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The Fight for Cuban Liberty:

The Impact of a Castro Prison

on one Hawk Family

‘Plantadas’ -- ‘to plant oneself', is a new film that tells the story of Cuba’s female political prisoners taken during the early days of the Communist Revolution in the late 1950s. It illustrates the plight of many women who fought to restore democracy to their country and were betrayed by their neighbors. The women challenge the new system in their own ways and are jailed for their activities. Within the dungeon of a jail, they endure the violation of their human rights, without respect to their womanhood.

One such woman whose plight of imprisonment for political beliefs is Edith Morales, now 88 and living in Florida, the mother of Peter Morales ’74. Edith was incarcerated as a political prisoner for six years, starting when Peter was age five and remained jailed until 1967. She was ‘arrested’ on January 11, 1961 by the G2 political police called Seguridad del Estate, who came for her at 1:00 am at her parents’ home. Her ‘crime’ was ‘her disagreement with the government’, mainly being the refusal to join political indoctrination about communism. Edith’s sister, Evelyn, was also arrested.

Edith’s ‘trial’ lasted only one day. “They were very speedy trials, even when the sentence was death. They did not give notice, so a defense lawyer was not present.” Evelyn spent 11 years in prison. The Morales sisters endured their heavy-handed sentences for hiding others being sought by the police, hiding arms and pamphlets, and for sending medications and food to those who were trying to overthrow the Castro government.

Edith’s husband Pedro aided in the rescue and hiding of a young man who was being taken by the political police, after which Pedro was hidden by a couple in an apartment house. A few days later, Edith received contact from the Brazilian Embassy, where Pedro had received political asylum. She went to the Embassy, then returned to her parents’ home where, that night, she was taken prisoner. The couple who hid Pedro had been working for the government.

Edith told of how, in Cuba, they canvassed universities and worksites (Edith worked at the Cuban Electric Company) to learn more about you and present you with an anti-‘Yankee’ statement for your signature. Refusal to sign led to blacklisting, then being rounded up. Both Edith and her sister Evelyn said no. There were also infiltrators who acted like they shared your beliefs in liberty, like professors, but informed on you. Edith never knew who may have informed on them and led to their incarceration.

While jailed, they learned that a man in their ‘underground’ was a double agent, which endangered their movement. Edith devised a way to get that word out by placing a note inside a lipstick holder during a visit to the jail by her mother, thereby warning her that a ‘friend’ was a traitor.

During the second year of her imprisonment, 1962, Edith was surprisingly ‘selected’ by an acquaintance to be her witness for marriage. The woman brought the witness document to the warden’s office for Edith to sign. A very nervous notary then slid another document to her for signature, which was the permit that would allow her son Peter to leave Cuba to join his father who was already out of country. Edith would not see her son again until 1968.

Edith’s parents brought Peter, age six, to the airport and he soon found himself traveling alone to his strange new home, first stop Miami.

Six years later, upon release from her Cuban hell in 1967, Edith waited over a year for a visa to depart Cuba and, only then, was sent to Mexico. During her time there, she was interviewed by the CIA, then cleared to come to the U.S. under a special program for Cuban anti-communist dissidents. She arrived at JFK in April 1968, just as Peter’s Little League season was underway. He was there with his father and relatives. It is a moment Edith says she could never forget - seeing the faces of her son and husband for the first tie in six and a half years. She was elated, but nearly paralyzed, it was so hard, emotionally.

Considering the impact of Edith’s journey on her only child, she considers that Peter came out pretty well. While young, Peter was not told precisely about his mother’s incarceration but, by the time she arrived in the U.S., he was 12 and knew she had been jailed. To this day, Edith cherishes his letters that she received from Peter while she was in jail. Over the years, Edith told Peter her story little by little. That is, most of it. Not everything has been shared.

Edith’s father did not live to see his daughters released form Castro’s prisons. Evelyn was held twice as long as Edith; upon release, she came to the U.S. in 1980. Edith’s mother remained in Cuba for the rest of her days, but was able to travel to the U.S. to see her family in 1980. But Edith was unable to return for her mother’s funeral many years ago. A younger sister, Eliza, remained in Cuba for many years after her sisters left, but eventually emigrated to the U.S. Edith has no desire to see Cuba again -- ‘no, never!” Peter has never returned to Cuba, has no inclination to do so, nor does Edith want Peter to see it.

When asked what she would care to say about her experience that she would want young people today and future generations to know, Edith said “What happened in Cuba, happened in Venezuela, and could happen here. Socialism is insidious. But it doesn’t work. It is not the solution. Our country has its problems, but it’s the best one there is. Do not take your liberty for granted.”

