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Tom Cash:

A Man From La Salle

Mr. Tom Cash is one of Hudson Catholic’s most endeared benefactors. He is a great ambassador for Catholic education in urban settings and, in our instance, supports Hudson Catholic both individually and programmatically. Tom recently extended a major gift of $25,000 directly to Hudson Catholic, repeating the same gift of a year ago. This is evidence that he, along with the organization he founded, The Student/Partner Alliance, which also supports Hudson Catholic, believes in our mission and considers our school a success in aligning tongue-and-groove with the S/PA mission.

A native of Chicago, Tom moved to Short Hills in 1980. As a senior executive of global operations at American Express, Tom, in 1993, co-founded the Student/Partner Alliance, which perennially gifts over $100,000 of tuition assistance in support of many Hudson Catholic families, among several Catholic schools in New Jersey. This all started with the support of ten students at St. Mary’s, Jersey City that first year. In addition, S/PA seeks to partner with the students they support, with mentors among those donors who believe in the S/PA mission. To date, S/PA has helped over 2,000 students achieve academic success, with nearly 200 students in this year’s program.

And here is the most fundamental point about choosing to donate to a high school rather than a college or university. Thirty years ago, Tom “realized that there was plenty of scholarship money available for a variety of colleges, but the hard part was getting the grades and test scores that would qualify students for those scholarships.” Thus, his efforts and resources could have a far greater impact at the high school level.

For dedication of this magnitude, we thank and salute Tom Cash as a ‘Man From La Salle’, living a life in service to others! He “Is The Hawk!”

____________________________________________________________

The next time you think of making a gift to your college alma mater, stop. And think of Tom’s epiphany about the high school years being the most crucial years in a young person’s education, setting the foundation for higher learning and enabling receipt of the financial aid that can propel one to their chosen college, career, and success in life. Your Chief Advancement Officer is a living, breathing example of that.

Emmett Daly, left, President, and Tom Cash, right,

co-founders of the Student/Partner Alliance

Is Here, this Friday!

$30,000 on the line through a

Challenge Match

Giving is as easy as snapping this QR code - now, leading up to, or on the 7th. Hawk Pride manifests is many ways. Let's do this! Be The Hawk!

Not So Sweet

An End to the Madness

Both of our remaining Tournament Hawks bowed out in the round of the Sweet 16. Zanai Jones '21's Villanova Wildcats lost to Miami University, 70-65, finishing with a record of 31 wins, 7 losses. Jahvon Quinerly 18's Alabama Crimson Tide lost to San Diego St., 71-64 to finish at 31 wins, 6 losses.

We congratulate all our Hawks on their teams' very successful seasons.

Five Worthy Hall of Fame Inductees Feted at Hudson Catholic Gala

In a historic night for Hudson Catholic at it's Hall of Fame Induction Gala held at The Liberty House in Liberty State Park, five of the 13 First Female Graduates of 2010 were on hand for the celebration of Hudson Catholic's historic venture into co-education 14 years ago, joining four giants in the annals of Hawk graduates and Christian Brothers.

Video tributes were used as the introductions of each inductee. Wall of Honor Coach Paul Lenczuk introduced Steve Dzitko '77, citing Steve as one of the top five athletes he ever coached, "and maybe the greatest one." Young Tim McGraw, a freshman at CBA, who Brother Tim Ahern keeps an eye on, ably introduced "his grandfather," Gerard McGraw '72, which resonated with all in attendance. Hall of Famer Brian Neary '69, introduced his classmate, Rick Rsocitt '69, getting a laugh from the audience by citing he was number 2 in his class to number 1 Roscitt, but that he was also number 2 in his class to enter the Hall of Fame, putting Roscitt behind him at number 3 from '69! Rick, though, has put his class into the lead for most individual class members enshrined. Hall of Famer John Cruitt introduced Brother Kevin Stanton, calling attention to the Brother's prescience in removing "for Boys" from the Bergen Avenue wall of the building in the '80s, some 20 years before those 'First Girls' entered the halls of 790 Bergen Avenue. And in the clean-up spot, Terry Matthews recalled his visit to St. Jospeh's in the waning days of that school to represent Hudson Catholic and speak to the upper classes about coming to our school. When one of the ladies who would become one of our 'First Girls' told Terry "we will always be Blue Jays," Terry calmly held eye contact and matter-of-factly replied "Hawks EAT Blue Jays." The response to that was, "ok, we're coming!"

