Nick Regine
In 1972, after a tour in the Air Force, Nick Regine was ready to step into the next chapter of his life.
ARECIPIENT OF THE G.I. BILL, which provided financial assistance to veterans transitioning back to civilian life, Regine soon found himself transferring from community college to what he called the “hippie school” in his backyard that had opened in 1971.
“I don’t even think we had grades back then, just pass or fail,” Regine reminisced. “It was challenging, but it was an environment that was open and free.”
Even as a nontraditional student, Regine was quickly folded into the fabric of the then-Stockton College campus. His favorite memories included hitchhiking back and forth from his home in Somers Point to Galloway, as well as forming an enduring mentor-mentee relationship with the late Joe Walsh, a professor of Philosophy.
As a student in Walsh’s classes, Regine said he was encouraged to think deeper about life and one’s philosophy. Regine remembers their interactions fondly, sharing that their conversations “just opened a whole different world” to him.
“It was a world that included philosophical thought that I would have never been exposed to if it wasn't for Joe, and it gave me a grounding that I never had,” Regine said. “It challenged me to come up with my own philosophy of life, and I think, in and of itself, that that’s noteworthy, because I think so many people don’t think about life or about their role in human existence and how we navigate our way through it.”
What does this philosophy look like to Regine? According to him, it’s making sense out of a senseless existence.
“My own personal philosophy is that life really has no meaning other than what you give it,” Regine said. “In a senseless universe, the only thing you can do that makes any sense is to help everybody around you negotiate the same senselessness the best way they can, and to do that, you provide them with things that give them joy.”
WITH A NEW WORLD OF THOUGHT open to him and armed with a degree in Historical Studies, Regine was tasked with creating community programming through a Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) program. Once he was hired as the director of community education and recreation for the city of Somers Point, Regine founded the non-profit group, The Foundation for Education, which supports Somers Point public schools, and created the Somers Point Good Old Days Festival and the Somers Point Concert on the Beach series. He additionally played a major role in organizing and overseeing Bayfest, Somers Point's largest outdoor festival that runs along Bay Ave.
Regine also created the first iteration of the South Jersey Jazz Festival.
The festival began as a Sunday afternoon event that was almost cancelled due to a miscommunication with a sponsor. Rather than let the festival lapse, Regine shifted gears and successfully hosted the event at three local restaurants with the help of talent hailing from Philadelphia.
In a senseless universe, the only thing you can do that makes any sense is to help everybody around you negotiate the same senselessness... and to do that, you provide them with things that give them joy.”
“We did a one-day jazz festival with three Philadelphia-based groups led by Pete Chavez, Carol Stone and Donald Washington, and it was well received,” Regine recalled. “We did it at Gregory’s, The Pearl Restaurant and Brownie’s by the Bay. The education foundation we were raising money for received $2,000, so we decided to continue hosting it.”
After retiring in 2004, it became clear that he and the Somers Point community didn’t want to see the festival end, so he formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to keep the summer tradition alive.
The rest is history.
“Basically, I attracted a handful of people who were interested in seeing this festival continue, and it has grown ever since,” Regine said, sharing that the festival expanded from a Sunday afternoon event to the current multi-day celebration featuring local and international jazz musicians.
IN ADDITION TO THE FESTIVAL, the South Jersey Jazz Society hosts stand-alone events throughout the year, including bi-monthly jazz performances at Gregory’s Restaurant & Bar and cooperative programming through Gateway Playhouse.
The society has also raised and donated over $30,000 to local public schools’ music education programs and expanded to include a scholarship program for budding musicians.
The scholarship program, which has been accepting applications since 2010, matches recipients with jazz musician mentors. The first recipient of the scholarship, Michael “Mk.gee” Gordon of Linwood, has gone on to appear on late-night television shows like Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Fallon.
“We’re very proud of how successful he has become as one of the first recipients of the scholarship,” Regine said. “What he’s doing in music… it’s special.”
When Regine isn’t hosting events or fundraising, he’s authoring books full of his memories of growing up in New Jersey and curating unique experiences for locals and out-of-towners alike who are eager to explore Somers Point.
“I think what Stockton did for me was give me focus,” Regine said. “The professors showed me how to approach a historical subject at many different levels and gave me the tools to assess them from different angles, which actually made my love for history even fuller and more complete.
“Up until that point in time, I just liked to read about history like a story, but there’s much more to that story than just what you see on face value,” Regine continued. “You have to look and think deeper, and that’s what Stockton gave me: the desire to look deeper.”
– Story by Loukaia Taylor
