PASADENA ISD ATHLETICS
HALLof FAME
induction banquet
Hall of Fame Founding Members
Platinum
Bob & Janis Allen
Board of Directors, Texas Citizens Bank
The Brotherton Family
George & Connie Cheshire Family
Gold
Jack & Kathy Bailey
The Barmore Family
Barmore Insurance Agency, Inc.
Bay-IBI Group Architects
Capital Bank-Pasadena/Deer Park
Carl H. Choate
Silver
Wayne and Pat Adams
Greg Glary
Bob & Paulette Fawcett
Rene’ & Steven Fleming
1957 Eagle Baseball / Jim Fritsch
Bob & Diane Gebhard
Gawain & Kristin Guy
Bronze
Mary Beth Alsdorf
The Bezdek Family
The Wayne Bowman Family
John & Sandra Bryan /PHS Class of 1959
Al Campo
Al & Mary Carter
Cartridge World Pasadena
Rodney Chant & Family
Marie & David Flickinger
Funeraria Del Angel Funeral Home
Gloria Gallegos & Family
Cecil Ghormley
Robert Avery
Jack Bailey
Donna Branch
Terry Brotherton
John Bryan
CommunityBank of Texas
Mel Cowart
Randall & Linda Dorsett
Gulf Coast Educators FCU
Mel & Steve Cowart
Bill & Betty Lou Henry
Marshall & Denie Kendrick
The Odell Marshall Family
Bobby & Nancy (Plummer) Mitchell
Calvin & Patricia Powitzky
Don Harrison & Family
HW Grad Corp / Herff Jones
John O. Harris Interests, Inc.
Randall & Sherry Kerbow
Kirk & Robin Lewis
Liz Olivarez State Farm
The Phelps Family
David & Lyla Janda
Dr. Karen Hickman
Todd, Simona & Adison Giambrone
Casey and Diane Phelan
Mike & Kerry Kirkland
Troy and Karen McCarley
Gary & Anita Nickelson
Mickey & Darla Oakes
Pasadena ISD Police Officers
Association
Pasadena Noon Optimist
Bill & Karen Plunkett
Billy Ripley, Genia, Carie & Randal
Ben & Janice Meador
Pasadena High School Class of 1957
The Phelps Family
Texas Citizens Bank
The Rotary Club of Pasadena
Sagemont Church
W.I. “Levi” Smallwood & Family
Texas Bay Area Credit Union
Dana & Bill Philabert
Ken & Billye Smith
St. Luke’s Health System
Cindy Stang
Texas First Bank/Michael Wycough
Darrel, Deborah & Clint Williams
Fred & Victoria Roberts
Rosewood Funeral Home
Don, Dan, Ruby & Lee Salisbury
Sam Rayburn High Texan Battalion
Russ & Rick Schroeder
Russ, Rick & Ron Schroeder
South Houston HS Alumni Association
Spectrum Corporation
Mickey & Milly Spencer / PHS Class of 1947
Nelda & Charles Sullivan
D.C. & Sherry Trainer
Herman & Judy Williams
Hall of Fame Committee
Al Carter
Rodney Chant
Greg Clary
Bob Fawcett
Kenny Fernandez
Marie Flickinger
Rev. Emory Gadd
Bob Gebhard
Charlie Goehring
Roneka Lee
Linda Lukaszewski
Hal Lundgren
Ben Meador
In Memory of Gerardo Espinoza
Hall of Fame Scholarship Recipients
OMAR PERALES
Sam Rayburn High School
Football: Two letters
Track: One letter
College: Undecided
Major: Engineering
ELIZABETH
Sam Rayburn High School ROSENBAUM
Swimming & Diving: Four letters
College: Harding University
Major: Biology
Athletic Trainer Scholarship Recipients
MELANY MENJIVAR
J. Frank Dobie High School
College: Blinn College
Texas
College: San Jacinto College CALEB
Pasadena Memorial High School
Table Sponsors
South
Dobie
PISD
Friends
Herman and Judy Williams
Tom and Pam Jones
Bill Plunkett
Bobby Allen
Tonight’s Program
Fight Song Medley
Presentation of Colors
Bob Fawcett / Hall of Fame Committee Member
South Houston/Pasadena Memorial High School combined NJROTC
The National Anthem
Joe Horton
Invocation
The Rev. Emory Gadd / Hall of Fame Committee Member
Introduction of Emcee
Bill Barmore / Hall of Fame President
Emcee’s Welcome
Bill Worrell
Superintendent’s Welcome
Dr. DeeAnn Powell / Pasadena ISD Superintendent of Schools
Scholarship Presentations
Roneka Lee / Hall of Fame Committee Member
James Wilson / Memorial Hermann Hospital System
Bill Worrell
Hall of Fame Grant Award
Herman Williams / Hall of Fame Treasurer
Cindy Parmer / Hall of Fame Coordinator
Patrick McCoy / Boys Basketball Coach / South Houston HS
Dr. Steve Fullen / Principal / South Houston HS
Hall of Fame Induction
Bill Worrell
Bob Fawcett
Order of Induction
Donna Branch / Sam Rayburn HS / Class of 1995
