A football and track and field star during his days at North High, Darrell Rich might be a remembered more for
what he accomplished later as a teacher/coach. Darrell was born in Bakersfield in 1943 and raised in Oildale, starting his athletic career at Standard junior high.

As an 8th grader, participating in AAU Junior Olympics in 1956, he established a new national record for the softball throw with a mark of 267 feet. That year, he also was introduced to the shot put and in 1959 established a national record of 68’ 10” with the 8 lb. shot.

Darrell entered North High in 1957 where he played football, lettering 3 years and was the first 4-year letterman in track. He was the Valley runner up in the shot put as junior and won the Valley as a senior with a throw of 59’7” with the 12 lb. shot. Earlier in the year, in a meet against BHS at North, be became only the second high school competitor ever in the valley to reach 60’.

After graduating from North, Darrell attended the University of Idaho but returned home after his freshman year and enrolled at Bakersfield College.

At Bakersfield College, Darrell set a new school record with the 16 lb shot of 55’ 3 ¾” that stood for 27 years. He attended the University of New Mexico on a track and field scholarship and placed in the conference meet his junior and senior years and remains on the track and field honor roll. He graduated in 1967 with a degree in physical education.

Darrell started his coaching career at Shafter High in 1967, coaching B class football. He was also the varsity track and field head coach and his team won the league championship, producing two State qualifiers, Jan Stubbed (pole vault) and Laird Parker (mile).

He moved on to Paso Robles High the following year as head track and field coach and assistant football coach.
The following year he was promoted to head football coach and his teams won three straight league championships
and were CIF runners-up.

In 1972 he was hired at Cuesta Community College as assistant football coach and head track and field coach. He coached track and field and cross country there for 30 years. During his time at Cuesta, he coached over 50 men and women state qualifiers and state champions.

At Cuesta, he was voted Coach of the Year by his colleagues nine times and was president of the California
Community College Track and Field Association. He was also on the board of directors for the USA Track and Field Association as the California Community College representative.

He was inducted into the Bakersfield Track and Field Hall of Fame and also the State Community College
Coaches Track and Field Hall of Fame. Not to be outdone, his younger brother Randy was a standout football star at North High and later University of Mexico. He played defensive back in the NFL for the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns.

Darrell is married to Dr. Rita Rich and they have four children, Darren, Lori, Amber and Brandon. They also have eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren What a career and what a family. Welcome Darrell
Rich, one of North High’s greatest track and field athletes ever.

When you are 5’11” and a female athlete you get a lot of funny nicknames thrown your way and some of them stick. Such was the case for Lori Warkentin-Schoene when one of her classmates dubbed her “Amazon Woman.”

Lori will probably go down as one of the greatest softball pitchers in North High’s history but she was also an outstanding volleyball and basketball player. Playing varsity in all sports throughout her high school career, her size played a big part of that.

Not one to brag about her accomplishments, she was first team all-SYL in softball in both her junior and senior seasons. She gives a lot of credit to her coach, Karen Wass. In volleyball, playing for Coach Judy McDole, she was voted “Most Inspirational.” She missed her entire junior year in volleyball and suffering a severely sprained ankle when she landed on the foot of teammate Jill Turner in practice.

Lori gives a lot of credit to all the great people at North High, particularly teachers Bill Bimat, Dick Heber, Mrs. Turney and Turk Eliades. And her coaches as well, Karen Wass and Judy McDole. She remembers Heber, himself a baseball player at Cal, offering to catch her practicing pitching and being shocked at how well he handled her.

After high school she accepted a full ride scholarship to play softball at UCLA. It must have been the right decision since she was able to be a part of the 1982 Lady Bruins team that won the National Championship.

One of her greatest individual memories from UCLA was pitching an entire 21-inning game against the University of Arizona and losing 1-0 on an error. She outlasted three U of A pitchers but suffered a heart breaking loss.
She said she had trouble moving the next day. You think?

She was named MVP of other tournaments but claimed her greatest accomplishment was marrying Craig Schoene who was himself a heavyweight wrestling medalist at the Pan Am Games. Craig also coached wrestling at North High in 1983.

They proudly have three children, Brian, Amanda and Daniel. All turned out to be terrific athletes. Brian wrestled at BHS at 215#, earning 3rd in the State meet. A back injury ended his career after offers from Stanford and CSUB. Amanda was a standout volleyball player at BHS, and then attended a JC in Nebraska for two years before returning home to CSUB. She also played both volleyball and sand/beach volleyball for the Lady Roadrunners. Daniel, the baby (?) of the family stands 6’6” and 310 lbs and was an outstanding tackle for the Drillers the past three seasons.

Also a wrestler and track and field athlete, he’s headed to UNLV next year on a scholarship.

She has dedicated her life to God and her family. Lori currently works as a Labor and Delivery RN at Mercy SW Hospital. I think the babies are in good hands with “Amazon Woman.”

Skip Slayton is a true “08er”. Born at Cottage Hospital, now known as Mish Funeral home, he would grow
up in Oildale his entire childhood. His brother Rick was a North High football standout in 1964 and 1965 until knee surgery ended his football career.

