HALL OF FAME
2020-2021 Ceremonies Postponed
For the first time since 2007, due to the Covid-19 Virus, there will NOT be a Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. While we continued to accept nominations, we have not been choosing new members for the Hall of Fame. As soon as it is safe to gather to celebrate our new inductees, all activities concerning the Hall of Fame have been postponed
For those of you that did submit nominations for the 2020 class, those nominations will be kept until we resume “normal” activities.
We hope that you understand the need to postpone this event and that you will continue to check back when it is safe to resume.
– The Alumni Association
The John Muir High School Alumni Hall of Fame
John Muir High School has a history and tradition of producing students that distinguish themselves, their school and their community as they pursue their chosen careers. We, the alumni, have all made contributions to our respective careers and endeavors we have chosen and in one way or another, hope to leave a positive mark and a clear legacy for others to follow. The Hall of Fame recognizes some of our classmates that have made a truly outstanding contribution in seeking to achieve their goal.
In 1988, the “John Muir Pride Task Force” of the Muir School Improvement Program established the John Muir Alumni Hall of Fame and inducted its first five alumni. In 2005 the John Muir High School Alumni Association was given the great privilege to continue this most prestigious event. Since 1988, we have recognized great Muir alums such as former District Attorney of Los Angeles, John Van de Kamp; composer John Beal; world renown opera singer, Pauletta deVaughn-Mayhofer; Olympic and World Class sprinter, Inger Miller; rock music legend, David Lee Roth; Dennis Muren, Special Effects Supervisor for the “Star Wars” movies; Major League Baseball great Jackie Robinson and so many more.
The Alumni Award
Recipients of the Alumni Award must have attended John Muir High School, John Muir College or John Muir Technical High School. They must have had an outstanding career that has resulted in a direct and significant impact in their field for at least five years. The nine categories for which alumni are recognized are the following: Business, Community Service, Education, Government Service, Performing Arts, Science (Medicine/Health), Sports/Coaching, Visual Arts and Writing (Author or Reporter)
The Jim Brownfield Service Award is a special award named for Jim Brownfield, the outstanding and beloved Muir teacher, mentor and coach from 1980 to 1996. It honors individuals who are not an alumnus/alumna of Muir and have demonstrated extraordinary and dedicated service to Muir and the Muir community for at least five years. Inductees have included community volunteers and former teachers, coaches and staff members.
The Rufus Mead Award is named in honor of a former Muir principal, Rufus Mead. It is bestowed from time to time upon alumni/alumna that have made overwhelming contributions in any of the categories for the Alumni Award and the nominations and selection are made only by the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.
1988
Robert B. Lowe | 1971
Robert B. Lowe won a 1981 Pulitzer Prize with Arizona Daily Star colleague Clark Hallas for their investigative report titled “Improper Use of University Athletic Recruiting Funds.” The award, the nation’s highest honor in print journalism, was given in the category of Local Investigative Specialized Reporting. In the piece, the reporters for the Tucson, Ariz.-based newspaper revealed improper use of recruiting funds approved by a University of Arizona football coach. After having records examined by the school’s athletic department, the investigation – which included interviews, phone records, airline-ticket and hotel receipts -confirmed that several university-paid trips were made by non-prospective recruits, which violated National Collegiate Athletic Association rules.
Jackie Robinson | 1936
The social impact of Jackie Robinson’s inclusion into Major League Baseball in 1947 resonates as one of the civil rights movement’s most significant triumphs. For Robinson, the first African-American to have the opportunity to participate in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was all about playing the game. But, he was hand-selected by President Branch Rickey and the Dodger organization to cross the precipitous color line. Robinson promised Rickey that he would not fight back, other than with his bat and glove, despite what teammates, competitors, fans, umpires, writers, broadcasters and hotel managers might have said or how they tried to bait him into reacting. Robinson agreed to take on this historic civil rights challenge and was uniquely qualified to succeed. When he crossed the white lines at the ballpark, Robinson tried to relax and focus on the game, not the constant cat calls.
