Secaucus Teacher Is Named 2021 Hudson County Veteran Of Year

SECAUCUS, NJ — If you've attended Secaucus public schools in the past 20 years, you probably know beloved history teacher Michael Gehm and his inspiring story.

So it should surprise no one that Gehm was honored this past November as the 2021 Hudson County Veteran of the Year.

At the Nov. 9 town council meeting, Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the council presented Gehm with an award from Hudson County and a proclamation detailing his service in the Navy and in town.

Fromm 1978 to 1990, Gehm served in the U.S. Navy as a fire controlman. He was a plank owner of USS Normandy. That means he “was a member of the crew when the ship was first commissioned, and if anything were to happen to the ship, I get a part of it,” explained Gehm.

His tour of duty included Norfolk, Virginia; Bath, Maine; Chicago, Illinois and San Diego, California. However, Gem suffered a major accident on February 14, 1990, when his harness snapped and he fell 35 feet on the ship’s deck — an event that made him wheel-chair dependent for the rest of his life, and changed the course of his life.

Gehm often tells his students that the easy thing for him to do at that time would be to give up. However, with the support of his family, and his will to make a difference, he decided to study computer administration at Stevens Institute of Technology.

His foray into teaching came when he took a history class in college and the professor told him he would be a great teacher. This led him to earn a teacher’s degree from St. Peter’s University. He was hired by the Secaucus school system, first to set up an IT network and later as a history teacher. The rest is history!

Gehm started the Secaucus chapter of JSA and through it inspired countless students to be civic minded, and most importantly to be involved, engaged citizens.

"Mr. Gehm is truly loved by all," said the town of Secaucus.

"We congratulate Mr. Gehm on being named the Hudson County Veteran of the Year. We applaud him for his bravery and inspiration to countless students, for his contributions to the Secaucus school district, and especially for the positive energy he brings with him everywhere he goes."

This story was first reported in the town of Secaucus monthly newsletter. For more great local news about our town, read: https://www.secaucusnj.gov/gov...

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