Hall of Fame 2016 Inductees

Steve "Bubba" Cohen has been called "Mr. Beach High" because he has never lost his enthusiasm and passion for Miami Beach High School. At Beach High Bubba played on the undefeated 1969-70 football team. After graduating, he coached football at Beach High, making it to Beach High's only State championship game during his final 1974-75 season.

At 22 Bubba found television and did over 300 live television shows during next 6 years as host of Steve Cohen Celebrity Time on WKID - CH 51. Advertising followed and Steve produced over 2000 TV commercials and billed over $50 million of advertising for many local and national clients. In the mid 90s Steve hosted over 200 highly praised local television shows. His programs "Open to the Public" and "Bubba Time" helped take Miami Beach from the paradise lost of the 80’s into today’s gem. Bubba joined the team at WAMI– TV and fully monetizing infomercial revenue, increasing it tenfold, and was responsible for creating a huge untapped revenue source for the South Florida market.

Bubba’s enthusiasm and passion for our community never diminished. Among his many highlights; He was the youngest ever Nor-Isle Optimist clubman of the year. Best First Year Jaycee followed by Mr. Enthusiasm in the Beach Jaycees. Hosted auctions for the Association for Retarded Citizens and helped them raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bubba was a founding member and past president of our Miami Beach High School Alumni Association.

When Memorial Field was not being renovated timely, Bubba followed each step, attended meetings, and stopped bureaucratic delays, to insure the $3 million dollar renovation was completed in a record 9 months, just in time for Beach High football to play their first home game in over 3 seasons.

"Mr. Beach High", Steve "Bubba" Cohen has never lost his enthusiasm and passion for his alma mater or his beloved Miami Beach, and is honored to be inducted into the Miami Beach High School Hall of Fame.

Robert "Bobby" Flam has always been a steadfast and loyal friend. As a young man he demonstrated great leadership skills both on the athletic field, in school activities and as President of his Senior Class. These qualities are among his strongest attributes and, as friends will tell you, his even disposition and warm compassionate nature influenced the choices that led to his success throughout his career.

After attending the University of Florida and graduating with a B.A. in Liberal Arts & Sciences from the University of Illinois, Bobby joined his father in running Jumbo’s Restaurant in Miami and subsequently took over in 1967 as owner and proprietor for the next 47 years.

As a businessman in Miami, he was active in his community and a leader in breaking down racial barriers when it was not popular to do so. (He not only talked the talk but he walked the walk.) Jumbo’s was one of the first restaurants to desegregate during the tumultuous, tense racial times of the sixties: Bobby opened the front doors of Jumbo’s to African American customers, and the following year integrated his staff. Bobby never turned a person away because they couldn’t afford to pay. His doors were open to everyone. In 2005, Jumbo’s was honored in the U.S. Congressional Record on its Golden Anniversary and recognized as a national and international civil rights landmark which helped end segregation while ushering in a new age of race relations in Miami. In 2008, the James Beard Foundation, honored the restaurant in the category of, "America’s Classics", for its historical significance and Famous Fried Chicken and Fried Shrimp. Throughout his business career, as well as in his personal life, Bobby never hesitated in doing what he calls "the Right Thing".

His wife of 48 years, Dale, has been by his side during all of this transition, sharing and fulfilling their dreams with their children: Cori Flam Meltzer Esq., married to Brad Meltzer; Ami Flam Kuttler Ph.D, married to Matt Kuttler; Adam Flam, married to Gilda Romano Flam, Esq. and eight grandchildren.

Dr. Jeanne P. Friedman retired from the M- DCPS after 33 years of dedicated service. Dr. Friedman used her talents and skills to develop innovative educational programing. Her exemplary leadership combined with her progressive initiatives has benefited students at every level--elementary, middle, secondary, and adult education. Equally impressive are the contributions she has made to the Education Profession.

As Principal of MBSHS she led the way to the dawn and revitalization of the current Beach High. Under her leadership Beach High was one of seven schools in the county to take the lead on the initial task force in the Secondary School Reform efforts that became a District priority. Dr. Friedman recruited outstanding new talent to join the faculty. She became instrumental in the successful planning, coordination and implementation throughout the system. Under her leadership The Scholars' Academy program and AP courses were expanded, the PTA took over the Boat Show operation, and class schedules were increased from six periods to eight periods a day. The changes in the facilities and programs paved the way for the continued upward climb in academic measurements. Most significant was Dr. Friedman’s determination to do the right thing for the students and the community. She worked diligently to make certain the school’s physical facility was repaired and rebuilt. To this end she succeeded at restoring the community's only high school, to its present glory.

Today, Dr. Friedman continues to use her talents as the State Director of the NAF overseeing career themed academies in Florida and the Virgin Islands. Among her crowning achievements are her daughters, Eugenia and Elizabeth, with whom her late husband Ellis would agree. She is especially excited about her newest role as grandmother (Mimi) to her two grandchildren.

Donald Klein graduated Beach High with extraordinary scholastic and athletic prowess having earned 8 Varsity Letters. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University with a B.A. in Economics he went on to the University of Miami School of Law. He graduated #1 in his class, was Editor of the Law Review and the only UM law student to have the distinction of the title Editor in Chief Emeritus and received many other honors.

Donald joined the law firm of Warren, Kline & Moore which was founded by his father in 1945 and which became Kline, Moore & Klein P.A. where he practiced for the next 45 years. In addition to being the consummate attorney he served as President of the Miami Beach Bar Association and was always eager to help others, providing free legal services and advice to those in need. He sat on the Board of Banyan/Spectrum Health (one of the largest drug rehab centers in Florida) for more than 30 years.

