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The Legend of Jumping Joe
Iconic Pioneer
English Teacher (1968-1985)
Passed Away Feb. 2nd
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Many condolences and tributes pouring in |
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If you were a student in Joe Bonner's class, you learned. Because the English Literature course that he taught was filled with great works, engaging dialogue about the themes and characters of those works, and an exploration and command of the new vocabulary introduced in the readings and continuously reinforced by Mr. Bonner.
He was ‘Jumping Joe’, a treasure to his young charges, and a fond nickname that emanated from his collegiate basketball prowess of big sky hooks at St. Peter’s College and entertaining dunks demonstrated on occasion to the Hudson Catholic faithful.
He was a true gentle giant and a great role model for his students.
He put his heart and soul into his teaching. As passionate as he was about English Lit and imparting lessons on his classes, he was also entertaining to his students. He would occasionally share stories of his friendship with fellow Bayonnian, pro boxer Chuck Wepner, who fought for the heavyweight title in 1974 and inspired the Oscar-winning film, 'Rocky'.
Mr. Bonner was always quick to entertain the student body by playing in the Seniors vs. Faculty basketball game. John Cunning '79 recalls how Joe, to settle a debate among his students, took the class to the gym to prove he could dunk a basketball. He did it in street clothes and shoes. Legend has it that that was from a standing start under the basket.
The early reputation for strong academics forged by Hudson Catholic was not coincidental to the arrival on the scene of the Bayonne teaching contingent of Joe Bonner, Jim Gannon, Jake O’Halloran, and Jack Campion. They came to Hudson Catholic by no accident or coincidence. Bonner, Gannon, and O’Halloran attended St. Vincent’s Grammar School together in Bayonne, then St. Peter’s College.
After college graduation, Gannon joined Hudson Catholic in the fall of 1967. A chance run-in on the street in the spring of ’68 led to Bonner’s recruitment to the faculty in the fall that year, simultaneously with O’Halloran. And the rest is History. At least it was for O’Halloran. It was Math for Gannon, English for Bonner.
Jim O'Donnell '69, a student and, later, a faculty contemporary, remembers Joe as “a teacher of students and a teacher of teachers who helped give Hudson its strong academic reputation -- a big man who loved to delve into the world of little words, much to the benefit of his English students. Like Shane, his goodness will renew itself continuously as it is passed down in the voices and deeds of the young who witnessed his courageous excellence."
Fred Miller ‘71 - “I was a freshman and was in Joe’s 1C home room in September ’68, his first year at The Hawk’s Nest. We were so fortunate to have him for Homeroom AND English. He was simply incredible working with our rowdy and impressionable group of young men. He made such a positive impact. I will never forget him trying to get us excited about Conrad’s great work, as well as bringing in one of his Bayonne Buddies, legendary boxer Chuck Wepner, to WOW our class with his boxing stories.”
John Winstanley ’73 - “Had Mr. Bonner for Freshman English… GREAT TEACHER!!!…Novels, short stories, plays, poetry, journalism, grammar……he touched them all…..He gave us the foundation for every subsequent English course. Memories: reading aloud magazine items on the fly; Beatles’ Abbey Road observations, sentence structure, the bent rim.”
John Colaneri ’70 - “I have an excellent vocabulary. I have an excellent vocabulary because I had an excellent Freshman English teacher, Mr. Joseph Bonner. His tutelage in this area was so complete that I flew through the vocabulary section of my SATs and was challenged by a Professor at Seton Hall, as my writing was a great deal better than my Jersey City accent led him to believe. Mr. Bonner also covered a number of poignant short stories, stressing their life lessons. My personal favorite was ‘The Scarlet Ibis’. If you were to read it, you’d easily understand. I regret that I failed to tell him how highly I thought and will always think of him.”
Bruce Murdock ‘85 - “I have that image of Mr. Bonner standing in front of the class holding a paperback as his excitement and joy of literature exuded from his gestures, his voice, and his beaming visage.” (Editor’s note: there’s that Bonner vocab coming through)
Terrence Leonard ‘85 - “I always remember how into the books he was. He enjoyed the literature himself as much as he enjoyed teaching it.”
Mike Paradine ‘80 - “He lived two doors away from me. He would always stop by when I was in front of the house and we talked about music.”
The impact that Mr. Bonner had on his classrooms for 17 years can be summed up in but a few words, expressed extemporaneously by Jim Sweeney ’73. Jim is hosting class ‘planning meetings’ at Kelly’s in Neptune. When it was suggested to him that the gathering raise a toast to Joe Bonner, Jim responded, “After we recite some Beowulf.”
