Richard Sinakin (1908-1991) operated a pharmacy at 2 Webster Ave. from 1935 to his retirement in 1969. During the Second World War, Sinakin took photos of local enlistees in the war effort, which he would display in the pharmacy window. In addition to photos taken near the store and around the neighborhood, others seem to have been sent from active duty sites.

After the war he kept the photos in a scrapbook, bound between 18.5” x 24” wooden covers. Photos of service members killed in action were indicated by a gold star.

When Sinakin retired in 1969, he asked local community activist Vince Moore, whose wife’s name is immortalized in Janet Moore Park on Ogden Avenue, to return the photos to the veterans. Those whose subjects Moore was unable to find remained in the scrapbook, later donated to the Jersey City Free Public Library, and are now digitized and made accessible through this website.

Vince and Janet Moore would go on to work with Joseph Rakowski, Ward C Councilman during the second McCann administration, 1989-93 (and briefly acting Mayor at the end of that time). Sometime during or after that period, he wrote a note describing the scrapbook on the Councilman's note paper and donated it to the library.

The text of the note reads:

“These pictures were taken during WWII by "Dr." Sinakin, the owner of Sinakin's Pharmacy at 2 Webster Ave. JC.

When "Dr." retired, he asked me to try and locate the veterans in book and return their picture. I was able to in most cases but these were no longer around.

Good Luck, you are now the guardian of the book.

Vince Moore”