Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn)

Abraham Lincoln High School
Catch the Lincoln Spirit
Address
2800 Ocean Parkway Brooklyn, New York, 11235 United States
Information
Type	Public high school
Established	1929
School district	21
Principal	Ari A. Hoogenboom
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	approx. 2830
Number of students	2,345
Color(s)	Navy blue, black, and grey
Newspaper	The Lincoln Log
Yearbook	Lincoln Landmark
Team Name	Railsplitters
Website	Abraham Lincoln High School

Abraham Lincoln High School is a public high school located at 2800 Ocean Parkway, in Brooklyn, New York City. The principal is Ari A. Hoogenboom. Built in 1929, Lincoln has graduated three Nobel Prize laureates,^[1] along with many other doctors, scientists, engineers, politicians, and other notable alumni.

It was built during the Great Depression, and in order to save money, one set of blueprints was used for Lincoln and other high schools in New York City, including Bayside High School, Samuel J. Tilden High School, John Adams High School, and Grover Cleveland High School.

History

The school was established in 1929, and named for former US president, Abraham Lincoln. In 1983, Dr. Jack Pollock, the principal at the time, reported that 8 of 10 graduates went on to attend college and/or university.^[2] However, by 2010, C. J. Hughes of The New York Times reported that Lincoln High School had "struggled" with student academic achievement. In 2009, the school had a 58% graduation rating. The SAT averages for the school were 411 in reading, 432 in mathematics, and 401 in writing. The New York State averages during that year were 480 in reading, 500 in mathematics, and 470 in writing.^[3]

Student demographics

In 2007, there were 2,688 students enrolled. The school's racial composition is very diverse. African American students made up 38.3% of the school's student population, a plurality of the student body. White students made up over one-quarter (26.3%), Hispanic and Latino (of any race) students made up over one-fifth (21.1%), Asian American students made up 14.0%, and Native Americans made up the remaining 0.3%.^[4]

Notable alumni

Neil Diamond

Harvey Keitel

Stephon Marbury

Neil Sedaka

• Marv Albert (né Marvin Philip Aufrichtig, born 1941), class of 1959, television sportscaster.^[5]
• Ken Auletta (born 1942), class of 1960, author.^[6][7]
• Eddie Antar, former businessman/owner of Crazy Eddie.^[8]
• Richard Bellman (1920–1984), class of 1937, applied mathematician and control theorist who invented dynamic programming in 1953.^[9]
• Paul Berg (born 1926), class of 1943, recipient of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.^[1]
• Mel Brooks (born 1926), attended for one year, American actor, comedian, filmmaker, composer and songwriter. ^[1]
• Bernard Cornfeld (1927–1995), businessman and international financier.^[10]
• Millie Deegan (1919–2002), professional baseball player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.^[11]
• Neil Diamond (born 1941), class of 1958, singer/performer^[6]
• Pete Emelianchik (born 1943), class of 1960, football player, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles^[12][13]
• Nelson Figueroa (born 1974), class of 1992, major league pitcher, MLB, Houston Astros ^[14]
• John Forsythe (né Jacob Lincoln Freund, 1918–2010), class of 1934, film and television actor.^[15]
• Louis Gossett, Jr. (born 1936), class of 1954, basketball player, Academy Award winning actor.^[16]
• Howard Greenfield (1936–1986) songwriter.^[17][18]
• David S. Guzick (born 1952), class of 1969. Dean of the University of Rochester School of Medicine, President of the University of Florida Health System, Member of the Institute of Medicine^[19][20]
• Joseph Heller (1923–1999), class of 1942, author of Catch-22.^[6]
• Leona Helmsley (1920–2007), real-estate businesswoman, noted hotelier and "Queen of Mean".^[21]
• Raul Hilberg, class of 1942, historian of genocide.^[22]
• Elizabeth Holtzman, class of 1958, Democratic congresswoman, the youngest woman elected to serve in the United States House of Representatives^[6][23]
• Jerome Karle (born 1918 né Jerome Karfunkel), class of 1933, won Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1985.^[1]
• Harvey Keitel (born 1939), stage, film and television actor.^[24]
• Arthur Kornberg (1918–2007), class of 1933, won Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1959.^[1]
• Herbie Mann (né Herbert Jay Solomon, 1930–2003), jazz flautist.^[25]
• Wallace Markfield (1926–2002), class of 1943, comic novelist.^[26]
• Stephon Marbury (born 1977), class of 1995, professional basketball player (NBA).^[5]
• Lee Mazzilli (born 1955), class of 1973, 1986 World Champion major league baseball player (New York Mets, New York Yankees), manager and coach^[27]
• Hank Medress (1938–2007), singer in the group The Tokens, best known for The Lion Sleeps Tonight^[28]
• Arthur Miller (1915–2005), class of 1932, author, playwright and screenwriter (Death of a Salesman, All My Sons, The Crucible, The Misfits); Marilyn Monroe's third husband.
• Larry Namer, class of 1966, Founder of E! TV network^[29]
• Ronald Ribman, class of 1950, author, poet, and playwright
• Buddy Rich, jazz drummer and bandleader
• Saul Rogovin, major league pitcher^[27]
• Neil Sedaka (born 1939), class of 1956, pop singer, pianist and songwriter.^[6][18][30]
• Seymour Shapiro, (born 1916), Class of 1931, organic chemist, developed phenformin.
• Mort Shuman, singer, pianist, and songwriter ^[18]
• Alex Steinweiss, class of 1934, graphic designer and inventor of the album cover ^[31]
• Lance Stephenson, class of 2009, professional basketball player (NBA)^[32]
• Louis Stettner, (born 1922)class of 1939, photographer noted for his pictures of "everyday people doing ordinary things" in both New York City and Paris.
• Sebastian Telfair, class of 2004, professional basketball player (NBA).^[33]
• Arthur Tress, class of 1958, surrealist photographer.^[34]
• Sherry Turkle, class of 1965, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT.
• Meryl Vladimer, class of 1969, noted theatrical producer (David and Amy Sedaris, Blue Man Group).
• Jack B. Weinstein, class of 1939, Brooklyn federal district court judge.
• Dallas Williams, major league baseball player and coach.^[27]
• Isaiah Whitehead, class of 2014, professional basketball player currently playing for the Brooklyn Nets (NBA)
• Stephen Yagman, civil rights lawyer.

