Index Hall of Fame Inductees & Staff
Click a last-name to open that person's full page.
| Last Name | First Name | Grad. Year OR Staff | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aginian | Richard | 1959 | President, Publisher and CEO of Home Town Communications Network | Chairman of the Walsh College Board of Trustees |
| Anderson | Janet Marie | 1967 | Internationally recognized artist of ink drawings and watercolors | Work displayed in the National Archives in Washington D.C. |
| Barnard | Norman R. | 1933 | Elected Chief Probate Judge of Oakland County 1977-1989 | Founding City Manager of Troy; elementary school named in his honor |
| Beer | Richard L. | 1950 | Director of the Oakland County Law Library | President of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metro Detroit |
| Boledovich Farhat | Julie | 1999 | Founder of Mind Over Matter (MOM) nonprofit | Raised over $250000 for suicide prevention and brain research |
| Borgo Sisters | Frances & Virginia | 1935/1936 | Founded the Borgo Sisters School of Dance and Gymnastics | Wrote "The Borgo Method" for tap dance notation |
| Boyd | William J. | Staff | Dondero teacher, coach and faculty manager, 1960-1991 | Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame 1993 |
| Breniser | Douglas H. | 1947 | Michigan regional and national roller skating champion | Professional ice skater in Sonja Henie films; performed for the Queen of England |
| Briggs | Gary | 1977 | President of the Royal Oak Board of Education | Led restoration of the historic Royal Oak Middle School murals |
| Broomfield | William S. | 1940 | Longtime U.S. Congressman (1957-1993) | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 1967 |
| Carpenter | Harold G. | 1941 | Supervised GM sales across 58 countries on 5 continents | Bronze Star for bravery in World War II |
| Carr | Frank R. | 1974 | Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, Earlham College | Member of the Albion College Athletic Hall of Fame |
| Carr | Thomas G. | 1976 | Founder/President of the Inter-religious Eco-Justice Network of CT | Senior Minister of First Baptist Church in Hartford CT |
| Chamberlain | B.F. (Bud) | 1938 | Founded Chamberlain Realtors in 1948 | Inducted into University of Michigan's Athletic Hall of Honor 1982 |
| Clark | Karen Kaiser | 1960 | International lecturer on growth through change and crisis management | Author of "Life is Change - Growth is Optional" and other books |
| Cook | Anne Hartrick | 1975 | Longtime Royal Oak schools volunteer and paraprofessional | Graduated from Michigan State after recovering from a 30-day coma |
| Crossman | Constance Kingan | 1922 | Taught in Royal Oak Schools 1929-1967 (34 years at the high school) | Authored "Royal Oak - Our Living Legend" a history of the community |
| Curnow | James | 1959 | World-renowned conductor and composer of over 800 works | Recipient of the National Band Association's Citation of Excellence 1980 |
| Davis Jr. | David E. | 1949 | Editor/publisher of Car and Driver, 1962-1985 | Founder of Automobile Magazine |
| Deromedi | Herb | 1956 | Head football coach, Central Michigan University, 1978-1993 | Member of the College Football Hall of Fame |
| Dondero | George A. | 1901 | First Mayor of Royal Oak | Member of U.S. Congress for 24 years; co-sponsored the St. Lawrence Seaway |
| Donigan | Marie | 1972 | State Representative, 26th Michigan House District, 2005-2010 | Royal Oak City Commissioner 1997-2004 |
| Dorsey | Thomas R. | 1948 | Professional baseball player (Detroit/Philadelphia farm teams) | Established Kay-Dee Farms thoroughbred breeding operation |
| Ellison | James | 1970 | Longest-serving Mayor of Royal Oak | Original Chair of the Woodward Dream Cruise |
| Feighner | G. Bruce | 1938 | Principal of Dondero HS and Grosse Pointe North HS | Served in the US Army during WWII in the South Pacific |