Casey Lourenco-Marmora spoke about being the only one the 13 First Female Graduates who "came to Hudson Catholic, not because I had to, but because I wanted to," she being the only one not from St. Joe's, but from Holy Family Bayonne, when she heard that Hudson would be accepting upper class transfers in addition to enrolling its first freshman class with females.

The theme of honoring the historic occasion of adding and graduating females at Hudson Catholic resonated throughout the remarks of each honoree in leading up to the FFGs moment in the limelight, proving that along with their own great honor, they continued to find the humility to acknowledge and recognize others. The words of each of the new Hall of Fame inductees proved that the selection committee made the right choices to add to 'The Best of Hudson Catholic' who will now join prior inductees as 'Beacons of Hudson Catholic' representing our school with honor and dignity, and showing the way to all others in their unqualified support of and advocacy for all things Hudson Catholic.

Terry Matthews, in his remarks about Hudson Catholic today, made reference to the 13 students in attendance to help with event logistics and meet and greet our guests. He noted, with pride, that these 13 students, to date, had garnered acceptances to Harvard, Yale, Penn, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, and many more. This brought the house down, in acknowledgement of why we are all in it for Hudson Catholic -- for our finished product -- our students.

The occasion of bi-annual Hall of Fame Inductions is a perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate that Hudson Catholic's nearly 60-year history is a diverse mosaic, from its beginnings as a considerably less diverse, albeit urban milieu, of all-boys, administered by the Christian Brothers, to its present day highly-diverse (in every way imaginable - race, faith, and gender), co-educational student body and lay-administered institution that works now, as it always did, bound together by the gift of Lasallian mission, given and taught to us by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which continues to run straight through the core of Hudson Catholic. Those in positions of leadership in today's Hudson Catholic, therefore, have the privilege of being the custodians and stewards of this wonderful mission, and the responsibility to pay that forward to those stewards yet to come.

President-Principal Terry Matthews joining our Hall of Fame inductees, First Female Graduates of 2010, Alyson Montalvo, Casey Lourenco-Marmora, Jary Carvajal-Moore, Kristy Fernandez, and Cynthia Rodriguez.

Captains of Industry

Hall of Fame Inductees Gerard McGraw '72 and Rick Roscitt '69

The Coach behind the Star!

Wall of Honor Track & Field Coach Paul Lenczuk reunites with and introduced star athlete - football and Track & Field standout -- Steve Dzitko '77

The Christian Brothers were in the house!

Left to right, Joseph Dougherty, FSC, Hall of Famer Richard Kestler, FSC, Kevin Stanton, FSC and Hall of Fame inductee, Hall of Famer Tim Ahern, FSC, and Tim Froehlich, FSC.

From the left, Seniors Jadea Figueroa and Julia Sanchez, and Maya Thybull on the right, representing our present-day females, flank our First Female Graduates of 2010 and Hall of Fame inductees, Alyson Montalvo, Cynthia Rodriguez, Jary Carvajal-Moore, and Kristy Fernandez.

Up Next:

A Tribute to Jack Campion

Stage Naming Honors on April 28th

'The Interview'

with

Mr. Jack Campion, Sir!

Jack Campion served at Hudson Catholic for 15 years, from 1966 to 1981, teaching Literature and Drama, and chairing the English Department for a number of years. A man of ‘unorthodox’ teaching methods, if you had him, he was and is truly unforgettable, and his teaching style is the source for broad smiles even today. We rang Jack recently and peppered him with questions, to re-introduce the man who “belongs to us.”

BTL: How did you find your way on to our Faculty?

JC: My wife Jane’s aunt, Yolanda Choiecki, was the secretary to Brother Felix Francis, the Principal in 1965, and she alerted me to an upcoming opening on the faculty. I sat for an interview in December and, that day, Brother Felix hired me for a role beginning in September 1966.

BTL: Favorite Class Year at Hudson Catholic?

JC: I have one, but I’m not saying.

BTL: Fondest memories of your years at 790 Bergen?