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Circa 1973, Joe Bonner, seen at upper right, along with English faculty members, Top Row L.to R. Henry Pawlak, Br. Martin Zewe, Nick Butovich, Jack Campion; Bottom Row: Frank Acito, Dominic Garvey, Br. Thomas Bundra, Br. Richard Stoutzenberger.
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Rest in Peace, Mr. Bonner |
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Wall of Honor Inductees Announced
Lenczuk, Stewart, Bisiacchi, Robinson, Higgins
To Be Installed April 1st
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Walking into the Joseph ‘Rocky’ Pope Gym, one’s eyes immediately draw to the Bergen Avenue wall festooned with a string of banners containing names, numbers, and/or symbols that form a visual history of the greatest athletic performers in the annals of Hudson Catholic. You know immediately that the athletes and coaches paid tribute on that wall are special. Very special.
The meaning of this wall is told as much by names that are not on it, as those that are. Hudson Catholic has indeed had many great athletes, teams and coaches over the years. The competition for limited 'Wall Space' is substantial, the honor, therefore, exclusive.
This honor is not for a person who excelled in their sport in their time at Hudson Catholic, but for the person who excelled when compared across all sports and all eras. It is not for ‘the best’, but for ‘the best of the best’. Outstanding performers are judged against other outstanding performers throughout school history.
Receiving this honor immediately vaults the honorees into a segment of Hudson Catholic leadership, for along with members of the Hall of Fame, the Administration, the Faculty, the Board of Consultors, and Alumni Association Officers, Wall of Honor Inductees are looked to as beacons of Hudson Catholic by those who observe the names on the Wall.
This year’s Inductees include two historic players, two venerable coaches, and THE Hawk super-fan! Let's meet them.
the late John Higgins ’77 (Fan & Announcer).
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Paul Lenczuk (Track & Field) is a beloved 40-year track and field, cross country, and football coach, and Physical Ed Teacher, whose unique motivational style pushed Hawk athletes to their zenith. Over 1968 - 2008, Coach Lenczuk's teams captured 15 Jersey City Track Championships, 7 County Relay Championships, 6 Hudson County Track Coaches Association Championships, 6 HCIAA League Championships, and 3 Jersey City Cross Country Championships. Along the way, his athletes garnered 159 individual Jersey City Event Championships. In self-effacing style, Coach Lenczuk acknowledged that "any successful coach needed to have the horses to win". And among the 'horses' across his tenure, the names that came immediately to his mind were Steve Dzitko '77 ("our first superstar; like a decathlete"); the late Doug O'Neill '97 ("the best shot putter in school history with a record of 58' and a full ride to Rutgers"); High Hurdler Miguel Alvarez '79 ("our first State Champion"); middle or long distance runners Al Long '73, Tom Downes '78, Matt Hogan '86, Bill Cullen '72 ("the original stud"), Fred Miller '71, Joe Browne '82 ("State Champion half-miler"), Dennis Cronin '81, and Chris Cassaro '99); and Frank Verga '86 ("another decathlete who could do anything").
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Katria Stewart ’15 (Volleyball) holds many records, played on division championship and state semi-final teams, and earned HCIAL Player of the Year and All State Second Team honors, but that is just the beginning. She holds two distinctions as a pioneer female athlete at Hudson Catholic -- the first in school history to receive an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship -- to play for the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) 49ers -- and, now, to make it on to the Wall of Honor. Katria has come home, now serving as the Head Volleyball Coach at the Hawks Nest to carry on the winning tradition of one of the school's strongest athletic programs.
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Bruno Bisiacchi ’84 (Hockey) was a scoring machine, a great puck handler, and our first hockey superstar. His prolific goal scoring and passing earned him NJ State records for Goals (66) and Points (111) in a season when he tallied six goals and five assists in the last game of his high school career. For that, he garnered a feature in the "Faces in the Crowd" column in Sports Illustrated, not to mention a permanent place in Hudson Catholic record books.
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Cory Robinson (Hockey) His coaching leadership brought Hudson Catholic its second State Championship of any sport in school history, as the 1999-2000 Hockey Team captured the NJ State Tournament of Champions title at the Meadowlands Arena. In ten seasons at Hudson Catholic, from 1991-2001, Coach Robinson's teams recorded 198 wins - 55 losses - 17 ties. His teams captured three Division Championships, a Handchen Cup title and two Von Cott Cup titles. His winning percentage of 78% places him in the running for winningest coach in the history of Hudson Catholic.
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The Late John Higgins ’77 (Fan). John's attendance at Hawk sports contests of all kinds just seemed ubiquitous. Whatever it actually was, it was way ahead of whoever is in second place! John was a loyal Black & Gold fan and tried to help out our teams in any way he could. In particular, he thoroughly enjoyed being the public address announcer at Hawk home basketball games for many seasons. We lost John in April 2014; no one since has been able to lay claim to the title of Hudson Catholic Super Fan!
