(PHOENIX, Ariz., Oct. 1, 2003) – The Phoenix College Alumni Association Board of Directors will present the Phoenix College History Makers 5th Annual Alumni Hall of Fame Induction dinner and silent auction on Friday, Oct. 3 beginning at 6 p.m. During the event, eight prominent locals will be honored and recognized for their contributions to the college and community.

These well known local standouts will be applauded for their talented work and inducted into the Phoenix College Alumni Association Hall of Fame. The following are the 2003 inductees and their biographical sketches:

Wing F. Ong – Class of 1939: Ong arrived in the United States at age 11 with hopes of learning English and experiencing education. His many achievements started at a young age when he won a $20 gold piece for academic achievement at Phoenix Union High School. After graduating from Phoenix College, Ong went on to attend the University of Arizona Law School, preparing himself for future political positions. In 1946, he ran for the Arizona State Legislature and was the first Asian-American to be elected to a public office in the Western Hemisphere. After winning another term, he decided to practice federal law in San Francisco, helping immigrants into the United States. In 1958, he returned to Phoenix and ran for State Senate, becoming the first and only Asian-American in Arizona history to be elected to the State Senate.

Marshall Humphrey – Class of 1949: A North High School graduate, Humphrey attended Phoenix College for two years before moving on to the University of Arizona where he graduated with a degree in Agronomy. Following graduation, Humphrey was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives where he served in several leadership positions as a Republican. Leading a life of service, he served as a board member to Kennecott Copper Co., was Chairman of the Arizona Power Authority, President of the Chandler Ginning Company, President of the Babe Ruth League and unofficial social director of St. Mathew’s Episcopal Church. Some of his happiest times were spent fishing in Mexico and exploring Baja.

Darrell Sawyer – Class of 1951: Sawyer had a dream of owning his own aviation business and spent his life chasing it. In 1949, he started Phoenix College Flying School where he earned his Commercial and Instructor Certificates before leaving for the Air Force in 1951. Four years later, he returned to Phoenix and enrolled in the College of Business at ASU. A few years after graduation, Sawyer’s dream became a reality when he started Sawyer Aviation. His aviation business spent nine years at Deer Valley Airport before relocating to Sky Harbor. During the 30 years at Sky Harbor, Sawyer Aviation graduated over 5,000 pilots, many of which went on to noteworthy aviation careers. Sawyer was inducted into the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame and Sawyer Aviation received recognition from the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and the ASU College of Business.

Betty Greathouse – Class of 1962: Graduating with honors from Phoenix College in 1962 was only the beginning for Greathouse. While at PC, she was inducted into the Iota Sigma Honor Society and was the first African-American and the first female to receive the Vera E. Gibson Social Science Award. Greathouse went on to earn three degrees from ASU and received numerous honors and awards while in school, including being named one of the Top 10 Women in the College of Education. While earning her degrees, she taught elementary school in the Phoenix Elementary School District and earned the Carnation Outstanding Teaching Incentive Award in 1971. Because of her excellent performance, Greathouse was selected a Tempe All American Educator and one of Arizona’s Outstanding Professionals in 1985 and received the Maricopa County Community Outstanding Alumni Award in 1989. She has a history of strong community involvement and retired as a professor emeritus from ASU in 2000.

R. Robert Jones – Class of 1972: Jones, Superintendent of the Madison Elementary School District since April 1993, has a special connection to the Madison District considering that his grandparents and great-aunt also taught for the district. Throughout his career, Jones has held many positions in the field of education from classroom teacher to Superintendent. Earning his AA degree from Phoenix College, Jones went on to become a connoisseur of Arizona universities. He earned a Bachelor degree from University of Arizona, a Masters degree from Arizona State University and a Doctoral degree from Northern Arizona University. Jones has a history of community involvement including memberships in the Arizona School Administrators Association, the American Association of School Administrators and Charter Member of Superintendency Institute of America, Inc., to name a few.

Shirley Agnos – Class of 1987: A 41-year resident of Arizona, Agnos is currently the President of Arizona Town Hall and has worked with town halls since their founding in 1961. After attending Phoenix College, she earned her B.A. and M.B.A. from Arizona State University. Throughout her years in Arizona, Agnos has worked with over 30 charities and organizations. Currently she serves on the Board of Directors for the Camelback Community Bank, the Institute for Children, Youth & Families (University of Arizona), and is a member of the Judicial Oversight Council of the Limited Jurisdiction Courts of Maricopa County, Soroptimists International of Phoenix, Valley Leadership, Merit Selection Panel and U.S. Magistrate Judge.

Paul Berumen (Rising Star Award) – Class of 1998: A native of Phoenix, Berumen has served Mayor Skip Rimsza as his Assistant since 1996. Included in his many duties are planning and zoning issues, housing and neighborhood policy, appointments to city boards and commissions and Hispanic Preservation. Berumen has taken leaves of absence to serve as the Campaign Coordinator for Arizona Citizens Opposed to Proposition 203, fighting to preserve bilingual education in Arizona schools. He also worked as the Voter Outreach Director for the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office in 1998. After receiving his B.A. from Arizona State University, he was named one of four ASU Community Fellows for the 2001-2002 academic year. Berumen serves on numerous boards and committees including De Colores Women’s Shelter, Valle Del Sol Junior Golf, Valley Teen Leadership and the Phoenix Police Department’s Hispanic Advisory Board. He is also a funding member of the Coalition for Latino Political Action.

Luis Baiz (Faculty Award) – Class of 1964: Baiz began his education at Phoenix College and recently ended his official teaching career there as well. After 32 years of teaching at Phoenix College, he recently retired and is now teaching one class part-time. Before retiring, his teaching responsibilities at Phoenix College included ceramics, drawing and design. While at Phoenix College as a student, Baiz received a wrestling scholarship to Brigham Young University and eventually moved on to Arizona State University. Currently, he is in the National Wrestlers Hall of Fame for Community Colleges. He has served as the co-sponsor of MECHA, Fine Arts Club and Fine Arts committee as well as on the Budget, Staffing and other campus committees. He also served as the department chair of Art and Music and was elected Faculty Senate President.

For more information about the Phoenix College Alumni Association or to purchase tickets for the event, please call (602) 285-7667.

Individual ticket price is $37.50 and proceeds go to Phoenix College Scholarships.

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