Thank You!

For Your Gifts at Year End

To you, it’s a new year. To Hudson Catholic, it’s mid-year! We are tremendously grateful for all your gifts made at the calendar year-end, some of which are made with tax-planning for charitable deductions involved. We get that.

But please do not forget us as we get underway with the second half of our school and fiscal year. A steady stream of non-tuition revenue remains essential to keeping our school operating at a steady pace throughout the year. January is typically a slow month for gifts and donations, coming on the heals of the recent calendar and tax year-end.

So, we continue to appeal to our Hawks of yore, and our many supportive friends, to send a little something our way, to tide us through an always-challenging month of January.

Every two weeks in this publication, we try and share some examples that justify your trust and support for what our faculty, staff and administration put into Hudson Catholic, and our deserving students experience at Hudson Catholic. We hope you agree that your ongoing support of The Home of The Hawks is well-placed.

School Choice

Would Make Hudson Catholic

Sustainable For Another Generation

For Catholics, education is core to our identity.

As the Catechism says, “Parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental,” and “public authorities have the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring concrete conditions for its exercise.”

Despite recent growth, many Catholic schools operate at a financial loss. That’s because the average cost to families doesn’t come close to capturing all the expenses involved. To make up the difference, Catholic schools rely heavily on private donors, diocesan support, and the endless work of administrators who are dedicated to the mission of Catholic education.

But there is another option that can sustain and ensure the continued growth of Catholic schools and education: 'School Choice'.



In leading school-choice states, Catholic school enrollment growth is especially strong, and schools have not faced the same types of existential struggles as many in other states regularly do.

When parents can redirect some of their education tax dollars to the schools of their choice, many choose Catholic schools — and many schools no longer face the same financial burdens as before.

During the pandemic, leaders across the country proved their dedication to this mission by keeping students learning in historically challenging conditions. They succeeded where the system failed.

As we continue to learn more about the scale of the challenge ahead of us to clean up the disaster of the last few years, lawmakers should pass the types of programs that ensure Catholic schools can remain strong for another generation who will need them.

Hudson Catholic Gala &

Hall of Fame Inductions

Thursday, March 30, 2023 6pm

at The Liberty House, Jersey City

Bringing the Hall of Fame to You

First Inductees in 2005

Brother Patrick King, Rocky Pope, Class of 1968

In the lead-up to the induction of new Hall of Famers on March 30^th, we will bring you the profiles of those who are installed in the Hall of Fame on display in the main lobby of the school.

For those of you not able to visit in person, this will give you an opportunity to dwell on the many significant contributions of our Hall of Famers to Hudson Catholic, their communities, and professions.

While the Hudson Catholic Hall of Fame is a visual centerpiece in the school lobby, we realize that not everyone can visit the school to see it. Consequently, we are in the process of digitizing the Hall and presenting it on hudsoncatholic.org/hof for all to see ‘the best of Hudson Catholic’ on display.

Brother Patrick King, FSC

Synonymous with Hudson CatholiC * Served 34 years in 3 stints * LaSalle College degreed in Biology, Theology, Education, Chemistry * Arrived at Hudson Catholic 1966, taught Math & Science 10 years * Assistant Principal in 1975 -1978 * Dean of Students at West Catholic, 1978-1981 * Returned to Hudson in 1981; taught Math & Science for 11 years * Principal, Bishop Walsh in Cumberland, MD for five years in the 90s, then five years on faculty at St. John College High School in Washington, DC * Returned to teach Math at Hudson Catholic in 2000 * Returned to St. John’s in 2012 to tutor students with learning differences * Served Hudson Catholic in added roles of Athletic Director, Team Bus Driver, Science Department Chair, Alumni Moderator, and moderator of baseball, basketball, track, hockey, and football * First inducted member of the Hall of Fame

Coach Joe 'Rocky' Pope

Served a lifetime of involvement with young athletes in Jersey City * Built St. Bridget’s Grammar School into a CYO powerhouse * Coached ten years at St. Mary’s High School in Downtown * Became Varsity Basketball Coach at Hudson Catholic in 1971, holding that position for 13 years * Led the Hawks to the 1973 North Jersey Parochial A Group Championship, the 1975 HCIAA Hudson County Championship over St. Anthony’s before 5,000 fans at the Jersey City Armory, and the 1976 New Jersey Parochial A State ChampionshiP * Among five 1,000-point scorers he coached, he helped shape the success of Hudson Catholic’s most famous round ball players who went on to College All American honors and NBA careers, Jim Spanarkel and Michael O’Koren * Became Varsity Baseball Coach in 1972, for a 19-year run in which Hawk teams captured 6 HCIAA South titles and 1 Hudson County Championship, in 1984 * His early success with Hawk athletic teams is thought to have attracted many students, not just athletes, to our young school * Although a strict disciplinarian, he delighted in the accomplishments, both on and off the field or court, of the young men he coached * A firm believer that wisdom did not necessarily come with a diploma

