On Friday, April 17, Columbia High School inducted Fred Profeta, Joanna Calo, and Sabatino Perrotta, Jr. into the Alumni Hall of Fame. The event took place across two school assemblies, with each honoree receiving an introduction and making remarks. The CHS Hall of Fame was founded in 1985 by actor Andrew Shue and fellow Class of ’85 graduates, and includes scientists, elected officials, authors, actors, musicians, athletes and more.
Fred Profeta, CHS Class of 1957. Photo by Max Fraidstern, CHS Class of 2027
Fred Profeta, Class of 1957, is a former Mayor of Maplewood, an attorney, civic leader, philanthropist, and environmentalist. Fred has lived in Maplewood since he was two. He graduated at the top of his class from Columbia High School in 1957, and his senior class president has organized a record 12 reunions. After attending Yale and Harvard Law School, Fred practiced law in New York City for 61 years. Among his many wins are two cases against Donald Trump several years before he became President. Fred’s love of Maplewood turned into a life dedicated to public service, notably as mayor from 2003 to 2008, driven by the motto ‘meaning over money.’ Fred started many of the nonprofits serving our towns, including the Community Coalition on Race, Youth Net, the Maplewood Village Alliance, the Maplewood Green Team, and, in 2023, the Maplewood Foundation. In 1977, he organized a citizens group that overturned a Board of Education decision to close and tear down Maplewood Junior High School. Of course, sometimes you need money to take care of the things that matter. Fred has made significant gifts to CHS for its athletic field at Underhill and the auditorium, as well as for college scholarships and the repair of the clock tower. His most significant gift was $1,000,000 to seed the creation of the Maplewood Foundation, a fund that makes grants to nonprofits serving our community’s residents every year and for generations to come.
Joanna Calo, CHS Class of 1998. Photo by Max Fraidstern, CHS Class of 2027.
Joanna Calo, Class of 1998, is a producer and showrunner, director, writer, female pacesetter. Joanna Calo is the co show runner, executive producer, and director of the Emmy Award-winning FX series, The Bear. She has also written for the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series Beef. Previously, she was a writer on several TV shows, including Hacks (HBO Max) and The Babysitters Club (Netflix). Her animation credits include five seasons of BoJack Horsemen, as well as Tuca & Birdie (Netflix), and the Rotoscope series Undone (Amazon Prime Video). In film, Calo co-wrote the 2025 Marvel feature Thunderbolts, and is working with Marvel again on something in development she can’t tell you about. She’s also developing three other features that she’ll hopefully direct all with female leads. Calo has won three Writers Guild of America awards, an Independent Spirit award, a Peabody and a Producers Guild award. She has received seven primetime Emmy award nominations, including one win. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
Sabatino Perrotta Jr. , CHS Class of 2010. Photo by Max Fraidstern, CHS Class of 2027.
Sabatino Perrotta Jr., Class of 2010, Maplewood Italian Culinary expert, SOMSD philanthropist, entrepreneur and student champion. Perrotta opened Sabatino’s Pizza in August of 2018, after spending four months abroad in Italy. The restaurant was an immediate success. Sabatino later said he didn’t do much in the way of advertising. Rather, his preexisting reputation in Maplewood community brought customers to his door. Sabatino first took classes at Union County College before eventually getting accepted into the Culinary Institute of America. After working at various restaurants and delivering pizza, Sabatino spent some time in Italy traveling and working in different kitchens. After running Sabatino’s for a couple years, he opened up Valley Street Eatery with his friend and colleague Matt Thornberry. Both restaurants have remained immensely popular in town.
