Guard wraps 37 years of keeping kids safe

Jean Krevack, of East Brunswick, helps students cross the street on their way to Churchill Junior High School, Norton Road, prior to her retirement Jan. 31. Krevack said she looks forward to spending more time with her children and grandchildren. EAST BRUNSWICK - For nearly four decades, Jean Krevack faithfully stood her post twice a day.

Year after year and through all types of weather, the township resident made it her business to ensure the safety of students by serving as a crossing guard at Churchill Junior High School.

So it wasn't easy, after 37 years, when Krevack decided to retire last month.

"It hurt me, because I love it," Krevack said following her final day, Jan. 31. "I've been crying for a couple of days. I didn't want to go to work this morning, because I didn't want to leave."

Krevack's dedication over the years did not go unnoticed. People she had come to know during her time in the school district greeted her throughout her last day on the job with gifts and well wishes.

A bouquet of flowers and a thank you note from the East Brunswick Police Department greeted Krevack upon arriving home.

"They were very nice," Krevack said. "The principal [Mark Sutor] is a doll to work for. I've never had any problems with any kids. They've respected me."

The eighth- and ninth-grade students at the school who saw Krevack early every morning and at the end of each day told her she would be missed, Krevack said.

"I became very friendly with one kid, to where his mother and I became best friends," Krevack said. The newfound friends saw a lot of each other, since Cher Salamon lives across the street from Churchill. Though they will no longer enjoy the daily proximity, the two formed a lasting friendship.

It was another friend of Krevack's who introduced her to the job in 1971.

"My neighbor was a crossing guard, so I decided to become a crossing guard and fell in love with it," Krevack said. "It gave me something to do as I was aging."

Prior to her employment with the township, Krevack was a registered nurse working at Middlesex Hospital, which is now Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Krevack's first post as a crossing guard was at Route 18 and Eggers Street, before the crosswalk overpass was constructed there.

"It was nerve-wracking," Krevack said.

While her most recent post at Norton Road was nowhere near as hectic as Route 18, the morning rush was no walk in the park.

"I [was] more of a traffic cop in the morning than a crossing guard," Krevack said.D

espite the inevitable occupational hazards of working with traffic, Krevack said she truly enjoyed the work, and was reluctant to let it go.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't young in spirit," she said.

According to Krevack, her son Kevin, of East Brunswick, and daughter Karen Niedbala, of Hazlet, insisted on her retirement, saying she had worked long enough. Though Krevack complied, she is already devising ways to fill her newly freed-up time.

"I don't know what to do," Krevack said. "I may join the senior center and take art classes. I'm not a joiner. That's something I'm going to have to learn how to do."

A widow since 1982, Krevack said she spends her leisure time reading and going out to dinner. She is also an avid fan of Katharine Hepburn.

"I've got every one of her movies, and I've got all of her books," Krevack said.

Now that she has retired, there is more time to devote to her children as well as to her two grandchildren.

Krevack said her family is very closeknit, and she is looking forward to seeing it become expanded.

"I wish my granddaughter would hurry up and get pregnant," Krevack said.

Though many in the township viewed Krevack's long-standing service as remarkable, she insisted it was no big deal.

Krevack pointed out that she was ranked fifth in seniority out of the township's 36 crossing guards. Another veteran is slated to retire in June, after 43 years, she said.