NORWALK - Cerritos College this week announced its inaugural Hall of Fame inductees, who will be enshrined April 12 during ceremonies at the Sheraton Hotel in Cerritos.Inductees include: Barbara Reinalda - Distinguished Female Athlete: Barbara Reinalda put the Cerritos College softball team on the map. As a member of the first two Falcon teams in school history, Reinalda was voted the conference's Most Valuable Player both seasons, went undefeated in her career as a pitcher and batted over .500 over the course of both seasons. After completing her collegiate career at Cal Poly Pomona, she spent 19 years as a pitcher for the renowned Raybestos Brakettes of the Stratford, CT and posted a career record of 441-31 with 19 perfect games. Reinalda was a member of Team USA during both the World Championships and Pan American Games and was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1999. She is also a member of the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame and has spent the last 11 years as head coach at Yale University. Ron Yar - Distinguished Male Athlete: Although he only played one season at Cerritos College (1964), Ron Yary went to have a Hall of Fame career as an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL. In his one season with the Falcons, Yary was a two-way all-conference selection before playing three years at USC, where he won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best offensive lineman and the Knute Rockne Award his senior year. He helped the Trojans win the national championship before becoming the first offensive lineman ever to be drafted No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Yary appeared in three Super Bowls with the Vikings and wsa named the NFC Offensive Lineman of the Year three times. In 2001, he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Wally Kincaid - Distinguished Coach: As the first head baseball coach in Cerritos College history, Wally Kincaid spent 22 years at the helm and won six state championships while posting a career record of 678-163 (.806 winning percentage). Kincaid also led his teams to 15 conference championships, 51 tournament championships and a 60-game winning streak that spanned over three seasons. He was named the National Community College Coach of the Century by Baseball America magazine and was inducted into the Community College Coaches Hall of Fame and National College Baseball Hall of Fame. After his tenure at Cerritos College, Kincaid, who had more than 100 of his players move on to become coaches at various levels, served as an assistant coach during three College World Series appearances for Cal State Long Beach. The Cerritos College baseball field was named in his honor. Dr. Gerald P. Roodzant - Distinguished Alumnus: Dr. Gerald P. Roodzant has been practicing dentistry in the Whittier, La Mirada area since 1979. Prior to graduating from UCLA Dental School in 1979, he attended UCLA and Cerritos College. He continues to further his education to keep pace with the latest dental advances. Roodzant is dedicated in maintaining a reputation of excellence in dental care. Outside of this office he participates in public lectures with local citizen groups and volunteers with UCLA Board of Counselors, UCLA Apollonians, Cerritos College Foundation Board of Directors, La Mirada Kiwanis and Los Angeles CADA. He lives in Fullerton with his wife, Janice, and enjoys golfing in his spare time. John Gallant - Distinguished Classified/Confidential: John Gallant worked for Cerritos College for over 35 years until his retirement in June 2011, of which from 1983 to 2003 he taught court reporting and typing classes. Gallant served as the administrative assistant and mentor to 16 different vice presidents of academic affairs. He has been the college historian and "keeper of knowledge" for many of the offices on campus. He was voted Classified Employee of the Month twice and Employee of the Year in 1989. He is also remembered for emceeing the Outstanding Classified Awards for 11 years -- the committee even brought him back after his retirement. Each year he took the extra time to meet each nominee and made humorous presentations at the event. Dr. Edward Bloomfield - Distinguished Faculty: During his 35 years of teaching philosophy at Cerritos College, Dr. Edward Bloomfield guided and nurtured the intellectual life of thousands of students, and his love for teaching philosophy continues to benefit students today. Upon his retirement in May 2003, Bloomfield established the Edward H. Bloomfield Philosophy Scholarship. He also bequeathed his philosophy library to the students studying philosophy at Cerritos College. The books are housed in the office of the Philosophy Department and are available to students enrolled in philosophy classes. Bloomfield inspired many students and made a significant difference in the life of each student that crossed paths with him, officials said. He continues to research, teach, counsel and enlighten those around him. Golden Star Technology, Inc. - Distinguished Corporate Partner: J.P. Wang truly believes in giving back to the community. Born in Taiwan, he grew up in a small family farm as the oldest of five. As his family struggled to make ends meet, he was able to receive top education due to generous scholarships from sponsors. After working for tech giants such as Sanyo and Ericsson, he founded an IT solutions provider - Golden Star Technology - in 1984. He never forgets the importance of education and the generosity he received as a child. He and his family have vowed to provide similar help to deserving, underprivileged children. In 2005, with his wife Alice, he founded the International Buddhist Education Foundation through which he has raised more than $5 million in scholarship funds. In 2007, Wang joined the Cerritos College Foundation Board of Directors, and in 2008, the Wangs established the Alice Wang Scholarships for single parents majoring in child development at Cerritos College. Wang's strong commitment to making education accessible to all is truly inspiring, college officials said. Tickets to the Hall of Fame banquet are $45 per person, or $400 for a table of 10. Reserve your tickets online at cerritos.edu.

********** Published: March 29, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 50