February 2026
OPENING
A meeting of the Ocean Grove Community Association (OGCA) was held on Saturday, Februuary 28th, 2026 in the Camp Meeting Community Room, 28 Pilgrim Pathway, Ocean Grove. The meeting was called to order by OGCA President Joyce Klein at 10:05 am. The Pledge of Allegiance was followed by recognition of special guests and an important announcement:
- The upcoming March OGCA March meeting, previously announced to be held on a week-night evening in March, has been re-scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 10:00 am in the Community Room.
GUEST SPEAKER
Past President Richard Williams presented his extensive research on the death of President James Garfield in 1881. Garfield had been shot and gravely wounded in July 1881 by an eccentric job seeker in a Washington D.C. train station. After enduring a painful bed-ridden summer in Washington, his doctors and family decided to move him by train from the White House to an ocean-front cottage in Elberon, NJ, where it was hoped the sea air would miraculously speed his recovery. Richard delved into the fascinating and little known facts about that train trip and the overnight construction of a 5/8th mile spur train track to deliver Garfield to that cottage’s portico entrance. Unfortunately, two weeks later Garfield passed away in Elberon. Many questions followed.
BUSINESS MEETING
President Joyce Klein, a member of the Neptune School Board Task Force, provided an update on the ongoing work by the Board of Education to finalize the 2026 Neptune Township School Budget. This budget will have a huge impact on Ocean Grove Property taxes, and the OGCA will closely monitor that budget process to keep our membership appraised of developments.
There were no Committee Reports.
CLOSING
The meeting adjourned at 11:50 am. Respectfully submitted by Theresa Checki, Secretary of the OGCA.