WEED HIGH SCHOOL Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner & Ceremony
August 15, 2015 Sons of Italy Hall Weed, California
W
elcome to the Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame! It is a great privilege for us to celebrate these athletes and coaches who have made significant contributions to the athletic legacy of Weed High School. It is our hope that these inductions will not only honor those being recognized tonight, but also inspire and motivate today’s scholar athletes to follow in these distinguished footsteps.
Board of Directors Mike Carpine
Dan DeRoss
Peggy Soletti
Tony Spada
Josh Oates
Bob Zalunardo
Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet 5:00 p.m. Social Hour 6:00 p.m. Dinner catered by The Garden Party 7:00 p.m. Induction Ceremony
Criteria for Induction Athletes who meet at least one of the following criteria will be considered for induction: All-county or all-league Most Valuable Player 4-year letterman Played a sport at the varsity level for three years Teams attaining record status or state recognition Any individual or team winning a state championship is automatically inducted
after ten years Coaches who have given at least five years of service An athlete will not be eligible for nomination until 10 years after his/her gradua-
tion All former Weed High School athletes are considered for nomination. Special attention is given to those athletes who demonstrated outstanding achievement. Names may be submitted by community members as well as members of the committee. In addition to athletic accomplishments at Weed High School, consideration for the Hall of Fame is also based upon the athlete’s character and integrity while attending Weed High School. After nominations are complete and inductees are chosen by a majority vote of the committee, the selection committee will notify the inductee by letter. The Hall of Fame also includes categories for Outstanding School Service and Community Service. Individuals are nominated for induction in these categories based on their year’s of exceptional dedication and service to Weed High School athletics. The committee is very grateful for the generous donation that began the Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame. It has been a wonderful experience being part of this effort to thank former Weed High School athletes and coaches for their contributions to our school. Including tonight’s ceremony, the Weed High School Hall of Fame will be home to 95 individuals , 12 coaches, 16 teams, and one outstanding school service and two community service inductees.
Passing The Torch We are very grateful for the initial donation that allowed us to launch the Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame. If you would like to support further events of the Hall of Fame, please send contributions to: Weed High School Hall of Fame PO Box 515 Weed, CA 96094
Photo by Ss’ven Walker
Martin Garcia Martin Michael “Mike” Garcia passed away on December 24, 2014. His good humor and larger -thanlife personality will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Martin was born in Weed, CA. Growing up, he excelled in athletics at Weed High School and belonged to many championship teams. Upon graduation, Martin worked at a local meat processing company where he learned the basics of the meat cutting trade. He later joined the Air Force and was stationed in Iceland. Before being discharged from the Air Force, he met Maryann, and they were married in Connecticut. The couple later moved to San Jose where they opened their restaurant Mike’s Original By-The-Bucket on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Santa Clara. Martin was a great lover of the outdoors and sports, and in 2012 he was inducted into the Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame. His favorite pastimes included hunting, fishing, and golfing trips with his friends. His gregarious personality led him to make new friends on his travels around the world. He was a philanthropist at heart and coordinated numerous charity events, such as The Crippled Children’s Society Wild Game Feed. He most recently donated to the rebuilding of his hometown following the destructive Boles Fire. His warmth and generosity will be missed by many.
Arlandus “Spike” Clark Arlandus “Spike” Clark was a charter member of the Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame Board, established in 2008, serving as vice-president until his passing on April 21, 2015. Arlandus Lee Clark was born in 1938 in Weed and attended Weed Elementary School as a child. He played basketball at Weed High School and graduated in 1957. The 1954-55 WHS basketball team, of which he was a member, was inducted into the Weed High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. After graduation, he went to Yuba College in Marysville where he earned an AA degree before moving on to San Francisco and Heald Business College, majoring in business. When he returned to Weed, he was employed at J.H. Baxter, eventually becoming the plant manager, and worked there over 40 years until his retirement. Over the years, Spike was very involved in the community of Weed as a member of: Weed City Council, Siskiyou County Grand Jury, Siskiyou Union High School District Board of Trustees, Great Northern Loan Committee, Siskiyou Training and Employment Program, and Friends of the Library. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Mt. Shasta Baptist Church in Weed and as a deacon. Spike was a quiet and unassuming man who always did more listening than talking at Hall of Fame meetings. Yet, he was very willing to share his opinions and knowledge of former athletes and teams of Weed High School. He had a vast amount of history and stories to contribute to our organization. He was diligent in carrying out his responsibilities and never missed a meeting until his ill health prevented his participation. But, he still checked in with Mike Carpine whenever possible. The Hall of Fame Board was saddened to lose such a fine man who will forever remain in our hearts.
