Generations of alumni, current and former faculty and staff, friends, and family gathered on the Warren Street Plaza on June 12 to celebrate the career of Mr. Jim Horan, ‘70 on the occasion of his retirement, following a tremendous 51 years of service to Saint Peter’s Prep—the longest employee tenure in Prep’s 153-year history, accounting for one-third of the school’s existence.
Over that time, he has worn many hats and touched many lives that have passed through Prep’s doors: as a teacher of Journalism, as a founding member of the Office of Public Information, which would eventually become Advancement and Communications, as Vice President for Planning & External Affairs, and as Vice President for Planning & Principal Giving.
As hundreds of well wishers arrived to celebrate beneath the lights of downtown Jersey City, the venue proved fitting. Jim played a major role in cementing Prep’s place in that skyline through his involvement in the creation of the Warren Street Plaza itself amid a series of capital projects in the 1990s and 2000s.
“The creation of the Warren Street Plaza…dramatically transformed the campus. It was a breathtaking improvement that had an immediate and very positive impact on the way alumni and visitors alike view the school. This plaza made a statement about Prep’s important role in this neighborhood, and beyond,” Jim remarked in a recent interview for Prep Magazine, which he helped launch in 1981, setting a standard against which other Jesuit high school publications would be measured.
This week’s celebration began with a welcome from Director of Admissions Mr. John Irvine, ’83, P’11, and then, Prep President Dr. Michael Gomez, Ed.D., ’91 opened with a prayer.
“Tradition. Gratitude. Hope. Then. Now. Always. What better way to start a celebration of Jim Horan than with those words?” Dr. Gomez said.
“Tonight we celebrate Jim, but we also celebrate this 153-year-old Jesuit project of building men for and with others. And I don’t think Jim would want it any other way.”
Mr. Irvine then welcomed the night’s first speaker, Jack Caulfield, ‘71, who worked alongside Jim as a member of the Alumni Board and as a member and chair of Prep’s Board of Trustees.
“I feel blessed to count Jim among my closest friends and Prep associates,” he said. “His dedication and professional skills, along with his kindness to all in that Saint Peter’s family has been a hallmark of his vocation.”
Caulfield concluded by repeating words shared by the late Bill Ahearn, ’75, P’01 at Jim’s Legends of Prep Celebration in 2009, awards Jim himself had helped launch sixteen years prior.
“Bill summarized Jim’s impact far better than I could, and here’s what Bill said,” Caulfield remarked. “‘A wearer of many hats, a visionary…Over decades of dramatic change, Jim provides a daily reminder of what is good about Saint Peter’s, what endures, what inspires, and what the institution can still become. That’s a lot to ask of one man, but this is the stuff of legends.’”
Mr. Irvine then introduced the next speaker, Paul Schaetzle, ‘71, also a member of the Alumni Board and Prep Board of Trustees.
“Look behind you at the freshman Humanities/Science/English Building, depending on what year you were here, or, as Dr. Gomez calls it, the crown jewel of downtown Jersey City; the refurbished Moriarity Science Center behind me; Mulry and Hogan Hall here; the very plaza that you’re sitting on. All of these are gifts from God…All of those things I just mentioned were accomplished through the handiwork of God’s faithful servant and our Prep brother, Jim Horan,” he said, addressing the crowd.
Recalling a meeting with another Prep alumni from the class of 1994, he then remarked: “A student of 31 years later describes Jim as: great teacher. So of all those other accolades, I can think of nothing more fitting than to remember Jim [than] as ‘great teacher.’”
Prep Principal Mr. Christopher Caulfield, ’03 and former Track coach took the stage next to present Jim with a special gift representing the same sport in which he himself competed so strongly as a Prep student.
“As many of you know, Jim was a great runner for Prep, Marquette, and even in the road running circuit. His knowledge and talent always made me see him as a mentor in all things running,” Caulfield said.
Jim’s former student Jack Raslowsky, ‘79, former Prep faculty member and principal, and current president of Xavier High School, shared his own remarks.
“We would not be here, and we would not be who we are without Jim and his compatriots doing what they did in the 70s and 80s,” he said. “Everything else wouldn’t have happened.”
“He should be celebrated as a good and decent man, a man who has been loyal to the institution and every person he has served for 51 years, a man committed to his students, committed to building a stronger Saint Peter’s Prep, committed to his colleagues, a man modeling honesty, faith, loyalty, faithfulness, and respect. Jim never asked for anything of us that he did not bring with him in spades. Then. Now. Always. Jim has been the best of Saint Peter’s Prep.”
Mr. Irvine then returned to the podium to introduce Jim and offer his own final words, recalling Jim’s vital role as “the connector at Prep,” an individual who forged relationships across the spectrum of the Prep experience, all while serving as a repository of institutional knowledge and Prep history.
“People speak of the face or voice of a place. Well, Jim has been and may always be, the written word of Prep,” Irvine said. “So, on behalf of more folks than I could ever count, thank you, my teacher, my friend.”
Jim then took the stage amid thunderous applause from the crowd.
“When I think about the significant relationships I’ve had in my life, the second longest one is myself and Saint Peter’s Prep, starting with my freshman year in 1966….” he said. “The Prep connection is longer than my connection with my wife, with who, many of you know the story: we met over in that building right there, the Prep Gym, in the fall of 1968 at a dance.”
“I stand on the shoulders of so many people that came before us,” he continued. “Their names are on some buildings, on plaques around the school, and in my own life, during my student days, I had five or six teachers that became Legends of Prep…and they were master teachers.”
“In two days when I leave my office for the last time, I’ll be thinking of that famous quote that says today is the first day of the rest of your life. But as my fellow alumni can attest, the reality is that, at least in the abstract, you never really leave Prep, and Prep never really leaves you.”
Mr. Irvine then offered concluding remarks with a special presentation.
“I would like to thank one more person. On behalf of the entire Saint Peter’s family, I would like to thank Pat, Jim’s wife, for allowing him to share his heart with Prep,” he said. “You have been along for the long run, the ultra-marathon; from attending alumni events, to watching Jim work while on vacation, to allowing your house to be overrun by notes for [Jim’s book Then. Now. Always. | Celebrating 150 Years of Saint Peter’s Prep]. We always knew no matter how much Jim loved Prep, it was a distant second to his love for you.”
Irvine then revealed a ceremonial check representing the establishment of The Patricia and James C. Horan, ’70 Endowed Scholarship, which will ensure Jim’s legacy continues by helping future students receive a Prep education.
We thank Jim for his decades of service, all of the evening’s guests, and the committee responsible for the festivities, including Ms. Trish Fitzpatrick, P’07,’16, Ms. Kate Lillis-Magnus, Mr. Anthony Keating, ’78, P’10, Mr. Mike Jiran, ‘03, Ms. Sarah Lacz, and Ms. Rebecca Rausch, as well as Prep’s Operations Staff for preparing our event space.
