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Through the decades, photographer Milton Edelman captured over 500 area residents as well as some of landmark shots along the Jersey Shore.

“Milton took iconic images of Asbury Park and the surrounding area – he was all over the place and took a lot of important and now historic photos,” said Asbury Park Historical Society Trustee Kay Harris, who also own the Asbury Galleria in Convention Hall where Edelman’s work is available for sale.

Milton, 94, will be honored 7 p.m. Thursday during the Historical Society’s annual reorganization meeting being held at the Asbury Park Public Library, located at the intersection of First and Grand avenues.

“It’s time people realized his contribution,” Harris said. “We are trying to save Milton’s photographs for posterity.”

The event will feature an exhibit of Edelman’s photographs, a PowerPoint presentation showcasing his life, career and photographs, and a signing of his work.

Having retained the negatives and numerous images of individual and family photographs from 1961 to the 80’s, Edelman will offer negatives of the over 500 names in his catalog. Edelman has transferred this collection of negatives to the Asbury Park Historical Society.

The listing of names is available via the Historical Society’s website. There is no charge but the Historical Society will be accepting donations and conducting a membership drive.

Below is an article by Asbury Park Historical Society:

Born in Baltimore, at 17 Edelman worked as a compositor setting up type at a printing business. When he was 21, he entered the U.S. Army in 1943, serving until 1945.

“I always had a love of photography and even took pictures on the Queen Mary when I was being shipped from America to Great Britain during the war. I always had a pocket camera with me and took photos during the war,” he said.

After the war, Edelman went to photography school in Baltimore, graduating in 1948.

“I was always attracted to the artistic part of photography, anything that interested me was a subject. I have always had a camera since I was a teenager,” he said.

Edelman then went to New York City and worked as a bus boy at the Metropolitan Hotel. But, after only two weeks, he got a job at the Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune, where he was trained as a French service waiter.

In 1950, Edelman moved to Crystal City, Texas where he opened and operated “Milton’s Photography Studio” from 1950 to 1955. In 1955, Milton returned to Asbury Park where he worked as a photographer for Storyland Village, a children’s theme park located just off the Asbury Park traffic circle, where HomeGoods and ShopRite are now located in Neptune. From there Edelman was hired as the photographer for Asbury Park’s Monterey Hotel in 1955 and remained there until it closed in 1961.

Edelman then opened his own photography studio in the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township and remained there for 15 years.

“I decided to stay here- I like the Jersey Shore. I was busy all the time and opening my own studio paid off in the end,” he said.

Over the years, Edelman took numerous photos in the Asbury Park area, including the boat shows held at the Convention Hall, beauty pageants, parades, political events and other assignments. He eventually moved his business to Neptune where he operated for another 10 years.

He was also a partner in a business that manufactured circuit boards for computers and electronic devices.

“I am very satisfied with my accomplishments and took a lot of photographs. I still have them and I am very proud of a lot of it,” he said.

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