Keeping you up to date on all things Hudson Catholic, past and present

Live, Love, Learn,

Leave a Legacy

We use this motto often around Hudson Catholic, to encourage and motivate students to become their best selves.

This is also a motto for our alumni to consider, perhaps dwell on, as regards how they might wish to impact the students who have followed us into the Hawks Nest and what we might leave behind as a lasting personal legacy.

There are not many places where most of us can do just that, but Hudson Catholic is certainly a place where we can. Because wealthy or otherwise, it takes comparatively little to be impactful at a school like ours, compared to, say, at a college or university.

In an amount, or percentage, simply add Hudson Catholic as a beneficiary for your life insurance policy, retirement account, bank or investment account, or last will and testament. And please tell us about it, at gferrari@hudsoncatholic.org so we may induct you in the Hudson Catholic Legacy Gift Society.

Our gifts, in accumulation, can provide for emergency funding in the long term or intermediate term, in the form of an endowment fund and operating reserve, both strategic financial vehicles that all educational institutions strive to put in place to ensure the ongoing operation of their schools well into the times of future generations.

The Challenge

Throughout the '23 - '24 School Year

Every gift from 11 Classes:

1991, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2010,

2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

will be 100% matched

by a generous Alumni Donor

Message From The Prez

Two weeks ago, we had almost 300 people visit Hudson Catholic at our Open House. The visiting families and potential Hawks were extremely impressed with our courses, our teachers, our college opportunities, our extracurriculars, and even our building. However, the thing that EVERY family was most impressed with was our student volunteers. Time and again people commented on how our current students looked them in the eyes when they spoke, were incredibly articulate and friendly, and genuinely liked being part of the Hudson Catholic family. The best salespeople for Hudson Catholic continue to be our students and their families. In addition, we have had over 150 students attend our two Freshman Preview Days.

I think it’s important to let you know that Hudson Catholic continues to be a value to families looking for an academically strong, vibrant values-based education.  As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I wanted to thank all of our stakeholders and supporters for helping to make Hudson Catholic accessible to our current students, as well as the ones to come.

Tickets on sale now, for a mere $10 hudsomcatholic.hometownticketing.com/embed/all

Saturday, April 27

Signature small plates from

Alumni Chefs, Local Restaurants

in the Hudson Catholic Auditorium

Proceeds to benefit HC academics & tuition assistance

Further Details TBA

Contact gferrari@hudsoncatholic.org for

Sponsorship Details

Friday, May 17th

Induction Event

at Hudson Catholic

Honoring the Greatest Athletes in Hudson Catholic History

Nomination forms may be completed and submitted at

https://hudsoncatholic.org/woh

through December 31st

Reunion Reminders

1983 / 1993 / 1998 / 2003 / 2013

It's later than you think!

1974 / 1999 / 2014

Start planning now!

Contact Jill Cypher at jcypher@hudsoncatholic.org

to express interest in having and helping with

a reunion for your class

Class leaders,

contact advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

to be put in touch with the '73 Reunion Committee

for their experience in hosting their event at the school.

Hey, '73!

Finish the job!

Send your Reunion photos to Jill Cypher for posting to our Reunion web page, hudsoncatholic.org/reunions

Hawk Happenings

Foosball!

On a winning goal by Gianfranco Ponce, our boys soccer team defeated De Paul 4-3 in overtime in the First Round of the Non-Public A state tournament, before bowing out to eventua State Champion Seton Hall Prep.

Budinich Family Continues to Serve

At the recent 6th Annual Budinich Family Golf Outing at Skyway in JC, in memory of the family matriarch Kathryn Budinich that raises money for the Kathryn Budinich Scholarship Fund, benefitting Hudson Catholic and St. Dominic's Academy, and Cure AHC, gathered on the course are a bevy of Hawk alumni surrounding Hawk student and scholarship recipient Layla Massey '24, President-Principal Terry Matthews to Layla's left, and Board member Patrick Dunne, fifth from left. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Richard Budinich and son Marc Budinich '88.

