top of page

WALL OF FAME

Wall of Fame: Widget

The Westinghouse Wall of Fame is a collection of over 100 plaques that line the main hallway of the high school, each with a photograph of a successful Westinghouse alumnus and short biography stating their achievements. The idea for the wall came from alumni Valeria Williams, John Brewer, and Tommy Tucker. Valeria Williams, from class of 1967, began research for the Wall of Fame in the 1990s, hoping to counter the negative images that touched the lives of current students, hoping to remind them of Westinghouse’s successes (Dyer).

db4b74_e1420ee398564be3bf31fb8520b739cc~mv2.jpg
Wall of Fame: About
Wall of Fame: Music_Widget

THE INDUCTEES

2016 WALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  • Elverage Allen

  • Brett Banks

  • Maurita Bryant

  • Charles Hamilton Jr.

  • William Hamilton

  • Carol Waller Pope

  • Edward Roberson

  • Monte’ Robinson

  • Ramon Robinson

  • William A. Robinson

  • Dr. Lanise Rosemond

  • Greg Shealey

  • John Smith

  • Dr. TaTanisha Smith

  • Pastor Tim Smith

  • Reginald Young

  • Gleyn Ward

  • Cecile Washington

2009 WALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  • Edward Ray

  • Robbin Floyd-Jones

  • Joseph T. Capone Sr.

  • Floretta Irvin

  • Robert Randall

  • Cheryl Jones Banks

  • Barbara Phinisee

  • Elnora Fortson

  • John Wallace Jr.

  • Terrence Taylor

  • Dorien (Doc) Russell

  • Roderick Craighead Jr.

  • Sylvia Burnett

  • Brett C. Carter

 

ARTISTS
• Henry Fiore
• Howard Russell
• Mary Lois Verilla (the woman who paints Pittsburgh)

 

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
• Al Aarons -- performed with Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones and Frank Sinatra
• Hal Brown 'HB' -- WAMO deejay
• Gerald 'Jerry' Byrd -- performed with Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff
• Leslie Carrington-Parr
• Danny Vonn
• Sally Cosgrove & Bill Thompson -- dancers
• Frank Cunimondo -- composer/keyboard
• Keith & Karl Edmonds -- Mime ministries, evangelist outreach
• John Ford -- historian
• Erroll Garner -- jazz musician
• Linton Garner -- performed with Billy Eckstine and Erroll Garner, his brother
• Nelson Harrison, Ph.D., composer -- performed with Count Basie
• Ahmad Jamal -- jazz musician
• Claude Jay -- gospel recording artist
• James 'Sunny' Kelsey -- WAMO
• "The Larells" -- all-male band, recorded "Everybody Knew"
• Loran Mann -- WPXI-TV reporter/minister
• Don E. McNeil
• Grover Mitchell -- conductor with Count Basie orchestra
• Art Nance -- performed with Count Basie
• Birdie Nichols -- "Glorious Rebirth"
• Bill Nunn Sr. & Bill Nunn Jr. -- editors Pittsburgh Courier
• Peggy Pierce-Freeman
• Pat Prattis-Jennings -- principal keyboardist of the Pittsburgh Symphony
• Paul Ross -- Pittsburgh Symphony violinist
• Wyatt Ruther -- performed with Count Basie, Erroll Garner and Lena Horne
• Naomi Simms -- first black supermodel, an Oprah Legend
• Bev Smith -- national TV and radio talk-show host
• Lynnwood Sloan -- National Endowment for the Arts
• Dakota Staton -- jazz musician, performed on "Late, Late Show"
• Billy Strayhorn -- composed the "A Train" worked with Duke Ellington
• James Tripp-Haith -- TV producer with "Moesha" and "Eve"
• Adam Wade -- singer, actor and first black to host a game show
• Mary Lou Williams -- piano prodigy; composed masses for the Pope, worked with Duke Ellington

 

AUTHORS
• John Brewer -- "African Americans in Pittsburgh"
• Albert "Kippy" French -- "Billy Boy"
• Dennis Schatzman -- "The Simpson Trial in Black and White"

 

BUSINESSMEN
• John Brewer -- the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum Trolley Station & Oral History Center
• Jack Burley -- executive with Heinz Co.
• Tom Burley -- international business developer -- Westinghouse Electric Co.
• Riley Davis Sr. -- Star Optical
• Cornelius Dorsey Sr. -- Dorsey's Records
• Gladys Edmonds -- Edmonds Travel Consultants
• Norman Farrish -- Norman & Co., international import
• Robert Goode -- senior vice president, Mellon Bank
• Eugene Harrison -- The Harrison Group
• Robert Lavelle -- Dwelling House
• Lemuel "Rip" Nixon -- Nixon & Associates
• Alfred Whatley -- CEO Thalhimers Dept. store chain.
• Oliver Byrd -- Chair of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.
• Esther Bush -- head of the Urban League of Pittsburgh
• Doris Carson-Williams -- president of the African American Chamber of Commerce in Pittsburgh

 

CIVIL RIGHTS
• Euzell "Bubby" Hairston
• Wilbur Nelson
• Bill Nunn Sr.
• Wyatt Williams -- coordinator with the Pittsburgh contingent of the 1963 March on Washington

