By Rebecca Gorelov ’14, News Editor

Alums at Newark Academy play a vital role within the community by contributing to the Academy’s rich history and by setting examples for current students. Alums represent all the possibilities students have after graduation. The three following profiles show how the passion students develop at Newark Academy can play an integral role in shaping their future.

Francey Burke ’76

The New Jersey General Assembly, the Press of Atlantic City, and the Middle Township Chamber of Commerce have all recognized Francey Burke for her notable work in community service. Working at the Burke Motor Group, a car dealership, and the Mid Jersey Cape Rotary Club, a community based service club, Burke and her family have

not only been able to aid the local community but also the national one. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and surrounding neighborhoods in August of 2005, Burke’s family in conjunction with the Mid Jersey Cape Rotary Club and Burke Motor Group raised $10,000 and donated 300 dictionaries to the Picayune Rotary Club located right outside of New Orleans. The money was raised from the Burke Motor Group Golf Classic, an annual charity golf tournament. Burke and two of her sons went to Picayune to deliver the funds as well as to aid in any way that they could. On a more local level the Burke raises money through events such as Bike-a-Thons and the Golfless Gala for the Jersey Rotary Club scholarship fund as well as local organizations such as Cape Regional Medical Center, Volunteers in Medicine, The United Way, Habitat for Humanity and The Wetlands Institute. In the past the organization has raised $20,000 to refurbish the Goshen Sports Complex Center, a recreation center for youth in the area. The New Jersey Assembly noted this accomplishment as an, “outstanding philanthropic endeavor” and commended Burke “for her boundless encouragement and unstinting support of Burke Motor Group’s altruistic and charitable efforts.”

David Kimowitz ’97

What do Dane Cook, Artie Lange, Judah Friedlander, Jim Gaffigan, Janeane Garafalo and Colin Quinn all have in common, besides that fact that they are all considered “big names” in the comedy scene? They have all performed at The Stand, a comedy club and restaurant founded by David Kimowitz. The Stand, which just opened in September, was described by the New York Times as a comedy club that, “aims for a more upscale experience than your typical club, promoting food and cocktails as much as comedy.” In addition to overseeing the operations at the club, David is the Vice-President of Talent at Cringe Humor Entertainment, a management company. Kimowitz described his job as, “oversee[ing] the careers of performing comedians…helping them to develop their own content such as screenplays, web series, television concepts, and work[ing] to get them movie roles and television roles.” For example Kimowitz produced Drugs, Disease and Death: A Comedy, which was the  story of comedian Mike DeStefano about his life growing up in the Bronx, struggling with a heroine addiction and losing his wife to AIDS. Kimowitz’s career in production began back at Newark Academy, in April 1996 when Kimowitz worked with along with Ms. Galvin and Mr. Goldfischer to organize a concert with two bands: Fun Lovin’ Criminals and God Street Wine. The concert attracted over 600 students from 10 to 15 private schools in the area. According to Kimowitz, “ I will always remember the teachers and administrators who were so inspirational and the general environment of support that Newark Academy created” that then allowed him to pursue his career in comedy and production.

Jason Marcus ’97

Jason Marcus is the owner and chef of two well-known restaurants in Brooklyn: Triaf and Xixa. However growing up Marcus never thought that he would end up cooking professionally. It wasn’t until he studied Philosophy and Leadership Studies in college that he decided to try out a possible cooking career. Marcus began his journey cooking at a restaurant in a position that he described “as the lowest member of a totem poll that was tough and tiring…but I loved it so I knew that cooking was what I wanted to pursue.” Marcus gained his culinary training at New York’s finest restaurants such as Le Bernardin and Eleven Madison Park. In 2010 Marcus opened his first restaurant Traif, which translates into not kosher, because of the restaurant’s focus on pork and shellfish. Marcus described the restaurant as, “a personal reflection of myself. I consider myself a modern Jew who embraces tradition, but at the same time can go my own path. It was this philosophy that I founded Triaf on.” The philosophical approach Marcus takes with all his restaurants originated at Newark Academy where he took his first philosophy class. He said, “my class taught me that an integral part of life is to find out what you love and never stop pursuing it.” Which is exactly what Marcus did in November of 2012, when he opened his second restaurant called Xixa; although similar to Triaf, it is heavily influenced by Mexican cuisine. Now managing and cooking at two restaurants Marcus describes his job as “constantly changing because being an owner and a chef allows me to one day be an artist in the kitchen and the next be in a completely different role.”