Girls Volleyball Coach / J. Frank Dobie HS
Horace “Smitty” Duke / Pasadena HS / Class of 1960
Brian Brazil / Sam Rayburn HS / Class of 1983
Lilly Denoon / Pasadena HS / Class of 1990
John Scheschuk / J. Frank Dobie HS / Class of 1995
Shane Nance / J. Frank Dobie HS / Class of 1996
Walter Woodard / Sam Rayburn HS / Class of 1966
Address
Rodney Chant / Pasadena ISD Director of Athletics
Inductees’ Response
John Scheschuk / J. Frank Dobie HS / Class of 1995
Closing
Bill Barmore
Bill Worrell
Autograph and Photo Session / Hall of Fame Museum
Pasadena ISD Athletics
Hall of Fame
2906 Dabney
Pasadena, TX 77502
Welcome to the 2016 Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.
It will be our pleasure tonight to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of a distinguished track and volleyball star who coached her volleyball teams to more than 500 victories, a Sam Rayburn High School graduate who became known in the community as Pasadena’s greatest fan, a standout in baseball and basketball who later became an All-American in college baseball and then competed in the Olympic Games as a volleyball player, a track and football great who earned All-Southwest Conference honors in college football and then coached his team to the Texas high school state football championship, a top player in basketball and volleyball who was All-Southwest Conference and All-American in college volleyball and then a successful international volleyball player and coach, a All-State baseball pitcher and first basemen who earned All-Big 12 honors while leading his team to the College World Series, and a football star and All-State baseball player who earned AllConference USA honors in college baseball and was a professional pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
We are also honored to welcome our guest emcee, Bill Worrell, the voice of the Houston Rockets for the past 33 years and a distinguished and Emmy award winning sports broadcaster. Bill also was a star pitcher for University of Houston and led his team to the College World Series in 1968.
Also, congratulations to our Athletics Hall of Fame Scholarship recipients. We wish them the best in their college experience and in their professional careers.
Thank you for your generous support of the Pasadena ISD Athletics Department, the Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame Committee and the Pasadena ISD Education Foundation. We also want to thank our table sponsors, our Founding Donors and all our inductees – past and present – their families and their guests. We also wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Pasadena ISD Administration, the Board of Trustees and Pasadena ISD employees.
We would also like to thank our Pasadena ISD high schools and the students and athletes who have volunteered their time this evening.
Special thanks to Ernie and Susan Zardeneta for their catering services and for our delicious meal.
After the induction ceremony, we invite you to tour our Athletics Hall of Fame Museum, where you will have an opportunity to meet with the inductees for photographs and autographs.
Thank you again for your attendance at this very special event.
Sincerely,
Bill Barmore President Pasadena
Athletics
ISD
Hall of Fame
Pasadena Independent School District
1515 Cherrybrook Lane
Pasadena, TX 77502
Welcome to the Fifth Annual Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Banquet. Tonight we celebrate the accomplishments of six successful athletes who graduated from Pasadena ISD. These graduates demonstrated grit, discipline and dedication to reach their goals and rise to the top in their athletic performance.
We are extremely proud to have been witness to their accomplishments and their continued success, and we can only hope that past, current and future students of our district are inspired by these inductees.
