Spotlight - Morristown Colonial Nation

Please Share Your Alumni Spotlight!

We all travel life's path in different ways! Alumni Spotlights is an opportunity for Morristown alumni to share personal and professional news (college degrees earned, new employment, professional accomplishments etc.) as a way to foster community and strengthen connections among alumni. These posts will be public on the Morristown Nation website.

Generational Family Spotlight: The Kersey Family

List the family members’ first names, last names, and maiden names who’ve attended Morristown High School:
Julia (Gregory) Kersey- Grandmother; James Kersey- Uncle, Jeffrey Kersey- Uncle, Patricia Kersey- Mother, Kyra Cobbs- Kersey Niece

Share your family members' high school graduation years:
1944, 1974, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2022

How many generations in your family attended MHS?
3

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Generational Family Spotlight: The Simmons/Adair Family

List the family members’ first names, last names, and maiden names who’ve attended Morristown High School:
Shaun Adair, Justin Adair, Derek Adair, Hollie Adair (Simmons), Tyler Simmons, Joselin Simmons (Portillo), Keren Portillo, Matthew Simmons, Frank Simmons, Deena Simmons, Albert Simmons Jr., Albert Simmons Sr., Dean Simmons, Bette M. Simmons, Wendi Simmons, Iris Adair (Avelar), Gwendolyn Adair (Ferdinanad)

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Generational Family Spotlight: The Bellias Family

List the family members’ first names, last names, and maiden names who’ve attended Morristown High School:
Peter Bellias, George Bellias, Jim Bellias, Robert Bellias, Mark Bellias, Laura Bellias Yurek, Jeffrey Bellias, Benjamin Yurek, Anna Grace Yurek, Nicholas Yurek

Share your family members' high school graduation years:
1938, 1965, 1969, 1975, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2022, 2024, 2025

How many generations in your family attended MHS?
4

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Generational Family Spotlight: The Bozza Family


List the family members’ first names, last names, and maiden names who’ve attended Morristown High School:
Rob Bozza, Amy Bozza, Julia Bozza, Patrick Bozza, Matthew Bozza, Michael Bozza

Share your family members' high school graduation years:
1990, 1990, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2029

How many generations in your family attended MHS?
2

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Phil Stumpf & Debbie Lentz Stumpf

Debbie and Phil met in Morristown High School. Dating our senior year of 78/79. We were prom dates in 1979. After graduation, we tried to stay together, but distance in colleges, split us up for years. In the late 1980's we found each other again and got married in 1992. Having both moved away from Morristown, we were able to shift our jobs and lived back in Morristown from 1992 to 2001. We have two daughters (30 and 27). Since then we have lived in Chicago, Zurich, Switzerland, back to Chicago, time again in Morris, and have now spent the past 8 years in London, England.

Dylan Taunton & Gabrielle (Ferrara) Taunton: Class of 2013 & 2014

Dylan and I (Gabrielle) started dating in June of 2013 - right as Dylan was graduating from MHS and headed off to Auburn University for college! Our first date was at what *used to be* Drip Coffee, right on the Green. We dated from June to September of 2013. In September, Dylan and I decided to go our separate ways, as a long distance relationship was becoming difficult to manage. We lost contact for almost 3 years. I went to college at the University of Miami beginning in the Fall of 2014, and Dylan continued his studies at Auburn.

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Robert J Hagel & Dana (Rinehart) Hagel: Class of 1970

Dana and I were in homeroom together in our MHS sophomore year. Dana was sitting several seats to the front of the room. I was new in the school and did not know too many other students. Dana caught my eye over several weeks and so I got to know the boy sitting to my right, Rob Pitts. I said to him, "See that girl sitting up there, I'm going to marry her.” He said “that's interesting because that's my girlfriend. He went on to say he wanted to break up with her so he would introduce me to her. I became friends with all her friends and we started going out later in our sophomore year. We continued going out through high school and college. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2024 and will celebrate our 51st in February.

Debra Gottsleben & John "Jay" DeLaney: Class of 1972

I met Jay in sophomore year of high school when we sat next to each other in homeroom. At the time it was room #303. We were just friends but I always liked Jay. We didn't date in high school but after we graduated I got a job selling insurance. I called Jay up to see if he needed insurance. He said no but asked if would I like to meet and go out to a movie. We did and the rest is history! We married in 1982 and had 40 wonderful years together until Jay sadly passed away just after our 50th high school reunion and our anniversary in Nov. 2022. I decided after his death and my retirement from the Morris School District where I was the MHS librarian for almost 25 yrs to move to Houston Tx to be closer to my daughter Erica (also an MHS grad class of 2009).

Andrew & Sandra (Bedoya) Wittner: Class of 2005 & 2006

Andrew and Sandra met in marching band at MHS in 2004. Andrew played in the drumline and Sandra was in the color guard. They began dating in March 2005 and married in March 2014. They purchased a home in Dover later in 2014, where Sandra has served on the town council since 2019. Andrew is currently the Assistant Nurse Manager at Morristown Medical Center’s Wound Healing Center, and Sandra is the Lead Anesthesiology Technician at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. They have two boys, Lucas and Oliver.

Laurence Rhines & Lauren Terreri Rhines: Class of 1985

Some say it was kismet, some say destiny, either way it was a chance encounter that I would not soon forget! Truthfully though our story first began when we met at Freylinghuysen where we sat next to each other in 8th grade Algebra. We were casual acquaintances, but dare I say the writing was on the wall...or more appropriately, the yearbook! I had signed his yearbook "looking forward to getting to know you better!" Isn't that crazy? Looking back I do believe that is just what I did!