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE
• Malik Bankston -- head of Kingsley Association
• Carolyn Bright-Smith -- vice president "Generation Hope"
• Joan Bruce-Griffin -- executive with Washington County Redevelopment Authority
• Leslie Carrington-Parr -- actress/mayor's council for persons with disabilities
• Floyd Cephas
• Marcus Harvey -- founder of Strength Inc.
• Curtis Hefflin
• Jennifer Henderson-Germany -- Youthbuild
• Marshall Howard
• Kenneth Jennings Jr. -- first African American management intern for the Social Security administration
• Joe Lewis Jr. -- head of Homewood YMCA
• Lawrence Mason -- regional council, Boy Scouts of America
• Horace Miles -- head of SCORE
• Wilbur Nelson -- head of Homewood-Brushton Community Improvement Associations
• Walter Reid
• Doris Sloan-Roberts -- director of human services, Chesapeake, Va.
• Joanne Sloan-Glover -- assistant director Allegheny County Department of Public Assistance
• Celeste Taylor
• John Tibbs
• Tommy Tucker

 

EDUCATORS
• Rick Adams -- dean Community College of Allegheny County
• James Boyd -- U.S. Army education specialist
• Harry Budd -- dean Slippery Rock University
• Robert Burley
• Lance Carter
• Joann Cobb-Burley -- executive officer at Penn State
• Charlene H. Cole-Newkirk -- dean at Prince Frederick Community College of Southern Maryland
• Elaine Casey-Davis
• Jim Ellis -- developed inner-city swim team in Philadelphia; subject of the movie "Pride"
• Yvonne Holt-Edwards
• Helen Faison -- Pittsburgh's first female, African American high school principal and the first female, African American school superintendent in the Pittsburgh Public school system
• Dr. Leon Haley
• George Harris
• Elmer Haymon Jr. -- dean, student development at Community College of Allegheny County
• Carole Coles-Henry
• Gloria Hill -- assistant provost Carnegie Mellon University
• Joan James
• Victor Jonnotti -- teacher of the year
• Jake Milliones -- president of Pittsburgh board of Education
• Dr. Dwight Mosley
• Rachel Poole -- first African American associate professor -- Department of Mental Health at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
• Ernestine Reed
• Dr. Edward Rhodes -- vice chancellor, Indiana University
• Ronald Thornhill -- principal at CAPA
• Gertrude Wade -- the first female, African American principal in the Pittsburgh Public schools
• George Webb
• Leo Woods
• Erroll B. Davis Jr. -- chancellor, University of System of Georgia.
• Capt. Wilbur C. Douglass III -- Chaplin of the U.S. Navy Coast Guard

 

HEALTH CARE
• Dr. Allison Smith-Barnett
• Dr. Earl Childs
• Dr. Robert "Moose" Edwards
• Joan Bruce-Griffin
• Dr. John Hairston
• Dr. Charles Hefflin
• Art Nance -- director St. Joseph Hospital
• Margaret Washington -- president, Washington Associates
• Russell Washington

 

MILITARY MEN
• Capt. Sherrill Brown
• Lt. Col. George Charlton Jr. -- a Buffalo Soldier
• Charlton Cherry
• Marshall Fields -- Tuskegee Airmen
• Major James Hilton Greene
• Thomas Gunn -- Tuskegee Airmen
• Brigadiere Gen. Robert W. Smith III.

 

POLITICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
• Reginald Bridges -- attorney
• Earl Buford Jr. -- Pittsburgh chief of police
• Ophelia "Cookie" Coleman -- co-founder & vice president P.A.C.T.
• Lt. Col. Hawthorne Conley
• Tony Deluca -- Pennsylvania state representative
• Alfonso Gibson -- chief of detectives, Washington, D.C.
• Linda Perkins
• Channing Phillips -- first black to be nominated by Democrats to run for U.S. President
• Wendell Phillips -- House of Representatives, Maryland
• Joe Rhodes -- Pennsylvania state legislator
• Joe Preston -- Pennyslvania state legislator
• Hon. Edward Tibbs
• Richard Utley -- commissioner, Bureau of Professional & Occupational Affairs, Pennslyvania
• Deborah Walker
• Hon. Warren Watson -- one of the first black judges in Allegheny County
• Leslie Wiley -- director, office of International Visitors, U.S. Department of State
• Lamonte Wilson -- first black fire captian/head of 911

 

RELIGION
• Bishop Dwayne Darkins -- Greater Faith Tabernacle
• Richard Goode -- pastor and developer, Atlanta.
• Rev. Gerald Lloyd -- Fountain of Life
• Rev. Loran Mann --- Pentecostal Temple COGIC

 

SPORTS
• Clarence Bruce -- played with Homestead Grays
• Chuck Cooper -- Boston Celtics, first black drafted in NBA
• Clarence Doak -- track and field world-class athlete
• Ed Fleming -- professional with Cincinnati Royals; swim coach at Westinghouse
• Wes Garnet -- professional football player with San Diego Chargers
• Eugene Harrison -- player with Pittsburgh Steelers
• John Henderson -- player with Pittsburgh Steelers
• Kenneth Hudson -- first black full-time referee for the NBA
• Tony Liscio -- player with Dallas Cowboys
• Melvin Myricks -- played with Kansas City Chiefs
• Orin Richburg -- Olympic track coach
• Maurice Stokes -- played with Cincinnati Royals
• Joseph "Showboat" Ware -- all letter man

 

HONORARY INDUCTEE
• Carl McVicker Sr. -- Westinghouse music instructor, teacher to all of the musicians in the Hall of Fame

 

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feb. 19, 2007.

Wall of Fame: Widget
Wall of Fame: About
bottom of page