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but when I left, I was a better man.”

Bill Ferguson, Jr. said that his father’s roommate in college was the famed concert promoter Don Kirschner, from the popular weekend concert shows on NBC television, long before MTV was even thought about.

John Ferguson was a player on the good North Arlington teams in the early 1980s.

“He told me that my job was not to shoot the ball,” John Ferguson said. “He said that we had enough shooters on the team, that I had to bring the ball up and pass it. He treated me like everyone else on the team. I never felt like I was signaled out.”

John Ferguson decided to pursue a life in education and is now an elementary school principal in North Plainfield.

“I was motivated by his complete devotion to helping people,” John Ferguson said.

No better story then the time that Fergie got a call at home late at night. It was from a student.

“She said that she got into trouble with a bunch of guys and she was so upset that she was going to jump off the George Washington Bridge,” Bill Ferguson, Jr. said. “My Dad went there to go help her in the middle of the night. She then told me years later that my Dad saved her life.”

McKeown will always remember the last time he spent with his friend two weeks ago.

“He knew what the situation was,” McKeown said. “He was in good spirits. He wanted to cheer us up. We still laughed. I don’t know of anyone who disliked him.”

Just minutes before Fergie passed, Bill asked him a question.

“I asked him that it was time to tell us who the better athlete was, me or my brother John,” Bill Ferguson, Jr. said. “He thought for a second, then gave his answer. He said, ‘Your sister, Kristen.’”

Telling jokes right to the end.

Bill Ferguson leaves his wife of 63 years, Ruth An, his three daughter, Kristen, Lea An and Patty and his two sons. He also leaves hundreds of students he taught and coached, kids he treated like his own and treated him like he was their father. There was only one Bill Ferguson, one Fergie, one coach who personified North Arlington athletics. To say he will be missed would be a gross understatement. He truly was one of a kind.

JORGE

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college baseball, even though there were no other females playing baseball in the United States. Alexia Jorge hoped to buck the odds once again.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” Jorge said. “I knew I was going to play my senior year (at Lyndhurst High). The only thing I worried about was getting a chance to play in college. I kept pushing to compete in college baseball.”

Jorge sent out literally hundreds of e-mails to prospective colleges to see if she could apply to the school and get a chance to try out for the team. She attached videos of her playing in the e-mail along with her impressive academic resume with a stellar 3.7 grade point average.

One might think that Jorge’s fine athletic and academic package would produce a ton of interested schools, right?

“Most never returned my e-mail,” Jorge said. “I kind of expected that.”

Wait, not even a thanks, but no thanks letter. The respective schools could have done that, especially after she took the time to write.

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“If they would have gotten back to me, I would have given them a call,” Jorge said. “Once they didn’t respond, it was a dead issue. I wasn’t mad. I’ve learned to accept that.”

Jorge’s recruiting video was done complete with music. She chose the background music from the movie, “Rocky.” Not the popular “Gonna Fly Now” version that is more readily known, but the music that both Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed, Jr. (Michael B. Jordan) had as they ran through the streets of Philadephia in the popular Rocky-Creed movie series.

“My mom critiqued the video to make sure that things lined up with the music,” Jorge said. “I spent many hours putting it together.”

See JORGE, Page 12

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JORGE

Continued from Page 11

Jorge knew to keep her expectations low regarding the letter and video.

“One of my coaches with Team USA is Ila Borders,” Jorge said. “She said she sent hundreds of e-mails and only had one school respond.”

Borders, the first woman to ever play professionally against men in the 1990s, gave Jorge some solid adv ice.

“After learning about her experience, I knew it was still a tough door to knock down,” Jorge said.

Enter St. Elizabeth University, formerly known as The College of St. Elizabeth, located in Convent Station in Morris County. It’s a former all-female school that began to allow male students five years ago and started a baseball program just two years ago.

The school was hosting a prospect camp on their campus in January and Jorge was invited to participate.

“I thought maybe the school would be a little more accommodating to me,” Jorge said. “I made the video and sent it to them.”

After the two sides played phone tag for about three volleys, St. Elizabeth head coach Arlin Freeman finally contacted Jorge and told her that they were interested in her.

“He was way open to me and told me that he thought I would be a good addition to their program,” Jorge said. “He said, ‘We’d love to have you here.’ I was like, ‘What?!?’ I was pretty happy about that.”

With that, Jorge gave a verbal commitment to attend St. Elizabeth University in the fall and next spring, she will become the first woman to play college baseball since her former coach Borders 30 years ago.

Needless to say, it was a historic moment. St. Elizabeth University is an NCAA Division III school, so they cannot offer athletic scholarships. But Jorge is being taken care of in financial aid packages.

“I did get a big break,” said Jorge, who will major in sports management at the school. She will also commute to St. Elizabeth, which is a 30-minute ride from her home. “I like to drive. I also hope to be a coach and maybe a general manager someday.”

Jorge already has two opportunities to be an intern with professional sports teams this summer.

Lyndhurst head coach Pat Auteri was more than happy for his catcher. The Golden Bears started workouts with pitchers and catchers this week.

“From knowing her and her work ethic, I knew this was going to happen,” Auteri said. “She constantly goes to hitting lessons and catching lessons. She was determined to do this and this is a testament to her work ethic. You could just tell she had her sights on playing in college. She loves the game, is a good student of the game and has a good knowledge of the game.

Added Auteri, “Don’t bet against her, because she’s been a fighter her whole life. She knew what she wanted. I don’t think she wants all the attention that comes with it. But I think she’s going to handle it all with no problem.”

Jorge likes what she’s seen at St.Elizabeth.

“The campus is really nice and I felt really comfortable when I went for a visit,” Jorge said. “I met other players and the catching coach and I seem to be on the same page. Knowing that I’m already getting that kind of support was nice.”

Jorge knows how much attention she will get from the minute she steps onto the playing field in Convent Station for practices in the fall.

“This is not just for me, but for the other girls behind me who want to play high school baseball,” Jorge said. “I think being a role model is pretty cool. I know that there is always someone out there who wants to see me fail. I can’t let that get to me.”

There’s no way that this trailblazer will allow anything bother her in her quest to continue to play the sport she loves.