Valley College inducts alumni into Hall of Fame

The fastest 400-meter runner in the world (Tyree Washington), the youngest general manager of an NFL team (John Butler), a cofounder of a free health clinic in San Bernardino (Dr. Tom Rivera), and a community activist (Marta Macias Brown). The common thread among these individuals is that they are San Bernardino Valley College alumni.

Ten individuals were honored during the SBVC Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 3 for their excellence of service, success and athleticism.

The Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor former students whose lives are exemplary in both their career accomplishments and contributions to their communities. The Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 1996 to recognize those individuals who exhibited athletic achievement, character and exemplary service.

“Inductees are examples for our students to emulate, and are the embodiment of success, tenacity, and persistence to make a significant impact,” said SBVC President Diana Rodriguez.

Inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame were Dr. Tom Rivera, Marta Macias Brown, Dr. Willie Roberts, Roger Schmidt and Dr. Julius Zelman.

The Athletic Hall of Fame inductees for 2017 were David Lang, David Olbright, Dane Selznick, Tyree Washington and Coach Gene Mazzei.

“It is a profound honor to be inducted with so many people who have given back to their community,” said Brown during her speech. “It takes courage to be forthright and attempt to change the world.”

SBVC was founded in 1926 as the 12th chartered community college in California and has graduated over 100,000 alumni.