W. Caldwell Considers Naming Park After McHugh

U.S. Army Col. John McHugh made a name for himself on the baseball and soccer fields around West Caldwell while he was growing up.

Now his identity may soon be stamped on one of the town parks forever.

A close friend of McHugh, Councilman Dominick Aiello proposed at Tuesday night's council meeting to dedicate one of West Caldwell's seven parks to the 1982 James Caldwell High School grad who was killed two weeks ago by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

"John McHugh was not only a very close friend of our governing body, but of this town. His family has grown up through this community," Aiello said.

"I don't think there has ever been a better time where something like this should be recognized. John and his family were and still are established—they were the town and they still are. I would like to name Memorial Park after John McHugh. I think it's a fitting tribute because of his involvement in sports over the course of a lot of years."

Aiello suggested Memorial Park, which was dedicated in 1974 to those from West Caldwell who have served in the armed forces, because of its patriotic significance and since its one of the town's primary sites for youth baseball—a sport in which McHugh was a star catcher.

However, while the governing body reached a unanimous consensus that a dedication would be an appropriate tribute, the exact location has not yet been determined.

"Enough can't be said about the McHugh family and how wonderful they are," Council President Joseph Cecere said. "I think it's only fitting that a park, whether it's Memorial, Crane or any other park we have, something be named after Col. McHugh."

After standout youth and high school careers as a baseball catcher and soccer goalkeeper, McHugh attended West Point Military Academy where he was a member of the soccer team.

Following his graduation in 1986, McHugh became a career soldier and a father of five with his wife, Connie, also a Caldwell High grad.

Just days after being deployed on a NATO training mission from his base in Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., McHugh was one of 18 people who died in a suicide attack on a NATO convoy in Kabul on May 18.

In addition to his wife, five children and new granddaughter, McHugh, 46, is survived by his siblings James, Frank and Mary Edwards and his parents, James and Mary, who now live in Caldwell.

"The McHugh family has been a mainstay in this community for many, many years," Councilman Richard Otterbein said. "John was a wonderful person, a good father and a great American."

As a member of the fire department, Otterbein knew McHugh's brother, Frank, a former fire fighter. The councilman said a dedication for John McHugh is necessary, but isn't yet sure what town site would be most appropriate.

"I just would like to discuss what it is that we are going to do before we make a decision on which park or what piece of property," Otterbein said. "I'd like to think about that a little bit, but I do think it's a fitting tribute to the colonel. I'd like to think about it some more, but I do think we need to do something."

However, Mayor Joseph Tempesta, who attended school right through college at Montclair State with McHugh's two older brothers, said he would like to first confer with McHugh's parents.

"This is something we need to talk to them about," the mayor said. "They are a very private family, a very quiet family. They are a family who doesn't want a lot of fanfare. I definitely want to comply with their wishes."

McHugh's parents, who remain active members at St. Aloysius, will have a memorial service at the church on Saturday morning at 11 a.m., before a brief ceremony at Crane Park at about 12:30 p.m.

With the family's consent, West Caldwell's governing body plans to discuss at its next council meeting on June 15 an exact location to be dedicated and will begin to move forward with the tribute.

"As far as naming a park is concerned, whether it's Memorial Park or any other park, is a fitting tribute and should be done," Tempesta said. "I personally would prefer to have a discussion with Jim [McHugh] before we pull the final trigger."