'Continue The Greatness'

Aptly Themed Annual Report

hitting mailboxes

Our Annual Report of Giving for 2021-2022 will shortly be in the hands of every person who donated to Hudson Catholic in the past two years. Please accept this with our complements and we hope you enjoy reading about our year and flipping through the images.

The highlight of the report, other than the numbers themselves, is President-Principal Terry Matthews’ poignant letter to the Hudson Catholic community. If you read nothing else in the report, let it be that - the first page inside the front cover.

You may be struck by the comparative boldness of our fundraising efforts and goals - we hope you are. Fundraising in Catholic education is serious business and we mean to succeed, naturally, with your help. Always with your help.

Extra copies of the report are available at the Office of Advancement and can be requested by dropping a note to advancement@hudsoncatholic.org. Or you may find a digital copy at hudsoncatholic.org/annual-report

Let’s all ‘Continue the Greatness’, shall we?

Join the Hudson Catholic Legacy Gift Society

Consider a

Qualified Charitable Distribution

The following article is based upon a Kiplinger Newsletter article by Charles Rawl, CFP, dated September 26, 2022. Mike Dunne CFP ’77 also contributed to this article.

For retired Hawk graduates and friends who are mindful in their charitable giving, we present one of the very best ways to optimize advantages for both donor and recipient.

One possibility for planning a major gift to Hudson Catholic and joining the Legacy Gift Society is a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from an IRA paid directly to the school, thereby reducing one’s taxable income, whether itemizing deductions or not. A QCD lowers adjusted gross income (AGI) and associated tax liability, at the same time offsetting required minimum distributions (RMDs), withdrawals that must occur beginning at age 72.

An RMD ordinarily raises AGI, and taxes, but a QCD is excluded from income and tax liability. Even better, a QCD is more advantageous than itemizing deductions because it lowers AGI, and many tax benefits, deductions, credits and other charges are based on AGI. A lower AGI can reduce tax on Social Security benefits and reduce Medicare surcharges.

QCD rules require that it be given to a qualified 501(c)(3), such as Hudson Catholic, and be a direct transfer. A QCD should not be made to Donor Advised Funds, private foundations, and supporting organizations that give to other public charities because these are not qualifying charities, and it cannot be made from an IRA Administrator to the IRA owner and turned around from the owner to the charity.

Under law, donors may not receive any benefit in return, must be at least age 70½, and may make QCDs before minimum distributions are required beginning at age 72.

The maximum annual QCD is $100,000 per person, so a husband and wife can each make up to a $100,000 QCD if coming from each of their IRAs.

QCDs can be made from IRAs and inherited IRAs, and they can be made from SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs but only if inactive, that is, no longer receiving contributions. Only pre-tax IRA funds qualify, most Roth IRAs will not, and QCDs may not be made from employer plans, e.g., 401(k)s.

A donor should take note that a 1099 from a custodian will not specify a QCD, only that an IRA distribution was made, so it is important that a QCD be identified on a tax return to avoid losing the tax treatment.

An RMD can be offset by a QCD (up to $100,000), but the timing of a QCD is important. The first dollars withdrawn from an IRA each year are counted toward RMD. Once an RMD is taken, that income cannot be offset with a future QCD in the same tax year. Therefore, QCDs are best made early in the year.

If contemplating such a gift to Hudson Catholic, we recommend consulting your financial advisor who can assist in working through the rules. And, of course, don't forget to contact the Chief Advancement Officer, Gary Ferrari, at gferrari@hudoncatholic.org for help in coordinating.

Hawk Football at 7-2

Hudson Catholic 12, Pope John XXIII 7 

Hudson Catholic 15, Immaculata 14

Next up: Parochial Group A State Playoffs

vs. Donovan Catholic

(formerly St. Joseph's and Monsignor Donovan)

Nov.4th, 630pm in Tom's River

Last Call! Contact Jill Cypher: jcypher@hudsoncatholic.org

29th Alumni Mass of Remembrance

November 6^th  10am

In the Rocky Pope Gymnasium

on the Hudson Catholic Campus

Saturday, November 19th 7pm

Ticket Info at

hudsoncatholic.org/altano

All proceeds to benefit the programs and offerings of

Hudson Catholic Regional High School

Reminders

National Day of Giving - November 29th

Hudson Catholic Giving Day - April 7th

Save the Date!

