IN THE SPOTLIGHT

2024 COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD HONOREE

ANTHONY HUGH HUDSONCLASS OF 1976

Anthony Hugh Hudson (Tony) attended St. Aloysius primary school in downtown Kingston and went on to attend Excelsior High school at the age of 10. At Excelsior, he was an all-rounder, excelling on and off the track and pitch. This environment allowed him to shine in the glory of supreme education and the sports curriculum granted at the high school level. This was noted by his peers that labeled him as one of the high achievers. He was an outstanding athlete, winning races at boy’s champs as well as a revered academic, oftentimes coming first or second in his class competing with none other than his fierce rival, Mark McMorris. What a surprise it was when Tony found out that Mark, his scholar rival, was one of his daughter’s lecturers at Georgetown University!

Tony’s exceptional scholastic achievements carried him into the pre-university levels at Excelsior Community College where he mastered Science, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry courses and in 1981, he continued his relentless pursuit to a Baccalaureate degree program in Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago.

His high achievements in St. Augustine led him to pursue management possibilities. He was selected to work at the only refinery in Jamaica—Esso (at the time) now PetroJam. Anthony worked at PetroJam for (11) years prior to moving to the US in 1995 with his family. It is no surprise that his zest for learning led him to pursue a MBA at Florida Atlantic University. He now works as a Project Manager for the engineering company Miller Legg.

Anthony enjoys traveling, watching football (soccer) games, track and field, and documentaries; however, his favorite pastime is liming with his friends, having a few (actually nuff) beers, and catching up on old times…that’s when he is in his ‘element’. He also takes pride in keeping the Class of ‘76s and others informed through emails, ensuring that his peers are up-to-date on important information concerning events and shares the wellbeing of his classmates. His love of his classmates has kept him close to Excelsior and our alumni activities. Attending, supporting, keeping active communication between several Excelsorian groups, and ensuring attendance from many of these persons at the various events, especially our annual fund-raising event in December.

Tony met his wife Marcia at a basketball game at Excelsior, but they never started dating until years later while he was home on a college break. They got married in 1986 and have three children, Toni-Marie and twin boys, Sean and Shane. Tony ADORES his two beautiful granddaughters, Paxton and Payson; they are the center of his universe.

Tony’s father taught him that “living good is always better than good living” and his life is exemplary of that. Tony maintains his friendships with high school and college mates over the years. He never forgets their…

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Former Lady Eagle Niesha Burgher’s outstanding track career reached its ultimate milestone in June when it added a new destination: Paris for the Olympic Games. She will step on the track on Sunday August 4 to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Burgher, an outstanding ex-Excelsior High School sprinter capped a very successful collegiate career earlier this year and left many shattered records in her wake. The just-graduated University of Texas At El Paso (UTEP) senior concluded a stellar collegiate career by breaking an almost decade old school record formerly held by Nigerian Olympian Tobi Amusan.

She clocked 23.20 in the 200m at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collegiate Invitational on Jan. 21 to beat out Amusan’s time of 23.35 set in 2017, to hint at bigger things in her future.

But the capstone to Burgher’s outsanding career had to be her qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics by finishing third at the Jamaican Trials in the 200 metres, behind world Champion Shericka Jackson, in a personal best time of 22.39 seconds. Her success hardly came as a surprise to those in the Excelsior Ccimmunity who had been following her career.

The seeds of Burgher’s success were sown at Excelsior, where she had received invaluable institutional support courtesy of the school in tandem with DASH Athletics and its arsenal of well-equipped coaches led by Michael Vassell and technical director, David Riley

Burgher is one of three Excelsior Eagles to have automatically qualified for Paris, as champion hurdler Ackera Nugent also joined her on the plane to the Olympics. But for an unfortunate bureaucrtic fiasco by the JAAA, the third qualifier, hammer thrower Nayoka Clunis, should have also been on the plane to France to compete in the 2024 Olympics.

Niesha Burgher, Ackera Nugent and Nayoka Clunis are but the most visible among a cadre of outstanding track and field athletes to have been nurtured by Excelsior High School, and subsequently gone on to great things, in recent years

Their qualification provides further affirmation that the once seemingly rudderless Excelsior High School track programme is now fully back on course, and barreling forward. From not winning a single point at Champs for more than a decade to producing two- and it should have been three-Olympians in a single year, is a monumental achievement for which all concerned should be commended.

