Samuel J. Tilden High School
Encyclopedia
Samuel J. Tilden High School is a New York City public high school in the East Flatbush
section of Brooklyn
. It is named for Samuel J. Tilden
, the former governor of New York State and presidential candidate who, although carrying the popular vote, lost to Rutherford B. Hayes
in the disputed election of 1876.
In order to save the New York City government money during the Great Depression
, Samuel J. Tilden High School, Bayside High School
, Abraham Lincoln High School
, John Adams High School, and Grover Cleveland High School
were all built from one set of blueprints.
Shortly after the Board of Education decided on the location of Samuel J. Tilden High School, a formal recommendation was made to change the name of not-yet-built school to Edward B. Shallow High School. This recommendation followed the death of Edward B. Shallow, the Superintendent of the Board of Education who initially recommended a high school be named after New York State Governor, Samuel J. Tilden
.
Tilden High School opened on February 3, 1929. It cost $2,500,000 to construct. It was built to serve 3,969 students.
In 1935, a field and stadium were designed and constructed with Works Progress Administration
labor and appropriations. Several years later, the WPA would make another addition to the Samuel J. Tilden High School, this time in the form of a mural
for the auditorium. The project took nearly two years to complete, as muralist Abraham Lishinsky
, working with his colleague Irving A. Block, designed and painted a 2400 square feet (223 m²) mural depicting “Major Influences in Civilization” for the auditorium. Among the six assistants they employed over time was the artist Abram "Al" Lerner.
By the 1940s, Tilden H.S., initially criticized for its difficult-to-reach location, was overcrowded. At one point 5,700 students attended. In order to limit the crowding, S.J. Tilden administrators split the school day offering one session from 7:50am to 1:04pm and another from 1:11pm to 5:45pm.
affected students at Tilden. During the war, new home economics curricula were introduced to better prepare girls for the war effort. Girls took cooking classes that taught them how to cook more with less, as everyday ingredients were rationed and shipped off to soldiers. There were no food surpluses, and soldiers were the main priority at the time.
Other students supported the war by purchasing more than $15,000 in United States Savings Bonds and Stamps (see war bond
s) to help the government finance military operations, leading the nation in money raised by students. Over 100 girls knit sweaters and scarves in conjunction with the British War Relief Fund and American Red Cross
. The Red Cross also agreed to send instructors to teach nursing and first aid methods; if the war were to last long enough, the girls would become nurses-in-aid to care for wounded soldiers.
. At Tilden High School, students and teachers were accused of radicalism. Even the then principal Dr. Abraham Lefkowitz was accused of being a radical for distributing a statement to teachers and students that denounced complete free enterprise and called upon students to think critically about their role in America.
Students were also affected by the Red Scare
and were warned by administrators that affiliation with Communist-linked clubs such as the American Youth for Democracy
would adversely affect their future careers.
During testimony before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
, a former student claimed that both Mr. Eugene Jackson, a language teacher at Tilden, and Mr. Terry Rosenbaum had expressed sympathy toward student Red groups. The former student alleged that an American Youth for Democracy unit at school was asking to obtain speakers for the unit’s meetings. Apparently, Mr. Jackson told them that he agreed with their point of view and thought it was very good.
By the late 1940s, students had to pledge an oath of loyalty
to the United States and State of New York in order to receive a diploma. The oath read as follows:
“I hereby declare my loyalty to the Constitution and Government of the United States and the State of New York and promise to support their laws.”
Tensions came to a head during the March 1972 hearings on rezoning the catchment areas for three Brooklyn high schools. The hearings aimed to assure an integrated
education in Samuel J. Tilden High School, Canarsie High School
, and South Shore High School. Parents groups linked to each high school had their own ideas for a zoning plan that would preserve the racial and ethnic diversity of each school while maintaining a quality education for every student.
A number of Tilden High School prepared a flier in which they outlined their position regarding the rezoning. They wanted to preserve an ethnic balance in the school but wanted to avoid a result in which the majority of students were nonwhite. The students who prepared the flier were concerned that if the ethnic balance were to tip too much, "an unfortunate chain of events [would take] place: white families [would flee] the neighborhood." The school and the surrounding neighborhood would no longer remain integrated. The result would be "another segregated school, another segregated neighborhood.”
In order to attract students, specialized honors programs were established with Samuel J. Tilden High School. Students from all over the city would be able to apply to the special programs. This marked a shift in New York City School zoning, as a student’s school options were no longer only determined by geography.
The sports program hit its first obstacle 1934 as the faculty moved to change the baseball and football teams from inter-school competitive programs to intra-murals in efforts to better distribute the school budget while balancing school spirit.
In 1935, a new stadium was constructed and designed by the WPA
. This new facility and the gyms inside the building were made available to adults in the community several years earlier during evenings, with separate times for men and women.
