develop-ment and Tourism, the Monmouth County Vocational Board of Education, the Planning Board and Brookdale Community College.

The World War II center is being relocated to the college's Bankier Library. The new location will ensure proper visibility and access for all members of the community, according to the press release. The official dedication and naming for Narozanick will take place in March.

The center will continue its mission to serve and educate today's generation about World War II and its significance by providing programs and services to stimulate and foster the study of the political, social and military aspects of the war and its impact on world history. The ultimate goal of the center is to use the lessons learned from the war to prevent the recurrence of global armed conflict in a world of sovereign states with divergent interests, wants and needs.