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Attending or Sponsoring
the Wall of Honor Event?
Contact Jill Cypher, Director of Marketing & Events
jcypher@hudsoncatholic.org / 201-332-5970 x118
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Donating by Debit
For those who prefer to donate via direct debit, rather than credit card online, we had been offering the Venmo platform that afforded ease of use from your phone or computer. For reasons having to do with payment processing for tuition payments, a business decision was made to end our relationship with Venmo and replace our direct debit capabilities with the Zelle platform, which operates in the same fashion, linking bank account to bank account for transacting personal payments.
If your attempted use of Venmo results in a bounce back, please consider using the same arrangement through Zelle, or temporarily use the online credit card option.
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Attending Your Class Reunion?
Contact Jill Cypher, Director of Marketing & Events
jcypher@hudsoncatholic.org / 201-332-5970 x118
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When a Parent Passes
The Student Emergency Fund Is There to Soften the Loss
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The Hudson Catholic Scholarship Program contains one very special fund with a balance that is put to use in very special circumstances.
We have been saddened by the fact that four students have now lost three parents this year, but heartened by the fact that we have a Student Emergency Fund that stands ready to aid them and their families in such difficult times, by covering remaining tuition obligations for the current or future years.
You may choose to add to this fund balance at any time at hudsoncatholic.org/hcsp, by opening the drop-down menu of available scholarships, and selecting the Student Emergency Fund to make a gift.
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Hudson Catholic Personified
The following letter to the whole of Hudson Catholic’s Faculty, Administration, and Staff is from Mr. James Falconer of our Religion Dept., written the day following the funeral of Mr. Albert Aziz, father of our students, Joseph and James, and is reprinted here, with permission of the writer. The highlights are those of the editor. Editor’s note: have the tissues nearby.
Dear Colleagues,
I wanted to share something with you that I feel is very important, something that touched me deeply yesterday.
I taught Joseph Aziz last year, and I teach James this year. As most of you know, they are hard-working boys with great attitudes. Therefore it was a real privilege that Mr. Matthews encouraged me to attend their father's funeral yesterday with a small group of our Peer Ministers to represent Hudson Catholic.
The Aziz family are Coptic Christians, the family originally being from Egypt. The funeral service was simple, intimate and beautiful. It was mainly in English, but there was a lot of Arabic too. I had never met Albert Aziz before.
Younger brother James stepped up and delivered a perfect eulogy, showing his devotion to his father who seemed a perfect role model. From James I learned all I needed to know. Albert was a family man of faith, devoted to his wife and sons. Albert was always there for his family. He loved them. They loved him back. I watched as young James breathed deeply and spoke from the heart, and in doing so transformed from boy to man in front of my very eyes.
Our students sat through the service and were exemplary in their focus from start to finish. The Aziz family were visibly moved to see us there, representing Hudson Catholic, and thanked us profusely.
Like all of you, I know that at times, many of our students drive us a little crazy with missing assignments, tardiness, uniform violations etc. etc. etc. However I was humbled yesterday and reminded of how beautiful our student body is when they stand together as one. As we all know, a true Catholic education is much more than just what happens in our classrooms.
It also struck me that our Peer Ministers who attended were Hispanic/ African-American/ Asian-American. They were Catholic, Protestant, Muslim and 'not really sure' -- and there we all were standing together as one body at a Coptic Service to show our solidarity for the Aziz family. Incredibly surreal.
I was so proud to represent Hudson Catholic yesterday. It felt a real honor. A special privilege. There is an incredible strength in the genuine diversity that we possess in our school. And although our students sometimes drive us a little crazy- it's worth it!
I AM PROUD TO BE A HAWK.
Thanks for letting me express myself.
RIP Albert Aziz
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Of Mad Men and Starlets
Hawk Makes the Stars Shine
Who’s that with Charlie DeCaro ’69 Could that be Lady Gaga?
Charles, along with his partner Rocco Laspata, have run their New York City-based advertising agency for 35 years, with clients mainly in the fashion arena.
Over the years, they’ve had the privilege of working with many bold talents in both the modeling and entertainment industries, and have built relationships and friendships with some of their clients beyond the confines of a photo shoot.
Yes, that is Charlie with Lady Gaga, at a Vanity Fair Oscar party in Los Angeles. The ‘Mad Men’ often end their photo shoot days with a group portrait, so here is one with Sarah Jessica Parker,.