The Tilden Blue and Grey won a number of Public Schools Athletic League titles in football, baseball, tennis, track, swimming, and fencing.
During the summer of 1987, teacher and Dean of students Joanne Belinksy became the 6th woman in history to run 3000 miles (4,828 km) across the country.
. These include the Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences (CAAS), the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School
, and It Takes A Village Academy (ITAVA). With the growth of the new schools, Samuel J. Tilden High School was phased out in June, 2010.
was shot at Samuel J. Tilden.
Exterior scenes for the movie Lords of Flatbush were shot at Tilden.
East Flatbush, Brooklyn
East Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 17 Though the borders of East Flatbush are highly subjective, its northern border is roughly at Empire Boulevard and East New York Avenue east of East 91st Street, its southern...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. It is named for Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
, the former governor of New York State and presidential candidate who, although carrying the popular vote, lost to Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
in the disputed election of 1876.
In order to save the New York City government money during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Samuel J. Tilden High School, Bayside High School
Bayside High School (New York City)
Bayside High School is a four-year public high school located in Bayside, in the New York City borough of Queens, administered by the New York City Department of Education. Bayside High School, Abraham Lincoln High School, Samuel J...
, Abraham Lincoln High School
Abraham Lincoln High School (New York)
Abraham Lincoln High School is a public high school located at 2800 Ocean Parkway, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, and is part of Region 7 in the New York City Department of Education...
, John Adams High School, and Grover Cleveland High School
Grover Cleveland High School (New York City)
Grover Cleveland High School is a large, comprehensive high school in Ridgewood, Queens. Grover Cleveland High School, Samuel J. Tilden High School, Abraham Lincoln High School, John Adams High School, and Bayside High School were all built during the Great Depression from one set of blueprints, in...
were all built from one set of blueprints.
Early history
Plans to construct Samuel J. Tilden High School were filed in 1927. The construction of the school was estimated to cost between $2,500,000 and $3,000,000 and would feature specialized facilities including a swimming pool, rifle range, auditorium with a capacity of more than 1300, library, and science laboratories. While the school was eventually constructed on Tilden Avenue and East 57th Street, residents in Brownsville, the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce, and Borough President James J. Bryne initially opposed the site because of poor transportation options around the location.Shortly after the Board of Education decided on the location of Samuel J. Tilden High School, a formal recommendation was made to change the name of not-yet-built school to Edward B. Shallow High School. This recommendation followed the death of Edward B. Shallow, the Superintendent of the Board of Education who initially recommended a high school be named after New York State Governor, Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
.
Tilden High School opened on February 3, 1929. It cost $2,500,000 to construct. It was built to serve 3,969 students.
In 1935, a field and stadium were designed and constructed with Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
labor and appropriations. Several years later, the WPA would make another addition to the Samuel J. Tilden High School, this time in the form of a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
for the auditorium. The project took nearly two years to complete, as muralist Abraham Lishinsky
Abraham Lishinsky
Abraham Lishinsky is an American artist of the 20th Century, a painter and playwright, best known for seven murals completed for the federally funded agencies of the New Deal programs of the 1930s and 1940s....
, working with his colleague Irving A. Block, designed and painted a 2400 square feet (223 m²) mural depicting “Major Influences in Civilization” for the auditorium. Among the six assistants they employed over time was the artist Abram "Al" Lerner.
By the 1940s, Tilden H.S., initially criticized for its difficult-to-reach location, was overcrowded. At one point 5,700 students attended. In order to limit the crowding, S.J. Tilden administrators split the school day offering one session from 7:50am to 1:04pm and another from 1:11pm to 5:45pm.
Tilden High School during World War II
In 1942, Samuel J. Tilden H.S. was the first Brooklyn high school to hold a mass blood drive. This was one of many ways that World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
affected students at Tilden. During the war, new home economics curricula were introduced to better prepare girls for the war effort. Girls took cooking classes that taught them how to cook more with less, as everyday ingredients were rationed and shipped off to soldiers. There were no food surpluses, and soldiers were the main priority at the time.
Other students supported the war by purchasing more than $15,000 in United States Savings Bonds and Stamps (see war bond
War bond
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries...
s) to help the government finance military operations, leading the nation in money raised by students. Over 100 girls knit sweaters and scarves in conjunction with the British War Relief Fund and American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
. The Red Cross also agreed to send instructors to teach nursing and first aid methods; if the war were to last long enough, the girls would become nurses-in-aid to care for wounded soldiers.
Tilden and the Red Scare
During the 1940s and 1950s, individuals and organizations all over the United States were accused of affiliations with socialists, communists, and radicalsPolitical radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
. At Tilden High School, students and teachers were accused of radicalism. Even the then principal Dr. Abraham Lefkowitz was accused of being a radical for distributing a statement to teachers and students that denounced complete free enterprise and called upon students to think critically about their role in America.
