Friends to meet again for 6th 'Walk with Joe'
Monmouth Battlefield park will host 5K walk to honor Sept. 11 victim
BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - In an event that has become a community tradition, the sixth annual "Walk with Joe" will be held Sept. 8 at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Route 33.

The 5K memorial walk will once again be hosted by the Yorktowne Club in honor of Patrick "Joe" Driscoll.

Driscoll, 70, was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept 11, 2001 when the plane was seized by hijackers during a terrorist attack on the United States. Driscoll was heading west to take part in an annual hiking expedition with friends.

Passengers on the plane fought back against the hijackers and Flight 93 eventually crashed in a Pennsylvania field. Everyone on board the plane died that day.

It is believed that the hijackers wanted to slam the plane into the White House or the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Driscoll was a longtime resident of Manalapan who raised his family in the community. He coached youth athletics and was an instructor in his church.

The Yorktowne Club is a private charitable organization.

Registration for the "Walk with Joe" will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 8 and cost $15. Children under 7 may take part in the event for free. Opening ceremonies are set for 10 a.m. Those who pre-register will receive a commemorative T-shirt as will those who register on the day of the walk while supplies last.

Beneficiaries of the event will include the Samaritan Center, Manalapan; the Flight 93 Memorial, Shanksville, Pa.; the Christopher Gray Memorial Scholarship at West Virginia University; the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center, Freehold Township; and local Little League field renovations.

Gray was a Manalapan native who was killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. After completing an outstanding football career at Manalapan High School, Gray received a scholarship and played college football at West Virginia.

Betty Anne O'Malley has been one of a core group of organizers since the first "Walk with Joe" was held in September 2002. O'Malley said that since the walk began, more than $120,000 has been raised and donated in Driscoll's name.

O'Malley said last year's donation to the Little League paid for upgrades to the playing field. She said this year's donation will go toward refurbishing the refreshment stand which has been in a state of disrepair.

O'Malley said three Manalapan businesses deserve recognition for agreeing to donate their services toward renovating the refreshment stand. Those firms are ATop Construction, Caballero and Sons Plumbing and Markowitz Electric.

"What is especially fitting and touching is that the owners and partners in these businesses have strong ties to Joe Driscoll, having been coached by him during their growing up years in Manalapan," she said.

She went on to note that the sponsorships and donations the event receives due to the link between Driscoll and those he touched are "heartwarming."

One person in particular is former Manalapan resident Tommy Huyler who grew up in Manalapan but ended up marrying and making his life in California. Huyler, 46, came back for the first "Walk with Joe" in 2002 because, he said, he had to do it for "Mr. Drisc."

Huyler fondly recalled that "Mr. Drisc" was his youth football coach and said he grew up with a crew of friends that included the Driscoll boys.

Huyler said he has meant to make it back for the walk since 2002 and is making good on that promise this year. He is bringing his wife, Cindy, with him along with a donation from the company he works for.

Huyler said he is looking forward to celebrating the spirit of Joe Driscoll that seems to be the driving force behind each year's success that continues to pay tribute to the life of the man it honors.

Joining Huyler will be another Manalapan native and member of the same running crew who has gained some repute in these parts. Robert Walsh, who is the deputy mayor of Howell, is the CEO of Center State Mortgage, Freehold. Walsh's company will once again help to sponsor the "Walk with Joe."

Said Huyler, who noted that he is looking forward to seeing Walsh and all the rest of the people who gather each year to show their support for the Driscoll legacy and remaining family members, "What a great way for us all to get together. Mr. Drisc would be really happy to know that this thing goes on each year and gathers together the old Manalapan. Those of us who knew him, grew up with him and will never forget him."

Information regarding the event is available at www.walkwithjoe.com.