JC: I have so, so many, it is very difficult to choose among them. I made very good friends with a number of my faculty colleagues way back then, and we still see each other today! I’ll have more to say about this at the event. Also, I deeply enjoyed all 11 stage productions we put on during my years there. And it always pleased me a great deal when alumni would come back from college for a visit and tell me that “Hudson Catholic prepared me for college. I’ve already studied what some courses are offering."

BTL: Most memorable moment?

JC: A school Assembly in 1970. Brother Luke Maher came on stage to announce and call up to the stage those students to receive National Merit Scholar awards. Now, a typical school receives such honors for three to four students per year. A Semi Finalist award is one in which the student’s scoring on the SATs falls in the top one half of one percent across the nation. A Commended Student falls within the top five percent. Well, we not only hit our 3 to 4 awards, we received such a truly significant number of awards in each category that it stunned me! And I proudly remember that to this day.

BTL: Tell us about Jane.

JC: The love of my life. We married in 1967. My inspiration and muse (Too humble to say these words, he did affirm them when they were offered). So gracious to accompany me all these years to school events and reunions, enjoying them as much as I did. She was always present - even at play rehearsals. An excellent mother to our daughters Joan in Hoboken and Katie in Tulsa, and grandmother to our four grandchildren.

BTL: Something we’ve never known about Jack Campion

JC: During my teaching career at Hudson Catholic I called and referred to my students as "Sir." The reason for this is that I wanted to give them a sense of worth and dignity. I didn't want them to think that they were any less than someone else in the class, including myself. In other words, I wanted them to feel important and that their interpretations of the literature were just as valid as mine as long as they provided textual evidence. I always told them that I will prove what I say with quotes from the text, and I expected the same from them. This is evidenced by the students' choosing "Hamlet's Problem." They did not need to subscribe to my theory but were permitted and encouraged to choose the problem that they believed to be most suitable to the character. In so doing, they became critical thinkers and, consequently, scholars, therefore deserving of the title "Sir."

BTL: Of your 11 stage productions at Hudson Catholic, which is your favorite?

JC: It’s a tie between Guys and Dolls and Brigadoon. I loved Brigadoon so much, I did it three times -- at Hudson Catholic, Holy Family and that other school.

BTL: Most favorite Broadway production ever?

JC: Les Miserables

BTL: Favorite literary work of all time?

JC: Hamlet, of course! (no hesitation, not a nano-second.)

BTL: Three dinner guests?

JC: William Shakespeare (as if not to be confused with any other famous Shakespeare!); John Milton, and Geoffrey Chaucer. 

BTL: If any one of them begs out at the last minute, who gets the call?

JC: James Joyce, without a doubt.

Literally.

Clan Campion

Hawk Happenings

Hawk Grand Masters

Victoria Quintero '24 and Mabella Hannum '24

Diego Veletanga '23 and Manny Santibanez '25

Signing Day for Soccer Hawk

A Star is Born. Senior Mariano Padilla, who has done everything as a Hawk student but clean the windows, is pictured here with Mr. Bill Venezia '70, on Signing Day, committing to play Soccer at Pace University, where he has also been accepted into the Pace BFA Program for Acting, Film and Television. We will not have seen the last of Mariano upon his graduation!

Event Schedule at the Hawks Nest

April 28th

Tickets, testimonial ads, sponsorships at our event page https://hudsoncatholic.org/campion

May 18th - 21st

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

Industrious. Kayla Gomez '17 has taken a new position as Production Planner at Marotta Controls. Having earned her degree in Industrial Engineering at NJIT, Kayla has already compiled experience in the automotive, aerospace and beverage packaging industries.

A Talent Himself.

Ivy Leaguer (Dartmouth) Korey McCants ‘07 is a Talent Manager for the international company, Multiverse. He resides in Miami, F-L-A.

Fore-man. Bill Mykytka ’77 In 1992, Bill left Jersey City for Denver, to work with Jack Cullen ’76 in the IT consulting industry. In 1999, he left Denver and IT consulting, for Palo Alto and a life change. Wife Megan suggested he go to work at the golf course “since I was there all the time anyway. I decided to listen to her.” In 2007, he graduated the PGA/PGM program, finishing Top 4 in Northern California and Top 100 in the world, earning an Acushnet scholarship. Bill studied with some of the world’s greatest instructors, and wound up having a very successful teaching business for 20 years. One student won the California Junior Championship. He also got to teach on campus for Google, Intuit, LinkedIn and Oracle -- good work if you can get it! 2021 brought a move to Hilton Head Island, where they are retired and enjoy hanging out on the beach and traveling extensively.