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Allie Ferrara, MHS Class of '15 and Casey Flynn, '08 Return Home to MHS

Allie FerraraCasey Flynn

The Morris School District attracts many alumni after graduation to not only call Morristown home again with their families, but to also pursue their careers. Morristown High School (MHS) alumni Allie Ferrara, Class of 2015, and Casey Flynn, Class of 2008, came back “home” to teach, coach, and carry on their family legacies as proud Colonials.  We caught up with them to hear about some of their memories as student-athletes and what inspired them to return to MHS and the District.

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Estelle Walker Hinkins, MHS Class of 1897 with Long Lasting Education Legacy Remembered through Scholarship

Estelle Walker Hinkins

This article originally appeared in the 2020-2021 issue of The District

In June 2021, the first Estelle Walker Hinkins Scholarship was awarded to a Morristown High School student. The Bethel Church of Morristown established this scholarship to honor Mother Estelle Walker Hinkins, who graduated from Morristown High School in 1897 with honors and distinction of class prophet, making her the first African American woman to do so.

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AJ Sankofa, MHS Class of '15, Owner of ESO Artisanal Pasta

Morristown High School ’15 Alum, AJ Sankofa, is an Executive Chef, Founder and Owner of ESO Artisanal Pasta. AJ was part of the early college challenger program when he spent his last semester taking 12 credits at County College of Morris. Six years later, we were able to catch up with AJ to learn more about his remarkable career and memories of Morristown High School.

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Nestor Bedoya, MHS Class of ’00, Founder of Help MorrisNOW

Nestor Bedoya

Nestor Bedoya, Morristown High School Class of 2000, was directly impacted by the statewide curfew and stay-at-home order in March limiting bars and restaurants to open only for delivery and take-out due to the COVID-19 virus. As Co-Owner of Chef Fredy’s Table in Morristown, the fine dining restaurant did little to no take-out business prior to the pandemic. Nonetheless, as he saw the influx of needs at Morristown Medical Center, two or three times a week he started putting no-charge meal trays together for those in the hospital seeing the greatest number of patients.

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Melissa Spiotta, MHS class of '85, Founder and Manager of Morristown Helps

Melissa Spiotta

Melissa Spiotta, Morristown High school alum class of 1985, felt compelled to help amidst the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Northern New Jersey. She had been tapped to help fellow resident, Jeff Haag, manage the Morristown Order Out Twice a Week Stimulus Plan Facebook group and as they worked to help the restaurants, she realized there were other needs in the community and there wasn’t a central place for people to connect around them.  

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Kendall Rogers, Bowdoin College student, Harlem Lacrosse Mentor, MHS class of 2017 - Spring 2019

This article originally appeared in the SPRING 2019 issue of The District.

Kendall Rogers, Morristown High School class of 2017, is a junior at Bowdoin College.  As a religion major and member of Bowdoin's men's lacrosse team, he no longer lives in Morristown.  However, Kendall's Morris School District (MSD) upbringing lives on in him, particularly the MSD goal that "Graduates of the Morris School District will be equipped to live a principled and productive life where they see their connections and responsibilities to local and global communities."

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Joe Goryeb ‘75, Rick Goryeb ‘78 and Lynne Goryeb Porfido ‘84

This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2019 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alums Joe Goryeb ‘75, Rick Goryeb ‘78 and Lynne Goryeb Porfido ‘84 built a successful family business, Champion Mortgage, with their parents, Joe and Marguerite.  They have continued to “champion” family, children, and community for decades.    We were able to catch up recently with the three siblings and hear about some of their memories of Morristown High School.

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Jill Abramovitz Broadway Actress, writer and singer

This interview originally appeared in the FALL 2018 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alum Jill Abramovitz is a Broadway Actress, writer and singer. We were able to catch up with Jill to learn more about her fabulous career and memories of Morristown High.

MEF:    Tell us a little bit about your journey since high school?

JA:  After graduating Morristown High School, I attended the University of Pennsylvania and got a liberal arts degree. Lots of people in my business go to conservatories (more focused arts training), which is a great option, but I chose a different route.

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Jami Wintz McKeon, MHS ‘74 Chair of Morgan Lewis

This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2018 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alum Jami Wintz McKeon, Class of 1974, is the Chair of the largest law firm in the world run by a woman.  We were able to catch up with Jami to learn more about her fabulous career and memories of Morristown High

MEF:  Tell us a little bit about your journey since high school?

JWM:  I graduated Morristown High School in 1974 and the rest is fairly linear.  I went to the Pennsylvania State University, studying political science and then graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 1981.  I went right on to Morgan Lewis after that.  So I basically have had two jobs in my life - a lifeguard for Morris County and an attorney for Morgan Lewis. 

 

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Scott Blumstein World Series of Poker Champion

This interview originally appeared in the FALL 2017 issue of The District.

This summer, Morristown High School Alum Scott Blumstein, Class of 2010, dominated and won the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, NV, winning over $8 million.  We were able to catch up with Scott to learn more about his experience

MEF:   Tell us a little bit about your journey since high school?

SB:  After I graduated Morristown High School, I attended Temple University in Philadelphia for four years.  I had a good college experience and majored in accounting.   

 

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