Steve Durst (SHS 1961)
GALAXY EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT
While most of us are just starting to adjust the idea of the twenty-first century, Steve Durst is light years ahead of us, sponsoring global conferences to raise Galaxy Consciousness. Durst's International Lunar Observatory Association in Hawaii is the headquarters for his pioneering work which includes an association with Stanford University to promote a "Stanford lunar presence in the coming years."
Elissa Brown (SHS 1986)
PSYCHOLOGIST, TREATING TRAUMATIZED CHILDREN
Dr. Brown is a psychology professor and licensed clinical psychologist who currently teaches at St. John's College of Arts and Sciences. Previously she was on the faculty of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and New York University School of Medicine. Outside of the classroom, she has studied the treatment of traumatized children and published widely on that subject. Elissa is the founder of the Bereavement Project, which she created following the tragic attack on the United States on 9/11.
Read moreHoward Bloch (SHS 1961)
FRENCH SCHOLAR
A Sterling Professorship is the highest academic rank at Yale University. It is awarded to a tenured faculty member considered one of the best in his or her field. Howard Bloch professor of French holds that honor. He has written scholarly works on the Bayeux Tapestry and recently was honored by the French Government for his efforts to deepen American/French relations.
Read moreDan Biederman (SHS 1971)
URBAN MANAGEMENT PIONEER
Dan Biederman is this generation's Frederick Law Olmsted. Perhaps more than any other New Yorker, Biederman has changed the face of Manhattan. A magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard, Biederman took on the seemingly impossible task of erasing graffiti, ending crime, and bringing New Yorkers and New York visitors back to the parks. He co-founded Bryant Park Corporation in 1980. His efforts there reversed the decay that marred New York City in the 1970's. Today the Bryant Park Corporation is the largest effort in the United States to provide private management with public funds for its parks.
James Traub (SHS 1972)
Journalist—writer Sunday New York Times Magazine
Author of ten books including City on a Hill on CCNY and Best Intentions on Kofi Annen. For years Jim has participated in Writing Day at the Middle School. His Bandy quote did not help him get a job at the Times.
“Love is the botulism in the cold Vichyssoise of life.”
Elisabeth Stock (SHS 1986)
Activist.
Founder of Computers for Youth which gets computers in the hands of students who otherwise would have no access to them. How this for her Bandy quote, “ There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.” Elisabeth was also a White House Fellow.
Yuki Sonoda (SHS 1979)
Business woman, Psychologist.
Introduced Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to Japan and played an important role helping its citizens heal following the 2001 earthquake. Today, Yuki is recognized in Japan as an expert in her field. Her status as a successful business woman in Japan is rare. During her years at Scarsdale, not easy ones for sere, she cited one teacher who helped her reach her potential, Len Tallevi.
Eugenie Lang Rosenthal (SHS 1996)
Social Activist.
“Let’s Get Ready” founder. Genie has a drive that is masked by her wit and charm. Her Bandy quote is quite tongue in cheek, but it captures her nonetheless. “What? Only ten lines? Are they kidding me?” Now she has many lines, all of them directed toward helping young people from communities far less fortunate than Scarsdale get a shot at college.
Dan O’Brien (SHS 1992)
Playwright.
A decade ago when Dan O’Brien was asked for a word of wisdom by the staff of the Bandersnatch, Dan responded, “Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.” Imagination he must have in spades winning the Osborn Award presented by the American Theatre Critics, the Mark Twain Comedy Writing Award, and a play “The Dear Boy,” based in large part on a veteran Scarsdale High School teacher.
Ethan Nadelmann (SHS 1975)
Political activist.
Ethan’s Senior quotation in the school yearbook gives little hint about his very serious academic side. “Life is just one big joke. It was never meant to be taken seriously.” He taught at Harvard and Princeton and then left the academic world, becoming the Founder and Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance. Nadelmann is regarded as the most articulate spokesman for drug policy reform in the U.S.