Larry was a founding member and the first president of the TUHS Hall of Fame Committee; he has produced two books, A History of Early Taft California

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1 The TUHS Hall of Fame recognizes persons who have achieved excellence in any one of three categories: Achievement (local, national or international level); Athletics (outstanding achievement in a particular sport); Life Time Recognition (lives that have reflected character and distinction in the 40 years since their graduation). These new members will be formally inducted at the Hall of Fame Banquet, Saturday, April 27, During his near half century of professional work in Taft, Dr. Ben Dykes was deeply involved in professional and community education, serving as President of both the Taft High and Taft College Board of Trustees. He provided special need families and individuals with complimentary dental care throughout his years of practice, and invested his expertise and considerable persuasive skills to write curriculum for and to create two-year schools of dental hygiene in seven different community colleges (Taft College, 1993). These schools now support dentistry practice throughout California. He encouraged many young men and women in Taft to pursue careers in dentistry and dental hygiene; he and his wife, Evelyne, spent a year in Cambodia pursuing a missionary calling, and he concluded his professional years serving the Miwuk Indians in Jackson, California. Dr. Ben Dykes was a man of great integrity and character who embraced science and faith, public leadership and service. He was held in highest esteem by family, friends, and community. Tracy Rogers thrived at every level of high school and college football. In 1988, while playing for Fresno State, he set a new team record for defensive scoring, led the team in solo and total tackles, was named by Sporting News Magazine as National Defensive Player of the Week and selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game. From his coaches, beginning with his father, Ronnie Rogers and continuing through his career with Al Baldock, Jim Sweeney, Marty Schottenheimer, and Bill Cowher, Tracy s intensive and aggressive

2 commitment to his sport brought culminated in his career with the Kansas City Chiefs where he played for seven years before injuries and surgeries led to his football retirement in He returned to Taft and with his father, founded TRC, an independent oil-producing company. Tracy has become deeply involved in Taft s community activities and is a member of the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame. After graduation, Bill Black joined the Navy and served on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. At war s end, Bill married Dorothy McPherson, began his family and with his brother purchased Taft Plumbing Company. Over many decades it came to hold an essential role in giving Taft many of its landmark locations, transferring empty space into sites for business and havens of personal living. The Caprice Motel, West Kern Shopping Center, a mobile home park and hundreds of homes throughout Taft are part of the legacy of Bill Black. Having served on the City Planning Commission, Bill continues to patrol Taft on his daily morning walks. It s not uncommon for him to carry a trash bag and a "trash grabber" and pick up refuse while getting his morning exercise. Bill has maintained his commitment to the community, in his professional life and in his personal activities. He has been doing it for many years, and Taft is a better place for it. Dick Walsh, born and raised in Taft, flourished in the school s athletic programs, becoming a member of the Wildcats 1956 Valley Basketball Championship team and earning All-Conference honors while playing for Taft College. After graduating from University of Pacific in 1961, he coached high school basketball for several years, and then took the position of head coach for Ohlone Community College where, working without a gymnasium, he established and nurtured a completely new program. With commitment, persistence and skill, Walsh enjoyed success at Ohlone, so much so that in 1981 he was hired by New Zealand to prepare its men and women s basketball teams for the World Games.

3 He then returned to coaching at Ohlone where he was recognized by his peers as Coast Conference Coach of the Year in Dick and his wife of 34 years, Josie, now live in Palm Springs where they enjoy visits from their four children and five grand-children. In 2012, Dick was inducted into the California Community Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Lee Roy Kelley turned his love affair with fast cars into an extraordinary career in the publishing world. In 1967, with a nudge from his wife, Judy, he sought and gained a position as associate editor with Popular Hot Rodding magazine. His writing talent led to advanced editorial positions and later, the responsibility for developing new acquisitions for Peterson Publishing, a billion-dollar publishing conglomerate. During his career, Lee Roy was editor of Hot Rod magazine, and later vice-president of Motor Trend and Sport magazines. Throughout his career, names familiar to racing fans Don Garlits, Andy Granatelli, Richard Petty, Jackie Stewart were part of Lee Roy s personal and working circle of relationships. He traveled around the world covering and sometimes participating in automotive races and new car introduction. It was quite a heady experience driving the tires off almost every high performance car in the world-from Cobras to Corvettes, Porsches to Vipers, Mini Coopers to Ferraris he wrote in the mini-yearbook for his 50 th high school reunion. John Howe has spent much of his life investing his time and considerable energy into two community careers which have benefitted literally thousands of adults (Kiwanian) and children (Skylake Yosemite Camp). A graduate of Menlo College, John became involved in Kiwanian community service in Palo Alto in 1967 and for 43 years he has attended and invested his time and efforts into its various community activities. He has never missed a meeting. Professionally, John created, owned and directed Skylake Yosemite Camp, a summer hiatus location for children (ages 7-16) set on Bass Lake. For 38 years, this was the summer beacon that set young people

4 into motion, motivating them to return again and again as they grew up. The return rate for Skylake was 70%, a figure that is nearly one third higher than the national average for summer camps and one that endorses the skills and acumen, both personal and business, that John brought to this venture. He served as President of the American Camping Association, Milt Stark served a stint in the Air Force after graduation, and upon his return, he graduated from Taft College and then Whittier College. Through these years, in various venues of scholastic competition, summer sport and military competition, Milt began compiling one of the most powerful resumes in the history of American fast-pitch softball. He caught Les Haney; he played for ten years with the Long Beach, California Nighthawks as the team won Three World Championships and Milt was named twice to the International Softball Congress All-World Team. In 1981, he was inducted into the (ISC) Hall of Fame. As Executive Director of the ISC, he revived fast pitch softball throughout the United States, reached out to organized leagues in Canada, Guatemala, and New Zealand and brought them into the annual World Tournament Championships. Milt was an excellent defensive catcher, quick, with a rifle arm. He knew his pitcher s strengths and capitalized on the hitter s weaknesses. Milt is a member of the Long Beach Softball Hall of Fame. After graduation, Larry Peahl enrolled at Taft Junior College where he served as Student Body President. He then graced the Berkeley campus with his thoughtful maturation as a mathematics major. His life is a succession of quietly contributed assistances to a huge number of community needs. If one needed an administrative business manager (Taft College), one found Larry; if the need was to coach track, Larry filled the position; would the community like a museum to testify to its history, then Larry surveyed the land, served as president and transcribed more than 500 of Edith Dane s, Kernland Tales, creating digital memories that will serve many generations.

5 Larry was a founding member and the first president of the TUHS Hall of Fame Committee; he has produced two books, A History of Early Taft California (with Pete Gianopulos, 2000) and recently, Taft and the West Side: A Collection of Historical Photographs. He fills his work with the quiet grace and expertise that has come to characterize his life and to flavor ours with the exceptional experience of coming to know him.