Inducted in 2025
Bill endicott - class of 1936
Bill Endicott, born in Acorn, Missouri in 1918, moved with his family to California due to the Dust Bowl. In Fellows, CA, Endicott’s baseball career flourished at Taft High, where he helped lead the Wildcats to multiple Valley and Kern County championships. A standout player, he was twice named to the Kern County League All-Star team alongside teammate Ernie Woods.
After high school, Endicott briefly played for Taft College before being signed by the St. Lou-is Cardinals’ farm system. Known for his speed and hitting prowess, he began his professional career in the Arizona-Texas League and later played in the Georgia-Florida, Texas, Southeastern, and Pacific Coast Leagues, earning multiple All-Star selections and high batting averages.
Endicott’s baseball trajectory paused in 1941 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served in England in cryptography and rose to technical sergeant before attending officer-candidate school. World War II ended before he could be deployed to Asia, and he completed his service in California.
In 1946, he returned to the Cardinals and played during their World Series-winning season. Despite suffering a previously undiagnosed broken shoulder during military service—later worsened in an exhibition game—he contributed to the team’s success, becoming the first Taft High Wildcat to win a World Series.
After retiring from baseball, Endicott returned to Taft, worked in oil fields, and spent 30 years with the California Highway Patrol before retiring in Sacramento in 1975. His legacy continues to inspire future generations of Wildcats.
edith matthai - class of 1968
Edith Matthai led a dynamic and accomplished life, beginning with her time at Taft High School where she actively participated in various extracurriculars, including the tennis team, Latin Club, Les Salutires, and the American Field Service (AFS). She went on to attend UC Santa Barbara, where she graduated with honors in just three years, demonstrating early on her dedication and intellect. Her academic journey continued at Hastings School of Law, and she was admitted to the bar in 1975.
Matthai began her legal career working at firms in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. In 1986, she and her husband, Jim, founded their own law firm in Los Angeles. Together, they raised two children. Tragically, Jim suffered a major heart attack in 2011 and passed away, after which Edith continued to lead their firm. Her daughter, Lee, joined her in the practice after completing her education, while her son, Raymond, pursued a career in Washington, D.C., contributing to Pentagon-related projects.
In 2023, after thirty-seven distinguished years of legal practice, Edith officially retired and closed the firm. Her legal career was marked by a series of prestigious accolades. These included the Jim Roble Professionalism and Civility Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Lee B. Wenzel Civility Award from ABOTA in 2024. She was named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal multiple times and received the Hall of Fame Award from the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel in 2015. Other honors include the Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award (2014), CAL-ABOTA Trial Lawyer of the Year (2013), Ernestine Stahlhut Award (2010), Champion of Justice Award (2008), and recognition in the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame by the California State Bar Litigation Section in 2008. She was also consistently listed among the Top Professional Liability Lawyers and Top 100 in Southern California by legal publications.
beth (Tufft) huning - class of 1968
Beth Huning’s lifelong dedication to conservation began at age 11, when she founded a neighbor- hood nature club in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. Her passion for the environment evolved through strong educational foundations at Taft High and Taft College, and later at Cal State Fullerton, where she earned a BA in Geography in 1972. She began her career as an elementary teacher but soon transitioned into environmental education, supported by a federal grant. Her work included seasonal service as an interpretive ranger in Yosemite National Park.
In 1982, Beth became Director of the 900-acre Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over 18 years, she advanced wetland conservation through education programs and habitat protection initiatives across California, Oregon, and Washington. She was instrumental in developing the Central Coast Birding Trail and co-authored two books on wildlife gardening.
Beth’s influence expanded in 1996 when she co-founded a voluntary partnership aligned with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), aiming to conserve 200,000 acres of wetlands across the San Francisco Bay and coastal regions. In 2000, she was awarded a fellowship by Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she earned a certificate in non- profit management. The following year, she became Coordinator of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture (SFBJV), leading efforts that restored or protected over 75,000 acres of wetlands.
After retiring in 2019, Beth pursued nature photography and served as President of the North American Nature Photography Association. In 2024, she was inducted into the California Water- fowlers’ Hall of Fame, honoring her remarkable conservation legacy.
dennis watkins - class of 1974
Dennis Watkins, a celebrated figure in the rodeo world, was born in Taft, California, and raised in Valley Acres from the age of seven. As a child, he was deeply fascinated by cowboy culture, often pretending to be one by riding a stick horse. At age eight, his father introduced him to team roping, igniting a lifelong passion. The pivotal moment came when his dad traded the family boat for a horse, making roping a central part of Dennis’s life.
Team roping involves two roles: the “header,” who ropes the steer’s head, and the “heeler,” who ropes the back legs. Dennis discovered his natural skill as a heeler—a role in higher demand due to its relative scarcity of talent. Recognizing the strategic advantage of excelling as a heeler, he committed fully to it. By 15, Dennis had chosen his path and set an ambitious goal to compete in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) by age 20—he made it by 18.
From 1974 to 1992, Dennis competed in 19 consecutive NFR events, winning the Team Roping Championship twice, in 1981 and 1984. His competitive record extends beyond the NFR, with victories at prestigious rodeos in Reno, Salinas, Prescott, Denver, and San Antonio. He also holds the remarkable achievement of competing in the Bob Feist Invitational Roping event for 41 consecutive years.
Dennis’s achievements have earned him significant recognition: he was inducted into the Bob Elias Hall of Fame in Bakersfield in 2019 and will be inducted into the Taft Union High School Hall of Fame in April 2025, a nomination made by his brother, Cole Watkins.
His story is one of early passion, dedication, strategic insight, and consistent excellence in a highly competitive sport.