Description:

Arthur Weinfeld was born in 1938 in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in Irvington. When he was in high school, his family moved to Union. He attended Newark State College, now known as Kean University, majoring in elementary education. He later earned a master's degree in educational administration.

In December of 1956, Weinfeld joined the National Guard and remembers that there was talk of activating his unit at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. As a member of the 102nd Armored Cavalry, he spent two weeks every summer at Fort Drum, New York. He served as a member of the Honor Guard for astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth in the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission in 1962.

Weinfeld began his teaching career at Franklin School in Union. Then, he taught at Woodbrook School in Edison, before becoming a part-time principal at James Madison Intermediate School. From 1969 until his retirement, he served as the principal of James Madison Intermediate School, where he focused on building strong bonds between the school and community. Weinfeld has been active in various educational associations.

After retiring in 1996, he helped mentor a new generation of teachers, supervising student-teachers at Monmouth University for a decade. A member of Temple Emanu-El in Edison, he served as the vice president in charge of education for a period of time. He and his wife were long-time residents of Edison, where they raised their three children, and they now reside in Somerset.

The Rutgers Oral History Archives received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. In the 2020-2021 cycle, this grant assisted the ROHA staff in making this oral history available to you for your use.