As a student as John R. Rogers High School, Donna was very active—varsity song and cheerleader, editor of the yearbook, business manager of the Rogers Record, and many other activities before graduating in 1953. While raising her three children, she became involved with PTA, holding various offices, serving on committees and was cheerleading coach at Longfellow Grade School. She also received the PTA Golden Acorn Award in recognition of her service to youth. An original member of both the John R. Rogers Booster Club and the Alumni Association, Donna has held several offices and chaired numerous committees. She currently chairs the Booster Club Scholarship Committee, serves as treasure of the 50’s Decade of the Alumni, and maintains the data bank of names and addresses of 25,000 John R. Rogers graduates. She also serves on the board of the John R. Rogers Alumni Family and Friends Foundation. Donna is active in the community, serving as secretary of the Miss Spokane Scholarship Program. She has been a Spokane Lilac Festival Director for eight years and has acted as liaison to Rogers during the princess selection process. Her service has been recognized with several “Beyond the Call” awards. As a former board member of the Eastern Washington Epilepsy Foundation, Donna chaired dance marathons, which raised over #30,000 for the foundation. She also co-chaired fund raising efforts, which provided $10,000 to the widow of, murdered Spokesman-Review carrier, David Richey. She was Assistant Office Manager for Silver Loaf Baking Company for many years and for the past fifteen years has been employed as Payroll Administrator at Snyder’s Bakery.

Donna continues to make her home in the Rogers neighborhood.

Albert Akin graduated from Rogers in 1939. He was a multi-sport athlete who lettered in football and basketball four times and also in golf, track, and tennis during his college career. He became the first person to ever win three major sports letters at both Washington State College (now known as Washington State University) and the University of Washington. This happened because he was in the officer-training program for the United States Marine Corp and his group of young men was transferred to the Seattle school. During World War II, Albert, a 2nd lieutenant in the 2nd marine Division, fought the Japanese on the Island of Saipan. After the end of the war he served in the occupation forces in Nagasaki, Japan.

After Mr. Akins returned from Japan, he played professional football with the Cleveland Browns and two other All-American Football Conference teams. Returning to the Northwest, he began a long career as a teacher and coach at Southern Oregon College.

Bill Diedrick graduated from Rogers High School in 1936. A three-sport letterman, he played on the fist city championship team that Rogers ever had. He was “R” club president, Boys’ Fed president, and sports editor of the school newspaper.

Graduating from Eastern Washington College (now known as Easter Washington University) in 1946, Diedrick coached one year for the famed “Red” Reese of Eastern. After a short stop at Reardan High School, he moved to North Central in 1948 and taught there until 1974. Not content to sit back in his retirement years, he became equipment manager and trainer for Gonzaga University. Then he became assistant manager of the Spokane Indians baseball team. Diedrick also coached at the University of Idaho for three years. Diedrick won the Scarlet Arrow, and inspirational award at Easter Washington College, and has been inducted into the Gonzaga Bulldog Hall of Fame. The inspirational baseball award at Rogers High School is named after Bill Diedrick. Diedrick was one of the original Hillyard Booster Club founders. He also began a practice of having a monthly breakfast for the older fellows who played football at Rogers. That group has grown to 40. After World War II, Diedrick stayed in the Navy Reserve for 26 years. Beginning as an apprentice seaman, he retired as a commander.

