Hall of Fame writer was also associate dean emeritus for admissions at New York University's School of Medicine.
Ray Brienza, former horse racing writer for The Star-Ledger, passed away Friday after a long illness. He was 80. (Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger) Ray Brienza of South Orange, N.J., a member of harness racing's Hall of Fame as a writer and columnist for The Star-Ledger for nearly 40 years, as well as the associate dean emeritus for admissions at New York University's School of Medicine, passed away on Friday after a long illness. He was 80.
Brienza will be waked at the Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home in Maplewood, N.J., on Monday, Nov. 9 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home.
A native of Newark, Brienza began covering harness racing at Newark's Weequahic Park as a copy boy for the now-defunct Newark News in the 1950s, while attending Rutgers-Newark. He moved to The Star-Ledger in 1972, when the News folded, beginning a relationship that lasted nearly 40 years as a writer and handicapper.
He went on to win three John Hervey Awards, as well as the 2004 President's Award from the United States Harness Writers Association, for writing excellence, and his contributions were recognized by the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2007, when he was inducted into its Communicators Corner in Goshen, N.Y.
Brienza had a concurrent career in higher education, spending 31 years at the NYU School of Medicine as its associate dean of admissions and financial aid before retiring in 2004. He took pride in finding the special "jewel" in each applicant and consistently admitted the nation's best students.
Among his numerous accomplishments, Brienza introduced the federal Perkins Loan program to the school and developed it into the second largest in the country. He also grew the Federal College Work Study Program into the largest program at any private medical school, computerized the information system for admissions, and encouraged the growth of student diversity.
Upon his retirement, the school named him an honorary alumnus, Class of 2005, and established the Raymond J. Brienza Scholarship Fund to support needy students of high academic merit.
Prior to joining the NYU School of Medicine, Brienza worked as director of financial aid at NYU's Washington Square campus, after serving as associate director of admissions at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1962 through 1967.
Brienza was a 1957 graduate of Rutgers-Newark, where he earned both a bachelors and, in 1959, a Master's degree in education. He later served on the Board of Trustees for Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, and in 2006 was enshrined in the Rutgers Newark Athletic Hall of Fame.
Born in Newark, Brienza lived in South Orange for nearly 50 years. He was married to his wife, Una (nee Cassidy) for 43 years until her passing in 2002.
He is survived by six children: daughters Evelyn Campbell (husband John); Mary (husband Robert Thomas); Judith "Gigi," and Carol; sons David (wife Bonnie) and Chris (wife Janet), and six grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to the Raymond J. Brienza Scholarship Fund at NYU School of Medicine. Gifts can be made online at http://nyulangone.org/give/funds/medical-school-scholarships, or checks can be made out to NYU School of Medicine and sent to:
NYU School of Medicine, c/o Erica Campbell, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, One Park Avenue, 17th Floor New York, N.Y. 10016.