MyRye.com is starting a new series called the Yearbook Project. We are highlighting members of the Rye High School Class of 1999 (celebrating their 25th reunion in 2024) and the Rye High School Class of 1974 (celebrating their 50th reunion in 2024).
If you graduated RHS ’99 or ’74, or if you know someone who did, please get in touch with us.
Today, meet Pamela Ruben Golum of the Rye High School Class of 1974.
Your name: Pamela Ruben Golum
Rye High School Class of: 1974
MyRye.com: Who were your favorite teachers at Rye High School?
Golum:
- Mrs. Dell’Aquilla – she was awesome. She taught French and actually inspired me try publicity, which ended up being my career.
- Mr. Sax taught Social Studies and I really liked his class. I never got bored, and he also became friends with my parents. I also ran into him in a bank in Grenoble, France the summer I was studying there. What are the odds of that?
What were your favorite sports or extracurricular activities at Rye High School?
Golum:
- Garnet & Black – I was one of the editors, and I loved journalism. I ended up interviewing Cousin Brucie (then a famous AM radio DJ) for the paper and the article was published in the NY Times.
- Field hockey team – I never made the Varsity but I enjoyed the games, and traveling on the bus to the other schools.
- Ski team – I loved to ski, and the other skiers on the team were cool.
Tell us about the street in Rye you grew-up on.
Golum: I grew up on Heritage Lane. It was a cul-de-sac and there were awesome kids on the street. We played baseball, football and we were very close to Playland so we were there a lot. At one point I think I had been on every single ride. We had a close knit group of friends and when I first moved there, it was woodsy so we could “disappear” in the woods. I had a few babysitting gigs in the neighborhood too.
Where would you and your friends hang out in Rye?
Golum: I would say Playland was our favorite hangout. There was a boat called the Bay Belle that used to come up from the city, and when we heard the 4:00 whistle, we knew it was leaving soon. We would stand at the dock and ask everyone if they had extra tickets (our assumption was they weren’t going to use them as they were on their way out). We got tons of tickets, enough to ride the Dragon Coaster multiple times and more. Thus my claim that I’ve been on every ride.
Where do you live now?
Golum: I’ve lived in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles) for over 40 years.
What have you done since the day you graduated high school?
Golum: I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1978 with a degree in Communication. Then I moved to Portland, Oregon for a year and I’ve been in L.A. since. I’ve spent my career as a Hollywood publicist, working on television shows (Law & Order, The Golden Girls, High School Musical, Cops and many more), as well as the Emmy Awards, PaleyFest and multiple corporate and consumer campaigns for entertainment companies. I married my husband Rob (a journalist at Bloomberg) in 1983 and we have two grown daughters, Caroline and Jennifer. Both live in Brooklyn.
What in your view are the two or three greatest Rye traditions you remember from your high school years?
Golum:
- Halloween window painting – I was lucky to find a classmate who was good at art so we won.
- Memorial Day Parade – I always liked to march in the parade
- Junior and Senior Prom – a time honored tradition, done well by my class.
Thank you Pamela!
