BAY RIDGE — For the 31st year, Xaverian High School, 7100 Shore Road, hosted its Annual P.O. Chris Hoban Memorial Run. The day commemorates the Xaverian graduate who died in the line of duty in 1988 at the age of 26.
The event — held this year on Sunday, Sept. 15 — featured a ceremony and a run for adults, along with race for kids and a barbecue following the race.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes ran the course, along with four staffers. “This is a wonderful tradition that honors the memory of Bay Ridge’s own hometown hero, P.O. Chris Hoban and supports scholarships for children of police officers attending Xaverian,” he told this paper.
“We are a community of traditions. It’s a big part of why our community is so special,” wrote Justin Brannan, who attended the ceremony. “We look out for each other. When someone falls down, we pick them up. We put aside our differences and we come together. For me, that’s what the Chris Hoban Memorial Run is all about.”
“The work of [Hoban’s] family and scholarship is a perfect honor to his legacy and ensures we’ll never forget all those who protected, served and made the ultimate sacrifice,” noted Congressmember Max Rose.
For Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, the occasion is one not only to pay respects to those who are killed in the line of duty, but also to make a statement. “We honor Chris and his fallen colleagues with this run and by writing, calling and urging Governor Cuomo and his Parole Board to NOT grant parole for cop killers. #BayRidge #Brooklyn,” she said.
Speaking on Xaverian High School’s channel, WXBN, Michael Wilson recalled the origin of the event. A former police officer himself, Wilson noted, “What Chris and in common is that we were Xaverian graduates,” along with over 300 other police officers. “We wanted a way of remembering Chris. We figured the best way to remember him was to have a scholarship in his name so the thought was, how do we do that? We came up with the idea of doing a run. This is our 31st year doing the run in honor of Chris and giving a police officer’s son or daughter a scholarship in Chris’s name.”
Wilson also spoke about the decision to award this year’s Hoban Cup in memory of Kevin Fay, who died earlier this year.
“For years, he helped us in the backyard with cooking,” Wilson said.
According to the Hoban Run website, Fay was, “known to his friends was a longtime supporter of the Chris Hoban Memorial Run, Derek Jeter Turn 2 Foundation, OLPH Circle of Friends, and the Bishop Ford Annual Alumni Breakfast. Kevin never turned away a person in need. His space at the Hoban BBQ will always be fondly remembered as Kevin’s Kitchen.”
The overall male winner this year was Jamil Geye. The overall female winner was Devin Parchment.
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