Bronx Science Alumni Magazine | Spring 2023

ALUMNI MAGAZINE

SPRING 2023 ISSUE

CELEBRATE

85TH ANNIVERSARY GALA & EVENTS

HONOR

REMEMBERING KING PHOJANAKONG ’86

ADMIRE

WINTER/SPRING ACHIEVEMENTS

ALUMNI CAREER

PLANNED GIVING PROFILE 30

31 CLASS NOTES IN MEMORIAM

WELCOME

Dear Fellow Alumni,

What an incredible year celebrating the school’s 85th Anniversary. I have been privileged enough to connect with countless alumni this year from all over the world. I hear over and over again from our alumni about how special Bronx Science is and the pivotal role Bronx Science played in their lives. It is a theme that echoes in our student body.

Bronx Science is hard and challenging but students still really appreciate their friendships, their opportunities and the power of a Bronx Science education.

Our students and alumni had incredible success this year. In the past few weeks alone, our Girls Track Team won the Public School Athletic League City Championship and our Congressional Debate team came in 1st place at the Catholic Grands National Championship. Robert Samuels ’02, recently won the Pulitzer Prize and Miriam Silverman ’96, won a TONY award. These just a few highlights in another year of excellence.

We are trying a longer format online magazine —longer content and sent less frequently. We would love your thoughts on it.

With 85 years of excellence, Bronx Science is still thriving. I know the best is yet to come. Looking forward to seeing you at a Bronx Science event soon. Please stay in touch.

Best,

Eleanor L. Coufos ‘99

FOUNDATION UPDATE

NEW NAME

The Bronx Science Alumni Foundation recently announced its new name change — to the Bronx Science Foundation. While alumni will continue to be the forefront focus of the foundation, this name change reflects the organization’s ongoing relationship building efforts with private and public companies, nonprofit organizations, local and national research institutes, media companies, and all those with an interest in investing in America’s youth.

“Our alumni are the driving force of our work and the backbone of the Foundation,” notes Bronx Science Foundation President Eleanor Coufos ’99. “Our mission remains the same — to increase the opportunities for Bronx Science students through access to resources and funding. This means recognizing the incredible connections we can make across our alumni, companies, research institutes, universities, media and more. I’m excited to see the positive work the Bronx Science Foundation will continue to do.”

COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS

The Bronx Science Class of 2023 is headed off to amazing colleges next fall, and we are so proud of all that they have accomplished!

A few highlights from our college stats this year include:

13% of the class (~100 students) will be attending an Ivy Plus School next year, which includes the Ivy League plus Stanford, MIT, University of Chicago and Duke.

25% of the class will be attending a Top 25 university.

The most popular schools that students are attending are:

• Stony Brook University

• Cornell University

• Binghamton University

• New York University

• University of Michigan

Our students also attend our great CUNY system, especially the Macaulay Honors Program.

Congrats to the entire Class of 2023. We know that they will represent Bronx Science well in their endeavors at college and beyond!

SUMMER INSTITUTES

This summer, the Bronx Science Foundation will sponsor a total of eight Summer Institutes. These completely free summer enrichment programs enable Bronx Science students to explore areas of interest in a hands-on way, connect with fascinating alumni, and develop new academic and professional passions.

This year’s Summer Institutes include:

Artificial Intelligence (NEW this year, in partnership with Citibank!)

Arts Institute

Entrepreneurship Lab

Media Institute (NEW this year!)

Programming Academy

Cell and Molecular Studies

Animal Behavior

Robotics Institute

The Summer Institutes are enormously popular and in-demand by our students — and they are, quite literally, not possible without alumni volunteers. Alumni play a critical role in making these summer programs worthwhile and engaging by serving as guest speakers, office hosts, mentors, and more. If you are interested in volunteering with one of this year’s Summer Institutes, please contact the Foundation team at 718.817.7800 or foundation@bxscience.edu.

CAREER SYMPOSIUM: JOIN US!

On June 27th, this year’s Career Symposium will be held both virtually and in-person at Bronx Science to maximize networking opportunities between alumni and students.

We are still looking for more Bronx Science alumni to join us and share their professional journeys with current students. Your meaningful advice and inspiration will best enable them to pursue their dreams. If you are interested in attending the event, please register HERE or contact us at foundation@bxscience.edu with any questions.

85TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

On Thursday, June 1, The Bronx High School of Science Foundation joyfully hosted 550 alumni, parents, teachers, students and friends at the American Museum of Natural History to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the school. Under the big blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, guests raised a glass to 85 years of exceptional education at Bronx Science and applauded the contributions and accomplishments of this extraordinary community.

Foundation Chair Sang Kim ’88 and Joan Binstock Silvers ’71 proudly announced that more than $5 million has been raised in gifts and pledges this year in honor of the 85th anniversary. Foundation President Eleanor Coufos ’99 indicated that “we’re just getting started,” and provided a sneak peek at what’s next for Bronx Science.

