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

Hawks in the Hundreds

Return for Celebration & Remembrance

(Photos Say It Better Than Words)

50 Years in the Making

'73 Hawks Come Home for their Reunion

Joe Tanksley joined the event on screen with his best wishes

from Las Vegas

Alexander Long and Jim McDonough

under their banners proclaiming their Hawk Athletic immortality.

We remembered our departed classmates

with this display and a moment of silence

'The Musicians'

Vin Grauso, Paul Bara,

Mike Kulik

'The McSorleys Five'

Kenny Bald, Gary Ferrari, Dennis Cuccinelli, Mike Finley, Billy Sues

All Hawk Happy Hour

Lots of Hawks stopped by for libations and chatter. Even the bartender was a Hawk -- Dennis Newman '96

In Memory of Brother Pat

Our celebration of the life of Brother Patrick King, a man who meant so much to so many of us, and whose name is synonymous with Hudson Catholic, will continue.

We’d like to collect your recollections, remembrances, thoughts, and anecdotes of Br. Pat for compilation into a pamphlet to honor his legacy.

Please continue to contribute your memories and feelings to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

The Challenge

Throughout the '23 - '24 School Year

All First Time Gifts

&

All Gifts From Alumnae

will be 100% matched

by a generous Alumni Donor

November 11th

First-ever Florida Event

Hollander Hotel -- St. Petersburg -- 1230pm Poolside

All Graduation Years / Family Friendly /Food & Drinks Available

Contact Darren Scarpa '80 at djs713@duck.com

Reunion Reminders

1983 / 1993 / 1998 / 2003 / 2013

Contact Jill Cypher at jcypher@hudsoncatholic.org

to express interest in having and helping with

a reunion for your class

R.I.P. ' Rocco', A Man for Others

Hudson Catholic lost a dear friend and a great Hawk on Sunday, October 22nd. Emil 'Rocco' Filerino '80, age 61, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, just three days after a receiving a visit and lunching with his best friend, Darren Scarpa '79, in St. Petersburg. Many of you know Emil as Student Council President in 1979-80, and 'Rocco' as the co-founder and active administrator of the 'Hudson Catholic Regional High School Friends' site on Facebook that has 1,500 followers.

Emil is the son of Roxanne Bilella, of Clearwater, and the late John Filerino. Emil is survived by a son, John, daughter, Roseanne Vitervo, and ex-wife, Ivette. Emil attended Rutgers University after Hudson Catholic. His interests included swimming, acting, and stand-up comedy.

At the time of his passing, Emil was looking forward to the planned November 11th gathering of Southern Hawks at Clearwater's Hollander Hotel, that he and Darren had been planning for almost a year. No doubt, Darren will lead a raucous toast to 'the glue' -- the man who held us together, in school, for the Reunion South, and with the HC Friends FB site -- in tribute to Emil's intentions to bring us together and keep us together.

Hawk Happenings

S/PA Mentors

Come to Campus

On October 17^th, the Student/Partner Alliance held its annual luncheon for partners and their sponsored students -- 40 Hawks to be exact. Students receive both tuition assistance and mentoring support from the members of this vital organization. Here, we see some of our Hawk alumni mentors who came out to support our young Hawks. The S/PA’s incredible generosity toward our Hawks continues this year, with $120,000 of committed tuition assistance. Left, Kayla Reid '26 with mentor Erin Rodriguez.



Performing Arts Expands with Glee

Professional Coach will lead our Singers

Hudson Catholic proudly welcomes Lauryn Morgan Thomas into the Hawk Family as Moderator of the Glee Club. 

Ms. Thomas is an Upper Darby Summer Stage alum who began performing in musicals at the age of nine and learning about the unique relationship between actor and audience, and fell in love with storytelling through song. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with an Honors Bachelor of Philosophy in Theatre Arts, a BA in Fiction Writing, and a Certificate in Children’s Literature, Lauryn returned to her hometown of Philadelphia to begin her career. She has starred Off-Broadway in Pinkalicious, on the National Tour of Flight School, then worked regionally and in the original casts of four productions in the Philly Fringe Festival as well as several cabarets around the Philadelphia-New York corridor.

