Ronen Katz, who graduated from WJ in 2001, was killed in a hit-and-run car accident on  Sept. 19 in New York City. He was struck by Naisha Sutton, who was driving with a learner’s permit and made an illegal left turn, hitting Katz’ motorcycle. After she fled the scene, she turned herself in to the New York police.

Katz was 27-years-old. There was a memorial ceremony the following Tuesday in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.

Before the accident, Katz was working on Wall Street as a hedge-fund manager.  DNA info, a website devoted to reporting local news in Manhattan, reported him to be a “rising star in the financial world.”

Katz was vice president of the firm Angelo, Gordon & Co. in Manhattan, but he was also dedicated to volunteering. He helped out at the Hebrew Academy for Special Children, and was set to receive the 2010 Young Business Leadership Award at their annual benefit on Oct. 7.

After leaving WJ, Katz attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2005, he won the Legacy Prize from the Creativity Foundation, which, according to the foundation’s website, rewards “curious, innovative and motivated individuals at the start of their careers who deserve greater recognition, encouragement, and mentoring” (http://creativity-found.org/legacy-prize/).

“My main memories of Ronen are not shaped by any interesting stories about him; rather, they are based on feelings I always had about how curious he was during class discussion,” wrote WJ english teacher Bill Griffiths. “He loved ideas. They excited him and his excitement was contagious.”

“Please keep his family, friends and former teachers in your thoughts,” wrote Principal Christopher Garran in an e-mail to the WJ listserv.

For more information about Katz, check out DNA info’s article