PRINCIPAL’S CIRCLE

LEONARD LAUDER ’50

Leonard A. Lauder is Chairman Emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. In 1958 he formally joined the company founded by his mother Estée, when it had annual sales of $800,000, and grew the company into a global success, with $16 billion in revenue in 2022 and a slew of created and acquired brands such as Clinique, Origins, Aveda and La Mer. Mr. Lauder is also a generous and engaged supporter of education, the arts, and public service, serving in leadership roles at the University of Pennsylvania, Whitney Museum, Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Council on Foreign Relations.

RONALD LAUDER ’61

Ronald Lauder is an international businessman and passionate supporter of the arts, education and Jewish organizations across the world. He has led Clinique Laboratories and spent 40+ years as a board member of The Estee Lauder Companies. Mr. Lauder is the long-standing President of the World Jewish Congress and has served on the boards of Jewish organizations ranging from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council to the International Auschwitz Council. A renowned art collector, Mr. Lauder is the Honorary Chairman of the Museum of Modern Art and established the Neue Galerie New York, which is dedicated to German and Austrian art.

CIRCLE

The Principal’s Circle is the school’s highest recognition society for those alumni who have been philanthropic leaders and given back to Bronx Science in countless ways.

STANLEY MANNE ’52

Stanley Manne is a self-made businessman, investor and philanthropist. He advanced from engineering to management positions before purchasing Brawny Plastics in 1985 and continuing as the company’s owner. As his career and investments flourished, Mr. Manne turned to philanthropy. He established the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Most recently, Mr. Manne made the largest gift ever made to a public school to create The Stanley Manne ’52 Research Institute, a 10,000 square foot state of the art lab which cements Bronx Science’s role as the unparalleled leader in high school student research.

ROSE MARIE BRAVO ’69

Rose Marie Bravo was the CEO of Burberry, the international British luxury goods company, where she strategically repositioned the brand within the fashion world. In recognition of her services promoting British fashion, she was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Prior to Burberry, Ms. Bravo had an extensive retail career with Saks Fifth Avenue, H.Macy and Co and Abraham & Strauss, and she has served on the board of Williams-Sonoma, Tiffany & Co. and The Estee Lauder Companies.

ATOM AWARDS

DANIEL LIBESKIND ’65

Daniel Libeskind is a world-renowned architect who has designed buildings all over the world, including the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the largest Jewish museum in Europe, and the master plan for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center. Informed by a deep commitment to music, philosophy, and literature, Mr. Libeskind aims to create architecture that is resonant, original, and sustainable.

WANDA AUSTIN ’71

Dr. Wanda M. Austin is an internationally recognized business leader and aerospace and systems engineer. She was the first female and first African American president of The Aerospace Corporation, a nonprofit dedicated to the application of science and technology toward critical issues affecting the nation’s space program, and served on President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Austin served as interim president of the University of Southern California for the 2018–2019 academic year, and co-founded MakingSpace, Inc., a leadership and STEM consulting firm.

GEORGE YANCOPOULOS ’76

George Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the world’s premier scientific inventors and medicine-makers. As Co-founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer, he has established Regeneron as one of the most innovative companies in biotech, with nine FDA- or EMA-approved medicines and a pipeline of approximately 35 investigational products. Dr. Yancopoulos has helped millions of patients around the world as lead inventor and developer of many of Regeneron’s medicines. He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2014, and named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of The Pandemic” in 2020.

The Atom Awards recognize alumni for the profound impact they have made in their industry and the ways in which their contributions have helped advance their field.

JON FAVREAU ’84

Jon Favreau is a showrunner, writer, executive producer and actor who has made exceptional contributions to both film and television. He is currently showrunner and executive producer of “The Mandalorian” for Disney+, has directed, produced and acted in the formation and expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has directed and produced reimaginings of both Disney’s “The Lion King” and “The Jungle Book”, as just a sampling of body of work. Mr. Favreau was celebrated most recently in 2023 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

MIN JIN LEE ’86

Min Jin Lee is the author of the novels Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, a finalist for the National Book Award. Ms. Lee has been globally recognized for her work through the 2022 Manhae Grand Prize for Literature, Bucheon Diaspora Literary Prize, and through fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is a Writerin-Residence at Amherst College and a trustee of PEN America and the Authors Guild.

LISA SU ’86

Dr. Lisa T. Su is chair and chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). She is one of the only Asian or Asian American female CEOs of a Fortune 500 company in the world, and under her leadership, AMD is one of the fastest growing and most successful companies in the world. She previously served in multiple roles at Freescale Semiconductor Inc., IBM, and Texas Instruments. An undisputed leader in her field, Dr. Su’s recognitions include the Global Semiconductor Association’s Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award, the Grace Hopper Technical Leadership Abie Award, and the IEEE’s Robert N. Noyce Medal.

MILESTONE REUNIONS

On Saturday, June 3, the classes of 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2013 and 2018 gathered to celebrate their milestone reunions—including a 75th reunion, in the case of the Class of 1948!

