Pitman

[pit-muhn]

Pitman, Sir Isaac, 1813-97, English inventor of phonographic shorthand. In Stenographic Soundhand (1837) he set forth a shorthand system based on phonetic rather than orthographic principles; adapted to more than a dozen languages, it became one of the most-used systems in the world. Through his own publishing house he published many manuals, journals, and books about shorthand. The Pitman system was introduced to the United States through Stephen P. Andrews and Sir Isaac's brother, Benn Pitman, 1822-1910, who emigrated to the United States in 1852 and created in Cincinnati the Phonographic Institute to teach and publish works on shorthand. He taught wood carving at the Cincinnati Art Academy, invented (1855) an electrochemical process of relief engraving, and wrote a biography of his brother (1902).

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Pitman, New Jersey

Pitman is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 9,331.

Geography

Pitman is located at (39.731347, -75.129547).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which, 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.29%) is water.

Pitman borders Mantua Township, Washington Township, and Glassboro.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,331 people, 3,473 households, and 2,431 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,068.3 people per square mile (1,573.2/km²). There were 3,653 housing units at an average density of 1,592.7/sq mi (615.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.16% White, 0.91% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 3,473 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $49,743, and the median income for a family was $59,419. Males had a median income of $40,894 versus $30,889 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,133. About 2.8% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

The Pitman Grove

In 1871, land was chosen in both Glassboro Township and Mantua Township to be set aside for a Methodist summer camp. The New Jersey Conference Camp Meeting Association was officially chartered and given authority over the land grant in 1872, and began planning the campground and organizing meetings. The land had an auditorium located on a central meeting ground, and twelve roads originated from the central area as spokes on a wheel, each representing one of the disciples of Jesus. This area became known as the Pitman Grove, and while worshipers' tents originally lined each of the twelve roads, cottages slowly replaced the tents and formed the foundation of the town of Pitman. By the 1880s, the number of cottages had climbed to 400 and residents had begun staying year-round, both of which led to the establishment of the first public school in 1884. In 1904, residents of Pitman Grove voted 122 to 35 for incorporation as an autonomous borough, and on May 24, 1905, Governor of New Jersey Edward C. Stokes signed a law granting the incorporation.

Pitman Grove was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Government

Local government

Pitman is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

The Mayor of Pitman Borough is Michael Batten (R, term ends December 31, 2011. Members of the Pitman Borough Council are Debra Higbee (D, 2008), Russell Johnson (R, 2010), Michael Razze (R, 2010), Jeffrey Sanders (R, 2008), Gene Shoemaker (D, 2009) and Fred Swartz (D, 2009).

Federal, state and county representation

Pitman is in the Second Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 4th Legislative District.

Education

The Pitman School District serves public school students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are three K-5 elementary schools — Elwood Kindle School (207 students), Memorial School (256) and W. C. K. Walls School (254) — Pitman Middle School (grades 6 - 8; 357 students) and Pitman High School (grades 9 - 12; 501 students).

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Pitman include:

Joe Crispin (1979-), Gloucester County's all-time leading scorer for boys' high school basketball (2,651 career points) who played in the NBA for the Lakers and Suns. Played collegiately at Penn State and ranks second on the all-time scoring charts (1,986 points). Won the national three point competition after his senior season at PSU.
Jon Crispin (1981-), Gloucester County's fourth all-time leading boys' scorer (2,319 career points) in high school. Played collegiately for two seasons at Penn State with brother Joe, then transferred and spent last two seasons with the UCLA Bruins.
John E. Hunt (1908-1989), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975.
Erica Scanlon (1982-), Miss New Jersey 2004.
John E. Wallace, Jr. (1942-), an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.