For Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan, April 25 was a day to celebrate and reminisce with friends, family and the community while honoring one of the area’s crown jewels: Washington High School (WHS) on its 135th anniversary.
Salwan, a 1991 graduate of Washington, was one of the keynote speakers at a celebration at the school’s outdoor amphitheater. He was joined by more than 300 others including school alumni, faculty, community members and elected officials.
“Washington is more than just a high school; it is a community and a family,” Salwan said before the ceremony, adding that generations of Fremont families have walked through its doors and left lasting marks on the community.
A century of growth and change
Founded in 1891 as Union High School District No. 2 in the Washington Township area, which now encompasses Fremont, Newark and Union City, the school’s first classes were held in the Masonic Hall on Peralta Boulevard. The school later moved to a nearby three-story building.
In 1914 the school’s name changed to Washington High School District. Ten years later the school moved into a new classically designed building at its present site on Fremont Boulevard. Always a sports powerhouse, WHS became known as The Home of the Huskies.
Legendary faculty members who once called WHS home include head football coach Bill Walsh (1957-1959), who went on to coach the San Francisco 49ers and John Vernon “Pop” Goold, who was principal from 1942-1959.
An estimated 42,000 students have received diplomas at WHS which was the only school in the area until the late 1950s when Logan High School in Union City opened, soon followed by Newark High School in Newark and Irvington High School in Fremont. Its peak enrollment was about 2,900 students in 1958; today it serves about 1,900.
The school transformed with the area from a rural, agricultural-based community to a thriving technology and manufacturing hub. One of the last remnants from the area’s agricultural past at WHS was a 4-H club which raised pigs in a field behind the school into the early 1970s. Still popular today is the school’s auto shop, which holds an annual classic car show each spring.
Hall of Fame
In 2014 the Associated Student Body partnered with the WHS Alumni Foundation to create an annual Hall of Fame (HOF) to honor school alumni, staff and community supporters. This year’s 21 inductees were added during the school’s April 25 anniversary celebration.
Among those at the ceremony were:
Dennis Eckersley
Class of 1972
- 24 seasons as a major league baseball pitcher gaining fame as a closer
- Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004
- Baseball field at WHS is named after Eckersley
Tony Gemignani
Class of 1991
- American chef, restaurateur, and author
- Skilled Italian pizza maker, specifically trained in the traditional, authentic methods of crafting pizzas
- Opened multiple restaurants in the SF Bay Area, including Slice Pizza
Raj Salwan
Class of 1991
- Current mayor of Fremont; elected in 2024
- Holds a degree in biological sciences from UC Irvine, Doctor of veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University
- Works as a veterinarian in Fremont
Laurel Mayer
Class of 1954
- U.S. Air Force Veteran, served for 30 years, retiring as a Colonel in 1988
- Was Director of Intelligence for Air Force Logistics Command
- Professor of Political Science at Sinclair Community College in Ohio for 24.5 years, Professor Emeritus for 13 years
Other 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees:
- The Bauhofer Family
- Bill Bischoff
- Joann Faira
- Don Fisci
- Don Hillman
- Ken Keller
- Steve Kramer
- Geoff Lane
- Gil Lemmon
- Gary Mello
- Carrie Nunes (posthumously)
- Helen Paris
- George Rede
- Doug Rogers
- Wally Samuelson
- Susanne Turner
- John Woodcock (posthumously)
Also honored as a special guest at the ceremony was Richard Dutrow, a Class of 1943 graduate. At age 101, alumni association officials said he may be the oldest living alumnus of the school. He still lives nearby in the Glenmoor neighborhood.
A fond look back
Former Fremont Mayor Bill Harrison, a 1988 graduate and 2019 HOF inductee, remembers playing football at WHS under popular coach Jim Ingram. “I learned a lot from our legendary football coach, Jim Ingram. Of course, about football, but more about life, lessons today that I pass on to my kids.”
Harrison now operates an accounting company in Fremont, but is still closely connected to WHS through his son Bryce Harrison, who graduated from the school in 2021. The younger Harrison is now a water polo coach at WHS.
Rob Klindt
Rob Klindt
Cyndy Mozzetti, Class of 1969, is a well-known name around Fremont with past stints on the Fremont Planning Commission and with the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. During the anniversary celebration she pointed with delight to a “Generational Families” board listing the Mozzetti family as HOF inductees in 2015.
Meanwhile, Laurel Mayer, Class of 1954 and a 2026 HOF inductee, marveled at the changes in the campus buildings. But he happily noted the old façade in front of the school was preserved when the campus was rebuilt in the early 1980s to meet earthquake standards.
Harrison summed it up best when talking about the strong academics and tight-knit family feel at WHS: “I had great teachers at Washington that always taught me how to think outside the box. It instilled a passion of being a lifetime learner. I had teachers at Washington that I am still in contact with today, that’s part of the Husky Spirit. And what ties us together.”
