Dick “Hubba” Heber, a social studies teacher of history, geography and government and major contributor and supporter of athletics at North High for 34 years (1953-1987) as well as a dedicated volunteer in the field of history and sports in the community, is honored to become a member of the North High Athletics Hall of Fame 2013.

Heber’s parents, Roy Lafayette Heber and Edna Everingham Heber, came to Maricopa from the midwest as homesteaders with the oil boom in Kern County in the early 1900s.  Two children were born during that time, George in 1909, and Alice in 1911.  The family moved back to Hutsonville, IL, after a few years and two more sons joined the family. Miles was born in 1916 and Richard (Dick) in 1919.  The family eventually moved back to California settling in Bakersfield on Sunset Avenue near KCUHS in 1923.

Dick went to William Penn, Emerson, and Kern County Union High School.  At “KC” as it was called then, he was a student leader and athlete.  During high school he was on the freshman class council, President of the Junior Class, and Vice President of the Senior Class. He was a pitcher and first baseman on the baseball team and he followed in his older brothers’ footsteps as a center on the KC basketball team. He graduated from KCUHS in 1937.

Heber attended Bakersfield College from 1937 to 1938 and played both baseball and basketball. Then he transferred to the University of California at Berkeley graduating from CAL in 1941.  At CAL he was a member of the traveling baseball team that took one especially memorable road trip by train that included 18 stops to play baseball teams at Michigan State, Ohio State, University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Carleton College, Notre Dame and other colleges and universities.

While at CAL Heber belonged to Psi Upsilon fraternity and  held jobs in college that included waiting tables at the fraternity, parking cars at the famous Claremont Hotel, and “guarding” the secret football practices.

Following graduation from CAL he joined the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer and remained in the Navy from 1941 to 1945. Stationed in New York State for much of the time, he had the opportunity to visit his father’s relatives in the Pittsburg area.

He then returned to California  earning his teaching credential at the University of California Santa Barbara. He began his career with a practice teaching assignment in the P.E. department at East High where he worked with Gil Bishop, Les Carpenter, and Bob Jellison.  He then accepted a teaching position at Shafter High School where he taught world geography and coached baseball. The Shafter High athletic director, Lowell Todd, introduced Heber to golf and that led to a lifetime golf hobby (including two- hole- in- ones).

He taught at Shafter High for six years from 1948 through 1953. The principal  of Shafter High was Jack Hill.  When Hill was hired to become the first principal of North High in 1953, he brought four Shafter High teachers with him.  The four teachers/coaches were: Dick Heber (history and baseball), Turk Eliades (math and football), Ernie Graf (music/band), and Dusty Rhodes (industrial arts and track).

During Heber’s first years at North he also had a summer job working as a lifeguard and swimming and diving instructor at Bakersfield Country Club.

Although he was the first varsity baseball coach at North, he recognized that his calling and passion was in classroom teaching. He taught social studies (world history, world geography, U.S. History, and government) for 34 years at North from 1953-1987.

In 1958 Mr. Heber’s second period world affairs class placed second in a national contest sponsored by the editors of Every Week, a news magazine.  The contest invited social studies classes in high schools to submit lists of the 10 top news stories of 1958 which had international significance.   The commendation from Every Week read:  “Since hundreds of students from every state in the union entered the contest, you have just cause for pride in your victory.” The seniors in Heber’s class were all seniors who were preparing to major in social science.

During his 34 years at North, Mr. Heber he was also a supporter of the sports programs at North attending  as many athletic contests as he could (rarely missing a football or basketball game). He was given a “game ball” by the football team for his support.   In addition he assisted as a track official at meets held at North and around the county. He encouraged students to participate in athletics and to learn new sports—especially golf. Each day he would give students a “tip from the top” about how to improve their golf game.

The 1966 yearbook, The Galaxy, was dedicated to him. The dedication read:

“Since North High was founded in 1953, this well-liked and much appreciated man has been faithfully serving the students in the capacities of classroom teacher and class advisor, athletic coach and department chairman. In the classroom, he gives each student a guiding hand in the field of social studies based on his extensive travels, continuous education, and social maturity that have produced a vast experience of both personal and professional knowledge. Outside the classroom he has generously contributed his glowing personality and valuable time to the successful undertakings of the social studies department, athletic program, and class activities.  This year the 1966 Galaxy Staff proudly dedicates the yearbook to Mr. Richard Heber, a hard-working, professional educator.”

