Sequoia High School

• 1201 Brewster Ave., Redwood City, CA 94062
• 650.367.9780

 To celebrate Sequoia High School's more than one hundred year history of academic excellence and community presence, a committee of staff, students, parents and alumni have partnered to create the Sequoia High School Hall of Fame. The purpose of the Sequoia High School Hall of Fame is to recognize alumni and staff who exemplify/demonstrate the following:

• Leadership and peer recognition
• A high level of morality/ethics/integrity
• Entrepreneurial talent or experience at Sequoia
• Positive contributions to society, Sequoia High School, and/or the community
• Overcoming obstacles will be considered

It is our hope that the inductees will be an inspiration for generations of the Sequoia High School community-past, present, and future.

Arnold C. Argo
Principal of Sequoia High School
Superintendent, Sequoia Union High School District
1921 - 1948

Fondly remembered as the "Father of Sequoia," the late Arnold C. Argo served for 27 years as Principal of Sequoia High School and Superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District. Mr. Argo was known for inspiring teachers to be innovative and resourceful, and he believed that schools must do more than just teach subject matter. He advanced the notion that schools should prepare students for active participation in a democratic society and that schools should foster appreciation of diversity. He believed that the main goal of education is to develop the ability of people to work together, and educators came from all over the country to study the program Mr. Argo created at Sequoia High School. Along with running the high school and overseeing district operations, Mr. Argo coached the football and girls basketball teams. He was also integrally involved in planning construction of the existing Sequoia High School, which opened in 1924 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The tower adjacent to the school's main entrance is named in honor of Mr. Argo's lasting legacy.

Otis M. Carrington
Art/Music Teacher and Chair of the Music Department
1907-1950

Otis M. Carrington stands tall among the many exceptional faculty members who have taught at Sequoia High School. The late Mr. Carrington joined the teaching staff in 1907 as the art and music instructor, and went on to head the music department he developed. Mr. Carrington is best remembered as one of the world's foremost composers of operettas for children. In 1912, when he believed his students were ready to perform an operetta, he couldn't find any written for student voices and, thus, decided to author one of his own. "The Windmills of Holland" was the first of more than 40 operettas he created, and there have been over 25,000 presentations of his works worldwide. During his lifetime, Mr. Carrington was the sole composer from California to make such a significant impact on the art of operatic music for children. The auditorium at Sequoia High School, which was restored to its original glory in 2004, is named in his honor.

Ray Dolby
Founder
Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
Class of 1951

While attending Sequoia High School and growing up in East Palo Alto, Ray Dolby, Ph.D. held a part-time job at Ampex and worked as the school projectionist. It was at this time that he began thinking about the way to remove the background noise (hissing) in tape recordings. He later developed the revolutionary method of accomplishing this, and the system was named after him. He holds over 50 patents and has received numerous awards, including an Oscar, an Emmy and the U.S. National Medal of Science and Technology. After graduation from Sequoia in 1951, Dr. Dolby earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge University. After high school, during his continuing part-time work at Ampex, Dr. Dolby teamed with a group of engineers who invented the first video tape recorder. Dr. Dolby went on to start Dolby Laboratories, Inc., which pioneered the digital sound technology built into DVD and CD players, surround sound, and HDTV. In recent comments about the school, Dr. Dolby reflected: "I was very glad to be a student at Sequoia High School, where I had a very good and worthwhile time many years ago. The school had a richness of capability and accomplishment, and I am glad to understand that Sequoia continues to offer an excellent education for its students to this day."

Janis Baker Ferre
Child Advocate
Class of 1965

An advocate for children with disabilities for the past quarter-century, Janis Baker Ferre returned to her native Salt Lake City following graduation from Sequoia High School in 1965. She graduated from Brigham Young University, where she studied art and music. Later, an event in her personal life set the stage for a distinguished volunteer career in advocating for Utah's youth. Mrs. Ferre's second son, who was delivered prematurely before she could reach the hospital, was born sick, developmentally delayed and, at the age of three, was identified as deaf. She started as a mother representing her own child's interests and soon developed an unwavering commitment to all children with disabilities. Known for her integrity and nonpartisan collaboration, Mrs. Ferre has been directly and indirectly responsible for millions of dollars in funding and the passage of many laws over the past 25 years. Her vigilance in the community and with state government has contributed to the children of Utah becoming safer, healthier and better educated.

