Port Richmond High School announces newest Hall of Fame inductees

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Port Richmond High School has selected five community icons to be inducted into its Hall of Fame, celebrating their lasting impact and achievements.

The distinguished honorees — all leaders in their fields — are scheduled to be feted at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on May 1, in the Port Richmond High School Balish Auditorium.

This year’s inductees include: the Denino Family, Denis M. Hughes, Mildred E. Hanisch, Lt. Col. Matthew D. Pride, and Saidu Ezike.

About the honorees

The Denino Family – (Rose, Class of 1937; Carlo, Class of 1942; Catherine, Class of 1947; Palma, Class of 1968)

The Denino family legacy began in 1923, when John (Giovanni) and Mary Denino opened a confectionery store on the corner of Hooker Place and Richmond Avenue (now called Port Richmond Avenue) in Port Richmond.

In 1925, they added a pool hall next door. When Prohibition ended, they began serving beer, and in 1937, they opened Denino’s Tavern at 524 Port Richmond Ave.

The Denino children all worked at the store while attending Port Richmond High School.

Carlo Denino joined the Navy in 1943, serving as a ship fitter. After his discharge, he returned to work as a welder and took over Denino’s Tavern after his father’s passing in 1951.

In the 1970s, Palma Denino, who graduated from Port Richmond in 1968, worked at the family business. She married Carlo in 1981, and together they raised a family while managing the restaurant.

By the 1980s, other family members, including Catherine and Rose, also worked at the restaurant. After Carlo’s unexpected passing in 2000, Palma and her children continued to manage the business.

In 2003, the community dedicated the corner of Port Richmond Avenue and Hooker Place as Carlo Denino’s Way in his honor. Denino’s was featured in a 2007 PBS special “A Walking Tour of Staten Island,” and in 2007, Carlo’s son, Michael Denino, opened a second location in Aberdeen, New Jersey.

The Staten Island location was renovated twice to expand its dining room and kitchen, now boasting a 3,000-square-foot kitchen and 250-seat dining area.

In 2010, the Denino family opened Denino’s South in Brick, New Jersey, with Michael Burke overseeing operations. The family also began franchising in 2015, with locations in Greenwich Village, New York, and Thousand Oaks, California.

Sadly, in 2020, they lost another beloved member, Carla Denino, who had become a well-known face of the restaurant.

Denino’s has earned numerous accolades, including AOL’s City’s Best Pizza for two consecutive years and recognition in Zagat, the New York Times, and the Advance/SILive.com.

Michael Burke, who leads day-to-day operations, said in an interview that his stepfather, Carlo, was always generous, often giving to those in need without expecting anything in return.

This spirit of giving led Denino’s to donate countless pizzas to organizations and families, especially during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, when they provided thousands of pizzas to Staten Island residents.

Denis M. Hughes – Class of 1968

Denis M. Hughes, a Staten Island native, began his lifelong career in labor advocacy while still a student at Port Richmond High School, working after school at Major’s Department Store and joining the Retail Clerks Union.

After graduating in 1968, he served in the U.S. Navy Reserve before becoming an electrician apprentice and joining Local Union 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

While working, he earned a bachelor’s degree in labor studies from Empire State College and became a journeyman electrician in 1975.

In 1985, Hughes joined the New York State American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, the largest federation of unions in the country. Rising through the ranks, he was appointed executive assistant to the president in 1990 and elected president in 1999, serving five terms.

Under his leadership, the AFL-CIO advanced landmark reforms in workers compensation, minimum wage expansion, and labor rights. He spearheaded the formation of the Arts and Entertainment Industry Committee.

His advocacy also led to significant legislation, including extending minimum wage protections to farm workers and passing the “card check” law to support union organizing.

Following the 9/11 attacks, Hughes played a key role in securing $20 billion in federal funding to rebuild New York and was instrumental in the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, ensuring long-term care for first responders.

Beyond the AFL-CIO, Hughes served on the board of directors for the New York Federal Reserve Bank for seven years, including as chairman from 2009–2011.

The New York State AFL-CIO named its main conference room the Denis M. Hughes Conference Center in 2024.

Hughes currently serves as a senior operating partner at Stonepeak Infrastructure and is a former member of Cornell University’s Board of Trustees.