When not performing, Lauryn runs her fully virtual voice studio, teaching students ages nine to adult in private voice lessons, acting coaching, and other introductory theatre classes. It is her mission to empower young people to tell their stories and shine in their spotlight.

Lauryn's involvement with Hudson Catholic began last spring, when she served as an acting and vocal consultant for the Hawk Drama Society's production of Chicago. Assisted by Ms. Erin Drennan, Lauryn now works with the Glee students two hours each week. The Glee Club performs at prayer services and school masses, and will mount a short Christmas concert as well as a longer concert in the spring.

Lauryn will once again share her talents with the Hawk Drama Society as well, establishing an audition workshop prior to actual auditions for Into the Woods, and will work on vocal training for that monumental musical, which will take to The Jack Campion Stage at Hudson Catholic in May 2024.

Mrs. Sarah Barbi, Assistant Principal and Theater Arts Moderator, had this to say about Ms. Thomas: "We are thrilled to have Lauryn here at Hudson working with our talented young men and women. I am excited by this partnership and I know Lauren will bring a great deal of prestige to our growing Fine and Performing Arts program. Lauryn is a treasure and a welcome addition to the Hudson Catholic community."

Alumni Spotlight

On Hawk Ivy Leaguers

Each year, we see a number of Ivy League schools on campus looking to recruit top-notch Hawks, and sometimes our Hawks find the match they are looking for. The incompleteness of our alumni records prohibits us from definitively identifying how many Hawks, and who, attended Ivy League schools over the many years, but we thought we’d take a stab at mentioning those who we are aware of that made the grade, and where, so they may come forward and take a bow. At the same time, we ask the alumni base to share other notable Hawks who we have overlooked, so we can add their mention in a later issue. Send names of Hawks and their Ivy League schools to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org.

Commercial Property Risk Manager Ed Haas '70 Cornell. In the fall of 1970, Ed became the first known Hawk to step on to an Ivy League campus. As Ed tells it, through no fault of HCHS!, he only made it through three years, ultimately graduating from NJIT in 1981. Ed went on to have a successful career in property risk consulting in the insurance world, and continues to work with an insuretech startup aimed at solving the flood protection and insurance problem. After moving from NJ to Keene, NH three years ago, Ed also has heeded the call to civic engagement, presently running for Councilor-at-Large for the City of Keene.

Corporate Attorney John Nealon '73 Princeton. John used his Ivy League education to springboard into law, opting to attend NYU Law School following his days on the Princeton campus. He subsequently became a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster, before joining Travelers Insurance Company and enjoying a 30-year career there as Group General Counsel, and Associate Group General Counsel for Corporate Litigation.

State Attorney Tom Clark '76 Princeton. Tom also followed a career track into law, earning his law degree at Fordham University School of Law, graduating cum laude. His career in law includes a stint as a Criminal Prosecutor for the United States, and Senior Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Banking Committee and Investigations subcommittee. He is presently Deputy Attorney General at the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. Tom was elected to the Hudson Catholic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Personal Attorney, the late Daniel Larkins '76 Columbia. At Columbia, Dan studied Sociology, then became the latest in a developing line of Ivy League Hawks to pursue a law degree, which he obtained from Rutgers Law School. He went on to practice personal injury law for over 20 years, developing a passion for advocating for others in ‘David and Goliath’ situations. Over the course of his life, Dan served as an environmental commissioner, a planning board member, a Knight of Columbus, a mayoral candidate, a tutor, and a mentor. In all things, Daniel put others before himself. When the opportunity arose to serve others in a hands-on way, Daniel became a social worker at Keystone Human Services. Guiding dozens of disadvantaged folks to employment success brought him great joy. Dan passed away on October 7^th, 2023.

