Grand Marshal Carol Sharkey Corcoran

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Carol was born and raised in West Orange to Alfie & Helena Sharkey who both immigrated from a small parish in Ireland known as Tibohine, Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon. Her father hailed from the village of Teevenecreevna and her mother from the village of Cloonfad. Carol has three older brothers, Bob, John and Tom. Her parents settled in West Orange and began building on their strong Irish Catholic faith in the Our Lady of Lourdes section of town.  Carol and her brothers attended Our Lady of Lourdes School grammar school, she attended Immaculate Conception High School and Bloomfield College. 

Growing up Irish in West Orange always meant attending Irish events such as the festivals, picnics, Irish stepping dancing classes or watching her brothers play Gaelic football. There was never a weekend that there wasn’t an event happening in or around town. The highlight of the year was always Parade Day in West Orange which always started out the day with mass honoring the Patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Carol remembers marching up Main Street alongside her parents, wearing her Aran sweater and kilt and marching with the other children from the Irish American Society. After marching, she would then attend post parade parties at St. Mark’s Hall, the Green Mountain Club or the Irish American Society Hall on Washington Street.  The Parade Committee has been a part of her family as far back as she can remember. Both of Carol’s parents served as officers in the 1970s and her father was Chairman in the 1980s. In 1979 her mother was selected as the first woman Grand Marshal to lead a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New Jersey and quite possibly the Country. At the time, Carol never realized the significance of this accomplishment, but now believes that it instilled in her, the deep love of this Parade. Twenty years later in 1999 her father was selected as Grand Marshal and again Carol’s profound love and commitment was made evident of what the Parade meant to her family.

Carol became involved in the Parade Committee when she was 16 years old, helping out in any way she could. At first, she began as a member of the Finance Committee soliciting donations for the Ad Journal, stuffing envelopes and hanging posters around town to promote the Parade. Carol has served in several positions on the Committee including Corresponding Secretary, Financial Secretary, Investiture Chairman, Grand Stand Announcer, Vice Chairman and Chairman and currently as the Public Relations Officer which includes social media and web content responsibilities. Throughout her journey the Parade continuously grows every year into the finest Parade in the state. Carol is very proud of what the dedicated Committee has accomplished in making the West Orange Parade the largest even in town as well upholding the traditional values of promoting Irish heritage in a respectful and positive light.  Carol feels that she will be forever blessed with the friendships that she has formed and now considers to be family. Besides being a member of the Parade Committee, Carol has been a member of numerous Irish organizations over the years including the Roscommon Society of NY, the Giblin Association, the Frank O’Hara Association and the Irish American Society of the Oranges and is a parishioner at Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament in Roseland.

Carol holds her Irish heritage very close to her heart. As a young girl, she would spend her summers in Ireland on her grandparent’s farm. There she played with her cousins, milked the cows, fed the chickens, cut the turf and helped “bring in the hay”. Those are some the happiest and most cherished times of her childhood which she now shares with her own children. 

Carol's professional IT career had been focused primarily in the Pharma industry managing Help Desks and in the role as a Customer Relationship Manager.  However, in the last few years she has moved over to the retail industry where she is currently with the Swedish based retailer, H&M as a Global Incident Manager. Carol is part of a small team that is responsible for resolving high priority incidents that affect global services including online sales, stores, warehouses, call centers and critical systems for the organization. Carol loves working in the fast paced, diverse "fast fashion" industry with all of her colleagues. 

Carol is married to the love of her life, Michael, for 24 years. Michael served the West Orange Police Department proudly for 25 years before retiring as a Deputy Chief to become the Commissioner of Public Safety in Rye, New York. Michael was recently appointed as the Director of Public Safety in Morristown. They are blessed with three incredible sons, Michael, who is 20 years old and a sophomore studying Communications, minoring in Criminal Justice at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Ryan is 16 and a Junior at Seton Hall Prep and Jack who is 9 and a 4th grader at Noecker School in Roseland where the family has resided for over 15 years. 

Carol is deeply honored to have been selected as the 2019 West Orange St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal and looks forward to marching up Main Street with her family and friends on Sunday, March 10th.  

 Joseph Fagan is the 5th generation of his family to have lived in  the Oranges. He can trace his Irish roots back to his 3x great  grandparents John Perry and Margaret Burns who immigrated from Ireland  during the potato famine. Fagan grew up in West Orange and attended Our  Lady of Lourdes Grammar School, Edison Jr. High School, and graduated  from WO Mountain HS in 1975 where he met his wife Debbie of 40 years.  They have one son Joe and a granddaughter Emma Lynn. Professionally,  Fagan in a NJ State Licensed Master Plumber who has been self employed  for 32 years.

He was inspired at  a young age to take interest in West Orange history and has since  written four books on the history of the town. He was appointed the  honorary title of Official Historian of the Township of West Orange in  2012. His weekly newspaper article Discover West Orange about local  history has appeared in the West Orange Chronicle Newspaper in  consecutive weeks for 10 years having begun in April 2009. Fagan has  given numerous lectures and historical presentations at the West Orange  Public Library and for various civic organizations. He has worked very  closely with the Downtown West Orange Alliance since 2013 and has  speared headed an effort to place historical markers throughout West  Orange. He currently hosts a monthly cable TV show Discover West Orange  which films on locations throughout the town. The tradition of Irish  family heritage will be on full display as he marches up Main Street as a  Deputy Grand Marshall with the walking stick of his 2x Irish Great  Grandmother Mary E. Perry.

