James Madison High School Alumni Association

The James Madison Alumni Association inaugurated the Wall of Distinction in 2001 to honor Madisonians who have made an impact on our society. Every two years we elect several outstanding alumni and install plaques inscribed with their picture, class, and area of expertise on the Wall, located at the entrance to the auditorium. At a Sunday afternoon program, the inductees speak about their days at Madison, and teachers and friends who influenced their lives are remembered with great poignancy. It has also become a social event, as alums connect with old classmates and former teachers. This event has continued to grow, with about 450 attending in 2010.

In addition to honoring the school and its alumni, the Wall has also become a popular attraction for both Madison students and visitors.

The next event will be in Sunday May 6th, 2012 when several new members are inducted. They are as follows

Admission is free. Contact Dick Kossoff for more information or to recommend a candidate.

Below are the 50 Madisonians elected to the Wall.

WALL OF DISTINCTION HONOREES

2001
Garson Kanin*	'27	Writer, Producer, Director
Barry Commoner	'33	Environmentalist
Martin Glickman *	'35	Olympian, Broadcaster
Stanley H. Kaplan*	'35	Educator
Dr. Robert Solow	'40	Nobel Prize - Economics
Ruth Bader Ginsburg	'50	United States Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Feldman*	'56	President, American Federation of Teachers
Charles Schumer	'67	United States Senator (N.Y.)


2002
Sylvia Feldman Porter*	'30	Financial Journalist
Dr. Stanley Cohen	'39	Nobel Prize - Medicine
Stephen Schwebel	'46	President - World Court
Frank Torre	'50	Professional Baseball Player
Bruce Morrow	'53	Radio Personality "Cousin Brucie"
Dr. Samuel Thier	'54	College President, Medical Executive
Jane Brody	'58	Health Journalist


2004
Irwin (Shamforoff) Shaw*	'29	Playwright/Author
Marvin Miller	'33	Baseball Labor Executive
Andrew (Fuzzy) Levane	'40	Professional Basketball Player/Coach
Dr. Martin Perl	'41	Nobel Prize - Physics
Stanley Karnow	'41	Journalist/Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author
Claire (Kantoff) Schulman	'42	Queens Borough President
Esther (Rudomin) Hautzig*	'51	Author/Humanist
Carole (Klein) King	'58	Writer/Singer/ Producer
Daniel Suhr *	'82	Madison Athlete/Firefighter


2006
William Gaines*	'39	Publisher, Mad Magazine
Elaine Malbin	'48	Opera Star
Dr. Gary Becker	'48	Nobel Prize - Economics
Lawrence Kasha *	'50	Producer/Director/Playwright
Dr. John Robbins	'50	Molecular Biologist
Lawrence Zicklin	'53	Financial Executive/Philanthropist
Rudy LaRusso *	'55	Professional Basketball Player
Steven Trachtenberg	'55	College President
Barry Mann	'56	Songwriter
Norman Coleman	'66	United States Senator (Minn.)


2008
Harry Eisenstat*	'35	Professional Baseball Player
Beverly Stoll Pepper	'39	Sculptor
Paul L. Krinsky	'46	Rear Admiral (Ret), Superintendent United States Merchant Marine Academy
Dr. Robert Haselkorn	'52	Professor - Genetics/Biology
Alfred Kasha	'54	Songwriter/Producer/Academy Award Winner
Sidney Ganis	'57	Movie Executive/President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Bernard Sanders	'59	United States Senator (Vt.)
Harry Boatswain*	'87	Professional Football Player


2010
Cal Abrams*	'42	Professional Baseball Player
Herbert Okun*	'47	Diplomat, UN Ambassador
Maury Allen*	'49	Sports Journalist
Dr. Ronald Dubner	'51	Pain Management Pioneer
Dr. Robert Dallek	'52	Historian, Professor
Deborah Tobias Poritz	'54	Chief Justice, N.J. Supreme Court.
Joel Zwick	'58	Director - TV/Film/Theater
Judith Blum Sheindlin	'60	Judge/TV Personality "Judge Judy"



*Deceased

THE WALL OF DISTINCTION