East Bakersfield High School to induct latest class to Hall of Fame
Mar. 1—On March 11, East Bakersfield High School Hall of Fame will induct its 13th class at the Luigi's Banquet Hall.
Starting in 2011, East's Hall of Fame has inducted over 120 members. This year, it will add another 10 to the list from the fields of athletics, arts, business and more.
Another reason to celebrate is that 2023 marks the 85th birthday for East Bakersfield High School, which was established in 1938.
Doors open at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m., then the induction at 7 p.m. March 11 at the banquet hall, 725 E. 19th St.
Tickets are $90 or $800 for a table of 10, available to purchase at the East High finance office, 2200 Quincy St., or on the East High School website east.kernhigh.org.
For further information, contact Rick Van Horne at 661-871-7221.
2023 inductees
Henri Blanc: A recently retired special education teacher, Blanc spent 25 years on the Blade campus. He was on the ground floor of developing the MOVE program, which was established to help improve the quality of life for people with severe disabilities through instruction and adaptive equipment that enhances independent mobility. That effort not only benefited the Kern High School District but also went on to be implemented throughout the nation.
Wes Bradford: The 1972 grad played baseball and football at East, before jumping into the insurance business at Clifford and Bradford Insurance. Not only the creator of one of the most successful local insurance companies in Bakersfield, Bradford is also known for generously donating time and money to area sports groups, including spearheading fundraising efforts to put lights at Bakersfield College and Bakersfield Christian High School. Clifford and Bradford sponsored the Potato Bowl for six years when the Shriners' Club stopped funding the game.
Howard Dumble: This Class of 1962 alum was an outstanding football player and wrestler, but his claim to fame was developing the "Dumble Sound" building custom amplifiers for some of the greatest guitar players in the world, including Carlos Santana, Jackson Browne, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton.
Al Gaines: A retired teacher that spent over 30 years at East High and left his indelible mark all over the campus. He pioneered EBTV, the first student news station in the Kern High School District and then went on to develop the district's first Multimedia Technology Academy.
David Larwood: An outstanding all-around student at East High, Larwood later went to Cal Tech. He earned his Ph.D., became a patent lawyer for Apple and founded Blue Joule, a solar energy company. Larwood also made the first PEGylated lipid, later a key component of an important anticancer drug and recently in the mRNA COVID vaccines. More recently, he founded Valley Fever Solutions, following in the footsteps of his father, Tom, in the study of valley fever.
Augie Moreno: At age 15, Moreno Augie cut his first record in 1963 during his freshman year at East. Over the next four years, he recorded seven songs including his biggest hit, "Spanish Harlem," which received significant airplay and garnered him invitations to perform on nationally televised programs like "Shebang" and "American Bandstand." After his singing career was over, Moreno spent over 35 years in law enforcement with both the Los Angeles Police Department and Kern High School District.
John Nichols: One of the best athletes to ever come out of East High, Nichols was a three-sport athlete for the Blades before being a two-sport star at Bakersfield College in football and track. He was part of a record-breaking relay team at UC Berkeley after leaving Bakersfield College. He signed a free agency contract with the Oakland Raiders after graduating from college and having not played football since his Renegade days.
Irma Solis-Smith: Solis-Smith spent over 30 years with the U.S Postal Service, becoming the first woman postmaster and first Latina postmaster in the history of Salinas County, dating back to 1854. She also was a past president of the North Bakersfield Rotary Club.
Jennifer Schimnowski Kornbau: The 1991 grad was a two-time Bakersfield Californian All-Area swimmer of the year in 1990 and 1991, she went on to Cal State Bakersfield, where she was a 1992 NCAA Division II All-American. Kornbau has spent the past 23 years teaching in the Bakersfield City School District, and in 2017 was named teacher of the year.
Dick Taylor: The 1973 grad went on to complete a tour in the United States Marine Corps before returning to Bakersfield to run the family business, Taylor Tire and Brake Shop, for 27 years. He has spent a good majority of his adult life being the flag bearer for most military and veteran activities in Kern County, from Marine Devil Pups program to Honor Flight, Taylor has been selfless in his time and money supporting Kern County veterans.