Classmates convened at venues across Manhattan, ranging from the University Club to Tao, to reminisce, catch up on lives since, and toast the Bronx Science experience that bond them.

ALUMNI DAY 2023

On Sunday, June 4, 1,000 alumni, family members, faculty and students visited Bronx Science for Alumni Day. Guests enjoyed a State of the School address from Principal Rachel Hoyle; academic Meister Lectures from Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn ’55, Ian Weinstein ’77 and Dr. Hayley Altman Gans ’83; tours of school, the Holocaust Museum, and the Manne Institute; and a slew of other activities such as hands-on lab demonstrations, opportunities to play sports and extracurricular activities. Principal Hoyle presented the inaugural Alumni Medal of Honor to Dr. George Lazarus ’63 for his impressive career in pediatric medicine and his loyal service to Bronx Science.

2023 COMMENCEMENT

MILLARD ‘MICKEY’ DREXLER ’62 TO DELIVER KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT 2023 COMMENCEMENT

FULL ARTICLE WRITTEN BY OTHO VALENTINO SELLA, ‘23

Millard ‘Mickey’ Drexler ’62 will deliver the Keynote Address to the Bronx Science Class of 2023 during the 95th Commencement Ceremony at the United Palace Theater on June 23rd, 2023. Drexler is a household name in the fashion industry — a man who possesses the kind of discerning eye for style that has defined fashion trends for a generation and whose undeniable success has prompted global media outlets to refer to him as ‘The Merchant Prince.’ The former CEO of Ann Taylor, Gap and J. Crew, Drexler is now chairman of Alex Mill, a men’s and women’s apparel brand launched in 2013 by his son, Alex Drexler. He also remains active in the Bronx Science community, such as when he returned to the school in 2018 as an inductee to the Bronx Science Foundation’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

Born in the Bronx in 1944 to working class Jewish parents, Drexler’s childhood was defined by a rigorous work ethic that his family instilled in him. He has reflected that while he arrived at Bronx Science with “street smarts,” he wasn’t a straight A student and was intimidated by the rigorous academic community around him. He struggled initially but persevered and went on to City College, then graduated from SUNY Buffalo – the first in his extended family to graduate from college.

Drexler then began his rapid ascent in the retail industry, from an entry level job at Bloomingdale’s to a few retail executive roles to, in 1980, the CEO of Ann Taylor at the age of 35. There he made bold, sweeping changes to the company’s merchandise and

Here is Millard ‘Mickey’ Drexler ’62 at Alex Mill’s headquarters in Soho, New York City.

personnel to dramatically turn around the struggling women’s speciality store. In 1983, with the support of his wife Peggy, Drexler moved his family to San Francisco. For the next 18 years, Drexler reinvented Gap, taking it from $400 million in sales when he joined the company to a whopping $15 billion in sales when he left. As he redefined casual dressing for America, Drexler also invented Old Navy, which launched in 1994 and became one of the fastest growing launches in retail history. Drexler eventually returned to New York City to be the CEO of J.Crew, transforming an ailing business into one of the most successful specialty retailers of its time and took it public. In 2004, he also acquired the name and rights to Madewell and turned it into a thriving business. Drexler exited J. Crew in 2018 and founded Drexler Ventures LLC. Drexler still sees himself as a normal guy from the Bronx. In fact, he often returns to the Bronx to have lunch with his grade school friends from his old neighborhood. “I’ve been very fortunate, and in hindsight, I credit my drive to growing up in the Bronx,” said Drexler. “I still show up and work hard every day, because I still feel like the underdog who has something to prove.”

For the entire Bronx Science community, Drexler is a shining example of both business acumen and work ethic; a reminder that ambition, creativity, and pride are virtues that don’t belong to any one generation. They are, like Drexler’s own personal style, timeless.

AMBASSADOR LINDA

THOMAS-GREENFIELD TO SPEAK AT COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY

FULL ARTICLE WRITTEN BY KATIA

ANASTAS, ‘23 AND SELA EMERY, ‘23

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations and in the Security Council of the United Nations, will deliver a speech as a special government representative at the Commencement ceremony.

When President Biden announced her appointment, he declared that from the very beginning of her career she earned the name of the “people’s ambassador,” one who was “willing to meet with anyone, an ambassador, a student, working people struggling to get by, always treating them with the same level of dignity and respect.”

Her 35 year diplomatic career to date has led her to posts in Kenya, Rwanda, Switzerland, Pakistan, Nigeria and Gambia, and she served as the American ambassador to Liberia.

VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN INTRODUCING THE

OF THE CLASS OF 2023

FULL ARTICLE WRITTEN BY NORA SISSENICH, ‘23

Taj “Wolfie” Jethwani-Keyser and Matthew Ferencz have been named this year’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian.