The Class of 1968

From the day they assembled as Hudson Catholic’s first class at St. Patrick’s Grammar School to the day they entered the doors of Bergen Avenue, to the day they became Hudson Catholic’s first alumni, the members of the Class of 1968 have been the architects of the foundation and proud traditions upon which the school stands today * They boldly and proudly represented Hudson Catholic throughout Jersey City and Hudson County, solidifying the school’s rightful presence among the other Catholic high schools in the city and county * Members have achieved many great things, proudly carrying with them the mantle of Hudson Catholic to their distinguished careers in accounting, business, education, finance, law, medicine, and public service * Their personal and professional lives have taken them far from Jersey City and the school they love, but their hearts have always remained at Hudson Catholic * Hudson Catholic is proud to count the men of the Class of 1968 among its alumni and is truly grateful for the generous and loyal support they have provided for nearly five decades

The Jack Campion Stage Naming Tribute

NEW DATE

Friday, April 28th, 2023 - 6pm

in the 'Rocky' Pope Gymnasium

Alumni Spotlight

Hawk by Design. John Nastasi ’81. As an Architect and principal of his own design practice in Hoboken, NJ, John has built a body of work which has been recognized nationally and internationally. John has been awarded the prestigious Young Architects Award from the Architectural League of New York and, while enrolled in Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, received Harvard’s prestigious Rice Prize in Architecture and Engineering.

After Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast, John led a team of faculty and students at Stevens Institute in the design of The SU+RE House, the Grand Prize Winner at the US Department of Energy’s International Solar Decathlon Competition. A book about this home and design methods has been published in London by Architectural Design. This past year, John's short film on his design for the new storm resilient electrical substation for the City of Hoboken was a finalist in the National American Institute of Architects film competition. And John's studio is currently designing a new modern Municipal Complex for the City of Hoboken, as well as a series of modern homes in Hoboken, Monmouth Beach, and Eastern Long Island.

John credits his love for drawing and design to his days at Hudson Catholic in Mr Joseph Amorino's drawing classes, while also crediting his unwavering work ethic and competitiveness to his time on the Hawk Wrestling and Football teams. 

Architect of a Different Kind. Mike Lubanski ’91, former member of the Hudson Catholic Board of Consultors, is an Azure Architect at Azure VMware Solutions, in his 15th year at Microsoft Services. In performing the role of Solutions Architect for both pre-sales and delivery of cloud solutions, Mike leads some of the firm’s most complex programs with its largest customers and partners. Mike is a 1995 graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, and holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Gone Fishing. Mark Bevacqua ’74 worked for Siemens for 47 years, most recently Siemens Health Systems, retiring last Dec 31st. He reports that he has enjoyed the first year of his retirement very much.

Ready for Prime (Crime) Time. Giuseppe Fazari '92, Ph.D. recently sat down with Emmy-award winning broadcaster, Steve Adubato for PBS' One on One, to discuss his documentary, Why They Kill, addressing the factors that perpetuate violence and what can be done to interrupt or preclude the process.

BTLv75 Focus on '75

Spanarkel and O'Koren. How many times have those names been uttered together? Those names were forever linked when they brought glory and honor to Hudson Catholic. They played together as Hawks from 1972 through 1975. They played against each other for three years in the ACC at Duke and North Carolina, each appearing in the NCAA National Title Game, and then for four more years in the NBA as members of the competing Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets. They remain good friends through this day. Above, seen competing head-on in the NBA, and reminiscing at last year's SPU Peacocks Elite Eight Game in Philadelphia, working the game as TV Analysts with Ian Eagle.

'75 Memories

New Principal: Brother Martin Zewe, FSC

In a game that really put Hawk Basketball on the map for decades to come, the '74-'75 team wins our first Varsity County Championship, 63-53 over St. Anthony’s and legendary coach Bob Hurley before 7,000 fans at the Jersey City Armory.

But arguably an even greater victory resulted from a battle of the wits, when the Hawk Chess Team, captained by Neil Fiore, captured the County Championship in only the team's second year of existence, defeating PREP and ending their 5-year run at the top!

The Hawk 'High School Set' in the Jersey Journal on March 11, 1975 thanked Mrs. Catherine Stelmach, Moderator of the Hawk Cheerleaders, along with Co-Captain, Judy Baratta, and Captain Sheila McPherson (who is long-time happily married to Steven Cuccinelli '75, a member of that year's County Champ Basketball Team) / the Men's Club to hold its Annual Bazaar this coming week / Dave Sheil won a Savings Bond after taking an exam given by the New Jersey Society of CPAs / Column items contributed by Robert Sadowski and Jerry Pendrick. Facutly Advisors were Mr. Henry Pawlak and Mr. Nick Butovich.