Hudson Catholic Gala & Hall of Fame Inductions

Thursday, March 30, 2023

at The Liberty House, Jersey City

R.I.P. Brother Floyd Warwick, FSC

We only recently learned of the passing of Brother Floyd Warwick, FSC, on June 27th, 2022 at De La Salle Hall in Lincroft. Brother Floyd served three years in total at Hudson Catholic, 1973 to 1976, where he taught Religion, featuring New Testament, Christian Marriage, and Sociology of Religion.

He was born in 1933 in Elkridge, MD. In 1946, his family moved to East Rutherford, where he attended St. Mary’s in Rutherford. He returned to Baltimore for his junior and senior years at Calvert Hall. Thereafter, a Brothers Boy became a Brother. He entered Ammandale for his novitiate, and earned his BA from LaSalle College. He was interred at De La Salle Cemetery, Beltsville, MD.

What’s With Email?

You may sometimes wonder why we communicate almost entirely by email and social media and not so much by snail mail and phone. Let us explain.

We have 7,500+ alumni, email addresses for nearly half. We know that many for whom we do not have email are on certain social media sites, so we post there to get the word out.

We use the U.S. mail sparingly now, to avoid paying postage rates that no longer fit our budget. We also have largely shifted away from printed materials (excepting our Annual Report) that would require the use of the U.S. mail. We opt, instead, to digitize our branded materials and post to our website and social media, or send via email.

In the coming month or so, we will launch our first appeal for the annual fund, 1964: The Fund for Hudson Catholic. We have limited resources and always want to economize, so this year we are going completely digital with our campaign - no more printed materials coming to your residence.

This is why we are on the constant lookout for email addresses and ask you to help us obtain them or direct your fellow Hawks to the stay-connected page in the Advancement section of the school website.

You may also wonder why we use email rather than phone to communicate on some very personal matters with you. That is not to be impersonal but to be considerate -- of your time and personal thoughts. The benefit to us is that, as a small staff of three, it is the most efficient utilization of our limited hours for accomplishing our communications. Also, phoning, today, can be viewed as invasive, given that many or most people prefer to receive email, providing them the choice of when to handle it and the time to consider a response. Ours is a deliberate posture not to impose when appealing for support. Charitable giving is a very personal matter and we leave you to make the choices that are best for you, rather than risk being intrusive. And we find this approach works well.

We always want you to Be The Hawk. You Are The Hawk! You have been, and you continue to be. We would like if there were that many more like you, hence our continued efforts to locate people to communicate with them in an economical manner, for us, and a considerate manner, for you and them.

Meet Our Hawks

Alumni Spotlight

Hawaiian Hawks Mark Lott ’68 and John (JJ Nieburh ’88. “Felt like I knew JJ forever!” -- from Mark, spoken of JJ, proprietor of the Black Shamrock Tavern in Honolulu, upon referral of vacationing Mark and wife Kathleen, and an introduction to JJ from Advancement.

Hudson Hawk. Proud Papa Gary Giordano ‘05 and wife and mother, Jacqueline, holding their newborn son named, not coincidentally, Hudson! Class of '40. Adding new meaning to “Be The Hawk!”

Hurricane Hawk. Amaury Perez ‘89: From Punta Gorda, Florida: “We’re still clearing and picking up after Ian. Still live in paradise…! LOL”

Cadet Weeshamar Senatus ’19, far right, is a member of the West Point Military Academy Honor Guard that recently visited Yankee Stadium to present the colors preceding the National Anthem at the opening game of the NY Yankees-Cleveland Guardians playoff game.

SPU'22. Akshaye Tamasar ’21 was recently honored as part of St. Peter's University's Michaelmas Convocation with entrance into The Most Noble Order of the Peacock, the oldest scholarship society of the University, dating back to 1930. Entering SPU with enough credits to qualify as a junior, thanks to the Dual Enrollment Program, he will graduate SPU in May, at age 19(!) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. Akshaye plans to take a gap year (because he can!) and perform volunteer service at hospitals or research, during which time he will apply to medical schools. Oh....doctor!

On the Rebound. Jahvon Quinerly ’18, a consensus All American while at Hudson Catholic, will be returning for his senior season for the Alabama Crimson Tide, following a long period of physical conditioning necessitated by his unfortunate knee injury during the opening minutes of the NCAA Basketball Tournament last March. Hawks everywhere wish him a very successful season ahead.

