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Community Corner

Hometown Crowd Welcomes Masin, Son of the 'Swede'

South Orange Library hosts author visit.

On Monday night at the South Orange Public Library, Robert “Bob” Masin read from his new book, to a standing-room-only crowd. The book is a biography of and tribute to his father, Seymour “Swede” Masin, legendary Weequahic High School athlete, longtime South Orange resident, and inspiration for the main character in Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral.” Phyllis Kalb, who organized the event, introduced the author by recalling the senior Masin as a library regular.

Masin began writing a family history when he realized the breadth of the senior Masin’s athletic reputation. One of his goals in the book was to show another side of his father. “The Legend,” the Weequahic yearbook, described the Swede as a “violet who would rather blossom unseen.” Masin agreed with that description, describing his father as “shy.” Masin’s parents loved to dance, he recalled, and his father composed a song while serving in the Navy.

At the same time, the senior Masin was a strong presence in the family, in the community, and in sports history. As a self-described “sports fanatic,” Masin said that a pleasure of writing this book was “talking about my father with people who love sports.” He paid particular tribute to All-City, All-County, All-State, and All-American football and basketball player Lonnie Wright, who, with his family, was present in the audience. Masin confessed that Wright was his own sports idol, and recalled that Wright said the same of the Swede.

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The reading had the air of a high school reunion, as members of the audience greeted one another warmly. Fellow Weequahic High School alumni and South Orange locals laughed, interrupted, and offered their own recollections of events. A chapter of Masin’s book is entitled “Idyllic South Orange,” and he described the town as “a spectacular place to grow up.” He also looks back at Weequahic High School, and credits South Orange resident Hal Braff—father of actor, Zach—with helping him understand its history. He also thanked his siblings for their assistance with the project. Sister Patty, who was in the audience, brought photos to share, and Masin jokingly credited her with teaching him salty language as a child.

“I’m not a writer,” confessed Masin. “But Swede was a great subject.” Masin displayed a collection of photos that appear in his book, and he shared a short video of his father. Seymour Masin is remembered as an outstanding athlete, but his son told another story. “In his first basketball game,” said Masin. “My father didn’t know the sport. He dribbled down the court and took a shot into the other team’s basket. No problem; his teammate came up right behind him and tipped it in.”

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As the library closed for the night, the crowd drifted into the parking lot, still exchanging memories of South Orange’s Swede.

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