Tax Attorney Thomas Gaynor '82 Columbia. The beat goes on. A Political Science degree led Tom to a JD law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law, then on to a second law degree, in Taxation, from New York University School of Law. Tom is a Partner in the law firm of Smith and Gaynor LLC in Morristown, specializing in accident and personal injury litigation.

Career-long Coach. Paul Lee '82 Columbia, at far left. Paul graduated with a B.A. Degree in History. The 5^th member of the Hawk 1,000 Point Club, he played basketball and became a Co-Captain of the 1985-86 Columbia Lions. After two years on Wall Street, he began a 30-year career as a Division 1 collegiate basketball coach, including 10 years as an Assistant Coach at Columbia University, 8 years at Northwestern University, and 8 years at Marist College. He is currently in his 6th year as a college counselor and the Head Basketball and Assistant Baseball Coach at Kent School, a private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school in Kent, Connecticut. 

International Man Jesus Guerrero '91 Penn. Jesus attended Penn alongside fellow Class of ‘91 Hawk, Raul Madrigal and earned a BA in International Relations. After working in international operations at a major bank, Jesus moved to Spain to study a Masters degree in Multinational Management, living there for 20 years, working mainly in insurance, and then teaching English. He and his family returned to the US (Orlando) over five years ago, where he now works for the State of Florida. Jesus says his time at Penn was amazing - for satisfying his intellectual curiosity and continuing to participate in campus life much like his time at Hudson, where he served as a peer minister, participated in NHS, and contributed to the Yearbook. "I learned that we are here to help."

Talent Seeker Korey McCants '07 Dartmouth. Korey is a Talent Manager for the international company, Multiverse. He resides in Miami, F-L-A.



Software Engineer Adnan Zaib '13 Harvard. Adnan earned a degree in Computer Science, while captaining the Harvard Boxing Club, and was an Associate in the Harvard College Consulting Group. Since 2018, Adnan has been with Uber in the San Francisco Bay Area, presently working as a Software Engineer.

A History of Hawk No-No’s

No, not the nefarious or notorious misdeeds of high school hijinx! Think, on the diamond -- of the baseball variety.

Hudson Catholic Baseball No-Hit History

The very first baseball no hitter in HC history was authored by junior Ed Gutch ('71) in May of 1970, when he denied Dickinson in his very first Varsity start, making this a special game of two ‘firsts’. He was backed by the hitting of seniors Mike Drennan, Joe Cairone, and Tom Harnett in the 4-0 Hawk conquest. In the same game, as reported in the Jersey Journal of the day, Ed also achieved the distinction of what has since come to be known as 'an Immaculate Inning', which back in the day was simply known as striking out the side on the minimum of nine pitches. For context, in Major League Baseball history, there have been fewer Immaculate Innings thrown than No-Hitters.

Three years later, on June 1^st, 1973, junior Jerry Napiorski '74 walked the first batter of the game and proved perfect thereafter, recording 21 consecutive outs, and throwing perhaps the most dominant no-hitter in Hawk History, again victimizing the Dickinson Rams, 8-0. This game came shortly after the first meeting of the year between these teams, in which Sophomore Jim Spanarkel ‘75’s quest for no-hit glory was spoiled late in the game, settling for a 1-hitter.

Spanarkel would not be denied much longer. The following season, in yet another first-of-its-kind in Hawk no-hit history, first, he, then senior Pete Morales ('74), each no-hit the Ferris Bulldogs, 1-0, and 2-0, respectively, with Spanarkel, as did Napiorski, flirting with perfection, in allowing only one batter, via error, to reach base. 

Are you ready for another ‘first’? Say hello to Hank Weidmuller ('77), a senior who, after being cut during freshman year tryouts, exceeded everyone who had come before him with his version of Johnny Vander Meer -- not quite back-to-back no hitters, but multiple no-hitters in the same season. In 1977, Hank followed up his mastery of Dickinson, 1-0 (a recurring theme in Hawk history), with an encore no-no versus Lincoln, 5-0, in leading HC to their third South Hudson Championship and County Title Game appearance (1974, 1975, 1977) in four years!

