The Spectator Newspapers, NJ
Sept 22 2004
Her heart is on base
Bayonne senior is archivist organizing MOTBY’s ‘attic’
The Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne (MOTBY) closed in 1999, but as
long as Jasmine Hammond is on the job, it will not be forgotten.
Hammond, who just turned 70, is in charge of organizing, reviewing
and archiving many boxes containing letters, contracts, and
memorabilia that encapsulate the history of MOTBY.
“My heart is here; I lived on the base and worked for the Department
of Defense in Building 42 for more than 20 years,” said Hammond, who
is now a project assistant with the Bayonne Local Redevelopment
Authority, owner of the property. Her co-workers call her “Jazz.”
“The boxes were scattered around the base; everything was neatly
labeled by number, but nobody really knew what was inside,” this
great-grandmother told me as we talked in her office on a humid
September morning. Hammond works five days a week on the former base,
now known as The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor.
“There is so much material that concerns Bayonne’s development, as
well as the creation of this base, established as a dry dock for
ships moving military cargo up and down the Eastern seaboard,” she
explained in her lilting accent. (Hammond was born in Tehran, Iran,
where her family was part of the close-knit Armenian community, and
educated in British schools in India.)
“Look at this handwritten letter, dated 1872!” she exclaimed. Next
she picked up an auction book from 1901 describing real estate for
sale by the city of Bayonne. There is also what she called a
“meticulous” ledger containing handwritten records of supplies and
purchases, among many city records that Hammond intends to turn over
to the official city historian.
“Here’s an Auction Book from 1901 outlining real estate for sale by
the City of Bayonne. This is a meticulous ledger containing
hand-written records of supplies and purchases,” she said. Hammond
intends to turn over many City of Bayonne records to the official
city historian.
Among the treasures she has discovered are hand-drawn blueprints for
buildings on the property, which opened as a port in 1935 and became
a military base under Army and Navy control in 1939. “Our modern
architects are astounded at the accuracy of these old plans,” she
noted.
She is proud of a charming photograph of Great Britain’s Queen
Elizabeth II greeting dignitaries during her visit to Bayonne in
1976. Hammond found a montage of faded photographs that includes
Robinson’s Farm (dated 1850), the Bayonne Yacht Club in 1869 and a
small house brought over by barge to become the base commander’s
residence.
“We’ve never had all these documents, photos and letters collected in
one book before. That’s my goal,” she told me. “It’s very interesting
work! I was one of the last to leave when the base was disbanded,
after starting here as a secretary in 1980. I was active in the base
community as a founder of the Thrift Store, superintendent of the
Sunday School, and a founder of the Youth Club,” she recalled.
Hammond and her husband, Thomas, have been married 29 years. They
have four daughters: Susan Humenic, a Bayonne librarian; Jasmine
DeSanta of Vernon, an avid volunteer who also owns a chocolate store;
Nancy Selagado of Bayonne, an accountant in New York City; and
Roberta Connolly of Stanhope, owner of a photography business.
Hammond has four grandchildren, two girls and two boys, and a
five-year old great-granddaughter, Julia Edgerton of Bayonne. She
belongs to Holy Cross Armenian Church in Union City.
Hammond, who lived in Japan and Taiwan in the late 1950s, is fluent
in Farsi, and speaks a bit of French and Italian. She enjoys
decorating, and knitting and crocheting.
“Armenians were always famous for their skill in handicrafts,” she
told me.
This energetic senior has no plans to retire. “I’m always on the go,
and I want always to be involved with the MOTBY,” she said firmly.
“When I retire, what will I do? Who knows what would have happened if
I hadn’t started to look through all those boxes stored in Building
42?”