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

Lasallians Step Forward

In Support

Gerry McGraw '72

William Cullen '72

Thomas Burke '73

“In service to others” is our traditional Lasallian mantra. More and more, Hawks and friends of Hudson Catholic put their service on display. Very recently, Hudson Catholic has become the beneficiary of three significant gifts that stand to provide over $150,000 to enable enhancements to the curriculum, campus, and tuition assistance among the Hawk student body.

Gerry McGraw ’72 is the architect of our current $50,000 Challenge in which he will match dollar for dollar every first-time and alumnae donation, and increased class giving, with the aim to turn $50,000 into $100,000!

Bill Cullen ’72, who is responsible for the pathway recently created to the St. John's University Maurice Greenberg School of Risk Management, has made a pledge of $40,000.

Thomas ’73 and Barbara Burke of Evergreen Colorado, upon seeing a reference to Hudson Catholic’s Student Emergency Fund, and its purpose to save students from having to withdraw as a result of emergency financial hardships visited upon their families, have gifted $15,000 to the Fund.

We are extremely grateful for the support, generosity, and selflessness of these individuals, who serve as beacons of Hudson Catholic and their personal support for our young Hawks and co-ed Catholic education in Jersey City.

The Challenge

Throughout the '23 - '24 School Year

Increased Giving above

last year's Class Totals

will be 100% matched

by a generous Alumni Donor

1980: $1,100

1981: $2,785

1982: $2,350

1983: $1,825

1985: $1,500

1987: $1,116

1989: $200

1992: $2,900

1993: $116

1994: $1,100

1999: $200

2000: $200

2002: $200

2003: $250

12004: $650

12005: $20

2007: $240

2009: $500

2013: $1.000

D-1 Recruits to Take Hawk Boys Basketball as far as they’ll go

On November 15^th, Hudson Catholic’s Signing Day ceremony had plenty to celebrate, in front of family and teammates, with two four-year Varsity guards and best friends formally making their college choices official and signing their National Letters of Intent. At right, seniors Tahaad Pettiford and Alex Massung are flanked by beaming Adminisitrators President-Principal Terry Matthews, Assistant Principal Sarah Degnan-Barbi, and Athletic Director and Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach Nick Mariniello.

Pettiford, one of the country’s top point guards in his class at 6’1”, made his February choice of Auburn University official, over UConn, Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA. Hopes are high that Tahaad will ultimately reach the pro ranks. As a sophomore, he average 18 points per game and secured All-State Third Team honors on a 23-3 County Championship team.

And 6’3” Massung has committed to the University of Pennsylvania, where his school record of A’s and honors in AP classes will serve him well, as he looks toward becoming the latest Hawk bound for the Ivy League, and the first Hudson County basketball player to go Ivy League in close to 30 years. He averaged 16 points per game in last season’s 15-12 campaign, while filling two huge gaps left by significant injuries to Pettiford and the since-graduated Elijah Geltrude, now attending the University of Virginia on athletic scholarship.

Both stars are noted school leaders. Beyond their leadership of the basketball team, both are also actively involved in the school’s Peer Ministry program. We all look forward to their senior season on the court.

The Hawks look to take on an ambitious season schedule, with many contests against top competition on the road. After the season lid lifter on December 14th at Lincoln, the first home game is Snyder on December 22nd. On December 29th, perennial national power The Patrick School (formerly St. Patrick's, Elizabeth) invades McGinley Square for a match that should be among the best all year. Other schedule highlights: at Seton Hall Prep, January 6th, the De La Salle Tournament in Philly, January 7th, hosting Roselle Catholic, January 11th, at Gonzaga (Washington DC), January 14th, and at St. Peter's Prep, January 16th. The regular season concludes on February 6th against Madison in what could be the last home game in which we'll get to see Pettiford and Massung display their exceptional basketball talents.