The committee made a grand statement honoring the district’s No. 1 fan, Walter Woodard. His designation reminds us that none of us succeeds alone on the playing field or in life. The support outside the arena has a profound effect on the competition. Those of us who grew up in Pasadena ISD remember Walter with great fondness. The continued support from parents, community members and alumni for our athletic programs -- and the district as a whole -- is critical to our success.
I speak for the faculty and staff when I say we look to the example of tonight’s inductees as we pursue our goal to be the best school district in the region, state and the nation. Like you, we will demonstrate grit, discipline and dedication in providing exceptional opportunities for our students to excel – in and out of the classroom.
Congratulations to all the inductees and thank you for setting the bar high for our students to follow your lead in succeeding in athletics and in life.
Sincerely,
Dr. DeeAnn Powell Superintendent of Schools Pasadena Independent School District
Pasadena ISD Department of Athletics
2906 Dabney
Pasadena, TX 77502
The Pasadena ISD Athletics Department would like to welcome you to the Fifth Annual Pasadena ISD Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet. We are excited about you joining us again this year for this outstanding event in honoring former athletes who have made a significant contribution to athletics in Pasadena ISD, the Pasadena community and in the world.
Thank you to our sponsors who have contributed to making this night a success and a special thank you to our Hall of Fame committee members who have spent countless hours in preparing for this special night.
Once again congratulations to the 2016 inductees and the legacy that they have established in the realm of athletics, not only in our community but throughout the world.
Thank you for attending tonight’s banquet and we hope that you have a great time.
Sincerely,
Rodney Chant Director of Athletics Pasadena Independent School District
BILL WORRELL
B ill Worrell joined the Houston Rockets’ broadcast team in 1983, just a dozen years after the franchise moved to Houston from San Diego. Now in his 34th season as the Rockets’ play-by-play commentator, Worrell ranks as one of Houston’s most familiar sports figures.
A University of Houston graduate, Worrell developed an attachment to local sports teams at an early age. His father, William “Dub” Worrell, served as a team dentist for the Houston Oilers, the Rockets, the Rice Owls and the Houston Cougars. Among “Dub” Worrell’s notable innovations was the protective mouthpiece for use in football and other sports.
Bill Worrell pitched for the Cougars in the mid1960s and helped lead UH to the College World Series in 1968. His career in broadcasting began with a job at KUHF radio, the UH campus station, while he was in school. After graduation, he was hired by Channel 2, where he eventually became an evening news anchor. In 1974, he took over as the station’s sports director.
In 1980, Worrell took his announcing skills to ESPN, then only a year old. He also began calling Rockets games on a part-time basis. In 1983, he joined Home Sports Entertainment (now Root Sports) and became the Rockets’ full-time commentator.
He served as a sports analyst for the Houston Astros from 1985 to 2004 and has handled play-by-play chores for local college teams.
Worrell has also broadcast several major national sports events, including the Super Bowl and the Kentucky Derby.
Worrell has received numerous awards for his work as a broadcaster, including a Lone Star Emmy.
DONNA BRANCH
Sam Rayburn High School | Class of 1975 | Volleyball & Track
Volleyball Coach | J. Frank Dobie High School
Donna Branch has always packed a tremendous arm –and an even more impressive reach.
A standout multisport athlete in high school and college, Branch owns a reputation of coaching success unsurpassed in the history of girls athletics in the Pasadena ISD.
The girls volleyball coach at Dobie for 23 years, Branch amassed 523 victories and won 10 district titles. Her teams earned seven trips to the regional quarterfinals and twice reached the regional finals.
In an era when only two teams from each district qualified for the state playoffs, Branch produced 15 playoff teams. After reaching the regional quarterfinals in 2003, she accepted the position of assistant principal at Dobie and retired from coaching.
The Branch legacy in athletics goes all the way back to the early 1970s when she played volleyball at Sam Rayburn and softball in the local recreational leagues.
She lettered four years in volleyball and was a cornerstone of Lady Texan squads that never finished lower than second. In her junior year, Rayburn won a zone tri-championship and advanced to the playoffs.
Branch moved on to San Jacinto College, where she twice earned first-team All-American honors in volleyball while making a significant contribution to the Ravens’ rich track tradition. With a right arm honed from her days as a softball catcher, Branch tried out as a javelin thrower and wound up
finishing fourth and second in two national meets.
