University City High School to Induct 15 Alumni Into Hall of Fame

Leaders in medicine and science, actors and singers, an NFL athlete, musicians and even an avant-garde lingerie designer will be among those in the spotlight this October as the newest inductees to the prestigious University City High School Hall of Fame.

The celebration of University City High School’s finest graduates will take place Friday evening, Oct. 4, 2019, at the Sheraton Lakeside Chalet in Westport Plaza from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and silent auction reception begins at 5:30 p.m. Program begins at 6:45 p.m. Cocktail attire.

The 2019 selected honorees are:

• Herbert Abelson, MD, ’58, celebrated medical researcher, pediatrician, leader in academic medicine
• David Bass, Jr., ’08, NFL New ‘York Jets linebacker, community volunteer
• Gregg Berger, ’68, internationally known actor, voice-over artist, author
• Allieze Ruby Curry, ’71, educator, St. Louis Community College leader
• Gale Epstein, ’64, avant-garde lingerie fashion designer, business leader
• Hadiyah-Nicole Green, MD, ’99, physicist, cancer researcher, founder of Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation
• Sheldon L. Kaplan, MD, ’65, pediatrician, educational leader for infectious diseases
• Carol (Biernbaum) Kaplan-Lyss, ’59, educator, child-development expert, author, community volunteer
• The late Zale J. Kessler, ’56, Broadway and screen actor, operatic star
• Lester A. Pines, ’68, legal pioneer, educator, community service leader
• David J. Prelutsky, MD, FACP, ’72, medical doctor, HIV research and treatment leader
• Stephen E. Schwartz, ’59, chemist, atmospheric science researcher
• Mary Beth Tinker, ’70, community leader, social activist
• Jim Olyn Triplett, Jr., EdM, ’96, educator, community volunteer
• Mike “Spike” Wilner, ’84, musician, legendary NYC club owner

The evening will be hosted by 1999 UCHS Hall of Fame inductee Wayne J. du Maine, a 1983 graduate who is currently the principal chair with both the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra and the trumpet program director for brass studies at New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. A nationally recognized trumpet player who once performed with Prince at his Paisley Park, Minnesota, home, du Maine returned home as a featured soloist with the 2019 U. City Summer Band on June 25 at Heman Park.

This year’s upcoming Hall of Fame inductees will join a long and prestigious list of alumni to have graduated from University City High School. They include playwright Thomas “Tennessee” Lanier Williams; internationally renowned rap artist Cornell “Nelly” Haynes, and Marlon West, the lead effects animator for beloved Disney films, and many more.

Their photos will join more than 100 others hanging in the main hallway of University City High School.
The UCHS Hall of Fame was established in 1999 for the purpose of honoring graduates from each era of the school’s history. These are individuals who have brought honor to the school through notable contributions to their fields and the world. Although the induction event occurs every other year, each January the District publicly calls for nominations.

Earlybird tickets are $75 per person by Sept. 11 ($750 for a table of 10). Sponsor a student for $75 each. General admission tickets are $100 per person Sept. 12-27. Gold Contributor tickets are $150 per person by Sept. 11 (includes sponsoring a student to attend and a notation in the event program). All payments must be received by 4 p.m. Sept. 27, 2019.

Event Sponsorships are available. For more information, email dchase@ucityschools.org. For inclusion in the program, all donations are due by Sept. 23.

Complimentary parking is available. Parking for the Chalet is available in the outdoor lot or in the Chalet garage. Garage parking can be validated in the reception area near the event registration.

More 2019 Induction and Homecoming weekend details are available at www.ucityschools.org/HOF2019.

To learn more about the UCHS Hall of Fame, including a list of impressive inductees, their biographies and how to nominate for 2021, visit www.ucityschools.org/HOF.

For more information about this event, contact Traci Moore at tmoore@ucityschools.org or call 314-290-4001.