LIMEHOF awards $10,000 in scholarships to High School seniors from across Long Island
Students from Wading River, Port Jefferson Station, Greenlawn, Farmingville, Rocky Point, Plainview, Freeport, Huntington, Center Moriches, Great Neck and Bay Shore honore
The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook recently awarded ten $1,000 scholarships to ten graduating students from across Long Island planning to major in music, music education and the performing arts. Also, for the third year in a row a Pat DeRosa Memorial Scholarship was awarded in memory of LIMEHOF inductee Pat DeRosa.
“These students have not only shown talent and passion, but they’ve made the significant decision to continue their journey by majoring in music or theater in college,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF Vice Chairman. “One of the things I like to tell the students is that many of the artists we’ve inducted started their musical careers when they were their age, and that’s very true, so a lot of these kids we’re giving scholarships to, could in fact one day become future hall of fame inductees themselves.”
In addition to awarding the scholarships, three of the students performed on the LIMEHOF stage. William MacIntosh and DeAndre Simmons each performed on their violins and Alyssa Wong sang “Dying ain’t so bad” from Bonnie and Clyde.
“It really impresses us to hear and learn about the commitment of these students here on Long Island,” said Paul Graf, member of LIMEHOF Education Advisory Committee. “Thousands of students are graduating this month and here we found eleven that are above and beyond. It was exciting to meet them, talk with them and learn about their lives and their commitment to music and music education.”
LIMEHOF has awarded tens of thousands of scholarships to Long Island high school students since its inception. The students submit applications that are judged by LIMHOF’s education committee, chaired by board member Tom Needham. Students from schools in Queens and Brooklyn are eligible to apply in addition to those from Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
For more information about LIMEHOF’s scholarships and educational programs visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/scholarshipsgrants/
2025 LIMEHOF Scholarship Winners
Eden Yiya Hu (Wading River, Shoreham Wading River High School, Violin)
Elliot Jaklitsch (Port Jefferson Station, Comsewogue High School, Cello/Horn)
Justin Lowenhar (Greenlawn, Harborfields High School, Musical Theater- Tenor)
William MacIntosh (Farmingville, St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip, Violin)
Maya McCarthy (Rocky Point, Rocky Point High School, Mezzo Voice, Violin, Piano)
Romy Park (Plainview, Plainview-Old Bethpage High School, Viola)
Ashley Retzlaff (Freeport, Freeport High School, Mezzo Soprano, Musical Theater)
DeAndre Simmons (Huntington, Huntington High School, Violin)
Mackenzie Sweeney (Center Moriches, Center Moriches High School, French Horn)
Alyssa Wong (Great Neck, Great Neck South High School, Musical Theater)
2025 Pat DeRosa Scholarship Winner:
Athanasia Kacharaba (Bay Shore, Bay Shore High School, Saxophone/voice)
About the Pat DeRosa Memorial Scholarship
Mr. Pat A. DeRosa performed for many years from Manhattan to Montauk and beyond. He taught music in Huntington and South Huntington and in 2018 the Guinness Book of World Records named him the “World’s Oldest Professional Saxophone Player”. (101 years old and still playing in 2022). Additionally, he was inducted into the Long Island Hall of Fame and the South Huntington Hall of Fame.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in South Huntington, Pat picked up a saxophone in the Bowery with his mom at the age of 12. After High School, he worked at Grumman before he was drafted into WWII where he played with the Glenn Miller Army/Air Force Band.
After the war, he played at The Latin Quarter and the Copacabana as well as other NYC clubs while attending the Manhattan School of Music where he received a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in English Horn and Oboe. He played with Tommy Tucker, Tex Benecke, Lionel Hampton amongst others while on the road stopping to make a movie in Hollywood where he was invited to have lunch with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. When he returned home, he was introduced to John Coltrane and they played duets together for three years.
Most recently he could be seen playing with his daughter, Patricia DeRosa Padden of Montauk, on piano and his granddaughter Nicole DeRosa Padden, also of Montauk, on vocals and flute as well as sitting in with numerous bands on the East End and Western Suffolk.
Pat retired from teaching in 1978 but his students continued to contact him often. This Memorial Scholarship has been set up for a High School Senior to continue their studies in Music on the saxophone or woodwind instrument. The criteria includes a 95 or above in Music and a 90 overall average. An essay should also be provided by the student to show why they would like to continue to pursue music.
About LIMEHOF
Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook, New York. To date, the organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.
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