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Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
By Dick Diaz — Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
 Doug Basolo, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1968.  Epigmenio I. “Epi” Torres, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1969.  Matt Mozley, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1970.  David Pillado, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1979.  Loni Larson, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1988.  Lynn Hasty-Cole, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1985.  Chris Goodenough, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1996.  Tory Cabral, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1991.  Tina Alverdi, Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 1993. Now that the Fillmore High School Booster Club Coaches and Players Banquet and 100th football game between Fillmore and Santa Paula is over it is time to turn to the Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony for the inductees was held on Saturday, November 13th and to say the least it was very well attended with approximately 650 in attendance to witness eighty-nine coaches and athletes and eighteen championship teams inducted into the FHS Sports Hall of Fame! The inductees included; seven coaches, eighty-two athletes and 18 championship teams inducted in this first year of what is planned to be a yearly event. The idea of a Sports Hall of Fame came to Fillmore High School Coach Joe Woods three years ago. It was not until the passing of a former Fillmore High School Graduate and student athlete football player Dean Kenfield, (Class of 1940) that Coach Woods decided it was time to act on his idea. Dean was a classmate of Joe's father and the father of Inductee Vernon Kenfield (Class of 1971). Joe said it was time to get his project started since he had become painfully aware that many of the players from years ago were gone. Joe said he formed a committee and began the project in January of 2010. In order to be considered for induction into the FHS Sports Hall of Fame there were a number of criteria to be considered by a committee of five; Dick Mosbarger (Class of 1947), John Scoles (Class of 1959), Debbie Basolo-Curnett (Class of 1969), Coach Joe Woods (Class of 1979) and Lynn Hasty-Cole (Class of 1985). For this first round of inductees the years of 1914 thru 2000 would be the years for the nominees to have attended FHS and been involved in any of the sports programs. The criteria to be considered was; Someone other than the nominee had to nominate the person. The nominee had to have graduated from FHS. The nominee had to have graduated from FHS at least ten years ago. The nominee had to have participated in a sports program at a lower level such as Junior Varsity, or at the Varsity level, or played multiple sports at either levels. The nominee's scoring would be enhanced if the nominee had won any sports awards. If the nominee went on to college weight would be given to the nominee's scoring. A scoring enhancement would be given if the nominee played any amateur athletics after graduation. A scoring enhancement would be given if the nominee went on to play professional sports. And, finally a scoring enhancement would be given if the nominee went on to coach any sport. There were two hundred fifty applications submitted and considered for the years of 1914 thru 2000. Each application was reviewed, one at a time, and it took about ten hours until the final list was complete! Of the final list five were automatic inductees based on their previous induction into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame; Professional Football Player Don “The Blade” Burroughs (inducted 1985), Coach Eugene “Red” Kennedy (inducted 1986), Coach and Athletic Director Richard “Toolie” Palmer (inducted 1989), Baseball Coach Tom Ecklund (inducted 1994) and Professional Baseball Player Kevin Gross (inducted 2002). The seven coaches inducted into the FHS Sports Hall of Fame were; Mr. J. Wm. Gastrich. Coach Gastrich was the principal at Fillmore High School and started the sports program in 1914. Others were Coach Eugene “Red” Kennedy who coached championship teams in all sports, Coach Richard “Toolie” Palmer coached all sports, Coach Bruce Dempsey football, Coach Tom Ecklund baseball, Coach Jim Fauver basketball and Coach Epigmenio “Epi” Torres, cross country and track coach. The eighteen teams recognized were: the 1914 Baseball, 1926 Basketball, 1936 Football, 1940 Basketball, 1945 Football, 1946 Basketball,1952 Basketball, 1953 Basketball, 1954 Football, 1970 