Steven G. Krantz
Mathematician and author
Class of 1967

A college mathematics professor, Steven G. Krantz, Ph.D. has held teaching posts at renowned universities, including UCLA, Pennsylvania State University, and Washington University in St. Louis. He is also an author of more than 50 books on mathematics, including a how-to book for young people hoping to become mathematicians. Dr. Krantz's interest in math dates back to his pre-teens when he would spend Saturdays during elementary school studying advanced mathematics with an instructor at Stanford. Following graduation from Sequoia High School in 1967, Dr. Krantz earned his B.A. degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his Ph.D. from Princeton. He says "the great thing about being an academic mathematician is that you have huge chunks of time, you have [job] security, and you have a great deal of freedom and independence to explore your own thoughts and create your own intellectual path." If he hadn't become a mathematician, he says he would have liked to have been a rock star.

Gordon Moore
Co-Founder
Intel Corporation
Class of 1946

Along his path to revolutionizing technology globally, Gordon Moore, Ph.D. is said to have trusted in a few core principles: stay focused on what's important, keep investing in research, and be patient. He also chose to ignore the advice he received early in his career that he didn't have the makings of an executive. Dr. Moore went on to co-found two highly successful companies - Fairchild Semiconductors, the company that invented the computer chip, and Intel Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of computer chips. After graduation from Sequoia High School in 1946, he earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in chemistry and physics from the California Institute of Technology. He says his interest in chemistry was first sparked in his teens when he became fascinated with a neighbor's chemistry set. Dr. Moore has received the National Medal of Technology and the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. With his wife, he established the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, and he has been a generous philanthropist in support of higher education, scientific research and the environment.

Kenny Ortega
Director and Choreographer
Class of 1968

Award-winning director and choreographer Kenny Ortega began working as an actor in local repertory theater at the age of 13. While attending Sequoia High School, he participated in 16 different productions, including a role in "Oliver" presented at the former Circle Star Theater in San Carlos. A year after Mr. Ortega graduated from high school, he landed a leading role in a San Francisco company production of "Hair." His distinguished entertainment career - now spanning more than four decades - includes direction of the "High School Musical" movies, an Emmy award for outstanding direction and choreography of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and credit as a pioneer in music-video choreography. Recipient of an American Choreography Award for Career Achievement, Mr. Ortega staged a non-partisan motion picture, "Declare Yourself," to energize young voters to participate in the electoral process. In 2007, he returned to Sequoia High School to deliver the eulogy for his beloved drama teacher, Ray Doherty.

Robert Powell
Real Estate Developer
Class of 1949

The late Robert Powell was a well-known real estate developer and philanthropist who broke into construction as a drywall installer on the Peninsula shortly after leaving Sequoia High School in 1949. A few years later, he relocated with his wife, Jeannette, to Sacramento where he established and ran his own drywall company until he closed it in 1960 to tour Europe with his wife. Upon returning to Sacramento from Europe, Mr. Powell started a long, successful career in real estate development. Over the course of the next several decades, he developed numerous residential communities, office complexes and shopping centers as well as student housing projects at the University of California, Davis. Friends and business associates attributed Mr. Powell's success largely to "old-fashioned" hard work and his unwillingness to take shortcuts or compromise his goals. With his wife, Mr. Powell established the Robert C. and Jeannette Powell Foundation, a charitable foundation focused on education. The Powell Foundation has been very generous in helping to fund scholarships and other programs for students in need. In 2008, the new art gallery at Sequoia High School was named in honor of Mr. Powell's selfless generosity and support of student achievement.