Southampton Public Schools honors local leaders, veterans and community servants at Wall of Distinction ceremony

Southampton High School recognized seven new inductees into its Wall of Distinction during a community ceremony at the high school.

Darren Phillips, director of athletics and chair of the Wall of Distinction Committee, opened the program and invited attendees to nominate future honorees, calling the event “one of the most meaningful events of the year.” Dr. Daniel Martel, superintendent of the Southampton Union Free School District, said the Wall celebrates “not simply achievement, but character,” and urged students to view inductees’ lives as examples of service.

The class of 2026 included community leaders, longtime staff and veterans. Family members recounted military service for four fallen honorees: Lieutenant Warren Shuler Lutz, Sergeant Heinz F.M. Woest, Rexford Lee Raynor and Norman Sanford. Jim Sanford, speaking for the family of Norman Sanford, described receiving wartime telegrams and read a tribute composed by a relative; the family accepted a plaque in his honor.

David Woest provided historical context about Heinz Woest’s life and service, including local newspaper accounts and artifacts the family has preserved. Speakers noted service awards such as the Air Medal and Purple Heart for several of the veterans, and described burial and memorial sites ranging from the Normandy American Cemetery to the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

The ceremony also honored William A. Frankenbach, a veteran, broadcaster and longtime local business owner; Tommy Gleseke, a groundskeeper whose decades of work maintained the district’s athletic fields; Suzanne “Sue” Hurteau, a 1991 graduate who rose to become the first female chief of the Southampton Village Police Department; Reagan Kimba, the district’s director of food services since 2000 who led farm-to-school initiatives and the district’s COVID-era meal response; Jason Paternoster, a windsurfer and filmmaker who accepted via recorded message; and Kurt Rist, a 2004 graduate and big-wave surfer who described competitive highlights and his work coaching locally.

Family members and honorees emphasized local roots and long-term contributions: William Steinke, grandson of William Frankenbach, recalled his grandfather’s community broadcasting and business service; Eric Shultz highlighted Reagan Kimba’s role in serving over 1,100 students daily and securing state grants for farm-to-school programs; and Holly Rist and Kurt Rist described a professional surfing career that has repeatedly brought the honoree back to Southampton.

Organizers invited attendees to a reception in the lobby after the program and noted the ceremony was livestreamed. The Wall of Distinction committee also made nomination forms available to the public on exit.

The Wall of Distinction was described throughout as a way to preserve community memory by honoring individuals whose service, leadership and local ties ‘‘inspire future generations,’’ in the words of district leaders.