By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Highland Park Alumni Association will host its 2024 Hall of Fame and Sports Wall of Honor induction ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday in the high school library.
Chauncey McBride, a 1988 Highland Park graduate, and 2002 Hi Park grad Grant Gould will be inducted into the Highland Park Sports Wall of Honor while Valerie Patterson, a 1973 Highland Park graduate, and the late Susan (Gresham) Guffey, a 1966 grad, will be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame biographies:
Valerie Patterson
Hall of Fame
Valerie Patterson
Educator (Class of 1973)
Valerie was born and raised in Topeka as one of four children Vickie, Lori and Melvin Jr. of Melvin Sr. and Maxine Patterson where they lived in the eastern part of the Oakland community. Val graduated from Highland Parking High school in 1973 as well as all of her siblings. She attended Topeka Public Schools beginning at Washington Elementary, Dawson and State Street Elementary Schools, transitioning to Holliday Junior High and then went on to Highland Park High School. While at Highland Park she was involved in cheerleading, volleyball and track and field as well as serving on the Human Relations Board. Valerie was named Highland Park’s Homecoming Queen in 1973.
After graduating from Highland Park in 1973 she attended Emporia State University where she received a Bachelor of Secondary Education with an emphasis in Physical Education in 1977 and received her Master’s in Administration in 1996. Valerie’s entire career has been spent working in the Topeka Public School District. She stated that she thoroughly enjoyed Teaching Physical Education at Highland Park Central Elementary, Lowman Hill Elementary and at Highland Park High School. While teaching she coached at both Highland Park Junior High and Highland Park High School that gave her added pleasure to her career. In 1996 the world of administration grabbed hold of her and she served from 1996 – 2015 at Topeka West High School, Highland Park Central, Topeka Public School Administration, Highland Park High School, Quincy Elementary and finally at Topeka High School.
Over the years she has received various awards, honors and recognitions that include Topeka Public School’s Administrator of the Year in 1996, Commencement Speaker for Topeka West’s Class of 2000, City of Topeka’s Human Relations Commission’s Black History Month Honoree in 2005, Emporia State University’s Bridge Builder’s Forum, Leadership Greater Topeka Class of 2002, Topeka Public School’s First African American Female Coach 2024 as part of the Brown v Board of Education 70th year celebration.
Valerie is retired and enjoys spending time with her daughter, Simone throughout the 33 years of her life. In addition she has three niece’s Courtney Starnes (Corey), Chelsey Sudduth and MacKenzi Patterson who stay busy with their kids, hobbies and college. She admits that at her age she also has a great niece Cami and nephew Christian who enjoy the things she enjoyed the most -Sports!!! She states that she is so proud and blessed for her family! She does love Flowers, Flowers, and Flowers - both inside and outside. When she is not watching or attending sporting events or handling her flowers, she is spending time renovating the Patterson family home for its next generation. Valerie’s community involvement continues with her teaching Sunday school at New Mount Zion Baptist Church, participates in Commit to Community Service Projects with her Sorority- Delta Sigma Theta, and is a board member of the Topeka Public Schools Foundation and recently served as their past president. When she finds down time, she enjoys watching HGTV, a variety of movies and tons of sports.
Susan Guffey
Hall of Fame
Susan (Gresham) Guffey
Philanthropist (Class of 1966)
The late Susan (Gresham) Guffey dreamed big and showed it, taking each and every opportunity she could find as a teen. As a Scot at Highland Park High School in the 1960s, she took part in as many clubs as possible. She cheered on the sidelines for the football and basketball teams as part of the Pep Club and Bonnie Lassie Drill Team, acted in school plays alongside her thespian friends, and spoke up for her classmates as part of the Student Congress. Susan served as a member of the Highlander yearbook and Bagpiper newspaper staffs, selling ads and leading as editor during her senior year of high school. Her efforts and leadership earned her a seat in Quill and Scroll, the international honor society for high school journalists. In opening her eyes to the world, Susan helped host international students as part of the American Field Service student organization.
After graduating in 1966 from Highland Park, Susan served in the Navy for a couple of years as a photographer. She then returned to Topeka to work as a reporter and photographer for local papers, before getting a position with the Associated Press. Her work and experiences took her all over the world. She was briefly married to Thomas Guffey and had a son Sean. Susan later married Gene Priestman, a veteran she had met during her military career who had founded the Scitor Corporation, a prominent defense and national security contractor. The couple’s work frequently took them around the world. Her son shared that “They were happy, friendly people.” The couple lived a quiet happy life in their later years frequently donating to various causes, such as animal shelters, libraries, children’s museums and numerous startup nonprofit businesses. After her husband’s death, Susan kept up the couple’s philanthropic efforts with intermittent donations to Highland Park High School over the past decade. Former principal Dale Cushinberry recalled that he met her as she toured the school. When she asked how she could help, he said the school had a goal of having every student read three modern novels. Cushinberry said the problem was that the school didn’t have three modern novels. The next week, he received a check to meet that need, and then some. Other gifts followed, one for $200,000.
Following her death in 2022, Susan was honored by the Bainbridge Community Foundation during the organization's annual awards event in November 2022, posthumously recognized as “a dedicated community builder and counselor to numerous local nonprofits.” As one of her last acts before she died in 2022, Susan donated $5 million to her alma mater Highland Park High School which is the largest gift in Topeka Public Schools Foundation history. Former Highland Park principal Dale Cushinberry stated that “she was warm-hearted, and a person who cared about people. She really had a passion for her alma mater, Highland Park. I could tell as I was talking with her, how interested she was in the things that are going on today.” As well as “Anything she could do to further the legacy of Highland Park, she was very interested in that,” he added.
