Hudson County Community College to Present Former NJCU Professor Dr. Howard Parish with the HCCC 2016 Heritage Award
May 16, 2016
May 16, 2016, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will present the HCCC 2016 Heritage Award to Dr. Howard Parish for his lifetime of service to the community. The award will be presented during the College’s 39th Annual Commencement ceremonies this Thursday, May 19, at 6:00 p.m. in at New Jersey Performing Art Center in Newark, NJ. Degrees will be conferred on approximately 1,150 students that evening, making the Class of 2016 the largest group of graduates in the College’s history.
The HCCC Heritage Award was instituted 23 years ago to honor members of the community who have made significant contributions to the College, its students, and families. Past recipients include: Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise; President of Lindenfelser Associates, Aerospace Consultants and former Kearny Mayor and Councilperson Kenneth H. Lindenfelser; SILVERMAN principal Paul Silverman; former HCCC Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Abegail Douglas-Johnson; Union City science teacher Nadia Makar; Pastor and Overseer of Mt. Sinai Full Baptist Church Mother Jacqueline Mays; United Way of Hudson County President Daniel Altilio; Hudson County business leader Raju Patel; retired Jersey Journal publisher Scott Ring; former New Jersey City University President Dr. Carlos Hernandez; and Director of District Redesign & Leadership at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform/Brown University Marla Ucelli.
Born in Jersey City and raised in Bayonne, Howard Parish spent most of his life living and working in Hudson County. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Science from New Jersey City University (NJCU, formerly Jersey City State College), his master’s degree in Geoscience from Rutgers University, and his doctorate in Geoscience from Columbia University.
Dr. Parish taught physics and geology at New Jersey City University from 1965 until his retirement in 2002. At that time, he was awarded Professor Emeritus status. Since retiring, he has worked as a labor arbitrator/mediator for the State of New Jersey.
A member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Hudson County since 1989, Dr. Parish has led that organization as its Chair from 2006 to the present. In addition, he is the Vice Chair of the Board for the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, a member of the Board of the Palisades Nature Association, and a Trustee and past President for the Lincoln Association of Jersey City. Previously, Dr. Parish was the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Pocono Environmental Education Center, Chair of the National Education Association Higher Education Council, and Board member for Habitat for Humanity of Hudson County. He was appointed to the Fort Hancock Sandy Hook Federal Commission for the Restoration of the Fort Hancock Sector of Sandy Hook by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Dr. Parish is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his exemplary leadership and dedication to the community, including: the James M. Davenport Memorial Award from the Higher Education sector of the National Education Association; the Louis T. Scialli Memorial Award from the Jersey City Education Association; and Habitat for Humanity of Hudson County’s Builder of the Year Award for his devotion to the development of affordable housing. Dr. Parish was honored with Humanitarian Awards from the American Conference on Diversity and the Jewish Community Center of Bayonne. In 2012-2013 and in 2014-2015, the Rotary Club of Jersey City named him Rotarian of the Year, and that organization presented him with its Legacy Award in November 2015.
Dr. Parish has said that while he no longer lives in Hudson County, his heart and soul still reside here. His continuing dedication to improving the quality of life in Hudson is testimony to that statement.