Bill has great memories of Hudson Catholic, winning the 1975 and 1977 South Hudson Baseball Championship, and being the goalie on the 1977 County Championship Soccer Hawks who made it to the State finals. “Brothers Patrick King and Martin Zewe, Mr. Jim Gannon, Mr. Jake O’Halloran and Coach Rocky Pope were definitely big influences in my life!” 46 years later, I am still glad I transferred from Marist after my freshman year!

Brian Garcia '79 for the Defense! Brian has taken the role of Deputy General Counsel at GKN Aerospace Advanced Defense Systems.



Re-upping. Hoboken 4th Ward Councilman Ruben Ramos '91 kicks off his re-election campaign at Northern Soul on April 6th at 6pm.



Focus on '83

Memories

Class President: Rich Furino

Valedictorian: Chris Pianese

Brother Henry Laffey Award: Bob England

Most prominent athlete: 

Mike ‘Mooney’ Ryan

Principal: Br. Emmitt O’Neil

Most popular CB: Br. Tim Ahern

Jose-Carlo Zulueta '83, right, devised a means of transport between classes not seen before or since. Word has it that Principal Brother Emmitt O'Neill was not amused.

Remembering Tommy Shine ’78

A good athlete. A great man. Generous with his time, talent, and treasure. Gone way too soon from a world that needs more of him. A sports geek, for sure. A catcher for Rocky Pope’s baseball Hawks, if he couldn’t rise to the level of professional athlete, well, he would just have to go to work in professional sports organizations. And he did.

Tom was a sales and marketing pro with our local teams, the New Jersey Devils and the New Jersey Nets. In the early days of the Alumni Association Golf Outing, Tom was always right there to donate signed basketballs and pucks that he would put the arm on Hall of Famers like Scott Stevens and Willis Reed to sign for him.

We raise this now, because it is always a good time to remember our dearly departed classmates and treasured friends, and to honor their memory, but also because Tom’s classmate Sean Moore recently unearthed and posted to Facebook a grainy newspaper photo of Tom that makes us all laugh. Because only a Hawk, in 1995 when the Devils won their first Stanley Cup championship, would be able to steal away with ‘THE CUP’ (!) for a day, and parade it around Bayonne, feeling as if we had won the thing. Enjoy this photo of a fun-loving, life-loving man taken too soon in 2015.

Visit the Tommy Shine Foundation online to see how his memory continues to be honored by other Hawks who loved him. And see Sean’s tribute to Tommy on the FB site, Hudson Catholic Regional High School Friends.

Hawk Get-Togethers

Helping Legacy Hawk Matt Guerra '70, seated. celebrate the occasion of Matt's big 5-0 wedding anniversary are classmates and life-long friends Ed Szabo, Bob Shortell, and Joe DeGasperi.

Dr. Fred Bonato, PhD, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Peter's University, and member of the Hudson Catholic Board of Directors is hiring a new KPMG Dean of the Frank J. Guarini School of Business. Interested individuals should contact gferrari@hudsoncatholic.org and we'll put you in touch with Dr. Bonato.

Future Hawks???

Future Hawks? In tournament games played at the Hawks Nest, CYO Hudson County Basketball Champs, Grade 5/6 Boys from OLC, Jersey City, left of score table, and runner up, All Saints, Bayonne, to the right. Per VIc Pianese '75, CYO Commissioner

Turn Your Brother 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 brothers who are Hawk alumni, so turn your brother 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

“.....Jersey City.......JERSEY CITY!........”

-- UCONN Coach Danny Hurley,

after winning the National Basketball Championship and being asked on national TV about the people who helped him get to this point.

Requiescant in Pace

Vita Mutatur Non Tollitur

(Life is changed, not ended)



James McCabe '78 (6/26/19)

Martin Saccente ’73 (12/25/20)

Mike DeRogatis ’85 (12/24/20)

Robert Sekowski, brother of Edward '69

We are grateful for our Mikes!

Michael Skea '74

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