After San Jac, she signed on as a Texas Aggie. At A&M, she excelled at both spiking volleyballs and slinging javelins. As a senior she set a school record in the javelin that stood for 12 years. Twice, she competed for the South at the National Sports Festival.
After a year of coaching at Miller Intermediate, she took over the Lady Longhorns’ volleyball reins in 1981. For the past dozen years, she has served on Franklin Moses’s staff of Dobie assistant principals.
HORACE "SMITTY" DUKE
Pasadena High School | Class of 1960 | Baseball & Volleyball
He was a sports renaissance man, ahead of his time in the sports arena, far too talented for the Pasadena community –or even the state of Texas – to keep in the palm of its hand.
“Smitty” Duke left Pasadena High in 1960 as not much more than a well-liked participant for the Eagles’ basketball and baseball teams. Just three years later, he was a record-setting All-American pitcher. And just three years after that, Duke was competing in the Olympic Games, staring down the Russians.
Ultimately, his greatest athletic gifts were directed toward men’s volleyball, a sport that -- 56 years after Duke’s high-school graduation -- has yet to gain UIL sanction.
After a celebrated career pitching for the University of Dallas, Duke turned his attention to volleyball. Within a half-dozen years after leaving Pasadena, he would be ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top six male volleyball players in the U.S.
He made the national team as a lightning-quick hitter-setter. He debuted as part of the team’s 1965 North
American Tour. In 1966, he competed in the World Cup, where he was named to the All-World Team, and in the 1966 World Championships in Czechoslovakia. In 1967, Duke helped lead the Americans to the gold medal at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg.
And in 1968, he competed for the U.S. in the Mexico City Olympics, contributing to a 3-2 upset of Soviet Union on the first day of competition.
The Soviets, who had never before lost an opening-round game, went on to win the gold medal, needing seven consecutive victories to do it.
Meanwhile, the Mexican press dubbed Duke “el hombre de las manos de oro” – “the man with the hands of gold.” With the national team in 1971, Duke won a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Cali, Columbia. He played for the Dallas YMCA team and later took a stab at professional volleyball that lasted into the late 1970s. He taught at a Dallas area high school, coached at his college alma mater and later at the highschool level in East Texas. Eventually, he retired to the hills of Tennessee.
His pitching and batting exploits are well-remembered at the University of Dallas, where he twice earned AllAmerica honors and set multiple school records. Duke was said to be the best player on the team at every position.
In 1990, Duke was named an “All-Time Great” by USA Volleyball magazine. In 2000, he was inducted into the University of Dallas Hall of Fame. He died in 2010 at his home in Tennessee.
BRIAN BRAZIL
Sam Rayburn High School | Class of 1983 | Football, Track & Basketball`
F
ew Pasadena ISD athletes have generated as much campus cheer – and football fear – as has Rayburn’s Brian Brazil.
Twice the president of his class, student body president his senior year, voted most likely to succeed and, finally, Mr. Sam Rayburn for 1983, Brazil was known as much for his big smile as his big hits on the gridiron.
And after departing Pasadena, he helped accomplish the impossible – planting smiles on the faces of long-suffering TCU football fans.
After earning eight varsity letters at Rayburn – three each in football and track, and two in basketball – Brazil signed on as part of Jim Wacker’s first football recruiting class at TCU. He played three games at defensive tackle as a true freshman, then moved to offensive tackle. After redshirting in 1984 – a breakthrough season for the Horned Frogs, who produced their first winning record in 13 years -- Brazil blossomed into one of the Southwest Conference’s top players,
earning all-conference honors as a senior in 1987.
Since then, Brazil has risen to the ranks of one of the most successful – and most respected – high school coaches in Texas. Hired as the first head coach at Lewisville Hebron in 1999, Brazil quickly assembled one of the Metroplex’s most powerful programs. In 2005, he guided the Hawks to a perfect season, capped by a victory in the Class 4A Division 2 state title game.
As a high-school athlete, Brazil brought distinction to Rayburn in multiple ways. As a sophomore, he contributed to a district championship in football, only the second title in school history. An all-district linebacker from his sophomore year on, he blossomed
as a senior, earning all-district recognition on defense and as a tight end on offense. He even earned an all-district nod as the Texans’ kicker.
