May 25, 2017 -- The CH-UH City School District and the Heights Schools Foundation have welcomed 10 new inductees to the Cleveland Heights High Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
An induction ceremony and celebration were held on Thursday, May 4 at Landerhaven. Executive Caterers and Landerhaven owner, Harlan Diamond, is a 1952 Cleveland Heights High School alumnus and member of the Hall of Fame as well.
Each inductee was introduced by a student in the Imagemakers group. Participating students were Anya Chew, Benjamin Schuster, Eric Adeyemon, Krista Cobb, Angelique Hale, and Paris Colbert. A well-received performance by the Heights High a cappella group Gold Rush took place at the beginning of the event.
Inducted this year were these alumni:
Iris J. Shur Wolstein '47
Burton Saltzman '55
Barbara Demming Lurie '64
Anita Bryant-Bradley '83
Dale H. Cowan '55
Tobi Levine Sokolow '60
Stacey L. Smith '72
Anthony E. Oden '91
Anika Simpson, PhD '91
LaTasha Cummings Watts '92
Every year, one of the inductees is awarded an additional accolade, the Hilary Ancker Award. Hilary Ancker was a Cleveland Heights High School student and Imagemaker from 1986 until her untimely death from a rare lung disease in 1988. A former teacher described Hilary as one of Heights High’s “shining stars.” This year, the award was presented to Burton Saltzman, Class of 1955, in recognition of his community service over the decades.
Mr. Saltzman’s advice for current students was, "Be selfless - help others and make a difference in someone's life. Be a hard worker - find something you enjoy and work for it. Be honest, have integrity and have a little fun too!"