Hall of Fame
Class of 2015

Mark Alexander, a student leader at CBA and also at the University of Notre Dame, went on to a distinguished career as a business leader in the energy sector, and later, as an investor and philanthropist.

Alexander had been an executive with Hanson Industries for several years when in 1996, Hanson PLC restructured its recently-acquired subsidiary Suburban Propane, and appointed Alexander its chief executive officer. Through the next dozen years, Alexander led the company through a period of vigorous acquisition and substantial growth. By the end of that time, as he put it, “I was proud of the fact that I worked myself out of a job. You’re probably not going to hear that often. I built a talented team around me, and [by 2009], it was their time, and time for me to move on.”

After leaving the energy industry, he founded Alexander Investors, a private equity and real estate restoration firm, but he devotes most of his time to working with the Joyful Heart Foundation, established in 2004 “to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.” Through a business connection, Alexander was invited to join the Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2009. He has become increasingly involved with the organization in the years since then, and currently, as chair of the Board of Directors, spearheads the Foundation’s strategic planning effort.

In additional to his work with the Joyful Heart, Alexander serves on the Business Advisory Council of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, where he earned his BBA in accounting and business management.

He and his wife, Kathleen, are the parents of two children, Brittni and Connor. They live in Blauvelt, New York, were Alexander is active in community life, serving on boards and assisting with fundraising for local recreational facilities and youth athletic programs.

William John Martin, born 3/23/1937, Glens Falls, NY

Grammar school – St. Teresa’s, Albany –run by the Sisters of Mercy 1943-51

High School – Christian Brothers Academy, Albany 1951-55

• His association with the Brothers there led to his desire to become a Christian Brother
• Entered the Brothers’ Novitiate at Barrytown, NY, June 1955, received the Holy Habit Sept 1955, with the name Brother Christian William

BS – Physics – Catholic University of America – 1960

MS – Chemistry – Kansas State – 1969 (attended in summers)

• National Sicence Foundatrion gave federal grants in science. He applied for grant for MS, Kansas State was slected by National Science Foundation

Teacher – CBA Lincroft NJ 1960 – 1970

• Taught physics, chemistry, math, religion
• Moderator of varsity wrestling program (with Tony Chesney as coach)
• Moderated intramural soccer and intramural bowling “in addition, he and Br. Kevin Buckley were “assistant maintenance men” under the then head of maintenance, Charlie Allocco
• Vice principal – CBA Syracuse 1970 – 1973
• Principal – CBA Syracuse 1973 – 1981
• Principal – CBA Albany 1981 – 1993

Since 1993, resident at Christian Brothers Community, Lincroft, Assigned to the Brothers’ New York Province (now the District of Eastern North America)

• Director of St. La Salle Auxiliary 1993 – Present
• Director of Development 1999 – Present

Served as Middle States Association Visiting Committee: Chairperson 1982 – 1997

Served on visiting committees for Middle States for 19 years, and was chairperson for 15 of those years

• On one of his visits as chairperson, he met Sen. Joe Biden, at Archmere Academy, Claymont DE. Biden was then a current parent, sons were on soccer team.

Entrepreneur Denis J. Gallagher ’72 is behind the wheel of North America’s third-largest provider of school bus transportation services. The third-generation senior leader in the field of passenger transportation, Gallagher has enjoyed more than 37 years of success in the industry.

In 1997, Gallagher formed Student Transportation Inc., which now operates more than 12,500 vehicles in over 300 school districts across the United States and Canada. As chairman and chief executive officer, Gallagher directs the strategic operations of the company while leading and developing investor activities, capital raises, and public financings.

Gallagher was previously senior vice president of operations for Laidlaw Passenger Services Group and played a key role in the company’s expansion into new markets, along with the consolidation and integration of several acquisitions. Gallagher began his career at Coast Cities School Buses Inc., which was founded in 1922 by his grandfather and father and grew to become the largest privately-held school bus company in New Jersey under Gallagher’s leadership.

