The second induction class of the Sachem Hall of Honor was recognized on June 2, 2018.
At a ceremony held in the central corridor of Sachem High School North, 11 of Sachem’s finest alumni were honored with the highest recognition given by the district’s alumni association.
“We have started an incredible tradition of honoring our successful alumni so we can inspire current and future generations of Sachem students,” said Chris R. Vaccaro, president and founder of the Sachem Alumni Association. “Thousands of alumni have walked the halls of our historic buildings and developed their lives thanks to the lessons they learned at Sachem. We are proud to honor this year’s fine group of inductees who have made Sachem proud in their lives and careers.”
A number of inductees were on-hand Friday at the high school giving mentor sessions to a combined 900 students.
This year’s inductees …
Kristen Bowes Burke, Class of 1994
Mrs. Bowes Burke is currently General Counsel for Mercy College, where she handles all legal matters for the college, is a member of the President’s Council, and heads the school’s Non-Academic Policy Review Council.
At Sachem, she was a three-sport student-athlete, earning All-State honors in soccer, All-County in basketball, and was the Unsung Hero of the lacrosse team her senior year. She also played the saxophone in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Band, and her senior year she was named the school’s Most Outstanding Athlete. She was voted most spirited and most athletic by her peers.
Accepted to Harvard, Yale, Cornell and West Point, Kristen chose Harvard where she started on the soccer team for four years and won Ivy League Championships three out of four seasons and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament her senior year.
She attended Fordham Law School and has had a very successful legal career. First as an assistant district attorney at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office in the rackets bureau and later as associate general counsel for The City University of New York – CUNY, where she handled major internal fraud investigations, disciplinary matters, discrimination cases and represented CUNY in numerous hearings and arbitrations. As a District Attorney, in May 2003 and April 2006, Ms. Bowes Burke headed the Fraudulent Identification Task Force, a coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies which successfully prosecuted individuals who manufactured and sold forged identification documents, thereby rooting out the sources of those documents for terrorists. She was the lead prosecutor in high-profile money laundering investigation that led to the arrest and conviction of 28 defendants for the black-market sale of cigarettes and the laundering of the proceeds to Jordan.
Kristen has also performed substantial policy work and advocacy in the area of Title 9 in relation to preventing sexual violence on college campuses.
Louis Gregory, Class of 1996
Mr. Gregory has had the fortune of two parallel careers running at the same time. First, and most importantly, inspired by the events of September 11, 2001, he changed his focus completely and became a trainee with a law enforcement agency that would become a component of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. Since then he has risen as a government director serving in various capacities in DHS from branch chief and watch commander to most recently as Director of Communications for the largest Federal Law Enforcement Agency in America.
Concurrently, he has built a business as a sports and entertainment manager, marketing clients and advising athletes and artists from the likes of the wrestler Bill Goldberg to hip hop legends Eric B and Rakim and many more. You may be familiar with Jennifer Lopez or Mary J. Blige or 50 Cent. He has worked with them all.
He credits his upbringing in Sachem for his success. He named Mrs. Bunce, his second grade teacher at Tamarac, business teacher and DECA advisor Mr. Paquette, basketball coach Matt Brisson and Tamarac music teacher Mrs. Kasper as major influences in his life. Further defining how unique he is, just last month Louis was featured on an episode of ABC’s “The Goldberg’s” as himself!
He lives with his wife and two daughters in Miami and came home for the ceremony.
Christopher Gentile, Class of 1977
Mr. Gentile is an entrepreneur and inventor that has been developing innovative technologies and products that have generated over $5.2 billion dollars in retail sales.
He has managed new technologies for toy products, theme parks, computer input devices, video games, 3D web graphics technology and virtual reality systems, along with their related consumer launch and marketing campaigns.
These include the Nintendo Power Glove, the first 3D interactive input device, Disney’s “Ride The Comix”, the first immersive virtual reality theme park ride and Cablevision’s VOOM, the first HDTV satellite system.
Mr. Gentile has additional senior management experience as Executive Vice President/General Manager running Viewpoint Corporation and he is president and CEO of iBoard LLC. A graduate of Syracuse University, Christopher has three Bachelor of Science degrees; Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering and Solar Engineering.
He was recognized in 2016 on a Billboard in Times Square for his dedication and success in IT and Virtual Reality.
His inspiration in combining creativity and technology for his entrepreneurships came from his learnings of science and art at Sachem. Along with his role as Editor-in-Chief of the Sachem Class of ‘77 Yearbook, which was voted best high school yearbook in the nation in a national competition, he was also co-captain of the Sachem gymnastics team and received a scholarship to Syracuse University for both gymnastics and academics.