In track, he placed in the district and regional meets in the shot put while emerging as one the area’s best in the discus. A second-place finish in the discus at the regional meet earned him a spot in the state meet. As a senior in basketball, he averaged 10 points and nine rebounds a game.
Now in his 17th season as Hebron’s head coach, Brazil continues to pile up accolades. He is a past president of the Texas High School Coaches Association. He has been honored as an All-America Football Foundation coach.
And two years ago Brazil was named the recipient of the prestigious Tom Landry Award by the THSCA “for outstanding contributions to the game of football by a Texas high school coach whose life and actions have provided a positive role model for athletes and a credit to the coaching profession.”
LILLY DENOON
Pasadena High School | Class of 1990 | Volleyball & Basketball
She stood six-feet tall in high school. But to her opponents on hardwood courts, it seemed more like 60.
For most of four high-school years – from the fall of 1986 to the spring of 1990 – Lilly Denoon was a dominating force in local volleyball and basketball circles. The opportunity to play volleyball at the University of Houston expanded her fame across the continent and a subsequent pro career made her a world-wide sports figure.
She lettered and started in both sports all four years at Pasadena. Three times she earned all-district honors in volleyball. As a senior she was named the district’s most valuable player after leading her team to a second-place finish and a spot in the state playoffs.
Twice she was named all-district in basketball. Pasadena compiled a 21-8 record her senior year, finishing in a tie for first place. At UH, Denoon is fondly remembered as one of the top volleyball players in school history. A middle blocker, she was named All-Southwest Conference three times and to the conference all-tournament team three times.
She had few equals on the college scene her senior year. Denoon was named the SWC’s player of the year and an All-American. During that 1994 season, the Cougars compiled a 26-7 record, won the SWC regular-season title, swept the conference tournament and made it all the way to the NCAA South Regional finals.
After college, Denoon became a fixture on the international volleyball scene, leading Team
Gigantes from Puerto Rico to a run of championships. When her playing days ended, she went directly into coaching, both on the high school and amateur levels. She currently directs the Houston Juniors Club Volleyball program.
SHANE NANCE
J. Frank Dobie High School | Class of 1996 | Baseball & Football
Although pint-sized in stature, Shane Nance was a giant on the baseball diamond. From the time he first picked up a bat in a Sagemont-Beverly Hills Little League game, to the days when he stood tall on the mound as a pitcher for two major league teams, Nance was never considered anything less than a ball-playing dynamo.
A nephew of former Pasadena ISD Athletics Director Dick Nance, Shane was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 11th round of the 2000 draft after a stellar amateur career at Dobie and then the University of Houston.
A 5-foot-8 left-hander who developed a paralyzing slider to go with his pinpoint fastball, he soared through the minor leagues, hitting the big leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002. After two seasons with the Brewers, he spent a year with the Arizona Diamondbacks before injury issues prompted him to retire.
As a Dobie Longhorn and a Houston Cougar, Nance was renowned for both his arm and his bat. At Dobie, he played running back and defensive back for the football team. But his physical tools were even more apparent in baseball.
Nance became only the third player in school history to letter – and to start -- all four years in baseball. With Nance either in the outfield or on the mound – and always batting leadoff -- Dobie made the playoff each of those four seasons, winning district titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996.
In 1995, Shane helped lead the Longhorns to the regional finals on a squad many still considered the best in school history. A fellow Hall of Fame inductee this year, John Scheschuk, shared mound duties with Nance that season while Nance’s brother, Josh, handled the catching chores.
Nance recorded a 12-3 record on the mound as a junior and as a senior posted a 0.69 ERA in district play, going 5-0. He hit .514 his senior year. In 1995 and again in 1996, Nance was
named All-Greater Houston. As a senior, he made first-team all-state.
At UH the following spring, Nance was named Conference USA freshman of the year and a first-team freshman AllAmerican. As a sophomore, he was named first-team AllConference USA. He earned second-team all-conference honors as both a junior and senior. In two different seasons, he struck out more than 100 batters, becoming only the third UH pitcher to accomplish that feat.
Because of his hitting skills, Nance rarely gave way to a designated hitter. Often, he was the DH when not pitching. In 1998, he played for Team USA, going 6-1 with a 1.98 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 50 innings. Twice he played in the Baseball World Cup.