Mr. Heber was also President of the North High Faculty Club, Coach of the Mock Trial Team and founder of the Red and Gray Golf Tournament. The Red and Gray tournament raised money for scholarships and was given to a student who made the greatest contribution to the athletic program (whether as an athlete or other supporter) at North High during the year.  In the community he was a member of the Kern County Coaches and Officials Organization and President one year. He officiated at many high school and junior college track meets throughout the years.

Heber was part of a group that founded the Kern County Junior Golf Association.  He helped every summer for many years with the Junior Golf Program that was designed as an age group program. The program gave young golfers the opportunity to play a different county or private golf course each week throughout the summer.

Following his retirement in 1987 he became a docent at the Kern County Museum and Pioneer Village.  He was the instructor at the Yokuts Indian exhibit. Third graders from all over the county always enjoyed his explanation of the Indian artifacts at the Museum.  At Pioneer Village he led a tour of the old Norris Schoolhouse telling students what it was like in the early days of a rural Kern County school.

During his teaching at Shafter High, Dick was introduced to Evelyn Westlund by tennis friends, John and Jean Eckhardt, who became lifelong friends. Evie was the first secretary of the newly founded Bakersfield Racquet Club and at the time was employed as the chief payroll clerk at the Kern High District Office.  Dick and Evelyn were married June 5, 1949.

Dick and Evelyn had one son, Steven, born in August 1950.   Dick and Evie were devoted to their son and were involved in all Steve’s activities. Steve married the former Lisa Lehman, in October 1979 and they have three children, Kyle, Molly, and Emily.

Evie and Dick often played tennis at Beale Park or Jastro Park and they always enjoyed going to the “Big Game” between Cal and Stanford. (Yes, they saw the game where the CAL player ran over the Stanford trombone player to score the winning touchdown.) They also enjoyed attending the golf tournament at Pebble Beach for many years. They belonged to the World Affairs Council that met monthly in Los Angeles.  The World Affairs Council brought noted speakers (Ronald Reagan, Gore Vidal, Shimon Peres, etc.) to its audience.  Mr. Heber also belonged to the Kern County Historical Society.

Evelyn became a founding member of the parent cooperative preschool, Bakersfield Play Center, on Kentucky. She was employed at Bakersfield College in the business office,  and following her retirement, Evie volunteered at Guild House as a baker for many years.

Because of Heber’s interest in social studies, he and Evie enjoyed traveling around the U.S. and abroad. He wanted to see the places he taught.

Because his mother’s family lived in Illinois, his dad’s in the Pittsburgh area and Evie’s  in Atlanta, GA,  those were places they visited frequently. Among other U.S. destinations were Boston, Houston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City,  World’s Fair in Seattle, National Parks, historical sites, etc.  Their first European trip was to Evie’s family’s homeland, Finland. They made several trips abroad visiting Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, England, Scotland, and other countries in Europe.

As the Heber’s grandchildren, Kyle, Molly, and Emily, grew, Dick and Evie enjoyed attending activities at their schools and participating in their family activities. Today the grandchildren are all grown.  Kyle graduated from UC San Diego and married Shellena  Davis and now is in medical school in New York City.  Molly is a senior at UC Davis and Emily is a freshman at her father, Steve’s alma mater, UC Santa Barbara. Sadly, Evelyn Heber passed away in 2006.

The “Hubba” Scholarship:

To honor Mr. Heber’s birthday several years ago, two of his nieces established an annual “Hubba” Scholarship at North High.  It is given each year to the member of any athletic team, (but not necessarily an athlete,) who has good grades and honorable character and has made a significant contribution to athletics at North High School.  The scholarship is administered by the scholarship committee at North in cooperation with the coaches and athletic director and is awarded to a graduating senior each spring to encourage the student to continue his/her higher education.

Jack Hill, North High’s first principal, opened North High in the fall of 1953 with freshmen and sophomores. From the beginning, he realized that athletics complemented academics and was a very important part of the overall school curriculum.

Jack had been the principal at Shafter High School since 1942 and had built a very strong and dedicated faculty at that school. He brought many of his first faculty from Shafter and they filled many of the important positions at North. He paid special attention to athletics. Two of North’s first coaches who were hired by Jack are being honored tonight:  Dick Heber and Jordan Eliades.

Jack had an outstanding sports background in his own right. An all-sport performer at Pomona High School in Southern California, some of his records still stand to this day – 90 years after his high school career.

