Oceanside resident Jeff Singer is a retired New York City teacher who enjoys the Long Beach boardwalk, is working on a book tentatively titled A Guide to the Long Beach Benches, which he hopes will tell the stories of the people honored on the more than 700 bench plaques along the boardwalk.
“There are over 700 benches, and on each of them is a plaque dedicated to a loved one with a short message — a poem sometimes; a few lines of love and remembrance at other times. All in all, it’s a very poignant and moving experience to read them.The monies generated from the bench guide would be given to the Wounded Warriors Foundation and Long Beach charities,” Singer said. “The important thing is not money, it’s to help memorialize and commemorate what Long Beach means to all those who want to keep the spirit of the beach and boardwalk alive.”
Many benches are dedicated to those killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 which, collectively, Singer said, “is probably one of the largest and most unique memorials anywhere.”
Would you like to tell the story behind your bench? Contact Singer at benchmench@aol.com.