Students were also affected by the Red Scare
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
and were warned by administrators that affiliation with Communist-linked clubs such as the American Youth for Democracy
Young Communist League, USA
The Young Communist League USA is the fraternal youth organization of the Communist Party USA. Although the name of the group has changed a number of times over the years, it dates its lineage back to 1920, shortly after the establishment of the first communist parties in America.-Early years:The...
would adversely affect their future careers.
During testimony before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
United States Senate Subcommittee on Internal Security
The Special Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws, 1951-77, more commonly known as the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and sometimes the McCarran Committee, was authorized under S...
, a former student claimed that both Mr. Eugene Jackson, a language teacher at Tilden, and Mr. Terry Rosenbaum had expressed sympathy toward student Red groups. The former student alleged that an American Youth for Democracy unit at school was asking to obtain speakers for the unit’s meetings. Apparently, Mr. Jackson told them that he agreed with their point of view and thought it was very good.
By the late 1940s, students had to pledge an oath of loyalty
Loyalty oath
A loyalty oath is an oath of loyalty to an organization, institution, or state of which an individual is a member.In this context, a loyalty oath is distinct from pledge or oath of allegiance...
to the United States and State of New York in order to receive a diploma. The oath read as follows:
“I hereby declare my loyalty to the Constitution and Government of the United States and the State of New York and promise to support their laws.”
Tilden High School and Integration
The racial tensions that swept the nation during the 1960s and 1970s were felt at Samuel J. Tilden High School as well. The school’s African American population was growing. The school’s demographics were changing; Tilden High School was becoming more diverse. In 1962, of the 5,000 students that attended Tilden HS, 97.9% were Jewish and Italian. By 1971, of the 3,000 students at Tilden, 63.4% were “others”, the Board of Education’s term for non-blacks and non-Puerto Ricans. Changing demographics and under-enrollment set the stage for controversy around rezoning and plans for Samuel J. Tilden HS.Tensions came to a head during the March 1972 hearings on rezoning the catchment areas for three Brooklyn high schools. The hearings aimed to assure an integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
education in Samuel J. Tilden High School, Canarsie High School
Canarsie High School
Canarsie High School is a public high school in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Canarsie in New York City.-Student demographics:84.51% Black or African American, 11.47% Hispanic or Latino, 2.07% White non-Hispanic, 1.66% Asian and 0.28% Native American. The student/teacher ratio is 22.0. The school is...
, and South Shore High School. Parents groups linked to each high school had their own ideas for a zoning plan that would preserve the racial and ethnic diversity of each school while maintaining a quality education for every student.
A number of Tilden High School prepared a flier in which they outlined their position regarding the rezoning. They wanted to preserve an ethnic balance in the school but wanted to avoid a result in which the majority of students were nonwhite. The students who prepared the flier were concerned that if the ethnic balance were to tip too much, "an unfortunate chain of events [would take] place: white families [would flee] the neighborhood." The school and the surrounding neighborhood would no longer remain integrated. The result would be "another segregated school, another segregated neighborhood.”
In order to attract students, specialized honors programs were established with Samuel J. Tilden High School. Students from all over the city would be able to apply to the special programs. This marked a shift in New York City School zoning, as a student’s school options were no longer only determined by geography.
A Changing East Flatbush, A Changing Tilden
Tilden High School's demographics continued to change into the 1970s and 1980s paralleling changes in the surrounding neighborhood, East Flatbush. The neighborhood saw increased immigration from the Caribbean. Media coverage of Samuel J. Tilden also changed, with a focus on incidents of violence. Although crime had become a problem in East Flatbush, the media coverage prompted the then principal Everett Kerner to state that the high school was getting a "bum rap.”Athletics
When it opened in 1929, Principal John M. Loughran adopted the slogan, “athletics for all.” Equipped with facilities, sports field, three gymnasiums, swimming pool, etc., Principal Loughran set to find the personnel and coaches that would establish Tilden High Blue and Greys as an athletic power in New York City.The sports program hit its first obstacle 1934 as the faculty moved to change the baseball and football teams from inter-school competitive programs to intra-murals in efforts to better distribute the school budget while balancing school spirit.
In 1935, a new stadium was constructed and designed by the WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
. This new facility and the gyms inside the building were made available to adults in the community several years earlier during evenings, with separate times for men and women.
The Tilden Blue and Grey won a number of Public Schools Athletic League titles in football, baseball, tennis, track, swimming, and fencing.
During the summer of 1987, teacher and Dean of students Joanne Belinksy became the 6th woman in history to run 3000 miles (4,828 km) across the country.
