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15 Minutes If you are a child of the 50s and 60s, you may remember this quote from Pop icon Andy Warhol: “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” In the recent past, when it came to getting things done “famously” in a very, very short time-frame, we alums didn't need to ask how to do that. We just did it! We raised $508,000 in 13 days and kept the school open! Now, it is on to the future, where we are in control of our own destinies and the destiny of the school, famous for what we have done and will continue to do. On April 26, 2009, we will be inducting our third group of Hudson Catholic Hall of Fame members. This group of four alumni and a Christian Brother has brought great fame and honor to themselves and our school over a long period of time. We have an “old timer” in Brian Neary, ’69, a few young bucks in the form of brother Hawks Ferrari, Keegan, and Spanarkel, and the veteran Christian Brother of all campaigns since 1975, Br. Raymond Murphy (a Brothers’ Boy himself). These guys have been holding fame for way more than 15 minutes. If he were still with us, Mr. Warhol could take note. Sadly, he is not. As for our new Hall of Fame inductees, they will get their 15 minutes and then some, deservedly so. Please join us all at the Liberty House on April 26, when we honor these men and write yet another chapter in the story of Hudson Catholic Rising. Adios, Larry Basinski ‘70 ________ Hawk Lends a Helping Hand Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Robert Gleason, ’73. Besides his duties at Ernst & Young, Bob has recently founded Hep Help of New Jersey Alliance, Inc., a non-profit organization focused on helping the people of New Jersey who are in some way affected by hepatitis. Despite his busy schedule, Bob was gracious enough to answer some questions about Hep Help. If this information helps but just one reader, I am sure he would consider it time well spent. Brian Slattery: When was Hep Help of New Jersey Alliance founded? Robert Gleason: June, 2008. BS: What was the impetus behind the creation of the organization? RG: As the former President of Monmouth and Ocean County Hepatitis C Coalition, I came to realize that there were little to no support functions in the state of NJ for people suffering from hepatitis. Also, given my own fight with this disease, it gave me the opportunity to see how much is needed in the way of awareness, education, funding, treatment, communications, and support for people living with the disease. BS: What is the main goal of Hep Help? RG: To provide statewide support for people suffering with any form of liver disease in the following ways: BS: Do you provide resources for people suffering from the disease? Or do you direct them to resources? Or both? RG: Support group infrastructure would help these people directly. Also, we would direct them to resources for health care. BS: How could someone interested in learning more about your organization and the services it provides reach you? RG: For now, they can e-mail me at robert.gleason@hephelpalliance.com or call me at 908-295-4886. In the future they will be able to visit our website. (We are looking for a volunteer for website design.) BS: How could someone looking to volunteer their time or donate their money do so? ......continued in the right column
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Hudson Catholic Mr. Brian Neary '69 This event will take place at the Liberty _______ APRIL ANNOUNCEMENTS Hudson Catholic Annual Our annual Hawk Forensics Tournament for Grammar Schools will be held Saturday, April 25, 2009, at 9 a.m. Alumni volunteers are needed to judge the competition and to assist in the office. The tournament runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We need volunteers throughout the day; so we welcome volunteers who can only commit to being there for part of the day. Please confirm your availability to volunteer by contacting bslattery@hudsoncatholic.org, Subject: FORENSICS. Class of 1984 - 25 Year Reunion Details coming soon….. E-mail Joe Dnistrian at jadusa@aol.com for more information. Class of 1989 - 20 Year Reunion Details coming soon….. E-mail tbrennan@hudsoncatholic.org to be added to mailing list. Class of 1994 - 15 Year Reunion The Class of 1994 will hold its 15 year reunion in October, 2009. Look for more information in the upcoming weeks. Don’t miss out on this chance to return to the hallowed halls of Hudson Catholic and reunite with your Brother Hawks. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at bslattery@hudsoncatholic.org. Reunion Committee: John Garretson, Eric McGee, Alex MacLean, Michael Pasquale, Bader Risheg, Ayaz Shah, Brian Slattery _________ Comings and Goings Hudson Catholic is more than a school. It is a family. That is something we have heard often, and it is something we saw proven true this past year in ways we probably couldn’t have imagined before April 2008. Thanks to everyone who has been submitting to “Comings and Goings.” We continue to encourage alumni to submit announcements about the goings-on in our Hawk Family members’ lives. This month we shine the spotlight on some fine Hawk men (and one adorable future Hawk woman). Captain Thomas Ebert of the Jersey City Fire Department, ’74, was named Irish Firefighter of the Year 2009 by the Jersey City St. Patrick’s Day Committee. Congratulations, Thomas, and thanks for your service to Jersey City. On March 26, 2009, Tommy Downes, '78, was inducted into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in running, boxing, and coaching. Many brother Hawks were on hand to celebrate with Tommy. It was a great night and a great honor for one of Hudson's best athletes. Congratulations, Tommy!