Fictional alumni

• Rachel Green, Monica Geller and Ross Geller, characters of Friends said they studied at Abraham Lincoln High School, at the first episode of the show.
• Jesus Shuttlesworth, from the Spike Lee film He Got Game was the #1 high school basketball recruit playing for Lincoln HS.
• Francis Ethelbert Sharkey, character Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea said to have received an "A" in Home Economics from Abraham Lincoln High School.

References

1. Hargittai, István. "The road to Stockholm: Nobel Prizes, science, and scientists", p. 121. Oxford University Press, 2002; ISBN 0-19-850912-X. Accessed June 10, 2013. "Arthur Kornberg (M59), Jerome Karle (C85), and Paul Berg (C80) all went to the Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn."
2. Dolan, Dolores. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Brighton Beach." New York Times. June 19, 1983. Retrieved on October 15, 2012.
3. Hughes, C. J. "Waterfront Living That Doesn’t Break the Bank." New York Times. April 30, 2010. p. 2; retrieved October 15, 2012.
4. "Abraham Lincoln High School profile". Schoolmatters.com. October 1, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
5. Corcoran, Tully. "KU attracts sklyn star", The Topeka Capital-Journal, October 26, 2007; accessed September 17, 2009. "Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., is to high school basketball what Odessa Permian High School, in Texas, is to high school football. Basketball rules there. Stephon Marbury starred there. Marv Albert went there. Even Jesus Shuttlesworth, the fictional baller played by Ray Allen in He Got Game went there. Kansas coach Bill Self may be spending a bit of time there in the next year, too. Lance Stephenson, a 6-5, 195-pound junior guard from Lincoln who is the No. 4 overall player in the class of 2009 recently contacted Self about his interest in Kansas."
6. Hechinger, Fred M. "About Education: Personal Touch Helps", New York Times, January 1, 1980; accessed September 20, 2009.
7. "Official website for Ken Auletta". Ken Auletta. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
8. Staff. "The Antar Complex: Eddie Antar", Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, p. 219; accessed September 20, 2009. "As soon as he turned 16, Eddie left Abraham Lincoln High School altogether."
9. Sanabria, Salvador. Richard Bellman biodata; retrieved October 3, 2008.
10. Henriques, Diana B. "Bernard Cornfeld, 67, Dies; Led Flamboyant Mutual Fund", New York Times, March 2, 1995; accessed September 22, 2009. "He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn and Brooklyn College."
11. Martin, Douglas. "Millie Deegan, 82, Pioneer In Women's Baseball League", New York Times, July 28, 2002; accessed September 22, 2009. "Mildred Eleanor Deegan was born on Dec. 11, 1919, in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst.... She excelled in track and field at Lincoln High School, and after graduation played amateur softball with a team called the Americanettes."
12. "Abraham Lincoln Alumni Pro Stats". football-reference.com. Football-reference.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
13. "Pete Emelianchik". football-reference.com. Football-reference.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
14. Crouse, Karen. "Seeking a Spot, a Mets Pitcher Has to Be Creative", New York Times, March 4, 2008; accessed September 22, 2009. "Figueroa, a Brooklyn native, went to Abraham Lincoln High School, as did the former Met Lee Mazzilli."
15. Staff. "Biography for John Forsythe", Turner Classic Movies; accessed September 23, 2009. "Attending Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, he came of age, like countless Brooklyn youngsters, a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers and devoted his extracurricular activities to sports."
