May 2022
EHSA’s President’s Message: Big Gala News and Our Anniversary Committee Lineup
I have exciting news to report about our October 1st Gala Fundraiser. If you’ve been following along in our newsletters, you know that at our big Gala event we will honor EHS alumni who have made special contributions to our school and community. We’re calling it the English High School Legends and Legacies Award and it will be presented to just a handful of honorees — some who will be with us in person and others represented by distinguished family members.
Today, I am happy to share the news that our first honoree has accepted the invitation to be recognized at the Gala. I know his name will be a familiar to many EHS alumni. He is Ernie Boch Jr., the well-known Boston businessman with a passion for music and a creative approach to selling cars. He is the founder of the Music Drives Us Foundation which has been instrumental in keeping music programs alive in New England schools. Did you know that Ernie inherited the auto business started by his grandfather, Andrew Boch? Andrew Boch was a member of the English High School Class of 1921, which means he was there to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of English High. So it’s especially poignant that his grandson will be with the English family as we celebrate our 200th. Here’s one more piece of Boch/English trivia: Ernie Boch is a graduate of Berklee College of Music which was founded by English alumnus Lawrence Berk, Class of 1927!
Additional alumni will be honored on October 1 but it’s too soon to drop any names – as much as I would like to. Let’s just say they are names you will recognize and be proud to be associated with as part of the English High School family. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for more big announcements.
Our 200th Anniversary Committee Leadership is shaping up nicely in anticipation of an overflow crowd of alumni, friends and families as well as English High teachers and staff who will be invited to attend our historic ‘in-person’ event on October 1st. Three English alumni have agreed to lead the committee as co-chairpersons. They are Migdalia Nalls ’97, Allan Kiser ’82 and John Talbot ’68. All three are committed alums who are taking the time out of their busy careers to lead the charge:
- Migdalia Nalls is a Boston College of Law-trained (and English High Mock Trial star) Trial Attorney for Youth Services Division of Massachusetts.
- Allan Kiser is Vice President of Fidelity Brokerage Services
- John Talbot is Founder and CEO of Pathways Home Health Care
More than 37 alumni from eight decades have volunteered as Class Leaders. They will be calling on you to support our $3MM fundraising campaign kicked off last month with our Spring Appeal letter…..I hope you received it and will support us with a donation. It will take a village of lass Leaders to contact 17,000 alumni who all should be ‘Proud to Be 200’. If you have EHS alumni friends who are not on our mailing list, please urge them to connect through our website (englishhighalumni.org) or contact me directly at mthomas@englishhighalumni.org.
This month we are also celebrating outstanding English High Students. This newsletter contains a heartwarming portrait of Blanca Ramirez Pablo ’22, an outstanding student with a scholarship to Boston University. We offer kudos to this tri-lingual Guatemalan dynamo whose diminutive stature belies her determination and aspirations to become a healthcare specialist to help her native country.
Finally, if you’re sitting on the side lines for your Alma Mater’s 200th, you might be left behind. Marriott Copley Boston overnight rooms are being booked by EHS alumni at an outstanding discounted rate of just $269/night. If you’re interested, Click Here to book a room or call 877-901-2079 to make a reservation at this special rate. This train is moving out of the station so it’s time to get onboard!
Remember, tickets to the Gala will be available or online sale June 20th. We will reach out to you via email. More details are available here on our website.
Onward!
Mike Thomas, ’67
Center: EHSA President & CEO, Mike Thomas ’67 poses with the 2022 English High School Baseball Team when he recently visited the EHS field to deliver some badly-needed baseballs for the team.
Honor…Achievement…Service to Mankind
