Pat Parson Tominaro grew up in Newark and Maplewood, N.J. Pat and his wife, Dorothy, have a married daughter Dana. She and her husband, Tom, live in Ocean County. Pat’s sister Lenora and her husband Gene also live in Ocean County.
Pat is a graduate of Seton Hall Prep. School and Seton Hall University. He graduated Seton Hall University with a BA in Communications. While attending Seton Hall University, Pat was a member of university’s radio station, WSOU.
Pat began his career as a news anchor with WNBF in Binghamton, NY. He started his career with the name of Parson, a stage name used by his Dad who owned a nightclub in his early years. Pat continued his career as News Director and newscaster at WERA in Plainfield, NJ. He eventually moved on to WFIL TV in Pennsylvania, followed by CBS News Radio 88 in New York City.
Pat was anchor many years until most of the stations decided that co-hosting was the way of the business. He became co-host on afternoon drive time and creator of a feature called "TIME OUT", featuring local events. Retiring after 20 years with CBS, Pat built and owned WQNJ, 98.5, in Stafford Township. He was anchor of the morning newscast until the sale of the station in 1996.
Pat volunteered his voice to Recording for the Blind, served with Big Brothers of Bridgewater for many years, and was involved with Literary Volunteers of Ocean County. He was a member of the American Cancer Society of Somerset & Ocean counties, and drove patients for treatments. Pat also served in the Army National Guard
Among his many awards, Pat was especially honored to be selected and extremely proud of the one from Seton Hall University. In 1991, Seton Hall University hosted a Hall of Fame Dinner ceremony to honor 2 communication recipients from WSOU. They were selected for the many accomplishments over the years. He was truly touched to be so honored by his alma mater.
Being Bridgewater residents with a home on LBI, it was easy to find Mirage when Pat and Dorothy were ready to make a move from Somerset County. They became residents at Mirage at the end of 2000. To quote Dorothy, “We had been looking for a new place to call home, and found it. Our daughter was married, so we thought the time was perfect.”
When moving to Mirage, Pat & Dorothy became involved in many activities. Pat became Vice President of the newly established Mirage Men´s Club for the next 4 years. He also served as emcee for many functions, such as Mirage’s Veterans and Memorial Day programs.
While a member of the Mirage Messenger staff, Pat contributed to the paper with his background of writing and the news business. He truly enjoyed being a part of the paper. He was pleased to add "Bits and Pieces of Barnegat" which encapsulated local news and items of interest to residents.
Pat passed away suddenly on April 15, 2004. While his time at Mirage was brief, he enjoyed it very much and was happy to be a part of its growth.