District honors alumni, inducts athletes to Hall of Fame

A celebration of former students and athletes highlighted Homecoming Week for Weatherford ISD on Sept. 25, ahead of the football game later that day. 

A luncheon, sponsored by First Bank Texas and held at the Northside Baptist Church gym, honored a few distinguished alumni and inducted several more into the Weatherford High School Athletic Hall of Fame. 

“[This luncheon is a] celebration of not only these individuals but also their rich legacy and enduring spirit,” WISD Superintendent Dr. Sean Scott said as he welcomed those in attendance. 

He then asked for hands to see who the oldest graduating class was in the room, which ended up being the Class of 1950.

Following lunch catered by Mesquite Pit, Lynn Pool — Ex-Student Association Awards Committee member, WHS graduate and former principal at WHS — delivered a short bio of those being recognized, starting with Dr. David Belding, who graduated in 1983, as Distinguished Alumnus.

Belding started his education career as a band director and later returned to WISD as middle school assistant principal, elementary principal as well as WHS principal. He later was named superintendent of Millsap and Aubry ISDs before landing at Midlothian ISD for the past few years. 

“WISD has been such a huge part of my life and standing here, I am flooded with memories,” Belding said at the podium. “I hoped I have lived up to the example [set by others before him].”

Morris White, Class of 1962, was also in attendance and named a Distinguished Alumnus. A staple in Parker County as part of the Texas Butane Co. family, White said he was a sometimes “reluctant” WISD student for all 12 years of his education after he shared that he “ran away” from first grade three times. 

The final award – Distinguished Service – was presented to Bob Caughman, also from the Class of 1962. Caughman was a teacher at the Bridge Campus from 1997 to 2013 when he retired. In 2019, he was recognized for receiving the Roger’s Roo Pride Award, renamed after Roger Grizzard, a longtime teacher and supporter of Weatherford ISD who died in 2019. 

Clearly emotional at the luncheon, Caughman simply said “thank you” for the honor. 

The WHS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees provided one of the most lighthearted moments of the afternoon when Class of 1964 Roger “Wayne” Lamb took the stage, first donning his high school letterman jacket on his way to the podium and then dancing with his cane before leaving the stage.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done and for giving me the best years of my life,” he said.  

Nicknamed Captain Kangaroo by family and friends, Lamb was a four-sport athlete who competed in football, basketball, track, and baseball. He earned a football scholarship to the University of Texas, attending for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. 

Additional HOF inductees included Flint Wallace, Class of 1962, who spent time in both the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics baseball organizations, later becoming a coordinator of pitching strategies for the Colorado Rockies; and Mackenzie Lankford Feaster, Class of 2010, a four-sport athlete who competed in basketball, volleyball, track, and softball.

The most poignant moment came when Willie “B.B.” Fielder IV, Class of 2007, was inducted posthumously. Fielder’s parents were in attendance as well as his cousin, Jeff Brazzell, who accepted the award on his and the family’s behalf. 

“B.B.’s legacy holds a special place in Weatherford,” Brazzell said. “Almost 20 years ago, he left us to be on God’s team but his spirit continues to radiate.” 

Pool then retook the stage and shared what she saw as a common theme in all the speeches given. 

“If you noticed, the honorees didn’t speak about their own specific accomplishments, they spoke about the relationships and connections they made,” she said. “That’s community.” 

The afternoon ended with the singing of the alma mater, led by the honorees.