Talk about having to follow in some big shoes, Greg Williamson had to do just that when he entered North High in 1978. His grandfather George Williamson was the Principal of North High from 1955-1965 and his father Bill Williamson was an outstanding football player at BHS, BC and later at Utah State. Both Grandpa and Pop were previously inducted into the NH Hall of Fame.

As a youngster, Greg grew up around North High, regularly attending Friday night football games with his father Bill and participating in youth sports. Jack Frost football, NOR basketball, baseball and track and field were all played on North’s facilities.

Greg was a standout two sport performer at North High but he also excelled in the classroom. He played two years on the varsity in both football and baseball. In football, playing for the great coach Turk Eliades, he played both offensive and defensive lineman. As a senior, he was named the team’s most outstanding lineman and also awarded the George Williamson Award as team MVP. That was dear to his heart since it was named after his late grandfather. Additionally he named to both the All-SYL and All-City teams.

In baseball, Greg played first base and pitched for head coach Tony Silver. In his junior year the Stars won the school’s first ever Valley baseball championship. On that team was future major league pitcher Bruce Walton. As a senior, he posted a 5-1 record on the mound as the team made the playoffs but were defeated in the first round. He was also named all-SYL.

Three different times he was awarded the STAR Award for athletic ability, scholarship, sportsmanship, competitive attitude and citizenship. To top off his high school career he was the recipient of the prestigious Sam Lynn Award, symbolic of the school’s best athlete.

After North High he received a football scholarship from San Diego State University. He earned three letters while playing for the Aztecs. A versatile player, he played both offense and defense. As a senior, the team won the Western Athletic Conference Championship and went on to play in the Holiday Bowl. He later signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers but was let go on waivers.

From there it was on to bigger and greater thing. He graduated from SDSU with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration and quickly turned his education into law enforcement. Ironically his first job was as campus supervisor at guess where–North High. He went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Cal State Bakersfield and joined the Bakersfield Police Department in 1989. In 2010 he was named Chief of Police and still serves in that post.

While working at North High he coached the junior varsity and varsity football teams from 1987 to 1996 and periodically assisted with the varsity baseball team. He went on to follow in his father’s footsteps, coaching Jack Frost football until 2009. He’s proud of the fact that 14 of his former players now work for the department with numerous others working for public safety departments throughout the county.

He credits his athletic success to have been taught and coached by previous NH Hall of Fame inductees Aubrey Allen, Bill Bimat, George Culver, Jordan “Turk” Eliades, Rick Harvick, Stan Ingram, Keith Montgomery, Jack O’Brien, Dick Ross, Tony Silver and Lloyd Williams. Not to mention the imposing figure of his father Bill.

Greg and his wife Aimee (Class of 1988) will be celebrating their 25^th year of marriage this year. They have a son Beau who is now an officer with the BPD and daughter Bryn who is on scholarship at Cal State Fullerton. She is also an athlete, competing in the pole vault on a ladies’ track team.

Move over North High Athletics Hall of Fame, there’s a new sheriff in town.

On a fateful day in the summer of 1965, before Bonnie’s first grade year, the young Vaughan Family: mom, dad, and four little kids, found themselves moving from lush Seattle to Oildale after Standard Oil transferred Mr. Vaughan’s job.

Bonnie’s athletic talent was obvious during her years attending Highland Elementary and Standard Jr. High. She still holds the long jump record at both schools and her coach at Standard remembers one track meet when Bonnie anchored the boys relay team for a big come from behind victory. She was NOR ‘Queen of the Court’ for her basketball skills and was a fierce competitor in the NOR softball program.

Bonnie came to North High in 1973, the same year Title IX went into effect. North’s administration selected Bonnie as the student representative for the school’s Title IX advisory committee.

As a freshman on North’s first ever girls’ track team, Bonnie set a long jump mark of 17’6”. All these years later, she still holds this record even though a knee issue ended her jumping career when she was a junior. Bonnie also competed in the low hurdles, the 220, 440, and various relay teams. Her long jump coach, Bill Bimat, was a huge inspiration for Bonnie all through high school and beyond.   And with Coach Gary Kuster’s motivation, Bonnie became an accomplished hurdler and quarter miler.

