These exceptional individuals represent a legacy of Warren High School and were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024.
Jesse Hunt (Class of 1961)
After graduation from Warren High School, but before embarking on a long career in education, Jesse served our country in the Army. He graduated with an engineering degree at Long Beach State and worked at Rockwell on the Apollo space program. After 3 years working at...
Joseph Francis
Papa Joe Francis moved to California in 1951, where he started his career with Downey Unified School District. He worked at North Junior High from 1951 to 1956 and then in 1957 he transferred to Warren High School as the Activities Director until he retired in 1988....
Richard Paul ‘Rick’ Burleson (Class of 1969)
Rick graduated from Warren High School in 1969 where he was selected 1st team All CIF and drafted by the Minnesota Twins upon graduation. He elected to attend Cerritos College and was drafted in the 1st round of the winter draft by the Boston Red Sox. Rick signed a...
George A. Zambrano (Class of 1959)
Born April 21, 1941 in Guadalajara, Mexico, moved to Los Angeles in 1943 then to Downey in 1951. In 1956, George was elected the first Student Body President of Warren High School. He held a number of student body offices and played football and track. George was part...
Paul Wilson (Class of 1965)
Born on July 30, 1947, Paul moved from Arcadia,CA, to Downey in 1951. In his junior year of highschool, he was recognized by Sports Illustrated forsetting the interscholastic age record for polevaulting. He became the first 16-year-old to clear16 feet. He graduated...
Donald E. La Plante (Class of 1972)
Donald E. La Plante has served as a member of theBoard of Education of the Downey Unified SchoolDistrict since 1979. He has been elected by thecommunity to nine terms. In 1996, he served as President of the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association. He is retired...
Nancy (Wright) Swenson (Class of 1970)
After graduating from Warren High School, Nancy earned an A.A. degree from Cerritos Community College in 1986. She later transferred to Cal State Dominguez Hills where took night classes while working full-time and earned a B.S. in Business Admin/CIS with Honors in...
Barbara (Bobbie) Stacy Samperi (Class of 1968)
Upon graduation from Warren High School, Barbara attended Cerritos College. She then went on to join American Airlines where she was a flight attendant. Barbara eventually returned home to Downey where she was employed as a bookkeeper. In 1972, Barbara married her...
Robert R. Raszkowski, M.D. Ph.D. (Class of 1959)
Robert was a member of the first graduation class of Warren High School in 1959. He attended Pomona College and transferred to the University of Wisconsin, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology in1964. Robert completed his Master’s and Doctorate...