Small schools
In 2006, the Department of Education declared Samuel J. Tilden High School to be a failed school. In 2007 it became the Tilden Educational Complex, home to several new small schoolsSmall schools movement
The small schools movement, also known as the Small Schools Initiative, in the United States of America holds that many high schools are too large and should be reorganized into smaller, autonomous schools of no more than 400 students, and optimally under 200. Many private schools of under 200...
. These include the Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences (CAAS), the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School
The Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School
The Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School is a New York City public school school working in partnership with New York City Outward Bound and Expeditionary Learning. It's objective is to arm students with the knowledge, skills and character necessary to serve as informed, thoughtful and...
, and It Takes A Village Academy (ITAVA). With the growth of the new schools, Samuel J. Tilden High School was phased out in June, 2010.
Tilden in the movies
The movie Above The RimAbove the Rim
Above the Rim is a 1994 drama directed by Jeff Pollack. The screenplay was written by Pollack and journalist-turned-screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper , from a story by Pollack and Benny Medina....
was shot at Samuel J. Tilden.
Exterior scenes for the movie Lords of Flatbush were shot at Tilden.
Notable alumni
- Ed CotaEd CotaEduardo Enrique Cota is an American professional basketball player. The 6' 0", 195-lb. point guard played for Atlas Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland. He is currently living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina....
– Professional basketball player - Charles S. DubinCharles S. DubinCharles Samuel Dubin was an American film and television director.From the early 1950s to 1991, Dubin worked in television, directing episodes of Tales of Tomorrow, Omnibus, The Defenders, The Big Valley, The Virginian, Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Matlock, The Rockford Files, Murder, She Wrote and...
- Film and television director - Jake Ehrenreich – Class of 1974. Actor/writer. Creator of A Jew Grows in Brooklyn New York Times review J. Ehrenreich website
- Mitchell Jay Feigenbaum – Mathematical physicist and discoverer of the Feigenbaum constantsFeigenbaum constantsThe Feigenbaum constants are two mathematical constants named after the mathematician Mitchell Feigenbaum. Both express ratios in a bifurcation diagram.The first Feigenbaum constant ,...
- Owen GillOwen GillOwen Gill is a former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2nd round of the 1985 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa. He played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Rams .-External...
– NFL Indianapolis Colts - Sid GordonSid GordonSidney "Sid" Gordon , known as "Sid," was a stocky, powerfully built American right-handed Major League Baseball outfielder, third baseman, and first baseman....
– 2-time All Star major league baseball player - Josh GreenfeldJosh GreenfeldJosh Greenfeld is an author and screenwriter mostly known for his screenplay for the 1974 film Harry and Tonto along with Paul Mazursky, which earned them an Academy Award nomination and its star, Art Carney, the Oscar itself for Best Actor...
– Writer - Nelson GeorgeNelson GeorgeNelson George is an African American author, columnist, music and culture critic, journalist, and filmmaker. He has been nominated twice for the National Book Critics Circle Award....
- Author - Neil MeronNeil MeronNeil Meron is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film Chicago and the 2007 film Hairspray. With partner Craig Zadan he runs the production company "Storyline Entertainment".-Life and career:...
- Hollywood producer - Amy PaulinAmy PaulinAssemblywoman Amy Paulin was first elected to the New York State Assembly in November 2000. Now in her fourth term, she represents the 88th Assembly District encompassing the following Westchester County communities: Village of Scarsdale, Town of Eastchester, Village of Tuckahoe, Village of...
– New York State Assemblywoman (D-88th District) - Sam PerkinsSam PerkinsSamuel Perkins is a retired American professional basketball player, also known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam" and "Big Smooth." He attended Samuel J. Tilden High School, Shaker High School and the University of North Carolina, where he was a teammate of Michael Jordan...
– Professional basketball player - Willie RandolphWillie RandolphWillie Larry Randolph is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and manager, most recently the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles...
- Professional baseball player; 6-time American League All Star; played on two World Series Champion teams (New York Yankees); and former manager of the New York Mets - Ossie SchectmanOssie SchectmanOscar B. "Ossie" Schectman is a retired American professional basketball player. He is credited with having scored the very first basket in the National Basketball Association , at that time the Basketball Association of America....
– NBA basketball player - Al SharptonAl SharptonAlfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
– Pentecostal minister, political activist, civil rights activist, and former candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2004. - Dean SilversDean SilversDean Silvers, J.D., M.S., PHD., is an American award-winning film producer, film director, writer, and an entertainment lawyer., He has produced numerous noteworthy films, including Flirting with Disaster, Manny & Lo, and Spanking the Monkey, which won many awards, including the Audience Award,...
- Film producer/writer/director/entertainment lawyer - Richard J. SmithRichard J. Smith (anthropologist)Richard Jay Smith, an American anthropologist, is Ralph E. Morrow Distinguished Professor of Physical Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is now Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.-Education:...
– Class of 1965. Noted anthropologist