As a senior, he was named male athlete of the year for excellence in physical education and was named most artistic by his peers.
Dr. Eileen Keneck, Class of 1981
Sachem’s Valedictorian in 1981, Dr. Eileen Keneck was very involved during her scholastic years. From Math Club and German Club to History Club and one year with the chorus, she was a member of the National Honor Society and received several academic awards.
After Sachem, Dr. Keneck attended Brown University, majoring in Human Biology in 1985 and from there she went to the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, receiving her MD in 1989. Dr. Keneck did her pediatric residency at the same institution, finishing in 1992, and then moved on to Boston City Hospital for a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, finishing in 1994.
Since 1994, she has been on the faculty at the Boston University School of Medicine, working in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Boston Medical Center (the former Boston City Hospital). BMC is the biggest trauma center in New England, as well as a “safety net” hospital, caring for a largely underserved population. Dr. Keneck has been involved in teaching hundreds of residents from various specialties, primarily at the bedside, but also in the classroom.
The residents in the Pediatric ED are primarily from the Boston Combined Residency Program, which is the joint pediatrics residency from Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Children’s’ Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Eileen has also been involved in teaching the paramedics and EMTs of Boston Emergency Medical Services and community pediatricians and has received awards for teaching excellence from the BU School of Medicine and from the Family Medicine residency.
Michael Lau, Class of 1986
Mr. Lau is a music executive with decades of experience in music publishing, production and development, among other things, learned first-hand about music, entertainment and the arts at Sachem. He credits the opportunities and programs he took advantage of at Sachem for his long and successful career in the music industry.
Today Mr. Lau is the Chief Operating and Chief Technology Officer of Round Hill Music in New York City. Over the last eight years he has been instrumental in building the company from three people to a fifty person, $500 million-dollar company, with additional offices in Nashville, Los Angeles, and London. He is one of the many caretakers in the company that has the honor and privilege to own and control the rights to songs such as “What A Wonderful World,” “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “Happy Together, ” “Under The Boardwalk,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Video Killed the Radio Star,” “Live Like You Were Dying,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” among many others.
Prior to Round Hill Music, Lau spent seven years at Warner/Chappell Music serving as Senior Director of Creative IT and Marketing Development and also served as Director of Strategic Marketing. Preceding his tenure in music publishing, his career included being a music supervisor, producer, and editor for projects with CBS, CBS Sports, Cartoon Network and the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics.
Taking part in Sachem’s top music programs that included chorus, select chorus, jazz/stage and rock bands as a guitar player, pit orchestra for the school’s musical theater productions, award-winning marching band, and Advanced Placement music theory courses help prepare Mr. Lau for the rigors of attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, considered one of the top music intuitions in the world.
In addition to being a talented musician and self-proclaimed “music theory nerd”, Mr. Lau was also a gifted gymnast under legendary Sachem boys’ gymnastics coach Ken Freidheim, and in private club under another Sachem Alumnus, Chuck LaCombe. As a junior, he achieved first place in New York State on the Still Rings as well as being honored as a High School All American athlete in gymnastics.
His still lives in the Sachem community today so his children can attend our school district.
William J. Lindsay III, Class of 1990
William Lindsay was first elected to the Suffolk County Legislature in 2013. He is serving in the same district he has grown up and lived in his entire life. After graduating from Sachem, he attended St. Joseph’s College.
During his tenure in the legislature, Mr. Lindsay has fought to end automatic pay increases for elected officials, increased government transparency by strengthening the Legislature’s reporting requirements for lobbyists, and finally put an end to a decade’s long debate by putting forward legislation to consolidate the Treasurer’s office and the Comptroller’s office, saving over $1.29 million. Additionally, he helped create regional planning alliances, which will facilitate coordination between municipalities as they work to implement the County’s master plan and support regionally important development projects.
In 1999 Bill took a job as Vice President for Hilb, Regal and Hamilton. From 2003 to 2012 Bill was able to build this practice up to over $20 million in annual sales. From 2007 to 2013, Bill served as the Vice President of the Melville Chamber of Commerce. During that time he chaired their Government Relations Committee and worked hard to advocate on behalf of the business community to assist in rebuilding Suffolk County’s economy from the ground up. Bill has been involved with the Salvation Army in many capacities since 1995. He has served on their board for the last 15 years acting as their Chairman from 2005 to 2008.
At Sachem, he fondly recalls his time with Student Leadership Seminar and the wrestling team.
Nan J. Morrison, Class of 1979
Ms. Morrison is the CEO of the Council for Economic Education, a national non-profit teaching K-12 students about personal finance and economics.
