Although they graduated in different years, 20 Woodrow Wilson High School alumni now share a class distinction.

Saturday afternoon in the school's auditorium, during the 80th Woodrow anniversary celebration, the newest members of the Woodrow Hall of Fame take their places among the storied graduates of years past.

Former librarian and 1951 Woodrow graduate Bradley Sue La Fon Howell — whose daughter Jane Howell Walker, '82, now serves as librarian — compiled a list of 80 candidates for the Hall. A nominating committee pared down the list to about 40 worthy nominees before the full committee voted on this year's honorees.

"It was really tough selecting these folks from such a list of high-caliber candidates," said committee member, Hall of Fame inductee, and '76 grad Kyle Rains in an e-mail message. "Being famous is only one aspect. For instance, Larry Karl, '68, was chosen for his 33-year dedication to teaching even though it's been at our rival, Skyline High. Given the dedication of many long-time teachers at Woodrow — Larry had three who were there when the school opened in September 1928 — we thought he was continuing their influence."

Pretend there's a drum roll in the background … Ladies and gentlemen, the 2009 Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame inductees:

Ed Bentley, 1940 — Chairman of the Board and CEO of Republic National Bank-Greenville Avenue with a long history of generous support for Woodrow programs and Juliette Fowler Homes.

Elizabeth Cupples Blessing, 1936 — First woman to campaign for mayor of Dallas; second woman elected to Dallas City Council.

Alan Bromberg, 1945 — Senior fellow of Yale law faculty, visiting professor at Stanford Law School, professor at SMU law school.

Bob English, 1942 — Borrowed $1,100 from parents on graduation from Texas A&M, started English Bros., and built it into largest distributor of automotive paint and body supplies in the Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana region.

Neil "Skip" Fletcher, 1953 — As a 7-year-old, served as "official taster" in family kitchen as father Neil and Uncle Carl developed recipe for their ever-popular corny dog at State Fair of Texas. Today he and brother Bill keep the dogs coming.

Lawrence Good, 1968 — Distinguished architect whose projects include University of Texas-Dallas campus master plan, Lakewood master planning, and Dallas Civic Garden Center.

Bob Goodrich, 1963 — All-state end for Woodrow who achieved fine career as sports TV producer, winning 14 Emmy awards. Worked on ABC's "Monday Night Football," Super Bowls, Indianapolis 500, Summer and Winter Olympics.

Tracy Hiser Harding, 1981 — One-time Yale cheerleader later served two years with Peace Corps, earned master's degree in international relations at University of California-San Francisco and now works for State Department in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Phil Johnson, 1943 — Longtime professional dancer who helped launch Woodrow's proud tradition of annual musicals by choreographing showcase scene in 1958 production of "Oklahoma!" Still fit enough to wear his WWII Navy uniform when he marches in school's celebration parades.

Larry Karl III, 1968 — National Wrestling Hall of Fame member has achieved great success as coach of men's and women's teams at Skyline High School, winning a total of 31 district championships.

William Lewis Lester, 1929 — Gifted painter who executed a mural commission titled "Development of American Industry" during the Great Depression for the Public Works Arts Project, which hangs in Woodrow's library.

John Paul McCrumbly, 1971 — Woodrow's first African-American football star helped 1969 team reach state semifinals. Also played for Tyler JC, Texas A&M, and NFL Buffalo Bills.

Mariano Martinez, 1963 — In 1971, the young restaurateur modified a soft-serve ice cream machine into the first frozen margarita machine, which is now displayed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Steve Miller, 1961 — "The Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits 1974-1978" has sold more than 13 million copies. Long-popular singer and guitarist and his band continue to perform at sold-out concerts.

Danielle Drury Petters, 1985 — First of seven siblings to graduate from Woodrow, she was a successful international fashion model before pursuing a career in education. Now in her first year as principal at J.L. Long Middle School on adjoining campus to Woodrow. Fluent in Spanish, she earlier taught ESL and cheerleading at Woodrow.

Marjorie Hardwick Schramel, 1982 — Acclaimed ballerina danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov at American Ballet Theatre. Now director of Schramel Conservatory of Dance in New Orleans.

Inez Sookma, 1983 — This is a great month in her life. She was promoted to colonel in the U.S. Air Force on April 1 and she's being inducted into Woodrow Hall of Fame on April 25. Currently serving with International Military Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Barbara Galleher Tonry, 1954 — Held 12 national titles in tumbling and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1960 before a knee injury redirected her focus to coaching. Organized first women's gymnastics team at Yale and has been head coach since 1973.

Ruth Allen Vail, 1991 — First Woodrow graduate to serve as school's principal, her academic goals at her alma mater include overall quality, solid academics, and a comprehensive athletic program. Her father, a 1965 Woodrow grad, met her mother in Mexico City where he was serving as a medical missionary. Multilingual, having majored in foreign languages at SMU. Daughter Karissa Vail will enter Woodrow fall of 2010.

Larry Wright, 1965 — Author, screenwriter, playwright, and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, his book, "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11," was an international bestseller and won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. His memoir, "In The New World: Growing Up In America, 1960-1984," is set in Dallas and recounts his experiences at Woodrow during the Kennedy assassination period.

And the 80th anniversary committee:

1948
Taffy Merrell Goldsmith
Sybil Mash McClintock

1949
Bill "Bulldog" Cunningham

1950
Sam Blair

1951
Bradley Sue LaFon Howell

1956
Barbara Byrd Adamson
Burton "Bubba" Gilliam

1959
Carol Cothrum LaQuey

1963
Don Autry

1965
Candy Chasanow Weinberg

1966
Gary Griffith

1967
Jay Ballou
Mike Barnes
Kathy Kilmer Moak

1968
Paul Dalton
Dinah DeWitt Gaspard

1969
Bill Knox

1970
Carol Lewis Pagila

1971
Miles Autry
Anne Turney Peeler
Dennis Roe
Judy Thomas
Ruth Secker Chambers

1973
Michele Bobadilla

1974
Herb Kadane

1976
Karen Matney Brown
Kyle Rains

1978
Monica Hartmann Shaw

1980
Reena Papanickolaou Morris

1982
Stephen Cargile
Jane Howell Walker

1987
Paul Manak

1991
Richard Vitale

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