‘Plantadas’ continues below

Edith Morales being interviewed for Plantadas

Edith as a young woman in Cuba

60 Days left in our fiscal year

Please consider making a gift,

or another gift,

to help us reach our Annual Fund goal

Reaching or surpassing this goal

will be the difference between

balancing our first-time, fully-loaded budget, running a deficit, or even a surplus!

A Message From The President

When I took over as President-Principal, one of the first things on my agenda was to rebuild and expand our Fine & Performing Arts programs.  I believe that God gives us many talents and it’s our job to help students develop the ones they know about, while discovering ones they don’t even know they have.  I also believe that there’s nothing quite like the Arts to help a student discover those talents.  Studies have shown that participation in the arts encourages children to explore their emotions, expand their imagination and helps them develop their own unique voice.  Participation leads to increased academic success, and advancement of creativity, language and motor skills, critical thinking, and cultural awareness.

The Ancient Greeks took their entertainment very seriously and used drama as a way of investigating the world in which they lived, and what it meant to be Human.  Indigenous cultures used performing arts to record history. In 1749, even Benjamin Franklin advocated for art education in schools. In 1821, art instruction was introduced into the public-school curriculum. And yet, today, when it comes time to balance a budget in schools across the United States, one of the first things to get trimmed is Fine & Performing Arts.

While that may happen in the public-school sector, it will not happen at Hudson Catholic.  Here at 790 Bergen Ave, our sights are set towards the future.  However, in order to appreciate that future, we needed to first celebrate our past.   To that end, this past Friday we dedicated the stage in the Rocky Pope Gymnasium to Mr. Jack Campion.  Forevermore, the Jack Campion Stage will stand as an inspiration and a tribute to the man who early on recognized the importance of the arts in the lives of high school students at Hudson Catholic.

Jack’s impact on our current program is immense, as was evidenced by the tributes from former students, actors and actresses, as well as the musical numbers from Chicago performed by our current Drama students under the direction of our Assistant Principal Sarah Barbi, herself a veteran of Jack Campion plays while in high school.  Fine & Performing Arts are here to stay…and will always be performed on The Jack Campion Stage at Hudson Catholic!

Girls Rugby is a Thing

A Big Thing!

Congratulations are in order for our Girls Rugby Team! First, they were awarded a grant from the US Rugby Foundation and USA Youth & High School Rugby to support their program. Of the nine grant recipients nationally, Hudson Catholic was the only one in New Jersey. How did the Hawks celebrate? They went out and won their first game of the season over the Harvey School from NY by a score of 40-10. Check out those rugby jerseys!

The Rugby Hawks are coached by Ms. Ashley Allen, a former player and college coach who is now on staff at as a member of the Science Department.

Nice Shirts!

An Unforgettable Night

The Curtain is Raised on

The Jack Campion Stage at Hudson Catholic

We

The Guests of Honor arriving,

Jack and Jane Campion

The room where Sir Jack

did some of his greatest work

Our gracious Faculty bartenders for the event,

Mr Frank McGady, Mr John Cahill

The Unveiling and the Footlights

-- in Jack's Brigadoon

The Bard delivering!

Four Hawk thespians

crowding Mr. McGady

after feting the Campions

and entertaining guests with songs from Chicago.

The Man of the Hour, along with some of his early Hawk thespians,

Dennis Danilewicz '71, Mike Pecklers '71, and Ron Suarez '71.

Playbills of each of Jack's 11 Hudson Catholic productions

served as table centerpieces throughout the auditorium.

Today's Hudson Catholic

Each year Hudson Catholic compiles its official school profile to help outside parties about who and what we are.

In two pages, it essentially tells college admissions and enrollment officers, grant makers, and scholarship organizations all they need to know about the type of school we are, our mission statement, our leadership, how we are credentialed and whether we are independently accredited, how the student body identifies and how they perform with post-secondary acceptances, along with our grading system, identification of AP and Honors course offerings, and graduation requirements. Extracurricular activities and athletic team offerings are also itemized.

To give you a sense for today’s Hudson Catholic, we’ve excerpted some of the highlights.

·     We are accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (as we have been since first earning the designation in the early 1970s).

·    The Student Population identifies as 34% Hispanic, 33% Caucasian, 33% Black, 22% Mixed Race, 8% Asian, and 4% unknown, accounting for overlaps; 57% Male / 43% Female; 15% being the first in family to attend college.