After Sachem, she studied math at Yale, worked in tech and investment banking and attended business school at Harvard University. She was a management consultant for 20 years and a partner at three firms before accepting her current CEO role.
Ms. Morrison has served for many years on the board of a non-profit in NYC that cares for the elderly. She has been fortunate to travel extensively for work and pleasure, including all 50 states and more than 50 countries.
At Sachem, Ms. Morrison played bassoon in the concert band and orchestra, and developed a true love of musical theater playing in the pit orchestra, not to mention it was a great team building experience with crew and cast, she said.
She also enjoyed playing on the tennis team, and of course, was on the math team.
She said she most appreciated some of the wonderful teachers who spent time encouraging her to be the best she could, including: Mrs. Hodul from AP Chem, Mr. Duffrin from math, Mrs. Miller from English and principal, Mr. George Besculides.
James Ryan, Class of 1989
Pastor James Ryan is the senior pastor and president of Lighthouse Mission in Bellport, which has become the largest mobile food pantry on Long Island and one of the largest in New York, feeding 2,800 Long Islanders every week. In addition, the mission ministers more than 150 underprivileged and at-risk children from K through 12 each week.
Pastor Ryan started a computer company soon after graduating Sachem High School that grew into one of the largest Credit Union technology providers in the U.S. He sold the company to pursue serving the poor of Long Island in full time ministry at age 34. He received his doctorate in pastoral ministry and also became an associate pastor of Lighthouse Mission church at age 36 and a year later became president.
He attended Gatelot Avenue Elementary, Seneca Junior High and Sachem South prior to his final years in this building. Admittedly, Pastor Ryan said he was a troubled “street kid” who spent a lot of time in Gatelot Principal Mr. Bimenhimer’s office. He and a few other teachers, such as Mr. Gambetesa, had compassion for him and in many ways, became the father figure he desperately needed.
He said, “they were tough men who offered me strong encouragement, faith in the God of the bible, discipline and a good work ethic which I lean on to this day. God had a plan for me and used these Sachem teachers to impact my life and now through my ministry countless others across Long Island.”
Sam Ryan, Class of 1987
Ms. Ryan is an Emmy Award winning sportscaster with an extensive career in sports broadcasting both nationally and in the New York market.
Currently, she hosts a weekly show on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio as well as serving as a studio host and update anchor at Westwood One Sports.
Sam also covers the MLB postseason for Turner Sports, and is a reporter for World Team Tennis. You may have seen Sam on television during some of the biggest moments in baseball history in recent years.
Ryan has also previously served as an anchor and reporter for MLB Network, CBS and as a contributor to CBS Sports coverage of The NFL on CBS and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
At Sachem, Ms. Ryan was a member of the Spanish club, concert band, marching band and a manager and scoring assistant for the wrestling team at Sagamore and Sachem South, now known as Samoset Middle School.
Gerald Schrang, Class of 1974
Fire fighter Gerry Schrang died on September 11, 2001 rushing in to save lives at the World Trade Center. He died doing what he was meant to do and what he loved to do, helping others. As a member of Rescue 3, one of the New York City’s elite rescue units, Gerry was a veteran of the FDNY, celebrating his 20th year of service when he died. He was 45. He was one of 343 fire fighters to die in the towers that day.
He was also a 25-year member of the Holbrook Fire Department where he served as chief of department in 1990. He was heavily involved with department training, a captain of the fire department drill team and played softball.
At Sachem, he will forever be the first All-League wrestler to compete for legendary head coach, Jack Mahoney.
Coach Mahoney had this to say about Gerry: “You talk about all the All-League wrestlers we have over my career, it’s too many to count. But you know what, you always remember your first. In the toughest wrestling league in New York State, he was a very proud and good wrestler for us at Sachem.”
Michael J. Timo, Class of 1969
Michael Timo is the first recipient of the Sachem Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement award. He is also an inductee today. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be marked specifically on the recipient’s plaque. This will be given annually to someone who has been a part of Sachem their entire life and given back to both the school community and community at-large.
Mike passed away in March from his battle with ALS at the age of 66. He was a resident of the Sachem community for more than 60 years and was involved in so many ways.
Mr. Timo served on the Sachem Board of Education as a trustee for almost eight years, starting his tenure in 2007.
He became a member of the Holbrook Fire Department in January 1987 and served as Chief of Department from 1998 through 1999 and later in 2016. He served on the board of fire commissioners from 2003-2013.
Mr. Timo worked as a district manager in both the Lakeland and Smithtown Fire Districts and was also the athletic director and varsity soccer coach at LaSalle Military Academy. He was very involved with his alma mater, Dowling College, serving as the president of the Dowling College Alumni Association, and he was an administrator at the YMCA and Arthritis Foundation.