District honors 2012 Graduates of Distinction

District honors 2012 Graduates of Distinction
Tuesday June 5, Superintendent Mick Miller and school board members honored the 2011-2012 Graduates of Distinction. This marks the 14th year of our Graduates of Distinction Program, established in 1999 to recognize and honor the distinguished achievements of our high school graduates.

Special thanks to our Graduates of Distinction selection committee:
- Anne Golden, School Board Representative, Peggy Sanderson, Josh Gonzales, Doug Bayne, Art Griff, Dondi Cortinas, Federico Diaz

John P. Folsom - Class of 1962
John P. Folsom's high school years were filled with a variety of activities and interests, including ASB presidency in his senior year. They were a great precursor for this 1962 graduate's life-long accomplishments. After earning a business degree, becoming a Certified Public Account and then a lawyer, Folsom proved himself in the business world, ending his official career at Brown & Brown Inc. in Tacoma in 2006. But that is just the tip of the iceberg for this enterprising man.

His long history of community service projects in his beloved second hometown has earned him the nickname "Mr. Tacoma." He has been active in the Tacoma Arts Fund, Board of the Multicare Health System, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA and the Executive Council for a Greater Tacoma. In 2011, he received the Kim and George Tanbara, M.D. Humanitarian Award from Community Health Care, honoring his leadership and action in health care initiatives.

Inspirational teacher(s): Russell Larsen, music instructor, and Don Cramer, a teacher and coach.

Jill Largent M.D. - Class of 1968
The life of Jill Largent M.D. has been one of both academic success and defying the odds. The 1968 Wa-Hi graduate was a National Merit Scholar, Valedictorian and straight A student, but she also grew up in a time when women didn't compete in athletics or the tough math and science courses. She actually ran the 440 quite well and excelled in those tough classes, receiving the annual Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award and earning a rare scholarship to the school where she was able to be in a program that allowed her to complete her undergraduate and medical degrees in just six years.

Largent earned specialties in both Pediatrics and Nephrology (children's kidney disorders) and practiced at Albany (NY) Medical Center and the distinguished Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, PA, until her retirement. She was a catalyst in establishing summer camps for children with spina bifida and severe kidney problems. She physically and financially supported these Camp Kydnies that allowed these children to spend a week away from home in places where their medical needs could be met. She and her husband, John, still play Santa and helper for young patients at the Geisinger Children's Hospital. She loves horses and shares that joy with young people at a Kid Horse Camp.

Inspirational teacher: Math teacher Bill Bieloh

Megan Ferguson Clubb - Class of 1974
Megan Ferguson Clubb hails from a long-standing family in the Walla Walla Valley and has risen beyond the challenge to successfully lead the oldest independently owned community bank in the Pacific Northwest' Baker Boyer Bank. A 1974 graduate of Wa-Hi, Clubb was active in National Honor Society and was simultaneously president of two organizations: Walla Walla Wagonettes and Kappa Ki, a service club. She earned a degree in Economics from Whitman College and a Master of Science Degree from the Sloan School of Management, MIT.

She held many positions within Baker Boyer bank before being named President in 2000 and, later, CEO. Under her leadership, Baker Boyer ranked 23rd on the Top 200 Community Banks list, compiled by U.S. Banker, in 2010 and the institution earned first place in the 2011 Seattle Business Magazine's 'Best Places to Work in Washington' in 2011. She also spearheaded a workplace wellness initiative, honored recently for Leadership in Health Care. In 2011, she was named to the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. On the community front, Clubb is an acting Trustee for Whitman College and has been involved with the Walla Walla Watershed Alliance Board, Carnegie Art Center, Blue Mountain Community Foundation and the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation.

Inspirational teacher: Middle school Spanish and English teacher Ruth Hanson