| Field | Barbara G. | 1936 | Royal Oak School Board Trustee 1964-1977 | Royal Oak Distinguished Citizen 1973 |
| Fischer | Joseph J. | Staff | Taught art for 29 years at Royal Oak and Dondero High Schools | 15-year volunteer for Cranbrook Science Museum |
| Fowler | Faith | 1977 | Founded Cass Community Social Services in Detroit | Detroit News Michiganian of the Year 2003 |
| Fretter | Oliver | 1941 | Founded a national chain of appliance stores | Known for memorable "I'll give you five pounds of coffee" TV ad campaigns |
| Frey | Glenn | 1966 | Co-founder of the Eagles | Six-time Grammy winner; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee 1998 |
| Getoor | Ronald K. | 1946 | Internationally recognized mathematician in probability theory | Pioneer of the modern theory of Markov processes |
| Gilbert | Gerald (Jerry) | 1951 | Rear Admiral U.S. Navy Reserve JAG Corps | International trade attorney; founded Hogan and Hartson's trade practice group |
| Gillanders | David | 1957 | Bronze medalist (200m butterfly), 1960 Summer Olympics | Ph.D. in engineering; college professor of electrical engineering |
| Grisdale | George | 1949 | Award-winning school counselor and Ph.D. | Executive Director of the SE Michigan Tennis Association |
| Groves | Robert W. | 1943 | Founded one of the nation's first alcohol and drug information schools | Played AAA baseball for the Chicago Cubs organization |
| Guest | Judith | 1954 | Author of "Ordinary People" and other best-selling novels | Novel adapted into the 1980 Best Picture Oscar winner |
| Guettler M.D. | Joseph | 1988 | Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Beaumont Hospital | Team physician for the US National Women's Soccer Team and multiple universities |
| Hannah-Attisha M.D. | Mona | 1994 | Led research exposing the Flint water crisis lead levels | Named a TIME 100 Influential Person of the Year |
| Harper | Darrell | 1956 | All Big Ten punter and Academic All-American 1959 | Made the first-ever kickoff and points scored in Buffalo Bills history |
| Hartrick | George Briggs | 1910 | Served as Village President of Royal Oak | Served 22 years as an Oakland County circuit court judge; prosecuted the "Black Legion" in 1936 |
| Hartrick | James Geney | 1941 | Respected Oakland County attorney for 32 years | All-State football and Morrison Trophy winner |
| Hayden | Tom | 1957 | Co-founder of Students for a Democratic Society | California State Assemblyman and Senator for 18 years |
| Hetzman | Ruth | Staff | English, French and Latin teacher, 1931-1967 | Helped lobby for teacher tenure and bargaining rights in Michigan |
| Hoffman | Edna | Staff | Mathematics teacher, Royal Oak High School, 1944-1966 | Michigan Education Association "Teacher of the Year" |
| Horn | Vernald E. | 1922 | Royal Oak Mayor 1949-1953 | Michigan State Representative 1954-1956; Most Distinguished Citizen 1967 |
| Johnson | James C. | 1949 | Served on eight Royal Oak City Commissions | Actively supported Royal Oak Public Schools for decades |
| Johnson M.D. | Lanny L. | 1951 | Orthopedic surgeon and pioneer in arthroscopic surgery | Awarded 40 U.S. patents for surgical instruments |
| Jones | Charles H. | Staff | Royal Oak Kimball teacher, coach and Athletic Director, 1957-1998 | School gymnasium dedicated in his honor in 2006 |
| Kavafian | Ani | 1964 | World-respected concert violinist | Professor of Violin at Yale University; concertmaster New Haven Symphony |
| Kenney | Michael P. | 1973 | Atlanta's Antitrust Lawyer of the Year 2013 | Funded college scholarships at Oakland University and Georgia State |
| Kerr | John | 1958 | President and CEO, Volkswagen of North America | Member of the 1962 NCAA Baseball Championship team at Michigan |
| King | Victoria | 1971 | Bassoonist, Detroit Symphony Orchestra since 1984 | Co-founded Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings |
| Knox | Charles L. | 1943 | Morrison Trophy winner 1943 | Royal Oak teacher and principal 1950-1984 |
| Koledo DeAlmeida | Cynthia | 1977 | Principal Oboe of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra | Associate Teaching Professor of Oboe at Carnegie Mellon University |
| Kramer | W. Peter | 1952 | Royal Oak City Commissioner for five terms | Early volunteer in the Volunteers in Probation program |
| Kuehl | Hans H. | 1951 | Professor and Chairman, Electrical Engineering-Electrophysics, USC | Developed theory of antennas in electronic plasmas used in missile defense |
| Leenhouts | Keith J. | 1943 | District Judge, City of Royal Oak, 1959-1969 | Developed the national Court Volunteer Probation Services Program |
| Leenhouts-Hunter | Doris | 1947 | Minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church | Author and lecturer on religion and philosophy |
| Lessard | Ronald B. | 1978 | Ph.D. chemist; holds four U.S. patents | Recipient of the Suez Innovation Trophy 2000 |
| Light | Hal | Staff | 37-year Royal Oak Schools career (33 at Kimball High School) | Created programs connecting senior citizens with teens |
| Loftin | Iverson "Ivy" | Staff | Varsity football coach for 36 years at Dondero/Royal Oak | Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame 1984 |
| Loftin | Melinda | 1974 | Ethics Attorney for the White House, Interior, Air Force and Army | Michigan State University College of Law Distinguished Alumni Award |
| Martin Jr. | George A. | 1948 | Royal Oak educator for 40 years | Principal at Dondero High School and Jane Addams Junior High |
| Matthews M.D. | James G. | 1932 | Chairman of OB/GYN at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital and Dallas/Fort Worth Medical Center | President of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists |
| Maudlin | Grant J. | 1940 | Royal Oak City Commissioner 1953-1965 | US Marine in the Pacific Theater during WWII; drove development of the Royal Oak Golf Course |
| Maximovich M.D. | Alexander | 1967 | OB/GYN with 41 years at William Beaumont Hospital | Part of the first IVF team and first IVF live birth in Michigan |
| McElroy | Michael | Staff | Biology teacher and coach at Dondero High School 1971-1998 | National Gatorade Coaches Care Award winner |
| McLellan | Shirley Culver Dell | 1942 | Feature writer for the Detroit News and Daily Tribune for 25+ years | Named Berkley Citizen of the Year 1978 |
| McMasters | Robert L. | 1952 | University of Michigan Golf Team Captain 1955-56 | President of the Western Golf Association and Golf Association of Michigan |
| Mead | James Lewis | Staff | Instituted WOAK radio station at Dondero High School | Authored "Guide to School Radio" |
| Mester | Fred M. | 1955 | Circuit Judge, Sixth Judicial Circuit of Michigan | Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1969-1973 |
| Moore | Eva | Staff | Educator in Royal Oak Schools for over 40 years | Royal Oak Citizen of the Year 1968 |
| Morrison | Maynard D. | 1928 | All-State athlete at Royal Oak High School | All-American football player at the University of Michigan |
| Muncey | Bill | 1947 | Champion hydroplane driver, "Mr. Unlimited" | Won 8 Gold Cups and 4 World Championships; Motorsports Hall of Fame |
| Nahhat | Edward M. | 1979 | Litigation attorney and John Hensel Award recipient | Founder/CEO of Water Works Theatre Company |
| Nahhat | Fred | 1983 | Sr. Vice President, WTVS Channel 56 | Emmy-nominated producer of local and national public television programming |
| Noble | Kenneth R. | Staff | Social Studies teacher, Dondero High School, 1961-1996 | Michigan Economic Educator of the Year 2003 |
| Orosz Jr. | William S. | 1967 | Owner and CEO of a home building company (Royal Oak Homes) | Knighted by the Pope into the Order of St. Gregory the Great |
| Parker | Eugene N. | 1944 | Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of Chicago | Developed the theory of the solar wind; awarded National Medal of Science |