After high school, he went to the University of California at Berkeley where he pitched and played outfield for the Golden Bears. In 1927 he was part of the Golden Bear team that traveled to Japan to teach the Japanese people about the sport of baseball.

In 1929, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds and was thought to be one of three (3) “can’t miss” players in the National League.

As sometimes happens, fate took a turn that would change the course of Jack Hill’s life that fall when his father died of a sudden unexpected heart attack. Jack quickly left the Reds to return home for the funeral and to help his brother with the family business. He was never able to go back to Cincinnati.

Jack and his brother tried in vain to keep the family business going, but, it finally went under during the height of the Great Depression in 1933.  At that point Jack figured that the baseball career was over and he went back to finish his degree at Fresno State and also get a teaching credential.

His first teaching job was at Vineland School locally and then he was in the group that started East High in 1938. In the meantime he had married the love of his life, Blanche Cook in 1934 and Jack and Blanche started a family in 1940.

Jack taught history and economics at East High and was an assistance football coach and varsity baseball coach.  He was promoted to be principal at Shafter High in 1942 and stayed there until North High opened.

Jack’s stay at North High was cut short in May of 1955 by a sudden and fatal heart attack at the age of 48. Although Jack died way before he was able to see the full greatness of North, Blanche carried on his legacy raising two sons before she went to be with Jack in 2003 at the age of 96.

Earning a spot on the first National Junior Olympic Wrestling Team in 1967 was probably the highlight of John’s wrestling career.  After winning the California State Junior Olympic Championships at 178.5 lbs. held in Bakersfield, seventeen year-old John traveled to Illinois to wrestle for a spot on the National team.  Fifty-seven finalists from around the country reported to a training camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago.  John won the Greco Roman tournament in his weight class at a time when that style of wrestling was almost totally unfamiliar to U.S. high school wrestlers.   In Greco Roman, a wrestler cannot use his legs to take down an opponent; it is all upper body strength.

From Illinois, the two teams, made up of nineteen young men from the United States and one from Canada, traveled to Germany  where they  won all  four dual meets against the “cream of West Germany’s young wrestlers”.  After seventeen days in Europe, John returned to Bakersfield and went on to amass a 40-0 record his senior year winning the title of California Wrestler of the Year in 1968.

John lost only one match in his last two seasons at North High bringing his overall high school record to 91-6-2.  He was a two time CIF Valley Champion at 175lbs and 191lbs, and, Co-MVP of the team in 1967 and ’68.  After graduating from North, he went on to wrestle for two years at Bakersfield  College and one year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on a football/wrestling scholarship.

John was a two sport athlete while at North High, playing football for three years also.  He was selected to the All City Team in 1966 as a defensive back, and then in 1967, as an Offensive Back.  His senior year, he was Co-MVP and team captain.

While playing for BC, he was a member of the Metropolitan Conference Championship team in 1969 and was voted to the All Conference Team in 1970.

John graduated from Cal State University Bakersfield in 1974 with a teaching credential, and taught at Royal High School in Simi Valley where he also coached football and wrestling.   In 1975, John moved his family back to Bakersfield  to take over his family business.  His Dad,  John Sr.,  started Oildale Auto Parts in 1960, and, John and his wife of 41 years still run it today.  John met Debbie at North High in 1966, his two daughters, Lori and Erin, were North High athletes, and his son-in-law, Darin, taught and coached at North High.  He also has a nine-year old grandson, Devon who loves to play football.

When John was selected as Prep of the Week, January 31, 1968, the Bakersfield Californian asked his coach, Win Bootman, this question. “Does the wrestler make the coach or does the coach make the wrestler?  Coach Bootman replied, “neither”…in the case of John Miller.  “I’d say the key to John’s success has been his parents…They never boast about their boy and I never have heard John boast about his accomplishments.  Humility is Miller’s greatest attribute.”  He went on to say, that Miller combines strength with grace and balance…and, is as great a high school football player as a wrestler.

In his three year varsity football career, Randy gained over 2400 yards and is considered one of North High’s top ball carriers in the school’s history.  Often considered small and slow for his specialties, running back, defensive back, punt and kickoff returner, Randy maximized his skills with aggressiveness and intense desire.  Those skills earned him a full ride athletic scholarship to the University of New Mexico.

But football wasn’t the only sport Randy played while at North High.  As a freshman, he was on the Junior Varsity Baseball Team, and, he lettered in Track as a sophomore and junior as well.  He was a three-year, first team, varsity running back and defensive back for the Stars from 1969-1971, was voted Co-MVP of his team as a junior and was MVP of the 1970 undefeated football team.   In 1971, the Stars came back to win a three-way tie for the League championship.  He was voted to the All City teams in 1971 and 1972, and was named All–City Back of the Year in 1972.  Randy was also Student Body Vice President his senior year.