Vic Pianese: First thoughts of four wonderful years at Hudson Catholic are of the quality of our teachers. We were blessed with Jack Campion, Ken Dandorph, Bea Wysocki, Adrienne Wozniak, and Nadia Makar. They were outstanding - they expertly covered their subject areas... and they taught us how to THINK! Other random memories... freshman basketball tryouts lined up in alphabetical order... I turn around and Jim Spanarkel is towering over me! (No, I did not make the squad... LOL). Always loved hopping on the rickety bus for an afternoon gym class in Lincoln Park. The change in dress code from jacket and tie to a button down shirt (think it was sophomore year). The modular schedule - A, B or C... 24 "mods". For some reason, I kept my freshman schedule...Day 5.....8 mods end of day - GYM!

Hawk Get-Togethers

There is a certain '75 crew that, in maintaining their friendship over the many years, is perhaps the very best at doing this. It is the Class of '75 (with a couple of '74s and friends thrown in). They have been doing this annually for decades, in the holiday season. They are: from the right, around the table, Chairman of the Board Steve Cuccinelli, Vic Pianese, JD Marsella, Mike Kahrer, Bob Sudman, Fred Gordon, Tony Cavallo, Ed DiBianco, Joe Brady, Steve Ulrich, Mike Perchun, Jim Spanarkel, Joe Jankoski, Ray Parente, John Branagan, John Dinardo, Tom Torzewski, Don Daly, Frank Giordano, Steve Neri, Bruce Bock, and Glen Taylor. Long may you run, Hawks!

The boys of '70 were at it recently, hosting their Faculty mentors, Jack Campion and Jake O'Halloran at, where else? -- Laico's! If you have to ask where it is -- don't! Pictured around the table: back row: Rich Loughlin, Mike Sorrentino, Bill Dunn, Tom Oricco, Tim Healy, Jim Lannon, Charles Marsella; front row: Vin Tomassi, Jack Campion, Jake O'Halloran

Vin Browne ’81 is Chief Legal Officer for Employment & Labor at Prudential. They are looking for ERISA attorneys. You can find Vin on linkedin.

Prayers for a Brothers Boy

The whole nation and football fans everywhere are praying for a recovery from near death for Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills. As it happens, Damar is an alumnus of Central Catholic in Pittsburgh, where many of our own Christian Brothers have taught and are entwined in that school's rich Christian Brothers legacy as well as ours. In fact, the Christian Brothers still administer Central Catholic today, and partially staff this all-boys Lasallian school, with oversight by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. 'Central' opened 95 years ago. It's sister school is Oakland Catholic, founded 1989, in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Central is also home to the Baginski Scholars Program, named for the late Brother David Baginski, FSC, who came to Hudson Catholic from Central, as our Principal in 1994 and died suddenly in 1996.

Damar Hamlin lives his Lasallian values, in service to others, through his 'Chasing M's' Foundation that supports toy drives, back to school drives, and kids camps for the underprivileged kids of his hometown of McRees Rock, PA. Let's all the Brothers Boys, and Lasallian Girls and Boys of Hudson Catholic, join in community with Central Catholic, and pray for Damar and his return to good health soon.

Blast From The Past

Here we go again! More aquatic hijinks! In what appeared to develop into an annual tradition in the 80s and 90s, the Hawk Swim Team seemed not to have any proper swimwear for their practices and meets. We wonder if that had anything to do with their coach at the time, one Terence Matthews!

Do you recognize anybody? Can you name them? Can you venture a guess at the year this photo was taken? Send all responses to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org.

Help Increase Circulation!

This isn't an article about our older alumni! This is about finding more Hawks and adding their email addresses to distribution, so they, too, can enjoy he latest issues of Building The Legacy as they sip their favorite elixir by the fireside. To capture their email addresses:

Send known email addresses to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org or

Send alumni to hudsoncatholic.org/stay-connected to update their info

Who are we talking about?

Smile!

At smile.amazon.com, you can log in to your Amazon account and, under the search bar, look up and select Hudson Catholic as the organization you would like to support. With that, each time you shop Amazon, Hudson Catholic will receive a small percentage back as a donation. Or you can go to hudsoncatholic.org/givetohc and click on our school's Smile emblem to get started.

"To find yourself, you need to lose yourself in the service to others" - Mahatma Gandhi

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)



James Coyle '68

Ed Duthaler '68

John Cardillo '74

Roderick Geraghty '80

Joseph Newby '95

Carol Seborowski, mother of Edward '87

Marie Hogan, mother of William '79 / James '81 / Patrick '84

Doris Matulewicz, mother of Michael '84

Michael Skea '74

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