By Bob Dunning
Enterprise columnist
The Davis Enterprise

Saturday before last I had the distinct pleasure of attending the first induction ceremony for the newly formed Davis High School Hall of Fame. It was an evening to remember for a variety of reasons.

As I watched the five inductees receive their awards and address the crowd, I was struck by the incredible and diverse qualities of these people who have all come through this one public high school.

To be sure, Davis High doesn't get all the credit. All the honorees cited the strong support of their families and the community and the many opportunities for growth that this town provides to the kids growing up in our midst.

Mark Inouye, a 1989 graduate, was originally a member of the DHS Jazz Band and was selected for the State Honor Jazz Band that performed in Japan. Who knew he would go on to graduate from the Juilliard School, where he was a founding member of the Juilliard Jazz Sextet at Lincoln Center? Who knew he would be selected as the principal trumpeter with the San Francisco Symphony, where he serves today?

Apparently, some of his teachers knew and they did what they could to nurture this rare talent, who is also an active composer and one who has toured internationally.

When Mark talked about the influence of his parents - who both passed away before he finished high school - and about the incredible support of his older brothers, there wasn't a dry eye in the house, including his own.

Denise Curry, a 1977 graduate, dropped so many names of Davis people who helped her along the way to an Olympic gold medal in basketball and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, I couldn't count them all. Her many records at Davis High and UCLA will never be broken, but Denise wanted to talk about family and faculty and friends, not rebounds, jump shots and layups.

Elaine Kasimatis, a math whiz with a Ph.D. behind her name, couldn't make her own award ceremony because she is in Rwanda, helping to open a new school and develop a teacher preparation program in a land with such a troubled recent past. But she sent a moving acceptance speech that was read by a friend, Liz Labin, and again, there were many locals on the thank you list.

Professor Scott Farrand, one of Liz's teaching colleagues at Sacramento State, told the gathering by video that 'Elaine is an example of what Davis Senior High School can produce, a role model for students looking for a way to both pursue intellectual challenges and be of service to people in need. She brings honor to your school.'

Indeed.

Dave Scott, perhaps the most famous of Davis High School's many, many graduates over the years, won the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon six times, shattering many seemingly untouchable records along the way. Yes, we're talking about a 2.5-mile ocean swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, all in the same day, and never mind that I wouldn't think of driving that far without stopping to get a motel room.

Dave, too, had a long list of people to thank, including his family and those at the high school, at UC Davis and in the community at large who believed in him and what he was doing long before the sport of triathlon truly took off.

Then there was Bud Henle, Davis High Class of 1942, who played football at the high school and coached football at the high school, but most importantly, was a role model for athletes and non-athletes alike. So many of his former players showed up for the event that Bud eventually had to simply ask them all to stand up, since it would have taken until morning to name them all.

It occurred to me as the evening went on that given the accomplishments of the five honorees, this seemed more like a statewide Hall of Fame, or even a national one.

And, while there can be no doubt that these folks would have been successful no matter what life threw at them, their experiences in the Davis school system and in the community gave them a certain boost along the way.

Interestingly, my sample ballot for the Nov. 4 election arrived in my mailbox the same day I attended the Hall of Fame banquet.

Among the many candidates and ballot measures listed, there was this about Measure W: 'Shall the Davis Joint Unified School District preserve existing classroom programs including math and science, English, music, physical education, librarians, secondary class size reduction, athletics and co-curricular programs including drama, debate and journalism by being authorized to levy a special tax for a period of three years not to exceed the annual rate of $50 per dwelling unit for multi-dwelling parcels and $120 per parcel for all other parcels?'

Based on what I saw last Saturday night, the answer is a resounding 'Yes.'