Abe Littenberg Wins Middletown’s
Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award
Navesink River Road
Reopens, Delaying Bridge
Replacement Project
N
temporary closure due to work on the replacement of the bridge
over McClees Creek.
ment project, so we have decided to put it on hold until after Labor
During the closure, the southwest retaining wall of the bridge was
replaced. After Labor Day, the project will resume to replace the northwest
retaining wall.
The bridge is being replaced due to age and normal deterioration
24 JUNE 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY LORI DRAZ
This spring, the Middletown Township
Committee presented the
prestigious 2020 Distinguished
Citizen of the Year honor to Abe Littenberg
for being a philanthropic community
leader and ardent supporter
of Middletown businesses, especially
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The affable and accomplished
Littenberg is a Monmouth County favorite
son. He was born and raised in
Long Branch. He also lived in Little Silver
and has been a Lincroft resident for
30 years. Middletown is also the home
of the more than 100-year-old Guttenplan’s
Frozen Dough Company which
he and his partner of 50 years, Jack Guttenplan,
operate along with Jack’s son,
Adam, the current president; Shar Seshadri,
CFO; and Tony Lopes, director of
Manufacturing. Littenberg and his wife,
Linda, also own A Child’s Place School in
Lincroft, working with School Director
Zack Klausz and School Administrator Elaine Athanasiou.
Littenberg commented on his commitment to the county and com-
have to thank my wife, Linda, for her
support in everything I do. My happiness
is a direct result of sharing
my life with her.
to have lived in Monmouth County
all my life. While in Long Branch
and Little Silver, I was dedicated to
raising four children: Sheryl, Jeffrey,
Susan, and Joy. In Lincroft, I raised
my son, Matthew, and had time left
over to devote to the community.
I happily raised funds for the Middletown
North and South hockey
programs as president of Hockey in
Middletown. I was president of the
Lincroft Village Green Association
(LVGA) when the park was dedicated
and was a member of the LVGA committee
that worked on installing the
less expensive roundabout at Brookdale’s
Newman Springs Road entrance.
Last year, I was chair of the Middletown Economic Development
Committee where we helped many businesses learn how to apply for
Littenberg has always used his time to enrich the community.
As chairman of Middletown’s Economic Development Committee
and small business recovery efforts by creating an easy to use
database of local restaurants that offered takeout meals during the
lockdown period.
As a partner of Guttenplan’s Frozen Dough Co., a facility that produces
frozen doughs for local supermarkets and nationally for Jersey
Mike’s, he also worked with Middletown Social Services and local food
banks to donate bread to those struggling with food insecurities. Abe
and Linda Littenberg have also been recognized for their philanthropic
efforts by Lunch Break, and Abe will be accepting the Eastern Monmouth
Area Chamber of Commerce’s Corporate Good Neighbor Spinnaker
Award on behalf of Guttenplan’s this month.
past year has thrown many small-business owners and residents into
challenging economic situations, and Abe has made it his mission to
help others get back on their feet again. His personal and passionate
commitment to bettering the lives of those around him is admired and
appreciated. We thank Abe Littenberg for consistently donating his
time, energy, and resources to those who need it most. We are incredi-
/TheJournalNJ.com