Thomas Jefferson High School was a high school in the

East New York East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It was the alma mater of many people who grew up in the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and rose to prominence in the arts, literature, and other fields. In 2007, the

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

closed the school and broke it into several small schools because of low graduation rates.

History

Thomas Jefferson High School, located at 400

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

, had its

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

in 1922 with

New York City mayor The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, ...

John Francis Hylan John Francis Hylan (April 20, 1868January 12, 1936), also known as "Red Mike" Hylan, was the 96th Mayor of New York City (the seventh since the consolidation of the five boroughs), from 1918 to 1925. From rural beginnings in the Catskills, Hylan ...

officiating.

Elias Lieberman Elias Lieberman (1883–1969) was an American poet, writer and educator, known for 1916 poem "I Am an American". Background Elias Lieberman was born on October 30, 1883, in St. Petersburg, Russia. At age seven, he emigrated to the United Stat ...

(1883–1969), American poet, writer and educator, known for the 1916 poem "I Am an American," served as principal from 1924 to 1940. Alumni of his time include movie star and comedian

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

(who did not graduate) and songwriter

Jack Lawrence Jack Lawrence may refer to: * Jack Lawrence (songwriter) (1912–2009), American songwriter * Jack Lawrence (artist) (born 1975), British comic book artist and animator * Jack Lawrence (bluegrass) (born 1953), American bluegrass guitarist * Jack Law ...

. Additionally, Thomas Jefferson was one of seven public high schools in New York to receive a M. P. Moller

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

in 1926. The instrument was removed and discarded in the 1990s. A relatively prosperous

lower middle class In developed nations around the world, the lower middle class is a subdivision of the greater middle class. Universally, the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the middle or u ...

community throughout the interwar epoch, the surrounding neighborhood of East New York faced a host of socioeconomic problems in the mid-to-late 20th century, including widespread unemployment and crime stemming from a lack of private investment (exemplified by

redlining Redlining is a Discrimination, discriminatory practice in which financial services are withheld from neighborhoods that have significant numbers of Race (human categorization), racial and Ethnic group, ethnic minorities. Redlining has been mos ...

mortgage discrimination Mortgage discrimination or ''mortgage lending discrimination'' is the practice of banks, governments or other lending institutions denying loans to one or more groups of people primarily on the basis of race, ethnic origin, sex or religion. Insta ...

and the gradual diminution of remunerative manufacturing jobs) amid the segregated wave of postwar suburbanization. On November 26, 1991, Darryl Sharpe, a ninth-grade student who was an innocent bystander, was shot to death in the school. Another youth was trying to help his brother in a fistfight, drew a gun, and opened fire in the crowded hallway. The three shots killed the 16-year-old student and critically wounded a teacher, Robert Anderson, who was approaching to intervene. At the time, education officials in New York called it "one of the school system's worst crimes" and noted that besides an accidental shooting in 1989, it was the first killing of a student in a school in more than a decade. The 14-year old shooter, Jason Bentley, was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for second degree manslaughter. Bentley was on parole for this homicide on June 22, 1997, when Luis Cabral Corcino was murdered in a robbery. Bentley was convicted of murder and was sentenced to 35 years to life. On February 26, 1992, a 15-year-old student at the school shot two other students, who died thereafter, in the hallway an hour before then-

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...

was supposed to tour the school. The victims were 17-year-old Ian Moore and 16-year-old Tyrone Sinkler. In 1993, the shooter, Kahlil Sumpter, was sentenced to between 6 and twenty years in prison after being convicted of manslaughter. He was released on parole in 1998. In 2007, the

closed the school and broke it into several small schools because of low graduation rates. In the photograph above, the main entrance of TJHS is clearly engraved with a quote from Abraham Lincoln, "May reverence for the laws become the political religion of the nation." For 90 years students, and perhaps faculty, have wondered why the authorities were unable to find an appropriate quotation from Thomas Jefferson himself to grace the entrance to his namesake school.

Today

Since 2007, the school building is known as the Thomas Jefferson Educational Campus, and is the home of: * The High School for Civil Rights * The FDNY High School for Fire and Life Safety * The Performing Arts and Technology High School * The World Academy for Total Community Health High School In 2015, two of the new schools were graduating about 70 percent of their students and the other two have graduation rates in the 50s. In New York City overall in 2015, just over 78 percent of

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

students who entered high school in 2011 graduated on time according to state officials. However, the percentage is 88 percent for white students and only 65 percent for black and Hispanic students during the same time period.

