Lucky 13: Heights Hall of Fame Welcomes Its Sixth Class
From classrooms and City Hall to professional sports and concert stages, Wichita Heights’ newest Hall of Fame honorees have made their mark far beyond the school’s hallways.
Thirteen honorees entered the Hall of Fame’s sixth class Oct. 24 at Wichita’s Candle Club, recognizing decades of achievement by former students and educators.
Among them was Lavonta Williams, a 1967 graduate whose service to Wichita began long before she held elected office.
A 1971 graduate of Kansas State Teachers College, now Emporia State University, Williams taught physical education at Hamilton Middle School for 30 years. She then spent five years directing Wichita Public Schools’ middle school after-school program, helping provide safe places for students to learn and participate in activities.
Williams later became the first woman elected to represent District 1 on the Wichita City Council and Wichita’s first African American woman vice mayor.
Four other honorees carried Heights’ athletic tradition into college and professional competition.
Geary Murdock, Class of 1969, was honored posthumously. A state heavyweight wrestling champion, Murdock played football and wrestled at Iowa State, earning All-American football recognition and qualifying twice for the NCAA wrestling championships. Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, he later played in the Canadian Football League. He died in 2007.
Dreamius Smith Sr., Class of 2011, helped Heights win three basketball state championships and state titles in football and track. He played football at Butler Community College and West Virginia before signing with the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He later served on coaching staffs at Heights and Butler.
Brian Jackson, Class of 1992, also was honored posthumously. An all-state basketball and baseball player, Jackson played basketball at Butler and the University of Evansville before becoming a junior college coach and mentor. He died in 2008.
Matthew Reed, Class of 2012, excelled as an all-state quarterback and two-time state wrestling champion. Kansas’ 2012 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award recipient, Reed continued wrestling at Oklahoma, becoming a three-time NCAA championships qualifier.
The class also included:
- William Beach, Class of 1967: Economist; former federal commissioner.
- Michael Powell, Class of 1970: Acclaimed trombonist and educator.
- Emily Washburn, Class of 1995: Volleyball standout; community recreation leader.
- Erich Bryan, Class of 1996: Baseball standout and radiologist.
- Katelyn Blattner, Class of 2017: Champion swimmer and educator.
- Pam Baker, former faculty: Accounting and personal finance teacher.
- Dale Heckman, former faculty: Teacher and championship swim coach.
- Cheryl Rogers, former faculty: Business and law teacher.
Baker taught at Heights for nearly 36 years, Heckman spent more than 34 years teaching and coaching, and Rogers’ teaching career there spanned 28 years.
Established in 2021, the independent nonprofit Hall of Fame celebrates alumni and staff accomplishments in athletics, education, the arts, military service, professional careers and community leadership. Principal Eric Filippi helped launch the effort with alumni to preserve the school’s history and give today’s Falcons examples of what they can achieve.
