Raymond L. Powers (1964)

2017 Hall of Fame Inductee

Business executive.

At Topeka High Ray Powers played the clarinet in the “Gold Band”. After graduation, like many a male Trojan, he entered the Army for two years (1965-67). Upon his discharge he returned home taking a job at Hallmark Cards as Group Leader in the Quality Dept. (the Topeka warehouse). Slowly but surely he rose through the ranks, along the way earning his Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Arts Technology/Management from Central Missouri State University (1982) and a Master’s in Management from Baker University (1995). Upon moving to Kansas City, Mr. Powers enjoyed growing responsibilities including graphic arts engineer, proofing & testing manager, safety & environmental manager, and so forth. He then became Production Manager at the Leavenworth plant and next Plant Manager in Kansas City. In 1995 Hallmark elevated him to Vice President – North American Production and as a corporate officer (first African-American as a vice president) and still later (2002) Vice President of Manufacturing. He retired in 2007.

Bradley K. Garlinghouse (1989)

2017 Hall of Fame Inductee

President of Student Council, World editor, Homecoming King candidate; of course, it all meant one day Mr. Garlinghouse would be featured, with picture, on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. At the University of Kansas, where he was elected Student Body President, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics (1993). After a brief stint with SBC Communications in Kansas City in 1997, Mr. Garlinghouse was awarded a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard. Then it was off to California and Silicon Valley. From 2003 to 2008 he was with Yahoo! becoming its Senior Vice President, Communications & Communities. Other business experience includes AOL, Inc. and being CEO of Hightail, a leading provider of cloud based file management services. Today (2017) he is CEO of Ripple, a San Francisco company that provides “secure, instant and nearly free global financial transactions of any size.” As for the Wall Street Journal story, see Kevin J. Delaney, “As Yahoo Falters, Executive’s Memo Calls for Overhaul,” November 18-19, 2006, p. A1.P.S., his memo was titled “The Peanut Butter Manifesto.”

Brig. Gen. Norman Ramsey (June, 1900)

2016 Hall of Fame Inductee

In a career that spans three ward, Brig. Gen. Norman F. Ramsey (1882-1963) dropped out of Topeka High to participate in the Spanish-American War and later the Philippine Insurrection, seeing combat in the latter, Pvt. Ramsey kept a diary but also wrote back to the THS World about his experiences overseas (courtesy of the family, the THSHS has a copy of his diary). Upon discharge, he returned to Topeka High, graduated, and subsequently obtained an appointment to West Point where he was president of his class, 1905. Assigned to the Ordinance Corps, Ramsey was briefly in France in World War I. When World War II broke out he headed the Army Ordinance Arsenal at Rock Island, IL. In 1926 he earned the Soldier’s Medal for heroism when he risked his life to save others at a New Jersey ordinance depot on fire. For his service, Gen. Ramsey received numerous awards including French Legion d’Honneure and made a Commander of the British Empire. He and his wife Minna Bauer, also a THS graduate (June, 1901), had one surviving son, Norman, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1989.

Stewart H. Bailey (1985)

2016 Hall of Fame Inductee

After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in journalism, Stewart Bailey did what any young lad would do finding himself in New York City and interested in show biz; he became an NBC page. Years earlier, Bailey had an active career at Topeka High: A.F.S., Computer Club, Frisbee Club, Tennis, Thespians, with parts in the plays Bus Stop and The Music Man and a senior year topped with selection to National Honor Society and King of Courts. If at Topeka High he was on stage, in New York he became rooted back stage with numerous assignments such as production assistant at Saturday Night Live, executive producer of NBC’s New Year’s Eve from Times Square, and producer of an NBC special of The Voice in LA. All of this he topped as co-executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart earning Bailey four Emmys and three Peabody Awards. Currently he is executive producer of Last Call with Carson Daly on NBC.