 __________________________________________________

As local newspaper accounts of high school sports results have grown spotty over the decades, we cannot always find information to complete the picture of a topic we are writing about. As a result, 'BTL' relies on our readers to fill in the blanks when you are aware of an omission on our part. In this case, ‘BTL’ wants to know of other no hitters in HC history. Write to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org, listing the year, pitcher, opposing team, and score, if possible, and we’ll include mention in a future issue.

Focus on 2008

Fifteen years ago, the Class of 2008, for a brief time in the spring, thought they might be remembered as the last graduating class at Hudson Catholic. All these years later, and they are simply regarded as a class that graduated fifteen years ago. Close call, but false alarm. That is the backdrop to this class’s completion of their four years at the Hawks Nest.

The Class President was Ra-Twoine Fields. At Commencement, Phillip Caleja was honored as Valedictorian, and Anthony Marmora received the Brother Henry Laffey Award. Prominent athletes were Jonathan Cortez, who joined the Hawk Basketball 1,000 Point Club, Brian Doyle, Jack Montanile, and Vin Gorski.

Anthony Marmora holds the distinction as an alumnus AND Faculty member. He remembers how much he loved his four years as a student at Hudson, and then the eight years as Chemistry teacher from 2012 to 2020. “Best memories ever! Give my best to all at the Nest.”

The Hawk Yearbook dedication was made for Mrs. Joan Serafin (pictured). The Yearbook dedication reads as follows: "For over 20 years, our hallways were graced by Mrs. Serafin. Her presence left a profound mark on all of Hudson Catholic. She was always there if you needed guidance or confidence in approaching college. She encouraged our Hawk family to do great things with our lives and may she not be forgotten for it. We dedicate this yearbook to her and the great message passed on to us. We were her Hawk men and she used to brag about how great we were to everyone who asked about us. She treated us like her sons. Every time you think about college or anything to do with Hudson, please think of her. Now she is an English professor at NJCU doing what she does best: influencing the great minds of the youth of today to be courageous and to pursue their dreams with passion and confidence."

We are looking to 'Stay Connected' with '08 Hawks Peter Abdelmessih, Einstein Albert, Philip Caleja, Daniel Camacho, James Dillon, Andrew Dillon, Theodore Dukuly, Alan Gomes, Vin Gorski, Sean McGrath, Michael Pearson, Vincent Pham, Richard Ramos, Calixto Rodriguez, Andres Sanchez, Vincent Sims, Alvin Sutton, Jerome Umail, and Stephen Zadroga. Send them to hudsoncatholic.org/stay-connected or send their email addresses to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

Hawks Eye a Volunteer

Volunteering for non-profit organizations has proven to be a great way to gain experience and hone marketable career skills. You can get a jump on gaining experience you seek while assisting a non-profit to advance its mission.

In the case of The Home of The Hawks, the Office of Advancement is looking for a graduate with sufficient knowledge of social media to craft an expansive plan for meeting a large portion of our alumni in the realm of social media, where they prefer to be met and communicated with.

If you are an idea person in this regard, we’d like to hear your ideas on how we might gain greater 'followership', reach more alumni, and make it easier for alumni and friends to support Hudson Catholic with gifts and donations, including micro-payments and crowd-funding, through the use of social media.

Send a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org to state your interest in a social media role to advance Hudson Catholic, and we will respond in kind to arrange a discussion.

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

Note:

If any link in this issue is not clickable,

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

advancement@hudsoncatholic.org to:

Advertise your business card here for $25 per issue

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/

“I don't live for prizes or trophies. That's not why I do what I do. I do what I do because I have to. God gave me this gift to use. It's not a competition.”

-- Chaka Khan,

upon her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)

Emil 'Rocco' Filerino '80

______________________________________________

Will be remembered in our annual

Alumni Mass of Remembrance

on November 5th