Message From The Prez

I hope everyone had the opportunity to gather together for Thanksgiving. It’s always important to spend time with loved ones, as well as take a moment to reflect on the many things for which we can be grateful. When I spoke with our students at our prayer service last week, I talked about the many studies that have proven the physical, mental, social and emotional benefits of Gratitude. I also emphasized that even in our down times, we can always find something for which to be grateful, even if it requires some searching. I think actor Michael J. Fox, who currently suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, may have put it best when he said, “If you don’t think you have anything to be grateful for, keep looking. Because you don’t just receive optimism. You can’t wait for things to be great and then be grateful for that. You’ve got to behave in a way that promotes that.” 

One of the things that I have done since the first week I assumed the President-Principal role is to send a letter every Sunday via email to all of our students, parents and staff. The letter provides an overview of the week to come, as well as addresses any issues, concerns or events. Ultimately, it keeps everyone informed. With the help of Mr. Gazzale, I have explained one of the five core Lasallian principles in each of the last five letters, as I believe it’s important to educate our current families and staff about our Lasallian identity.  In doing so, however, it became readily apparent that to be Lasallian IS to behave in a way that promotes optimism and gratitude. The physical, mental, social and emotional benefits of Gratitude are intrinsically linked with the teachings of St. John Baptist de LaSalle and our students are all the better because of it.

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

Southern Hawks Flock Together

Darren Scarpa ’80 reports that the Southern All-Hawk Reunion in St. Petersburg came together nicely, albeit with a heavy heart as a result of the sudden and very recent passing of the event’s catalyst, Emil ‘Rocco’ Filerino ’80, who we lost on October 22nd. “This gathering has definitely sparked an interest and we will be doing this annually. I've already recruited a few other alums who could not be with us this time,” Darren said.

A Visit To Brother Pat

Courtesy of Ed Trainor '70, a photo of the tombstone at Brother Patrick King's final resting place in the De La Salle Cemetery in Anmmendale, MD. Ed stopped to pay his respects recently on a trip through Maryland. Emblematic of the man, his stone is equally simple and humble, with no wasted words.

Farewell, Old Friends

Shocking news coming out of Journal Square, with the announcement that McLaughlin's Funeral Home will soon be closing its doors. We wish to thank the McLaughlin Family, Maryellen McLaughlin, and our alum, Vin Grauso '73 (ret.), for their many decades of service and support to Hudson Catholic and the Jersey City community.

Hall of Fame Feature

Hudson County Sports Hall of Famer

Brian Ellerson ’98

In September 2022, Brian Ellerson ’98, perhaps the greatest player to ever don a Hawk Baseball uniform, became the 7th Hawk athlete to be inducted into the HCSHOF, in recognition of his playing days for the Hawk Baseball Team, along with his outstanding careers at Montclair State University and professionally.

The HCSHOF was established in 1991, and this was the 25^th induction class to the Hall.

Brian was a three time 1st Team All Hudson County selection and, in 1998 was named County Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, 1st Team All State Utility Player, and USA Today 3rd Team All Northeast Region.

Among the accolades he earned at Montclair State were an All NJAC Freshman Team selection at shortstop in 1999; and 1st Team All American, NJAC Player of the Year, and Division 3 National Player of the Year in 2000, as an integral member of the Red Hawks’ Division III National Championship Team. That summer, he played in the prestigious “by invitation only” collegiate Cape Cod League and was selected to the league all-star game. 2001 came along with 1st Team All NJAC and 2nd Team All American honors, with Montclair returning to the College World Series, and Brian finished the season as Baseball America’s second rated college shortstop, before a torn ACL in the regional final ended his season.

Bouncing back from that injury in 2002, Brian was named 2nd Team All NJAC, while setting a Montclair record with a 31-game hit-streak, and realized a lifelong dream by being selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft as a 16th round pick of the then-Montreal Expos, later the Washington Nationals.

In 2003, Brian initiated his professional career, playing with Single-A team, the Savannah Sand Gnats, earning all-star honors in the South Atlantic League. He continued playing in the Expos’ organization for four seasons, playing in the Gulf Coast League, the NY-Penn League, the South Atlantic League, and the Florida State League, along the way appearing in two big league spring training games.

In 2006, his baseball career ended abruptly after he suffered a knee injury during spring training.

At the end of his playing days, Brian turned his attention to civil service, and has served as a Jersey City firefighter for the past ten years.

