2005 Hall of Fame Inductees

Soon after graduating from Washington University School of Dentistry, Kenneth returned to his hometown and opened an office in Downey. He holds a patent for the use of Kevlar as dental floss, the fiber used in bulletproof vests. He is past president of the Downey Kiwanis,past director of the Downey UNICO, and past president of the “12:15” Club at the Downey Community Hospital. He served on the City of Downey Theater Board of Directors, the Downey YMCA Board of Managers, and the Chairman’s Round Table. He offers free dental exams for Downey school children.

Kent received a Master of Arts degree from Cal State Los Angeles. He began his professional career with Downey Unified School District in 1981. Since 1993, Kent has served as the Special Education Program Director. Kent is an adjunct professor teaching Special Education Law and Services for National University. He was recognized by Region IV of ACSA as the Special Education Administrator of the Year. Kent as served as president of the Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis, president of Gangs Out of Downey, and as a member of the City of Downey Health and Environmental Safety Commission.

David was the 1981 class Valedictorian and was voted by the 1981 Senior Class as “Most Likely to Succeed.” He has lived up to his classmates’ expectations. Upon graduation from the UC Berkeley, Boalt School of Law, David was awarded the Order of the Coif (top ten percent of law school class) with the Juris Doctor degree. For four years he was in private law practice before accepting a position as federal prosecutor. He remained in that assignment for twelve years. In 2003, David was appointed by Governor Gray Davis as a Superior Court as a Superior Court Judge in Santa Ana.

In 1988 Michael received his Doctor degree from the University of California School of Medicine in San Diego. His post-graduate training focused on the area of Otorhinolaryngology – the branch of medicine that deals with ears, nose, and throat. At the present time Michael is serving in the United States Navy at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. He has authored or co-authored over 120 research articles related to his specialization. In addition to his responsibilities at the Naval Center, he lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, and is Clinical Assistant Professor,Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences.

Mark graduated from Cerritos College, Cal State Fullerton, and received the Juris Doctor degree from Western State University College of Law. He has served on the Downey Unified School District board for 24 years. He is past director of the Los Angeles School of Boards Association, and a member of the California School Boards Association and the National School Boards Association. Mark is past president of the Downey Water Board, past chairman of the Frontier District of the Los Angeles Council of Boy Scouts of America,member of the GOOD Committee, and an active member in his church.

Upon graduation from Downey High School, Richard joined the United States Navy. AfterWorld War II, he earned a BA in Business at USC. He re-entered the Navy during the Korean conflict and volunteered for the Underwater Demolition Team, the precursor to the Navy SEALS. After his discharge, he applied to the USC School of Dentistry and graduated in 1968. He was founder and director of the Stuart Gnathological Group, the most advanced dental research group at the time. Richard was awarded the title of “Fellow of the American Academy of General Dentistry” prior to his retirement in 1998.