01/24/2026
UNSUNG HERO: HUB EDWARDS 1929-2026
My father was the athletic director for the entire Three Village school district until his retirement in 1990. From the time I was a small child, Ward Melville high school was almost a second home for me and my brother, so my friendship with Carlton “Hub” Edwards, and his colleague, the late Willie White goes back over 50 years. They were the last people I would see late at night after basketball games when my father was locking up the gym, and I still remember the kindness and respect my father treated them with, and in return, the kindness and respect he was given from both men. It set an example for how I hoped to be treated, and how I wanted to treat others. My brother and I used to roam the Ward Melville halls with Hub’s son Blake - and sneak in workouts on the old school Universal weight machine in the school’s basement.
But Hub and Willie were far more than employees of the school district; they were role models, friends and father figures to a generation of Ward Melville students and those whose lives they touched outside their work. I attended a few inductions for the Ward Melville high school athletic Hall of Fame, and was even fortunate to be inducted myself some years back. What struck me is immediately after thanking their coaches, so many of these athletes were quick to thank Hub and Willie for their contributions. I remember one of the athletes specifically referring to the two men as “a support system” - which is very fitting for the impact they made on the school and community.
By trade he was a custodian, but Hub was far more than any job title could express. He was a husband, father, coach, veteran, athlete ( a pitcher with such prowess that he earned the name “Hub” after New York Giants star Carl Hubble) and dedicated historian. To so many of us lucky enough to know him, Hub and Willie were also the guys who ran “rec” - the twice weekly haven for basketball enthusiasts on Long Island. These games would draw the top high school ballers on the Island, prominent college players, as well as the occasional pro - and Hub and Willie played in almost all of “the big games”. These were the games where players young and old would walk away from their own games and gaze in awe at these high-quality, high-intensity contests. Willie and Hub were in their 50s at the time, playing with top athletes in the prime of their lives - and giving them all they could handle on the courts. Willie was a beast underneath the boards, while Hub was the savvy playmaker; dishing out dimes and launching his sweeping long range hook shots that found their mark an extraordinary percentage of the time.
When I was 15, I wrote a song in tribute to these two men, containing the lyrics “The man who gives opponents trouble - his son is Blake, his name is Hubbell” and “Willie White goes up to rec - when he shoots, you hit the deck”. Hub and Willie came over to the Foley house after recreation around 1982, along with coach Bob Del Rosso, where my closest friends and I regaled them with our song.
As a well-known Christmas enthusiast, I vividly remember driving by Hub’s house every Christmas Eve and upon seeing the very realistic Santa Claus on the Edwards roof, would urge my parents to get home quickly so that I could dive under the covers ahead of Santa’s visit.
Well, into his 80s, Hub could be seen on his bicycle, riding through town, always friendly, always putting a smile on my face whenever I saw him. Just a month ago, I read Hub’s book,
“Our Christian Avenue” - a touching memoir of a rich history within my hometown that I was scarcely aware of. Reading it has inspired me to become more knowledgeable about the town I grew up in, and Hub’s ancestry in the Shinnecock nation will lead to reading and field trips to learn more about the 13 Tribes of the Paulmanoc - the original inhabitants of Long Island.
This incoming winter storm is preventing me from being present with Hub’s family and friends. But I hope they read this and it brings a smile to their faces, thinking of this great man with the kind smile,the caring voice and the deadly hook shot. RIP Hub.