Matthew (Mack) Robinson | 1935
Matthew “Mack” Robinson was an American athlete, setting a world record and winning a silver medal in the Olympics. He was the older brother of Baseball Hall of Fame member Jackie Robinson. Mack set national junior college records in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and long jump at Pasadena City College. He placed second in the Western Regional Olympic Tryouts in 1936, earning himself a place on the United States Olympic team. He went on to win the silver medal in the men’s 200 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, finishing just 0.4 seconds behind Jesse Owens.
Brad Jose Truitt | 1963
Brad Truitt had an outstanding career in performing arts throughout the 1970s, having appeared on television, stage, motion pictures, magazine advertisements and records. In television, he appeared in Medical Center, All in the Family, Cannon, Kojak and Good Times. He was seen in the film “RPM” and performed on stage in West Side Story and Tooth of Crime.
John Van de Kamp | 1952
John Van de Kamp served two terms as California’s 28th Attorney General, from 1983 to 1991, after serving as an Asst. U.S. Attorney and Los Angeles County District Attorney. He is perhaps best known for his handling of the Hillside Strangler case, both as D.A. and Attorney General, resulting in the 1983 convictions of Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr., for the serial murders of 10 women and girls in the hills of Eagle Rock, Glendale and Elysian Park, between October 1977 and February 1978.
1989
Robert Barnes | 1956
Alice Brown Sports | 1978
Alice Brown (far right) was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, as a member of the U.S. women’s 4×100-meter relay teams at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles (which included Evelyn Ashford) and the 1988 Games in Seoul (which included Ashford, Sheila Echols and Brown’s former Cal State Northridge teammate Florence Griffith Joyner). Brown also won a silver medal in the ’84 Olympics, placing second behind Ashford in the 100m dash with a time of 11.13 seconds. She also was a semifinalist in the 100 meters and a gold medalist along with Echols, Griffith-Joyner and Ashford in the 4×100 meters at the 1987 World Track and Field Championships in Rome. A fast starter, Brown ran the first leg on the Mustang girls 640 relay team including Regina Jordan, Gwen Jordan and Lissette Milliner, which broke the CIF record in the 1975 Times Indoor Games at the Forum in Inglewood. The four came back the following year and broke their own record at the same event in 1976. Brown also won the 60-yard dash at the Long Beach Invitational during her junior year.
Elbie Hickambottom | 1942
A longtime member of the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education (1979-2004), Elbie Hickambottom was one of the last graduates of John Muir Tech. He served his country in the U.S. Army during World War II as one of the youngest sergeants in Europe, and as a second lieutenant in the Korean War. In 1967 he was appointed as Director of Relocation and Property Management for the Pasadena Redevelopment agency and later as Senior Vice President of Municipal Services, a private consulting firm, until his retirement in 1985.
Mr. Hickambottom will be forever remembered as a champion of excellence in education and a strong voice for improving academic achievement for all, particularly for disadvantaged and minority students.
Nathaniel Rosen | 1965
Nathaniel “Nick” Rosen is an award-winning cellist and professor of music. His cello was crafted in 1738 by Domenico Montagnana, the “Mighty Venetian.” The instrument was previously owned by Adrien-Francois Servais (1807-1866) who invented the endpin.
Rosen has soloed for, among others, the philharmonic orchestras of New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Dresden, the Czech Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. He has taught at the University of Illinois, has been a faculty member for the Manhattan School of Music and currently teaches at USC.
Gail Tusan-Joyner | 1974
Gail Tusan Joyner is a well-known attorney in the Atlanta area, having served as president of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. She is a member of the American and National bar associations.
More recently, Ms. Joyner has served as President of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and is a practicing partner with the law firm of Joyner and Joyner. She renders pro-bono legal assistance through the Georgia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Ms. Joyner co-chairs the Minority Liaison Committee of the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers of the Atlanta Bar Association.