HALL OF FAME MEMBERS
Shane
Nance
J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1996
Dan McIhany
South Houston HS Class of 1961
Alicia Mills
J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1989
Weldon Phillips Pasadena HS Class of 1933 Director of Athletics
Steve Oxley
Sam Rayburn HS Class of 1969
PASADENA ISD ATHLETICS Hall of Fame
Walter Woodard
Sam Rayburn HS Class of 1966 Community Supporter & Fan
Lanny White Pasadena HS Class of 1968
Christa Williams J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1996
Jeff Wylie Pasadena HS Class of 1987
Gene McCarley Pasadena HS Class of 1955
Randall Kerbow Pasadena HS Class of 1959
Mike Kirkland Pasadena HS Class of 1972
Randy McEachern J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1974
Mickey McCarty Pasadena HS Class of 1964
Scott Talton J. Frank Dobie HS Boys Basketball Coach
John Scheschuk
J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1995
Mickey Spencer Pasadena HS Class of 1947
David Webb Pasadena HS Class of 1959
E.W. Thompson Pasadena HS Basketball Coach
PASADENA ISD SPORTS
George Cheshire
Pasadena HS Class of 1964
Carl Choate Pasadena HS Class of 1959
Bert Coan Pasadena HS Class of 1958
Donna Branch Sam Rayburn HS Class of 1975 Volleyball Coach
Trevor Cobb J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1989
Kyla Hall Holas
South Houston HS Class of 1990
John Holmes South Houston HS Class of 1986
Wes Hubert
South Houston HS Class of 1976
Bill Henry Pasadena HS Class of 1946
Jimmy Johnson
Sam Rayburn HS Class of 1976
Bob Barfield Pasadena HS Football Coach
John Bryan J. Frank Dobie HS Track Coach
Amanda Buffalo Pasadena HS Class of 1985
Bobby Allen
South Houston HS Class of 1965
Brian Brazil
Sam Rayburn HS Class of 1983
Horace "Smity" Duke Pasadena HS Class of 1960
Lilly Denoon Pasadena HS Class of 1990
David Freisleben Sam Rayburn HS Class of 1971
Fritz Connally Pasadena HS Class of 1976
Gawain Guy J. Frank Dobie HS Class of 1981
JOHN SCHESCHUK
J. Frank Dobie High School | Class of 1995 | Baseball & Football
ohn Scheschuk ranks as the most honored player in Dobie baseball history – and as one of the most natural athletes ever to represent a Pasadena ISD school.
Twice – and with equal consideration given for his pitching and hitting skills – he was chosen as the district’s most valuable player, twice he was selected to the All-Greater Houston team and twice he was named first team all-state. At Texas A&M, he lettered
four years as a hard-hitting first baseman, earning a reputation as a superb team leader. As a senior in 1999, as captain of the team, he helped lead the Aggies to the College World Series.
The son of a former Texas Longhorns catcher, and raised by his widowed mother, Scheschuk grew up as something of a South Belt sports prodigy. With no youth football experience, he grabbed the quarterback reins at Thompson Intermediate as a seventh grader and held them through his senior year at Dobie. As a Longhorn freshman, he made the varsity basketball team. He set basketball aside after his freshman year to focus on football and the sport he seemed destined to master – baseball.
A left-handed hitter and hurler, Scheschuk lettered three years and started three years for a Dobie team that consistently improved – from a playoff qualifier in 1993, to district champion in 1994, and to the regional championship game in 1995.
Although largely unrefined as a pitcher until he got to Dobie,
Scheschuk quickly developed into an overpowering southpaw. His pitching skills came to rival his considerable hitting abilities. For two years he led the district in nearly every hitting and pitching category with stats that included back-to-back seasons hitting over .500.
The Aggies planted him at first base almost from the moment he hit campus. He batted .339 over his four seasons with 28 homers, still 10th on A&M’s all-time list.
He led his team to Big 12 regular-season titles as both a junior and senior. A&M’s trip to the College World Series his senior year was just the second in a 35-year span for the Aggies. Scheschuk twice earned second-team All-Big 12 honors and in 1999 was named A&M’s most valuable player.