Jethwani-Keyser has a GPA of 99.629 and Ferencz has a GPA of 99.34, both among the highest final GPAs in the school’s history. For our Valedictorian and Salutatorian, graduating is bittersweet – a mix of relief, excitement, anxiety, sentimentality, and gratitude. “It’s a big honor,” said JethwaniKeyser, who will be attending Harvard University and intends to major in computer science while also studying math, physics, and public policy. “It also symbolizes just a lot of the effort I’ve put into academics in general, so in that sense, graduating from Bronx Science is a clean slate, both in a good and bad way. It’s sort of like all this effort and this community that I’ve been a part of for so long is finished. At the same time, it’s nice to have some closure.”

For Ferencz, the feelings are similar: “I’m honored. But I’m also a bit sad. I’ve spent four years of my life here, and now I have to say goodbye to so many people,” Ferencz said. They will be attending the University of Pennsylvania starting in the fall of 2023, with a plan to major in biochemistry on a pre-medical track while also taking classes in

Mandarin and the arts, particularly in music. Ferencz and Jethwani-Keyser were actively engaged in Bronx Science’s science research program, and both were finalists in the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Computer science was another significant interest for Jethwani-Keyser, who cofounded the Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking club at Bronx Science. He executed an extensive independent project in online misinformation using natural language processing to look for

The Class of 2023 Valedictorian Taj “Wolfie” Jethwani-Keyser

patterns in the comment sections of misinformation on social media, and building a tool to create new models to detect misinformation online. Ferencz participated in cancer research with doctors at the NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center. Their independent research project incorporated machine learning and predictions in Python (a skill which Ferencz self-taught), taking data on drug sensitivity and gene specificity to predict and rank the most effective drug treatments for specific cancers.

In addition to their strong interests in STEM subjects, the two have been extensively involved with the Bronx Science Speech and Debate team since their ninth grade year. The activity has been time-consuming but quite enriching. “There were times when debate was more work than all my classes put together,” said Jethwani-Keyser, who is the Research Director of the Congressional Debate team.

Ferencz competed in congressional debate for two years before switching to speech, where they explored topics including mixedrace identity and male mental health in the dramatic interpretation and original oratory events. “Both taught me how to be more comfortable with public speaking and also thinking off the fly,” Ferencz said. Ferencz has also served as the Captain of the Boys’ Varsity Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track teams, and performed as the character of Roger in the school’s production of the musical Rent.

The two will deliver remarks to the graduating Class of 2023 at this year’s Commencement ceremony.

Jethwani-Keyser ’23 (right) and Salutatorian Matthew Ferencz ’23 (left)

Matthew Ferencz

Taj “Wolfie” Jethwani-Keyser

A LIFE OF LOVE AND A LASTING LEGACY:

REMEMBERING KING PHOJANAKONG

Master chef and entrepreneur, devoted father and husband, cherished friend, and member of the class of ’86, King Phojanakong will be deeply missed.

ARTICLE BY HALLEL ABRAMS GERBER, ‘24

Earlier this year, the culinary world and city of New York lost a brilliant and beautiful leader in King Phojanakong. The Bronx Science community similarly mourned the passing of a selfless, spirited and steadfast former student. Since his earliest years in New York City, Phojanakong centered his life around bringing joy and meaning to others, making him a beloved figure to fellow alumni and far beyond.

A YOUNG KING

The son of a Thai father and a Filipina mother, Phojanakong grew up in Stuyvesant-Town, Manhattan, and was a member of the Bronx Science class of ’86. His father, also named King, owned small retail businesses, and his mother, Zosima “Emma” (Arceo), was a nurse. He attended Catholic school before heading to the Bronx for high school.

From a young age, Phojanakong would build a community around him. A member of many friend groups, he was known for

being amiable, easy-going, and humble— a “connector” with a magnetic personality. During his Bronx Science days, he was often seen with a wide smile and guitar in his hands.

Friends recall that as far back as sixth grade, Phojanakong called for kindness to combat bullying and welcome new students. “He was someone that everyone loved,” Ayo Haynes ‘86 reflected. “I never heard him talk badly about anybody. He could literally have been the town mayor because he knew everyone and was genuinely a people person.”

Years later, Phojanakong was the man to encourage a friend’s mother suffering from cancer to join in karaoke, supporting her in sharing her voice and having a brief moment of levity. He helped to host Bronx Science reunions and would invite former classmates back to his restaurant afterwards for food and music.

“It was no surprise that he [became] a chef and a restaurateur,” shared Dan Fisher, ‘86. “[King always had] a ‘host mentality’ and [thought] about how he [could] create a moment and environment, the conditions for people to enjoy themselves.”

AN INVENTIVE, GROUNDBREAKING CAREER

After Bronx Science, Phojanakong studied some at the State University of New York at Purchase and the City College of New York. He then studied at the Culinary Institute of America, earning an associates degree in 1998, and set out to learn as much as he could from other chefs and restaurateurs before charting his own path. He helped open David Bouley’s acclaimed restaurant Danube and worked at other Michelin restaurants such as Daniel and Jean-Georges.