·     80% of the enrollment is in need of financial aid to attend our school.

·     100% of our graduates are accepted at colleges and universities for undergraduate studies, including schools such as Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Catholic, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, GWU, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Penn, Princeton, Purdue, Stevens Institute, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Virginia, Wesleyan, and Yale.

This last factoid suggests that we are all -- faculty, administrators, donors and volunteers -- doing our jobs in preparing and enabling our young Hawks for entrance and success at the university level.

To our donors, we say that when you think about making your next gift, please make it with these thoughts in mind, knowing you are doing the absolute right thing.

Event Schedule at the Hawks Nest

May 18th - 21st

June 10th

June 19th

Look Who Stopped By!

Tony Monte '78, featured recently in the Alumni Spotlight, and seen here with President-Principal Terry Matthews in the front lobby against our Hawk banner backdrop used for college signings, came up from Holmdel for a visit and tour around school. Tony would like to share his talents gained from decades of experience in the entertainment world with our students who may be similarly inclined. Terry is sure to identify a need and devise another, to get Tony back at the Hawks Nest soon.

Alumni Spotlight

To the oft-asked question, "How do I get in Alumni Spotlight?", the direct, Jersey City response is: 'you send me your stuff'. To: gferrari@hudsoncatholic.org

Winning Hearts in Hollywood. Bill Keegan '73, Founder and President of the HEART 9/11 first responder's organization, is pictured 'on the carpet' with the Hollywood actress, Ms. Rosie Rivera, who chose to highlight her favorite charity at Variety's 'Power of Women' NYC event. Variety’s Women’s Impact Report showcases the most powerful women working in entertainment who have made significant contributions to charitable causes and the advancement of women in their respective industries. Rosie worked closely with HEART 9/11 as they rebuilt Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, one roof at a time, and continues to support their work around the globe and in our backyard. Each honoree chooses a charity to spotlight in their magazine cover story and speech at the event. HEART 9/11 is Rosie's choice.

A Credit to Hudson Catholic. A recent viewing of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone on Netflix had this writer glued to the ending credits to catch the name of Phil Carbonaro ’75 scroll by in the credits for his visual effects work on the film. And there it was! To see a list of Phil’s Hollywood and television credits for his visual effects artistry over his 30-year career, go to https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0136144/

Remembering Freddy Fiume ’80. Ray Pipher ‘80, was at the Annual Dr. Alfred Fiume Beefsteak event held in Fred’s name and honor, which benefits education.

Web-slinger. Matt Guerra ’96, of the Legacy Hawk Guerras (Matt, Patrick ‘93, and dad Matt ’70), is not Spider Man’s alter ego, but a Web Team Supervisor for Prudent Publishing.



Hawk Get Togethers

Four Hawks recently got together, only as Peacocks! Celebrating their 50^th Anniversary Reunion at St. Peter’s University are Matt Donohue and Bob Gironda ’68, first two on left, Gerry McCann ’68, fourth from left, and John Kocot, Alumni Parent, far right.

That’s Tom Gaynor, former Varsity Basketball Coach in the early 70s and Alumni Parent to Tom Gaynor ’92, catching up with one of his players from back in the day, Joe Barrow ’70.



Seen at the recent St. Aedan’s All Alumni Reunion held at the Shrine at St. Astor were Hawk 79ers Bill McGrath, Joe Kim, and Mike Catrillo.

'Plantadas' continued

Peter essentially grew up without his mother, leaving Cuba not long after Edith was imprisoned. He remembers his father picking him up in Miami in 1962. They made their way north and settled in Jersey City. Peter became a ‘latchkey kid’ at six, being home alone each weekday after school, which was St. Paul of the Cross. There he met and retains some of his closest friends in life to this day. He essentially became an adult at age six, learning English and becoming the translator at home for his father. A short time later, he fit right in, playing baseball in the Washington Park Little League.

Soon after arriving in Jersey City, Pedro was recruited and trained by the Army/CIA to be in the second group of freedom fighters expected to go to Cuba as part of the Bay of Pigs invasion, but there was no call for a second wave once the initial raid proved disastrous. Pedro went on to live to 2018.

Peter’s closest friend from grammar school, and a classmate at Hudson Catholic, is Brian Altano ’74, at whose home Peter spent much time as a neighborhood kid. In reference to seeing the trailer for Plantadas, Brian had this to say about Peter’s family’s experience. “Peter’s mother is an amazing woman. I have always remembered her as supremely intelligent and quite kind, but I never really understood the extent of her bravery and perseverance in the face of so much adversity. I thought Peter’s father was a hero; his mother is an even greater one.”

