Politics & Government

Toms River Mayor Receives Honorary Doctorate

Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher received an honorary doctorate from Georgian Court University after delivering the college's graduate student commencement address recently.

Kelaher received a Doctor of Public Service Honorary Degree at the ceremony, which took place May 21. The degree was presented to Kelaher by his long-time friend and retired New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Serpentelli.

“He has lived his life embracing the Sisters of Mercy’s core values, especially when you consider his service to the public over the last 50 years,” said Serpentelli.

A chance meeting between the two young lawyers led to a lifetime friendship, Kelaher explained, recalling their first meeting in an elevator at the statehouse.

“In that elevator I had my attaché case, and his was the same as mine. But there was one difference: inside his were legal briefs and memoranda addressed to the chief justice, and inside mine was a bologna sandwich and a borrowed Star-Ledger newspaper,” Kelaher said.

Kelaher, in his address to students, urged them to become involved in public service.

"There is so much that has to be done and if you are involved, you can do so much good for the people of our community," he said. "In 1961, President Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.'"

Georgian Court, located in Lakewood, conferred more than 200 degrees upon graduates during the commencement ceremony, in areas including applied behavior analysis, biology, mathematics, theology, clinical mental health counseling, education, and business administration.



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