Concert Honoring Bohovesky Set for Saturday

Performers and special guests will gather in the Pearl River High School auditorium May 5 for A Concert for Paula Bohovesky - A Celebration of a Life. 

"The concert will be celebration of a life," said Rockland County Legislator John Murphy, one of the event's organizers. "A life unfairly cut short, but a life that showed the promise of much potential and beauty, and a life that is still recalled with great admiration."

Bohovesky, a 16-year-old Pearl River High School sophomore, was murdered while walking home Oct. 28, 1980. 

Murphy has led petition drives to protest against the potential parole for the men convicted of Bohovesky's murder, Richard LaBarbera and Robert McCain. They first became eligible in 2005 and come up for a hearing every two years. More than 13,000 signatures were collected during the 2011 drive. 

Funds raised with the May 5 event will be used to maintain PetitionforPaula.org, to support a performing arts scholarship in her name and to maintain an existing memorial on the high school grounds.  Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at PetitionforPaula.org or at the door. 

"Many of Paula's classmates and friends are lending their time and talents to make this a spectacular celebration," Murphy said. "Paula was a talented and artistic honor student, an innocent gentle soul, wise beyond her years with a deep love of life and family. It is a life worth celebrating and a tribute to a beautiful human being."

Performers will include:

• Internationally-known violinist Eileen Ivers
• Rockland Conservatory of Music String Orchestra with Conductor Anna Teigen
• Pearl River High School Choir with Director Shareen Way
• Shirley Crabbe, singer (PRHS Class of 1981)
• Mary Ellen Petti, singer (PRHS Class of 1982)
• John Carson and Ed Walters, singers (PRHS Class of 1982)
• Chris Murphy and Friends

Special Guests include:

• Lois Bohovesky, Paula's mother, with a poetry reading
• Sharon Klass, Paula's art teacher
• Sheila Schonbrun, Paula's singing coach
• A Journalist's Journey
• District Attorneys Ken Gribetz and Tom Zugibe