Totowa Book of the Dead, Pg 2

Totowa Book of the Dead

A Photographic Memoir, page 2

In 1792, when Alexander Hamilton founded Paterson and established it as the manufacturing center of America, Totowa was a thriving Dutch farm community. The Native American tribes known as the Lenni Lenape's had perished by the 1690's. It was the usual genocide reasons for the indigenous population's demise; small pox, measles, tuberculosis, alcoholism and forced relocation by the colonial powers. They don't even know what Totowa really means. They do know that it's a word from the Lenni Lenape language but since these people had no alphabet and don't exist anymore it’s a little tough to find an accurate translation.

Jack Naples and Tony Pataglia (aka Tony Cigar)

Some think Totowa means manly men and was originally spelled Totoa. Other historian's have opposing theories regarding the meaning such as; Where you begin, To sink and be forced down under water by weight, To dive and reappear, Land between the river and the mountain, God's token, and Heavy falling weight of water.

Next Generation

Totowa youth all go through the same two public schools. Washington Park Elementary School for the primary grades and Memorial School from fifth to eighth grade, unless of course you paid tuition and went to Saint James Parochial School. We were all bused to the town of Little Falls for high school. The Passaic Valley Regional High School serves one thousand students from the surrounding communities of Little Falls, Totowa, and West Paterson. This little world bred familiarity. You could easily spend your entire education with the same kids in your class every year until you graduated.

Bill Hagman, Paul DeLeo, Jim Malloy (Muldoon) and Joe Mammary in Cozy's

The kids in town traveled in packs. We had hangouts all over the place. We were like one big incestuous family. If we weren't in our cars at the bank's parking lot, then we were at our secret camp site on the Totowa mountain, at the PAL Field, playing pinball at Cozy's Sweet Shop, standing by the bench next to Walker's Hardware Store, partying by the graveyard's elk, or driving down the infamous Reefer Road.
Its real name is Riverview Drive. It's the only street left in town that resembles a genuine country road. We called it Reefer Road because you could light a joint at the beginning of the Drive and finish it by the time you got to the end. It hugs the Passaic River on one side, which is why it's so windy.
Everyone in town felt safe smoking on Reefer Road because of its isolation. It was so private that it became a gay cruising spot. When a reporter from the local newspaper wrote an article about a raid that had occurred, he spoke to one of my friends, learned of our neighborhood name for that section of the Drive and put it in the title, Cops Break Up Hang Out on Homo Beach.

Jody Ciliberti driving, who's in the back?

The evening routine went something like this: Two or three times a night hop in somebody's car at the bank, blast some Led Zeppelin, make a right out of the parking lot on to UB (Union Boulevard) and start rolling a joint. One mile later, before crossing the Beatties Bridge into Little Falls, hang a left on Riverview Drive. Light the joint and smoke the entire thing before the road ended at the Hillary Street Bridge. Then make another sharp left and pull into Laurel Grove Cemetery.

Dave and Meatloaf

Dave Cusick and Meatloaf in Korvette's music department.

Vonnie, Cangro and the Lobosco brothers.

John Brooks

Sal's basement

Mike's coming home party from the Navy in Sal's basement.

Eddie Benedict and Muskie

This story continues on pg. 3