In 2005, he opened his own restaurant: Kuma Inn. Playing on the Tagalog word ‘kumain,’ meaning ‘to eat,’ it was a tiny restaurant on the Lower East Side that was difficult to locate and marked only by a red door. It was only the second sitdown Filipino restaurant in Manhattan and it quickly gained a devoted following from celebrities to youth. Phojanakong was a strong advocate for incorporating Filipino cuisine into the culinary mainstream of New York, and here he finally meshed his classical training with cultural home cooking, creating memorable meals that encapsulated his love for both food and his heritage.

Full of smells and flavors, it merged traditional Filipino ingredients like coconut vinegar and calamansi, also known as the Philippine lime, with dashes of sweetness representing the Thai influence. With small plates, he featured Filipino staples like seared sausages alongside more complex dishes like balut, a partly fertilized duck egg, to ravenous appeal. With Kuma Inn, Phojanakong built a thriving community that formed a place for South Asians to feel at home. (He also met his wife there, sitting down to speak with her as she dined one evening.)

Sean Sullivan ’86 shared, “It was like, ‘I have all this amazing classical training, but I'm using that to do the food that I grew up with and that I love and represents my culture.’ He could not have made it a harder place to find, but it was always packed because it was so warm and welcoming and so many people kind of found a place there. He influenced and touched so many people's lives, and he would never brag about it.”

In 2009, he opened Umi Nom (“uminom” means “drink” in Tagalog) in Brooklyn, using a former laundromat whose awning was still prominently featured at the door. He centered the menu around skewers, egg noodles, and other Filipino drinking foods. Umi Nom closed in 2015, and Kuma Inn shut down in 2021, a casualty of the pandemic. At that time, Phojanakong created a pop-up menu in the basement of Jimmy’s No. 43 and Cook Like King, where he offered custom-designed cooking classes.

Phojanakong’s renowned expertise and engaging personality extended far beyond his restaurants. He consulted for several Fortune 500 food brands and made appearances on top food television programs, such as The Rachael Ray Show and Cutthroat Kitchen.

As Aaron Pattap, an Executive Producer at Dotdash Meredith, noted in the SpruceEat’s Remembering Chef King Phojanakong, “Chef King's love and joy for food was contagious. He was not only a talented chef, but he was an energetic storyteller, who openly and eagerly explained the personal and cultural significance of his recipes. His passing is tragic, and it leaves a great void in all our hearts.”

A LEGACY OF LOVE AND SERVICE

Through all of his success, however, his classmates say Phojanakong stayed true to himself.

“When you were with him, you wanted to be your best self,” said Fisher. “That’s what he brought out in you because he was so kind and supportive of others, and he wanted to make sure that you were also being your best and kind self, which, in the end, is really the most important thing.”

Giving back to his communities, Phojanakong taught for several years at the Institute for Culinary Education, mentoring and supporting young chefs, advising that “it takes time, patience, and love to perfect the craft. A little skill doesn’t hurt either, but you can learn that.” Phojanakong also created the award-winning Bronx Hot Sauce, which worked to mobilize and support local community gardens in the Bronx and eventually led to a partnership with community gardens across ten cities.

Named a “Champion” of No Kid Hungry, he participated in numerous advocacy initiatives, including representing New York State on Capitol Hill and collaborating with Cooking Matters, a national campaign through Share Our Strength that works to make food more healthy and affordable for families. He actively combated anti-Asian racism, emphasizing the ties that form between New Yorkers and the importance of connection. In all facets of his life, he used his platform to advocate.

Marianne Merritt Talbot ’86 noted, “He wanted to help people. To make the city

“

When you were with him, you wanted to be your best self.

better. To make people happy and healthy. He was a giver.” Classmates and colleagues alike note how Phojanakang inspired those around him to commit wholeheartedly to their passions, to love what they did, and to make a difference.

Sullivan added, “His first thought was taking care of everybody else. Is everybody happy? Is everybody comfortable? His first instinct was ‘anything I can do for you, anything I can help.’ And he meant it and never wanted anything in return.”

“I think King was like the secret sauce,” Ceming Chao ’86 reflected. “You sprinkle a little here, sprinkle a little there. And everyone was just happier by day's end.”

Talbot added, “The more you give, the more you get. People wanted to be near him. They wanted to go to Kuma Inn. They wanted to invite him to do things because he gave so much of his heart. And he was also very humble. When you love what you do, you really make a difference.”

Ever committed to his family, he cared selflessly for his parents and took great pride in his roles of a husband and parent. Phojanakong ensured he was very present as a father, spending quality time with his children during the day and always picking them up from school. Sullivan shared, “Nothing made him happier than his kids. He was completely involved with them, and it was so great to see the joy he had just spending time with his family.”

Phojanakong died on January 2, 2023, at age 54, due to complications from granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, a rare disease that attacks the spinal cord and brain. He leaves behind his wife, Annabel Nau, and two children, Phebe and Eduard. His wake was standing room only, packed with hundreds of

friends from Bronx Science, his childhood schools, the culinary world, and beyond paying their respects.