College Acceptance Season in Full Swing

Our Guidance Department, operated by Mr. John Cahill, Mrs. Allison Ryan, and Hawk Alumna Ms. Ashlee Rivera '16, has been hard at work with assisting students with applications, supplemental questions, and praying with students as they submit their applications. As a result, Hawk Pride has swelled with the surpassing of the goal set to top last year's performance for Early applications. In fall 2022, we had 34% of our seniors applying for Early Action/ Early Decision to at least one school; this year's rate is 45%! This is a great indication of the preparation of our students and their counselors in targeting the schools of choice that students feel may be right for them. Special thanks go to the teachers for their hard work with letters of recommendation that matter so much to our students.

Several key dates are coming up in the application season. Nov. 15th/ Dec. 1st is Early Action period, and Dec. 11th-15th are Instant Decision Days, for which nine colleges and universities will be in attendance at Hudson Catholic exclusively to read our applications and provide on-the-spot decisions. 

These are heady days for our Hawks.

Hawk Shutterbugs Roam for a Day

Mr. Frank McGady, FAC and Club Moderator, recently led The Hawk Photography Club on a Field Trip to the Brooklyn Bridge and 9/11 Memorial - first stop, DUMBO. Proving that even young Hawks can spread their wings and fly, the club members traveled via the customary PATH line from Journal Square to WTC and hiked across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Alumni Spotlight

Leadership, Service, Achievements

Famous. Raevon Floyd-Bennett ’15 is the latest Hawk to find Hall of Fame glory, having been inducted into the Collegiate Sprint Football League Hall of Fame this year. He played this sport, formerly known as Lightweight Football, at Chestnut Hill College, Class of 2017.



Suits. Marissa Monteiro ’11 is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey and has joined Bastarrika, Soto, Gonzalez, and Somohano LLP in Woodland Park as an Associate Attorney. Following her completion of New York Law School with a J.D. degree, she clerked for the Honorable Judge Nancy Sivilli in Essex County, served 16 months as a Public Defender, 15 months as a Managing Litigation Associate, and as an associate in a Criminal Defense law firm.

Cradle to grave. Matt Watson ’07. After receiving his training at the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, NYC’s oldest mortuary school, he joined the family business, Watson Mortuary Service in Jersey City where he serves as a Mortician and Licensed Funeral Director. He has also moved into healthcare, having obtained certifications as a Nursing Assistant and Emergency Medical Technician, and most recently, a degree as a Licensed Practical Nurse.

Cooking. Claude Lewis ’98, Hudson Catholic's Chopped champion, is the purveyor of Freetown Road Project, a restaurant at 640 Newark Avenue, near the Journal Square PATH station, serving Caribbean cuisine. Try the signature Oxtail Stew! You'll find Claude headlining 'A Taste of Hudson Catholic', a culinary event to benefit The Home of The Hawks this coming April, along with several other Hawk chefs and restaurateurs.

Mind, Body, & Spirit. Robert Baker ’96 is Director Public Safety Communications and Information Technology at Jersey City Department of Public Safety. His long and varied career in public service includes decades served as a Disaster Crisis Counselor & resiliency Program Officer at the New Jersey Mental Health Association, and Chaplain & Crisis Intervention Team Leader with the JCPD. Robert has been an Adjunct Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Global Affairs for 11 years. He is an Ordained Clergy (Deacon), completing his Theological Studies at the Archdiocese of Newark in 1999.

From Hudson Hawk to Monmouth Hawk. Giuseppe Fazari '91 Ph.D. has joined the Monmouth University Criminal Justice Department as an Associate Professor.



Sought After. John Zazzera ’83 Is starting a new Board of Advisors position with Artificial Intelligence As a Service Software Engineer Group.

