Honoring All Alumni

With 19,611 graduates from Waltrip we have a significant legacy that has impacted the community, city, state and nation in many arenas.  Our alumni have many contributions in the arts, education, business, politics, athletics, and leisure worlds but we have also laid solid foundations within our homes, our spirits and our relationships.  We have noted faculty and alumni such as Ken Pridgeon and Judy Kahlah in the area of education and this year, our own Mr. Holland’s Opus. Many graduates became involved in the field of education and continued the character building of our communities’ future.  We have teachers on all levels, coaches, counselors, principals—each addressing the needs of our children—our future. Our medical field is full of Waltrip MD’s, nurses, health aides, dentists and veterinarians.  Lawyers, you do not have to look far as many are right here in Houston and we have had many public service professionals such as Toni Bracher Lawrence ’65 at Houston City Councilwoman, Kenneth L. Armbrister ’65 was a state senator and is now Director of Legislative Affairs for Governor Perry; we have our long standing state senator from this area, John Whitmire ’68 as well as David Patronella’ 75 former State Representative from this area and now Judge of Harris County Peace Court.  Lawyers yes, Waltrip lead the way in debate many years and society has the benefit of this skill.  Our accountants hold us in check and Waltrip again, lead the way with achievements in the science and mathematics world.  In the arts we hold fond memories of our own Patrick Swayze ’71 but as we know him, “Buddy.”  We also had Tommy Hulsey’70 on Broadway and April Allen ’72 in the movies and Shelly Duvall ’67 took the lead with her role in several movies but most notably as Olive Oil.  Cookie Joe’71 took her talents and now owns and operates one of the leading dance studios in the area and she contributed to today’s program. Our musicians took center stage and in many styles with Danny Ward ’71 and Jeremy Furstendfeld ’92 two of our most noted and Mike Daley is the lead guitarist for George Strait.  To report on all these things, we have many journalists and authors with Debra Wilson Maffet ’75 not only being Miss America 1983 but also a journalists, TV talk show host and singer; Deborah Davis Brezina ’70 is an author, educator, film script writer and historian while Barbara Bracher Olson ’72 was a leading Conservative Commentator on CNN before being killed in 911 attack on America. We hold many businesses in the area and world and in all arenas from car dealerships: Knapp Chevrolet, Baker Nissan to insurance companies such as one of our sponsors, Adams Insurance.  We are contractors, loan officers,  home builders, restaurant owners—Cyclone Anaya’s, Roznovski’s, Hickory Hollow, Supreme Sandwiches and Doyle’s’-- all sponsors of this event, print companies including Debbie Angelo’s, Debz Designz.  We have ministers, lots of them, such as James Dixon '81, Robert Creech ’71, Robert Berg’ 72, Keith Jenkins ’71, and Duane Kerr ’61.  We love our leisure time and Pam Sebasta Basco ’68 holds 14 world records in fishing—the big ones out in the middle of nowhere.  If you watch sports you know that Kennan McCardell ’87 and Van Malone ’87 are professional football players and coaches and Mark Calaway ’83 is the "Undertaker" of professional wrestling and we have Mike Morosin '67 who qualified for Olympic Swimmer, Senior Division.  To keep things in order we have secretaries, personal assistants, managers and their role cannot be diminished as they are central to anyone’s success. We have skilled electricians, carpentry, mechanics, small and medium business owners, as well as plumbers, grocery personnel, buyers, suppliers; we are everywhere. We are therapists, social workers, psychologist, psychiatrist—all working with others to help them become the best they can be. Mothers, wives, partners, husbands, fathers, aunts, uncles, whatever one’s role in the family we each have a duty to family that was and is reinforced through words in our school song: loyalty, praise of others tributes, honesty, integrity, faith, courage.  Some work with these attributes and build strong families, friendships and relationships, and many Waltrip graduates served our society through heroic devotion; their calling to protect and serve our communities is selfless. To our law enforcement professionals, our firefighters, our crisis responders—Thank you. Waltrip and this area leads the way in public service.  Many of our alumni have and are now serving our country through military service.  We Thank You for your devotion to country.  Our alumni are in many walks of life and each in their own way fulfill the values we developed while here. I would like to close from an original poem written by Mr. S.P. Waltrip. He wrote this in 1917 while Superintendent of his three schools and he gave it to his students. 

While our 50^th Anniversary is a celebration of the past we also acknowledge that we are starting Waltrip’s future. Congratulations to all 19,611 Waltrip graduates and may the influence of the future alumni continue to bless this legacy.

Our School Song