Notable alumni

Harvey Averne Harvey Averne (born 1936, Brooklyn, New York) has been described as "one of several prominent Jewish Americans in New York's bustling Latin music scene." Introduction Harvey Averne is an American record producer, and the founder of CoCo Record ...

, 2x Grammy winner * Howard E. Babbush, lawyer and politician *

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (; born October 29, 1938) is a Mandatory Palestine-born American retired animator and filmmaker, known for his fantastical animated films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent anim ...

, animator *

Sandy Baron Sandy Baron (born Sanford Irving Beresofsky; May 5, 1936 – January 21, 2001) was an American actor and comedian who performed on stage, in films, and on television. He is best known for his recurring role of Jack Klompus on the NBC sitcom ''Sein ...

, comedian and stage, film, and television actor *

Roy C. Bennett Roy C. Bennett (August 12, 1918 – July 2, 2015) was an American songwriter known for the songs he wrote with Sid Tepper, which spawned several hits for Elvis Presley. Between 1945 and 1970, Tepper and Bennett published over 300 songs. Biograp ...

, popular music composer *

Lloyd Blankfein Lloyd Craig Blankfein (born September 20, 1954) is an American investment banker who has served as senior chairman of Goldman Sachs since 2019, and chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) from 2006 until the end of 2018. Before leading Goldman ...

, former CEO of Goldman Sachs * Dame Helen Rappel Bordman, Fondation Monet *

Riddick Bowe Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweig ...

, boxer *

Harry Boykoff Harry J. Boykoff (July 24, 1922 – February 20, 2001) was an American professional basketball player. During his career he was often referred to as "Heshie", Big Hesh", and "Big Boy". He stood at tall. Early life Boykoff was born on the Lowe ...

, NBA basketball player * John Brockington,

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' 1968 undefeated national championship football team; running back for the NFL

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* Henry Cohen, director of Föhrenwald, Displaced Persons camp in post-World War II Germany * Hy Cohen (born 1931), Major League Baseball player * Dorian Daughtry, baseball player and criminal *

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

, lyricist of pop songs, partnered with Burt Bacharach * Owen Dodson, poet and novelist *

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, major league baseball player * Leroy Ellis, former NBA center, 1971–72

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championship team *

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, lyricist * Mel Finkelstein, Pulitzer Prize-nominated photographer * Jack Garfinkel, former Boston Celtics player * Hy Gotkin, basketball player * Sidney Green, NBA player * Sharon Jones, soul singer *

(born David Daniel Kaminsky), actor * Ezra Jack Keats (born Jacob Ezra Katz), illustrator and author of children's books *

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, author: Flowers For Algernon *

Harry Landers Harry Landers (born Harry Sorokin; September 3, 1921 – September 10, 2017) was an American character actor. Early life and career Harry Sorokin was born in New York City in 1921. His education came at Public School No. 202 and Thomas J ...

, actor *

, songwriter *

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935 – March 7, 2024) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, and for his performance as Maury Slin ...

(born Sidney Leibowitz), popular music singer, and actor * Bernard Lepkofker, competitive judoka * Joel S. Levine, planetary scientist, author, and research professor in applied science at the

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* Al Lewis, actor, political activist *

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, rapper and member of

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* Irving Malin, literary critic *

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, Hollywood director *

Jim McMillian James M. McMillian (March 11, 1948 – May 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball for the Columbia Lions. He led Columbia to a t ...

, former NBA forward, 1971–72

championship team * Scott Meredith, literary agent * Alan B. Miller, founder, chairman and CEO of

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* Boris Nachamkin (born 1933), NBA basketball player *

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, singer * Shamorie Ponds, basketball player who played for the

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, currently plays in Mexico * Martin Pope, physical chemist *

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, engineer and inventor * Jack Rollins, film and television producer and talent manager of comedians and television personalities * Harvey Schein, former president and chief executive of the

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, poet * Phil Sellers, former NBA player * Francine Shapiro, psychologist, founder of EMDR Therapy *

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, actor * Sid Tanenbaum (1925–1986), professional basketball player *

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, manual-typewriter expert * Moses M. Weinstein, lawyer and politician * Allen Weisselberg, businessman *

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, attorney and politician *

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, linebacker for NFL Chicago Bears *

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, actress *

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, NBA guard/forward, one-time FT% leader, one-time points leader, All-Star, ABA coach *

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, historian, political activist

References

External links

Thomas Jefferson High School
Museum of Family History *

Alumni website, ad-free
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson, Thomas HS Defunct high schools in Brooklyn East New York, Brooklyn Public high schools in Brooklyn Educational institutions disestablished in 2007 Educational institutions established in 1922 1922 establishments in New York City 2007 disestablishments in New York City