1990
Darrell Evans hit 414 home runs in his 21-year Major League Baseball career with the Atlanta Braves (‘69-‘76, ’89), San Francisco Giants (’76-’83) and Detroit Tigers (’84-’88). His breakthrough year was 1973, his first of two All-Star seasons. He hit 41 home runs for Atlanta, becoming part of the first trio (Hank Aaron, Davey Johnson) to hit 40 or more homers for the same team in the same season. He was on first base when Aaron hit his historic 715th career homer in 1974, breaking Babe Ruth’s record as the all-time home run king, a title he held for 33 years. Evans was selected to the National League All-Star team for the second time in 1983, his final year with the Giants. He won his only World Series championship in 1984, as a member of the Detroit Tigers, defeating the San Diego Padres, whose second baseman, Alan Wiggins, was another Muir grad. It marked the first time two players from the same high school played against one another in a World Series. In 1985, at age 38, he became the oldest player to lead the league in home runs and the first to hit 40 home runs in both leagues. He was the second of three players (Reggie Jackson, Alex Rodriguez) to hit 100 home runs with three different teams.
Major-General Royal N. Moore Jr. | 1954
General Moore was awarded the Joint Service Commendation medal and the Navy Commendation Medal for his service with Headquarters Military Assistance in Vietnam. He attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Levenworth, Kan. Squadrons under his command were awarded the 1975 Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award; the 1976 CMC Efficiency Award; and the Meritorious Unity Commendation. He personally received the Meritorious Service Medal.
Edwin Norgord | 1948
In 1955 Mr. Norgord won a second-place news photography award in the international Graflex contest. He was a 1969 winner of the Forest Lawn Sweepstakes for the California Press Photographers Association; and was named Photographer of the Year in 1970 by the California Press Association.
Mr. Norgord has had pictures in Life Magazine, Esquire and Sports Illustrated, among others.
Dr. Oscar Streeter | 1975
Dr. Streeter served on the staff of Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Regional Center for Radiation Oncology. He has received many awards and honors, such as the National Medical Fellowship, a scholarship from Howard University School of Medicine; the Ulrich K. Henschke/Frederick Drew Award, given to the outstanding senior in Radiation Oncology; the J.B. Johnson Award for outstanding student in cardiology; and the Senior Student Clinical Excellence Award in psychiatry.
Renee Tajima | 1976
Renee Tajima-Peña has become a chronicler of the American scene with her award-winning films “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” (PBS) and “MY AMERICA…or Honk if You Love Buddha.” Her other credits include the PBS series “The New Americans” (Mexico story segment) and “My Journey Home; Lab or Women,” “The Last Beat Movie” (Sundance Channel); “The Best Hotel on Skid Row” (Home Box Office), “Jennifer’s in Jail” (Lifetime Television), “Declarations: All Men Are Created Equal?” (PBS), “What Americans Really Think of the Japanese” (Fujisankei,) and “Yellow Tale Blues.” She has been a collaborator on two multi-media performances pieces. Tajima-Peña was honored with the Alpert Award in the Arts in 2007. Her previous honors include an Academy Award nomination for Best Feature Documentary, a Peabody Award, a Dupont-Columbia Award, the James Wong Howe “Jimmie” Award, the Justice in Action Award, and an International Documentary Association Achievement Award, the Media Achievement Award from MANAA, the Steve Tatsukawa Memorial Award and the APEX Excellence in the Arts Award. She has twice earned Fellowships in Documentary Film from both the Rockefeller Foundation and the New York Foundation on the Arts. Her works have been broadcast around the world and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, London Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and many other venues. Tajima-Peña was formerly a film critic for The Village Voice, a cultural commentator for National Public Radio, and associate editor of The Independent Film & Video Monthly. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Social Documentation Program of the Community Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Walter Worrill | 1935
Walter Worrill was a teammate of Mack Robinson on Muir’s 1935 track team (the brother of Jackie Robinson who earned a silver medal in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin). He served as vice president of Armulites; a club dedicated to providing social interaction and inspire academic success among African-American students at Pasadena Junior College during the 1930s and ‘40s. Worrill spent much of his working career as a key figure in the YMCA movement, heading up several core programs at the organization’s U.S. headquarters in Chicago and in Pennsylvania, Pa.
Walter’s wife of nearly 40 years, Anna Belle, was an accomplished vocalist and ballet student, who became the first African-American to sing in the Pasadena Philharmonic Orchestra (she also sang at Jackie and Rachel Robinson’s 1946 wedding). Their eldest son, Conrad Walter Worrill, Ph.D., is a well-known activist and educator in Chicago, who served as a special field consultant to the 1995 Million-Man March in Washington, DC; and in 2001 led a 400-member delegation at the United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.
