• William A. Frankenbach
• Tommy Goleski
• Suzanne Hurteau
• Regan Kiembock
• Jace Panebianco
• Kurt Rist
• Lieutenant Warren S. Lutz
• Sergeant Heinz Wobst
• Rexford Raynor

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What is the Southampton Wall of Distinction?
The Wall of Distinction is organized as a way of maintaining the rich heritage and tradition of successful academic and athletic programs of the Southampton School District. The Wall of Distinction will serve as a means of recognizing, preserving, and honoring individuals and/or teams who made significant contributions to the academic and athletic programs at our high school, as well as our distinguished alumni who have excelled through their community involvement or in the business world. The Wall of Distinction honors the contributions and accomplishments of these individuals who are worthy of recognition as examples for others to emulate.

Click here to learn more about the Wall of Distinction and the nomination procedure!

Here is a link to the Wall of Distinction Induction Ceremony Video

2026 Southampton Wall of Distinction Induction

Six new inductees will be added to the Southampton Union Free School District Wall of Distinction at an induction ceremony on April 17 at 6 p.m. at Southampton High School. 

The ceremony will honor 2026 inductees William “Bill” Frankenbach, Tommy Goleski, Suzanne Hurteau, Regan Kiembock, Jace Panebianco and Kurt Rist. Additionally, the district will recognize three fallen heroes: Lieutenant Warren S. Lutz, Sergeant Heinz Wobst and Rexford Raynor.

William A. Frankenbach was a proud lifelong member of the community and a local businessman. He joined the United States Air Force after graduating from Southampton High School in 1947 and served as a crew member on a B-29 and 8-50 Superfortress aircraft until 1951. After the military, Frankenbach attended Cornell University to study floriculture and horticulture and opened the William A. Frankenbach Garden Center, which he owned for 39 years before retiring in 1995. For nearly half a century, he served as the chairman of the Southampton Fourth of July Parade Committee, as well as the master of ceremonies for the Memorial Day and Veterans Day services. He also served as president of the Southampton Rotary Club and the Southampton Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he was commander of the American Legion Malcolm Ross White Post 433 and president of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the Korean War Veterans. As a member of the Southampton Fire Department, he was chairman of its 100th Anniversary Parade and its Antique Truck & Muster parade. His voice was familiar to generations of locals as the radio commentator for the Southampton High School Mariners football games on WLNG for more than three decades. He and his wife of 58 years were the proud parents of three children and grandparents of four great-grandchildren.

Tommy Goleski, a Southampton High School graduate, served the school district for over four decades as a groundskeeper, taking pride in caring for all athletic fields and courts. For his incredible turf management and work ethic, he was recognized by Section XI with a plaque for the best fields in Suffolk County. He not only cared for the fields, but also the athletes who played on them. He was frequently spotted attending football, field hockey and boys basketball games. 

Outside of work, Goleski was an active and proud member of the American Polish Hall and the American Polish Club in Southampton. He was also a member of the Southampton Elks Lodge 1574.

Suzanne Hurteau, a proud graduate of Southampton High School, has dedicated her life and career to public service, leadership and making a lasting difference in the lives of others. During her time at Southampton High School, she stood out as a student and an athlete. She excelled as both an All-County field hockey goalie and an All-League, All-Conference softball catcher. Following graduation in 1991, she continued her education at Long Island University, C.W. Post, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She went on to build a distinguished career in law enforcement with the Southampton Village Police Department, rising through the ranks to become the department’s first female detective, first female sergeant, first female lieutenant, first female captain and ultimately, its first female chief of police. Beyond the badge, she is also known for her compassion and generosity. She supports the Southampton Animal Shelter and Paws of War.

Regan Kiembock, a lifelong member of the Southampton community, graduated from Southampton High School in 1979. She earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Mary Washington in Virginia before beginning her professional career in Boston, where she worked for a biotechnology company. She later returned to her hometown to pursue graduate studies, earning a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from Long Island University, C.W. Post. Following completion of a nine-month accredited dietetic internship, she became a registered dietitian. She began her career at Southampton Nursing Home before moving to Southampton Hospital, where she served as chief clinical dietitian. In March 2000, she joined the Southampton School District as school lunch manager and food service director, a role in which she has served with distinction for more than 26 years. She leads the district’s comprehensive school nutrition program, overseeing the planning, preparation and service of balanced meals to more than 1,100 students each day. A pioneer in connecting local agriculture with school nutrition, she has led Southampton’s Farm-to-School, Chef Brigade, Breakfast in the Classroom and Breakfast After the Bell initatives. For her work, she has earned multiple awards, including the Outstanding Community Cooperator Award for her continued collaboration with local farms, educators and community partners in advancing nutrition education and sustainable food practices.