Gallagher earned a BS in business administration from Monmouth University in 1976. He is a past member of the university’s board of trustees and was the 1992 recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Gallagher also serves as the chairman of Charliewood Pictures LLC, a production and investment company. In addition, he is a board member and principal investor in Novo Media Group, a Los Angeles film development company, and is chairman and principal owner of Front and Center Entertainment, which produces the acclaimed television shows, Front and Center and Speakeasy, seen in over 40 major markets on PBS stations across the United States.

Gallagher lives in Charleston, S.C. with his wife, Mary. They have four children, Denis, Patrick, Mary, and Kelly.

An accomplished distance runner, John Coyle ’89 played a key role in building CBA’s legendary tradition of track and cross-country excellence. The award he cherishes most, however, was not an athletic honor but his selection as the 1989 recipient of the Dr. William J. Zapcic Award, presented each year to the graduating senior who most exemplifies the spirit, ideals, and achievements of Christian Brothers Academy.

From 1985-1989, Coyle helped the Colts earn multiple Shore Conference and state championships in track and cross-country. He was a member of the distance medley team that won the Penn Relays Championship of America for the Colts in 1988, and set numerous CBA individual records in both track and cross-country, some of which still stand today. Coyle was selected by the Shore Track Coaches Association for their Inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 2014, and was a member of the 1987 cross-country squad that was previously inducted as a team into CBA’s Hall of Fame.

Following his years at CBA, Coyle went on to compete as an All American track and cross-country runner at the University of Notre Dame from 1990 to 1994. As a freshman, Coyle was the 1990 United States junior cross-country champion, representing the United States at the world cross-country championships in Aix-le-Ban, France. He was honored to act as team captain for both the track and cross-country teams and led Notre Dame to a third-place finish in the NCAA cross-country championships in 1990.

After earning his BA and MBA from Notre Dame, Coyle moved to California to join the Nike Farm Team, an elite post-collegiate running group training at Stanford University. He has remained on the West Coast, working in the investment banking and technology industries and participating in multiple successful startups, most recently as an executive at an enterprise mobile software company.

Coyle has volunteered as a coach with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training marathon training program and as a youth soccer, basketball, baseball, and track coach. Deeply influenced by the Christian Brothers, he is a dedicated advocate for Catholic education and worked as the Newman intern for the Catholic Community at Stanford. Coyle and his wife, Mary, live in Silicon Valley and have four children, Lucy, Mary Grace, Luke, and Andy.

An expert orthopedic surgeon, proud Jersey-shore native Christopher Johnson ‘75, MD, FACS, has become known as a pioneer in introducing advanced surgical techniques to this area. As a specialist in sports medicine, he also serves as a team physician at area high schools.

After CBA, Dr. Johnson attended Tulane University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with dual majors in chemistry and physics. He began his medical training at the UMDNJ-Rutgers Medical School in 1983 and completed his five-year residency in orthopedics at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. During his residency, he also worked at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and also served as a team physician at Rutgers University. He subsequently completed a one-year fellowship in hand and microsurgery at the Indiana Center for Surgery of the Hand.

A member of multiple professional societies including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Dr. Johnson also serves as an instructor in the orthopedic residency program at Monmouth Medical Center and holds a clinical appointment at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In addition, Dr. Johnson volunteers as a program director for Health Volunteers Overseas in Honduras and was appointed a professor at the Escuela Hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

When not practicing medicine, Dr. Johnson enjoys sailing, boating, and fishing. He is an active participant in his children’s athletic activities including coaching and serving as a team physician. He resides in Oceanport with his wife, Nancy, and children, Anna and Chris.

An outstanding player in CBA’s illustrious basketball heritage, which has won several state titles and multiple Division I and All-American players, Bob Roma ’75 set records in individual scoring and rebounding that remain standing 40 years later.

During his four years as a Colt, CBA’s basketball team won two state championships. Roma was a sophomore member of the 1972-1973 team, which went undefeated (28-0) and ranked first in the state. He reached the 1,000 point milestone as a junior and finished his CBA career with 1,671 points and 1,256 rebounds.

Roma went on to play at Princeton University, competing in the postseason as a sophomore and becoming the sixth player in the University’s history to score more than 1,000 points. He was drafted by the Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings in 1979 and played in Israel and England for three seasons.

Today, Roma lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where he owns an awning installation company. He and his wife, Elise, enjoy skiing, biking, and golfing with their two adult children.