As his brother-in-law shared on his tribute website, “On January 2, 2023, his big, beautiful heart stopped. We lost a true King. We lost the Great King Phojanakong.”

ACHIEVEMENTS

ARTICLE BY ANNA KOONTZ, ‘23

ATHLETICS

Bronx Science has 43 sports teams, 37 varsity and 6 junior varsity. This school year was a great one for our athletic program, in which 25% of the student body participated in at least one team. Three Bronx Science Teams won the City Championship this year—Girls Fencing, Girls Indoor Track and Girls Outdoor Track! Emmy Sale ’25, who competed in a 4x400m relay critical to one of those victories, reflected that the final meet was a favorite “not just because we won, but because it was one of my first moments realizing how important each member is to the team, and how important it was for everyone to work hard.”

At the Nike Nationals, the Bronx Science track team broke several school records, including one that was held for twelve years in the 4x400m relay.

PERFORMING ARTS

MUSIC: Over 130 Bronx Science students participate in a total of four music ensembles: jazz band, concert band, chorus, and orchestra. All groups performed wonderfully at the 2022 Winter Concert and 2023 Spring Concert. The concerts feature pieces from a variety of genres, from madrigals to Disney to Charlie Parker and Shostakovich. The chorus and jazz band also performed for our alumni at the Bronx Science 85th Anniversary playing a medley of Bronx Science related songs such as the Star Wars theme for Hall of Famer Jon Favreau ‘84, songs from Hall of Famer Bobby Darin ‘53 and even an Elvis song which was written by Warren Nadel ‘47, an accomplished dentist who wrote more than a dozen songs for Elvis under his pseudonym Randy Starr.

THEATER: This year, the school’s theater company - the Atomic Theatre Company - presented She Kills Monsters, a play about a teenage girl who discovers more about her recently passed sister through Dungeons and Dragons campaign. In the spring, students performed the Tony award winning musical Rent. The student-led club S!NG also premiered their original production Backfire, the culmination of an almost year-long effort that began with months of script—and songwriting by students.

MUSIC

Bronx Science musicians are especially thankful for Mr. DeSilvia (Orchestra / Chorus) and Mr. Mantilla (Jazz Band / Concert Band) for helping prepare the ensembles for the winter concert.

The Atomic Theater Company hired a professional to help choreograph the fight scenes for She Kills Mosters They also experimented with puppeteering and unique costumes for mythical characters.

ATOMIC THEATER COMPANY

Backfire is a suspenseful story that follows two detectives as they attempt to locate a missing college student.

ACADEMIC COMPETITION TEAMS

SPEECH & DEBATE: The Speech & Debate team is ranked number 1 in the entire country, after students competed in more than 50 tournaments across five different events. This year, 89 students qualified for the New York State Tournament, 31 qualified for the Tournament of Champions, and 16 qualified for the Catholic National Championship. The Congressional Debate and Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate squads both became State Champions. The team also championed at the Yale University Invitational, Mamaroneck Fall Face Off, Lexington Invitational, Isidore Newman Invitational, Durham Cavalier Invitational, and more. The season concluded with the Bronx Science Congressional Debate Team winning the national championship at the CFL Grands.

OTHER: Bronx Science has several academic competition teams besides Speech & Debate, including Science Olympiad, Model United Nations, and two robotics teams, the Sciborgs and the FeMaidens. The FeMaidens placed third overall in the 2023 New York City Regional and won the team spirit award. The Sciborgs also competed at the NYC Regional, where Asa Paparo ’24 was a Dean’s List Finalist. This year, the Science Olympiad placed second overall in the New York North Regional and earned six medals at States. The Model United Nations team attended several conferences and won ten awards at a conference hosted by Yale.

SPEECH

The Dynamo literary magazine Science in 1938.

Hundreds of students participate team, making it one of the afterschool programs.

DYNAMO

participate in the Speech and Debate the most popular and successful

PUBLICATIONS

The annual student literature and arts magazine, Dynamo, was published in early June. “We received over 100 submissions of poetry, stories and artwork for this year's issue and are super excited about how the magazine came together,” said club president Helen Stone ’23. This was also an exciting year for the more than one hundred students involved with the Science Survey newspaper and yearbook. The Science Survey released four issues on its website throughout the year, with 450+ articles documenting student life, politics, popular culture, and more.

magazine has existed since the founding of Bronx

In order to work more efficiently, the FeMaidens divide the work among four departments: Engineering, Programming, Electronics, and Marketing.

ALUMNI

CAREER SPOTLIGHT

ARTICLE BY HALLEL ABRAMS GERBER, ‘24

The name alone—Bronx Science—brings many to STEM careers after graduation. Few, however, reach the depth, range, and experience of Dr. Gabriel Ganot ’01, a Principal Engineer who specializes in failure analysis and failure prevention of engineered components and systems.