After graduating from North High, Randy was selected to play in the third annual Aloha Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.  He was one of 28 players chosen to participate in this bowl game pitting the top California graduating seniors against those from Hawaii.  Three California high school football coaches picked the players based on their football ability, citizenship and desire to play football.  Randy’s desire to play the game might have come from his two older brothers, Darrell and Roger, who both played football at North High.

At the University of New Mexico, Randy became the first freshman ever to start in the defensive backfield for the Lobos.  He retained that position for the remainder of his college career, leading the nation in punt returns his senior year.  For three years running, he was voted All WAC Defensive Back of the Year.  After college, he played four and a half years in the NFL as a defensive back and special team player for the Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions, and, the Cleveland Browns including Super Bowl XII for the Broncos.  Randy was inducted into the Bob Elias Hall of Fame in 1996.

Randy retired from the NFL and spent the next eighteen years in broadcasting as the President and General Manager of the oldest contemporary Christian music station in the United States.  During his time at KLYT, he was a leader in developing regional satellite networks and was awarded the National Station Manager of the Year in 1997.  With the development of a multi media interactive video program called “Change Your World”, he was able to present a message of hope and encouragement in hundreds of schools across the country.  Apart from his relationship with his three daughters, this was the most rewarding thing he has done.

In May of 2009, Randy began a new phase in his life when he accepted his current position as Vice President of Philanthropy at K-LOVE and Air 1 Radio Networks.  Both networks aim to effectively communicate the Gospel message to those who don’t know or fully understand it, through full time contemporary Christian music.

Randy and his wife, Cathy McCall, live in Roseville, California.

Guy was one of the top scholar athletes ever to play sports at North High, and, graduated with honors in both athletics and academics in 1961. Raised in Oildale and graduating from Beardsley Junior High in 1957, his father, Guy Sr., was a WWII U.S. Army veteran who saw combat while landing on the beaches of Italy and Sicily. During his North High career, Guy excelled in football, basketball, and, baseball. He played three years of varsity football under legendary coach, and, fellow inductee, Turk Eliades. He was All-Valley in both football and basketball as a junior and senior, and, led the SYL in scoring as a senior on the basketball team.

As a pitcher for the Star’s baseball team, he was All-SYL as a junior, but, had to sit out his senior year with a broken arm. He was unaware of the broken arm that had occurred during the football season, yet, he still made All -Valley in both football and basketball that year! In 1961, he won the Sam Lynn Award for the top scholar/athlete in Kern County.

With a high school GPA of 3.97, Guy was awarded a full ride scholarship to Stanford University to play football. While at Stanford, he played under four legendary coaches; Jack “Cactus” Curtis, John Ralston, the “Great” Bill Walsh, and, Mike White. At 190 pounds, Guy played varsity offensive and defensive end from 1961-1964, and, co-captained his team in 1964 along with Dick Ragsdale. His teammates awarded him the “Vern Purcell Award” as the “Most with the least”. Bill Walsh was quoted as saying “Guy Rounsaville was the toughest player I ever coached”.

Guy graduated from Stanford in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, and, then attended the Hastings Law School receiving his law degree in 1968. In 1969, he was admitted to the California Bar Association, and, later, went to work for Wells Fargo based in San Francisco. In eight short years, he became the lead attorney for Wells Fargo and remained in that position until 1998 when the bank merged with NorWest Bank Corporation.

During his exceptional career, Guy became an impassioned leader and champion with the worthy cause of providing opportunities for minorities in the workplace; also known as “Workplace Diversity”. Former Speaker of the House for the California State Assembly, and, San Francisco Mayor, Willie Brown, issued a proclamation for “Guy Rounsaville, Jr. Day” on November 19, 1998. Brown’s statement declared “Whereas, Guy Rounsaville’s vision, determination, courage, and commitment to equality of opportunity have formed a transformation of hiring, retention, and advancement practices of law firms and corporate law departments across the most diverse State in the country.”

His accomplishments as an attorney are too many to list here tonight. Although Guy now resides in Hillsborough in the bay area with his wife of 38 years, Lenore, he will always be an ‘08er at heart. He has two grown daughters, Ashley and Lindsey, who are now involved with their own careers.

Welcome home, Guy.