Hyland back as grand marshal for Morristown St. Pat's parade

One year after being forced to step down to battle a life-threatening illness, John Hyland is back on duty as grand marshal of the annual Morristown St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Hyland, a lifelong Morristown resident, was named grand marshal for the 2015 parade, but put the honor on hold while he underwent treatment for a recurrence of the leukemia he was first diagnosed with in 2010.

Three weeks ago, he got a call asking him if he was up to being grand marshal in 2016 and gratefully accepted. His appointment was announced by the parade committee Thursday.

"I am just about six months post-transplant (of stem cells) and the current prognosis is good," Hyland told the Daily Record Thursday. "The great news is the transplant took 100 percent and there are no signs of cancer. There are some challenges that we're working through. My new immune system is attacking parts of my body. So we're working through those issues with medication and I expect we'll have that cleared up shortly."

The better news is that he is now healthy enough to follow in the steps of his mother, Kathleen Ginty Hyland, who was grand marshal in 1998, a few years after the parade was moved from Wharton to Morristown.

“I am honored and delighted that I am able to accept this honor and fulfill the requirements this year,” John said. "When I got the call originally last summer, I was completely in shock, in part because there are so many people worthy of this position that I did not think I was even on their radar."

Co-founder and managing partner of the Private Advisor Group, Hyland still lives in Morristown with his wife Kristin and children Kieran, Patric and Kelsey,

His philanthropic efforts previously have earned him the Community Leadership Award for his work with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Hyland has raised more than $1 million for cancer research since he was diagnosed in 2010. He also organized Morristown’s Light the Night event, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he recruited a donor who gave more than $1.4 million to the nonprofit society.

A devoted supporter of the Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Irish community, Hyland has been treasurer for the parade for more than a decade and finance chairman in 1999 and 2000.

Hyland also is an competitive runner, racing in the New York Marathon, and a triathlete who has completed Ironman challenges 11 times.

“The Morris County St. Patrick’s Parade Trustees are proud and honored to have such a distinguished Irishman lead the St. Patrick’s Day parade down South Street in Morristown on Saturday March 12th, 2016,” Jeff Rawding, president of the parade board, said in a statement.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.