Hawk of a Different Court. Len Cupo ’82 is a Trial Attorney and Principal at the Cupo Law Firm in Jersey City.

Student Partner Alliance

Mentor-Mentee October Luncheon

at Hudson Catholic

Quincy Slay '19, r., S/PA Board Member and Hawk Mentor

Hawk Engineering Mavens Going International

BTLv70 Focus on '70

Woodstock……Vietnam……long hair…….rock music……the drug culture…….free love……Kent State…….tumultuous times, these were, in and around 1970. Quite a bit for young, developing, and impressionable minds to deal with. From boys to men, fast. Through it all, this, the last class to not have a senior class above them when they entered the halls of Hudson Catholic, carried on with its academics, athletics, clubs, stage productions, and distinctive personalities, bequeathing Hawk traditions for the classes that followed, and leaving indelible memories among its class members and, no doubt, its faculty and administration.

Steve Bulwicz recalls the euphoria of acceptance to Hudson Catholic and how quickly it wore off with the receipt of a summer reading assignment; the dread felt for not finishing the reading and how that was going to work out in the first English class; the good fortune of those books not being discussed; walking into Hudson in 1966; being awe struck by the newness of everything; classrooms having green blackboards…or were they just called green boards?; the scent of recently applied light yellow paint that was intoxicating in a good way; brand spanking new hallways featuring Steelcase combination lockers for each student; a brand new cafeteria where you could buy a full hot lunch for only 40 cents -- a good deal; initially eating with our elementary school friends until becoming better acquainted with other classmates; Day 1 meet and greet in Brother Albert’s Latin Class, sitting in alphabetical order, of course, the first student being Alberto Alberto, and Brother Al going off on a tangent about him having identical names very similar to his, which broke the chill for all and became a favorite class; Hudson fielding a varsity football team, unlike St Mary’s or St Anthony; the initial loss to Snyder, 52-0; the embarrassment inflicted by friends from Prep and Marist who liked to twist the dagger; a few years later, becoming Jersey City champs (without playing Dickinson or Prep. Hmm.); being coaxed by Mr. Don Ruby to join the track team and then amazingly becoming Freshman City Champs, thanks mainly to speedy classmate Paul Colon. Freshmen year was tough and it was good to be done with it. 

Joe Zaluski recollects his daily commute on the #2 bus into Journal Square form Secaucus along with other Hawks from the western edge of the county, culminating in a group walk over to McGinley Square. On days when it was snowing they’d be late for school, so they developed a habit that could have given inspiration to the premise of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Everyone without exception was required to stop at Chock Full ‘O Nuts on the Square for coffee and donuts, assuming no one at school would ever know when they had actually arrived at Journal Square. One day they got “busted” when an underclassman broke ranks and showed up at school before any of the coffee drinkers. The rest served detention that day, but the next morning, the early arriver paid the price.

Jim Solensky, a/k/a Florida Flyboy, wrote to say: “It was senior year, Woodstock had happened and the time of love and peace was in full swing (and so was the ugly reality of Vietnam). As an alternative to the dances, a group of students decided to hold a coffee house full of alternative folk music, poetry and video -- a rousing success. The final one of the year came with a few surprises. I ran the sound system. To start, we asked the students to stand for the national anthem....by JIMI HENDRIX ! I immediately segued into the FISH CHEER (from the Woodstock album). The rest of the evening was a celebration of creativity and camaraderie, knowing we were soon heading out the doors into the real world. My thanks to the Brothers who let us spread our wings that night: Pat King, Luke Maher, Tom Stack, Ron Rhodes, and everyone else who made it happen.

Artifacts of the Times

Commentator Sports Page,

Fall 1969

That's Rich Paluzzi and Larry Basinski, both '70, and 70 today(!), working on the rigging for the 1968 stage show 'Our Town' put on by the Drama Club under the direction of Mr. Jack Campion

Nice Shirt!

John LoGiudice '83 modeling full battle Hawk regalia!

More Essential Hawks

We had some very helpful responses to the last request for help in locating alumni for whom we do have an email address or for whom such addresses have gone stale or inactive. So, let’s go for more. 36 more!

"If my story can remind you of anything, let it remind that if you believe in someone, you can change their world. You can change their future, just like so many people who believed in me." 

-- David Ortiz, inducted to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame

Michael Skea '74

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