Superior High School Hall of Fame Class of 2018
The Superior High School Hall of Fame inducted four alumni and the 1974 Class A State Basketball Championship Team on Saturday. The Hall of Fame celebrated its 10th anniversary of inducting alumni and faculty from Superior High School.
This year, Herlinda Aviles class of 1953, Mary Lou Chavez-Acosta, class of 1953, Nick Mansour Jr., class of 1955 and Richard Soulé, class of 1943 were the individuals inducted.
Superior High School Hall of Fame Class of 2018
Several members of the 1974 Championship Basketball team attended the induction ceremony and all reminisced on their memories of the championship season and shared their appreciation of Coach Manny Ruiz for all he did to lead the team to state. The members of the team were: Gilbert Aguilar, Mike Buehler, Doug Cox, Louie Duarte, Mike Fernandez, David Florez, Gene Flores, John Gutierrez, Mark Guzman, Danny Padilla, Louie Rabago, Manuel Ramirez, Mark Turnbull, Albert Serrano (team manager), Jack Schertz (team manager), Frank Campos (Assistant Coach) and Manny Ruiz (Head Coach).
Herlinda Aviles was inducted for her impact on bilingual education. She was a collaborator creator and coordinator of the National Spanish test for the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP); she collaborated and published two textbooks; and completed her career in education as a certified Librarian at various educational institutions. During her college years, she was a founding group member of “Los Universitarios” at the University of Arizona.
Mary Lou Chavez-Acosta was inducted for her leadership roles where she served the people of Superior. She was the first president for the Teachers and Parents of Superior (TAPS), appointed to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors and elected as the first female member to the Superior Unified School District Board. She was elected to the Superior Town Council and was the first female Mayor, appointed to serve the town. When she was Mayor, she was concerned about the mine shut down and worked to secure a federal grant between the U.S. Department of Labor and Central Arizona College establishing a retraining program for displaced miners in carpentry, plumbing, electrical and nursing. She worked hard as a community advocate to make Superior a better place for everyone to live.
Nick Mansour Jr. was inducted for the impact he made on medicine as a practicing physician. He held a position as the Chief Internal Medicine Officer with Pima County Hospital, and held staff positions at the St. Joseph’s Hospital and Tucson Medical Center. He received the “Physician of the Year” award twice, and was the St. Joseph’s Hospital Chief of Staff. In 1971 he opened his own private practice specializing in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology. He retired in 2005 after 30 years in private practice. He continues to work for the Arizona Department of Economic Security reviewing medical evidence on claimants who have applied for disability.
Richard Soulé held a special place in the hearts of residents of Superior. He was one of the only students from Superior High School to be awarded a basketball scholarship to the University of Arizona. Fans would travel from Superior to watch him play for the U of A. After playing for one season, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Following his service he returned to the U of A and utilized his G.I. Bill to complete his education. Each year, the University of Arizona annually transports and honors Richard during a home basketball game as the “Oldest Living Wildcat Player.” He was a businessman and resided in Casa Grande, he was the publisher of the local newspaper and founded Casa Grande’s annual O’Odham Tash Native American cultural event.