She awoke the next morning to the horror of 9/11. Nine Clifton residents perished on that dreadful day, including her classmate, Tim Grazioso, whom Mackoul had several classes with at CHS. Tim’s younger brother, John (CHS ‘78), also died in the terrorist attack. The brothers worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, on the top floors of One World Trade Center. Retiring from Verizon in 2012, Mackoul devoted her free time caring for her ailing dad Bernard, a Korean War veteran, who died on May 4, 2013. In the wake of her mourning, she accepted a position with the Department of Community Affairs for the State of New Jersey, managing a staff of 18 people at a Hurricane Sandy recovery center in Paramus. Her assignments at the center included assessing storm damage, counseling area residents and distributing state grant money to businesses and home owners. Many know that the catastrophic superstorm, which hit the Garden State on Oct. 29, 2012, badly battered the Jersey Shore. However, Sandy also caused significant damage in Bergen County municipalities, many of which are built on low-lying flood plains. “My college psychology studies came in handy for that job,” she said. Mackoul held the Sandy recovery center position for two years and then accepted her current position with NJ Advance Media in November 2015. Much like her days working at Verizon, she acknowledged that the job is engaging and demanding, since she is involved with the business aspects of social media, digital advertising and designing websites for various organizations. She said her 40th reunion gettogether earlier this year was, as usual, a most enjoyable gathering of classmates. Though many of her best friends have left New Jersey,
she still maintains “close” long-distance relationships, communicating via Facebook, email, cell phone calls and texts. “We stay in touch,” she said, citing the enduring bonds of high school friendships. “A lot of people have moved away, but when we get together, the conversations pick right up again.” Singing and participating in informal jam sessions with friends during the 1970s are among some of her fondest high school memories. Mackoul typically held the “piano chair” for these musical events. Going forward, as she will continue along her own the long and winding road, perhaps she’ll find the time to warm up her piano fingers and belt out a few Beatle tunes.
Clifton Merchant • July 2016
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