| Penney | David George | 1958 | Professor of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine | International expert on carbon monoxide poisoning; local historian |
| Penney | Sherry Hood | 1955 | Chancellor, University of Massachusetts, Boston, 1988-2000 | Professor of leadership with an endowed chair in her honor |
| Penoza | Frank J. | 1940 | Founder of Pen Associates Inc. special tool manufacturing (8 US patents) | WWII Paratrooper 507th Infantry 82nd Airborne Division |
| Perkins | Owen C. | 1921 | Served 43 years as a City of Royal Oak employee, including 36 as Chief Inspector | Historian and president of the Royal Oak Historical Society |
| Polsgrove | Daniel | 1994 | Lt. Col., US Air Force; Ph.D. in astrophysics | Led an Air Force team searching for potentially habitable exoplanets |
| Quenneville | Marion L. | Staff | Teacher and coach at Dondero High School 1956-1977 | Honored by the Red Cross for 50 years of volunteer service |
| Reid M.D. | Robert E. | 1950 | VP and Corporate Medical Director, William Beaumont Hospitals | Physician in the community for 40 years |
| Ronayne-Krause | Amy | 1980 | Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals (beg. 2010) | Frank J. Kelley Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy 2007 |
| Ryan | Timothy | 1977 | President/CEO of Detroit-Macomb Hospital Corporation | Crain's Detroit "Top Business Leaders Under Forty" |
| Saunders | Amy (Szarafinski) | 1988 | Detroit Police Officer - Corporal Special Events Unit | 2017 Officer of the Year - Women in Blue |
| Schultheiss | Judy | Staff | 32-year Royal Oak teacher (Kimball 3 years, Dondero 29 years) | Founded the Communications class at Dondero |
| Scott | Anne (Grimm) | 1958 | Oakland Community College Trustee for 18 years | Royal Oak Citizen of the Year 1987 |
| Servitto | Deborah (Masters) | 1974 | First female city attorney for Warren, MI, 1982-1986 | Appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals by Gov. Granholm in 2006 |
| Shader | Jack Curtis | 1943 | Morrison Trophy winner 1943 | Principal of Dondero High School and other Royal Oak schools |
| Stephan | Jack | Staff | Principal of Kimball High School, 1966-1988 | Royal Oak Schools Social Studies Teacher and Assistant Principal 1953-1966 |
| Strain M.D. | James J. | 1950 | Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine | Authority on the psychological care of the medically ill; 500+ publications |
| Streeter | Larry | Staff | Royal Oak teacher 1967-2003; Dondero Student Senate advisor | Michigan Student Councils Hall of Fame inductee 2013 |
| Sullivan | James W. | 1926 | President of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association | President of the Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club |
| Tenhave | Hessel W. | Staff | Taught biology at Royal Oak/Dondero for 34 years | Founded the Forestry Club; Tenhave Woods named in his honor |
| Tessem | Rolfe | 1969 | Seven-time Emmy Award winner | Co-creator of Nickelodeon's Nick News |
| Thorburn | James S. | 1936 | Circuit Court of Michigan Judge 1963-1989 | Awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses in WWII for heroism |
| Tompkins | Jack A. | 1928 | Played pro baseball/hockey (Tigers and Red Wings farm teams) after 16 varsity letters at ROHS | VP of Northern Operations for American Airlines after a 41-year career |
| Vanek | Gary M. | 1958 | Member of the Michigan House of Representatives | President and CEO of MEIA Insurance Agency |
| Woodward | David | 1994 | Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairman 2019-present | Michigan House of Representatives 1999-2004 |
| Yokich | Tracey | 1978 | Michigan Circuit/Probate Court Judge | Michigan State Representative for three terms 1991-1996 |
| Zauchin | Norm | 1948 | Major league first baseman (Red Sox/Senators) | Drove in 10 runs in a single game May 1955 |