Clayton to celebrate the life of its Mr. Clayton
In all the years Gene Costill was an elected official in Clayton, including five terms as mayor in the 1960s and '70s, he had a model, he said - his grandfather Elwood Costill, the little Gloucester County borough's second mayor.
In all the years Gene Costill was an elected official in Clayton, including five terms as mayor in the 1960s and '70s, he had a model, he said - his grandfather Elwood Costill, the little Gloucester County borough's second mayor.
Elwood Costill, a lawyer who was a Union soldier during the Civil War, helped found the borough in 1887.
"All my life, I've looked back at what he did and how he was able to accomplish what he did, and I figured, 'Well, I've got to do something,' " he said.
So Gene Costill, who will turn 90 on Saturday, has been doing something for his community all his life.
Clayton's gravel streets were paved and its first sanitary sewer system was installed during his tenure, he recalled. Municipal operations moved to a more spacious building.
Add 53 years of organizing the Memorial Day parade and serving as chairman of the Clayton Veterans Remembrance Committee, a charter member of the Clayton Ambulance Corps, election board judge, vice chairman of the Cedar Green Cemetery Association, trustee of the Heritage Glass Museum in Glassboro, and member of Clayton Elks Lodge 2132.
Costill is his model, said Clayton's current mayor, Tom Bianco, who along with the Borough Council will celebrate Saturday as Gene Costill Day.
"You're talking about a gentleman who's just well-respected in the community. He's done so many things," Bianco says. "If I could be as good as Gene as mayor, that would be a great accomplishment."
Bianco said he considers Costill a close friend and often seeks his advice, so when Costill's daughter Karen Watson told Bianco she was hoping to plan something special for her father's 90th, the mayor knew a proclamation was in order.
Costill said some of his fondest memories are of moments when he was able to bring the community of 8,000 together, especially for the celebration of Clayton's 75th anniversary in 1962.
He said he worked with a committee to organize the event, holding a number of fund-raisers. One included selling handblown glass bottles representing historic parts of the town.
"We had a beard contest. The borough passed an ordinance that any man over 21 years old that was caught shaved got fined," Costill said with a laugh. "It was minimal, but it was a lot of fun."
The committee was able to raise enough money for a weeklong celebration, with each day dedicated to a specific institution, including schools and the fire company. On the day that celebrated senior citizens, Costill set in motion an idea that lives on.
"I got together with a couple ladies of the senior citizens club, and I said I would like to have a home-cooked turkey dinner in the firehouse, free to all the seniors in town, to come in there, sit down, and spend a couple hours and reminisce, talk to each other and enjoy a home-cooked turkey dinner," Costill said. "They were thrilled." The dinner has been held nearly every November ever since.
As with his grandfather, military service was an important part of Costill's life.
After graduating from Clayton High School in 1943, he joined the Coast Guard. He said he patrolled on convoy escort in the Atlantic and was stationed at Portland, Maine, during World War II.
"It was one of the great experiences of my life, and it's something I'll never forget. Something I'll never regret," he said. "I'm of the strong belief that it doesn't hurt anybody to put a couple years into military service."
He later worked for the DuPont Co. for 41 years.
In recent years, Costill has devoted many hours to honoring members of the military as chairman of the Veterans Remembrance Committee.
The committee has been responsible for erecting a monument for the 12 men from Clayton killed during military service in World War I and since.
The monument is part of a memorial that includes a walkway of engraved bricks. Anyone can purchase a brick for a deceased loved one, and the money raised goes into a scholarship fund that benefits two Clayton High School seniors every year.
Costill and the remembrance committee also obtained a piece of steel from the World Trade Center to display at the memorial.
Costill and his family are currently working on a task that hits closer to home: They are hoping the remains found of some Pearl Harbor dead include those of his brother Harold, who was listed as missing in action after the 1941 attack.
"At 90 years old, I have precious few years left," Costill said. "I want to see him come home."
He also exhorts fellow residents to be more involved in local affairs.
"I would like to urge the people of the community to get involved and get interested, and try to do something for the community," he said. "It's a worthwhile experience once you're in it."
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