1991
A native of Pasadena, California, Juliana Gondek began her musical career as a violinist before receiving BM and MM degrees in voice “magna cum laude” from the University of Southern California. She embarked on her singing career after winning back-to-back gold medals in the Geneva and Barcelona International Singing Competitions, as well as the Prix Patek Philippe and “Musical America’s Young Artist of the Year Award. She was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Prize for her innovative concert series, “The Art of Polish Song.” Also a distinguished pedagogue, Ms. Gondek has served as Professor of Voice and Opera Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1997. She has traveled frequently to adjudicate the Metropolitan Opera Auditions and other prominent competitions, to lecture and teach master classes at institutions such as Japan’s Pacific Music Festival, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, the Manhattan School of Music, the University of Chicago, the USC School of Music, Rice University in Houston, and the University of California at Berkeley, and to serve as consultant to American filmmakers, journalists, and news organizations.
John Charles Hora Journalism 1958
Clarence “Buddy” James Government Service 1951
Edward Henry Johnson Sports 1939
Erical LaDawn-Law Education 1962
Joel Sheldon Community Service 1962
1992
Octavia E. Butler was the first black woman to come to international prominence as a science fiction writer. Incorporating powerful, spare language and rich, well-developed characters, her work tackled race, gender, religion, poverty, power, politics, and science in a way that touched readers of all backgrounds. Butler was a towering figure in life and in her art and the world noticed; highly acclaimed by reviewers, she received numerous awards, including a MacArthur “genius” grant, both the Hugo and Nebula awards, the Langston Hughes Medal, as well as a PEN Lifetime Achievement award.
Larry Cole | 1965
Dr. Willard Goodwin | 1933
Willard E. Goodwin, M.D. (1915-1998) was the founder of the UCLA Department of Urology and a pioneer in the treatment of urologic diseases, organ transplantation and pediatric urology. A graduate of UC Berkeley and Johns Hopkins, Goodwin joined UCLA in 1951 and became founder and chief of the division of urology in 1953. He was credited with making 40 major discoveries in urology. The Department conducted its first kidney transplant in 1960 and has since performed more than 5,000 such procedures.
Dr. Goodwin’s accomplishments included one of the first successful methods of radionuclear imaging of the kidney, the first use of steroids in transplantation, the first percutaneous nephrostomy, and innovative methods of using bowel to reconstruct the urinary tract in adults and children performed by Dr. Goodwin and another urologist, William Casey, M.D. Together, they demonstrated the safety of percutaneous drainage and developed the study of the upper urinary tract. Their work still stands among the major urologic and radiologic advances of the 20th century and is used in one form or another to this day.
Rod Sherman | 1962
Rod Sherman played varsity football in the early 1960s at Muir and was a four-year wide receiver for John McKay at USC. He was All Pac-8 in his senior year (1966) and made his only Rose Bowl appearance on Jan. 1, 1967 against Purdue. Sherman caught what would have been the game-winning touchdown pass but the Trojans failed on a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Boilermakers, led by quarterback Bob Griese, won 14-13.
Sherman was selected in the third round of the 1967 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. In his rookie year, he became the first Muir alumnus to play in a Super Bowl. He spent the following season with the Cincinnati Bengals before returning to the silver and black for the 1969, ‘70 and ‘71 seasons. He finished his pro football career with the Denver Broncos (1972) and the Los Angeles Rams (1973).
Sherman is currently President and CEO of flashbackcamps.com, a fantasy football camp where “grown-up kids” can compete with university greats of the past at three levels (player/coach/owner). The series of annual two-day camps (one of which is held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum), is conducted like a scouting combine, in which the participants draft a team.
1993
Stacey Augmon led Muir’s basketball team to a CIF championship in 1986. He went on to play at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and, with teammates Greg Anthony and Larry Johnson, guided the Runnin’ Rebels to the 1990 NCAA Championship, becoming the first team to score 100 points in a title game, against Duke. Following his stellar collegiate career under legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, Augmon was the ninth pick of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. His 15-year professional career included stints with the Detroit Pistons (1996-’97), Portland Trail Blazers (1997-2001), Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (2001-‘04) and Orlando Magic (2004-’06). He is currently a player development coach for the Denver Nuggets.
