Alumni deaths

If you would like to share information about the death of a classmate, please send their name, graduation year and year of death to newsletter@brightonalumni-rochester.org.

For entries with no date of death, we would appreciate receiving that information.

2022

Richard Harvey (d. 2025)

Good news:
Awards, events, publications and more

(Download the BSAA’s 13th Corner newsletter for more good news about alumni, including BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame honorees.)

• Eric Buetens, BHS’71, been accepted as chair of the Solo/Small Firm Division of the Indy Bar for 2026 and a member of the IndyBar board of directors for 2026.

• Ernie Clement, BHS’14, is a professional baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays whose contributions are credited with taking his team to the 2025 World Series. His batting average of 428 in the playoffs is considered spectacular. Clement is the first Rochester-area player to be in a World Series since 1954.

• During her gap year, Violet Klaus submitted an essay to the John Locke Institute’s Global Essay competition, responding to the prompt “Why pray?” in the theology category. The institute, based in London with ties to Oxford, Princeton and Georgetown Universities, promotes academic engagement and excellence around the world, and sponsors the essay competition to encourage young people to engage with key thinkers and important questions.

This year's competition had more than 63,000 entries. Klaus was selected for the short list of finalists — in the top 18% of participants — and invited to the award celebration gala in London. She also attended an institute conference.

• Tuthill Lighting, owned by Bruce Bedford, BHS’58, received the 2025 Legacy Award of the Brighton Chamber of Commerce.

• BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame member Heather Miller Podesta, BHS’88, is listed in Washingtonian magazine as one of the “Most Powerful Women” in DC!

• BHS alum Kristen Wiig, BHS’91, is featured in the Scoop section of a recent issue of People magazine for her “Hilarious New Role” in her new film, "Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” (released in September 2025), and quoted about acting with her twins and portraying a villain.

• Eric Buetens, BHS’71, received the 2024 President's Award for Service to the Profession from the Indianapolis Bar Association for his pro bono service.

• Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, BHS’71, received six 2024 awards for her writing work from Missouri Professional Communicators, the regional affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women. Details are at www.writerruth.com. She was profiled in the La Luz Voice, the newsletter of her new community in the Albuquerque area; has been added to the “small but mighty” editing team of Editors Toronto’s newsletter; and was recently named secretary of the Cat Writers Association.

• Lloyd Komesar, BHS’70, founder and 10 years as producer of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF), received a surprise V-Teddy award in his name that will be presented to others in the future who grow culture and community. “The outpouring of love and appreciation was palpable as the audience gave him a sustained standing ovation. So cool that he created this amazing film festival, now a sustainable institution, that brings so much vibrancy and economic benefits to Middlebury, VT.”

• Randi Minetor, BHS’76, was interviewed for an article for the History Channel’s website about Mount Washington and its crazy weather, and why some people who attempt the climb don’t make it.

• Gail Marlene Schwartz, BHS’84, received the National Indie Excellence Award in the LGBTQ Fiction category for her novel, Falling Through the Night. The book is autobiographically based and is about healing from trauma and learning to love.

• Past work by Gretchen Dieck, BHS’72, was mentioned in the April 15, 2024, issue of the New Yorker magazine.

• Congrats to David Sarachan, BHS’72, who has been inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He’s been a soccer player or coach for more than 50 years. He played for Cornell, then coached Cornell; went on to Buffalo Indoor, DC United, Chicago Fire, and LA Galaxy (with David Beckham and Landon Donovan) as assistant coach; the North Carolina Football Club; then the U.S. National Olympic Team, becoming head coach. From there, he coached the Puerto Rican national team and now the Israel Maccabi soccer team.

• The American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA) Foundation President and CEO Rosanna Maietta and Castell Project co-founder Peggy Berg, BHS’72, formally signed a merger agreement to strengthen and accelerate the industry’s commitment to elevate women in hospitality together.

• Jared Engel (BHS’99) got his start in the music world at Brighton in fourth grade, playing the bass. Fast-forward 25 years and his proud dad reports that Jared is recognized as one of the top bassists, performing in the bluegrass and American “roots” music scene. He recently performed in NYC with Steve Martin, Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka and others. 

• Nancy Gong (BHS’74) was featured in Life in the Finger Lakes magazine in a short article about the 45th anniversary of her glass art business. She designed and created the beautiful glass "window" that the BSAA presented to the BHS Media Center. and is a member of the BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame.

• Gail Marlene Schwartz (BHS’84) has written Falling Through the Night, a Jewish, queer, romantic coming-of-age novel that explores building healthy relationships after toxic ones, mental health, suicide and addiction. It is inspired by the author’s own journey with anxiety and healing from childhood trauma. The book will be released on February 25, 2024, and “captures many of the growing pains of young, queer folks as they struggle to find their footing and independence in adulthood,” according to a publicist. 

• Edward Lewis, MD (BHS’71) is a candidate for district chair of NY District II of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Margaret (Maggie Heyneman; BHS’70) Kearney has received a 2023 Dean’s Medal award from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. She joined the school in 2005, served as PhD program director and dean of graduate studies, and is professor emerita.

• Kathy Palokoff (BHS’71) co-collected the 52 essays in a new book, Great Dames: Women Sharing Their Power, and asked classmate Ruth Thaler-Carter to proofread the essays and contribute one of her own.

• President Joe Biden named Pauline Yu (BHS’66 and a member of the BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame) to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

• Oren Kessler (BHS 2000) is the author of Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict (Rowan & Littlefield Publishing, Inc.). He gave a presentation about the book at the Pittsford Plaza Barnes & Noble on April 30, 2023. Leah Goldman of the Jewish Federation is donating a signed copy to the BHS Media Center/Library.

• Nancy R. Adams (BHS’63) was featured in the “Remarkable Rochestarians” column in the Democratic and Chronicle. She was the first U.S. Army nurse to be promoted to the rank of major general. She studied at Nazareth College for two years and then graduated from Cornell University with a degree in nursing. She entered active duty with the Army Nurse Corps in 1968, served as a general duty nurse in Korea and then at a variety of medical centers. She studied at the Army War College, was a nurse consultant with the Office of the Surgeon General, and became the 19th chief of the Army Nurse Corps in 1999. She served the statutory four-year term and went on to other command posts before retiring from active duty in 2002.

• Linda Eppstein McKenzie, BHS’71, was named the 2022 Woman of the Year Award at the Installation Banquet of the Women’s Club of Pittsford for her contributions to its Philanthropy and Volunteer Spirit.  

• Randy K. (Lempert) Morgenstern, BHS’70, has joined the board of directors of the Writers and Books literary center. The Rochester native spent her higher-level academic and early employment years outside New York State, returning to Rochester in the early 1980s. She contributed to the success of the Jewish Community Center and Israel Bonds; created the Jewish Book Festival; began the Jewish Singles Network; and directed the Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation for 14 years, overseeing over $2 million in philanthropic funds and celebrating more than 100 Lions of Judah. She currently manages human resources for Radio Social in Rochester, which she co-owns with her husband Dan Morgenstern, BHS’70. They previously owned Clover Lanes Bowling Alley, the site of many BHS reunion events over the years.

• Peter Lovenheim, BHS’71 and BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame member, has published a new book, Gift Shop of Gratitude (2024, G&D Media) that was featured in (585) magazine as a summer read. He recently published an article in the Rochester Beacon online newspaper about a decision by a Brighton grade school to ban “Jingle Bells” because of its origins in minstrel shows.

• Ted Castle, BHS’70, was featured in a college alumni article for his role in the success of Tom & Jerry’s ice cream.