[by Cynthia Clegg Canada]
The Atherton High School Alumni Association honored several former students and teachers at their 11th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet on September 27 at Louisville’s Galt House Hotel. Among the inductees into the Atherton Hall of Fame were two members of Louisville’s Jewish community, Fred Joseph and Stuart Yudofsky.
Alfred “Fred” S. Joseph is a former Assistant Common-wealth’s Attorney, Assistant Counsel for the Committee on Judiciary at the U.S. House of Represen-tatives, and Law Clerk for the Office of General Counsel for the Executive Office of the President.
Currently he is in legal practice with Stites & Harbison, PLLC, where he is an expert in real estate law. He is a board member of the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation, the Kentucky Oral History Commission, the Urban Design Studio, and the Camp Nebagamon Scholarship Fund. He has served as president of the Legal Aid Society of Louisville and the Jewish Community Federation of Louisville, and has been a member of a wide range of other community boards related to various community concerns. Nationally, Joseph has served as co-chairman of the Insurance Committee and as a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Joseph commented on the importance of Atherton High School in his education. He stated that many Atherton graduates have made important contributions to the Louisville community, and inclusion in the hall of fame is a great honor. He particularly appreciates the number of Jewish community members whose encouragement has prompted his involvement in a wide spectrum of community organizations and initiatives in Louisville. He went on to say, “This honor in large part reflects the vital role the Jewish community has played in my life.”
Stuart Yudofsky, M.D., was a professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor for more than 20 years and is past chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Methodist Hospital. He has been chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force on Traumatic Brain Injury, is past president of the American Neuropsychiatric Association, and is the founding editor – and for the past 23 years, editor-in-chief – of The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.
Yudofsky said that although he has been away since he graduated from Atherton, the Louisville community – especially the Jewish community – has always been a compass point in his self-identity and values. His assessment of his high school years is that, “Atherton was a safe and generous place to be a young person and to form a solid foundation for any accomplishments I’ve made over the succeeding years.”
Both men noted that in many communities, people answer the question, “Where did you go to school?” by naming their college or graduate school. In Louisville, though, the answer is almost invariably the high school one attended – no matter how many additional degrees one may have. More than most places, high school loyalty runs deep here. The contributions of Joseph and Dr. Yudofsky, among others, attest to the far-reaching influence of the high school experience. Coming at an age when young people are defining themselves, the effects of those years can last a lifetime.
Since 2002, Atherton has inducted into their Hall of Fame more than 125 teachers, principals, coaches and former students. The honorees are chosen from nominations of people who graduated from Atherton High School at least 10 years previously. Nominees must meet at least two of the following criteria:
• Demonstrated outstanding success in academics, athletics or leadership while at Atherton;
• Demonstrated a recognizable degree of proficiency in academics, athletics or leadership after graduation from Atherton; and
• Made an outstanding contribution to the students and staff of Atherton as a teacher, coach, administrator or as a member of the community
Previous inductees include such noted alumni as author Sue Grafton, David Grissom, Metro Council member Tom Owen and Congressman John Yarmuth.