2021 “hall of famers” encompass two decades of alumni, substantial professional and philanthropic activities

By Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, BHS’71, BSAA Media Chair

The 2021 members of the Brighton Schools Alumni Association (BSAA)/Brighton High School (BHS) Alumni Hall of Fame represent two decades of BHS graduates and a variety of impressive professional and charitable activities.

• Gail (Hunt) Reeke, BHS’60, is a true polymath with both a successful business career and involvement over the years as a violinist in several leading local orchestras. In 1985, she became the first woman to be named vice president of Morgan Stanley’s Asset Management Division; by the time she retired in 1999 as principal and international business manager, she had been instrumental in growing the company’s international equity assets to more than $5 billion.

Reeke has played violin with the New Amsterdam (NY) Symphony since its inception 45 years ago; is a frequent participant in the Vermont Jazz Center’s summer workshops; and performs regularly on piano as a volunteer for patients and their families at hospitals and other medical facilities.

• Alex Zapesochny, BHS’89, a leading Rochester-based entrepreneur, has co-founded several state-of-the-art medical/healthcare operations. He is currently CEO of Clerio Vision, which became the first company ever to test non-invasive refractive surgery in human beings. He co-founded iCardiac Technologies, which works on cardiovascular and cardiac toxic research that led to a change in global regulatory standards for assessing potential side effects in new medications. He also currently serves as a board member of three Rochester-based healthcare startups.

Zapesochny is also the co-founder, publisher and frequent article contributor of the Rochester Beacon, a local nonprofit digital journal founded in 2018 that offers in-depth and researched opinion articles about key issues in the Rochester community. He is an active member of the board of directors of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester and a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Governmental Research.

In consultation with the school administration, the BSAA moved the Gala Recognition event for this year’s BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame members from June as in past years to Friday, Oct. 29, at the Country Club of Rochester. We had a great turnout for the event and enjoyed recognizing the contributions and successes of both 2020 and 2021 members of the BSAA/BHS Alumni Hall of Fame will be honored.

New nominations may be made at any time. See below to download a PDF of the nomination form.

Gail (Hunt) Reeke, BHS’60

Alex Zapesochny, BHS’89