Longtime PV custodian retires

Lance Pearlman shared his unique talents and hobbies with school community

Contributed by Lance Pearlman

One of PV custodian Lance Pearlman’s many unique hobbies is building telescopes. Pearlman is retiring, and today is his last day on the job.

Kelsey Hagen, Staff Writer
December 13, 2016

Mr. Lance Perlman started building telescopes as a hobby in 1968. What he didn’t know was that one day this hobby would help him to connect with children. He eventually made them to order for clients and then allowed the students and faculty at Pascack Valley to use them to view the night sky and stars.

Perlman is retiring, and Wednesday is his last day at the school.

Perlman started working as a custodian at PV in 1988. He came to the school with the intent of sharing some of his unique skills and talents with the students and faculty at PV.

In 1989, Perlman began to invite faculty and their children to view the stars and planets with his telescopes. He would set up his telescopes in the parking lot of the school at night.  

PV Spanish teacher Andrew Lewis once looked at the stars with Perlman’s telescope many years ago.

“I remember standing out in the parking lot and just gazing up at the stars,” Lewis said. “It was fascinating.”

Perlman built his last telescope in 2002. It is a 10-inch refractor telescope design, which, according to him, is his best one.

In addition to working at PV, Perlman was also a wedding photographer for 23 years. He worked for Glenmar Studios in Lodi, New Jersey. After he retired from photography in 2007, he shared prints from his jobs with Ms. Christine Back’s photography class.

He brought in his portfolio to her class and showed her Advanced Photography class some of his photographs, and even showed them how to pose brides for photography.

“It’s been nice to have someone else in the building who I can make photography small-talk with,” Back said.

Aside from being a wedding photographer, a custodian, and an amateur telescope builder, Perlman has another hobby: chess.

Lance entered himself in chess tournaments in 1988, and shared his standings with PV’s Chess Club.

Perlman also collects banknotes from around the world.

This collection is exhibited in the world language and social studies wings in handmade framed displays. Recently, Perlman auctioned off part of his collection for a high price.

“He’s a very smart and intelligent man,” Lewis said.

[Editor’s note: This footage was shot by Lance Perlman using binoculars with a camera. He took the shot from Mitchell Lookout in Atlantic Highlands. At 263 feet above sea level, it allows one to view New York City at a glance (from 20 miles away), looking over Sandy Hook.]