Dr. John Atkinson

2016 Hall of Fame Inductee

What does the quarterback of the Trojan football team become after graduation? A clinical researcher of the human immune system. To quote from his Hall of Fame nomination, Dr. Atkinson at Washington University in St. Louis “has published over 250 peer-reviewed, original scientific publications and over 180 reviews, case reports, editorials and book chapters…. He has 8 active patents and 12 actively funded grants.” He was just as busy his three years at Troy: Co-captain of the football team, forward on the varsity basketball squad, baseball Honor “T”, Sophomore and Junior Class president, President of Student Congress and King of the All-School Party. After Topeka High, he earned his Bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Kansas (Phi Beta Kappa). Since 1971, Dr. Atkinson has been associated with Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, and the Washington University School of Medicine.

Linda Dickinson Spalding (1961)

2015 Hall of Fame Inductee

Novelist and literary editor Linda Spalding has resided in Canada since 1982 and prior to that in Hawaii and Mexico. She taught English and writing at the University of Hawaii, York University (Canada), University of Guelph (Canada) and Brown University. With her husband, Michael Ondaatje, the couple edits the Canadian literary magazine Brick, a bi-annual publication. Ms. Spalding has written several novels and works of non-fiction including A Dark Place in the Jungle and The Purchase, for which she received Canada’s top literary prize, the Governor-General’s Literary Award. Among her activities at Topeka High, Linda Dickinson participated in Girls’ Pep, A. Representative Council and was a proctor.

Col. Richard Snyder (1941)

2015 Hall of Fame Inductee

Richard Snyder served as manager of the undefeated/untied Trojan football squad of 1940 and as a proctor. In the music department he was the orchestra concertmaster and a drum major in the band. Like many members of his class, within a couple of years he entered the military, the Army Corps of engineers in Patton’s Third Army. After graduating from the Washburn Law School in 1949, Snyder received a direct commission in the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Appointed a trial judge in 1967, Col. Snyder tried cases across the globe, in Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. After serving as chief judge for Hawaii and Southeast Asia, col. Snyder retired in 1976. Back in Topeka, for a short period he was Acting General Counsel of the Kansas Corporation Commission before taking a position with the Georgia Court of Appeals. Col. Snyder passed away in June of 2015.

Fred L. Slaughter (1960)

2015 Hall of Fame Inductee

Literally and figuratively, Fred Slaughter was a “big man” on the Topeka High campus, activities including track, A.F.S. Council, Sr. Boys’ Council, and attendant at the All-School Party. At 6’5”, of course he was center for the Trojan basketball squad. Slaughter received his B.S. in Business Administration at U.C.L.A. in 1964 but is best remembered as being on Coach John Wooden’s first NCAA basketball championship team and the ‘63-’64 squad which went 30-0! Next, he earned his Juris Doctor degree at Columbia University Law School (1969) and for several years served as an administrator at the U.C.L.A. Law School. During the ‘70s through to 1997 Slaughter was an attorney and agent for several NBA players. The first and for a time only African-American NBA agents, the New York Times called him the “dean of black sports agents.” He also represented NBA referees.

Charles B. Axton II (1950)

2015 Hall of Fame Inductee

After coming to Topeka High mid-way through his junior year, Charles Axton did quite well: lead role his senior year in Seven Keys to Baldpate, news editor for the fall World, and performing his own composition at the orchestra’s spring concert. Next followed Washburn and then a stint in the Army, affiliated with the Army Field Band. He postponed his musical career to come home and manage KTOP radio station (as DF “Charlie Christian”). In 1969 Axton and his family moved to Germany where he became associated with the Nuremberg Opera House. While living in Europe, he introduced the American musical (e.g., West Side Story, Camelot, Anything Goes, etc.) to German audiences. Axton also guest conducted many symphony orchestras including the prestigious Berlin Symphony. Retired, he and his wife (Barbara Cross Axton 1951) live in Florida.

Shaol Pozez (THS 1942)

2014 Hall of Fame Inductee

In 1956 Mr. Pozez and his cousin, Louis Pozez established what now is Payless ShoeSource, a chain of 5,000 shoe stores that allows its customers to self-select fashionable and affordable merchandise in the US, Canada and abroad. Their vision and concept changed the retail shoe industry in the past 50 years. Mr. Pozez was committed to philanthropy and was politically involved, supporting numerous politicians-both Democrats and Republicans. A supporter of the University of Arizona Judaic Studies program, the lecture series is now named in his honor – The Shaol Pozez Distinguished Lectureship Series.