BENNETT BEACON

DONATE

Aaron Young

Aaron Young

by | Feb 17, 2023

Aaron Young was All High in football as a middle line backer from 1989-1991. and also All High in track as a shot putter from 1990-91. Young has many fond memories from his years at Bennett. He relates that he was 14 years old and very immature when he first attended Bennett. Bennett helped him grow as a person and taught him to be responsible for his actions.

Mrs. Carr, his English teacher at Bennett made Young realize that with dedication and hard work he could achieve anything that he wanted. Mrs. Carr helped him become the upstanding citizen he is today. Legendary coaches Larry Veronica and Jerry Berkman taught Young that he could be successful both on and off the football field.

Young has been a Buffalo policemen since 1998. After 13 years he was promoted to being a police lieutenant Two years ago he was promoted to the position of Buffalo police chief.

For the past 8 years Young has been offensive line coach for the Bennett football team. He related that he wanted to give back to the school (Bennett) that had given him so much.

Gerald Carp

Gerald Carp

by | Feb 17, 2023

Jerry Carp starred at Bennett High School in tennis in 1955-56. In 1956 he teamed up with Charlie Garfinkel at first doubles to go undefeated in 10 straight matches and achieved Hall High honors. he was part of the only Buffalo High school tennis team to ever go 5-0 in 11 straight matches; with every player on the starting team achieving All High honors. Jerry went on to play tennis at Penn State from 1959-1960 and was team captain in 1960.

Although his post college tennis career has been limited to local and regional tournaments he achieved a monumental feat of reaching the National Men’s Open Singles finals in 1974 in the American Tennis Association Championships.

After graduating from SUNY Law School in 1963 he now resides in New York City where he continues to practice law in New York, New Jersey, and Florida specializing in trust and estates, tax planning and fiduciary litigation.

Tennis runs in his family. His wife Ellen, whom he met on a tennis court, played for the University of Miami’s women’s tennis team; one of the strongest teams in the country. Jerry is also the father of Dylan and Jordan. both of whom live in San Francisco, and play recreational tennis.

Jerry was also an outstanding musician who played the oboe in high school.In New York, he has played as the principle oboist in numerous community and civic orchestras throughout the New York city area. He has also acted as counsel for many of the orchestras he has played in, doing so on a volunteer basis.

Christine Catalfamo-Sperrazza

Christine Catalfamo-Sperrazza

by | Feb 17, 2023

Christine Catalfamo-Sperrazza was a super star at Bennett High School. In 1985 she set the Buffalo City record in track in the 3200 Meter Relay with a time of 10:31. She also set school records for the 2 mile run in 13:00.4, and the 3000 Meter run in 12:07. The icing on the cake was her being voted the Most Athletic Female during her senior year at Bennett. Catalfmo-Sperazza is presently employed as a licensed speech-pathologist in the Buffalo Public Schools. She still enjoys running and remains very close with her former team mates and best friends that she met at Bennett High School.

Tom Cechini

Tom Cechini

by | Feb 17, 2023

Tom Cechini participated in football, basketball, and track at Bennett. He played full back and was second team All High in his senior year in both the Buffalo News and Courier Express. He was also the team captain in both 1955 and 1956. In addition to football he was second team All High in the 220 hurdles in track. For good measure he added summer baseball and rowing to his repertoire. After graduation from Bennett he was granted a full scholarship to Division III Alfred University and played 60 minutes of every game he participated in under legendary Alfred coach Alex Yunevich. On offense he played in the backfield and as a wide receiver. On defense he played as a defensive end. He also held the school record for many years in track in the 110 high hurdles Perhaps, Cechini’s greatest accomplishment was being named All American by Look Magazine as a first team All East end in Division III.

A freak accident while he was hunting after college (a shot in the knee) terminated his college athletic career. Being an avid skier in high school Cechini adapted his skiing style to accommodate his stiff right knee. His wife Marlene, son Tom, and 3 grand children are all exceptional skiers. For many years Cechini was a financial planner.

David Y. Gibson

David Y. Gibson

by | Feb 17, 2023

David Gibson starred in football, track, and throwing the shot put from 1971-74 at Bennett High School. He was All High 2nd team Offensive tackle in 1972 and All High 1st team on defense in 1973. Other noteworthy feats were his achieving the NAACP Scholar Athlete Award in and Co-Captain in Football, both in 1973. In 1973 he also led the team in tackles and played every minute of each game. After graduation from Bennett he attended Columbia University.

He credits coaches Larry Veronica and Jerry Berkman for teaching him the love of the game, setting high standards for academics and his character. He strongly feels that the lessons that he learned at Bennett continue to serve him well to this day.

Since graduating from Bennett he has committed his life to helping children and families through his work with various community based nonprofit organizations. Presently, he is the Executive Director of three public charter schools. He is responsible for over 1,500 Pre-K through 12th grade children; working with low income families and under served communities in Kaneohe, Hawaii.