When Hockey Arrived

at Hudson Catholic

and soon became

The Pride of the Athletic Program

Kevin Gorman ‘79, who played in 1977-79, attributes the arrival of Hockey as a Varsity sport at Hudson to Hugh Donoghue ’79 and says “without Hughie, the school would not have started the program when it did. Or, for that matter, at all! Hugh was a key person in getting Hockey off the ground at Hudson - from evaluating its feasibility, to launching a team in '77-'78, working with the administration to track down ice time availability and costs, equipment costs, and prospects to play for the team.”

Hughie tells it this way: “It all started in the cafeteria. A few of my classmates and I would discuss our favorite NHL teams, most being Ranger fans, the rest Islanders. The discussions were enthusiastic to say the least. On one occasion, Brother Emmet (then Principal) joined the conversation, displaying allegiance to the Flyers. After a few more discussions, I suggested / asked if we could start a hockey team and Brother Emmet replied that if we could get a list of 20-plus Hawks who’d be interested in playing, we could make a go of it.”

Jersey City had two separate hockey leagues at the time, Our Lady of Mercy at Roosevelt Stadium and Jersey City Recreation at Pershing Field. Initial approval came in 1976 to play in 1977 as a ‘club’ team. Mr. Jim Gannon then-Athletic Director, did all the logistics the next few seasons to get the Hawks into the sanctioned NJ high school league, following a year of club hockey. Our first coach was Hawk alumnus, Mike Ambrosio ’70, who was coaching in the OLM league at the time he was approached by Mr. Gannon.

Jim Gannon remembers so many students bugging him about starting a hockey program that he is sure that started the puck rolling. “It was timed around when we started the wrestling program, and the athletic program in the other sports was starting to do so well. Perhaps even to compete with Prep. I am sure the Men’s Club came up with the seed money, as they contributed much to the athletic program -- they fully funded football and helped with others. I am sure the students supplied most of their own equipment, as that was typical in those days. I had taught Mike Ambrosio and probably knew he was a hockey nut. He also fit the mold of what I wanted for our coaches. He was a college-educated professional, which was quite different than so many coaches in Hudson County. Starting an ice hockey program is much different than other sports, and the coaches do more work than the AD. I believe the hockey program was the first sport at Hudson Catholic to achieve number one state ranking in the Star Ledger, coming long after I left the school.”

Mike Ambrosio had gone on to Stevens Institute of Technology and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1974. He was indeed coaching in the OLM League, starting at age 18, when approached by Mr. Gannon. Mike said: “We started as a club team in the first year and played who we could, where we could, but wound up playing a number of varsity teams who we would compete with when we received NJHSIAA status, which we did in the second year, but Jersey City had no feeder leagues then, so we took on kids who simply wanted to play -- they were happy to be skating.

The team came together, comprising Donoghue, Gorman, Duane Gilmartin ‘79, George Burgagny ’79, Vin Tagliaferro ‘81, Ken Emmich ‘78, our Team Captain, and Tony Tothe ‘79, was our Goalie; Joe Capozzoli ‘79 and Anthony Meluso ‘79 were deserving of shout-outs as team managers supporting the sport at its inception.

Our first practice was on Thanksgiving ‘77 at the West New York rink. The team coaching ranks were filled by Hugh's father, Charlie Donohue, and Jay Fallon, my classmate from ’70. As for Ambrosio’s coaching credentials, he recalls being greatly assisted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Ice Hockey Coaching Manual! Donohue recalls practices at 1030pm at Roosevelt Stadium, and at Branch Brook Park in Newark. We played three Newark schools -- East Side, West Side, and Central, emerging victorious against East Side in our very first game. We also played Livingston, Paramus Catholic, and Clifton.

I recall that we played Seton Hall Prep. They had a mature program. It was quite a mismatch. We did not get a shot on goal and after one period their coach suggested that we stop the game, that we would be better off conducting drills during the ice time we had, which is what we did. They had a legendary coach and he looked out for our kids. Before parting, he told me “you were playing our JV team.” The Hawks took it in stride - nothing bothered them - they were thrilled to be playing hockey.”