Mildred E. Hanisch

Born in Rosebank on March 6, 1906, Mildred E. Hanisch was a trailblazing educator and coach who dedicated over four decades to the students of Port Richmond High School.

A standout student-athlete at Curtis High School, she captained the girls’ basketball, swimming, hockey, and track teams. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health education from Ithaca College and pursued graduate studies at Columbia, Wagner, and Hunter College.

In 1932, after six years of teaching in private schools, Hanisch joined the faculty at Port Richmond, where she taught health and sight conservation.

Hanisch coached countless students — both male and female —across a variety of sports, instilling not only athletic skills but also sportsmanship.

She was a faculty advisor for the cheerleading squad, leading the team to victory in several contests, including the 1959 NYC public school championship at Madison Square Garden.

In 1963, she broke barriers as the only female coach of a boys’ bowling team in the PSAL, guiding them to a second-place city finish. She also coached champion golfers like Steve Zuntag and Frank “Skip” Tellefsen.

A champion for women’s athletics, Hanisch helped Port Richmond earn the prestigious Winthrop Trophy for 11 consecutive years. This award recognized the NYC public school with the highest female sports participation — 127 girls, or 11% of the student body at the time.

During WWII, she organized sports demonstrations that raised funds for the American Red Cross and local hospitals. She also advised the Leadership Council and the Service League, instilling a lifelong sense of civic responsibility in her students.

An accomplished bowler and golfer, Hanisch earned numerous titles, including the SIGA Women’s Golf Crown and the Metropolitan All-Events Bowling Championship.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew D. Pride - Class of 2001

A Staten Island native and proud graduate of Port Richmond High School, Matthew D. Pride exemplifies dedication, leadership, and service.

During his time at Port Richmond, Pride was a standout student-athlete and leader. He served as team captain of both the varsity men’s basketball and volleyball teams, was elected student body vice president, and held the highest rank in the school’s JROTC program — battalion commander.

Following graduation, Pride attended the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, where he was appointed both battalion and company commander. He went on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he joined the West Point Boxing Club.

As a collegiate boxer, he earned three Collegiate All-American honors, finishing as a two-time national runner-up and winning a national championship title in the 156 pound weight class in 2005.

He graduated in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental geography and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Engineers Branch.

Pride has had a distinguished military career, serving in leadership roles both in operations and training. He was deployed to Iraq in 2008 and Afghanistan in 2013.

He earned a master’s in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology and a master’s in strategic studies from the Command and General Staff College.

Currently, Pride serves as professor of military science at the City College of New York, where he leads the Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps for the City University of New York.

Saidu Ezike - Class of 2004

Saidu Ezike is one of Port Richmond High School’s most decorated athletes. During his time at the school from 2000 to 2004, he was a standout track star.

Ezike quickly rose to national prominence, winning multiple national, city, and state championships in the hurdles. He claimed victory at the prestigious Golden East Tournament and was a two-time All-American Indoor Track Champion.

He set a remarkable time of 13.76 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles — earning him the title of second-fastest high school hurdler in New York State history, a PSAL record that still stands.

After graduating in 2004, Ezike attended Cornell University, where he continued to dominate the track. He won the Ivy League Indoor Championships three times and the Outdoor 110-meter hurdles title. He was a four-time NCAA Eastern Regional Qualifier and a two-time Ivy League record-setter in both the 60- and 110-meter hurdles.

He still holds five Cornell school records and was named a Second Team All-American. His performance earned recognition from Adidas and USA Today, naming him to their All-American hurdler teams.

Following his athletic career, Ezike turned his focus to education. He joined Teach for America and taught algebra and geometry in Philadelphia before returning to New York, where he continued teaching at Unity Prep Charter School in Brooklyn.

He later worked at Columbia University’s Tutoring and Learning Center, helping high school students prepare for college success. Now based in Georgia, he serves as an education consultant, developing math curricula for middle and high schools.

Ezike also pursued his passion for music, forming the hip-hop band CRS Culture in 2014. Their debut album “Majesty” was released in 2022.

In 2018, Ezike received the Staten Island Triple Crown for Track and Field, and in 2023, he was inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.