Brian tells part of Peter’s story this way. “I remember our teacher, Mrs. McCormick, pulled me aside and told me that a young boy had just arrived from Cuba and that I should take care of him, specifically telling me to teach him English and to make sure that I became his best friend. So, I started to teach English, a vocation I have yet to give up, and Peter learned in record time, with no trace of an accent. Peter's father worked in a bank until 6 or 7, and many days Peter would come to my house after school and we would play baseball and practice English, even starting a team in 4^th grade that we called Mrs. McCormick's Marauders. 

I remember like it was yesterday when Peter's mother, a remarkably intelligent and kind woman, vivacious, beautiful, and absolutely indomitable, arrived from Cuba to New Jersey on the eve of our Confirmation Day at St. Paul of the Cross, and we all celebrated the Confirmation and her arrival at Posillipo's Restaurant in Asbury Park -- a great day and a great memory. I still teach English, and Peter is still my best friend. Go figure!”

Peter recalls his re-introduction to his mother as a 12-year old as surreal, not willing to admit to her that he had forgotten, more like suppressed, most memories of those dark days.

______________________________________________________________

A May 1963 U.S. government report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on ‘The Situation of Women in the Political Prisoner System in Cuba’ concluded that “the female political prisoners in Cuba have suffered extremely humiliating treatment, designed to break down their moral resistance and to degrade their dignity as women. They are victims of a prison régime which is incompatible with their sex, and in which they are treated extremely harshly, without regard to their age, state of health, marital status, or pregnant or postpartum condition.” The report goes into greater detail as to the atrocities and inhumane treatment that were practiced against these women, too many and too graphic for reprint here. View the report at http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/cuba76eng/chap.2.htm

When asked whether contents of this report were her experience, Edith stated honestly about its accuracy: “Yes, some of them. Some facts were a little exaggerated, and not everything happened to everybody.”

Peter only recently learned that his mother was asked to speak with one of the human rights commissions in the 1960s but declined because her sister Evelyn remained imprisoned at that time.

Edith and her family paid an incredibly steep price for their fight for liberty. The Morales family story is nothing short of heroic. And for someone who experienced these conditions first-hand, Edith remains an incredibly gracious lady to this day. Edith wished to express that she has deep gratitude for Hudson Catholic's focus of teaching the faith, honesty and optimism that her son Peter received.

The Morales Family, pictured in happy times, before Pedro's passing in 2018: Pedro, Peter '74, Edith, and Peter's wife, Margaret.

Gimme Five!

The All Time Hawk Boys Basketball Team

As Voted By You

The results are in, and you have voted for the starting five and sixth man (due to a tie) for the Hawk Boys All Time Basketball Team. This was a difficult (and courageous) undertaking, given our illustrious 1,000 point scorers club, our Division 1 and NBA veterans, and many more players who were terrifically talented through the years on the Nick Mariniello Court in the Rocky Pope Gym.

Four players tied with an equal number of votes, for top billing: Jim Spanarkel ’75, Mike O’Koren ’76, Reggie Cameron ’13 and Jahvon Quinerly ’18. Following them, two more players tied for the next highest vote tally: Jim McDonough ’73 and Darlington Okerulu ’02.

Had this team actually played together, there may not have been enough basketballs or playing time to go around. But how exciting would it be to see?

Korrections Korner

For Fr. Alexander Webster '69’s literary works, we got it mostly right, but did receive this from the author himself. “As it happens, you missed one of my seven books. The Price of Prophecy cover that you do include is the second edition published in 1995. The first edition was published in 1993 and features a different cover as well as contents that had to be updated and expanded after Patriarch Alexei II of Moscow and All Russia finally repented publicly and fully for his woeful collaboration with the ruthless atheistic Soviet regime, even to the extent of betraying to the KGB many Orthodox clergy who refused to bow to the Communists. I think the HCHS library has a copy of that first edition (and maybe the second edition as well). Alas, I cannot find any website that includes the cover of the 1993 edition. Amazon.com and other vendors display a generic verbal cover without the striking red, gold, and black schematic depiction of an onion-domed Russian Orthodox church with the triple-bar cross at top of the dome broken as a symbol of ravages of the Soviets that spanned 74 years.“

Turn Your Brother and Sister 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

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

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

“The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

-- Pope Benedict XVI

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)



Mario Altamura, father of Michael '88 & Leonard '91

We are grateful for our Mikes!

Michael Skea '74

Your Trusted Real Estate Advisor at the Jersey Shore