He signed with the San Diego Padres after being drafted in the seventh round in 1999. He excelled up through the AA level, and played briefly in AAA, before retiring from baseball. In September of last year, Scheschuk was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame.
WALTER WOODARD
Sam Rayburn High School | Class of 1966 | Community Supporter & Fan
For most of his 62 years, he was the Pasadena community’s universal coach. Honorary, you say?
Walter Woodard would have taken exception to that.
Without question, he was the biggest fan in the history of fans -- around Pasadena or anywhere else. Walter would have liked that better.
Regardless of the sport, where Walter stood and where he paced – in the stands, along the rail or behind the backstop – is where the game was managed. Generations of Pasadena ISD athletes, cheerleaders, band members, coaches and other fans knew him as a fixture of the game, as ever-present as a referee or a plate umpire.
In 2008, he was honored by the Pasadena ISD as “Coach of the Year” and praised as the district’s greatest fan. “There is not a student alive,” school board member Fred Roberts said at the time, “from the late ‘50s to the ‘90s, who did not know Walter.”
If you attended most any sporting event in Pasadena during that period, it was almost impossible to not know Walter. From whatever perch he chose, he yelled words of encouragement to the
players, incited fans to show their support, barked strategy suggestions to the coaches and, at baseball games, ceremoniously bellowed “Foul Ball!” as if he were the one to make the determination.
And maybe he was.
For many athletes, it was a high honor to have Walter Woodard remind you – quite publically – to “tuck in your shirttail!”
To spectators, whether initiated or not, Walter would use the opportunities between innings or during timeouts to strike up conversations, the kind to make you think he might live next door.
In a very special way, he did.
His Pasadena ISD education began at Mae Smythe Elementary when he was 12.He attended San Jacinto Intermediate and graduated from Sam Rayburn in 1966. In 1973, he was named honorary coach of the Pasadena Colt League All-Star team that reached the Colt League World Series.
That seemed to make it official – Walter Woodard was the king of Pasadena.
He led cheers for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and
helped with food drives. Late in his life – as health issues restricted his attendance at games – the city honored him by renaming one of its charity events the Walter Woodard Toys for Tots Softball Tournament. The mayor, Johnny Isbell, called him an “icon” in the community. The city designated a day in his honor.
When Walter died in February of 2009, the Texas House of Representatives paid tribute to him in a resolution. And when that winter gave way to spring, hundreds of Little Leaguers and Pony Leaguers, all with Walter’s initials on their sleeves, hit the baseball diamonds across Pasadena, where the sound of “Foul Ball” resonates to this day.
DONNA BRANCH
HORACE “SMITTY” DUKE
BRIAN BRAZIL
LILLY DENOON
JOHN SCHESCHUK
SHANE NANCE
WALTER WOODARD
PASADENA
“We are a big family regardless of which school we work at. Pasadena ISD wants the best for their employees.”
Independent School District
Pasadena ISD has been ranked #12 in the large employer category among the top 150 workplaces in Houston in 2015. The rankings are a result of a workplace satisfaction survey by Workplace
Dynamics sponsored by the Houston Chronicle. The majority of district employees reported overall satisfaction with their jobs, their managers and Pasadena ISD as an employer.
*What makes Pasadena ISD one of Houston’s Top Workplaces?
• Supportive administrators
• Open communication
• Connected employees
• Unity among staff and faculty
• Competitive Salaries
• Educational Opportunities
*according to responses to the survey
The PASADENA ISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION Salutes
Our 2015 Hall of Fame Scholarship Recipients
Breanna Aaron and Jacob Minter, both from Pasadena Memorial High School
Pasadena Independent School District
...supporting Pasadena ISD students from the past, present and future.
What does it mean to score in banking? Much like sports, it means working hard as a team to outplay the competition. We strive to do that every day. But it’s never about us it’s all about how we can help you be a winner, whether you’re a customer or a member of our community. That’s why we are proud to support Pasadena I.S.D. Athletics.
November 17-19
Education Foundation Executive Committee
Education Foundation Advisory Board
Pasadena ISD Administration
Superintendent
Deputy
Associate
Associate
Associate
Associate
Education Foundation Board Members
Associate
Associate
Pasadena ISD Board of Trustees