Dan Cirucci: On The Passing Of John A. "Jack" Hila

Thursday, December 30, 2010

On The Passing Of John A. "Jack" Hila

We were sad to hear of the death of prominent New Jersey attorney and civic leader Jack Hila.
Jack was an exceptionally vital and active public citizen and we were proud to know him.
He was a positive force for good in Central Jersey.
He loved New Jersey and he devoted much of his life to the betterment of his community and his state. He was also a person of fine character and a loving husband, father, brother and friend.
John A. "Jack" Hila Sr., of the Avenel section of Woodbridge Township, died suddenly Monday, Dec. 27, 2010, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway.
Born in Perth Amboy, he was raised in Carteret by his parents, the late John and Julia Kachur Hila. He graduated with honors from Carteret High School, Fordham University and Fordham University School of Law and practiced law in Woodbridge Township for the past 45 years.
Mr. Hila was former Deputy Attorney General, Outside Counsel to the Department of Transportation and was a Woodbridge Township Councilman and Council Vice President.
He was House Counsel to the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, a trustee of the Avenel Democratic Club; serves on the Board of Trustees for the George Street Playhouse, the Board of Directors of the Woodbridge Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; is a member of the Colonia Country Club and the Flame of Charity for the Metuchen Diocese. Mr. Hila was a communicant of St. Andrews Catholic Church, Avenel and belonged to St. Andrews Council 5088, Knights of Columbus. He was an avid freshwater fisherman, enjoyed the Jersey Shore, loved both watching and playing tennis, exercising daily at The Club at Woodbridge, was a sports fan, particularly of the N.Y. Yankees and Giants and loved music, particularly jazz.
Surviving are his beloved wife, Carol Safchinsky Hila; daughter, Melissa Tew and her husband, Jonathan of Columbus, Ohio; son, John A. Hila Jr. and his wife, Kathleen of Keyport; grandchildren, Greta and Maci Tew and Jeanine and Robert Hila; sisters, Jacqueline Fontanella of Highlands and Camy Surowiec and her husband, Joseph of Cherry Hill; sister-in-law, Barbara Safchinsky of Avenel; aunt, Anne Boyer of Carteret; nieces, Jill Shifty and her husband, Don, and Justine Trinidad; nephews, Jack Safchinsky, Jeremy Trinidad, Paul Surowiec and Glenn Surowiec; great-nephew, Michael Chegus; and many cousins, including Mary Ann Gilrain, Mark Checki, Candy Marren and Andrew Marren.
Funeral services will be at 8:45 a.m. Monday, Jan. 3 from the Costello-Koyen Funeral Home (www.costello-koyen.com), 399 Avenel St., Avenel. A Mass of Resurrection will follow at 9:30 a.m. at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Avenel. Interment will be in St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the John A. Hila Sr. Memorial Fund, c/o Melissa H. Tew, 1119 Mulford Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212.

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About Dan Cirucci

He's been cited by the late Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed across all media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, a Save Jersey blog columnist, frequent guest on the Matt Rooney radio show and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post, Broad and Liberty and other print and online platforms.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include all things Italian, politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

He and his wife Carole have two grown children and seven grandchildren.

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