The Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association celebrated nine honorees at its Oct. 3 Hall of Fame dinner, pairing recognition of Beverly Hills High School athletic achievement with a milestone in the organization's own history: 20 years of giving back to the school community.
Held at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles, the dinner honored Allen Fischer, Jason Goldberg, Dori Golod Howell, Billy Koch, Emily Koch, Laura Hornwood Margo, Brandon Nash, Michael Rappaport and Robby Welles, according to an Oct. 4 announcement from BHAAA.
BHAAA Hall of Fame honorees Billy Koch (Class of 1987) and Emily Koch (Class of 1990) with their parents, BHHS alumni Rita and Hawk Koch, a longtime producer and former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president.
The anniversary also offered a measure of the association's work beyond the annual celebration. BHAAA reports that it has provided approximately $1.3 million over two decades through athletic funding, scholarships and financial assistance. Its mission includes supporting Beverly Hills High School athletics, Beverly Vista Middle School sports and athletic alumni in need.
Founded in 2006, the association has maintained a connection between the accomplishments of former Normans and the needs of students competing today. Founder Steven Fenton, a Beverly High Class of 1988 graduate, has led efforts to translate that connection into funding for district athletics.
The organization's published account of its work lists uniforms, team lockers, a Swim Gym scoreboard and sound system, baseball dugouts and fencing, cross-country timing equipment, pitching machines, stationary bikes, canopies, and soccer and lacrosse goals among the purchases and improvements it has supported.
Those contributions address the everyday requirements of school sports: outfitting teams, equipping practice sessions and improving the spaces where students train and compete. They also give the anniversary a practical foundation, with support extending across multiple programs and generations of students.
BHAAA's work securing private donations has also helped connect alumni and benefactors with the district's athletic facilities. The Beverly Hills Education Foundation credits the association with pursuing naming opportunities that benefit athletics, including support associated with the Konheim family and Sam Nazarian. BHAAA's own history identifies the Konheim Athletic Building and Sam Nazarian Court in the Swim Gym as results of those early relationships.
That fundraising work continued this summer with the Zekaria Arena naming agreement. As the Standard reported in July, the BHUSD Board of Education voted 5-0 on July 28 to approve a 15-year naming agreement tied to a $165,000 pledge from Ike and Leon Zekaria, with the donation administered through BHAAA.
Brandon Nash addresses guests from the podium after being honored at BHAAA's Oct. 3 Hall of Fame dinner. Nash was Beverly High's 1997 Athlete of the Year and earned All-Pac-10 football honors at the University of Arizona.
The arena is part of Beverly High's new athletic facilities, including the Konheim Athletic Building. The agreement provides a concrete example of BHAAA's role in bringing donors and the district together, developing naming arrangements and directing private support toward its charitable mission.
During the July discussion, Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss thanked Fenton, BHAAA and the Zekaria family for moving the agreement forward. Board President Judith Manouchehri also recognized their support for the district. Board member Russell Stuart credited Fenton with initiating the effort and working on the agreements and proposed donation amounts.
The association's assistance reaches beyond equipment and facilities. Its student recognition programs include the Don Reynolds Spirit of Life Award, the Founder's Award and the Lessie Paysinger Award. Its Diamond Club recognizes graduates who participated in sports throughout all four years of high school.
Through BHAAA Assist and the Joe Sutton Scholarships, the organization also accepts applications from former Beverly High athletes and others involved in the school's athletic program who face an immediate financial need. The program includes eligible former players, cheerleaders, team managers and coaches, according to its published guidelines.
BHAAA established its Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame in 2007. Honorees' names are recorded on the Don Reynolds Wall of Fame beside Nickoll Field, giving their accomplishments a permanent place on campus.
This year's dinner brought that record of athletic achievement together with the association's continuing support for Beverly High, Beverly Vista and alumni in need. Twenty years after its founding, BHAAA's anniversary marked both the people it honors and the school programs its giving helps sustain.
Producer and BHAAA Hall of Fame honoree Jason Goldberg with his son, mother and fellow BHHS alumni Adam Nathanson of Mapleton Investments, Velvet Hammer founder David "Beno" Benveniste and real estate investor Mike Seltzer.
Information about BHAAA, its donations and its alumni assistance program is available at BHAAA.org.
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