SJP Announces New Hall of Excellence Induction Class

The third class of inductees has been announced for the St. Joseph’s Prep Hall of Excellence. Like the first two, this class has no shortage of alumni and Prep legends who have been outstanding ambassadors for a St. Joseph’s Prep education.

“We are blessed to have a large number of excellent alumni, faculty, staff, and benefactors from which to choose for our Hall of Excellence,” says John Marinacci, president of St. Joseph’s Prep.

Using the Jesuit motto A.M.D.G. as its foundation, the St. Joseph’s Prep Hall of Excellence honors alumni, faculty, staff, and benefactors in the areas of Athletics, Mission, Distinction, and Generational Impact. 

“For a school of our illustrious history, three years is nowhere near enough time to honor all of the deserving nominees,” Marinacci says. “I look forward to many years of outstanding inductee classes, especially as we have new alumni available to be nominated.”

This year’s Induction Ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 24 in the Prep’s Kelly Fieldhouse. You can purchase tickets or buy tribute ads in the Program Book by clicking here. 

In the Athletics category, alumnus Dr. Joe Dwyer ’95 will be the first wrestler inducted, which is perhaps fitting as he was the first Prep wrestler to win a National Championship. Until this year, Dwyer was the all-time winningest wrestler in school history (with 117 wins, tied by Sean Lyons ’17) before he was passed by current senior Maxwell Roy ’25. Dwyer was there to present Roy with a championship belt in honor of his feat this January. 

Joining Dwyer in the Hall of Excellence for Athletics is Philadelphia legend William “Speedy” Morris, who is the winningest coach in school history and one of the most beloved basketball figures in a city full of them. A Big Five Hall of Famer, Morris won more than 1,000 games at the Prep, Roman Catholic (his alma mater), Penn Charter, and La Salle University (where he coached Women’s and Men’s). He won eight PCL championships, including two at the Prep (2003 and 2004).

In the Mission category, Rev. Joseph Herzstein, CSSp ’54 and John McConnell ’70 join the Hall. Fr. Herzstein has spent the past 60 years as a Spiritan Missionary in Northern Tanzania, an area that includes the Serengeti, Mgorongora Crater, Tanga, and Mt Kilimanjaro. During much of his time there, he has worked with the Maasai people, introducing the gospel to those who have never heard it. That has been his passion: to develop Christian communities in Tanzania. 

McConnell was also a missionary of a sort: his goal was to bring quality education to people in the city of Philadelphia who might not otherwise have access. McConnell was the founding president of Cristo Rey Philadelphia, helping grow the school into one of the largest in the Cristo Rey system. McConnell, who sadly passed away in 2024 after a courageous bout with cancer, also served as a member of the Prep Board of Trustees, including a term as the chair.

In the area of Distinction, four Prep Hawks ably fill the bill. Justin Hopkins ’02 has developed into one of the world’s most outstanding opera singers, with shows spanning the globe. Justin also continues to serve his beloved Prep community, cantoring for Masses at the Church of the Gesu when he is in town and working with members of the Cape & Sword Drama Society when able.

Dr. Al La Spada ’82 has dedicated his life to searching for a cure for neurodegenerative illnesses, which affect over 50 million people worldwide. He is an international leader in neurodegenerative research and has spoken across the country and the globe, collaborating with other recognized scientific researchers. He currently works at the University of California, Irvine as Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Neurology, and is the founder and director of the UCI Institute for Neurotherapeutics. 

For over 45 years, The Honorable Jerry McHugh ’72 has distinguished himself as a highly respected trial lawyer and as a federal judge. His legal career is marked by professional success and a lifelong commitment to serving others. In 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Judge McHugh to the federal bench, where he has presided over many high-profile cases. 

Throughout his distinguished career within the life sciences industry, Dr. Paul McKenzie ’83 has consistently embodied the "Man for Others" ethos by developing, manufacturing, and delivering novel and life-saving medicines and treatments for millions of patients around the world. In his current role as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at CSL, one of the most valuable biotechnology companies in the world, McKenzie leads with empathy and compassion in order to serve patients and address unmet public health needs.

Two Prep legends, Charlie Kling ’61 and Al Zimmerman ’73, as well as the founders of the impactful Gino’s Scholars Program, are the highlights of the Generational Impact category. Kling spent four decades teaching in the Classics Department at the Prep and, along with his colleague and member of the Hall of Excellence Dr. Henry Bender ’63, gave students international experiences through legendary summer trips to Italy and Greece throughout the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. 

Zimmerman served his beloved alma mater in numerous capacities, most especially as the Director of Admission in the early 1990s when the school came back from the brink to see an enrollment boom. Many credited Zimmerman with creative ideas that engineered the school’s rise.

The Gino’s Scholarships began in the 1969-1970 school year through the generosity of Louis Fischer P ’73, ’74, Alan Ameche, Joe Campanella, and Gino Marchetti, and will always be remembered fondly as they allowed hundreds of qualified students of color to attend the school. 

Full bios of the Inductees are available here.
To register for the Hall of Excellence event, please click here.