Bonnie went out for volleyball her sophomore year and was voted “Most Improved Player” and named 2nd Team All-League. As a junior, she made 1st Team All-League and was voted MVP. Bonnie was 1st Team All-League again her senior year and was voted her team’s “Most Inspirational Player.” All these athletic accomplishments helped earn her the “Sam Lynn Award” as the school’s outstanding senior female athlete. Bonnie was also elected ASB Vice-President.

To help pay for college, Bonnie worked her high school weekends in the kitchen at North Kern Golf Course and, as a result, took up a life-long love for golf.

After high school, Bonnie went back north to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. She walked on to the UW volleyball team and earned a starting spot. After graduation Bonnie worked at the Washington Attorney General’s office, then in TV news at Seattle’s CBS affiliate until winning a round trip ticket to Finland and spending much of the next three years traveling through Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. Bonnie returned to Seattle to earn a teaching credential and a master’s degree then taught elementary school for 12 years.

Pursuing a passion for kayaking, Bonnie moved to an island in southern Chile and became the English teacher for the children of the island’s subsistence farming families. She came back to the States with a new calling to teach English as a second language. After earning an ESL certificate in 2004, Bonnie moved back to Oildale and now teaches grateful immigrants from all over the world at the Kern High School District’s Adult ESL program.

In 2010 Bonnie married the North High classmate who sat in the desk next to her every time he had the chance.

Bob Shore was another great North High athlete born and raised in the streets of Oildale in the late 50’s and early 60’s. He attended Highland Elementary then later Standard Junior High where he was the Student Body President. He entered North in 1961 and would become one of the few athletes from the school to ever receive a football scholarship from Stanford University.

He was an outstanding football player obviously but also excelled in wrestling, track and field and even tried to play a little basketball as a freshman. He played Class B football as a freshman but a concussion limited his sophomore season on the JV’s. Then as a junior playing for legendary NH coach Turk Eliades, he began to blossom, playing offensive and defensive tackle. The 1963 team became co-Champs of the SYL by beating their old rival Taft High Wildcats. He was team captain of the 1964 team that played the BHS Drillers to a tie and ended their 18-game winning streak. For his efforts he was named All-City and All-SYL and the 1964 Harry Coffee Award as team MVP. At the end of the school year he was named to the 1965 California North-South Shrine All-Star game.

He was also a successful wrestler in Coach Win Bootman’s program, on the JV’s as a soph then 2 years on the varsity. He wrestled in both the 175 lb. and 191 lb. classes. He tried basketball as a freshman but switched to wrestling due to growing pains (6” that year!!). His big claim in basketball was that he made 9 of 10 free throws on the season. He threw the shot put and discus on the track team, as a soph on the JV’s and then 2 years on the varsity. He was a member of the record setting shot put team that won the EB Relays his senior year.

As a result, he was the 1965 winner of the Sam Lynn Award, symbolic of the best senior athlete in the school.

Then the good stuff began as he received a full ride scholarship to Stanford University. He played pulling guard and was a member of an undefeated freshman team coached by Hall of Famer Dick Vermeil. He then lettered the next three years on the varsity. He caught a tackle eligible touchdown pass from Stanford great Gene Washington and blocked for another Stanford legend Jim Plunkett. After graduation, he helped coach the freshman team in 1969 at Stanford before receiving a Bachelor’s of Science degree in petroleum engineering.

He began playing rugby as a sophomore and was a member of the Stanford team that won the Monterey National Rugby Tournament three years in a row. Then in 1971, he used his Rugby expertise to found and became a player/coach for the Kern County Rugby Club. He was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2012. He coached and refereed soccer for 12 years while his son Jason and daughter Brianna, played AYSO. He recently helped coach his grandson Christopher’s AYSO team.

In 1968 Bob married his high school sweetheart Tanis, a graduate of South High. He recently retired after a successful career in the Kern County oil and gas industry. But he’s still an active energy investment consultant along with working the family wine business in Paso Robles.

Congratulations to Bob, just another 08er making us proud.

The saying goes that “Father Time” is undefeated but Dave Quick may well have dispelled that theory. And they say big things come in small packages. There couldn’t be a better definition of this guy. He entered North High in 1969, stretching out at 5’ tall and weighing 80 lbs. He graduated a gigantic 5’8” and 122 pounds!!!

