Nine newly-admitted members of the Avenue of Giants were honored for achievements in their fields at a celebratory dinner on Friday, March 6.
The banquet, hosted by Mark Fainaru-Wada, ESPN reporter and Avenue of Giants member, was held at Jason’s Restaurant in Greenbrae and celebrated four Avenue of Giants members who were inducted in 2014 and five members who were inducted in 2015.
According to the Redwood High School Alumni website, the Avenue of Giants recognition honors Redwood graduates who have made significant contributions to society or achieved substantial professional success.
According to Marilee Rogers, co-president of the Redwood Alumni Association, in order to be admitted into the Avenue of Giants, a Redwood alumnus or alumna must have graduated at least 15 years ago, must be doing something or have done something remarkable in their career or life, and must be a good role model for current students.
“Some people could say that it takes being successful or making a lot of money,” said junior Audrey Genest, one of two current students who volunteered to represent the student body in this year’s selection committee. “But in general, it mostly has to do with giving back to the community and representing what it really means to be a Giant.”
In 2014, the Avenue of Giants admitted Vincanne Adams ’77, Suzi Eszterhas ’94, Michele Markoff ’70, and Tom Seidenberg ’68. This year, Scott Evans ’86, Joan Lubamersky ’68, Emily Pilloton ’99, Tiffany Shlain ’88, and Robin Williams ’69 were also added to the long list of alumni who have been awarded with the Avenue of Giants recognition.
“It was really interesting because all of these people were in the same place 15 years ago as I am now,” Genest said. “And then they turned out to do pretty amazing things that not just benefited themselves, but benefited so many people around them.”
Inductee Scott Evans is a premier rocket scientist who is credited with managing the team that built the navigation software used by the Mars rover, Curiosity. In 1996, Tiffany Shlain founded the Webby Awards, a recognition that honors excellence on the internet, and has delivered several TED Talks since then.
Actor Robin Williams had a tremendous influence in the world of comedy, and earned an Oscar, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards for his success in the entertainment industry.
“These [Avenue of Giants members] have shown me that there are so many opportunities out there and you can make a difference in so many unique ways,” Genest said. “It’s just amazing that these people were high school students like me and now they’re doing things that I could only dream of doing.”
According to Rogers, anyone in the community can nominate a candidate deserving of the recognition. The candidate must then be approved by a selection committee consisting of two or three former teachers, two or three members of the Alumni Association, one current teacher, and two current students.
“It’s all part of recognizing how wonderful Redwood is and has been and how this school has produced some amazing students across the board,” Rogers said.
The Alumni association reached out to Fainaru-Wada to emcee the event and to keep things moving throughout the night.
“It really is an overwhelming crew of people,” Fainaru-Wada said. “And for me to be even talked about or to be on the list is an other worldly kind of thing.”
According to the Alumni Association, the committee usually selects between one and four candidates a year for recognition, but this year, the committee approved five.
“There’s a fluke,” said Rogers. “Robin Williams was selected the very first year in 2009 and every year since, but because we were unable to connect with him or his manager, it’s just taken us this long. We were now finally able to get through to his wife, so we were able to add him this year.”
According to Rogers, Williams never denied permission to receive the recognition, but he never gave permission either.
“The thing with Robin Williams was kind of a non-denial denial, we just couldn’t get him to acknowledge it,” Rogers said. “We didn’t want to post something without Robin’s permission. A few months ago, Robin’s wife went before the Board of Trustees and the family and they all agreed unanimously to allow it. We wanted to make it clear that we weren’t trying to exploit Robin or expecting anything from that. We just wanted to make sure that he was properly acknowledged.”
