Peoria High School Hall of Fame returns after 24-year hiatus

By Philip Haldiman
Mail | X: @PhilipHaldiman

The Peoria High School Hall of Fame returned April 6 with a ceremony honoring 17 new inductees ranging from the class of 1965 to the class of 2000.

The last inductee ceremony was held in spring of 2000.

Bobby Gonzalo, who graduated from the high school in 1968, said the hall of fame has been dormant but plans are being made for future events.

“We plan on doing it every year and also creating a library of our history by scanning all our yearbooks going back to 1934 and creating hall of fames for our alumni, teachers and staff, athletes and in the area of the performing arts,” he said.

David “Skinny” Hill was the master of ceremonies for the April 6 event and John Mulcahy was a guest speaker.

The reception was held at Peoria High School. Lemonade, tea and hor d‘oeuvres were served.

“What we are trying to do is keep the history of Peoria High School going,” Gonzalo said. “The goal is to honor PHS graduates who have been successful in life. Some might have been successful in building companies. Others have been successful in giving back to the community and to the school.”

The following were inducted into the hall of fame at the event.

Buz Turner
Class of 1966
Educator – Glendale District

Ron Hildreth
Class of 1967
Educator – Peoria District

Rodney Wacker
Class of 1969
CEO of Celestial Care Company

Rebecca Osuna
Class of 1969
Educator – Cartright District

Angie Amarillas

Eva Osuna
Class of 1974
Community Leader – Educator

Lee Lopez
Class of 1977
CEO of Hardrock Concrete Inc.

Paul Medina
Class of 1980
CEO of GMS Concrete Inc.

Cherry Craig Coats
Class of 1981
Educator – Peoria District

Albert Zavala
Class of 1983
U.S. Postal Service – 34 years

Deston F. Coleman
Class of 1986
Lieutenant Colonel – Arizona Department of Public Safety

Chenele Budd Dixon
Class of 1988
State of Idaho Representative

Andrea Tovar
Class of 1988
Educator and Author

Monika Suarez
Class of 1991
Public Finance Professional

Michelle Olibarria (Stoffey)
Class of 1992
Educator – Peoria District

Joshua Fischer
Class of 2000
Naval Officer, Supply Corp Officer and Pilot

Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.