The book “Stories from New Jersey Diners – Monuments to Community,” written by Montclair State University alumnus Michael Gabriele, collects unique memories from diners all over New Jersey. Gabriele is a writer, journalist, author and current freelancer who graduated from Montclair State in 1975 with a degree in philosophy.

He enjoyed his time as a student and moved on to be a full-time journalist for over 35 years. The alumnus has written three other successful non-fictions: one about professional bicycle racing in New Jersey, another one about diners and one about New Jersey folk revival music. In “Stories from New Jersey Diners – Monuments to Community,” Gabriele plays tribute to his old university by referencing the Red Hawk Diner on page 99.

“Montclair State University, on Oct. 23, 2001, unveiled its Red Hawk Diner which was built by Kullman. Montclair State, at the time, hailed it as the first and only diner to operate on a college campus,” Gabriele said.

Gabriele is proud to be a Montclair State alumnus and sat down for an interview with The Montclarion about his novel at the Red Hawk Diner.

“The inspiration for the book actually came a number of years ago,” Gabriele said. “My first diner book came out in 2013 and the name of that was ‘The History of Diners in New Jersey’ and that one did very well.”

Gabriele enjoyed hearing memories from various New Jersey residents for this book.

“My approach when I do these books for the History Press is as a journalist. I’m always looking for the narrative, the story. In my travels, I met a lot of nice people and you’d be surprised…