Fister, Randle part of Golden Valley High’s first Hall of Fame class
As part of Golden Valley High School celebrating its 25th anniversary since the school opened, a group of alumni have formed the Golden Valley High School Alumni Foundation.
The foundation is hosting the inaugural Outstanding Alumni and Staff Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Merced County Fair Pavilion. There will be a social hour preceding the dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The dinner is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
The Hall of Fame won’t just honor athletics, but also alumni and staff who have made significant contributions to the legacy of the high school and the community.
The inaugural class includes 10 inductees, including original Golden Valley principal Ralf Swenson.
Swenson served as principal at Golden Valley from 1993 to 2007.
“I have a lot of memories from that time,” Swenson said. “I remember all the work that went in to opening and starting the school. Bringing in all the teachers and staff who came on board. Those first couple years it was a challenge to create traditions. We were a new school and we wanted to make everyone comfortable going from a one high school town to a two high school town.”
“We were really successful right away because we had the right people on staff in terms of teachers and coaches,” he added.
The first Hall of Fame class includes athletes like former Major League pitcher Doug Fister, professional football player Chris Randle and the school’s best volleyball player in Jacque Robinson Huggins.
Fister pitched in the Major Leagues from 2009 to 2018 for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. The baseball diamond at Golden Valley has been named Doug Fister Field.
After a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys, Randle played eight seasons in the Canadian Football League from 2012-19.
Robinson-Huggins was a two-time All-American in volleyball.
“It’s such a huge honor,” Randle said. “The time I spent at Golden Valley helped shape the person I am today. When I was in high school I was finding my way. I worked hard, I hung around the right people and made relationships that helped me get where I wanted to go.”
Other inductees include:
- Aaron Castleton, who is a local attorney, who played on the Cougars Sac-Joaquin Section championship basketball team in 1997.
- Donna Ivy, who was an original administrative assistant at the high school and for many years could be seen at almost every sporting event capturing images for the students with her camera.
- Mike Murphy, the current Merced Mayor graduated in 1997 from Golden Valley. Murphy was the senior class president and captain of the wrestling team.
- Rob Strickland, who spent 20 years as a social studies teacher and was the first water polo coach at the school. Strickland is also a member of the Atwater High and Merced College Hall of Fames.
- Greg Christiansen, who was the original band director of the Cardinal Regime when the school opened.
- Sue Bangon Emanivong, who is a local business owner and graduated from the high school in 1999.
