Sonoma Dragons Achievement Hall of Fame inducts 11 (Photo Gallery)

Former Sonoma Valley High School principal Bob Kruljac decided in 2015 to launch a Dragon Hall of Fame for “outstanding achievement after graduation.” On May 13, 11 former students and three teachers were honored in front of a crowd in the auditorium at Hanna Boys Center for the 2017 induction ceremony.

The honorees represent excellence in one of six fields: Military & Civil Service, Entrepreneur & Business, Health & Medicine, Professional Services, Visual & Performing Arts and Science/Technology/Engineering/Math.

The 2017 Dragon Hall of Fame inductees were:

Willis “Skip” Brown, class of 1962. Brown worked for CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS and BBC as a cameraman, editor, reporter and field producer.

Don Costello, class of 1966. Costello served as a judge in state and municipal courts and developed court systems for four Indian tribes; and is a leader in national justice-system initiatives.

Gary Friedman, class of 1975. Friedman is currently chairman and CEO of Restoration Hardware, Inc.

Charles Marcus, class of 1980. Marcus is recognized as being among the world’s leading researchers in quantum physics.

Noma Martini, Hanna Boys Center class of 1991. Martini is a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel with a Bronze Star and six other medals and badges of service.

Toby Nagel, class of 1984. Nagel received a Ph.D. in medical engineering from Harvard-MIT; has been published extensively and is a busy speaker at conferences worldwide.

Richard Norgrove, class of 1965. Norgrove founded Bear Republic Brewing Company.

Nick Phillips, class of 1983. Phillips is a Grammy-nominated jazz record producer.

Brian Posehn, class of 1984. Posehn is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer, TV and film actor and stand-up comedian.

Pamela Robbins, class of 1967. Robbins has conducted research into brain science, quality teaching, emotional intelligence and instructional strategies and written extensively about education.

Annette Von Thun, class of 1983. Von Thun is an officer and doctor with the U.S. Navy and a prolific contributor to medial and military publications.

At the ceremony on May 13, three former SVHS staffers were recognized for their teaching excellence and inspiration: living skills and culinary teacher Brigitta Crews; longtime coach Max Hale; and English and history teacher Chester “Chet” Sharek.

During the 2017-2018 school year, Kruljac’s committee will be taking nominations for the Dragon Athletic Hall of Fame. dragonhalloffame.com