Pauletta deVaughn-Mayerhofer | 1969
Pauletta de Vaughn, Soprano graduate of John Muir High School Class 1969, Westmont College Class ’73, Music Academy of the West (studied with Martial Singher) Juilliard School of Music (studied with Callas/Brown & Graduate of University of Vienna, Austria, School of Music Class ’78 (studied with Luise Scheit/Marcel Prawy/Prof. Swarovsky) has sung in the Opera Tannhäuser from Richard Wagner in the historical castle of the Wartburg, the place of the story of Tannhäuser. She sang both leading female roles Venus and Elizabeth in the Wartburg, Eisenach, Germany on Opening Night April 14th, 16th and May 12th, Conductor Tetsuro Ban.
Christopher DeVore | 1972
Sandra Ell (Rann) | 1965
Dr. Regina Mills-Bey | 1973
John Zweers Education 1952
John Zweers really loved Muir. He attended John Muir College in 1952 and then returned to teach in 1958. He infused history into all of his students and led the march to preserve and uplift the history of John Muir High School. Mr. Zweers began what is now the Muir Museum. His personal collection of Muir memorabilia adorns the museum walls and his legacy is the many students that he taught and pushed to excel in education and in life. Many of his students would call his name if asked to name a most memorable person or event in high school. He took on the “powers that be” in Pasadena to make sure that Muir did not get too short changed when the educational dollar was being spent.
His most memorable occasion would come on the first day of a new semester for his students. The bell would ring and he would face the chalk board and draw the letter “F” and encircle it. He would then turn to the class and say, “this is your grade as of today. It is up to you to improve it!” For the most part his class always met the challenge.
1994
Millicent Crisp Visual/Performing Arts 1972
Phillip N. Jackson Journalism 1969
Dr. Lynette Jackson-Peoples Science 1968
Johnnie Lynn Sports 1975
Johnnie Lynn was a three-sport letterman at Muir, an all-Pacific League football and baseball player. He was a member of a national record-setting relay team in track and field. He was a star defensive back on the 1975-78 UCLA football teams, helping lead the Bruins to an upset victory over Ohio State in the 1976 Rose Bowl game under Head Coach Dick Vermeil. An all-Pac 8 player in his senior year, Lynn was selected in the fourth round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, where he played his entire eight-year pro football career (1979-‘86). In 1987, he was hired as a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona under Dick Tomey, where he served in various coaching capacities through 1993. He was an NFL assistant coach in each of the next 15 seasons, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1994, ’95), San Francisco 49ers (1996), New York Giants (1997-2003), Baltimore Ravens (2004, ’05) and 49ers again (2006-2010).
1995
Porfirio “Fio” Frausto Community Service 1971
Dr. Alexander Goetz Science 1955
Helen Pashgian Visual/Performing Arts 1952
Lewis Peters
Education 1963
Marcus Robertson Sports 1987
Marcus Robertson helped lead Muir to a CIF championship in 1985. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. His 12 year pro football career included 851 tackles and 24 interceptions in 157 games (144 starts) with the Oilers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, where he serves as Director of Player Development. In 2006, Robertson was selected by Titans Owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr. to represent the club at the NFL’s Stanford Executive Training Program at the Stanford Business School where he took part in upper level executive training
1996
Amelia Crawford Education 1964
Geaninne Jordan Sports 1986
Pauline Jordan Sports 1986
Pamela Roberts Government Service 1978
Cameron Turner Journalism 1981
1997
William J. Galloway Community Service 1960
Carole Foster-Hall Journalism 1963
Terry Green Government Service 1965
Darick Holmes Sports 1989
Darick Holmes was an all-Pacific League football player at Muir and was a wide receiver at Pasadena City College before transferring to Portland State University, where he was an all-West Region first-team running back in his senior year. Holmes was a seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 1995 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with the Bills as a halfback and kick returner. He signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 1998 and finished his career with the Indianapolis Colts in 1999.
