In a school that embraced tolerance and diversity, many thought Sam had deeply troubling ideas. He wanted to play an Army guy, a general or something. Philip Schwadron: He wanted to do a monologue about the military. Philip Schwadron | OCSA teacher: He was just a very serious guy.
įor Blaze, OCSA was a feast of educational riches.Įric Tryon | OCSA teacher: He was just like a beam of light.Įric Tryon taught his student about writing, which became Blaze's focus.Įric Tyron: He wanted to do the work, which you can't always say for kids that age … that's a dream student.Īnd then there was another classmate, Sam Woodward. Īnother classmate, Claire Velau, also knew Blaze was more than brilliant.Ĭlaire Velau: Something that was really unique about Blaze is he always made you feel important … Like, if you were talking to him, like you knew he was actually listening. Ĭlaire Velau: Blaze was honestly one of the smartest people I've ever met. …It's known for getting a quality arts education with a quality academic education. He was always a very cuddly kid.Ĭuddly and creative, it was no surprise to Raiah Rofsky when Blaze joined her for high school at OCSA - the Orange County School of the Arts. Raiah Rofsky: Blaze was always a very kind and caring person. Tracy Smith: What'd you learn about Blaze? What'd you know about him? Raiah Rofsky: We were best friends when we were very young, yeah. Jeanne Pepper Bernstein: I call him a unicorn … He was magnificently creative. It was 1998 when Jeanne Pepper Bernstein and Gideon Bernstein welcomed their first of three children, Blaze, into their Orange County, California, home - an oasis of love and creativity. … Something about this baby, he's gonna change the world someday. Jeanne Pepper Bernstein: And the first time I saw him, I looked in his eyes. Jeanne Pepper Bernstein: That night I dreamt that his name was Blaze. The memories and magic that remain began when the baby was born. Jeanne Pepper Bernstein: We had a happy life.
"He liked to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary," Gideon said of his son. Where is he? Blaze Bernstein with his parents Gideon and Jeanne Pepper Bernstein. Jeanne Pepper Bernstein: Where had he been? Who had he gone with? We didn't know. Gideon Bernstein: Well it was just so highly unusual. Jeanne Pepper Bernstein: He wanted to spend time with us. Blaze Bernstein, brilliant, kind-hearted, Jewish and gay, had come home from college for the holidays and vanished. CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith has a story about one young man targeted by that kind of hate. Some of the victims are linked by faith, others by the color of their skin, and still others by sexual orientation. In America today the language of hate and prejudice has been inciting violence more and more often.
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