HARRINGTON PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS “The Hindenburg Disaster – Accident or Sabotage?”

The Harrington Park Historical Society is pleased to welcome back James Calaski as their guest speaker on Monday, March 3, 2025, 7:30 P.M. at the Harrington Park Library located at 10 Herring Street, Harrington Park, New Jersey. 

Mr. Calaski will speak on “The Hindenburg Disaster – Accident or Sabotage?” LZ 129 Hindenburg was the largest flying object ever constructed by man. It was a modern marvel of luxury and technology, a literal ocean liner in the sky. However on May 6th, 1937, the Hindenburg was engulfed and destroyed in a terrible fire.  Two separate investigations, one US and one by Nazi Germany, failed to concretely determine its cause. Like any good mystery, conspiracy theories abound. Was it sabotage? Was it pilot error? Was it lightning?  Was it a cover-up? Join us for a deep dive into the history, construction and destruction of one of the most famous aviation accidents in history.

Mr. Calaski graduated from William Paterson University of New Jersey in January 1998, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice.  Following graduation he pursued a career in law enforcement and joined the Glen Rock New Jersey Police Department in February 2000, ultimately serving as the Bureau supervisor.  During his career he has been bestowed numerous awards and citations for outstanding service inlaw enforecement. In 2012, he began researching the history of the Glen Rock Police Department and started posting historical blotter entries on the department’s Facebook and other social media outreach initiatives which garnered a large amount of public attention and media coverage.  He continued his education and received a Master of Arts degree in History from William Paterson University of New Jersey in May 2013.

While researching his thesis topic, the German American Bund, he came across documents regarding a resident of Glen Rock named Carl Schiphorst.  Schiphorst resided in Glen Rock during the 1930’s and was a leader of the Bergen County Unit of the Bund as well as the target of a 145 page FBI investigation suspecting Schiphorst of being a Nazi agent.  For the past several years, he has been researching Carl Schiphorst, the FBI investigation, his internment, and ultimate repatriation to Germany, a story which illustrates the plight of thousands of German families during WWII.  He first presented his findings to the public in conjunction with the Glen Rock Historical & Preservation Society in April 2015 and it has been in demand ever since, presenting to numerous libraries and civic organizations throughout Bergen County and NJ.

In addition to historical research, he has been conducting genealogical research for over 20 years for his own family and friends.

Mr. Calaski enjoys sports (both playing and watching), hiking, reading, playing board games, classic cars, riding ATV’s, visiting historical sites and flying his RC model airplanes.  He is married to his high school sweetheart, Tanya, and they have a daughter and a son, Olivia and Andrew.  They have two German Shepherds, one terrier mix and three cats.

The public is invited to this free lecture after which there will be a light reception and an opportunity to meet and greet our guest. Please visit our web site; www.harringtonparkhistoricalsociety.com or call Gerri Gibney, 201 768-2615 with any questions