John Patella John was a standout athlete at Weed High School from 955-1958. Participating in four years of basketball, four years of baseball and three years of tennis,, John earned honors as a threeletterman. He was the captain of the 1958 Siskiyou County Champion baseball team, and he was the second leading scorer and team captain for the 1957-1958 championship basketball team that was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011. Upon graduating from Weed High School, he attended UC Davis where he earned his degree in History and PE.
Robert Mazzei Robert excelled as a cross country and track and field athlete for four years at Weed High School. He distinguished himself as one of the most decorated athletes in the school’s history by setting school records in cross country and earning All-Section and AllLeague honors all four years of high school and leading the Cougars to four consecutive cross country championships. In track and field he was a three-time SCL 2-mile champion. Robert served 22 years in the United States Air Force after graduating from Weed High School. He has spent the last 18 years as a pilot for Delta Airlines. Robert and his wife, Kim, reside in Sacramento.
David Bailey David was a standout on 9 championship teams during his Weed High School athletic career. During his junior and senior years, he participated in varsity football, basketball and track, and in each sport he helped his team to back-to-back championships. In football he earned All-SCL Offensive and Defensive Back during his junior and senior seasons and SCL Player of the Year honors his senior year. In basketball he earned first team All-SCL honors as a senior. In track and field, he excelled at the long jump and sprints and earned the SCL’s Most Outstanding Track athlete honors his junior year.
1975-1976 Varsity Boys Basketball SCL Champions, TOC Champions Steve Stark Mark Dingman Ken Broughton David Dawson Ray Higginbottham Arthur Williams Paul Huckabay David Bailey Victor Esparza Craig Cedros James Thomas Coach Gil Guerra Manager David Petty
Jim Lemos Jim was a four-letterman at Weed High School participating in football, basketball, baseball and track during his junior and senior years. In 1959, he was halfback and earned All-Section honors as a place-kicker for the SCL Champion and Siskiyou County Co-Champion Cougars. In baseball he played leftfield for back-to-back championship teams during his junior and senior years, and in track he ran the 440 High Hurdles for the Track A Champs. Upon graduating from Weed High School he attended and played baseball at both College of the Siskiyous and Humboldt State University and earned a Masters degree in Wildlife Management.
Woodrow Smith, Jr. Woodrow excelled in four sports at Weed High School. During his junior and senior years he earned the four-letterman distinction by participating in football, basketball, baseball and track. In football, Woodrow excelled as an offensive and defensive end for the SCL-Champs and Siskiyou County Co-Champs. In baseball he played outfield and first base and was a member of the 1959 baseball team that is being inducted here tonight. In track he ran the 880. After Weed High School, he attended College of the Siskiyous where he played basketball and baseball. After two years at COS he transferred to Fresno State where he earned a teaching cre-
Jim Lemos (left) and Woodrow Smith were honored as fourlettermen in the 1960 White and Gold Annual.
1959 Varsity Baseball Siskiyou County Champions Larry Nord Woodrow Smith, Jr. Francis Borcalli Ed Fruzza Larry Barbieri Jim Lemos Roger Pauletto Damien Rossetto Bob Zalunardo Robert Turner Frank DeMarco Doug DeBortoli Dave Lemos Dario Cavarzan Coach Mort Kaer
Coach Jeanette Vinall Jeanette (Salvestrin) Vinall was born and raised in Weed and attended both Weed Elementary and Weed High School. After graduating in 1968, she went to College of the Siskiyous and then Sacramento State where she majored in home economics with a minor in psychology. Her initial teaching job was at Fort Jones High School in 1974. That spring, she coached track for the very first time. But, that was not the extent of her coaching days at Fort Jones. She assisted Rod Vinall in basketball 9 years; coached volleyball 1 year; and softball 3 years. When the Siskiyou Union High School District closed Fort Jones High School in 1983, Jeanette transferred to Weed High School with teaching and coaching experience in hand. She was immediately placed into the junior varsity volleyball coaching position which she held for 2 years, and then moved up to the varsity level where she remained the following 10 years. She took a break from coaching for 4 years but returned as the varsity head coach in 1999 to add some stability to the program, and remained another 3 years. At Weed High School alone, Jeanette coached 15 years in the volleyball program. Add the 10 years of coaching from Fort Jones High School, and the total increases to 25 years of coaching in the Siskiyou Union High School District.
1985 Varsity Softball Shasta Cascade League Champions Rosa Cottini Bethany Taylor Julie Scott Trisha Tuman Nancy Taylor Vickie Tallerico Debbie Jackson Amy Escatel Lisa Delgado Michelle Toohey Wendy Dissmore Coach John Soletti Assistant Coach Bob Cena Statistician Shawna Edson