By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – A former leader of Red Bank Borough entered his centenarian years Dec. 30 as he blew out the candles on his 100th birthday cake.
Benedict “Ben” R. Nicosia of Red Bank looked back on his life in public service this week with The Two River Times, with the assistance of his daughter Mary. He did so in the days following his birthday which he celebrated quietly with a few close family members and a friend, with social distancing and facial coverings. He even shared his secrets to a long life, part of which have to do with his work as a Democratic political leader in his hometown of Red Bank.
“I’m glad to have my two daughters with me to celebrate,” said Nicosia of his 100th birthday.
Nicosia was born Dec. 30, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Red Bank in 1923 and he has resided in the borough since then. He attended Red Bank public schools and studied at Monmouth College, now Monmouth University, and later transferred to St. John’s University. He married his late wife, Dorothy Durando, a nurse originally from California, and together they had two daughters, Lauren and Mary.
“He’s a very fun-loving person, always enjoyed life, very social,” said Mary in describing her father. “He always, always wanted to help people and he mostly loved practicing law. He was very well liked by all of his colleagues.” She added that in his spare time, he loved to golf and experienced two holes-in-one in his lifetime. He also loved to travel and cook and authored two Italian family cookbooks himself.
By 1942, the Red Bank resident enlisted in the U.S. Army and served on a special assignment with the U.S. Military Intelligence Division in England until September of the following year. He then returned to the United States and continued serving with the U.S. Army Signal Corps through the end of World War II in 1946.
“I’m very proud to have fought in the war,” said Nicosia, adding that he is also “thankful to have seen so many changes in the country and the world.”
His political career began in 1949 after joining the Red Bank-based law firm Quinn, Doremus, McCue & Russell. He became a partner at the firm in 1956 and went on to serve as the Red Bank borough attorney and municipal prosecutor, as well as a zoning/planning board attorney for Hazlet and Millstone townships and Keyport and Red Bank boroughs.
He became an assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor, among other positions, and was elected as Red Bank’s planning board chairman and mayor. From 1954 to 1978 Nicosia served as the borough’s Democratic chairman. In 1978 Gov. Brendan Byrne appointed him a judge in the state Superior Court.
Nicosia said some of his fondest memories of serving as mayor in Red Bank were of the people he worked with. “We all loved Red Bank and wanted it to be a great town. I loved Election Night; it was always an important night and we all worked very hard. As a result of our efforts in the early days, Red Bank has become a great town.”
He has passed on that drive to better the borough: His daughter, Lauren, follows in his footsteps as the president of the Red Bank Zoning Board and remains active in town. And Mary, RN, APN-C, is the clinic director at Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank.
He partly credits his former busy lifestyle as a secret to a long life – stay active, keep busy and socialize with good friends around you, he said. “I loved being an attorney and I loved being in politics. I met so many wonderful people,” said Nicosia. “Keep your life moderate, and of course, I was lucky to have a wonderful wife.”
The article originally appeared in the January 7 – 14, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
