The Boss of the Cafeteria
For decades, CBA students have been eating in front of one of the most influential figures to ever come out of New Jersey.
Bruce Springsteen has been leaning on the double doors of the cafeteria for many years, but surprisingly not many current students know why he’s on the wall – or even who the long-haired figure is.
Springsteen has been entertaining the world since his first album Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. back in 1972. He has written a plethora of songs and has entertained fans for almost 50 years. The Boss himself is from Freehold, N.J., a mere 15 minutes away from CBA.
A Springsteen concert is said to be life-changing, and from watching two or three concert videos online, you can see why. The Boss gets the crowd singing, jumping, waving, and screaming to his powerful music. Basically, it’s one big party at a Springsteen concert, filled with fun from beginning to end.
Springsteen was immortalized in the CBA lunchroom during the 1980-81 school year. The mural is Springsteen doing the iconic leaning pose from his hit album Born to Run. On the original album, Springsteen was leaning on Clarence Clemons, but the mural has him leaning on the entrance doors of the cafeteria.
The painting came to be when young students thought of an idea to create a legacy at CBA.
Jim Jackson ’80, who is now an Emmy award-winning art director, was one of the masterminds for the Springsteen cafeteria artwork. In fact, Jackson’s older brother had painted the Beatles mural on the other side of the cafeteria, so Jackson was eager to add another icon to the room.
First, he pitched his idea to Hall of Fame teacher Miss Cathy Carroll, someone who was very influential on Jackson’s work and future career, and of course, she loved the idea. He took his idea to the next step and received approval from the administration.
Along with classmates Chris Gallagher and Mark Handler, the artists got to work and created something that has stood the test of time.
“His songs represented our life at the time in many different ways,” Jackson said in a short email interview. “He also represented a local kid that makes it big against all odds. I am very proud that the mural, as well as my brother’s mural, remains a part of CBA after many years.”
Unsurprisingly, Jackson said that Springsteen’s music was the “soundtrack” for high school students growing up in the 70s and 80s. Jackson went on to have an outstanding career in art, including becoming the design director for CBS News and the art director for ABC’s Good Morning America, but one of his greatest achievements was being inducted into the CBA Hall of Fame in 2013.
But there was a deeper meaning to Jackson’s work.
A young Springsteen played at multiple CBA student dances, including April 18, 1973.
A sophomore named Frank Byrne saw something special on that day. The future CBA president was coming back from track practice and stopped by the gym to watch Springsteen and the band set up. A few hours later, Springsteen rocked the varsity gym that alumni still talk about to this day.
The pictures from the show? They were featured in the 1973 CBA yearbook.
Born to Run was released just over two years later in August 1975, and the rest was history.
Springsteen still lives in the area and remains a pivotal part of New Jersey culture.
Coincidentally back in 2016, the CBA Jazz Series welcomed legendary E-Street Band drummer “Mighty” Max Weinberg to play in Henderson Theater. Weinberg and Springsteen have been friends since 1974, when Springsteen welcomed him into the band.
Springsteen’s newest album, Letter to You, was released on October 23, showing that the Boss has no plans to hang up the microphone. That album has seemingly pleased a majority of his fans, so hopes are high for another E-Street Band concert tour.
If Springsteen does tour again, CBA students who were in that gym back in 1973 are sure to show up at the Meadowlands for another walk down memory lane.
