Edward Noumair, Class of ''39, got his start on a life long love of photography at Asbury Park High School as a member of the Photography Club with Mr. Galen Ray, serving as the advisor. He learned quickly and by his senior year was taking group shots and sports photos that were used in the Driftwood Yearbook.

After graduation, Ed had enough confidence to open his own photography business on Summerfield Avenue. He began his career as a professional photographer and successful business owner in Asbury Park that spanned over 60 years. Noumair Studios was a household name to over 40 years of APHS graduating seniors who proudly displayed his creative work in their homes. The walls of the first floor of APHS were lined with the chronology of winning athletic teams that he photographed. People still stop him on the street and proudly tell him he photographed their wedding, their anniversary party and their grandson''s first portrait. His flourishing business included custom portraits, weddings and commercial work. He is a Past President and an award-winning member of the Professional Photographers Association of New Jersey.

Ed is a first generation American born to Lebanese immigrants. He is the eldest of four children that all graduated from the Bond Street School and Asbury Park High School. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ed enlisted in the Marine Corps and proudly served as an aerial photographer. He is the father of three and stepfather of two children, four of whom are proud graduates of APHS.

He is currently active in the Deal Fire Company, the Asbury Park Kiwanis Club, the West Long Branch Ski Club, the Wanamassa Firemen''s Golf League and recently joining the Shore Running Club. At the age of 85 he skis in the Rockies, jogs along Ocean Avenue, participates in a marathon relay run for the Special Olympics, rides his bike on the boardwalk up to 15 miles or mountain bikes with a group of friends. He grows delicious tomatoes, plays golf, and loves to travel. He organized and distributes Thanksgiving dinner baskets to twenty-five famines in Asbury Park annually with the Kiwanis Club. He is an inspiration to his children, his grandchildren and everyone that knows him. Ed now teaches photography one day a week at the Rugby School in Wall Township instilling in youngsters the love of photography that he learned at an early age.