Busy Hawks Were We
In 2022 & 2023
OCTOBER – 2022
The Association coordinated and produced the Class of 1972 – 50 Year Reunion at Edward’s Steakhouse, (an Alumni owned business), in Jersey City.
DECEMBER – 2022
The Association donated $4,400 in tuition assistance for the students enrolled in the NJCU Media/Arts Program, at Hudson Catholic.
FEBRUARY – 2023
The Association coordinated the purchase and delivery of the new 20’ tall UpRight Rolling Scaffold Tower for the Rocky Pope Gym and Jack Campion Stage. Our Alumni Volunteers drove to Stevensville, Maryland to pick up the new equipment and deliver it to the school, saving the school $800. This rolling scaffold tower replaces the original one from 1966. A special thank you to Dennis Danilewicz, ’71, and Larry Basinski, ’70, for making the trip to Maryland’s Eastern Shore to facilitate the pickup and delivery of the equipment.
We participated in the 17th Annual Ancient Order of Hibernians Polar Plunge for Catholic Education in Sea Bright. Volunteers set up and operated the sound system, donated by LMB Audio Services, (an alumni owned business), on the Sea Bright Beach for the over 2,000 attendees. This event to date has raised over $1.8 million dollars in support of Catholic Education in New Jersey.
MARCH – 2023
Once again, we were a proud sponsor of the school’s Gala, with a $2000 donation to the event. Alumni Volunteers provided the sound and video production elements for the evening.
The Association, in coordination with HC Head Football Coach Lou Zampella, ’93, provided the production services for the video, sound and theatrical lighting for the 2023 Football Wall of Fame Event in the Rocky Pope gym. The Association was once again a table sponsor for this great event.
We also offered sponsorship support for the Jersey City St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Dinner Dance. This year the Parade’s Grand Marshall was Hudson Catholic High School President/Principal Mr. Terence Matthews.
Alumni volunteers commenced work on a major update and overhaul of the Hawk Alumni Website, HAWKALUMNI.ORG. The Association is creating a digital photo archive of all of the Hawk Yearbooks. This project, which began in March of 2023, will hopefully be finished by the opening day of school in September 2024.
APRIL – 2023
The Association provided $1,000 in program sponsorship for the Jack Campion Stage naming. In addition, our Alumni volunteers provided sound, lighting, and video production elements for this wonderful event honoring “Sir” Jack Campion, the founding director of what is now called the Hawk Drama Society at Hudson Catholic.
David Lyons, ’70, Mike Malik, ’69 and Dennis Dran, ’69 ALL HAWK DRAMA FOUNDING MEMBERS REUNITED WITH “Sir” Jack!
Volunteers from the Association–Bill Horan, ‘81, Frank Martineau, ‘75, Bill McGrath, ’79, and Larry Basinski, ’70–produced a very successful an All-Years Reunion for St. Aedan’s Grammar School. The net proceeds from this event provided tuition assistance to Hudson Catholic students and their families, through the Johanna Ryan King and Brother Patrick King, FSC, Memorial Fund.
MAY – 2023
The Association provided $1,000 to the Hawk Drama Society to assist with the purchasing of materials for the Spring musical production of “CHICAGO.” The Association and its volunteers also provided the sound, lighting, set design, and set building for the production.
Current and past officers of the Alumni Association attended the wake and services for Br. Patrick J. King, FSC, at St. John’s College High School in Washington, DC. This was Br. Patrick’s final teaching assignment and St. John’s was in fact his high school alma mater. A donation in the amount of $1000 was made to St. John’s College High School by the Alumni Association Hudson Catholic High School, Inc., in memory of Br. Pat.
JUNE – 2023
The Association proudly continued its support of the students by making a donation to the school in the amount of $25,000.00 earmarked as tuition assistance for 10 students and their families. This was made possible by the individual annual support from our wonderful Hawk Alumni donors through the various Alumni Association HAWK ALUMNI MEMORIAL FUNDS.
We made a $2,254.00 donation to the school to cover the costs of the students attending the Hudson Catholic DeLaSalle Service Awards banquet. This is an annual donation that the Association makes to say congratulations and thank you to our students.
We produced the 29th Annual Hawk Alumni Golf Outing and Luncheon at Galloping Hill Golf Club in Kenilworth, NJ. The event is our annual major fundraiser. This year we were happy to welcome over 70 golfers along with our returning sponsors. Provident Bank was once again our “Event Sponsor,” along with our ever-faithful Breakfast and Luncheon sponsors, “All Access Staging” & Steve Novello, ’84. Through the generosity of all our golf outing sponsors they make it possible for our Alumni Association to provide financial assistance to our alma mater, Hudson Catholic High School.
JULY – 2023
The Association provided the school with a $5,000 donation to underwrite a stipend to pay for a vocal coach for the new Hawk Glee Club.
SEPTEMBER – 2023
The Association designed, purchased, and installed the signs identifying the stage in the Rocky Pope gym as the Jack Campion Stage. The total costs of this project came to $1,710.00, with all the installation work done by Alumni volunteers, Fred Barbi,’86, Frank Martineau,’75 and Larry Basinski,’70.
OCTOBER – 2023
The Association participated in the school’s Fall Open House. A big thanks to Ray Krajewski, ’71, Frank Martineau,’75, and Bill McGrath, ’79 , for volunteering at the event. The entire hard copy collection of 55 years of Hawk Yearbooks were made available to all who stopped by the table, to take a “trip down memory lane.”
NOVEMBER – 2023
The Association produced the Annual Alumni Mass of Remembrance in honor of all members of our Hawk Alumni Family who have passed away during the last year. Of course, it was also during this past year that we lost our Alumni Association’s Founding Christian Brother, Brother Patrick J. King, FSC. At this year’s Mass of Remembrance the Association announced the creation of a memorial fund bearing his name.
DECEMBER – 2023
The Association created the Johann Ryan King and Brother Patrick J. King, FSC, Memorial Fund in honor of our Founding DeLaSalle Christian Brother, Br. Patrick J. King, FSC.
This fund, which was initially established in 2005 by Ms. Sharon Ziemian and Larry Basinski, ’70, as a way to say thank you to Br. Pat for his many years of service to Hudson Catholic, to our Alumni Association and especially for being the best “house sitter” for their cats and dogs in the summer months.
Initially Br. Pat requested that Sharon and Larry put his Great-Great Irish Grandmother’s name on this fund. Thus, in 2005 the fund was named the Johanna Ryan King Memorial Fund. Brother Patrick wanted to pay tribute to this woman, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland, a widow with 5 children in the mid-1800s. Her oldest son Patrick, Br. Pat’s Great Grandfather, is whose name Br. Patrick (born Edward Warren King) took as his religious name.
Since 2005, this Fund has provided over $21,000 in tuition assistance to our students and their families. With Br. Patrick’s passing this last May, his name has been added to this fund. As in the past, the earmark for all donations to the Johanna Ryan King & Br. Patrick King Memorial Fund, will be used to further the education of students and their families in meeting the ever-increasing tuition cost of a Lasallian Education at Hudson Catholic.
As the year came to a close we made a $2,400 donation to the school to cover the entire costs for the faculty and staff attending the 2023 Hudson Catholic Faculty Christmas Party. This donation was made in memory of our “Hall of Fame” Founding Christian Brother, Patrick J. King FSC. It was the Alumni Association’s way of saying thank you to all of the school faculty and staff for their hard work every day at the Hawks Nest.
HAWK ALUMNI ARE READY TO SOAR IN 2024!
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