There was barely an empty seat to be had inside council chambers at Deptford Township’s municipal building on the penultimate Monday of November.
Seated on aisle seats in the first row of the crowded room, where a council meeting was underway, were two guests of honor: Margaret “Peg” Mendoza and John Margie.
As both received what might amount to the highest honor bestowed on a Deptford Township citizen, the new Legacy Park award, the 98-year-old Mendoza noticed the crowd murmuring as the 90-year-old Margie struggled a bit to get up from his seat and to his walker to be honored at the dais.
“He’s a Marine,” Mendoza said, “he can do it.”
The crowd erupted with applause.
On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Mayor Paul Medany, councilmembers, and the many residents in attendance, gave thanks to Mendoza and Margie for their work in the community and country. Mendoza and Margie are the second and third inductees into Legacy Park, a Hall of Fame of sorts that honors people who have devoted their life to Deptford Township.
Legacy Park was created earlier this year after many discussions between the mayor and council about how to honor the lifetime achievements of prestigious members of the community. They established a criteria – streets can only be named for veterans who died in combat, for example – and went about honoring those within the township.
“I think Deptford is a unique community,” Margie said proudly afterward. “They take the time to recognize individuals for service, particularly our veterans who a lot of times go unnoticed.”
Margie, originally from Wilkes Barre, Pa., joined the United State Marines Corps in 1948, fought in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in 1950, survived a difficult bout with polio, and eventually found a permanent home in the Oak Valley section of Deptford Township. He worked in the fourth Naval District in Philadelphia and had a lengthy volunteer career with Oak Valley baseball and with the Gloucester County Parks and Recreation Advisory Council, too.
“It’s an honor for the mayor and council to recognize this gentleman,” said Councilman Ken Barnshaw. “I think what we really need to underscore is this gentleman has been a mentor to a lot of us here. He set the standards for how we govern and serve up here.”
Mendoza was born in South Philadelphia, but like so many South Jersey residents, eventually found her way across the bridge and found a home in Deptford Township. She is well known throughout Gloucester County for her decades of work in volunteering and as an advocate for senior citizens. Nearly everyone who walked into the council chambers on Monday night came over to hug the town “icon,” who is 18 months away from her 100th birthday.
“When I retired from the Marines Corps, I moved to Oak Valley and the roads on that time were made up of debris from Woodbury and Glassboro roads,” Margie said. “Peg was an icon in Gloucester County at that time. Anything you wanted to know, Peg Mendoza had the answer.”
“Peg was very instrumental in creating our Senior Committee Commissions and was very involved over the years,” Medany said. “At senior banquets, I wasn’t allowed to speak until I ran it by Peg and she told me what to say.”
Medany laughed.
“There are untold stories of the things she’s done, not only in Deptford and county-wide, but in the state, too,” Medany continued. “Deptford and council appreciate all of her time and efforts in the community. We wish to thank her sincerely for her loyalty and dedication toward our senior citizens.”
Mendoza and Margie join Dr. William King, who went in earlier this year, as the first three inductees of Legacy Park. The park’s official, physical construction has yet to begin – it’s likely to be housed in Fasola Park – but it’s already growing in prestige with the inclusion of some of the township’s most respected residents.
“How do you encapsulate a lifetime of volunteerism and dedication to the community, county, state, and the country?” Medany said during the ceremony. “We can’t thank you both enough.”