Brian is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in Hawk history, as demonstrated by his enshrinement on the Hudson Catholic Wall of Fame (a/k/a Athletic Hall of Fame) in the Rocky Pope Gymnasium. In an August 2005 edition of the Jersey Journal’s Faa’s Corner, Ed Ford described Brian Ellerson as “in a class by himself. Perhaps the best player ever to wear not only Hudson Catholic but Montclair State uniforms.”

Footnote:

At last count, we are aware of 24 different Hawks who are honored in 13 different Halls of Fame.

Alumni Spotlight

Leadership, Service, Achievements

Career Blasts Off! Kayla Gomez ’17, former Hawk standout - NHS and 4-sport athlete (basketball, soccer, volleyball, track) went on to a degree from NJIT. Well….we’ll just let this reprint from her Linkedin page update her story.

Brothers Boy, Ivy Leaguer and a Forever Hawk! Mark Wladyslawski ’91 graduated maxima cum laude with a B.A. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Mathematics from La Salle University and went on to earn an M.A. in Chemistry from Princeton University. He is on faculty at Bethlehem Catholic in Bethlehem, PA, teaching Chemistry at The Home of The….you guessed it……Hawks! One of his interests is the interplay of science and religion in the understanding of truth. As a Catholic educator in the sciences, Mark wants to share the understanding of the compatibility and complementarity of faith and reason. Additional interests include Quantum Mechanics theory and effects, Philosophy of Science, scientific toys & demonstrations, and LEGO.

In Curt We Trust! Curt Zegler ’89 is a Civil Engineer and Construction Executive at Turner Construction and has led the building of airport terminals and hospitals, and, oh yes......... the repurposing of the Hudson Catholic campus to accommodate the entry of female Hawks in 2009. He is also a Manhattan College Jasper (also a La Sallian institution), a member of their Board of Trustees, and a member of the Hudson Catholic Board of Consultors. Curt extends his volunteerism as a mentor in Manhattan’s School of Engineering Mentor Program, coaching and welcoming the next generation of builders as mentees into Turner, in support of their educational journeys and as they embark on their engineering careers.

Ivy Covered. We identified perhaps our most decorated Hawk Ivy Leaguer in history, right under our noses, in the Library of Hawks (hudsoncatholic.org/library-of-hawks). Archpriest Alexander ‘Fred’ Webster ’69, P.Hd., Chaplain (Colonel) U.S. Army (ret.) who is among the top-published Hawks with seven publications, started his Ivy League career with an A.B. from the University of Pennsylvania (Summa cum Laude & Phi Beta Kappa) in 1972, following that with an M.A. from Columbia University Teachers College in 1975, then completing his ‘trinity’ of sorts, with an M.T.S. from Harvard University Divinity School in 1977. All in, that’s degrees from three of the eight Ivy League universities. We call that impressive!

If you have a newsworthy item or something from the present or past to share with the Hawk community, drop a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org

For the Summer of 2024, Naomi Fernandez '21 is actively seeking a mechanical engineering internship that will enhance her experience in project management and technical proficiency. If you can help with her search, send a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org and we’ll put you in touch.

Check out her background. Naomi is a Pinnacle Scholar at Stevens Institute of Technology, as a second-year Mechanical Engineering student considering an aerospace concentration. She is certainly engineering her career path, planning to partake in Stevens' Accelerated Masters Program, which would normally add a year to her studies, but thanks to the HC Dual Enrollment Program, will enable her to graduate a semester early.

This past summer, she pursued a study abroad opportunity in Fiji with WorldStrides where she learned about Polynesian culture while competing in daily Survivor-based challenges.

Regarding her campus life, Naomi became a brother in Stevens' chapter of Alpha Phi Omega which is a gender-inclusive national service fraternity that promotes leadership, friendship, and service. Naomi has assisted in organizing service events, which is something that she is, to no one's surprise, very passionate about.

Looking to expand her technical expertise, Naomi is involved with NASA's RockSat-C program where her team and she are working on an aerospace design project funded by the New Jersey Space Grant Consortium (NJSGC) in the development of a payload to obtain atmospheric gas samples in a space launch environment via a Terrier-Improved Orion-sounding rocket. In her case, it IS rocket science!