Susan’s $5 million gift is specifically directed to support Highland Park High School students and student programs, rather than any kind of facility or capital improvements. This gift will be transformational because it will enable students to become better equipped to navigate the world ahead of them.
Chauncey McBride
Sports Wall of Honor
Chauncey McBride
Basketball Athlete (Class of 1988)
Chauncey McBride graduated from Highland Park High School in 1988. During his high school career he participated in football one year, four-year letterman in basketball and track and field. While in high school he also participated in AAU Basketball. As his high school career and graduation was on the horizon he needed to decide on what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go for college. He had received an Art Scholarship to a college in Missouri and a Basketball Scholarship to Johnson County Community College. In August of 1988 he began college at Johnson County Community College playing basketball for two years, transferred to Ellsworth College for one year and in 1994 he obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho.
Chauncey has always been involved in coaching and following graduation he served as a Coaching Assistant at the University Of Idaho from 1994-1995 where he helped develop players' skills through coaching and feedback. As Head Assistant Coach at Lessen College from 1995-1996 where he was responsible for assisting the head coach in planning and executing training sessions and game strategies. He was given the opportunity to play Basketball Professionally in Kuopion Linkki from 1996-1998 where he achieved outstanding performance metrics, averaging 26 points and 14 rebounds per game.
Following basketball he worked at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Finland from 2003-2005, he owned Spotless Cleaning in Finland from 2007-2018 managing and operating a successful cleaning company, overseeing staff and ensuring high-quality service.
In 2000 Chauncey founded and coaches the Warrior Basketball Club by overseeing various teams and providing personalized training sessions in Helsinki, Finland. From 2010 to current he is a Koripalloliitto Referee in Alue-Erotuomari officiating games at high school, college, and at the professional levels.
He has been a dedicated educator and basketball coach over the past 28 years of experience in Finland. Where he leveraged his expertise in coaching, mentoring, and player development within a school and basketball programs.
Chauncey’s volunteer activities include mentoring numerous young basketball professionals, guiding them toward success in the USA and Finland. He also contributed to the training of actors for the Finnish film "Korso" by Tuffi Films Oy in 2014. He has four daughters Oxcana age 24, Janiyah 12, Love age 10, and Janeke 8 who keep him very busy.
Grant Gould
Sports Wall of Honor
Grant Gould
Football, Wrestling & Baseball Athlete (Class of 2002)
Grant Gould graduated from Highland Park High School in 2002. During his high school career he participated in football, wrestling and baseball earning a varsity letter 12 times. Grant’s high school experience as a 4-year varsity football letter recipient provided him an opportunity to earn several awards and recognitions that included being named the All Centennial League Honorable Mention, Gatorade “Will to Win” Award recipient, first team All-City selection for both offense and defense, first team All-Centennial League selection for both offense and defense, All-City Defensive player of the year, All Centennial League Defensive player of the year and All-5A State defense selection. He received the Coach Ken Caywood memorial Most Valuable Player and he led the State of Kansas achieving 143 Tackles. His wrestling career included being a 4-year varsity letter recipient, a four-time 5A State Qualifier, All-City Honorable Mention, first team All-City selection, 5A Centennial League champion, 5A Regional Champion, 2000 he placed 6th at the 5A Kansas State Wrestling tournament and in 2002 – he placed 5th at the 5A Kansas State Wrestling tournament. Grant’s success continued during the spring semester when he was a member of the varsity baseball team lettering all four years, earning recognition as an All-City Honorable Mention, first team All-City selection, first team All Centennial League selection and All-5A State selection.
Grant was not only an exceptional athlete, but he was just as successful in the classroom. While at Highland Park he was inducted into the National Honor Society, received several awards such as the President’s Education Award – Outstanding Academic Excellence, Academic Excellence Award for top 10 percent, and was the Kansas Board of Regents Award recipient. Following graduation, Grant received a football scholarship to Washburn University where he was able to accomplish individual and team recognitions that included 2005 MIAA Conference champion, NCAA D2 championship, Mineral Water Bowl champion, 2004 and 2005 - team captain, Ichabod football most valuable defensive player and a three-time MIAA defensive athlete of the week. Grant holds several individual records at Washburn University being named all-time leading tackler, solo tackles in a career, assisted tackles in a season, assisted tackles in a career, tackles for loss and his career total tackles placed him 4th all-time in NCAA Division II history. In 2005, he received a unanimous selection first team All MIAA conference, unanimous Daktronics first team All-Southwest region, The Football Gazette first team All-Southwest region, CollegeSportsReport.com first team All-American, Daktronics second team All-American, and D2Football.com’s honorable mention All-American. In 2004, Second team all MIAA conference, 2003 Honorable mention all MIAA conference, 2002 Named to the D2Football.com’s Freshman defensive All-American team and honorable mention all MIAA conference. In 2023, Grant was inducted into the Washburn University Athletic Hall of Fame.
For the past 16 years, Grant has worked in cardiology and currently serves as an Executive Clinical Specialist in cardiac electrophysiology at Johnson & Johnson. He continues to be actively involved on the boards of the Washburn University Athletic Foundation, the Topeka Public Schools Foundation and the Highland Park High School Football Foundation.
Grant states that he is proud to have shared the past 16 years with his beautiful wife Julie and their two incredible kids who are his greatest achievements. Their daughter Elliott is 13-years old and in the 8th grade and son Brock is 10-years old and in the 4th grade.
