Fallen Nutley War Hero lives again in solemn event

Ben Burnham
Nutley Commissioner Steve Rogers (center) and Marines Dominick Monaco and Rosen Norales salute Perves Robison, Jr, the fallen Nutley sailor.
Ben Burnham
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A large crowd gathered on the green in front of Nutley’s Town Hall today, on this beautiful morning, to pay tribute to Seaman Pervis Robison, Jr. whose submarine, the U.S.S. Thresher, disappeared 50 years ago; on April 10th, 1963 during a deep sea diving exercise off the coast of Massachusetts. Its sinking was a tragedy unprecedented in the history of the submarine program, and remains unequaled even today. 129 perished onboard, including Robison, a Nutley native who this morning was commemorated by the township.

People there to pay their respects included veterans such as Board of Education President Charles Kucinski, who also served in the Navy and considered Pervis a friend.

“Pervis and I, ironically, our paths crossed in different ways. He was born on December 15, 1941, and I was born on December 13, 1941. Pervis went to Lincoln School, I went to Lincoln School. We all kind of hung out together. Back in those days, we were just all friends. Some of us went on to be veterans, policeman, firemen. The important thing is, we can’t forget our Nutley people and our veterans in Nutley. I was aboard the U.S.S. Ranger off the coast of Cuba. I was devastated because I was a Navy man and it was part of my team that went down, but it was my friend who went down with it.”

Director to the Nutley Historical society Patti Williams recalled the last time she saw Robison, which was shortly before his passing:

“He was a year ahead of me in school. In fact on his last leave before the tragedy, I ran into Pervis in Bloomfield visiting friends, and that was the last time I saw him, and he was in uniform.”

Today wasn’t the first time Ms. Williams paid tribute to the fallen veteran. Nutley’s mayor at the time of the tragedy, Harry Chenoweth, asked Patti’s mother Ruth to hold a memorial for Robison in the High School auditorium back in 1963, and it’s with pride that she honors him once again today.

“I’m very proud 50 years later to stand here in tribute to Pervis, and to thank all of you for coming,” she said.

Pervis Robison was born in Nutley, his family before him having resided in the town for two generations. He was a very active young man, one who served in the Cub and Boy Scouts, and was the youngest member of his church’s Candlelight Chorus. He was treasurer of the Reinheimer Club and a trophy-winning high school athlete on the track team. He followed this with a highly-regarded career in the Navy, where he was eventually assigned to the U.S.S. Thresher. Nobody onboard survived the sinking, which was responsible for the creation of SUBSAFE, a program still in place today to ensure the safety of all Naval submarines.

The ceremony was a somber one, with Pervis’ former neighbors, veterans, and active duty Marines on hand to pay their respects. Pervis Robison was a person with much ambition and accomplishment, and his honorable death while serving his country will not be forgotten by the Nutley township.

“As time marches on,” Commissioner Steve Rogers said in conclusion, “and the front page stories about America’s past heroes become footnotes in history, it becomes our job to preserve those front page stories, by keeping it on the forefront of the minds and hearts of all who are willing to listen, and to understand why we are a free nation. The story of the U.S.S. Thresher and the men who served on that submarine will never be forgotten by the residents right here in Nutley NJ, for one of our own in the name of Pervis Robison served and died on that ship, in service to our nation. In the military, we say no man or woman left behind. In the township of Nutley we add, and will always add, no veteran, never, left behind.”

More information on Pervis Robison, Jr. can be viewed, along with his memorial, in the Nutley Historical Society and Museum.