Jeffrey C. Stewart Education 1967
1998
Sgt. Major Terry Fitzhugh | 1954
Terry Fitzhugh joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17. He served in the Korean War as an active reserve. In 1954 he returned to Muir High School where he graduated. Mr. Fitzhugh returned to the Marine Corps and served two tours of duty in Vietnam where he received numerous decorations including the Purple Heart. Terry was promoted to Drill Instructor, Sergeant and Drill Sergeant Major in 1973. He later became the Senior Enlisted Advisor for seven General Officers at the Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California. His career ended as the second most senior enlisted Marine in the United States Marine Corps as Sergeant Major of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic Division (the largest operational command in the Marine Corps). Terry’s decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Commendations with Combat “V,” Navy Achievement with Combat “V,” Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbons, Good Conduct Medal with seven stars, Organized Marine Corps Reserve Medal, The Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with bronze start, and 14 additional awards. Terry retired from the Marine Corps in August of 1988 with 36 years of service to his country.
William Garnett Journalism | 1937
Jerry Proctor Sports | 1967
Dr. Henry Tai Science | 1961
1999
Kenneth H. Burrows | 1952
Kenneth H. Burrows served as President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association for the 1999-2000 year. On Jan. 1, 2000, he presided over the 111th Tournament of Roses Parade and the 86th Rose Bowl Game. He was elected to the Tournament of Roses Executive Committee in 1992 and has served on the Community Relations, Finance, Float Entries, House & Grounds, Long-Range Planning, Membership and Queen & Court committees.
Burrows graduated from Muir High in 1952 and earned an associate degree from Pasadena City College. He served his country while stationed at Travis AFB in Fairfield, CA. An Arcadia resident for more than 30 years, he is president of City of Industry-based Terra Furniture Inc. He has served on the board of directors of the Tournament of Roses Foundation and the Green Valley Mutual Water Company. He was president and Chairman of the Resources Council and a member of the National Home Fashions League.
Colette Cozean Science | 1976
Biomedical engineer Colette (Day) Cozean, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the development and marketing of numerous lines of dental, ophthalmic and surgical applications as chairman, president and CEO of Irvine-based Premier Laser Systems. She earned bachelor’s degrees in physical sciences from Westmont College and in biomedical engineering from USC; a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in biomedical engineering, both from the Ohio State University.
Her company entered into an agreement to form a strategic alliance with Salt Lake City-based International BioLaser Corp. (IBLC) to manufacture and market a dental laser that painlessly removes cavities without anesthesia. The company made headlines when the IBLC multi-operatory argon dental laser system was approved in 1997 by the Food and Drug Administration. The American Dental Association, which previously had dismissed the use of lasers to cut through teeth, endorsed the technology. The FDA later approved the laser’s use for kids.
Dr. Cozean vigorously marketed the technology, doing 75 back-to-back interviews over three days on such shows as Good Morning America and NBC News. Her efforts paid off: Dr. Cozean, who at one time ran up a $150,000 credit-card tab to pay her 40 employees, turned a struggling company into one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of lasers, laser waveguides and fiber optic devices, disposables and associated accessory products for the medical, dental and surgery markets.
Sherwood A. Mark | 1930
David Lee Roth | 1972
Born in Indiana farm country, David Lee Roth spent his early childhood shuttling between the great outdoors and living with his famous uncle, Manny Roth, in New York’s Greenwich village during the early ’60s. Living over the Café Wha? night club, Dave’s musical education began with the likes of Bob Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce.
During his years at Muir, Roth met Eddie and Alex Van Halen, unsuccessfully auditioning for lead vocalist of their band, Mammoth. He later rented them his sound system and they allowed him to join to save money. Mammoth started as a garage band, expanding to backyard parties in Altadena and Pasadena, and then began performing at local clubs. The band became Van Halen when it found the name Mammoth was already being used. Gene Simmons of Kiss fame saw Van Halen in 1977 and financed their first demo tape. It wasn’t long before Warner Brothers Records caught on and signed them to their first recording contract.