Award winning and internationally acclaimed pianist, Stephen Drury, is a 1973 Rogers graduate. In high school, he performed and conducted in concert and wrote halftime shows for band. A 1977 Harvard graduate, Drury also holds and Artist Diploma from New England Conservatory where he now teaches. Selected by the United States Information Agency for its Artistic Ambassador Program, Drury performed throughout Europe in 1986 and in Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Japan in 1988. In 1989, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Drury a Solo Recitalist Fellowship which funded residencies and recitals of American music for two years. Drury has performed in residencies with symphony orchestras in San Diego, Cedar Rapids, San Angelo, Spokane, and Stamford. In addition, he has performed with the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Springfield and Portland Symphony Orchestras, and the Romanian National Symphony. Named 1989 Musician of the Year bye the Boston Globe, Drury has given solo performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Leroy is a well-known and well-respected realtor in the Spokane area. He has spent thirty-seven years in the real estate business in sales and as the owner/broker of a real estate office. Johnson is a 1949 graduate of John R. Rogers High School. He attended Eastern Washington University for two years. Mr. Johnson is a very active citizen in Spokane. He has been a member of the North Spokane Rotary Club for twenty-one years. He is also the past president of the Spokane Board of Realtors and the past president of the Real Estate Traders Club

Dick Johnson who graduated in 1983, has been a true Rogers’ Pirate since the 1930’s. He servers as president of the Boys’ Federation, the Drama Club, lettered in ice hockey and basketball, and starred in drama productions when he attended Rogers. He also put all four children and one grandchild through Rogers, one of whom is currently teaching Drama and English—Kris Freeland. Dick is proud of the fact that he has taught his grandchildren how to sing the fight songs of the respective schools. Johnson and his wife, Alma, own and operate the Christian Portrait Photography Studio, where he has been honored as the Outstanding Representative for the Leica Camera Corporation. He helped found Lutheran Church Camp and worked for years to promote and support youth in Spokane through the Boy Scouts of America, as a scoutmaster. He has been a member of the Spokane Kiwanis Club for over twenty years and is an active member of the Rogers Booster Club.

Rod Peterson graduated from John R. Rogers High School in 1954 and went on to earn a degree in education from Eastern Washington University in 1958. Now retired, Peterson was employed for 30 years with the Medical Lake School District, including 29 years as a assistant principal at Blair Elementary at Fairchild Air Force Base. Peterson coached boys’ baseball for VFW #1474 for several years. He was also president of that league for our four years. Active in student government while at Rogers, Peterson has also been a leader in John R. Rogers Alumni Association. He co-chaired the 50’s Decade for nine years and server as president for six years.

Following his 1957 graduation from Rogers, Ed Shaw attended Washington State University where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and a tight end/linebacker for the football team. He was also a three-year letterman. After obtaining a degree in Hotel Management in 1961, Shaw returned to work for the Shack Restaurant; he became the owner in 1970.

Currently president of the John R Rogers Alumni Association, Shaw was involved in student government, drama, and athletics while, a student at the high school. Shaw lettered in track and football, the latter for which he earned all city and all state honors. An avid traveler, Shaw has visited nearly every country in Europe as well as China and Russia. Shaw’s community includes fund raising for the Venessa Behan Crisis nursery and working with Rogers Renaissance; a school committee which promotes and recognizes academic achievement. Shaw is also active as a WSU alumnus, with memberships in the Cougar Club and President’s Association.

Fred Shiosaki, a June 1942 graduate of John R. Rogers High School has been a fighter for air quality in Spokane for Years. He was the Air Pollution Control Officer in Spokane County and the Manager of Environmental Affairs for Washington Water Power Company. He received the Distinguished Achievement Award in 1978 from the Air Pollution Control Association, the Executive Committee Award in 1989 from the Air Pollution Control Association , and the 1973 Clean Air Award from the Washington Clean Air Association. Mr. Shiosaki is also a member of the Disabled American Veterans and of the Inland Fisheries Policy Advisory Group, which is part of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department. While in high school, Mr. Shiosaki was on the track team and was a letterman in track, was on the annual staff and was on the honor roll. After high school he fought in World War II and received the Purple Heart. After the war, Mr. Shiosaki received his B.S. from Gonzaga University and then attended graduate school at the University of Washington. Mr. Shiosaki and his wife Lily have two children. He is a member of the Air Pollution Control Association, a member of the Downtown Exchange Club, and chair and a member of the Washington State Ecological Commission.