James Monroe High School (New York) - Famous Alumni

Famous Alumni

• Danny Aiello, actor, who attended Monroe for two weeks before dropping out to enlist in the National Guard.
• Saul Bass, noted graphic designer, movie title sequence designer, and film maker.
• Edward J. Bloustein was the seventeenth president of Rutgers University.
• Darren Carrington,('84) former NFL player 8 year veteran (Broncos, Lions, Chargers, Panthers). Played in two Super Bowls
• Cornelius H. Charlton, U.S. Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient in the Korean War
• Judy Craig, Patricia Bennett, and Barbara Lee of the singing group the Chiffons.
• Jules Feiffer (‘47), cartoonist for the Village Voice, won the Pulitzer Prize in editorial cartooning.
• Paul A. Fino, GOP Congressman and State Senator, representing the Bronx
• Art Fleming ('41), original host of TV's Jeopardy! and former Monroe football star.
• Stan Getz, pioneer jazz musician in cool, bossa nova and modern jazz. During hot Bronx summers, Getz developed a love for swimming at Crotona Park.
• Nathan Glazer, sociologist who co-authored Beyond the Melting Pot.
• Hank Greenberg ('29), major league baseball player with the Detroit Tigers, AL MVP, and a Hall of Famer. Greenberg led Monroe to the PSAL basketball championship in 1927 and to the PSAL baseball title in 1929. He was a three-sport All-City selection at Monroe in soccer, basketball and baseball.
• Lenny Hambro, jazz musician (woodwinds), notably with the bands of Gene Krupa, Glenn Miller, Machito, and Chico O'Farrill.
• Jonathan Harris ('31), actor, the conniving Dr. Smith in the television series Lost In Space, who graduated from Monroe at age 16.
• Ed Kranepool ('62), major league baseball player, signed by the Mets just days after his 1962 graduation from Monroe, one of the original New York Mets and a member of 1969 World Series Champs.
• Leon M. Lederman ('39), Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1988.
• Martin J. Klein ('39), a historian of modern physics and the Senior Editor of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein (Princeton University Press) from 1988 to 1998; the first winner (2005) of the Abraham Pais Prize—the first major award for the history of physics.
• Judith Merril, science-fiction author and editor.
• Stanley Milgram, social psychologist
• Danny Monzon ('64) carried the baseball torch handed to him by Kranepool and then went on to play for the Minnesota Twins.
• Malloy Nesmith ('88), renowned streetball player. Nesmith played professionally overseas and in the USBL and has been featured in numerous Nike commercials that display his ball-handling skills. He played collegiately for Utah State University before earning a tryout with the Golden State Warriors of the NBA in 1995. He was the final player released by the team that summer.
• Luis Pereira $150 million Mega Millions jackpot winner.
• Estelle Reiner, wife of Carl Reiner, mother of Rob Reiner, and actress in When Harry Met Sally, who said, "I'll have what she's having."
• Regina Resnik, opera singer and actress, sang at Metropolitan Opera.
• Michael Russnow, Writers Guild of America screenwriter and member of its Board of Directors (1990–1994) with credits such as "The Waltons," "Barney Miller," "Family Ties" and "Dynasty."
• Nancy Savoca, Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award-winning filmmaker.
• Paul R. Screvane, President of the New York City Council (1961–65), NYC Sanitation Commissioner and unsuccessful Democratic primary candidate for NYC mayor in 1965 (losing to Abraham Beame).
• Art Shay ('39) photographer for Life, Time, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Saturday Evening Post; Author and Playwright. Member of National Racquetball Hall of Fame. Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, Five Air Medals, French Croix de Guerre.
• Robert Strauss, Academy Award nominated supporting actor for his work in "Stalag 17."
• Doris Wishman, a filmmaker.
• Wilbur Young ('67) led Monroe to gridiron glory in the ‘60s before a Hall of Fame career with the Kansas City Chiefs that included a Super Bowl victory in 1970.
• Philip Zimbardo, a social psychologist.
• Frank Waters, CEO and Co-Founder of 1209 Enterprise,LLC (1989-1992) Popular Business Networking organization assisting African-Americans in developing relationships through largely attended events called SuccessNET Quarterly with George C. Fraser. Also created 1209 Arts, The 1209 Affair and 1209 University.
• Harry Bartfeld ('33), scientist who served as Professor of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, and Chief of Cell Biology, St. Vincent's Hospital.