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Class Note / Memories / Technite Diamond Club

Gerard Walsh

March 8, 2023
Awards & Publications / Career Milestones / Technite Diamond Club

Ronald Vazzano

News

Mark Tatum ‘87 Returns to Tech to Talk Baseball

Technite Profiles / Titans of Tech / Uncategorized

Richard S. Abramson ’63

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Class of 1967

Gerard Walsh

March 8, 2023

I was proud to play football from 1963-1967 under the guidance of legendary coach Adam Cirillo. If you were a member of the team, life at Tech was a little bit different. We were grouped together in a homeroom (i.e., “T” prefect) with our fellow team members. This promoted camaraderie but also allowed Adam to address the group on both team and school matters. We also received academic assistance when needed. That was the overriding theme at Tech: academic excellence.
At the time, our team practiced across the street in Fort Greene Park. It was not a field, it was a dirt hilltop shared with broken bottles and rocks. It is amazing that we performed as well as we did. We would practice till the sun went down, cross Dekalb Avenue, go up to the locker room, shower, dress, then most of us would hop on a bus or subway back home. On Friday we would take our equipment home to bring to the game on Saturday. No fancy bus rides for us. And, since we did not have a field of our own, we played our home games at Boys High’s field. All this sounds like complaining, but it was a process we rolled with and never thought we were deprived.
Lastly, I would like to share some some of my more vivid  memories of Tech. I remember the ‘fairy-dust battles’ in foundry; going to Dykes Lumber to get a piece of pine when we ruined our step V block in Shop; gathering in our beautiful auditorium for assembly sessions; torturing the slop cops at lunchtime; avoiding the SOS in the hallways; dreading walking to classes on the upper floors; figuring how to turn a three-view drawing into an isometric; and hoping Mr. Kaufmann would not call on you to discuss the Weekend In Review section from the New York Times, etc., etc.

Class of 1963

Ronald Vazzano

March 8, 2023

After graduation from Tech, I attended Manhattan College where I earned a BBA with a major in advertising. I spent 31 years as a media director at major ad agencies in New York and L.A. That career was interspersed with a seven-year stint as an actor (still am a member of Actors’ Equity). Twenty-four years after I returned to advertising, I retired in 2003 from the Publicis Groupe, a French-owned international advertising and media company.

I’ve spent the last 20 years as a writer, poet, and speaking performer and frequently do public readings through the auspices of the writers’ groups I belong to: Italian American Writers Association (IAWA), Irish American Writers and Artists (IAMWA), and the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). I have written a monthly online piece I call a MuseLetter. It is now in its 19th year and can be accessed here.

I didn’t turn out to be an engineer, but was able to apply the training and discipline I learned at Tech, through its challenging curriculum, to other professions and life endeavors. I have not set foot in  Brooklyn Tech in 60 years and look forward to returning for Homecoming, March 25, 2023.

Class of 1966

Arnold T. Oftedal

January 25, 2023

Tech was extra special. I remember the transit strike when Ken Larsen and I rode our bikes to school and  were permitted to “park” them in the inside courtyard. Ken and I were Editors-in-Chief of the Blueprint. Teachers I remember are: Dr. Rich, Mr. Pasner, Mr. Polan, Miss Coyle, Mrs. Piraino, Mr. Malachias, Mr. Starfield, Mr. Weiss, and Miss Cincotta. There were many others I can list – indicative of the tremendous impact they all had on my years at Tech.

I attended CCNY, earning a BS in Mathematics, went on to Richmond College, earning an MS in Math Education, and subsequently going on to CSI, earning a 6th Year Certificate in Supervision and Administration. I taught Mathematics in the NYC school system for 14 years, moving on to administration, becoming an Assistant Principal Administration, subsequently leaving NYC schools after 23 years to enter administration in the New Jersey school system. I was a high school principal for 14 years, ending my career as an elementary school principal. I retired after 40 years.

During my career in education, I was also a member of the New York  Army National Guard, receiving my commission as an officer in 1971 and then leaving the military in 2000 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Now, in retirement, I have become involved with Northern Ocean, NJ Habitat For Humanity on a volunteer construction team. I am also involved with the Norwegian Christian Home and Health Center in Brooklyn, as a member of the Board of Directors. Finally, I am also a Board Member at the Lutheran Brethren Conference Center in Pennsylvania.

All in all, my direction towards leadership in most all that I have undertaken I attribute to my development at BTHS. Those three years (I came in the 10th grade) were the most profound in my educational upbringing. For that, I am profoundly thankful. Not to get too corny, but: “Tech Alma Mater, Molder of Men!”

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Larry Cary ’70

Apr 29, 2022 Updated: Apr 29, 2022 Obituaries, Technite Profiles Stephanie Bakirtzis Mar 20, 2023 2:25 pm

Larry Cary ’70, past president of the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation, passed away on December 15, 2021 from complications from cancer.

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Richard S. Abramson ’63

Jan 27, 2023 Updated: Jan 27, 2023 Technite Profiles, Titans of Tech, Uncategorized Stephanie Bakirtzis Mar 20, 2023 2:25 pm

Richard S. Abramson ’63 Richard S. Abramson ’63 was Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Director of AllianceBernstein for 37 years. He passed away in 2016 after a battle with multiple myeloma. He was President of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and served on the investment committees of…

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Milo Kessler ’21 Memorial Fund

Mar 15, 2022 Updated: Mar 15, 2022 News, Obituaries, Technite Profiles, Uncategorized Stephanie Bakirtzis Mar 20, 2023 2:25 pm

In memory of Milo, the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation has established the Milo Kessler ’21 Memorial Fund.

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World’s Largest Advanced Placement Program

Dec 9, 2021 Updated: Dec 9, 2021 News aharris Mar 20, 2023 2:25 pm

The world’s largest Advanced Placement program; a nine-story building with aerospace lab, a unique college-like system of majors; 187 clubs and activities; and 37 PSAL sports teams differentiate Brooklyn Tech from other specialized high schools in NYC’s ‘Elite 8’

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Wilton Cedeño ’82: Economic Development Power 75

Dec 6, 2021 Updated: Dec 6, 2021 Technites in the News aharris Mar 20, 2023 2:25 pm

Wilton Cedeno, former director of regulatory affairs for Con Edison, monitors and seeks to shape state energy policy for Con Edison, a massive utility company that provides electric and gas service to residents – and businesses – in New York City and Westchester County.

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Where Are They Now: Mike D’Amato ’59, New York Jets

Dec 23, 2021 Updated: Dec 23, 2021 Technites in the News aharris Mar 20, 2023 2:25 pm

From when Mike D’Amato was a high school senior at Brooklyn Tech to when he was a two-time Middle Conference All-Star safety and kick- and punt-returner, as well as a second-team All-American lacrosse attackman at Hofstra in 1968, life happened.

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Name Phone Email
Jon Smith323-445-9870jon.smith@orgname.org
Jon Smith323-445-9870jon.smith@orgname.org
Jon Smith323-445-9870jon.smith@orgname.org
Jon Smith323-445-9870jon.smith@orgname.org