16. Pfefferman, Naomi. "Louis Gossett Jr. to Give Shul Inaugural Ball Toast", The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, January 15, 2009; accessed September 23, 2009. "Gossett suspects that his English teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School, Gustave Blum, identified with African Americans because he had experienced anti-Semitism as a result of the blacklists."
17. Staff. "Howard Greenfield", New York Times, March 14, 1986; accessed September 23, 2009. "Mr. Greenfield was born in New York City on March 15, 1936, and began his songwriting career with Neil Sedaka, a classmate at Lincoln High School in Brooklyn."
18. Clay Cole; David Hinckley (October 1, 2009). "Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953-1968)".
19. David S. Guzick background Archived March 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine., ufandshands.org; accessed December 10, 2015.
20. David S. Guzick profile, ufhealth.org; accessed December 10, 2015.
21. Nemy Enid. "Leona Helmsley, Hotel Queen, Dies at 87", New York Times, August 20, 2007; accessed September 23, 2009.
22. Martin, Douglas (August 7, 2007). "Raul Hilberg, 81, Historian Who Wrote of the Holocaust as a Bureaucracy, Dies". New York Times.
23. Holtzman, Elizabeth. "Huffington Post website". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
24. Harvey Keitel, Biography Channel; accessed June 11, 2013. "The son of a Polish mother and Romanian father who ran a Brooklyn luncheonette, [Harvey] Keitel was frequently reprimanded for cutting class at P.S. 100 and Abraham Lincoln High School."
25. Hopkins, Mary. "Conductor Ready to Strike Up Band", Sun Sentinel, January 5, 1992; accessed June 10, 2013. "From 1940 to 1977, Goldman taught music appreciation, theory, harmony and conducting at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1950 he was named assistant principal and music director at the school. Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Herbie Mann and Jerry Herman were students of his."
26. Helterman, Jeffrey; and Layman, Richard. American Novelists Since World War II, p. 304. Gale Research, 1978; ISBN 0810309149; accessed June 11, 2013. "Wallace Markfield was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 12 August 1926. He was educated at Abraham Lincoln High School and at Brooklyn College, where he received his B.A. in 1947."
27. "Lincoln (Brooklyn,NY) Baseball". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
28. Sisaro, Ben. "Hank Medress, 68, Doo-Wop Singer on ‘Lion Sleeps Tonight’, Dies", New York Times, June 22, 2007; accessed June 11, 2013. "Mr. Medress formed the group in 1955 with friends at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, among them a young Neil Sedaka; its original name was the Linc-Tones. By 1960 Mr. Sedaka had a solo career, and the quartet was repopulated with Jay Siegel, who sang most of the leads, and the brothers Mitch and Phil Margo."
29. "OVGuide, Larry Namer". OVGuide. August 30, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
30. "Neil Sedaka website". Neilsedaka.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
31. Undependent.com website Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
32. Armstrong, Kevin (March 30, 2009). "What's next for Lance Stephenson? The world will find out soon". Sports Illustrated.
33. Ian O'Connor, The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High Stakes Business of High School Ball. [Emmaus, Pa.]: Rodale, 2005. pp. 2-3.
34. "Arthur Tress' website". Arthurtress.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.

External links

• Official website
• Profile from NYC Department of Education

Coordinates: 40°34′57″N 73°58′05″W / 40.58250°N 73.96806°W