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Philip Erlich is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for his contributions to the RCSD over the course of his long career and for his volunteer work with the Rensselaer library and community.
Phil attended Van Rensselaer Elementary school until 8th grade and completed high school at Albany Academy. After graduation he attended Hamilton College and attained a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then enrolled in St. Rose and graduated with a Master of Science in Elementary Education with additional course work in Administration and Supervision (60 hrs.) at SUNYA.
Phil began his long career with the Rensselaer School District in the mid-sixties at School 2 teaching 5th and 6th grades. He then went on to become Principal of Fort Crailo School. Following that he became Director of Federal Programs, bringing Head Start to the city. He developed programs in psychological services, dental hygiene, social service home visits, remedial elementary summer school, and a remedial Jr. High School evening program. He subsequently held positions of Assistant and Acting Superintendent and Director of Pupil Personnel Services. In addition to the duties associated with these positions, he tutored a preparatory class of the NYS scholarship exam and the “Answers Please” team, and private students. He was Key Club and Extra Curricular Funds Advisor.
Phil has served as both an appointed and elected School Board member and Vice President, on the Rensselaer Public Library Commission and as President and VP of the Upper Hudson Library System Board. His work with the library lead to the Learning Center being dedicated in his name last year. He taught church school at the Church of the Redeemer for over 50yrs. and was a member of the Rensselaer Planning Commission. His volunteer work also took on a personal investment in fostering two teenagers whose mother had died and whose father was institutionalized. He has also served on the United Way Allocations Panel directing funds to programs serving underprivileged and “at risk” children.
Phil was nominated by his brother-in-law and colleague, Ernie Mann and co-sponsored by his nephew Stephan Mann, and colleagues and friends, Jim Cochran, Fran Pilato, and Mary VanLeuven, all of whom are Hall of Famers. Phil lives in Rensselaer with his wife Rosemary.
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- Category: Hall of Fame
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Lynne Beiermeister is an alumna of the class of 1969 and a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee. Post-high school, Lynne attended the Goethe Institut in Germany and graduated with a BA from SUNY Albany in 1973. Post college education included courses at Hudson Valley Community College and the University of Connecticut in conjunction with Rutgers University. Lynne worked for the NYS Office of Mental Health in Quality Assurance and Standards Compliance for 33 years, retiring in 2006. Previous to becoming president of the RHS Alumni Association in 2011, she was co-president of the Friends of the Albany Berkshire Ballet and sat on the ballet's board. Although she currently lives in Voorheesville, Lynne's Rensselaer roots include her great-grandfather John Hall, Mayor 1919-20 and her grandfather Louis Dutcher, former VRHS principal and 2013 Hall of Fame inductee. Lynne has one daughter. She enjoys genealogy, gardening, travelling and has recently started an antique business.
Marianne Brownell is an alumna for the class of 1971 where she had been a business student. She has been Secretary of the Alumni Association for three years and an integral part of the Hall of Fame Committee each of those years, and a loyal volunteer. After high school, she enrolled in Schenectady County Community College pursuing an Associate in Applied Science in Travel and Tourism. She started her career with the state of New York working for a year at the Department of Transportation, Office of Regulatory Affairs as a stenographer. She then worked for 5 years at the Education Department, Office of Children with Handicapping Conditions and moved on to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, until finally settling into her last job at The Partnership for Education & Training. Marianne has two sons, is married and lives in Delmar.
James Casey is an alumnus of Catholic Central High School in Troy, class of 1975. He opened Casey's Restaurant on Washington Ave. (former Manor Inn) in 1994 before moving to Rensselaer 13 years ago. He has represented the 4th Ward on the city council for 8 years, is on the board of the Rensselaer Boys and Girls Club, and is a member of the Kiwanis and Guttenberg Masons. Jimmy has 3 adult children and a five year old granddaughter. He was recently married to the former Dawn Gould of Rensselaer.
Stephen Mann is an alumnus of the class of 1989. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. He served on the city's Youth Bureau Board of Directors his junior and senior year of high school and was a finalist for Youth of the Year his freshmen and sophomore years. In his graduating year, he was Rensselaer's Youth of the Year. Following high school, Steve earned his BA in Political Science and American History from SUNY Albany. His career in poly-sci began as the Public Affairs Coordinator for N.Y.S. Assemblyman Ron Canestrari from 1993-99. In '99 he became the regional representative for US Senator Charles Schumer which he held until 2009. From then until now he has been the Deputy State Director for Sen. Schumer. In addition to his career serving the citizens of N.Y.S., Steve has done much volunteering for the city of Rensselaer. In '94 he was part of the Planning Commission. He oversaw the city's 10 parks and recreation program, including the reconstruction of Coyne Field. He's been on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club and been an interior firefighter with Engine #4 from 1989 to present, serving as Lieutenant for 3 yrs, and Captain for 8 yrs. In 2005 he was named Assistant Fire Chief and served until 2010. In 1999 he also served on the North Greenbush Youth Board. Steve is the son of former RCSD Faculty member and 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, Ernie Mann '65 and the late Janice Erlich Mann '67. He lives in Rensselaer with his wife, the former Meg Carey '89 and their two children.
