Please join the George Washington High School Alumni Association in welcoming three extraordinary GWHS alumni as 2026 inductees into the GWHS Hall of Merit:

Steven Lem ‘76 has done one of the rarest human endeavors: scaling the tallest peak on each continent, a feat called "The Seven Summits." Only 350 people in human history have accomplished this feat. In comparison, more than 700 humans have gone into space. He began rock climbing in the late 1970s while at UC Berkeley and over the next 30 years could often be found on Yosemite’s rock faces. His Seven Summits project started in 2001 with Acongagua in Argentina and completed in 2012 with Antarctica’s Mount Vinson after which Steve “retired” from climbing. Shortly after, he retired after a successful 29-year career at Pfizer, Inc.

Dr. Lisa White ‘78 is one of the few Black women geologists in the world and has had a significant impact on advancing opportunities for young students, women and people of color in the sciences. She was a Professor and Department Chair at SFSU, and a Visiting Professor at the Univ. of New Orleans. Since 2012, she has been the Director for Education and Outreach at UC Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology and an Adjunct Professor at SFSU. Lisa has been active in many initiatives to increase diversity in the geosciences. She was elected as Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences in 2000 and the Geological Society of America in 2009, is on the Board of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has received many awards for her work and outreach, and was featured on a Bill Nye The Science Guy program as well as the 2015 NOVA (PBS) documentary Making of North America.

Richard Lee ‘06 has a schedule conflict and will be inducted in 2027.

The GWHS Alumni Association, founded in 1951 as a social club, transformed into a robust organization with the mission of supporting GWHS' high standard of educational excellence following the heartwarming response to its fundraiser for the school's 50th anniversary in 1986-87. This fundraiser empowered the Association to establish its first permanent fund: the Alumni Endowment. The Association now administers a score of program funds bestowing grants to teachers and coaches for classroom supplies and student activities not funded by the school district and over 3 dozen scholarships (including the prestigious Principals' Cups) to college-bound seniors. Generous support from alumni, retired faculty, and family facilitates the GWHS Alumni Association's assistance to GWHS.

Eagles For Life!

2026 Alumni Awards Dinner

Inducting two GWHS alumni into the Hall of Merit

Team Members