Every generation has its icons, those exceptional enough to rise to the top of societal success. However, behind every individual’s story is a foundation that eventually led them to end up where they did. To honor this progression, the school implemented its own Hall of Fame ceremony to memorialize the school’s alumni who went on to have extraordinary careers that truly made them stand out as “icons.”
“I think it’s kind of surprising that it took Torrey Pines 50 years to start recognizing Hall of Fame graduates, but I think the 50th anniversary really made us think, ‘Wow, if we’re ever going to do it, this would be the time to kick it off’,” TPHS Foundation Executive Director Joe Austin said.
The TPHS Foundation announced the first four inductees, Taylor Steele (‘90), Eric Hirshberg (‘86), Rachel Buechler (‘03) and Dan McGuire (‘84), in March, at the 50th anniversary event.
“We did it at that event because it was a celebration for a lot of people, but then we wanted the presentation of their actual Hall of Fame jackets and that kind of stuff at the football game [against Poway],” Austin said.
On Oct. 25, during halftime of the school’s football game against Poway High School, principal Robert Coppo inducted four alumni into the Hall of Fame for the second time. Coppo said that he wanted to further serve recognition at a more memorable and exciting experience: Friday Night Lights.
“We want part of the celebration to be the presentation of their actual Hall of Fame jackets and that kind of stuff at a football game, so we asked them to circle back in the fall and be a part of that ceremony as well,” Austin said.
The idea was conceived by TPHS Foundation President Traci Acers who attended Mt. Carmel High School, where they celebrate alumni annually with their Hall of Fame. In the TPHS gym, Acers noticed a case of plaques dedicated to alumni, hidden behind a garage door. Due to its location, students rarely acknowledged it. Acers thought it would be a good idea to implement a way of giving more justice to alumni, and took inspiration from her own high school’s tradition.
“I was thinking we should do a better job at this where it’s not just athletes,” Acers said. “All the people in the gym are athletes, but there’s people that do all kinds of things.”
The Hall of Fame celebration allowed for the inductees to reminisce on their high school years and enjoy a TPHS football game once more.
“There are people who’ve experienced some pretty amazing success,” Austin said. “We had a gold medalist in the mix, CEOs … people who’ve been really successful in their chosen field of work that were humbled and flattered, so I think that means a lot.”
A wide variety of inductees were chosen to highlight the varying degrees of success that comes from students at the school.
Inductee Steele is a surfing filmmaker and photographer, and was nominated because of his exponential growth in the film industry since high school. He started his film career by taking film and video classes at the school, and found a striking interest in filming surfing. Within his two decades of experience, he created 25 award winning films, earning his title of one of surfing’s “Ten Most Influential People” by Surfer Magazine.
“Seeing his long dedication and hard work being awarded motivates me to continue my work whether it’s acknowledged or not, because maybe in 30 years I’ll get an award at my old high school too,” Milla Steele (12), Taylor Steele’s daughter said.
Turning the page to a different avenue of success, Hirshberg was nominated because of his accomplishments as a two time CEO. He was the president and CEO of video game giant Activision, one of the largest game publishers in the world. He was the CEO of the internationally-renowned advertising agency Deutsch, and worked his way up to overseeing development and marketing of some of the biggest entertainment launches and franchises in history, including Call of Duty, Destiny, Guitar Hero and Skylanders. His work with Deutsch NY and Activision are recognized by industry leaders, and he was named one of the 50 most creative people in business.
The inductees were not only superstar CEOs and successful filmmakers, some were nominated because of their dual accomplishments and tireless hard work.
Buechler left an unforgettable mark on the school excelling both in a classroom and on a soccer field. She only continued her success moving forward, pursuing her soccer career at Stanford and leading her team to win two CIF championships. Buechler juggled soccer with studying human biology and becoming a defender and an Academic All American. After college, Buechler played more than 100 games for the United States women’s national soccer team, and won two Olympic gold medals (Beijing and London), and a silver medal in the 2011 World Cup. During her time in the National Women’s Soccer League, she played for Portland Thorns FC. After her retirement, she helped serve on the front lines against COVID-19. Now retired from soccer, she’s a practicing family medicine physician.
The fourth nominee, McGuire, was noticed for his experience in global marketing strategies for various technologies. McGuire led innovative marketing campaigns and collaborative partnerships that brought important technology products into the market. He was named the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Qualcomm, as well as being recognized as one of the “World’s Most Influential Chief Marketing Officers.”
In future years, the TPHS Foundation plans to implement a more structured board to finalize candidates and events.
“I think it’s going to get more formal moving forward,” Austin said. “There may be a fixed committee, and even a balance of alumni themselves on it.”.
Instead of inside the gym, the plaques will be posted in the administration building to showcase the fields of work alumni are noticed for.
“I believe principal Coppo is planning to announce the next set of inductees sometime this spring, and they will be presented at the football game in the fall,” Austin said.
