Willowridge, which became the second Ft. Bend ISD high school to integrate when it opened its doors in September of 1979, recently inducted 13 new members into its vaunted Wall of Honor.
“The Ridge,” as it is known by current students, alumni and opponents who fell to their dominating football team of the early 1980s (going 15-0 and winning the 4A Texas State Championship during the 1982-83 school year), their three-time state champion boys basketball teams and state-winning boys track team, has produced giants not only in the realm of sports, but also medicine, politics, community activism, the arts, international law and economics, and more.
And don’t even get Eagle alumni started on the baddest band in the land.
But on July 29, all attention in the Eagles’ universe was placed on this year’s Wall of Honor banquet and the new crop of inductees.
The Willowridge Wall of Honor was organized in the spring of 2006 under the umbrella of the T.J. Ford Foundation, the result of the vision of T.J. Ford, a former NBA great and 2001 WHS alum. The purpose of the WOH is to recognize Willowridge’s outstanding academic and athletic graduates whose accomplishments during their high school careers and whose meritorious roles in public and/or private life following high school have brought positive public recognition, credit and honor to the school and its international community of supporters.
Additionally, the WOH honors WHS teachers and coaches who have made a difference in the lives of Eagles, ensuring that they honor the school motto, “Class and Character.”
“The WOH really supports the programs that are there,” said Frances Plummer, Willowridge WOH, Inc. president. “We want to show the students who are presently enrolled in Willowridge that there are others who came through the very same halls and were able to be successful to go out in life and do great things and then come back and give back. We want the students that are there to emulate that and take pride in their school and also to excel and do their very best.”
Oscar Beltran, a 2018 WOH inductee and current WOH board member, sees the induction banquet as a bi-annual opportunity to call Eagle alumni back to provide services and support that is much needed, as the school currently faces daunting challenges, including a dwindling enrollment, a lack of athletics program funding and a large number of students and their families who are on the wrong end of the socio-economic ladder.
“Once my son graduated from Bush High School, I wanted to give back because I’ve been involved with him and his school,” said Beltran. “And then I decided to start volunteering for the Wall of Honor because they do a lot of good things for the school. And the school right now is just needing a lot of necessities.
“My call is for Willowridge alumni to come back and see what the school is about today. Because a lot of them, unfortunately, still think that the school is the same as it was when they graduated. And it’s not. There’s a lot of needs. There’s a lack of involvement from graduates and I’d love for them to come back and help however they can: time, money, donations, involvement, talking to the kids.”
Beltran said many current WHS students don’t think they’re gonna make it because of a lack of adults who believe in them. Beltran believes if current students see alumni who “came from where they came from” they will be encouraged.
“Like me; I graduated, I went to school in Ridgemont, Missouri City and then Willowridge. And then I’ve owned my own company for the last 35 years and I’m Hispanic. So, the Hispanic crowd or the minority crowd can say, ‘Okay, this guy grew up where I grew up and he’s made it.’ So, I’m just trying to be an example for these kids.”
Ursula Raven Washington, a 2023 WOH inductee, could hardly contain her excitement.
“I’ve wanted this honor for a while,” said Washington. “The opportunity to stand alongside my fellow Eagles who are doing great things for the community is something that I aspire to. So, it’s awesome to be part of that group.” she said.
Washington is one of countless WHS alumni who speak on the special bond enjoyed between them.
“Back in the day, when we first started school, we were brand new and we all bonded together. But I think one of the biggest things for me is even at our age now, and some of us have been out of school for 40 years, we’re all still so close and connected, which is another reason why we’re coming back and giving back to the school.”
The 2023 inductees include:
Nichelle Pryor Beard (’86)
Dr. Krista A. Coleman (’92)
Raquel A. Wade Gant (’91)
Marcela Guzman, posthumously (Faculty)
Nelson D. Haggerty, posthumously (’91)
Deana Lawson (’89)
Dr. Alicia Rochel Martin (Asst. Principal)
Thomas “T-Roe” Monroe, III (’84)
Kendrom Samuel Penson Sr. (’95)
Sherry Patrice Penson (’86)
Tim David Randle (’96)
Ursula Raven Washington (’85)
Shannon Rideout (’92)
