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December
17, 2003
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MEDICAL CENTER EMPLOYEE INDUCTED INTO THE HUDSON COUNTY HALL OF FAME Maria Pepe, CPA of Hoboken, controller in the Department of Finance at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) was inducted into the Hudson County Hall of Fame during its thirteenth anniversary dinner held at the Casino in the Park Restaurant in Lincoln Park, Jersey City. In addition, she will be honored in the summer of 2004 during the Little League World Series. “We are very proud of the recognition Maria continues to receive for opening up the Little League sport to the thousands of young women who are able to enjoy it today,” said Harold P. Hogstrom, CPA of Suffern, NY, executive vice president and chief financial officer of HUMC. Maria has worked at the medical center for the past 17 years. “We offer Ms. Pepe congratulations on her most deserved selection, and declare our pride,” said Thomas A. DeGise, Hudson County Executive. “Ms. Pepe’s dedication in the sports world truly sets her apart from all others.” In 1972, when Maria Pepe was a 12 year old, she had no plans of making a place for herself in history books. She was busy playing Little League baseball with her friends, until officials stepped in and prevented her belonging to an organization where only boys were allowed. A New Jersey Superior Court ruling followed barrier breaker Maria, and today thousands of young girls are able to play. Growing up, Maria always played ball games with the boys in Hoboken, and took a chance joining the city’s team. Jim Farina, the city clerk and coach of the Little League’s Young Democrats team, allowed her to try out. She made the team and pitched three games. A local outcry soon followed, and the team was faced with losing its charter if Maria was not removed. A visit to the Pepe household brought the sad news that her playing days had ended. “I was forced to leave the team because I was a girl, not for my inability to play. It really hurt – I’d learned to play with the boys in the streets and I was good enough to make the team. To be stripped of my uniform and not be able to stand up for myself left me out of my dreams,” Maria recalled. The National Organization for Women (NOW) approached Maria’s parents and offered to fight for her. It was excruciating waiting for the court’s decision. Maria would race home from school everyday, hoping for the news to arrive before she got too old to play. While she was personally disappointed in that regard, when the New Jersey Superior Court ruled in her favor, it was a decision whose outcome was “bigger than her,” as Maria admits today. “The ruling gave me renewed hope that people do listen,” she said. Maria went on to play other sports, including varsity softball at St. Peter’s College, when she truly was able to reflect on the ruling’s precedent. She also played in many summer women’s leagues both in Hoboken and Jersey City for many years after Little League. “People should be judged on their individual skills, not their sex,” said Maria. While she is grateful for the recognition that has resulted from her journey, she is secure in knowing that other young girls will never be denied access to the game she loves so much. The truest gratification comes to her when she drives by girls playing baseball or softball. Little do they know they have her to thank, and that is just fine by her. |
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