For Ganot, Engineering was a foregone conclusion. “Even as a little kid, it fascinated me,” he explained. “I always knew I wanted to be an engineer first and foremost, but I knew that there was more to it. Bronx Science really fed that love, where top notch education and all the sciences propelled me to make sure I wanted to keep going on the engineering route.”

Ganot noted that it was especially valuable to have an AP Physics C teacher, Dr. Goldstein, who had worked in the industry.

“One thing that made him a great teacher was taking the textbook — theoretical, fundamental — and talking about how that influenced a product, something that we would use, touch, and hold in daily life. It stuck with me that the stuff we’re learning

about has real-world implications, not just in physics but in anything.”

Beyond the classroom, Ganot participated in band, served as the captain of the ultimate frisbee team, and played baseball outside of school. He noted that what “really resonated… was the diversity and populace of the school. It’s unrivaled… that experience of being able to understand and bridge different cultures, socioeconomic strata, walks of life, and locations in the city.”

Ganot received his undergraduate degrees at Lehigh University in Material Science and Engineering and Integrated Business and Engineering and then his Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering at Columbia. Today, he is a consultant with Exponent, an acclaimed international consulting and research company, specializing in failure analysis, materials science, metallurgy, fractography, and semiconductor processing. As he

SPOTLIGHT

explained, “In any field, [there are] things that need to be fixed, figured out, or prevented from breaking. What I love is that you can apply the fundamentals of engineering, material science, and science to any problem. The metal in a broken pipe is fundamentally the same as the metal in a hip implant. There are some differences, but you use the scientific method, you use fundamental engineering, and you can solve all these different problems.”

Ganot’s work spans many fields, centered around identifying the root causes of failure using unique and multi-disciplinary approaches rooted in his extensive background. He has run failure analyses on medical devices ranging from catheters to orthopedic implants; investigated gas, oil, and piping systems of transmission and processing, including service ruptures and a Bank of America Building water leak; and evaluated industrial systems’ metallurgical and materials-related failures, from fire sprinklers to elevator shafts and turbine engines.

As a former baseball player and enthusiastic sports fan, Ganot has also analyzed exercise equipment failures

and bicycles. Most famously, perhaps, he was a lead author of Exponent’s research and formal report on the “Deflategate” scandal—the footballs used in the 2015 AFC Championship Game—in a 98-page report confirmed by NASA and NHTSA.

Alongside his many commitments, Ganot has attended Bronx Science events and also returned to mentor students on one of the school’s two robotics teams. “I was thrilled at the chance to re-engage. I am blown away by the students,” Ganot concluded. “I’ve definitely got a soft place in my heart for Bronx Science... It’s a wonderful, wonderful place, very special. I still look at myself like I ride the 4 train to school every day.”

DR. GABRIEL GANOT ’01

PLANNED GIVING PROFILE

NORMAN BRAND ’61

We are deeply honored when alumni treat Bronx Science like a part of their family by including the school in their estate plans, and Norman Brand ’61 is one such alumnus. Norm was recently kind enough to be a part of our May 1st planned giving webinar, and to speak with Priscilla Xu ’23 about why Bronx Science continues to be such a meaningful institution for him.

Norm loved his time with the folk singing group on campus, and he fondly remembers that his favorite high school classes were biology with Dr. Powell and chemistry. One of his favorite Science memories is when the chemistry teacher dropped a softball-size chunk of sodium into a laundry tub with water, causing an explosion that sent Mr. Brand and his classmates hiding behind their desks to avoid getting soaked. His teachers helped him find a mentor at Rockefeller Institute and submit a project on e. Coli to the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. After graduating in 1961, Norm headed to Harpur College (now a part of SUNY Binghamton), where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He had planned to enter the Air Force Commission, but changed course in light of the Vietnam War. Norm instead attended Arizona State University and earned his PHD in

English, with a doctoral dissertation focused on the fugitive slave narrative and books of slaves before the Civil War. He became an assistant English professor at UC Davis and taught their first black literature classes before completing law school there. Norm headed back to New York City in 1975, when the city was going bankrupt, and worked with the emergency financial control board to “right the ship” and develop a five year plan for financial solvency. After teaching for a time at Albany Law School, in 1983 Norm returned to the Bay Area of California and began arbitrating - a career he continues to this day. He has worked as an arbitrator and mediator in almost 4,000 labor, employment, pension, and other cases, and he takes great pride in his work bringing justice and resolution to difficult circumstances.

Norm shares that the best thing that he ever learned at Bronx Science is that “ignorance is curable,” and to not be embarrassed to not know something and ask questions. He credits his professional success, in part, to this important lesson and sees its impact daily. For example, for the last 15 years, he has been a member of the UCSF Cancer Centers’ Institutional Review Board, charged with making ethical decisions with regards to research. Most of his peers are MD-PhDs,

but Norm has found that he has been able to be extremely useful by having no qualms asking questions and bringing different perspectives to the discussion table. He also says that thanks to Bronx Science’s co-ed admission policy, he experienced firsthand early on that both men AND women can be very smart (possibly related: his wife is a lawyer from UCLA.)

