Irene Abrams, Aide to the Grand Marshal
2025 Glen Cove St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Irene Abrams was raised with her six siblings in Woodhaven, Queens. Her parents, Irene and Peter S. Roggemann, Jr., settled near where they grew up next door to each other. Her maternal grandparents, Loretta Hughes and Frank Smith, met in New York after they emigrated to the U.S. Her maternal grandmother, Theodora Burke, is the Great-Granddaughter of Peter Ulich Burke, who was born in Birr, County Offaly, in 1898. Peter became a Medical Doctor, opened a clinic for poor Irish people, and wrote curricula for Catholic schools. Peter followed his sons to Utica, NY, and also wrote Catholic school curricula there. Theodora Burke went to Normal School, where she was trained as a Primary Grade Teacher.
Following the Burke tradition, Irene became an educator and taught English Literature at Christ the King H.S. in Queens. After receiving her MS in Special Education from Fordham University, she was appointed by the New York City Department of Education to teach Special Education classes at Montauk Jr High in Brooklyn and then at Seward Park H.S. in Manhattan. She earned her Professional Degree in Educational Administration from Hunter U. and was appointed to Grover Cleveland H.S. in Queens as Assistant Principal, Special Ed. In 1993, she became Assistant Principal at Queens Vocational H.S. and then at Bayside H.S.
Irene moved to Glen Cove in 1996 while still working at Bayside High School. She joined parish life at both St. Rocco’s and St. Patrick’s. After she left the NY City Board of Education, she continued working as a consultant to charter schools to ensure that programs for students with special needs were not overlooked.
Irene joined the LAOH in 2013, when she made her Degree. She volunteered for many Committees and held the appointed Offices of Grievance Officer and Education & Immigration. In 2024, she was elected as a Grievance Officer.
