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10/03/2017 12:00 AMThe 31st annual East Haven High School (EHHS) Alumni Association Hall of Fame awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Nov. 19 at the Country House in East Haven. Slated for induction are David Augustine (Class of 1968), Paul Cicarella (‘02), Judge Gary Gambardella (‘79), Ezra ‘Buddy’ Goodwin (‘86), Laurie Kikosicki (‘85), Thomas ‘TJ’ Lavery (‘98), and Jessica Moriarty (‘07). Tickets are $45 and may be obtained by sending a check payable to the EHHS Alumni Association at 247 Bayard Ave., North Haven CT, 06473. No tickets will be sold at the door.
David Augustine (Class of ‘68)
David Augustine competed for the East Haven High School golf team, after which he was a NCAA Division II golfer at Sacred Heart University from 1969 to 1972, captaining the team in his senior year. Augustine graduated from Sacred Heart University with a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education and then earned a master’s degree in remedial reading from Southern Connecticut State University.
In 1972, Augustine began his teaching career at EHHS and taught for 35 years before retiring in 2007. In 1977, he was appointed head coach of the Yellowjackets’ golf team, a position he’s held for the past 40 years. During that time, Augustine’s teams have won five divisional championships, in addition to the Housatonic League Tournament championship in 1989. Augustine coached one player who was the individual champion of the Housatonic League, two players who have gone on to be PGA professionals, and one who is currently in PGA golf school. In 2010, Augustine was named the New Haven Register’s All-Area Golf Coach of the Year. The Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) named him its Division II Golf Coach of the Year in 2014.
Augustine is a professional musician who’s played in several bands throughout the past 40 years; he plays guitar for his church group. Augustine lives in Branford with his wife Kathleen. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Paul Cicarella (Class of ‘02)
Paul Cicarella was a four-year varsity letterman as a wrestler at EHHS and won the SCC championship in the 140-pound weight class as a junior. During his senior year, Cicarella won the Class L state title in the 145-pound division, placed fourth in the State Open, and finished with a record of 41-2. For his high school career, Cicarella totaled a regular season record of 117-22. He holds the school record for most takedowns in a season, most career takedowns, wins in a season, consecutive wins, and career wins. He was named to the Register’s All-Area Team in his junior and senior years and was All-State in his senior year. From 2006 through 2014, Cicarella was head coach of the Yellowjackets’ wrestling team.
Paul wrestled one year at Springfield Community College and then pursued a career in law enforcement, working for the state of Connecticut, as well as his own firm, Advanced Investigations LLC, a full-service investigation firm that provides services to state and federal agencies, attorneys, and private citizens. Cicarella lives in North Haven with his wife Christy and their two children, Giada (4) and Paul III (2).
Judge Gary Gambardella (Class of ‘79)
Judge Gary Gambardella earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut in 1983 and a juris doctor degree in 1987 from the Western New England University School of Law, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association. After a judicial clerkship, Gambardella embarked on a career as a prosecutor in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. From 1988 to 2010, he successfully prosecuted some of Bucks County’s most notorious criminals. Gambardella litigated more than 100 jury trials, including cases involving capital murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery, and arson. He also oversaw Bucks County’s forfeiture program and successfully litigated the first jury trial under Pennsylvania’s drug forfeiture law. During his tenure, more than $10 million of ill-gotten gains were forfeited.
In 2003, Gambardella was elected president of the Bucks County Bar Association and became the only sitting prosecutor to serve as president since the association’s establishment in 1853. During his term, he initiated a program to provide free legal services to military families in Bucks County. Gambardella also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney under Project Safe Neighborhoods, which was President George W. Bush’s national initiative to reduce gun violence. He also served briefly as Bucks County’s alternate member to the federal Anti-Terrorism Task Force.
Gambardella passed the bar exams of Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Washington and has been admitted to practice before two federal courts. In 2011, he was elected to serve as a District Judge in Bucks County. In his 2017 re-election bid, Gambardella won both the Republican and Democratic primaries.
Gambardella resides in Plumstead Township in Bucks County with his wife Bobbi. They have two sons, Andrew and Glenn.
Ezra ‘Buddy’ Goodwin (Class of ‘86)
Ezra “Buddy” Goodwin was a standout basketball player at EHHS. During his senior year, Goodwin was named to the All-Housatonic Team for his accomplishments on the basketball court. On Jan. 19 of that year, Goodwin set the Yellowjackets’ single-game scoring record of 50 points by sinking 18 field goals and 14 free throws. He averaged 22.6 points per game during his senior year and ended his career with 815 points.
After graduation, Goodwin attended the former South Central Community College in New Haven (1987-’88); King College in Bristol, Tennessee (1988-’89); and Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport (1990-’92), where he averaged 38.7 points per game and was second in scoring among New England community colleges. Goodwin has served the city of New Haven as a professional firefighter since 2002 and received a Life Safety Award for saving a fellow firefighter. He currently lives in Hamden.