Carolyn is the youngest of eight children born to Carol (nee Cox) and Harry Diver. She attended Notre Dame Catholic Grammar School in North Caldwell and graduated from West Essex Regional High School. She has lived in Roseland for the past 18 years with her husband Anthony and their two children, Jack and Emily. Carolyn was employed by RR Donnelley & Sons as a Senior Account Manager/Customer Relationship Manager for 26 years before changing careers and now works at Smith Building Group as a Project Manager for contracting/design. She is a parishioner at Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament Church in Roseland.

Her paternal grandparents, Ellen Beatty and James Diver, immigrated from Ireland, County Donegal, where they lived ten minutes away from each other for close to two decades (her grandmother was from Green Castle and her grandfather was from Moville). It took a journey across the Atlantic for them to finally meet in Brooklyn NY, where they married and raised their 4 children which in turn produced 20 grandchildren. In addition to her 8 siblings and 12 first cousins, Carolyn boasts of 17 nieces and nephews, 5 great nieces and nephews. Her father’s first cousin still resides in the thatched roof cottage in Moville, where his father was born and raised. Carolyn and her family make frequent trips to Ireland to see her extended family there and visit the church where her grandfather was baptized, and majority of her ancestors are buried. 

Although married to an Italian, Carolyn keeps the Irish tradition alive by hosting her "Diver Family Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration" – where she serves glazed corned beef (a recipe handed down from her father) boiled potatoes, cabbage and her mother’s homemade Irish Soda Bread. 

Carolyn has been an active member of the Women Irish of Heritage for 5 years. In those five years she has served on the Executive Board as Sergeant in Arms for two years, and hostess for two years. For the past 4 years she has co-chaired the annual spring fundraiser Tricky Tray with her sister and generated more revenue by cutting overhead costs and increasing budget donations. 

Carolyn has grown up attending the West Orange St. Patrick’s Day Parade each year before actually marching in it with the Women of Irish Heritage. She is proud and humbled to be selected as a 2019 Deputy Grand Marshal.

Terence Michael McHugh was born in Montclair, NJ the son of James Michael Patrick and Catherine (nee Guariglia) McHugh. Terry and his sister, Lisa grew up in West Caldwell, NJ. Terry attended St. Aloysius Grammar School and James Caldwell High School. He then attended Providence College and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. 

At Providence College Terry met his best friend and future wife Maryellen Cronin. Maryellen was raised in Dedham, Massachusetts and is a lifelong Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fan. Despite this, Terry and Maryellen were married in Massachusetts in October 1999. 

Terry and Maryellen moved to Verona in 2002 where they currently reside with their three sons James Michael (Jimmy), John Francis (Jack) and Michael Patrick. Maryellen is Owner and President of Healthcare Reimbursement Specialists. She also works at the Verona Recreation Department and is the Office Manager of the Verona Pool.  The McHugh’s are proud members of the Verona Community and attend Our Lady of The Lake Parish. Terry and Maryellen are enthusiastic supporters of all their sons’ activities. Terry coaches in the Verona Baseball and Softball League and Maryellen is a Head Coach and serves on the Board of the Verona United Soccer Club as Team Administrator. Maryellen and Terry are active members of the Verona High School Music, Drama, Soccer and Swim Parents Associations. They also support the Pilgrim and Westminster Choirs of the First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell, where their son Jack is a member.

Terry has spent his entire career in the construction industry. His earliest experiences came as a young boy visiting various McHugh, Inc. job sites with his Dad, Jimmy, on Saturday mornings.  McHugh, Inc., a lathing and plastering contractor, was founded in the 1940’s by Terence J. McHugh, Terry’s Grandfather, and located in Montclair, NJ. Terry’s Dad served as President of McHugh, Inc from 1974 until his untimely death in 1991. After his father’s death Terry successfully ran McHugh, Inc. for over 10 years.

Terry has worked at Sloan & Company, Inc. in Mountain Lakes, NJ as a Project Manager for 15 years. Sloan & Company is the premier drywall, carpentry and acoustic ceiling contractor in New Jersey. Terry has worked on some of Sloan’s most challenging and demanding projects including educational, pharmaceutical, residential, healthcare, collegiate and professional athletic facilities. 

Terry is a proud and active member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Michael L. Delahunty Division 9. He is a Past President and Vice President of Division 9 and Past President of the AOH Essex County Board. Terry has worked on Division 9’s Golf, Scholarship and Dinner Dance Committees, serving as Dance Committee Chairman for over 10 years. In 2002 Terry, along with Mike Tevlin, brought together the AOH and Shillelagh Club to co-sponsor an Irish Hurling Match. They served as Co-Chairs in 2002 and 2003 and the event grew into the current day Irish Sports Expo. In 2011 Terry became the 13th member of the McHugh family to be honored by Division 9 when he was named Hibernian of the Year. Terry is former member of the West Caldwell Democratic Committee, former Treasurer of the Associated Contractors of Essex County and former Trustee and Secretary of Laborers Local #694. He is a current member of the Knights of Columbus #1277, the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh and the Giblin Association.

Terry is a proud Irish American and traces this Irish Roots to the towns of Kilteeven and Slatta-Roosky, County Roscommon. 

He would like to thank his family and friends supporting him throughout the 2019 Parade Season.

Extra special thanks to Maryellen, Jimmy, Jack and Michael for their unconditional love, patience and support.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!