How ironic, when the Hawk program rose to its greatest heights, that we were to defeat Seton Hall in the semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions on the ice at the Meadowlands, on our way to claiming the State Championship in 2000!

Editor’s Note: Hugh Donohue went on to say that it took a few years before Hockey became a good competitive team, noting that was due primarily to Bobby DeGennaro ‘81, our first big hockey stud and scorer who could carry a team. Hugh contends that Bobby’s uniform number is worth retiring, as he was as good as anybody who played at the time, and brought respectability to the program.

Focus on 1991

Class President was Saxon Sorrentino; Valedictorian was Mark Wladyslawski; National Honor Society President was Michael Iwanicki; Peer Ministry President was Daniel Brida.

John Norton, voted Best Dressed and Most Unique, was Secretary of the National Honor Society, moderated by Mrs. Angela DeBellis, pictured, who John described as “an angel!” 

Among prominent Hawk Athletes were four-year Football veterans Aryam Vasquez, Stefan Kowalski, and Hany Ahmed.

Mr. Joseph Pace, our Forensics Coach, was outstanding in his leadership; he also taught Latin that year, inspiring Hawks’ interest in the Ancient World.

We are looking to 'Stay Connected' with '91 Hawks Paul Aggarwal, Eric Amador-Mays, Matthew Chrobocinski, Mark Fabbricatore, Keith Famularo, George Ganley, Stefan Kowalski, Michael Lee, Sean McGrath, David Rotondi, Aryam Vasquez, Jon Vogt, and Mark Wladyslawski. Send them to hudsoncatholic.org/stay-connected or send their email addresses to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

Blast From the Past

Our volunteer sports bureau and researcher, Peter Morales '74, has unearthed this gem from the Jersey Journal archives, to bring memories of past athletic glory alive. Enjoy!

Jerry Keller is HCHS '73. He ultimately married his tournament partner, All County player Peggy Canning of St. Al's HS, and they gave us Legacy Hawk Kevin Keller '04. Tom Coleman is HCHS '77; Mary, his twin sister and All County player at St. Joe's WNY.

Where Are They Now?

Mr. Thomas Trevenen / Ms. Bernadette Johnstone

Recently, an alum wrote to inquire about the whereabouts of two of his favorite teachers who served at the school in the mid-80s. School records do not appear to be of help with current contact information, so please help if you can, and share at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

Turn Your Brothers and Sisters In!

(We Need Their Email Addresses)

We lose touch with some of our graduates who move around, go off to college, start careers, get married, etc. Help us find them again and make it harder for us to lose touch. Many on this list have siblings who are Hawk alumni, so turn them in at advancement@hudsoncatholic.org or send them to hudsoncatholic.org/stay-connected to update their contact info.

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FYI

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please copy and paste the 'link' into your browser's address window

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Plan a visit back to the Hawks Nest

Obtain or donate a yearbook through The Yearbook Exchange

Convey an obituary notice

Purchase Hawk gear online at:

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/newjersey/jerseycity/hudson-catholic-high-school

For Hawk Chatter on Social Media:

Facebook: Hudson Catholic Regional High School Friends, a private group with 1,300 members and climbing.

Linkedin: Hudson Catholic Regional High School page, with 400+ followers at https://www.linkedin.com/school/27080137/admin/feed/posts/

“When someone has gone, you can keep a part of them alive by giving the love you had for them a forever place in your life, a forever seat at your table, and a glorious chapter in your book.

Stories never die. Tell them.”

-- Jia Zhangke, Chinese Film Director

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)

John Mazzaccaro '74

John Wilkos '75

Mrs. Dolores McKevitt, mother of Daniel '87 & Mark '89

______________________________________________

Will be remembered in our annual

Alumni Mass of Remembrance

on November 3rd, 2024

The dearly departed of the Hudson Catholic community in the past year were remembered at the annual Alumni Mass of Remembrance on Sunday, November 5th in the De LaSalle Chapel on campus.