Did You Know

Helen Kittell West

Monmouth Beach School Principal (1922-1946)

A borough education leader during trying times — through the Great Depression and WW II — Helen set a foundation for the definitive “neighborhood school.” Her efforts have allowed generations of borough families to adore its “walk-to” access.

In September 1922, borough native Helen Kittell was appointed principal of the Monmouth Beach Public School — then with 80 students and a $5,000 annual budget. Helen was a “graceful and intelligent” educator, according to a July 1918 Long Branch Daily Record profile and almost certainly one of the first female school principals in NJ history. No borough school leader has ever served longer.

Born in 1891 on Riverdale Avenue (then called Fresh Pond Road), her father, Mellon, was a borough councilman and pioneering pound boat fisherman in North Long Branch. Helen graduated from Chattle High School in Long Branch in 1909 (the same year the Monmouth Beach School opened). She earned a college degree from Trenton State in 1912 and began her career in Eatontown; teaching there 1912 to 1916.

Once in Monmouth Beach, in addition to her principal duties (at a $1,500 salary), she taught 7th and 8th graders. Helen was quite the consequential leader. She started the school’s first kindergarten program (called a pre-primer class) in 1943, formed the first school PTA in 1930, organized the first school class trip (West Point in 1925), launched the first MBBP student BBQ in 1927 and directed the school’s annual graduation for over two decades.

Small classes were the norm in the early years. At one time the school had only three teachers: Helen, Eleanor Van Note and Alice Johnson (the trio combined for 100+ years of instruction in MB). Back then three grades were taught in one classroom. And talk about doing a lot with a little — the school education budget Helen was given never reached $15,000 in any year.

Helen was patriotic too. An early and eager leader in women’s suffrage, she was Vice President of the Monmouth County League of Women Voters. Until the 19th Amendment passed in 1920, women could not vote. She also sold Liberty Bonds for WW I efforts in 1918 and was auxiliary president for the local American Red Cross and the American Legion in the 1930s.

As a kind and thoughtful education leader on Griffin Street for 25 years, parents and students could relate to Helen. Thus the success. Shortly before her death, a Long Branch Daily Record profile on Monmouth Beach, offered: “The borough has an excellent graded school and is rated high for efficacy and thoroughness of training.”

Helen was living in North Long Branch with husband, Walter E. West, when she died in May 1946. Her 24-year career as a school principal — when women were just beginning to gain leadership roles — reflects most favorably on her professional competence and the community’s trust.

—Summer 2025

Horse Sense

Real Horse Sense …

With the nearby Monmouth Park racetrack set to open on May 11, Monmouth Beach residents might like to know that Warren “Jimmy” Croll, Jr., a Hall-of-Fame horse trainer, was a borough home-owner since 1946. The Pennsylvania-born horseman had many talents, producing champion turf, dirt and sprinter horses over 60 years.

In 1994, he trained an Eclipse Horse-of-the-Year winner, Holy Bull (who won his first race at Monmouth Park and later the Haskell Invitational). In 1987, he trained Bet Twice to a Triple Crown victory, the Belmont Stakes. Mr. Croll died in June 2008.

Did You Know

The Monmouth Beach Gas Station marked 100 years of business in 2024.

Auto service at Ocean and Riverdale Avenues (near the Long Branch border) dates to October 1924 when property owner, J. William Jones, installed two 20,000-gallon above-ground gas tanks. Despite major opposition, then Mayor A.O. Johnson did not object to the plan.

Jones, a savvy city politico (serving 30 years on the Long Branch Commission including two terms as mayor), was used to getting his way. Although the area is zoned for business, the snooty Monmouth Beach Association fought the project so Jones obtained a NJ Superior Court order to operate.

Andy Zeim, longtime head janitor at the borough school, was an owner in the 1940s and 50s. Edward Wade owned the Getty Service Station franchise there beginning in 1960. A Newark native and 50-year Little Silver resident, he died in July 1995.

Customers will recall the colorful gas pumper, Malcolm “Shorty” Kirby, who died in 1994 and longtime auto mechanic, Arthur Jensen, who died in 1983. The station endured major gas rationing periods in the 1940s and 1970s.

Damaged in Superstorm Sandy and renovated, it’s now a Liberty Petroleum fuel station; open 7 days from 6 am to 9 pm. The mechanic-in-charge is Doug King who runs All Shore Auto Repair.

Did You Know

Monmouth Beach was once home for two of the world’s most renowned musical talents — Albert Spalding (America’s first great solo violinist) and André Benoist (the famous piano accompanist) were borough residents during the first half of the 20th century.

    The skilled musical-team began their association in 1909, frequently touring the USA and the world to perform (Albert himself made 200+ transatlantic crossings before WWII). They also invited some of the world’s elite musical talent to rehearse in  Monmouth Beach — including George Gershwin, Enrico Caruso, Sergei Rachmaninoff, John Phillip Sousa, Oscar Hammerstein, Pablo Casals, and Jascha Heifetz. Lifelong friends, Spalding and Benoist died within weeks of each other in 1953.

    Albert’s family, uncle Albert G. and father James W. Spalding, founded the fabulously successful A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company in 1876. Andre’s son, Albert Benoist, an Ivy League-trained architect, designed Wharfside condos and Monmouth Commons as well as the borough’s library, bathing pavilion and fire company addition. He died in his dad’s Valentine Street home in 2012.

Did You Know

The Monmouth Beach Cultural Center – was once home to the remarkable US Life-Saving Service. Dating back to 1848, these men were revered as the heroes of the Atlantic Coast, routinely risking their lives in grand maritime rescues.

Located on Ocean Avenue in the borough’s Galilee section, it’s the town’s oldest public structure. The Duluth-Style building – first opened as Station #4 in 1894 -- also served as base for other “shore sentinels” like the US Coast Guard (from 1915-1963) and NJ State Marine Police (from 1964-1992).

Thanks to the philanthropy of Jay W. Ross and an ongoing band of true-believers, the building was spared the wrecking ball and endures. Converted into the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, it marks 25 years of service in May 2025.

The town’s ultimate “Pride of Place” it’s much more than a borough landmark — its compelling history and incomparable location demand that it be protected and promoted. That’s a mission of the new Historical Committee.