Hardyston to honor bicentennial logo designer

HARDYSTON — The Hardyston Township Council agreed to create a plaque commemorating the designer of the township's bicentennial logo.

Township Mayor Carl Miller and James Wright of the Hardyston Heritage Society received a letter from Ed Marchese, son of Ralph Marchese, who designed the logo in the 1970s.

Marchese asked the township about the possibility of showcasing a mug with the township's bicentennial logo. Ed Marchese said he is proud of his father's place in township history.

The display case in which the Hardyston mug would be presented also would state the designer of the Hardyston mug.

Ralph Marchese was active in the community and designed the big H with the T underneath and the tree up top. There were leaves on the side of the logo that were designed to represent alfalfa that Marchese’s neighbor, Alex Bodnar used to cut and produce. He harvested the alfalfa for his dairy herd from properties around Marchese’s land.

Bodnar used to lease 220 acres from Mrs. Marburg, another Hardyston resident at the time. Ralph Marchese was a commercial artist and, at the age of 94 wrote in the letter that he still remembers the day he created the Hardyston logo. The Marcheses lived on Quarry Road in Hardyston in the 1970’s.

Miller suggested having a ceremony for Marchese but he now lives in Arizona.