Henry David Thoreau once wrote, "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." The hallways of WRHS have been graced with numerous persons who fit this description and they deserve our recognition.

Established in 2003, the WRHS Hall of Fame honors graduates and staff members who have excelled and achieved significant accomplishments at the local, state, or national level.

Nominations for the WRHS Hall of Fame are taken each year until August 31st. In the Spring semester a public ceremony is held at the high school to recognize inductees with a plaque and a memento of appreciation. Inductees are also recognized at a school event on the same day as the ceremony. Plaques are also displayed on the WRHS Hall of Fame wall outside of the auditorium.

Nominations are now being accepted for WRHS Hall of Fame inductees for Fall 2012.

Click here for eligibility information (PDF)
Click here for nomination form (PDF)

Ms. Tracy Johnson is a 1989 graduate of WRHS. After high school she attended Kansas University and earned her BA in Film Studies. Tracy worked locally in the Topeka media for the ABC affiliate KTKATV. There she worked her way up to Promotions Manager. She played a major role in the initial development of the Topeka Holiday tradition called Winter Wonderland. This local event continues today serving as a local fund raiser for TARC. Winter Wonderland is enjoyed by thousands of local Topekans as well as others who come to support the cause and enjoy the creative light display at Lake Shawnee. Tracy was employed in Kansas City as Production Assistant and Segment Producer for the Fox Television production Trauma Center. That program featured stories based on the day-to day operations at Truman Medical Center. The lure of the bigger media market lead Tracy to Chicago in 1998. She began working for A&E Network as a Segment Writer/ Producer/ Editor on segments for The Unexplained and Investigative Reports. Tracy wrote several pieces for television segments of American Justice. In 2000 she completed a piece about the 1966 Topeka tornado called "The Wrath of God". In 2003 Tracy set out on her own as a freelance journalist and moved to San Francisco. There she continued to screen write, direct and produce numerous projects for A&E, Court TV, The Food Network, HGTV and The History Channel. Two of her productions for Forensic Files, titled "Muddy Waters" (2004) and "Key Evidence" (2006) were Telly Award Winners. Between the years 2007 - 2010 she produced pieces for The History Channel including the series called "Gangland". That television series depicts and exposes some of the most brutal gang activity ever produced for television. Tracy herself interviewed some of LA's most notorious gang members to create the informative documentary.

Mr. Bill Edwards served Washburn Rural High School for 28 years from 1979 to 2007. After graduating from Topeka High School, Edwards earned his Bachelor's of Education in 1972 from Washburn University, graduating Cum Laude with departmental honors. Prior to joining Rural's staff in 1979, he was employed by Topeka-501 at Landon Junior High and Topeka High School and taught social studies, American History, and coached football, women's basketball and track. In 1984 Edwards became the school's athletic and activities director. He continued to teach three sections of history and coach while carrying out his duties as AD. In 1987 Edwards was promoted to assistant principal. In 1993 Edwards was promoted to the building's Principal and he served in that capacity for 14 years. He led an outstanding educational program that saw growth of advanced placement opportunities and honors programs, the alternative high school, as well as a program that helped the transition of at-risk ninth graders into an environment that fostered success. Edwards assisted in the development of a stand-alone school, Tall Grass Educational Center. These programs continue today and serve a wide-range of Rural's population. He oversaw the growth of student activity programs with the addition of baseball, softball, soccer, and swimming, all of which allowed more student involvement through participation as a result of increased extracurricular offerings. Edwards also helped establish a relationship with the Shawnee County Sheriff's Department that lead to the placement of a Deputy at the school who serves as a Resource Officer. A current staff member who worked for years alongside Edwards summed up his successful tenure at Rural best by saying that Bill Edwards demonstrated, "absolute dedication, concern for sound educational decisions" while also pointing out that he possessed "a generous heart." They went on to say that, "he held his staff's and his students' well-being as his premier concern."