Where Are They Now?

Hawk Ballers Show Up

in Unexpected Nests

(Or, what a talented team we had in the

'17-'18 North Jersey Championship season!)

4,800 Miles From Graceland. Luther Muhammad ’18 is playing pro ball in Finland, for Tampereen Pyrintö, currently averaging 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game in the Korisliiga, Finalnd's highest tier of professional basketball.

Tampere is a city in the western part of Finland and is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. The urban area is larger than Jersey City in square miles, by far, and population, by 50,000. It is regarded as the Finns’ favorite city, being the number one travel destination in their home country, and is known as the city of events, for music, theatre and museums, and regarded as the sauna capital of the world. Located on a scenic, narrow isthmus between two great lakes, Tampere has rapids flowing through the city centre and old, industrial red-brick buildings huddled on each side, hosting restaurants, cafes, and shops.

Long Distance Information, Give Me Memphis, Tennessee. Jahvon Quinerly ’18, last seen in March Madness with the Alabama Crimson Tide, has taken his last year of collegiate eligibility to the University of Memphis. Look for him on ESPN! And see his story of embracing adversity and growing from it at https://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/jahvon-quinerly-journey-memphis/. How’s this for Jersey Strong? “I always tell people, everybody's journey is different. I probably would be playing professionally right now if I hadn't gotten hurt, but I wouldn't change it at all, because it's made me the man that I am. I've been able to come back numerous times from things average players probably wouldn't have come back from. I've taken a lot of criticism, and I've been able to reinvent myself and keep my name relevant. That alone is a success story.”

Louis King '18 is playing professionally in the NBA G League for the South Bay Lakers in Los Angeles, as part of the L.A. Lakers organization. Performing well, it means that at any given moment, Louis is set for a call up to the NBA club.

Testimonial to a Hawk and Hudson Catholic

Recently seen on social media: Hawk Wresting great Ed Roselle ’80, posted this testimonial in the Hudson Catholic Regional High School Friends site on Facebook: “Happy Birthday to the man who guided me through life and told me something that absolutely changed my life for the better, and that was it doesn’t matter what my second or third choice is for high school, YOU ARE GOING TO HUDSON CATHOLIC!" Thus began the most rewarding, special four years of my life. So, Thank You!, my hero, my best friend, my brother, George C. Roselle III (pictured), Managing Partner of the law firm Lamb Kretzer LLC and graduate of HC Class of ’76.”

Readers Respond

Found! In response to our request, Mike Lubanski ’91 reports that Mr. Tom Trevenen teaches at Masconomet HS in Georgetown, Mass! advancement@hudsoncatholic.org to request contact info.

More No-No’s! Wall of Honor member Alberto Vasquez ‘99, three time All County catcher, caught two '98 No-No's -- one for Anthony Diaz ‘98, and a combined no-hitter authored by Brian Ellerson ‘98 and Frank Marto ‘99 vs. Lincoln, which ended after five innings with the mercy rule, at 13-0. Marto claimed the victory for three innings pitched. Adding to Hawk combined no-hitter history, the 2003 team authored another 5-inning mercy-rule no-no, over South Amboy, in which the victor, John Walsh ‘03, started and went three innings, yielding one unearned run. Scott Picerno ‘04 threw the other two innings of no-no ball, with Rick Tauber ‘04 on the receiving end.

Korrections Korner

The Hawk has been told that we blundered in last issue's Alumni Spotlight because the photo and profile for Robert Baker '96 was that of his father, Robert, Sr., an obvious young looking man. Apologies to Senior and Junior. We would reach out to Junior, but do not have his email address. If you are able, please put him in touch with us 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.

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/

If you receive our email at your workplace, we may not be getting through to you if our email is being intercepted by your spam filter. Only you can correct that by placing us on your safe list, which would allow communications from our Constant Contact email platform to reach you.

“Not everyday is a good day, show up anyway. Not everyone tells the truth, trust anyway. Not everyone will love you back, love anyway. Not every game will be fair, play anyway. ”

-- Anonymous

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)

Christopher Englese '97

______________________________________________

Will be remembered in our annual

Alumni Mass of Remembrance

on November 3rd, 2024