One of Charles’ favorite memories is having Lauren Hutton, Helena Christensen, and Linda Evangelista wheel out the cake at his parents’ 50th anniversary party! They remain very close friends. For his and Rocco’s full body of work, check out their website at laspatadecaro.com.
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The Smithsonian Called
They Want Your Alumni Directory
(We’ll Take Your Current Information)
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The Alumni Directory is no more. Not since the Harris Company left the business of compiling, publishing, and selling alumni directories a number of years ago. They really performed a great service for schools by finding people and updating contact information of all types.
Of course, the Office of Advancement does that today, but in a much different way - through direct contact with you, as well as periodic public source searches conducted by our database provider, Raiser’s Edge by Blackbaud.
But the part that is missing is that we do not / cannot share this information from our proprietary database with our alumni members. In the ‘old days’, Harris, upon compiling the information, would make it available for sale to individual members. For years, this is how the Alumni Association, then the school, would keep up with our graduates.
The book also sliced the data many different ways so that we could appeal to segments of the base having common attributes - those who graduated a particular college, engaged in a certain profession, or who were clustered in a certain geographic area. We still do some of this, but only when we have the data captured.
Over the years, many of the members have made changes in their lives without sharing that information with Hudson Catholic, so we sometimes find ourselves limited when trying to identify alumni who would benefit from shared interests with other alums. If you have been receiving email requests about classmates from the CAO, this is why.
Don’t be surprised if we embark on such a survey in future, at which time we would ask all Hawks to get on board with Staying Connected and Up To Date.
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Hawk Squared, well-suited for Fame, Darlington Okerulu ’02 was inducted into the St. Anselm’s College (NH) Athletic Hall of Fame this past Saturday, the 22nd. The all-time leader in rebounds for the Saint Anselm Hawks (!) men's basketball team graduated in 2006, racking up 953 career rebounds across 119 games. Also a proficient scorer, he finished with 1,343 career points in a four-year career on the Hilltop. Darlington’s strong play helped the Hawks to back-to-back NE10 Championships in 2005 and 2006.
While in school at Hudson Catholic, Darlington developed a close relationship with Thomas F.X. Bender Jr ’69, as evidenced by an excerpt from a note he recently sent Tom’s way to notify Tom of his election to his college Hall of Fame. “I hope you are well! It's been a long time since we connected. I wanted to thank you for all that you did for me in high school. I remember that you bought my first tailored suit! It resonates with me daily for when I conduct myself in business meetings. I want to express gratitude for you being one of the miracles in my life as a supporter through my youth.”
Once a Hawk, always a Hawk!
(Editor’s note: Darlington is a member of the exclusive Hudson Catholic 1,000 Point Club)
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Pro-Safety Safety Pro. William Downey ‘89 has moved from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to the Rutgers University Police Department in New Brunswick as a Background Investigator, where he’ll be able to see our very own Taj White ’22 play for Coach Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights next football season!
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Hospitable Hawk. James Chien ’83 is the Executive Chef at Sheraton Hotel Atlanta Airport, having 26 years as a professional in the Hospitality, Food and Beverage industry. Stop by on a layover before your connecting flight!
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John Klapouchy '80
Taking the Plunge March 5th!
In the Ancient Order of Hibernians'
Polar Plunge for Catholic Education
at the Sea Bright, NJ Municipal Beach at 1pm
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Our Polar Plunging Hawk Alum, John Klapouchy '80 will once again brave the winter North Atlantic as part of this annual event.
Take the Plunge and Become a Sponsor
Gold Hawk Sponsor $200: "All the way in"
Silver Hawk Sponsor $100: "Half in, half out."
Bronze Hawk Sponsor $75: "Up to my knees"
"Toes and Ankles.....brrrrr": $50
Donations benefit
The Fund for Hudson Catholic
Checks to Advancement at the school address Credit card at hudsoncatholic.org/1964
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Public Service Announcement
Looking for photos of any kind for the 1984 Hawk Baseball County Championship Team, the very first varsity baseball title team in school history.
If you can share, kindly send digital copies to:
advancement@hudsoncathoilic.org
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Save a Stamp
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Share employer name, job title, professional field
Personal updates: degrees, marriage, births, job change/promotion, awards
FYI
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Provide prospect contact information for Marist or St. Anthony Legacy Scholarship at Hudson Catholic
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
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Find past issues of Building The Legacy
Purchase Hawk gear online at:
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/newjersey/jerseycity/hudson-catholic-high-school
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Upon being asked if his mother ever dreamed that he would become president of the Ford Foundation, the late Franklin Thomas replied, “She would not have set her sights so low.” |
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The Office of Advancement ~ Gary, Jill & Jenine
201-332-5970 x118
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Special thanks to our sponsors: |
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