Basketball, 1975 Baseball, 1976 Baseball, 1977 Football, 1977 Baseball, 1988 Baseball, 1990 Boy's Cross Country, 1991 Girl's Cross Country, and 2005 Boy's Soccer. The eighty-two honored athletes are: 1915-Harold Mayhew, 1918-Harleigh Baker, 1920-Leroy Goodenough, 1928-Harry Imhoff, 1933-Richard “Toolie” Palmer, 1935-Burtis “Burt” Davis, 1936-Roy Hays and Jack Russell, 1938-Vernon (Slim) Johnson, 1939-Sammy Johnson, 1940-Bob Taylor and R. Wesley Nichols, 1941-Bob Huestis, 1942-William “Bill” Pearson, 1944-Eugene “Gene” Wren, 1946-George Potter, Kenny “K. B.” Rogers, Jim Schleimer, 1947-Bill Cox, 1948-Harold McFadden, 1949-Don “The Blade” Burroughs, 1950-Gerald Hamm, Ron Balden, 1953-Pat Platt, 1954-Chuck Greer, David Goodenough, 1955-Roger Palmer, 1956-Milton Suttle, 1958-Larry Edwards, 1959-Jim Arundell, John Scoles, 1960-Elton Collins, 1961-Bruce Gibby, 1962-Norbert Riesgo, Donovan Main, 1964-Robert “Bob” Ortega, Mike LaRoche, 1965-Mike Marostica, 1967-Jim Ruiz Jr., 1968-Doug Basolo, 1969-Epigmenio “Epi” Torres, 1970-Matt Mozley, Tony Tafoya, David Yanez, 1971-Ralph Zermeno, Vernon Kenfield, Gary Southwick, 1972-Joel Mozley, 1973-Tim Aguirre, 1974-Eric Grove, David “Keith” Gurrola, 1975-Javier “Javy” Aguilar and Steve Dann, 1976-Phyllis Lidamore-Sparks, 1977-Rosa Aparicio, Greg Laird, Kirk Richter, Dan (Yogi) Saldino, Rick Stewart, 1978-Janice Wilkey-Stevenson, Mike Legan, 1979-Kevin Gross, David Pillado, Chip Bowlin, Julie Padelford-Jansen, 1982-Karen Fauver-MacDonald, Matt Suttle, 1983-Steve Hope, 1984-Dan Grove, 1985-Greg Baldwin, John Grove, Lynn Hasty-Cole, 1988-Willie Leighton, Loni Larsen, 1990-Chad VanWinkle, 1991-Tory Cabral, 1992-Niki Shaw-Bell, 1993-Maribella Aparicio-Hernandez, Jaime Arundell-Latshaw, Tina Alverdi, 1996-Chris Goodenough, and 1996-Julie Arundell-Grimstad. There were many generational links of those persons inducted: Some are of the generational links of inductees are; Inductee Richard “Toolie” Palmer (Class of 1933) is related to Inductees Milton Suttle (Class 1956) and Matt Suttle (1982), Inductee Leroy Goodenough (Class of 1920) is the father of Inductee David Goodenough (Class of 1954) and grandfather of Inductee Chris Goodenough (Class of 1996), Inductee R. Wesley Nichols (Class of 1940) is the father-in-law of Inductee Donovan Main (Class of 1962), Brothers Inductees Matt Mozley (Class of 1970) and Joel Mozley (Class of 1972), and Inductee Jim Arundell (Class of 1959) is the father of Inductees Jamie Arundell-Latshaw (Class of 1993) and Julie Arundell-Grimstad (Class of 1996). As you can imagine Coach Joe Woods tells me there still is a great need for donations to complete the funding for this year's event and for future events. He asks that anyone considering a donation should send their donations to: FHS Sports Hall of Fame, C/O Fillmore High School, PO Box 697, Fillmore, CA 93016. From all accounts this is a great way to honorably recognize those who have contributed to student athletics at Fillmore High School. To keep the momentum going contributions are needed to compliment the many fundraisers that will be held to keep the project going. As I sat with Coach Woods I had one more burning question in my notes. “Joe! The Ducks! Really! Do you have any proof?” Coach Woods looked down at me and tells me softly, “It is just legend that has been passed down from player to player for years.” Coach Woods told me that he did have two corrections though! One was that the game mentioned by Steve Conaway actually occurred in the Antelope Valley and was played on a field of rocks and dirt. Coach Woods told me the storm was fierce and the lightening strikes were occurring all around the field eventually turning the field into a “mud bowl.” He said the players were covered in mud and so the coach had them take off their uniforms and finish the game in their “girdles”. The next correction was that the uniforms were green, white and brown. Now not only is Coach Woods one of the biggest men I have ever met, he is at least ten feet tall, and he has such an honest and sincere way about him that I will have to say I believe this legend and will vote that his story, I mean legend, since it is much better than the one Steve Conaway told at the Banquet! Congratulations to Coach Woods for a job well done in ensuring this recognition of student athletics is now a reality! Also congratulations to all of the inductees and their families for receiving this great honor! I look forward to future induction ceremonies into the Fillmore High School Sports Hall of Fame! Teams COACHES 1915 – Harold M. Mayhew Additional photos here http://www.fillmoregazette.com/front-page/hall-fame-inductee-ceremony |