Donald ("Donny") was passionate about everything sports (Marlins, Heat & Dolphins), a lover of classic rock and photography. He was also an orchid and bromeliad enthusiast. All who were privileged to know him described him as a witty, wickedly intelligent, great athlete, natural leader, a compassionate person who was a gentle giant. He was an awesome friend, husband, father and grandfather. A true Mensch!

Donald MacCullough is a master of assessing a situation, identifying needs and solving problems. Perhaps this skill was honed while teaching his young students in his early career or working with the Boy Scouts of America. Don transitioned from the classroom to a Library Media Specialist and then Audio Visual.

A pioneer and visionary, he had the foresight to recognize how media specifically TV could be used for instructional education. Convincing the School Board to embrace the power of TV to join WTHS-TV, Channel 2, WSEC-TV, Channel 17 and WLRN-FM to Public Broadcasting by joining with PBS and NPR. This revolutionized instructional education and over the next 20 years led to a four channel ITV school network providing thousands of hours of programing to schools and the community annually. The culmination of his efforts has taken WLRN Public Radio and Broadcasting programming to greater heights serving all of South Florida.

With all Don has accomplished with students and education during his life, nothing influenced Don’s life and career more then when his wife Janet Irene Stone agreed to share his life, career, politics, and raising their four children Kara, Scott, Corrie and Cassie, into caring and responsible adults.

Joy has dedicated her time, talents and business acumen to her community and the citizens and City of Miami Beach for the majority of her life. Born in Chicago she moved to Miami Beach with her parents in 1942. It was an exciting time as the city had so many interesting things happening and still had a "small town" feel.

She attended North Beach Elementary, Nautilus Junior High and the original Beach High located on 13th and Drexel. Joy’s Grandparents were early members of Temple Beth Shalom, where Joy has served on the Board of Trustees and continues to be an active member today. Joy was an exemplary student, having graduated as class Valedictorian, Editor of the Yearbook and recipient of many awards and honors. She was the first girl from Beach High to be accepted to Radcliffe College.

While at Radcliffe she was a classical music announcer for Radio Radcliffe. Having completed her studies at the University of Miami with a B.A. in English Literature, cum laude, she returned to Miami Beach and accepted a position as a management trainee at American Savings and Loan. After several banking courses she found she loved the field. Thus began her impressive 32 year career in the banking Industry.

In addition to her dedicated career, Joy has been an instrumental member of a variety of City of Miami Beach committees and boards, as well as numerous charitable and civic organizations. Kiwanis Club, Bass Museum, The New World Symphony National Council, The Miami Design and Preservation Board, President of the MBSHS PTSA as well as the chair or co-chair for every MBSHS Class of ’64 Reunion since their 30th reunion.

Joy is an integral part of Miami Beach and has applied her skills to her current position as a proud Commissioner of the City of Miami Beach. Joy is especially proud of her children who grew up and graduated from Beach High. Dr. Mari Alschuler, David Alschuler, Esq. and Mark Van Wye and her loving husband Judge J. Fred Malakoff. Joy exemplifies, a woman who has "Broken the Glass Ceiling". Her mother always told Joy, "You can do anything you want to." And "doing" is exactly what Joy does.

Jewel was born in New York and moved with her parents as an infant to Miami Beach. She grew up with a strong affinity for her hometown where her father, Jack, was a pioneer in the hotel business. The trajectory of Jewel’s career was atypical. After graduation from Miami Beach High she pursued a B.A. degree in European history at the University of Miami, graduated Magna Cum Laude, married and started to raise her family in Coral Gables.

The catalyst for her career and future aspirations was an enrichment class in modern art at the University of Miami that she attended in her early thirties. She began to study sculpture and make art of her own. Several years after her 1968 divorce from her first husband, Gerard Schainuck, Jewel married Edward Stern, a Miami attorney, and she returned to the University of Miami to achieve an M.A. degree in Art History.

Intrigued with conceptual art, it became Jewel’s primary means of creative expression. Involved were research, photography, site installations and documentation. Much of Jewel’s work reflected a strong attachment to her Miami area roots. She received recognition nationally, and internationally with "Project Skyline" her black and white photographic study of 18 Miami Beach Art Deco hotels, featured in Time Life’s Photography Year 1982. Her two local site installations titled "Bob’s Barricades" are preserved through her photographic documentation.

For "The Cuban Bakery Project," inspired by the cultural uniqueness of Miami’s Cuban-American community in the 1970s, over 50 traditional Cuban bakery window displays in Miami-Dade County were photographed in color, and first exhibited at the Lowe Art Museum in 1983. Jewel’s focus soon shifted to writing about modern American architecture and design, and curating museum exhibitions. She also began collecting modern silver, becoming an expert in the field. Her celebrated collection of modern American industrial silver was acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art in 2002, and the following year she was cited as one of the "100 Top Collectors in America" by Art & Antiques Magazine. Among her noted books and exhibitions are Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk (2015); Ely Jacques Kahn, Architect: Beaux-Arts to Modernism in New York (2006); and Modernism in American Silver: 20th Century Design (2005), for which she received the prestigious George Wittenborn Memorial Book Award from the Art Libraries Society of North America.

Jewel is especially proud of her children Lori and James from her first marriage, and is thrilled to have two grandchildren from James and his wife Torie Ross, her beloved Jack and Anna Schainuck.