When Dave was a sophomore in what may have been a first and only time in North high school history, all three of his other brothers were in school at the same time. Mike (Class of ’71), Pat (Class of ’72) and Jack (Class of ’74) were all there at the same time!!

He graduated from Standard Jr. High in 1969, then went on to North High and competed in football and track and field all four years. While at North High he was on the Class “C” football team his first two years and JV’s as a junior. As a senior he was a defensive back on the varsity. Although weighing just 122 lbs., North’s legendary coach Turk Eliades had him listed at 40 pounds heavier in the program so teams wouldn’t run plays at him. To show you his heart, in one game he went up against the great Foothill High and future NBA star Lonnie Shelton (6’6”-250 lbs.) and defended all 5 passing attempts thrown to him.

After a stellar track and field career at North High, Bakersfield College and Cal State Bakersfield, Quick went on the become somewhat of a legend on the Masters track and field circuit. The Masters is track and field’s equivalent to golf’s senior tour. His exploits as a triple jumper at all levels borders on amazing.

He set school records in the triple jump at every level. His high school idol and mentor was the great Mark Drennan and his big thrill was breaking his school record in the TJ. From there to Bakersfield College where he was an All-Metropolitan Conference selection both years under the legendary coach Bob Covey. As a soph he was the SoCal Champ and favored in the State meet but a motorcycle mishap kept him from competing. He was elected to the BC track and field Hall of Fame in 2004.

Cal State Bakersfield came calling after BC and as a Jr. was All-CCAA Conference and made All-American under another legendary coach, Charlie Craig. That year he set the school record in the triple jump at the conference meet with a leap of 51’3.” He was injured on his first jump and had actually fallen to 2^nd place before convincing Coach Craig he could jump again, then winning the meet. He dropped out of school and incredibly returned to compete 16 years later and more than held his own. He placed 3^rd in the CCAA Conference meet in 1996 at 40 years old. He also competed for CSUB in 2007 as a 41-year old in an indoor meet.

Gary Kuster was born on a farm in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in 1939. He attended Central High School where he lettered in football, basketball, cross country, and, track & field. He was the co-captain of his track and field team which won two state championships in 1955 and 1956. During his senior year, he was elected class president, president of the senior choir, and, received the Rodney Johnson Athletic Award for outstanding male athlete of the senior class

After graduating high school in 1957, Coach Kuster attended the University of North Dakota where he ran track for four years and wrestled for three. Wrestling was a new sport at UND, only having been introduced in 1958 during his sophomore year. In November of 1958, he was asked to start the wrestling program at his alma mater, Central High School. He was able to practice with his college team every day, and, then travel to the high school to run wrestling practice there. He ended up coaching wrestling at Central for four years with his team placing sixth in the state in 1960.

Coach Kuster graduated from UND in January of 1962, and, that spring, accepted a teaching job in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. From Minnesota, he went to William S. Hart High School in Santa Clarita where he taught Math and P.E. At Hart, he also coached track and cross country for four years and wrestling for six years. His wrestling team won two league championships in 1967 and 1968.

In 1968, Coach Kuster found his way to Bakersfield and North High School where he retired from coaching in 1994, and, teaching in 2002. He spent 12 years coaching the wrestling team, 25 years with the track and field teams, and, 14 years coaching girls’ cross country. During his tenure at North, his girls’ cross country teams won league in 1983, ‘85, ‘86, & ‘90, were second in valley in 1980, and, were valley champs in 1993. Coach Kuster’s girls’ track teams won league in 1981 & ‘91.

In 1991, he received state recognition as Outstanding Girls’ Track Coach (Central Section), and, Outstanding Girls’ Cross Country Coach (Central Section) in 1992. In all of his years of coaching track and field at North, Coach Kuster had six runners place in the California State Track Meet, and, his 1977 track team missed winning state by just ONE point.

 Gary Kuster has amassed 29 years coaching track, 22 years coaching wrestling, and, 18 years leading cross country teams. To quote Pam Ash, a member of his 1982 girls’ two mile relay team, “For season after season he’s always returned. How he’ll get along without us we’ll never know. He’s our General Kuster (with legs all abow). We’d all like to thank him for all that he’s done”.