Now Bill, you have to teach her the important words early: Mommy, Daddy, Go Hawks. We’ll be sure to save her a spot in the class of 2026!
Michael Rodrick, ’88, recently featured in a Jersey Journal article, has begun a multi-episode arc as Stokes, a deadly military operative, on the hit show “24.” Congratulations on this recent role and on all your success. We look forward to seeing you more in the future. And we’d love to see you return to the Hawks’ Nest to share your experiences with the students. If any of them talk during your presentation, you are more than welcome to break into character and handle them as Stokes might. For more information on Michael and his career, visit: http://www.michaelrodrick.com Chris Lugo, '04, recently was featured in a Star Ledger article about his baseball career. Best of luck, Chris, as you pursue your dream. Know that you have a lot of Hawks cheering you onward and upward. Check out the story: Jonathan Calderon, ’05, graduated the University of Maine with his degree in physical education. Congratulations, Jonathan. And remember Hudson Catholic could always use a good Hawk for a coach. Being a family, we want to remember those members who have gone on before us. We encourage anyone who would like to write a remembrance about a fellow Hawk or faculty member to submit it to bslattery@hudsoncatholic.org. We want to remember and celebrate the lives of those who journeyed with us during our time at Hudson Catholic. This month we remember Michael J. Vanitsky, ’70, and Vincent Toscano, ’89. Their families are in our prayers. And they are forever in our thoughts and hearts. _________ In the Halls Seniors Michael Marmora, Binal Patel, and Rutul Shah were named Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars for 2009-2010, in recognition of their secondary school academic achievements. Great work, gentlemen. Your brother Hawks are proud! The Hudson Catholic Mock Trial Team advanced through two rounds to the semi-finals of the Hudson County Mock Trial Tournament in early February. Team members included: Bilal Bari, Daniel Ferrer, Pankaj Kapoor, Stephen Kenny, Olliver Kirby, Brian Oblad, Mitul Patel, James Small, Steven Talafous, George Trujillo, Christopher Watkins. Congratulations to the team, Coach Tim Eigo, and Advisor Brian Neary, Esq., ’69. For the first time in recent years, Hudson Catholic sent a full contingent to the St. Peter’s College Model United Nations. We were well-represented by: Mario Cespedes, Jeronimo Druet, Daniel Ferrer, John Kahle, Steven Kenny, Erdwin Monge, Mitul Patel, David Pavelko, Brian Oblad, James Small, Eric Tran, Andrew Villa. Stephen Kenny received Honorable Mention as a Delegate, and James Small won Best Position Paper in his Group. Congratulations to the team and moderators Tim Eigo and David Kahle, ’74. We applaud the Wrestling team on their back-to-back Non-Public B titles. Great work! Miss Maria Ferdinandi recently returned from Oxford University, where she attended a week-long seminar on literature in education. It is great to see our teachers traveling the world and bringing what they learn back to the Hawks’ Nest. A warm welcome goes out to Nick Mariniello, the new head basketball coach. We will be rooting for you, as you work to build a team of scholar-athletes while striving for more glory on the court. |
Class Years 1999-2008, You have a great opportunity to make an impact on Hudson Catholic. You now have the option of supporting Hudson Catholic in monthly installments. This is a great way for YOU to make a gift to the school without having to write a check, pay postage, or receive reminders. NO DONATION AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL! By charging your credit or debit card each month, in an amount you choose, YOU will be dividing your gift into manageable contributions AND making a tremendous impact on Hudson Catholic. Click Here to learn more. _________ Dear Hawk Alumni and Friends, As I began to reflect on what we needed to do to welcome girls to the Hudson Catholic community, of course, my first thought was about bathrooms. I figured we would take one or two of the current men’s rooms, tear down the blue tile and put up pink tile and have a ladies’ room! I was sadly mistaken. I have learned more about toilets and “water closets” than I ever thought I would need to know. Along with the renovations of the toilets and locker rooms, I am also requiring that we make the building handicap accessible. We were grandfathered because of the date the building was constructed, but now we need to make the building A.D.A. compliant. The old U-haul ramp at the Tuers Avenue basement door won’t cut it anymore! I want to say a very special word of thanks to Curt Zegler ‘89, for his time and expertise in overseeing this process, while he continues at his real job of overseeing the construction of the new Jet Blue Terminal at Kennedy Airport! The facility, however, is not the only thing that needs to be prepared. As an all male facility since its beginning, I need to prepare the culture and the environment of the school. We have held sessions with the students to discuss their feelings about the initiative, as well as to talk about how they feel the school and their approach to school may change. I held a full day session with the faculty to discuss these same points, along with touching upon issues of the learning differences between boys and girls. I am working with the Academic Advisory Board and an outside consulter to explore some new course offerings in the area of performance arts, dance, playwriting, and AP Art. This is an area of our academic program I would like to see well-established now and grow in future years. Summer drama camps and performance workshops are also in the works. Rob Stern, our Athletic Director, along with Board of Consultors Members Len Anglin, ‘68 and John Higgins, ‘77, have been planning for the addition of girls’ sports programs. This planning is being done systematically and carefully to ensure that the great tradition of Hawk Sports will continue and that many more championship banners in Female Athletics will be added to the wall of the Pope Gymnasium. This has been a necessary and extremely interesting process. All of us at the school are aware that we are a part of history in the making—a history that would not have been possible without the dedicated Alumni and friends who continue with great generosity to keep “Hudson Catholic Rising.” Rev Warren Hall, ‘81 President/Principal ________ "My algorithims are working. Have to thank Brother
Pass it On! Please help us reconnect with our alumni base by passing along this newsletter to alumni with whom you are in contact. Alumni, students, and friends of Hudson Catholic are welcome to subscribe to this newsletter. To do so, please submit contact information at http://www.hudsoncatholic.org or simply send an e-mail ________ Newsletter Submissions Please send articles, pictures, and content suggestions for future e-newsletters to: Brian J. Slattery, Class of '94 ________ Hawk Lends a Helping Hand RG: The organization will have many needs in these early days. Hence, anyone interested in supporting us should contact me. As I mentioned above, we are in need of someone who is good with websites and would be willing to volunteer time to help design and build the website. Also, we are starting our fund raising campaigns within the next couple of months; so volunteers may be needed to help with events we hold or other related activities. Currently, we are in a position to accept personal checks and are working on the ability to accept credit cards. BS: Thank you so much for your time and for what you do for people affected by Hepatitis. Are there any final thoughts you would like to share? RG: I would just like to give my personal thanks to the Hudson Catholic family, which continues to give me strength in my personal life. Hopefully, we can help people in Hudson Catholic better address any family or close friend’s needs relative to this terrible disease. For more information, |
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This is your newsletter. Please reply to bslattery@hudsoncatholic.org or this e-mail with suggestions and information for future newsletters. |
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Bill Horan, ’81, and his wife Meghan welcomed their daughter Kelly Horan into the world on April 25, 2008. Congratulations!