Inducted in 2022
ED SIMMONS - class of 1967
Ed Simmons’ entrepreneurial success started while running the concession stand during high school basketball games. His leadership was evidenced by his being voted “Best Personality” his senior year. That same year, he also was voted “All League Team” for his football performance, which he simplifies as, “My job was to open the hole for Mike Garrett to run through!”
While attending El Camino College, Ed got a job parking cars in Westwood. His part-time job went to full-time, and Ed soon was promoted to manager. Shortly thereafter, Ed was hired away to operate Red Carpet Parking, a subsidiary of Buckeye Real Estate, which owned several buildings in Beverly Hills. While working for Red Carpet, Ed started a construction company, LA Construction & Services, with a friend who had a contractor’s license.
It did not take long for Ed’s reputation in the parking industry in the Los Angeles area to result in quotes from owners, and soon Ed started his own parking company, Parking Concepts, a DBA of LA Construction & Services. When a competitor made him an offer he couldn’t refuse for the name, Parking Concepts, Ed sold the name and renamed his company EPI (Executive Parking, Inc.). After the renaming, the company started relationships with government organizations in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and other local governments. Soon state and national parking and real estate management companies were calling upon Ed to serve on their Boards of Directors and in other leadership positions.
Ed had resisted many offers to buy his company; however, the offer from APCOA, which resulted in merging his company into five different parking companies nationwide while maintaining his management role over all the companies, could not be ignored. That company, SP+, is now the largest company of its kind in the nation. While his corporate career was in full-swing, Ed formed a real estate development and management company that still owns shopping centers and office buildings, most located in California, but some as far east as St. Paul, Minnesota. Notably, one of Ed’s greatest achievements has been operating the largest Major League parking lot (Dodger Stadium in LA), with the capacity to facilitate 19,000 cars to leave the parking lot in about 30 minutes.
In 2002, while serving in the Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica, Ed and a fellow club member founded an educational scholarship fund which is still operated by the Police Assistance League (Pal) and has awarded more than 100 scholarships. Ed also has started and operated two successful security companies in California—Silverado and SP+ Security, and he has purchased and still owns the first totally indoor retail mall built in Casper, Wyoming.
AMy Torczon Mccarthy - class of 1984
Amy Torczon entered Taft Union High School as a Sophomore when her father was hired as Head Baseball Coach for Taft College. A consistent 4.0 student, who stood 5’11 ½ “-tall, and who was the leading starter, scorer, and South Sequoia League selection for all three basketball seasons as a Wildcat, Amy was referred to as “every coach’s dream” since she first stepped on to basketball court . . . or volleyball court, or track, or swimming pool, or softball field. Amy finished second in the voting for Player of the Year for Basketball in 1984, and she was named to the Northern California Girls’ Basketball Team—the first Taft High female ever to receive that honor. In volleyball, she was a three-time All-League selection, helping to lead the Wildcats to the 1983 Valley Championship (first-ever for Taft’s girls’ team), and she was named the 1983 Player of the Year for Kern County by the Bakersfield Californian. Amy still holds school track records in the two low hurdle events as well as the triple jump, and she is co-holder of the school high jump standard.
Along with her prowess in sports, Amy also excelled in academics. She was the Valedictorian of the Class of 1984 and was named the 1984 Tyack Award winner by the Vineland School District as the outstanding female athlete in Kern County High Schools. But perhaps the biggest highlight of her high school career was being selected as California State High School’s Girl-Scholar Athlete the Year, 1984—which earned her recognition in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd”. The Daily Midway Driller (on April 11, 1984) reported, “Two of the finest female athletes in Taft High School history signed letters of intent to attend four-year schools this morning.”—referring to Melanie Parrent (Class of 1984 and HOF Inductee 2011) who went to Fresno State to play softball and Amy Torczon who played basketball for Cal State Fullerton. At Cal State Fullerton, Amy set a school record for defensive rebounds (575) for the years 1984-87 before going on to graduate with a BA from Fullerton and an MA from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, in physical therapy.
While establishing a career, Amy married her husband, Dan, moved to Texas, and was a licensed physical therapist in a hospital setting. After a time, she went back to school—this time, pharmaceutical school, and currently she is a pharmaceutical salesman. This was accomplished while raising four children, two of whom are now adults living on their own, one who is in college, and one who is a junior in high school. Amy and Dan also have one granddaughter.
Anthony patrick MILLS - “Tony the tiger” - class of 1988
Athlete that lettered in 13 varsity sports (2 football, 3 basketball, 4 baseball, 3 track and 1 golf) while attending Taft Union High School. Mills was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 Major League Baseball draft, 1987-1988 Kern County Athlete of the Year, 1987-1988 South Sequoia League Scholar Athlete of the Year, and received a baseball scholarship to National Powerhouse Wichita State (College World Series 1991 Nation Runners-up, 1992, & 1993 Nation Runners-up). Mills was a 6-time All-South Sequoia League Player (1 football-QB, 2 basketball-guard, & 3 baseball-1 outfielder & 2 infielder). “The Tiger” was 1st team all-area quarterback in 1987 and led the central section in 3-pointers in 1987-1988 season while averaging 22.3 points. Lastly, won the 1987 long drive contest at the CIF Golf Valley Championship
Liberty High School - Physical Education Head Baseball Head Girls’ Golf CIF-CS Baseball Advisory Chair · Wichita State - Baseball Alumni 1990-93