As a kid going up thru that era, Skip, along with all the kids in his neighborhood that Rick terrorized, was inspired to play high school football for the North High Stars and to be like his older brother. Those days came to fruition in 1968 when he became proficient at holding bags for the varsity squad. In 1969, Skip played on varsity squad and became proficient at learning what it was like to lose as a team. However, the 1970 Team was taking shape even in that losing season. Skip was recognized on the 1969 team as a Second Team All-League Offensive Guard.

What a turn around for the 1970 team! Skip became part of the only undefeated NHS varsity football team and league champions. He made All-City and All-League Offensive Guard that season. Unfortunately, the dream season ended losing to Bullard in a rain soaked Bakersfield College football field in the first round of playoffs.

Skip wants to make sure his teammates on the 1970 team eventually get recognized in the NHS Hall of Fame. Mark Drennan, Duane Williams and Randy Rich are already members, Slayton moved to Ventura after senior year of high school and received his AA at Ventura Junior College before going onto Cal State Northridge as a Radio, Television and Film Major.

His career path however, ended him upon the restaurant business. As a local business owner for the past 37 years, Skip has been a big supporter of most NHS programs. He was heavily involved in Bill Bimah’s Project North as well as many various athletic projects . An organizer of the NHS 50 year anniversary with Jimmy Tyack, he contributed greatly to cleaning up the “B” Hall dirt oasis and transformed it into a gorgeous sitting area with trees and donated bricks for future students to enjoy. Skip is owner of Jakes Original Tex-Mex Café with his daughter, Sarah Slayton-Price, who followed in her father’s athletic footsteps as an All-Area setter for the two-time State Champion Centennial High School volleyball team. They continue their support of North High School in whatever way possible including fundraisers as well as hiring numerous North High School students for the past 30 years. Jake’s currently employs 3 current North High students and 5 alumni, including the restaurant’s General Manager.

Skip says his success today comes from the work ethic instilled in him by his parents and of course, being married to a gorgeous Shafter girl, Betsy Witcher, for the last 39 years. Skip says he and his kids wouldn’t be who they are today without his wife. His four children currently reside and work in Bakersfield. Sarah, runs the family business, Jake, the COO of Goodwill Industries, Joshua, Project Manager for Wallace and Smith and Victoria Thompson, Principal of Frontier High School.

Skip is extremely shocked and appreciative for this induction and hopes the entire 1970 team will be inducted soon.

Hard to believe this young lady found time to eat with all of her activities, not only in sports but in school as well. She surely needs a huge trophy case to house all of her hardware.

She’s another of the outstanding group of Lady Stars when Title IX first opened the doors for female athletes. Excelling in volleyball, basketball and track and field and in the classroom as well, she will go down as one of the top female student/athletes in the school’s history.

She played volleyball all four years including three on the varsity. She was all-SYL and all-Area in both her junior and senior years and was named team MVP as a senior. In basketball, she was a point guard, again playing all four years, the last three on the varsity. For her efforts she was named all-Area again as a senior. In track and field she was a four-year varsity standout, running the 800 meters, the 1,600 meters plus the mile relay while also competing in the triple-jump. At one time she held the school’s triple jump record. She placed 2nd in the 1600 meter race in the County meet . Linda won a medal in the SYL meet all four years and as a senior again named team MVP.

In 1984 she was the North girl’s State Rep in Sacramento. In 1985 she was awarded the Mayor’s Trophy, symbolic of athletic, academic, leadership and community service. Also in 1985 was given the Sam Lynn Award for the outstanding female athlete at North High. That was the same award her NH Hall of Fame father Dick Ross had won a few years before. They may be one of the few father-daughter combos to ever do that. That’s not all. She was also named winner of the Tyack Award given annually to the outstanding senior female scholar-athletes in all of Kern County.

She didn’t stop there. On to Bakersfield College where she again competed in volleyball and basketball for two years and track and field only as a freshman. In volleyball she was all-Metropolitan Conference both years and team MVP as a soph. In basketball she was a 2-year starter. In track and field she ran the 800 meters, the 1,600 meters and threw the javelin as well. She was honored with the Bob Hallum Award as the top freshman athlete and then earned the title of top sophomore Athlete of the Year in 1987.

From BC she transferred to the University of California at San Diego. Competing just in volleyball as a junior, she was part of the UCSD team that won their 3rd straight D-III National Title in 1988. She was on the court for games 3, 4 and 5 in the come from behind victory. Unfortunately they failed to make it to the National Tournament during her senior year.

So in 1988 and 1989 and finding too much time on her hands, she was the top girl intramural athlete based on highest point total in 10 events. There was softball hitting, field goal kicking, basketball shooting, mile run, 100 meter sprint, shot put, high jump, weight lifting, 100 meter freestyle swim and bowling. It seems there was nothing Linda couldn’t do.

She credits the great North High coaches Penny Roberts, Tom McQuin and Gary Kuster; administrators Bill Bimat and Warren Brooks who served as mentors; and being surrounded by incredibly athletic teammates including Wendy Martell, Karen Langston, Melinda Harrison, Pam Ash Boyles and many others.

But most of all she credits her father who inspired her to become a high school math teacher. She now lives in the San Diego area and teaches at Rancho Buena Vista High. She’s been married to Doug Van Solkema for 27 years and they have three daughters, Jodi, Megan and Anna. Ironically Megan’s College team won the D-III National Title this year, 28 years after Mom had won one.

What a resume, what a career. Congrats Linda, the fans owe you another big cheer.