John Mooney is an alumnus of the class of 1975 and the current President of the RCSD Board of Education. He is also a 2015 inductee of the Hall of Fame. John became a successful Real Estate Broker after graduating high school and has been the leading agent in his office for Realty USA for the last 13years. He has been a respected member of the Rensselaer community for a long time, beginning with serving elected positions of 2nd Ward Alderperson from 1982-93, as a member of the Youth Bureau Board of Directors from 1991-99 and as a member of the Board of Assessment and Review from 1997 to present. He also has an active role with the Rensselaer Democratic Committee. He is a life member of the E.F. Hart Hose Fire Company and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He has also been President of the Benevolent Order of the Elks (BOE) since 2001 and has served as treasurer for the Rensselaer Athletic Association. John has always supported the efforts and activities of the Alumni Association whole-heartedly. John has lived in Rensselaer all his life with his wife, the former Laurie VanVorst '76 where they raised their three children. They now have three grandchildren.
Deborah Reimann graduated as Valedictorian of the Class of 1974. Her continuing education was through Hudson Valley Community College, American Institute of Banking and Empire State College and she is currently exploring completing her BS in Business Administration. Her mom, Anna Meurs Irving is a 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee. She is a communicant of the Church of the Redeemer and a former member of the Altar Guild and Redeemer Guild. She was a Sunday school teacher from the late 1960's - early 1980's and past President (6 years) and Life Member of the Van Rensselaer Elementary School Parent/Teachers Association. She is a life member of the Rensselaer Pop Warner. She was a former coach and volunteer with Rensselaer Little League and member of the city's Festivities Committee and Centennial Committee. She was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Leonardo da Vinci Lodge. She has been Vice President of the Rensselaer Alumni Association for the last 3 years. She currently is an Application Specialist/Analyst in Electronic Health Information for Capital Care Medical Group. Deb is a lifelong resident of Rensselaer is married with one son and one step daughter and has 3 grandchildren.
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- Category: Hall of Fame
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Denise Roberts Wright, Class of 1983 is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for her academics, creative arts accomplishments, dedication to her students, and volunteerism.
Denise was very active with her studies and extracurricular activities while in high school. She was in National Honor Society each year, won the Spanish Award, represented the school at Girls' State, received the D.A.R. Good Citizen Award and the U.S. National Journalism Award. She belonged to several clubs: Theta Sigma Nu, Key Club, "Ram Blurr", was Yearbook Editor and was on several committees and played field hockey. She was also representative for the Student Policy Forum, a member of Student Council and Secretary for her class.
Denise graduated from The College of St. Rose in 1987 with a BA in Secondary Education/English. While there she was a volunteer tutor in the Writing Lab and joined Sigma Tau Delta which is an English Honor Society Sorority. She then started teaching and later went to SUNY Albany, receiving her Master's degree in Developmental Reading in 1990. In addition, she has 30 more credits.
Denise started working for the RCSD in 1987 and presently teaches 11th grade English, a University at the High School English course entitled "Introduction to Reading Literature", and a Distance Learning Creative Writing course. She is the advisor of the school's Alumni Club (started by the Alumni Association) and Literary Magazine and has volunteered on the school's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign since 2002. In 2004, she was recognized by the Susan G. Komen Foundation with the "Make a Difference" award. She was the Relay for Life coordinator for the school team for the American Cancer Society from 2004-9. In 2006 she was named by Channel 13 as an "Educator of the Week", and in 2007, the Greenbush and Troy area YMCA awarded her with an "Outstanding Educator" certificate. Her volunteer activities also include serving on the Board of Directors for the East Schodack Fire Company and she is a member of the Fort Crailo chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and recently participated in Fort Ticonderoga's Teachers Institute on the French and Indian War. There are many other roles that she has taken on throughout her 30 year career at RHS, too numerous to list.
Denise has been in Drama Club performances and has performed locally re-enacting one of her favorite authors, Louisa May Alcott. She sings in the First Church in Albany Chancellor Choir and enjoys tole painting, playing guitar, ukulele, and now is learning clogging.
Denise was nominated by her proud mother, Doris Nichols Roberts '61, who has been Vice President to the Alumni Association and currently is active as Ex-Officio. Denise resides in East Schodack with her husband Jeff and they have two daughters and a son-in-law.