A Bay Ridge school is honoring many of its alumni in a big way.
This month, the Fort Hamilton High School Alumni Association completed its new Hall of Fame wall.
The new display is 48 feet long and is located on the first floor of the building.
“We had a Hall of Fame display on the second floor of Fort Hamilton in the old cases, and it was very archaic,” said Joseph Estrella, president of the alumni association. “When we had our different musicals and events, no one could even view it besides the students. No one else knew it was there. I wanted to do something on the first floor where people have access to it. That’s where the idea came from.”
The official launch of the Hall of Fame will be on April 25 with a ceremony and inductees, old and new.
The new wall is dedicated to David Whitebook, the founder of the Fort Hamilton High School Alumni Association, and former principal Dr. Alice Farkouh, who died Jan.1.
Estrella believes the wall is going to inspire students.
“Kids are going to see the Hall of Fame inductees on the wall and now they have something to work towards,” he said. “I told them who [the members] are and that one day, if you work really hard, your picture might be memorialized. It’s permanent signage on the wall.
“I think for the kids, it’s going to bring a high in school spirit for us and let people know there is an active alumni association that is doing great things to bring back some of our great success stories, give them their flowers and let them know that we recognized the great service that they did for the community and in their professional endeavors.”
The Fort Hamilton High School Alumni Association is a network of former students, faculty, and friends.
“We’re united by shared memories, lifelong friendships, and a deep appreciation for the school that shaped who we are,” its website stated.
With the help of former Councilmember Justin Brannan and the New York City School Construction Authority, Estrada said the wall came to fruition.
“When you see the rendering compared to what is done, it looks almost exactly how we wanted to do it,” he said. “We had to make some minor adjustments, but for the most part, it came out exactly how we drew it up. Every two years, we have a Hall of Fame, so we want to always be able to add people so there’s more space to add as the years go on and we still have another 50-foot wall that we could use.”
Estrada’s goal for the future is to use the extra wall space to honor all the veterans who graduated from the school.
Other hall of fame members include Lana Parrilla, Fred Samara, Albert and Bernard King, Frank Layden and Bruce “C.C. DeVille” Johannesson.
New members will include former baseball player Julio Lugo, who died in 2021.
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