Hall of Fame

Dennis Conner

Dennis was an innovative, creative and hardworking educator.  He started teaching in 1969 when Woodlake High School was a Model School on Modular Scheduling. He taught Spanish, French, and English as a Second Language (ESL).  During this time, students had unscheduled time to go to classes they were interested in or in which they needed extra help. Many of Dennis’s students were interested in Hispanic Dance and Music and requested Dennis to help them with their dance research. This led to Dennis developing a Mexican Folk Dance class in 1970 open to all Woodlake High School students. The program became Dennis’s passion due to student participation and overall enthusiasm.

In 1986, Dennis was hired as a Woodlake High School counselor. He continued his involvement and encouragement of the Ballet Folklorico program and ensured that it would continue to grow into the outstanding program it is today. He and his counseling partner, Sally Pace, started many programs that are still in existence today, including: Career Day, College Study Trips, Portfolios, Senior Exit Interviews, and the Community Service Graduation Requirement. 

Dennis Connor definitely left a lasting mark on the Woodlake High School culture! His  quiet style of leadership and careful planning helped sell his ideas to the administration, staff, parents, students, and the WHS  School Board. Dennis retired in 2004 after thirty-five years of dedication to Woodlake High School.

Leeanne Crain

Leeanne Crain was an outstanding athlete at WHS in the Class of 1984.  She played volleyball, basketball, and softball and was coached by Louise Achenbach, Marvin Welch, Rex Robertson, and Frank Ainley. She attended UCLA after high school, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.  At UCLA, she was recruited by the women’s rowing team and was a varsity team member from 1985-88. During her senior year, she was named Team Captain and earned a spot on the Pac 10 All-Conference Team.   

After graduating from UCLA, Leeanne became an assistant coach for the UCLA team and rowed on the United States National Team. In 1988, she represented the U.S. team and won a gold medal in the women’s four at the Cadbury International Regatta in Australia. In 1990, she was a grand finalist in the World Championship Pairs Selection Trials.  That same year, the UCLA team won the Pac 10 Championship.

In 1993 she was recruited by the University of San Diego to become the head coach of the women’s rowing program. Leeanne spent 10 seasons at USD, where she was named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2003.

Her coaching career continued at University of Central Florida and University of Oklahoma where her teams continued to dominate the field, both on and off the water.

An active member of the rowing community, Leeanne served on the NCAA Rowing Committee from 2001-05, and was the chair of both the NCAA West (2001-03) and South (2003-07) Regional Advisory Committees. 

Leeanne retired recently after 14 seasons at the University of Oklahoma. She is currently living in Visalia.