Neisha Burgher will make her official Olympic debut on Sunday August 4 when she settles into the starting blocks to face the starter for the preliminaries of the women’s 200 sprint. And almost by providence, she will celebrate her 22nd birthday four days later on August. 8. Saturday August 3, 3024

Former Lady Eagle Niesha Burgher’s outstanding track career reached its ultimate milestone in June when it added a new destination: Paris for the Olympic Games. She will step on the track on Sunday August 4 to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Burgher, an outstanding ex-Excelsior…

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Subject: The Eagle Eye 2024: Vol 6 No 1 | Nugent, Burgher & ClunisBook Tickets To Paris

Alumni & Friends,

There’s a saying that, “good fortune shies away from gloom.” There certainly was no gloom inside Kingston’s National Stadium over the past 4 days of the JAAA National Senior & Junior Championships, aka Trials, as Jamaican athletes thrilled local fans with some exceptional performances. This good fortune extended to the XLCR contingent of both past and current Eagles.

Ackera Nugent Powers her way to a new 100mH national record

Excelsior High School has had 12 of its students participate in the Olympic Games. The last one being Sanjay Ayre at the 2008 Beijing Games. After 16 years XLCR finally has not one, but three Olympians.
Ackera Nugent, Niesha Burgher & Nayoka Clunis have booked their tickets to Paris, where they will compete in the 100mH, 200m and Hammer Throw respectively.

Niesha Burgher on her way to an Olympic berth performance.

Nugent literally blew away the field in the 100mH at the trials, finishing in a new national record and world lead 12.28. Meanwhile Burgher finished 3rd, behind World Champion Shericka Jackson, in the 200m with a PB of 22.39. Clunis was 2nd in her specialty with a mark of 66.63m. However she has a World Athletics ranking of 23 in the event, and is expected to get an allotted place based on her WA ranking.

Hammer Thrower Clunis

In the Junior category, Richard Hall aka Bill, ran the race of his life, coming from 5th to defend the title he won last year. He joins teammate and training partner Daneil Wright who on Thursday won the 400mH in a PB 49.88 which places him 4th in the world currently. Incidentally Hall ranks 11th in the world on the 110mH Season Top List with Wright 10th. It is expected that Najhada Seymoure will join Wright and Hall on the Jamaica National U20 Team to Lima, Peru in August. This team will have Coach David Riley as its Technical Leader.

Richard Hall successfully defended his Jamaica Junior 110mh Title

The Excelsior T&F Programme has certainly sparkled this year, with many outstanding performances, as the Eagles, both former and current continue to soar. Congrats to our athletes and coaches who have worked both hard and smartly to make the Excelsior Community proud.

We at DASH Athletics thank those of you in the XLCR Community who continue to support this programme. Without your support these athletes would never be where they are today.

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EXCELSIOR, CHURCH, FAMILY FETE MS. MORGAN
By: Duane Coombs
Tuesday, May 28, 2024

A series of celebratory events marked the centenary of the birth of iconic Excelsior teacher Ms. Contance Pearl Morgan.

Her actual 100th Birthday was kicked off on Sunday, May 26, 2024, by her joining her home congregation at the Providence Methodist Church where they gave thanks for her long and very fruitful life.

Later on Sunday, family and close friends of Ms. Morgan came together to fete her at sumptuous 100th Anniversary Birthday Bash at the Terra Nova
Hotel in Kingston.

On Monday Ms. Morgan received a national salute when she was given a 100th Birthday “shout-out” by host, Neville Bell. Preceding the “shout- out”, Bell invited his co-hosts to guess Ms Morgan’s age. Both
got it wrong as they guess she was 15-20 years younger than her actual age.

Meanwhile, Excelsior alumnus, Cliff Hughes, later dedicated a large swath of his programme on Nationwide Radio on Monday, to pay tribute to
the Golden Girl.

To cap it all, earlier today, the birthday celebration continued when an Excelsior delegation led by the Chaplain, Rev Phillip Robinson and
Principal, Mr. Deanroy Bromfield visited Miss Morgan at her home.

The accompanying photographs captured some of the celebrations.

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