Change in name of Haley St. suggested
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

FREEHOLD - The Borough Council has been asked to rename a street in honor of a long-serving member of the clergy.

Resident Norma Randolph attended a recent council meeting and asked officials to consider renaming Haley Street in honor of the late Rev. Paul M. McGuire.

McGuire served as pastor of the New Beginnings Agape Christian Center (formerly the Second Baptist Church).

The 114-year-old church at the corner of Haley and Throckmorton streets was the place whereMcGuire ministered to his congregants for 14 years before his death in 1991.

Randolph said she and members of the church community want to honor the legacy of a man they say was well-loved and well-respected in town, and one who was a friend and mentor to many people in Freehold Borough. She said renaming Haley Street to Paul McGuire Way would be a fitting tribute to McGuire.

"The man never wavered from listening, reassuring and assisting anyone," Randolph said. "He was supportive, sometimes publicly or without recognition. This man's vision for all people was far in the future. His compassion for reaching many people was insurmountable. His steps were swift and reassuring and he treasured people for who they were."

Randolph said McGuire's legacy to all people "will forever be recorded in the archives of the history of the community, for he was one of the framers."

According to a biography of McGuire provided by Randolph, McGuire was born in 1935 in Chicago. He attended the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina on an athletic scholarship and earned a bachelor of science in 1957. He attended the U.S. Army Guided Missile School in Fort Bliss, Texas, and played baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals system.

Before he accepted the call to ministry, McGuire worked for RCA, where he was the first minority manager hired at the location inMarion, Indiana. He later moved back to Illinois and accepted a teaching position in the Chicago public school system and was recognized for his work in gang mediation.

McGuire then became one of the pioneerAfrican American professionals hired by Johnson and Johnson in the late 1960s. He relocated to New Jersey in 1973 and took a position as an executive for SeaLand Corporation.

McGuire joined the Second Baptist Church in Freehold Borough in 1974. While there, he accepted the call to ministry and was ordained in March 1977. He was elected pastor in 1977 and served in that capacity until his death in 1991.

According to the biography, McGuire preached a message of hope, Christian liberty, social responsibility and civic involvement. He instituted new programs for the church and the community, including after-school and evening programs in math, science and adult education and vocational classes aimed at improving reading skills and career mobility.

"His message of hope, both taught and lived, resonated in the hearts of the people and resulted in the growth of his church," the biography states.

McGuire's son, the Rev. Dr. Andre Mc Guire, now serves the church as pastor.

A community health center bearing Paul McGuire's name was established in Freehold Borough through the efforts of the I Beseech Thee Community Development Corporation within the church.

The Rev. Ricky Pierce, who serves New BeginningsAgape Christian Center as assistant pastor, said he believes renaming Haley Street in McGuire's honor would be a fitting tribute to a man who helped so many and who was so well loved in his community.

On advice from Borough Attorney Kerry Higgins, the council members will send letters to property owners on Haley Street to elicit input from them on what they think of the idea of renaming the street. Higgins also suggested bringing the issue to the attention of the Historic Preservation Commission to try to determine the origin of the street's name.