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Schools

South Huntington Names Hall of Fame Inductees

Ceremony in October to honor Whitman alumni.

The South Huntington School District 2012 Hall of Fame has announced its 2012 Hall of Fame inductees.The ceremony honoring their selection is set for Oct. 20.

A.J. Preller, Class of 1995, Senior director of Player Personnel for the Texas Rangers, a major league baseball team. Preller is in charge of player acquisition, where he oversees the team’s scouting operations around the world and manages approximately fifty amateur, professional, and international baseball scouts. 

Laura Schroff, Class of 1970. Schroff is a former advertising executive who is best known for her book: “An Invisible Thread” which is a true account of how a busy sales executive befriends an 11-year-old panhandler on the streets of New York City.

Michael McGuinness, Class of 1990. McGuiness is a 19 year veteran of the New York City Police Department where he has been assigned to the Emergency Service Unit, the department’s special weapons and tactics team, and the Rescue Unit. He has been a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agencies and New York Task Force 1 Urban Search and Rescue team, where he serves as manager. 

Stuart Udell – Class of 1985. Udell  serves as president and CEO of Catapult Learning LLC at Literacy First and is chairman of the Executive Board of The National Dropout Prevention Network/Center.

Mark Palzer – Class of 1978.  Palzer, United States Army Reserve, was promoted to brigadier general in 2011. An All American High School wrestler at Whitman, after graduation he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, majoring in Computer Science.

Andy Farber , Class of 1987. Farber is an award-winning jazz composer, arranger and saxophonist who has spent years performing with the likes of Jon Hendricks and Wynton Marsalis. Since 1994, he has been part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center stable of writers and performers. He has written arrangements for people like Shirley Horn, Bobby Short, Stevie Wonder, Wynona Judd, Bob Dylan, Fantasia, Joe Cocker, Ray Charles and George Benson.

Daniel Levin, Class of 1973. Levin served as chief of staff to the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, chief of staff to the attorney general, William Barr, Acting Assistant Attorney General, and Office of Legal Counsel, where he wrote the replacement opinion concerning the statue prohibiting torture.

Ronaldo George, Class of 1989. George, owner of the Law Offices of Ronaldo C. George, LLC, a New Jersey firm that specializes in consumer and commercial bankruptcy as well as residential and commercial real estate, litigation, and collection. Ronaldo attended Fairleigh Dickerson University as a Presidential Scholar and member of the university’s Leadership Counsel.

Shirley Chaikin Mayer, Class of 1968. Mayer is co- founder and president of Generation to Generation, an organization staffed by children of Holocaust Survivors committed to studying the effects of the Holocaust on themselves and the world. At New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center in New York City, Shirley established the first North East Region Burn and Trauma Center. 

Two Founder’s Awards of Recognition will be presented to: 

Dr. Thomas C. Shea, superintendent of South Huntington Union Free School District 2003-2012 – under his leadership, the SHUFSD Hall of Fame was created.  Shea was inspired by the passion of alumni, the desire to create a memorial suitable of their achievements, and the importance of positive role models for today’s students. 

Steve Tarde - Class of 1968. Tarde persistently called, wrote, and challenged his alma mater to create a Hall of Fame as a way to honor the countless alumni who have made great contributions to their chosen fields. It was his inspiration that led to the creation of this historic tribute to accomplished alumni and tradition of excellence.

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