The Garfield High Schools Golden Grads (GGG) recently inducted Barney Hilliard, Janet Jones Preston and Eddie Rye, Jr. as their Hall of Fame class of 2017. Their induction marks the first time in the history of the organization that GGG has inducted three African Americans in the same Hall of Fame class. In addition, the GGG organization announced the awarding of over $94,000 in scholarship assistance to Garfield High School students entering college.
Barney Hilliard ’56: At Garfield, Hilliard along with George Griffin, Dave Lewis, John Gray and JB Allen formed the original Dave Lewis Combo quintet. This Combo became the top rock band in Seattle and was the beginning of Hilliard’s performing career.
The Combo breached one of the local music unions barriers by getting to play at Parker’s Ballroom and proved that rock and roll music was loved by White kids too. In 1955, the Combo was hired for the opening act for Bill Haley and his Comets’. Hilliard’s music career flourished and young musicians of Seattle frequented Birdland to study The Combo musicians.
Hilliard later became involved in Civil Rights working for equal opportunity programs through the Seattle Chamber and the Washington State Employment Security Department. He sponsored race relations seminars for corporate managers and service providers. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1971 and the UW Law School in 1974.
As a volunteer Hilliard, along with classmates Doug Steinhauer and Neal Shulman, formed a group to support homeless and needy students at Leschi Elementary School. Over the years, this group has grown and provides family support activities for homeless youth, developed a referral process with Seattle Urban League for homeless families to apply for housing and maintains a close connection with the school to provide support. He has served on Central Area Mental Health Center for 20 years as a Board Member, 6 years as President. He also volunteered with Don James, UW football coach, as a liaison with Garfield encouraging student athletes to attend the UW.
Hilliard continues to play (on his retirement schedule) for special events.
Janet Jones Preston ’66: Preston is recognized for her outstanding leadership and tireless efforts in addressing and raising awareness about issues relating to at-risk children and teens.
In 1998, Preston received the Golden Apple Award in recognition of her relentless work towards making a dramatic difference in Washington State Education in grades pre-K through 12. She was a liaison with Child Protective Services to make sure kids were safe and well-cared for. As a result of her involvement with homeless and neglected children, Preston got her foster-care license so she could provide children from her school with a stable home. She also taught parents to be better advocates for their children, visited classrooms to see who needed new shoes, arranged Christmas presents for children and helped schedule prison visits.
While attending the University of Washington, Preston’s coursework led her to helping inmates at Monroe Reformatory prepare for their GED’s. She resumed her visits after graduating bringing teachers, administrators and superintendents so they could hear firsthand how systemic failures in the education system were leading men to jail. As a cause sponsor, she listens to and advocates for prisoners through a host of social service organizations.
Preston also mortgaged her home in Seattle in order to purchase land for a school in Kasoa, Ghana. This school called The People’s School for Positive Education opened in 2006 and provides free education for 260 children. She was able to obtain financial backers/sponsors to help build the school and keep it running.
Preston has earned the respect and gratitude of those for whom and with whom she serves. She has inspired others to reach out and do something where there is a need, as she continues to volunteer through the Mount Zion Baptist Church African-American Leadership Forum, Grandparents as Parents and Foster Parent Association of Washington State.
Eddie Rye, Jr. ’59: While at Garfield, Rye was active in Boys Club activities and was a member of the Garfield Marching Band. As a graduate, Rye continues to provide much appreciated mentoring of young African American students at Garfield. He often acts as an historical resource on the Martin Luther King, Jr. visit to Seattle and on other Black History events in Seattle and Washington State.
Rye became a host of Action Inner City on KOMO TV and also hosted a radio show on KYAC Radio where he addressed key local concerns. He served as Executive Director of the Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP) in the 70s and was the Owner/CEO of Traction Systems, Inc. As co-convener of the Community Coalition for Contracts and Jobs (CCCJ), he aggressively sought equality in jobs and contracts funded from public and community tax sources. As one Garfield student said of Rye: “He is an influential person who makes you want to do your best and just keep doing your best.”
Rye is also known for his extensive community activism and has directly contributed to the success of numerous community projects which have been enacted to ensure that women and people of color receive equity in jobs and contracts based on their qualifications. He was an occupant of the Beacon Hill School that became, due to this advocacy, El Centro de la Raza. He was a co-founder of the Seattle/King County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee. He was an early advocate and very vocal in the struggle for support for the legislation to rename King County to Martin Luther King Jr. County and participated in other renaming efforts which included a successful effort for the National Park Service to remove the name of “Coon Creek” and “Coon Lake” in Chelan County and replaced them with the name of the Black Miner, Wilson Howard, who claimed the creek and lake.
Rye has earned numerous awards from State and County levels and from leading local organizations throughout the local multi-cultural community for his active, effective community advocacy. For example, he earned the Washington State African American Achievement award for his outstanding community leadership, the “Sam Shoji” Unsung Hero award from the Seattle Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the Seattle-King County NAACP Julian Bond Legacy Award and the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Community Service Award.