“Diamond Dave” became a classic front man and by the late ‘70s, Van Halen had knocked Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin out of the top-band-in-the-world spot with hits like “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Dance the Night Away” and their No. 1 smash “Jump.”
Roth’s subsequent solo career also yielded a truck load of hits, including “Just A Giggolo/Ain’t Got Nobody” and “California Girls.”
Van Halen is the 19th best-selling rock act of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America and is one of five bands to have two albums sell 10 million copies in the U.S. In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Jacque Vaughn Sports | 1993
Jacque Vaughn is an American professional basketball player who currently plays reserve point guard for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. He won his first championship as a member of the Spurs in 2007.
Vaughn played collegiately at the University of Kansas and was selected 27th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Draft. In addition to playing four seasons in Utah, Vaughn has also played with the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks (in two separate stints), as well as the New Jersey Nets. He holds 1997-2006 career averages of 4.8 points and 2.6 assists in 17.2 minutes per game.
In his college career, Vaughn made an immediate impact, becoming the starting point guard as a Freshman. Throughout his four years at Kansas, Vaughn was best known as a distributor of the basketball. He also had great speed and was a strong defender. By the end of his college career, he was the all-time leader in assists in Kansas basketball history with 804 as well as the Big Eight Conference all-time record holder. In 1997, the award given annually to the school’s assist leader was renamed for Vaughn.
As a student at John Muir High School Vaughn was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1992 and was a two-time Academic All-American at Kansas and the 1997 Academic All-American of the Year. Vaughn was the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1996 and a two time all-conference pick. His college jersey was retired on December 31, 2002, and hangs in honor in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse.
Vaughn is married, with two children.
2000
Inger Miller | 1990
As a high school senior at John Muir, Inger Miller was crowned Princess to the 1990 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Royal Court. She went on to earn a full athletic scholarship to attend the University of Southern California and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological sciences.
A huge contributor to Muir’s unrivaled track-and-field success, Inger Miller is the daughter of the late Lennox Miller (1946-2004), who ran for Jamaica and won a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City; and a bronze medal in the same event at the 1972 Munich games. He was a dentist in the Pasadena area for more than 30 years. Both attended USC and Inger followed her father’s footsteps by becoming a world-class sprinter, winning Olympic gold in Atlanta (1996) as a member of the 4×100-meter U.S. relay team. She also won a gold medal at the World Track and Field Championships in Seville Spain (1997). Miller and her colleague, former Muir cheerleader Jill Hawkins, are co-owners of Miller Hawkins Productions, an event-planning company in Altadena, California.
Samuel Estrada | 1971
Bobby Hutcherson | 1958
Bobby Hutcherson grew up in Pasadena, he was exposed to jazz from an early age, and his family had some connections to the local jazz scene. He started studying piano at age nine, but he found the formality of the training stifling. In his teens, Hutcherson decided to take up the vibraphone after hearing a Milt Jackson record. He studied informally with vibist Dave Pike, but, for the most part, he is self-taught on the instrument. After high school, Hutcherson played with local jazz musicians Les McCann, Charles Lloyd, Paul Bley, Scott LaFaro, and Curtis Amy. He joined an ensemble co-led by Al Grey and Billy Mitchell, and the band went on to record several albums. In the late-Sixties Hutcherson formed a quintet with Harold Land. To this day, the dry-toned tenor saxophonist is probably most well-known for his work with the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet in the middle 1950’s. The two had similar musical visions, and their collaboration produced some amazing work.
Habib Balian | 1979
Habib Balian is an extension of his family’s American success story. The son of Syrian immigrants who built a successful ice cream business, Habib excelled in school, serving as student body president at Muir and earning a degree in international relations at USC. From 1999 until its completion in 2003, Balian was chief administrative officer of the Los Angeles-to-Pasadena Gold Line light-rail construction project, which is currently operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and runs between Union Station and east Pasadena. In 2004, the five-member board of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority unanimously promoted Balian to chief executive officer of the 24-mile Pasadena-to-Montclair project, which is scheduled for completion in 2014. The job involves securing funding for the engineering, design and repair of new and existing rail, bridges, stations, public art and other infrastructure.