The Thomas P. Ryan Hall of Fame was established more than four decades ago to honor the outstanding achievements of graduates of the East Side Union High School District. It serves to recognize East Side alumni who have achieved notable success in the fields of public service, the arts, science, athletics, business, education, and beyond.
There are East Side graduates serving in leadership roles around the world, and too often, their stories go untold. The Foundation’s goal is to make sure more of them are heard. More than 150 individuals have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1972, among them skateboarding pioneer Steve Caballero, Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Duong, retired Congressman Mike Honda, award-winning author Khaled Hosseini, nonprofit director Camille Llanes-Fontanilla, Super Bowl champion quarterback Jim Plunkett, playwright and screenwriter Luis Valdez, and Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang.
See Hall of Fame Members by Name
See Hall of Fame Members by Year
Meet the Class of 2023
We're excited to introduce the Hall of Fame Class of 2023! This amazing cohort will be formally inducted at our Hall of Fame Dinner on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at the Historic Hayes Mansion in San José.
- Meredith Curry Nuñez – Executive Director, Northern California College Promise Coalition (Piedmont Hills, 2000)
- Dr. José Vicente González – Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Santa Clara Unified School District (Yerba Buena, 1996)
- Frederick Griefer – Director, Santa Ana Homeownership Center, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Santa Teresa, 2001)
- Mike Hennessy – Owner, Hennessy's Automotive (Oak Grove, 1973)
- Wahid Kazem – Assistant Chief of Police, City of Santa Clara (Independence, 1991)
- Élida Sandoval MacArthur, Ed.D. – Superintendent, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District (Overfelt, 1987)
- Jann L. Murray-García, MD, MPH – Health Sciences Clinical Professor, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis & Director, Social Justice and Immersive Learning, Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, UC Davis Health (Yerba Buena, 1981)
- Kristi Nevarez – Managing Partner, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP (Yerba Buena, 1987)
- Lan Nguyen – Former Trustee, East Side Union High School District (Andrew Hill, 1987)
- Christina Marie Ramos – Senior Local Government Affairs Representative, PG&E (James Lick, 1997)
This year, we're also proud to recognize a pair of stalwart advocates for education as our Special Honorees:
- Paul Humphries is a retired Silicon Valley executive, philanthropist, and longtime board Chair of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation.
- Michael W. Kirst is Professor Emeritus of Education at Stanford University and the longest serving President in the history of the California State Board of Education, serving from 1975 to 1982, and again from 2011 until 2019.
Please save the date to join us for dinner and stay tuned for more information about tickets and sponsorship opportunities.
Hall of Fame Nominations
Nominations for the Hall of Fame are open to the community and accepted on a rolling basis. The Foundation’s Board of Directors evaluates nominees for induction every two years. All inductees are honored on permanent plaques outside Board Chambers at the district office.
The ideal Hall of Fame candidate:
- Achieves widespread recognition in their chosen field;
- Makes significant contributions to society;
- Demonstrates outstanding citizenship;
- Exhibits qualities of leadership; and
- Demonstrates qualities in a manner that will inspire the students of the ESUHSD.