By making a planned gift to Bronx Science, and supporting the school currently as a member of the Atomic 100 leadership society, Norm wishes to help the school continue to provide an exceptional education to students and give young people the same opportunities that he enjoyed. He says that though the makeup of the school has changed in some ways, much is still the same at Bronx Science: there are an abundance of kids from lower or middle class families, just as he was, who are very bright and able to improve their socioeconomic circumstances thanks to their Bronx Science education. The school - by placing enormous value on intelligence through the entrance exam, encouraging students to ask questions, and providing courses of study not available elsewhere - is truly unique and helps address the opportunity gap in the city. Norm is proud to do his part as an alumnus to help that worthwhile mission.

Alumni like Norm are members of the Creston Avenue Society, which celebrates those who have informed the Alumni Foundation of their intentions to make a legacy gift to Bronx Science. Creston Avenue Society members receive special recognition, communications and invitations. If you are interested in learning more about planned giving options and/or joining the Creston Avenue Society, please contact the Foundation team at foundation@bxscience.edu or 718.817.7800.

*Many thanks to Priscilla Xu ’23 for conducting the interview with Norm which informed this profile.

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI IN THE NEWS

Judith Shulman Weis ‘58 had nominated the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary to “Mission Blue” (Sylvia Earle’s organization) to be designated a “Hope Spot” last year. The estuary has been announced as chosen as the “Hope Spot.”

Richard G. Fromewick ’60 has been celebrated for 50 years of practice in the Nassau County Bar Association.

David Glass ’77 is the Vice President of Research at a local biotech company, a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. He has recently written a play, Love + Science, which is going to be staged Off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theater Company.

Miriam Silverman ’96 won a Tony Award for best featured actress in a play for her performance in “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.” She was previously profiled in the New York Times for her nomination.

Eleanor Coufos ’99, President of the Bronx Science Foundation, has been selected as an honoree at City & State’s Above & Beyond Innovators Ceremony. As an awardee, Eleanor is celebrated as one of the 40 most influential and thought-provoking innovators in New York.

Robert Samuels ’02 received a Pulitzer Prize in the General Nonfiction category. The award honored “His Name is George Floyd,” a Washington Post book which tells the story of Floyd’s life, death and his legacy.

Hersh Parekh ’05 and Kenny Burgos ’12 were both recognized under City & State’s Albany 40 Under 40.

ALUMNI AUTHORS

Eva (Steiner) Moseley ’49 has had a memoir, Skirting History: Holocaust Refugee to Dissenting Citizen, published by Olive Branch Press, an imprint of Interlink Publishing Group. Its main themes are absent fathers, effects of public events on private lives, and changing meanings of Jewishness. It includes a chapter on Bronx Science, an unsolved murder, and much else against the background of World War II and the Cold War, plus some relevant jokes and dated recipes. The book’s cover shows the Steiner family about to board the ship Hamburg to sail to New York in February 1939.

Richard Hardack ‘81 has recently published a book titled, Your Call is Very Important to Us: Advertising and the Corporate Theft of Personhood. He shares, “the text is a wide-ranging study of the pernicious idea that corporations are people. It recontextualizes the inordinate influence of corporations and corporate advertising in the U.S. as a legal, political, psychological and sociological phenomenon. In timely ways, the book also examines how corporations in figurative and specific political contexts achieved “superpersonhood,” in another kind of zero-sum game, at the expense of African Americans.” Please find more information here.

IN MEMORIAM

We are saddened to share news that the following Bronx Science alumni have passed away. Our thoughts are with their friends and loved ones.

Warren Brehm ’41

Eugene Davidson, ‘44

Lawrence Rothfield ’44

Donald J. Mayer ’49

Henri Mitler ’48

Henry Pollard ’48

Martin Rabinowitz ’49

Joel Jay Belson ’50

Mildred Henner-Zilko '50

Morton Sternheim ’50

Dorothy (Dotty) Blum Waxman ’50

Marvin Black ’51

Harvey Blumberg ’51

Minna Jackter Kahn ’51

Rhoda Gold Griefer ’52

Oliver Lednicer ’52

Herman Sassower ’52

Melvin Cohen ’53

Robert Lehner ’53

Eric Liner ’53

Stephen Parles ’53

Harriet Paget Ritzer ’53

Rosanne Wallach Stein ’53

Sandra Hoch Weishaus ’53

Albert Katz ’54

Lynn Baker ’55

David White ’56

Daniel Winicur ’56

Michael Bertin, ‘59

Anita Lande ’60

Paul Lieberman ’60

Herbert Geller ’61

Michael Boyce ’62

Morton Schwartz ’62

Ronald Rosenberg ’77

Arie Gilbert ’79

Peter Dell Accio ’89

Uriel Goldsmith (former faculty)