Jace Panebianco graduated with honors from Southampton High School in 1994. During his high school tenure, he played four years of football, wrestling and tennis.  Following graduation, he began his professional windsurfing career by moving to Maui and testing boards for Windsurfing Magazine. At 21, he was the youngest ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean by windsurfing in the Trans-Atlantic Windsurf Race 1998. He raced from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Weymouth, England in eight days. He went on to compete in the Professional Windsurfing Association World Tour and earned a top 25 world ranking in the freestyle discipline. With a strong background in writing, he became a prolific travel writer and had syndicated columns in dozens of magazines, with his work published in five countries. He eventually transitioned into filmmaking and has since produced eight action films and two full-length documentaries with Poor Boyz Productions. Panebianco directed the award-winning show “‘Who is JOB 2.0” with Red Bull surfer Jamie O’Brien. Running for more than 100 episodes, the series is largely credited as the beginning of the vlog-style video craze. Known specifically for his water cinematography, Panebianco has swum in the most dangerous waves on the planet. He was the principal water cinematographer for Apple TV and the show “Make or Break” and is the live water camera operator at the highest level of professional surfing, the World Surf League. He currently lives in Maui with his wife, Amber, and their three sons, Kingston, Marshall and Duke.

Kurt Rist, a 2004 Southampton High School graduate, began surfing at the age of 7 at Shinnecock Inlet and Flying Point Beach, quickly developing a deep passion for the sport. During his teenage years, he competed in Eastern Surfing Association Long Island surf competitions, where he gained early recognition. At 13, he won the New York State Championships. At 16, he placed fourth in the Northeast Regionals, and at 17, he won the Unsound Junior Pro. Following graduation, he pushed his surfing to the next level by taking on world-class waves in Hawaii. Over the years, he spent multiple winters there and traveled extensively, surfing renowned breaks in Indonesia, Fiji, Australia, Peru and across Europe. He also focused on big wave surfing along the west coast of Ireland, where he received multiple nominations for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards. In 2012, he earned a “Biggest Wave” nomination at Mullaghmore, Ireland. In 2013, he was nominated for both “Ride of the Year” and “Biggest Barrel” for his performances at Mullaghmore. In 2014, he received another “Biggest Wave” nomination for one of his most notable rides at Prowlers, Ireland — an estimated 55-foot wave. A photograph of this wave was featured on the cover of The Irish Times and Eastern Surf Magazine. Rist also chased big waves along the west coast of the United States, where he received nominations for “Biggest Paddle Wave” and “Biggest Barrel” at Nelscott Reef and The Yeti in Oregon. In 2016, he founded his surf school, Hamptons Surf Corporation. In addition to coaching, he has been an active member of the Surfers Healing team, serving as a surf instructor for their nonprofit international camps for children with autism. He is also a member of the Southampton Village Ocean Rescue Team. He and his wife, Asaya Brusa, a former Mexican surf champion, live in Mexico with their two sons, Jackson and Bodhi, and return frequently to Southampton. They also run a vacation rental project, Casa Farbar, apartments designed for traveling surfers and international visitors.

Fallen Heroes

Lieutenant Warren S. Lutz, a 1938 Southampton High School graduate, went on to attend Norwich University military school, where he received his diploma in 1942. He then joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, receiving his pilot’s wings in November 1943 before training as a four-engine bomber pilot. As a second lieutenant, in early 1944, he was assigned to the 368th Bomb Squadron of the 306th Bomb Group at Thurleigh, England, flying a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. During his seventh combat mission on April 29, 1944, there was an attack on rail yards near Berlin, and on his flight back home, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft artillery near Magdeburg, Germany just after 12:30 p.m. The plane rolled over, exploded and went down in flames. Two men survived and were captured. Lutz and the rest of the 10-man crew were killed, and his body and dog tags were recovered by German authorities. After initial burial in Germany, his remains were returned to America in 1950. Lutz is now interred in a common grave, shared with some of his crew members, at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Kentucky. He and his aircrew were awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

Sergeant Heinz Wobst, who immigrated to Southampton from Dresden, Germany in 1923 with his family, graduated Southampton High School in 1939. He worked with his father at the National Golf Links of America golf club as an attendant. In 1942, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 69th Bomb Squadron of the 42nd Bomb Group based in the Solomon Islands. As a technical sergeant, he flew as a radio operator on Dottie, a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber, modified for the dangerous task of low-level attacks on airfields and shipping. During a mission to Papua, New Guinea on June 7, 1944, his squadron encountered bad weather and Wobst’s plane disappeared into the clouds. Dottie and her six crewmen were never found. Wobst was officially declared dead in February 1946. He was awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart. His name is recorded on the Manila American Cemetery’s Tablets of the Missing and he is also memorialized in the Southampton Cemetery next to his two brothers, who also served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during the war.

Rexford Raynor graduated in 1943 from Southampton High School, where he played the clarinet and won the Daughters of the American Revolution history prize. He joined the U.S. Army in late 1943, training with the 414th Infantry Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division, known as the “Timberwolves.” After arriving in France in September 1944, the Timberwolves advanced into combat in Holland, where Raynor was wounded in action. He quickly recovered and rejoined his comrades in early November. At that time, the Timberwolves were taking part in Operation Queen, pushing through the Hürtgen Forest near Aachen, Germany. The fighting in the forest was treacherous, and the area, part of the Siegfried Line of fortifications, was heavily defended by pillboxes with eight-foot-thick concrete walls. Raynor’s unit finally broke through the defensive zone on November 19. During the advance beyond Stolberg, he was hit and killed by enemy fire. His body was returned home in November 1947 and he is interred at Southampton Cemetery.