Laurie Kikosicki (Class of ‘85)
Laurie Kikosicki graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. In 1989, Kikosicki began her professional career with U.S. Surgical as a product marketing information specialist and worked her way up to the manager of creative services. In 1998, Tyco Healthcare in Norwalk named Kikosicki its manager of product labeling, a position she held until 2007, when she moved to Covidien in North Haven as the manager of graphic design services. Kikosicki held that position until she was named director in 2011. In 2015, Kikosicki was hired by Medtronic in North Haven as its director of graphic design services and continues to hold that position.
Since 1990, Kikosicki has been on the EHHS Class of 1985 Reunion Committee, helping to plan and coordinate events for class reunions. In 2002, Kikosicki began volunteering with East Haven Youth Soccer, serving as league registrar, uniform manager, and publicity chairperson; she is currently a board member and clinic coordinator. From 2003 through 2013, Kikosicki was a board member for St. Vincent de Paul School, served on several committees, and worked on the alumni newsletter. Additionally, Kikosicki served as a Eucharistic Minister and a volunteer for the carnival and Midnight Run. Kikosicki supports the East Haven Food Pantry and Connecticut Food Bank, is a member of the EHHS Yellowjacket Club, helps run the annual EHHS Girls’ Soccer Alumni Game, as well as the American Heart Association fundraiser. Since 2011, Kikosicki has volunteered for the Women’s Leadership Alliance and Covidien Cares, the annual Christmas food and gift drive that supports the Connecticut Food Bank, the Christian Community Action Center, and other local non-profit organizations.
Kikosicki and her husband Joseph reside in East Haven and are the parents of three children: Kristin (22), Megan (19), and Jordan (16).
Thomas ‘TJ’ Lavery (Class of ‘98)
Thomas “TJ” Lavery was a versatile three-sport athlete at EHHS, playing football for Head Coach Rusty Dunne and basketball for Head Coach John Gambardella for four years. During Lavery’s junior year, the football team posted an 8-3 record with TJ leading the squad in receptions and receiving yards. He also made major contributions to the defense, was the squad’s main punt returner, and played prominent roles on special teams. During his high school football career, Lavery posted 64 receptions, 1,887 all-purpose yards, 1,178 receiving yards, and 568 kickoff return yards—the latter two of which are school records. He also returned two kickoffs for TDs, had four games with more than 100 yards, and was named All-State in his senior year. Lavery was also named All-SCC as a wide receiver in his junior year and at middle linebacker in his senior year. On top of that, Lavery made the All-Hartford Courant All-State First Team as a linebacker in his senior year and represented the Easties as a member of the South squad in the Hall of Fame Game.
After graduating from East Haven, Lavery continued his academic and football careers at the University of Connecticut, playing for both Skip Holtz and Randy Edsall as a four-year member of the Huskies. At UConn, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. After college, Lavery returned to East Haven and worked as a landscaper, but the majority of his working life was spent as an inside salesman at East Haven Builders Supply. He pursued several entrepreneurial opportunities and hopes to combine those experiences with his knowledge of real estate in a future enterprise.
Jessica Moriarty (Class of ‘07)
Jessica Moriarty captained the EHHS girls’ basketball team during her junior and senior years. During her career, Moriarty scored 853 points for an average of 10.03 a game to go with 432 rebounds (4.97 a game), a school record 363 assists (4.27 per game), and 196 steals (2.3 a game). She was named All-SCC for her sophomore, junior, and senior years, was the Yellowjackets’ Most Valuable Player as a junior and a senior, made the New Haven Tap-Off Club’s All-County Team for her senior season, and was also All-Oronoque, All-Area, and All-State. In track and field, Moriarty was part of the record-breaking 4x400 relay and set a shot put record of 33 feet-11.75 inches.
Moriarty earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU), where she also played basketball and served as co-captain in 2010 and 2011. She was named to the Little East Conference (LEC) All-Rookie Team in 2008 and was the LEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. Moriarty was also named to the LEC All-Defensive Team from 2009 through 2011 and made the First Team All-Little East Conference/New England Alliance and the Eastern Tip-Off All-Tournament Team in 2010 and 2011. Moriarty finished with 1,115 career points and 335 assists at ECSU. She was aso recognized as a Scholar Athlete in 2010 and 2011. Moriarty later earned a master’s degree while graduating magna cum laude from Southern Connecticut State University.
Moriarty is in her seventh year as a health and physical education instructor in the West Haven public school system, in which she earned the Unsung Hero Award for teaching. She also served as EHHS JV girls’ basketball coach from 2011 to 2013, receiving the IAABO International Association of Approved Basketball Officials Board No. 10 Henry “Hank” Luzzi Sportsmanship Award in 2011 and 2012. She has served as the West Haven High School varsity girls’ basketball coach since 2013 and also coaches for the Connecticut Basketball Academy’s Amateur Athletic Union program.