Three alumni and four former teachers have been inducted into the Angleton ISD Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Educator Hall of Fame.
Otis Carroll (Class of 1967), Sam Chamberlain (Class of 1966), and Isharay Jones (Class of 2000) were selected as Distinguished Alumni.
Carroll, who has more than 40 years of litigation experience, is recognized as one of East Texas’ preeminent trial lawyers with his work on patent, antitrust, oil and gas, civil fraud and breach of contract cases. He has also received much recognition for his contributions to his Tyler, Texas community and with the Presbyterian Church. He is a graduate of Texas A&M and law school at The University of Texas.
Sam Chamberlain has had an extraordinary career in environmental health and safety, holding roles at major corporations all around the world and testifying before Congress on environmental policy. Now retired, he is a professor and program chair at Brazosport College. A graduate and huge supporter of the University of Houston, he provides a scholarship each year to an Angleton graduate going to UH.
Isharay Jones is an Air Force veteran who rose to the highest rank for an enlisted airman, becoming a Chief Master Sergeant. He has held leadership positions in aircraft armament in areas including Operation Allied Forces, Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as supporting PACAF with Continuous Bomber Presence. He has been recognized for managing teams in high-pressure environments.
Former Angleton teachers Jesse Bates, Wayne Hummel, Shirley Phillips and Sharon Gilbert were chosen as Distinguished Educators.
Jesse Bates, who taught industrial arts at Angleton High from 1952 until his death in 1973, was not only a campus leader but councilman and then mayor of the city of Angleton. A strong believer in beautification and service, he planted all the trees on the Downing Road site and started the Memorial Garden that continues today. He is well remembered as one who took a strong interest in helping young men reach their potential. His wife and son still live in Angleton today.
Wayne Hummel, known as an accomplished musician, taught thousands of Angleton band students from 1960 to 1990 and was proud to be a part of the team taking students to the Rose Bowl in 1973. As a junior high director, he was instrumental in providing a foundation for Angleton’s successful band program. He was active in the First Baptist Church, serving at times as Director of Music and active in mission work. Now deceased, he was represented at the event by his family.
Shirley Phillips started her Angleton career at a kindergarten teacher when classes were held on the Marshall campus in 1976, then moved to teach several decades at the Early Childhood Campus. She ended her career as the Co-Ordinator of Technology Staff Development from 2002 to 2010, where she introduced computer literacy to teachers. Known for her creativity, the tech crew set up the Shirley Phillips Innovation Lab to recognize her work.
Sharon Gilbert spent 30 years teaching at Northside Elementary, starting in the second grade but spending most of her career in a fourth-grade classroom. After retirement in 1996, she tutored children for state-mandated tests. As a dedicated teacher, she made such a lifelong impression on her students that many of them keep in touch with her on her Facebook account today.
Distinguished alumni are selected by a committee set up by Angleton ISD each year. Distinguished educators are selected by a committee set up by the Angleton Alumni Association. Selections are made from written nominations by classmates, co-workers, family and community members.
Thank you to members of the AHS journalism program, Jake Myron, Rebeca Acuna, and Andy Pham for contributed photos.
